What Experiment?

The gathering of alchemists was held to exchange knowledge and rare materials from each region. It was a delegation exchange that had been held regularly since the Doomsday Wave began.

Most alchemists were sincere in helping because they benefited from doing what they liked for free.

For that reason, the gathering was not held in a fancy place. The alchemists empathized with those who had yet to recover from the effects of the Tenth Wave.

Still, the Empire sent a full escort as criminals often targeted events like this to create chaos.

"This roll of paper is clean. You may pass," a guard returned Gris' scroll after inspecting it.

Gris thanked him before exiting the gathering area. He waited for Leander and Declan's crate to be checked.

Another alchemist gave him the ingredients for Blayz after he offered them the strength-boosting potion formula Alberic prepared before the raid.

"Everything is fine. You may leave," the guard let Leander and Declan back to Gris.

"Do you have anything else to do?" Leander asked as Gris looked around.

Gris replied in a low voice, "Nothing important. I'll wait for a while and return if nothing happens."

Right after that, a loud explosion shook the gathering area. Red flames ignited in the center, illuminating the people's shocked faces.

It started spreading to the tents and trees. Thick, dark smoke filled the air, causing everyone to cough.

"Protect Her Highness!"

Amidst the commotion, the imperial princess's security commander sounded out loud.

"We can't find her!"

"This dark smoke is getting thicker and blocking the view!"

"Your Highness, can you hear us? Please come closer quietly!"

While the princess's security forces searched for Solnisca, the alchemists rushed to secure their treasures. They ignored the imperial security forces' orders to avoid the fire.

Declan took out a two-handed dagger from the sheath strapped to his waist. "This is a fire cannon attack from a high-ranking mage. Leander, take Young Master to safety!"

"I didn't think you'd risk your life for me, who you just met," Gris quoted Declan's words, which he'd heard while being swallowed by the Soulshard Axe's curse.

"You can still hear me while trapped in the curse of darkness?" Surprised, Declan turned his body around while Gris only smiled.

"Please ensure you complete your tasks correctly. I'll be heading home now. We'll see you later!"

Leander left the crate of ingredients and put his arm around Gris' waist before running as fast as he could.

The smoke did not seem like a big deal to him. He skillfully dodged the trees hidden by the smoke.

The fire raced across the grass as if pursuing him. But he outran it. Just before it could catch him, he leaped into the river and instructed Gris to swim after him.

"Young Master, are you alright?" Leander asked Gris, who had just arrived at the riverside.

Gris coughed hard, rubbing his stinging eyes. "I'm alright for now. Let's go before the fire spreads more!"

"Do you know anything about this? You said you wanted to wait for something to happen."

"It's just a guess because criminals often create chaos in situations like this."

The conversation stopped there as Gris was not interested in discussing it further with Leander. He actually had another guess.

Solnisca went to the alchemists' gathering, not just to see him. She probably expected chaos and used it as a chance to flee and join Pandemonium Academy.

"Is our carriage safe?" Gris questioned, realizing the Soulshard Axe was kept in a special crate inside the carriage.

"Our carriage was moved quite far away from the gathering place because it could take up space. Many people are attending the gathering this time."

"Sounds good to me. I don't have any other plans, so let's head straight home, shall we?"

Leander managed to find his way to where the carriage was moved and brought Gris home without Declan. He was the one who explained everything to Alberic, while Gris went straight to Blayz in his laboratory.

Under the dim light, Blayz was struggling with a serious expression in front of his desk. Carefully, he sprinkled something from a clear vial into a small mortar of bronze.

"Father, I've met with Gwen," Gris reported, handing over the scroll of paper he had kept safely under his shirt during the chaos at the gathering.

Blayz frowned at Gris's wet clothes. But he did not ask because he had already guessed what happened from the burning smell that clung to his son.

"It's a summary of the academy's lessons. Gwen said the contents will change in three hours."

"Did she say anything else?"

"She said the academy's admission opens in a week. A cult is going to attack Silverth mansion to take me and the other kids."

Blayz nodded in understanding, storing the paper scroll in a safe place. He had once gotten a summary of the academy's lessons, but it had to be destroyed because the Empire sometimes led sudden inspections.

"Since the time is near, you can't go anywhere," Blayz turned to look at Gris. "What do you think?"

"I want Alaric."

"To be your undead?"

"No, Father. I want him to be my training partner. He's the same age as me, and our physical differences aren't too big."

Seeing Gris speak with a blank expression, Blayz burst into laughter. He expected his son to be shocked when he mentioned turning Alaric into an undead.

But Gris calmly clarified it as if what he had heard was nothing.

"I still want a magical beast," Gris reminded Blayz in case he forgot. "Just buy one that fits in a small cage. I can't bind a soul stronger than me, so I'm thinking of keeping it until I get stronger."

"That's what I'm working on. My messenger said there will be good magic items and magic beasts on the black market today."

Speaking of items, Gris thought about the Soulshard Axe. "Did you know that Alberic gave me a cursed weapon?"

"I just told him to give you the best," Blayz became interested in investigating Gris's body after knowing he was using a cursed weapon. "You look fine. Is there any problem regarding the curse?"

"There isn't. In fact, I'm interested in controlling the Soulshard Axe."

"You can do that at the academy, not here. The Empire can detect large curse energy."

The lab fell silent again. Blayz carried on with his work on the elixir. But Gris stayed behind him, causing distractions.

"Could you please leave? I'm having trouble concentrating."

Gris slowly backed away. He was just curious because the elixir was something new to him.

"I forgot to tell you this, Father. My sister and I have additional plans. You'll find out later," he told Blayz before leaving the lab.

Blayz stopped his activity to stare at Gris walking away. "He's becoming bothersome. But why did his behavior change? Could the experiment have caused other effects?"

He gripped the pestle tightly and resumed his work.

"Rather than having other effects, it's more like he's back to being a normal human..."

Outside the lab, Gris leaned against the wall, his muscles tensed up with anticipation. His original intention was just to satisfy his curiosity by peeking at the elixir-making process.

Instead, he heard something shocking. What experiment was Blayz talking about? It piqued Gris's curiosity even more, encouraging him to strain his ears to catch every word.

He wanted to go back into the lab and ask Blayz directly. But his body felt heavy, signaling him not to do anything about it.

'Dawgshit. Griswalden didn't have any memories of that experiment. Does that have anything to do with his strong perception?'

Despite being curious to death, Gris managed to push it aside and went to meet Declan, who had just arrived unharmed.