Chapter 502 – Interrogating Greta

Chapter 502 – Interrogating Greta

The next morning, Grand Duke Clara arrived at the Administrative Hall and headed straight for the Governing Mage Council Chief’s office.

“Godmother! Look at this!”

Dayla glanced at it. “You received one too?”

“Too?” A flash of confusion crossed Kra’s eyes, but she quickly caught on. “Mr. Aramir sent you a letter as well?”

Dayla nodded and took the letter from her drawer, handing it to Kra.

After reading it, Clara asked, “Godmother, have you ever heard of this Dawn Society before?”

“No,” said Dayla. “I’ve already sent people to investigate. If it’s a scam organization, I’ll give them a taste of mining in the quarry.”

“I’m afraid it’s not an ordinary scam organization…” Clara frowned, still unable to put her mind at ease.

“Why do you say that?” Dayla asked, though she already knew the answer.

“On my way to the Administrative Hall, I stopped by the Oak Inn. Mr. Aramir was already gone, and the old oak tree in his courtyard was gone too.”

Clara continued, “He cared so much about that tree — without a foolproof method, he would never have taken the oak with him. So the Spatial Planting Pot Card he mentioned in his letter might actually be real.

An organization that can produce such a precious spatial item is certainly no ordinary group. The question is what their true purpose is! I’ve read this invitation several times and couldn’t find anything wrong with it.”

“Indeed, there doesn’t seem to be any issue. But that doesn’t rule out problems down the road.” Dayla’s expression was grave, looking every bit determined to get to the bottom of this.

A day later, the investigation report on the Dawn Society appeared on Dayla’s desk.

“Greta, a mage apprentice from the Yala Empire, is suspected to be the mastermind behind the Dawn Society. She secretly had someone deliver a letter to the advanced Elf mage Aramir. After that, the Oak Inn ceased operations.

Mage apprentices Yurian, Jenna, Mayne, Fira, and Rachel have exhibited unusual behavior recently, possibly also connected to Greta, and are suspected to have joined the Dawn Society.

The unaffiliated mage apprentices Lilith, Vasida, and Sylph from the Kingdom of Elwiss, along with their Instructor, the advanced mage Moira, have all had contact with Greta. It is speculated that they have inclinations toward joining the Dawn Society…”

Dayla couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time after reading the report.

Though the report was written in Mage Empire language, didn’t the name “Moira” happen to mean the same thing as “Moira” in the Witch language?

Of course, anyone who didn’t understand the Witch language would never connect the two names.

So they had cleared themselves of suspicion, only to personally go and join?

Dayla took the investigation report and went to find Kra.

“A mage apprentice is the mastermind? Impossible!” Clara didn’t believe for a second that a mage apprentice could produce something like a spatial planting pot.

Even this invitation imbued with the power of contract wasn’t something a mage apprentice could have access to.

But the investigation results did indeed show that the source of the Dawn Society in Lance City was Greta.

Connected to Greta, yet she couldn’t possibly be the mastermind — looking at her background as a whole, only one point was worth suspecting. “Could this be a conspiracy by the Yala Empire?”

Dayla went along with her line of thinking and agreed. “Very possible!”

“The Yala Empire has been stuck in its ways, isolating itself for so long — is it finally extending its claws again?” Kra’s face turned cold as she gazed westward. “Godmother, have that apprentice called Greta brought in for interrogation! Let’s find out what the Yala Empire is really up to. Once we have evidence of their ill intentions, I can submit it to the Empire and strike back!”

“I’ve already sent someone to bring her in,” Dayla said.

Greta had been taken away by a Governing Mage while selling instant noodles at Apprentice Square. By the time she reached the interrogation room, she still carried the aroma of instant noodles on her.

At first she felt somewhat uneasy, but upon seeing Grand Duke Clara and Marquis Dayla, she relaxed. The Grand Duke was powerful and merciful, and the Marquis was fair and impartial — they wouldn’t make trouble for a lowly apprentice like her without good reason.

She hadn’t done anything to feel guilty about, after all.

She respectfully performed a mage’s salute. Before she could even raise her head, she heard Grand Duke Clara sniff and ask, “What’s that smell on you?”

Greta sniffed herself and said somewhat bashfully, “It’s my instant noodles!”

As she spoke, she used Dawn Society magic to quickly purchase two Instant Noodle Cards — Braised Beef Flavor from the Card Shop and placed them on the interrogation table.

“I think this flavor is the most classic. Your Grace the Duke, Your Grace the Marquis, please try some.”

Her thinking was simple: the Duke was a Peak level mage and the Marquis was an advanced Witch. Before such powerful beings, trying to hide things would only add to their suspicion. Better to be completely open about it.

If they asked her what these cards were and where they came from, she could just buy two Dawn Society Trial Invitations and give them directly to them.

Dayla and Clara stared at the two cards.

Dayla had already purchased Card Magic, so of course she knew about the Instant Noodle Card. But back then, Mo Lan and the others had still been studying at the Witch Academy. To protect the secret that a Sorceress had once again appeared among the Witches, she had never used the three young Sorceresses’ Sorceress Magic in front of anyone else.

So now, just like Kra, she curiously examined the card and then, following Greta’s instructions, materialized it.

Two steaming bowls of braised beef instant noodles appeared on the interrogation table. Clara nearly couldn’t stop herself from drooling.

But materializing the card was irreversible — it couldn’t be turned back into a card.

No matter what, Clara wasn’t about to eat food of unknown origin.

She struggled to tear her gaze away from the noodles, her sharp eyes boring straight into Greta as she pressed her.

“Talk! What conspiracy does the Yala Empire have in sending you here to develop this so-called Dawn Society? How many of you have infiltrated the Mage Empire?”

“Huh?” Greta was dumbfounded. She couldn’t understand a single thing Grand Duke Clara was saying. “What does the Dawn Society have to do with the Yala Empire?”

The Dawn Society belongs to the Dragons, doesn’t it?

She didn’t say that out loud, because she had signed a contract — important information about the Dawn Society couldn’t be disclosed.

The origins of the Dawn Society were one such piece of important information.

Dayla, who had been using mind-reading magic the entire time: “…”

The Dragons?

What on earth had Mo Lan and the others done? When did they rope the Dragons into this?

Clara paid no mind to Greta’s answer and only looked to her godmother.

Her godmother knew the Witch Magic of mind-reading.

Though her mind-reading magic wasn’t particularly high-level, reading the mind of a little apprentice was more than sufficient.

Dayla, who had originally planned to at least put up a pretense of concealment, simply told Clara outright what Greta had just been thinking.

“The Dragons?” Kra’s eyes went wide. “What do the Dragons have to do with this? It’s not a Yala Empire conspiracy?”

Greta clapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn’t said anything just now! Surely that didn’t count as leaking secrets!