Surveillance

Damn it, class reading. The mortal enemy of all introverts.

“Pst.” Eva secretly handed me her book for me to read.

Lawrence silently thanked her with a smile and picked it up, clearing his throat before reading the passage out loud.

“The size of a magic circle depends on the amount of mana imbued into the spell. However, it’s not always the case. A lightning mage can imbue as much mana as they want to increase the range of their spell. There are exceptions for all elements.”

“Good, and why are there exceptions in magic? A world property that defies all laws of reality?” The professor asked, raising one eyebrow as he looked at Lawrence with interest.

“Because magic makes the impossible possible. All avenues of imagination are possible because of it.”

“Good answer.” The professor responded contentedly.

Lawrence exhaled as he sat back down, sliding the book back to Eva, leaving it in the middle so they could read from it.

“As you know, magic is life itself. This is why healing magic is possible despite not being part of any element or Derivative Element. Mana flows through everything. It’s all around us. That’s why we’re able to regenerate it over time.”

The bell for lunch rang as everyone began packing up. Lawrence quickly got up, waiting for Eva to gather her things before they walked out together and into the hall.

“What do you reckon they have?” He asked, licking his lips like a dog salivating at the mouth.

He quickly stopped, noticing Eva had an almost mocking grin on her face as they walked towards the cafeteria.

“I’ve never seen you so excited over simple academy food. Is Corinne starving you?” Eva joked, almost laughing.

Lawrence was about to respond until he caught himself, realizing something he hadn’t considered prior.

It’s out of character for someone as rich as Lawrence to be so fascinated by school food. How did I not realize it sooner?

“Ah, it’s just uh…”

He attempted to formulate some excuse on the spot, but he soon came up empty. “I skipped breakfast today, so I’m pretty hungry…”

“Hmm…”  Eva didn’t seem to buy it, but she didn’t press the matter any further as they soon arrived outside the cafeteria.

Lawrence swung open one of the doors, allowing her to enter first, as she thanked him.

The interior was similar to the quartz halls. There were dozens of rows of long, glossy wood tables with hundreds of students crowded on them. The mixed aromas of different meats and spices filled the air, reaching Lawrence’s nostrils as he embraced the pleasant smells of food.

The pair quickly got in line. Lawrence noted there were about fifteen people in front of them. It made no difference since the lunch period was an hour long.

In time, the line gradually thinned as the two workers picked up a tray and informed them of their orders. Lawrence requested roasted potatoes, with steak, and some hot red herbal tea. Eva chose to eat a fish that Lawrence was unfamiliar with.

Receiving their food and getting out of the queue, Lawrence scanned the cafeteria, finding no open spots, which made him a bit annoyed, and sighed exasperatedly.

“Outside, again? It’s a nice day.” Eva suggested, nudging her head towards the door.

“Sure.” He smiled as they quickly left to eat their food while it was still steaming hot.

Entering the courtyard in the middle of the academy, there were a few available outside tables. But in the distance, a single golden-haired figure was frantically waving their hand in the pair’s direction.

“Oh, I wonder who that could be?” Lawrence snorted as they made their way to join their friends.

Nico was jumping in his seat as Lawrence and Eva sat on the opposite side of him and Sayer. The two boys also had steaks, accompanied by various side dishes and garnishes.

“Yay! You guys are here!” Nico said, barely able to contain his excitement.

“How were classes?” Sayer asked modestly, taking his knife and cutting a piece of steak off. Some of the steam exuding from the inside fogged up a small part of his glasses.

“Aside from Lawrence forgetting his books and the professor forcing him to read out loud, pretty good.” Eva summed up, slapping Lawrence on the back, which made him jump slightly.

“The Great Lawrence forgetting something? I never would’ve thought I’d see the day.” Sayer teased before eating his steak.

“Haha, it was simply a lapse in memory. I’m still recovering, you know.” Lawrence responded, digging into his food as well.

“So, there’s really nothing wrong that the doctors found?” Sayer asked, furrowing his brow, concerned about his friend.

Lawrence took another bite as he looked over at Nico, who was nearly finished with his plate already, silently chomping away at the steak like a rabid beast. “They said it’ll take time, and hopefully I’ll be as good as new.”

Lawrence felt worse, digging a deeper hole for himself, knowing he was lying to everyone. The only ones who knew the truth were Jacob and the Chancellor.

Maybe I should consult her on what to do… should I tell them or not?

----

Arno rapidly swung his sword concisely at the target dummy. The impacts echoed against the stone walls of the training chamber. Quickly resheathing his sword, ice began to form around the guard as Arno ripped it out, doing an instant horizontal strike, cutting the dummy in half as both halves became encased in ice.

If I gradually encased the blade in ice as I pulled it out, would it be more difficult for someone to notice? It wouldn’t matter if I could draw the blade in the blink of an eye.

He looked down at the pristine steel blade, which reflected the ceiling lights, before returning it to its sheath.

“Hard at work as always, I see.”

Arno quickly turned around to see Stella leaning against the wall with her arms folded near the entrance of the room. He relaxed as she approached him.

“These vampires are becoming increasingly more unpredictable, so I have to make sure both I and my blade are squared away.” He responded nonchalantly, attaching the katana to the clip on his belt.

Stella exhaled through her nose, holding her hands up slightly. “I’ve yet to encounter one of these things. It makes me a bit mad that you and Gabriel are the only ones who have.”

Arno narrowed his eyes, but he made nothing of it and turned his back to her, ready to get back to training. “The time will come. But as a member of this Committee, violence is the lasting thing you should be lusting for.”

----

Lawrence returned to the Committee’s meeting room, where Jack and the other members he already knew were present. However, many of them were too focused on paperwork to notice him.

After he summarized his observations, Jack rubbed his chin as he considered his next steps.

“Continue watching him,” Jack instructed. His face rested on his shoulder as Lawrence stood before him and the rest of the Committee.

He slid over a folder with a few pictures. “We have a few more we’re keeping our eye on.”

There were five other suspects. Lawrence recognized two of them: one from his Magic Theory class and the other from his Alchemy class. The rest were unfamiliar.

“How are they suspects?” He asked, picking up two pictures.

“Infractions and reports from both the academy and outside. Based on what they did, we’re surveilling them since we have nothing else to work with.”

Jack’s face showed that he wanted to add more, and he cleared his throat to ensure he still had the lead of the conversation.

“We recently discovered something that all of the victims have in common.” He disclosed, interlocking his fingers.

Lawrence raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, genuinely surprised that they had found a common thread in the investigation.

“Every victim had checked into the infirmary prior to turning into a vampire. But even more specifically, they complained about having stomach pains.”

“The infirmary?” Lawrence looked down at a particular photo of a student wearing a doctor’s coat. If he had to guess, he was the nurse’s assistant.

“Albert Greyson, assistant to the nurse’s office, and while having no infractions himself, the Greyson Family is known to very few that they operate in the criminal underworld, very actively, if I might add.”

The assistant who works at the school’s infirmary, where every victim complained of stomach pains and has some connection to the black market…that can’t be a coincidence.

“And what of the victims after they left the infirmary?” Lawrence folded his arms and tapped on his forearm with his index finger in anticipation.

“The nurse couldn’t resolve their symptoms, and they went to the hospital. After a few days, they would recover and return to school. Then not long after, they would turn and begin their nocturnal assault.” Jack leaned back in his chair, also crossing his arms.

“I’m sure that part of the mystery is beyond the Committee’s capabilities for the investigation.” I surmised.

Since they are only a school organization, they have no governmental investigative power, and the police would have no obligation to inform them, aside from maybe the Chancellor, about the investigation.

Something as vexed as this would require absolute discretion and a thorough investigation, which will take time. Unfortunately, time is not a commodity for everyone at the school.

“Correct.” Jack sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples. “The police have shut us out, despite us being on the frontlines of this. We’re working tirelessly in the night to put a stop to this, and they can’t even bother to have officers or knights patrol the academy grounds.”

Lawrence could only imagine what work Jack was doing behind the scenes to expedite the investigation, and Lawrence was sure the authorities were not giving him any assurances.

“You should get some rest at some point,” Lawrence suggested, noticing the dark eye bags on Jack’s face.

He looked exhausted beyond belief. The weight on his shoulders must be as heavy as a concrete building.

“Perhaps I will when this is all over, if there is an end.” He chuckled a bit before it turned into a raging cough.

Jack quickly covered his mouth until he stopped coughing. Otto moved to help him, but he waved him off. The quiet giant remained idle nearby in case his condition worsened.

When the leader moved his hand away, Lawrence noticed specks of blood in his palm and a bit on his lips. The Blackwood heir’s face showed slight concern as he wiped it away with a handkerchief.

“Manacrosis,” Jack revealed, and after a few seconds, he was no longer coughing, but looked a bit pale.

“I wasn’t aware you had it,” Lawrence responded, feeling a bit sorry since Jacob passed away from severe Manacrosis.

Manacrosis is when a mage has burned their magic circuits through overexertion of magic. When the circuits burn out, most of the time, they can’t be used again, which prevents a mage from using their magic to its full potential. Necrosis begins to form, most notably in the hands and arms, and can spread depending on its severity. Jacob died from it because he burned all of his circuits in the previous war, which caused him to lose his status as a mage. What a sad way to go…

“Not many do outside of my family and the Committee. However, it’s not severe. It’s something genetic.” Jack revealed.

“Genetic?” Lawrence asked, a bit confused, as he wasn’t aware that there was a hereditary variation of it.

“That’s a story for another day, perhaps.” The leader avoided the question, sitting forward in his chair.

“I’ll continue watching Sayer then.” Lawrence silently acknowledged his discomfort with the topic.

“Good, and you don’t need to concern yourself with the other suspects. We’ve got them handled.”

The new member nodded and began to leave, but Jack stopped him to say something.

“Lawrence, even if you’re good with the sword, don’t try to be a hero.” He warned.

“I understand.”

----

A few hours had passed since the academy had closed for the day. The sun was barely visible over the horizon as the night's cold chill set in.

Sounds of footsteps echoed in an abandoned section of the academy as a figure in a gray cloak approached, their upper torso shrouded in darkness.

“The Disciplinary Committee is catching onto our plan, master.” The shadowy figure reported.

“Then deter them, agent.” The cloaked one responded in a wicked tone.

“There’s an anomaly, Lawrence Blackwood. Hindering the Committee’s progress will prove to be difficult.”

The cloaked figure took a few steps closer. “Then emphatically remove him from the equation.”

“I don’t think that will be possible, especially now that the Committee is on high alert.”

“If you wish to join the ranks of the Didact, I don’t expect to hear these excuses, you imbecile. Should I be ridiculed in the face of my superiors for your failure, I’ll execute you myself.”

“Yes, master…” The one covered in shadows responded apprehensively.

“Excellent. The next time we meet, I expect you to bear better news.”

They walked away, disappearing into the darkness and ending their surreptitious meeting. The other figure stood up and stared at the waning crescent moon through the window opening in the stone wall.