"I see. So it was them who blew their own cover by trying to kill you both, huh?" Yaw-Yan and Minona both nodded to the vice principal.
They had just finished recounting the events of the previous night—from how Minona wanted to investigate the suspicious people they encountered, to being caught by a senior student named Ruges, who tried to kill them for no apparent reason.
They also shared what happened after they got separated, which made both Yaw-Yan and Minona exchange looks filled with a mix of guilt and shame.
Yaw-Yan bit his lip as he listened to how Ruges had tried to force himself on Minona and had nearly succeeded—if Yaw-Yan hadn't returned just in time to stop him.
Minona, on the other hand, was still upset for dragging Yaw-Yan into danger. Hearing his story—how he barely escaped his pursuers and survived being chased by the blood collectors—only made her feel worse. She blamed herself for everything, even though she is pretty sure that Yaw-Yan would rather blame himself than her, which made Minona appreciate him all the more
The trio of friends, on the other hand, had to pick their jaws up off the floor after dropping them when Yaw-Yan began telling his story—how he had outsmarted the two Blood Collectors and even used that opportunity to save Minona from Ruges's group.
The vice principal sat in front of the two, occasionally nodding as he took in the important information shared by the teens.
He couldn't believe that the Heretics had been this cunning, playing a long-term game just to achieve their goal.
planting an actual student as a mole in their academy is something neither he nor the staffs had ever considered. No one would suspect a student who had been attending the academy for three years to be a spy for Heretics..
Fortunately, Ruges was such a loudmouth. If it hadn't been for him, they never would have suspected that the Heretics were behind all this—or that their organization was willing to hide in the shadows while slowly positioning their pieces. It was a tactic designed for long-term strategy, and the academy had no idea what their true aim was.
The Heretics were no longer just a group of cultists who hurt and stole from people. They had become a powerful organization with a grand plan—one that posed an even greater threat to everyone.
He needed to inform the principal of what he heard immediately. First, they had to find out if there were any other moles hiding in the academy. Second, they needed to alert His Highness, the King, that a new threat to the kingdom had emerged.
"Uhm, can I ask something?" Yaw-Yan raised his hand toward the vice principal, who looked at him and nodded for him to continue.
"What are the Heretics, and why do they sound so troublesome?"
Yaw-Yan grimaced when he noticed how his friends' expressions darkened at the mention of the Heretics.
The vice principal, who's keeping a neutral expression, was clearly contemplating whether or not to tell the boy the truth about those cultist.
With a sigh, the vice principal decided it was better to warn Yaw-Yan about the Heretics so he'd know to stay away from them if he ever encountered one.
"Brat, I want you to listen carefully when I tell you about the Heretics. With your… condition, I can already tell you'd be tempted by what they're capable of."
Yaw-Yan gulped nervously as the vice principal's tone turned serious.
Seeing the boy nod, the vice principal leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Heretics is the term used for people who possess two or more Gods alignments."
Yaw-Yan tilted his head in confusion, so the vice principal continued.
"The gods' alignments come with many rules—things people must do or avoid doing, either to uphold their faith or to avoid being struck by divine punishment."
Yaw-Yan nodded, fully invested in the information he was receiving.
"One of the most important rules regarding divine alignment is this: you can only align yourself with one god."
The vice principal paused for a moment, letting the weight of that rule sink in.
"Choose your god, pray to it for guidance, receive its blessing, and embody that god's vision from then on. That's how you choose your alignment. Simple, right?"
The boy nodded.
"Because it is simple. Everyone can choose an alignment and receive a god's blessing—well, almost everyone."
Yaw-Yan rolled his eyes at the knowing grin the vice principal gaving to him.
"That said, people can only have one alignment. You'll hear many reasons why—like how the gods want your devotion, loyalty, or love, which you can only give to one of them. But the real reason you can only have one alignment is because people have only one soul core."
The vice principal let his words sink in before continuing.
"You can imagine a blessing like a ball of energy that perfectly encapsulates your soul core. It forms a layer that not only protects your core from outside forces, but also helps regulate the amount of mana surge your soul can receive—just enough to slowly expand your mana pool, but not so much that it causes an implosion. That kind of control would be impossible for a human to manage without a blessing."
He leaned forward slightly. "More importantly, the blessing refines the mana surge entering your soul core—making it more potent and changing its affinity depending on which god you've aligned with."
The vice principal then pulled out a trident. Unlike the night before, it looked like a plain iron weapon. But when his body began to glow with a soft yellow light, the trident's appearance morphed—becoming ornate, gaudy, and intimidating.
"Without my blessing, that's what my core weapon looks like. But by applying my god's blessing, the raw mana surge is transformed into a divine affinity—letting me wield a glimpse of my god's power."
By now, Yaw-Yan's mind was completely blown by everything he had learned. He had already forgotten why they had even started talking about god alignments in the first place.
"That brings us back to the rule of one god alignment per person. Once you make an alignment, it means your soul core is already occupied by a god's blessing—there's no room for another one. So, how are the Heretics able to have two or more?"
Yaw-Yan nervously gulped, sensing that the answer was something grim.
"By absorbing another person into their own body—effectively giving themselves another soul core and another god alignment. We don't really know how they manage to do it, but what we do know is that anyone with two or more god alignments ends up cutting their lifespan in half.
Sure, it gives them more power than they originally had, but the toll of having multiple alignments will eventually destroy their body."
Yaw-Yan's eyes widened in shock. There was a way to get a soul core. The method existed—it was out there. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way for him to experience the world beyond Silao Valley.
But... could he stomach such a method? Using others... killing someone... just to get himself a soul core?
He couldn't, right?
But if he had a soul core—he could protect everyone he cared for.
Suddenly, he was jolted from his thoughts by the feeling of someone squeezing his hand. He looked to his side and saw Minona giving him a concerned look.
"Yaw-Yan, are you okay? You look distressed."
He glanced at his reflection in a nearby mirror and was surprised to see how pale his face looked.
He turned back to Minona and gave a small nod. "I-I'm fine, Minona. Don't worry. I'm just… overwhelmed by all of this."
Minona looked at Yaw-Yan for a few moments before nodding back, still not letting go of his hand. She could tell something was bothering him, and she wanted to make sure he knew—she was right there with him.
"Brat! I know what you're thinking—that this might be the answer you've been looking for. I'll be honest with you." The vice principal sighed. "When I peeked into your soul and saw that it was empty, the first thought that came to my mind was what would happen if you were given a soul core—and how to make that happen. The first method that came to mind was... the Heretics."
Suddenly, the vice principal furrowed his eyebrows and stared Yaw-Yan in the eyes, making sure the boy understood what he was about to say.
"But that method is inhumane. We barely understand how the Heretics' method work. There are some reports suggesting that to transfer a soul core, the victim is left alive—their consciousness trapped within the body of the Heretic. These reports aren't yet fully proven, but the evidence we've gathered so far strongly points in that direction."
Yaw-Yan and everyone else in the room paled at the revelation. Are you serious? Their consciousness is still alive—and they're trapped inside someone else's body?
The vice principal continued, "And don't even think that these people will help you out of kindness. No, brat. That's not how they operate. They go around killing people left and right. These are the same people who would attack a small manaland like yours, slaughter everyone in the village, and kidnap all the children for their sick rituals.
These aren't people, brat. They're worse than beasts. Don't ever go looking for anyone from that group. They won't help you without taking something from you first."
Yaw-Yan lowered his head and nodded. As much as he wanted a soul core, he had a feeling that the Heretics wouldn't help him—they'd likely perform an experiment on him once they found out about his condition. And he didn't want to be anywhere near people who enjoyed killing.
"I'm not lying when I say I'm truly interested in your condition, brat," the vice principal said. "And I will try to find a way to help you gain a soul core. The Heretic method is just one of many paths I intend to explore. I'm not promising anything, since this is just me going around researching, but if I find something—you'll be the first one to know."
The vice principal stood from his chair and gave Yaw-Yan a respectful salute. "And although I haven't said this earlier—Yaw-Yan, on behalf of Lincad Academy, thank you for protecting our students, especially Ms. Highergard. Without you, we would've lost such a talented student. We are in your debt."
Yaw-Yan immediately tried to wave off the gesture, telling the vice principal that he was just helping a friend and that it was only natural. He insisted the vice principal didn't need to bow his head to him.
The vice principal let out a boisterous laugh. "If you say so, then I'll stop—HO HO HO!" he laughed heartily while slapping Yaw-Yan on the back repeatedly. The boy winced from the hits, but luckily, Minona pulled him into her embrace, shielding him from the vice principal's enthusiastic assault.
"Alright then, I'll leave you all now. I've got a mountain of work to finish—and this Heretic business just added more to my plate. I swear, if I find another member of that cult hiding in our ark, I'll punch him so hard in the face!"
He then pointed at the four students standing nearby. "You four, accompany the brat back to his tribe. We've already sent a thank-you gift to them. They know what happened to you and are relieved that you're safe.
After escorting him home, come back here immediately—we're leaving this manaland tonight."
After saying that, the vice principal headed to the door—but stopped as if remembering something.
"Oh, by the way—name's Oscord. Glad to meet you, Yaw-Yan, brat. Have a safe walk home."
After Vice Principal Oscord left the room, Amika plopped down on the floor, looking exhausted.
"God, I've never been this tense in my life. Yaw-Yan, can you stop being—I don't know—crazy? You even attracted the vice principal with your antics."
"I hope this is the last time you get yourself involved in this much trouble, Yaw-Yan," Suina added while massaging her temple. Her head felt heavy from all the things she had learned today.
Ayato looked at Yaw-Yan and gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
"Yaw-Yan, bro, you're really something else, aren't you?, Here!"
Ayato handed him a bag, confusing Yaw-Yan.
"All your stuff's in here—our gifts and some extra stuff we added while you were asleep. It wouldn't all fit in your old bag, so I bought you a bigger one. Everything's in there."
Suddenly, Amika jumped in between the two boys
"Here! I heard you used this to call for help. It's the reason how the vice principal managed to find you. Keep this thing with you—I think it's a lucky charm."
Yaw-Yan looked at the Bullhornshell in his hand and smiled. He thanked Amika and strapped it to his belt for quick access. All he needed was a beast core to activate it, and it could blast away any threat with its sound.
He also grabbed the bag Ayato had given him, strapped it to his back, and thanked him sincerely.
"I think we need to head off now. We don't have much time before the Lincad Ark departs," Suina reminded them.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Just as Yaw-Yan was about to head for the door with the others, he felt Minona grab his hand and press something into it. When he looked down, his eyes widened as he look at the beast core in his hand—he had never seen such a beautiful beast core. It looked like a miniature planet, glowing with radiant energy.
"The vice principal gave it to me earlier," Minona said softly. "He said we both earned it for surviving the blood collectors and that we should each keep one as a trophy. It's a high-quality beast core. I kept the other one—you should keep this one, Yaw-Yan."
Before he could argue, Minona gave him a small push and urged him to keep it. He nodded and tucked the beast core away carefully.
Once they made sure everyone was ready to depart, the five of them left the room and headed toward the exit hall of the Lincad ark, to escort Yaw-Yan back to his tribe.
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Meanwhile, in Silao Forest...
A bloodied man dragged himself across the forest floor. His eyes were bloodshot with rage.
"I'm going to kill all of you, if I'm going to die, everyone should die with me... especially you, local boy."
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End of Chapter 17