Death, Devotion, Dissonance

"So, you spared me because I was nice and well-mannered to you these past two days?" Leanne asked.

"Basically, yes."

'Are you fucking serious?'

Even with the dangerous situation unfolding on the Island, Leanne found it hard to not think about how her stupid phobia actually saved her life. She was irrationally afraid that if she didn't act politely towards these seemingly harmless yet still powerful individuals, she would one day find herself at the edge of their knives.

'I can't decide whether I should laugh or cry at this stupid fucking situation.'

"Weird how life works, no?" Albin also seemed to find the situation interesting. "Let's get you up. I wanna see what's happening through the talisman… But don't try anything dumb. Despite me being nice to you, I'll still have to kill you if you do anything suspicious."

Leanne got on her feet, but Albin's hands were still on her shoulders. The two made their way towards the seat that allowed access to the main Talisman and shared the small seat between each other. It was awkward for Leanne, but Albin didn't really seem to mind it.

He then sent his consciousness into the Talisman, which allowed him to see and hear through every Talisman of Seeing and Listening that was on the Island.

But even then, his grasp on Leanne's shoulders was firm. She knew that if she tried anything at this moment, she would immediately die under the effects of Albin's Conditional Absolute. The man wasn't called the 'Hand of Death' for nothing.

But it was true that this was the best moment if Leanne wanted to do anything to overthrow the situation. The problem was…

'What the hell am I even supposed to do in this situation?'

Even if she informed the other teachers, it wasn't like they could do much against the enemies here. Albin was more than enough to deal with a few ordinary mage teachers. It took months of planning and three High Mages to capture the guy in the first place.

Then should she contact the Academy on the main continent?

Even if she managed to contact the Academy now, it wasn't like there were any High Mages that they could send. And in the first place, how would she inform the kingdom about this situation in the first place?

There was a Cosmic on the Island, whose job was to send the students back when everything was over, but currently, the Cosmic was on the other side of the Island, with no way for Leanne to contact him.

The kingdom had absolute confidence in their Oaths and it was actually the job of the ex-criminals living on the Island to take care of intruders, so there really wasn't any manual that Leanne could use as a reference in this situation.

'It's better to let things happen without obstructing the enemies, and just hope that they don't hurt the students and the teachers.'

As Leanne was lost in thought, a sigh came from Albin's mouth next to her.

"They're definitely dangerous people… Hmm, it's a shame I'm unable to investigate their background," he murmured as he casually plucked off a small piece from the giant metal Talisman with his bare hands.

Sure, the man specialized in destroying the bodies of other people using the World of Life, but that didn't mean he wasn't unfamiliar with the other uses of Apdenul.

Using his nails, he began etching a rune onto it, and Leanne recognized it as a Rune of Recording, which allowed a mage to share a piece of their memory with other mages. It was one of the more difficult runes to etch, especially so on a tiny piece of metal using one's nails. But Albin didn't even struggle with the task and was finished after a couple of minutes.

And, holding the tiny Talisman in his palms, he ordered: "Swallow it."

"What?"

Albin sighed, grabbed Leanne's cheek with his hand and shoved the Talisman down her throat. An uncomfortable sensation passed through her throat, but other than that, Leanne didn't feel much different.

Albin then began to destroy the giant Talisman using his ridiculous strength.

"When they leave, you can shit out that Talisman and show it to someone you trust in the kingdom. It would be best if you could show it to the king or the Mage King... You don't have to hurry too much. You can wait a few weeks and then send a letter to the king, saying you found out something new about the incident and that it is inconvenient to tell him through normal means. I'm sure there are some people in the kingdom who are affiliated with the Organization."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm telling you to inform the kingdom about the Organization I'm about to join and investigate it if possible. Something tells me I need to do this for later on," Albin explained.

"You're betraying the group you've just joined? Aren't you afraid you'll be caught again?"

"It's a bit risky for me, but there's nothing in this Talisman that mentions the Organization's whereabouts. Just the abilities they're showing on their way to the Laboratories. But I need to make sure that the kingdom at least has rudimentary knowledge about them, so they won't be so helpless. I know you might think it stupid, but I can't really trust these guys unconditionally, you know? I know some details about them thanks to their recruitment efforts, but I don't know where they come from and why they exist. It was the reason why I didn't allow Amera to join me."

Leanne struggled to understand the reasonings behind the man's actions.

"You're not taking your daughter with you?"

"Yes."

"You're not afraid that the kingdom will use her against you?"

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that. The kingdom will not be able to harm my daughter. I would've hesitated if it was still king Roland ruling this country, but I can trust king Seth enough to entrust her life to the kingdom," Albin explained and then forced Leanne off the seat. "They're coming, so I need you to lie on the ground with your belly to the floor. Make sure you keep silent, or they might decide to kill you randomly…"

"…"

Albin adeptly put Leanne to the ground and sat squarely on her back.

"Oh, also, when you're writing your report on what happened on the Island, exclude the parts about me making you swallow that Talisman, since it might piss off my new employers. Think of it as repaying me for saving your life, alright?"

As Leanne struggled to understand what was happening, the group of five who went to the Laboratories came back. But they didn't come alone this time. A classy looking golem followed behind them, holding a golden storage ring in its hands. The Type 13, container of the last bits of consciousness that professor Heim Morton left behind before getting executed by the late king.

She wanted to say something, but remembering Albin's warnings, decided to keep silent. The kingdom needed information about this incident, not some dead mage who was too loud for her own good.

Leanne then heard some other footsteps coming inside the room. They were the two men who were considered Albin's right and left-hand men.

"Anything else you'd like to get from our humble Island?" Albin asked the masked people in a light-hearted manner.

"None," one of them replied. The man sounded quite pleased with the situation.

Albin shrugged and released his grasp on Leanne's head. "Then let us be on our way."

"Are you sure we will not kill her?"

"No," Albin's voice did not allow for any objections.

The other simply shrugged and ordered another to prepare for their departure. It seemed that Leanne's life would be spared this time.

She silently observed as the group created a light-blue colored portal and disappeared through it.

It took her a few seconds to gather the courage to get up, expecting her head to explode in some cruel joke Albin prepared for her. But nothing like that happened, and Leanne quickly made her way towards the Shelter where most of the teachers were staying.

She explained to everyone there the situation that unfolded with great difficulty, as everyone there treated it as an uncouth joke. She had to Lucien's corpse that was left behind in the Ruler's Palace, and only then, the teachers who were looking at Leanne annoyedly were convinced of her story.

She then ordered the cancellation of the test, urging every student to gather at the Infirmary.