Chapter 20 Dark and Light

"Dead... dead?" Carly was stunned, the "Little Wizard Valedictorian" in her hands suddenly dropped to the floor.

Carly squeezed out a smile, looking blankly at the other four, "You... you're joking, right? Where's Tina? Tell her to stop hiding, come out quickly!"

Carly's voice shook slightly as some encounters with Tina involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

She was a very cheerful young lady, even a little heroic, and an apprentice knight. On their journey, she took good care of Carly…

"My mentor was also very good to me, he allowed me to read the books in his laboratory..." Carly closed her eyes, as if she could still hear Tina's smiling voice from the last gathering.

Slowly opening her eyes, she saw all four people, including Vayne, bowing their heads in silence, and Carly's heart slowly sank to the bottom.

That Knight, who seemed to carry the wind when she walked, full of vitality, really seemed to have left them.

"How... how did she die?" Carly's voice was very low now.

"Experiment." Vayne's voice was deep, with sadness in his eyes, as well as a hint of vigilant sorrow. "You should know, wizards practice the principle of equivalent exchange."

"When mentors sign contracts with us, in addition to promising to teach us knowledge, they also require us to fulfill certain articles of the contract. This includes cooperating with them in experiments."

Vayne's eyes were red as he looked at Carly, "Those experiments not marked as non-lethal in the contract naturally carry the risk of death!"

The faces of the other three were also pale, after all, the contracts they signed with their mentors also mostly included clauses to cooperate in experiments. Tina's fate today might be their tomorrow.

Carly was startled, blinking her eyes involuntarily.

"Contract?" Carly couldn't help but think of the demands her mentor Lucien made in their contract.

It seemed to be... respect for one's mentor?

"But... but Tina previously said that her mentor was a very good person..." Carly still couldn't quite believe it.

"Wizards, they only speak of contracts. What they say and do may all be just layers of language traps with ulterior motives," Vayne seemed to be growling, "Do you really think that they would selflessly cultivate us without any ulterior motive?!"

"Equivalent exchange, that is the most straightforward principle among wizards! When you gain something from your mentor, you also need to realize what he gained. If he hasn't gained anything, then does he have a deeper purpose! Just like Tina..."

Listening to Vayne's vent-like growling, Carly couldn't help feeling somewhat adrift.

Lucien, her mentor... Carly's hand slowly clenched, and her entire being felt somewhat dazed.

...

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Lucien looked at Carly, who was obviously out of sorts, and frowned slightly.

"No... no, it's nothing." Carly avoided Lucien's gaze a bit frantically, her mind still in turmoil.

Despite telling herself not to overthink it, the thought of Lucien, her mentor, still diligently helping her despite his severe injuries made her wonder... if he too...

Carly, thinking of this, felt as if she had suddenly stepped into an abyss; her whole being was suddenly filled with uncertainty, as if she had lost her support all at once.

"Let's take a break," Lucien, seeing Carly getting progressively worse, finally gestured with his hand, sat down, and started drinking water, allowing Carly to adjust herself.

Carly looked at Lucien, who was drinking water, opened her mouth to speak, but felt it would be too abrupt, hesitated for a long time, and eventually silently lowered her head.

"Is something the matter?" Lucien asked, putting down his water cup and looking at Carly.

"Ah! No..."

"I've felt that you were off today, tell me," Lucien said, looking at her somewhat helplessly.

Doesn't this little one know that her expressions couldn't hide anything at all?

Carly's mouth opened and closed, wanting to come up with some excuse to cover things up, but when she looked into Lucien's calm eyes, she felt that she couldn't lie at all.

"I... I heard others say that Wizards adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange, but..." Carly stumbled over her words, feeling a sense of shame as she finally spoke out.

Lucien was quietly listening at that moment, though his expression did not change much.

After all, he wasn't truly selfless; the "price" that Carly needed to pay was simply borne by his system.

However, seeing Carly's look at the moment, it was evident that she felt troubled by it, and even had a slight doubt about him, which would definitely affect his teaching later on.

Lucien pondered for a moment and then looked towards Carly, who was bowing her head, seemingly afraid to look at him. He thought about it and then spoke.

"This is an experiment of mine."

"Eh?" Carly looked up, puzzled, but she clearly understood what Lucien meant by the experiment.

"Simply put, it's an attempt to balance the relationship between the mentor and the student in another way," Lucien said with a smile, looking at the confused Carly and extending his hand, "You can think of it as investing in your future."

"Future?" Carly looked at Lucien somewhat blankly.

"Yes, the future," Lucien said, patting her little head, "For example, if one day you become a Formal Wizard, then I'll have a Formal Wizard as my assistant."

"Furthermore, unlike the other Wizards and students who rely on contracts and benefits, watchfully wary and using each other, I favor a different approach," Lucien looked at Carly, feeling it was a good time to paint a picture for the young one.

"I'm not very fond of those cold, dark, lacking emotional constraints among other Wizards, so if there's a chance in the future, I'd like to transform it my way, just like how we learn knowledge and then leverage rules."

"Of course, my power is too weak now to change others, so let's start with changing myself," Lucien paused, then looked at Carly, "I hope that one day, the children of the Wizard World can enter the Wizard academy without worrying about their safety, and that the relationship between mentor and student can become harmonious and beautiful..."

Listening to Lucien's words, Carly seemed to see a corner of that sun-filled, flower-strewn future, a hint of longing emerging in her eyes. Looking at Lucien now smiling too, his figure seemed grand in that moment to her shining eyes.

"Mentor... I, I want to follow you and make this dream come true!" Carly lifted her little head, her voice sounded incredibly firm.