Episode-730
Chapter : 1439
"Yes. Headmaster Valerius found her," Tulip explained. "She was teaching herself magic using scraps of paper she found in the trash. She was a prodigy. A diamond in the mud. Valerius adopted her into a minor noble house so she could attend the Academy. But she never forgot where she came from."
"That explains the chip on her shoulder," Lloyd mused. "And the drive. She had to fight for everything."
"She is kind, Lloyd," Tulip said earnestly. "Beneath that sharp tongue, she cares deeply. She spends her weekends tutoring struggling students for free. She buys books for those who cannot afford them. She is hard on them because she wants them to survive."
"A tough love teacher," Lloyd said. "With a lethal cat spirit."
"Exactly," Tulip smiled. "She is a protector. Just like you."
Lloyd stood up. "Thanks, Tulip. You're a fountain of knowledge."
"I try," she said. "Will you get Jamie out?"
"I'm working on it," Lloyd promised. "But first, I need to catch the real bad guy."
He left the office. His mind was clearer now. Jamie was a victim of his own desperation. Rubaiya was a survivor fighting for the underdog. Daniel was a craftsman obsessed with order.
They all had motives. They all had secrets. But none of them felt like a traitor. None of them felt like a person who would unleash a curse to destroy the school.
"Maybe I'm looking at this wrong," Lloyd thought as he walked back to the Old Tower. "Maybe it's not who they are. Maybe it's what they do."
He thought about Daniel. The craftsman. The man who brought weapons into the Academy.
"Daniel brought the sword," Lloyd realized. "The cursed sword that possessed Tom. Daniel runs the armory. He checks the equipment."
It was a thread. A thin, fragile thread. But it was something.
If Daniel was the supplier, he was the point of entry. Even if he wasn't the mastermind, he was the gatekeeper.
"Time to have another chat with the brick wall," Lloyd decided.
But before he could move, he saw Rubaiya walking towards him across the courtyard. She looked urgent. She looked like she had solved a math problem that resulted in doom.
"Lloyd!" she called out. "We need to talk. Now."
Lloyd stopped. "What is it?"
"I have a theory," Rubaiya said, breathless. "About the traitor."
"Let me guess," Lloyd said. "It's the gardener. It's always the gardener."
"No," Rubaiya said. Her eyes were deadly serious. "It's Daniel."
Lloyd froze. "Daniel?"
"Think about it," Rubaiya said. "The locket. The sword. Where did they come from?"
"The armory," Lloyd said slowly.
"Who controls the armory?" Rubaiya pressed. "Who inspects every item? Who has the skill to modify weapons? Who has a spirit that can alter metal?"
"Daniel," Lloyd whispered.
"He fits the profile," Rubaiya insisted. "He is quiet. He is overlooked. He has access. And he has the means. Lloyd, I think our discipline instructor is crafting devil weapons right under our noses."
Lloyd looked at her. Her logic was sound. It matched his own suspicions. But it felt... too easy. Too neat.
"Okay," Lloyd said. "Let's assume you're right. What do we do?"
"We confront him," Rubaiya said. "We catch him in the act."
"Or," Lloyd said, a plan forming in his mind. "We ask the guy in the dungeon. Jamie saw the sword up close. Maybe he saw something we missed."
"Jamie?" Rubaiya scoffed. "He is useless."
"He's a witness," Lloyd said. "And right now, he's the only one who isn't a suspect. Come on. We're going to jail."
He turned and headed for the dungeons. Rubaiya followed, looking skeptical.
The web was tightening. The pieces were moving. And Lloyd Ferrum was starting to see the shape of the spider.
But he had a nagging feeling. A feeling that he was looking at the wrong web.
"Don't get cocky, Lloyd," he told himself. "Assume nothing. Question everything. Even the math."
The investigation was heating up. And someone was about to get burned.
Lloyd and Rubaiya walked down the spiraling stone stairs that led to the Academy's dungeon. It was cold, damp, and smelled of despair and unwashed socks. Not exactly a five-star hotel.
"Why are we visiting the peacock?" Rubaiya asked, holding a scented handkerchief to her nose. "He will just cry about his hair."
"Because peacocks notice things," Lloyd said. "They are obsessed with appearances. Jamie was fighting Tom. He saw the sword up close. He felt it."
"He felt it trying to kill him," Rubaiya corrected.
Chapter : 1440
"Exactly. A very intimate experience," Lloyd said.
They reached the cell block. A guard nodded to Lloyd and unlocked the heavy iron door.
Jamie was sitting on a cot, his head in his hands. His pristine white dueling outfit was stained with dirt. His hair was a disaster. He looked like a deflated balloon.
"Jamie," Lloyd said softly.
Jamie looked up. His eyes were red. "Lloyd? Did you come to mock me? Is the Princess here to execute me?"
"No one is executing anyone," Lloyd said. "I brought you a sandwich."
He handed Jamie a wrapped sandwich he had swiped from the cafeteria. Jamie took it like it was a holy relic.
"Ham and cheese," Jamie whispered. "My favorite."
"Eat," Lloyd said. "And talk. Tell me about the sword. Tom's sword. The one that went crazy."
Jamie took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. He looked thoughtful. "It was... heavy. Heavier than a practice sword. When our blades locked, I felt a vibration. A hum. It wasn't just magic. It felt... hungry."
"Did you see the markings?" Rubaiya asked. "Were there runes?"
"I was a bit busy trying not to be decapitated," Jamie snapped. "But... yes. The pommel. It wasn't the standard Academy crest. It was smooth. Black. Like obsidian."
"Obsidian," Lloyd muttered. "Conductive. Good for curses."
"And the balance was off," Jamie added. "It felt top-heavy. Like something had been added to the blade. Inserted inside."
"A core," Lloyd realized. "Just like the locket. Someone hollowed out the sword and put a curse battery inside."
"Daniel," Rubaiya said. "He could do that. His spirit, Forge, can manipulate metal without leaving a seam. He could open the blade, insert the core, and seal it shut perfectly. No one would know."
Jamie looked confused. "Daniel? Boring Daniel? Why would he do that?"
"Because he's the only one who can," Lloyd said. "Jamie, did Daniel give Tom that sword?"
"I don't know," Jamie said. "Tom just grabbed it from the rack. But Daniel maintains the rack. He stocks it every morning."
"Okay," Lloyd said. "That's good info. Thanks, Jamie."
"Are you going to let me out?" Jamie asked hopefully.
"Not yet," Lloyd said. "You're safer in here. Trust me. If you come out, the real killer might try to silence you. Enjoy the sandwich. I'll bring you a comb next time."
Jamie touched his messy hair and looked horrified. "Please hurry."
Lloyd and Rubaiya left the cell. They walked back up the stairs.
"It has to be Daniel," Rubaiya said. "The evidence is piling up. The means, the opportunity, the access. He is the craftsman. He is the source."
"It fits," Lloyd admitted. "But what's the motive? Why would a loyal instructor suddenly start arming students with devil weapons?"
"Money?" Rubaiya suggested. "Blackmail? Maybe he is a sleeper agent. Like the girl in your office. I heard that story."
"Maybe," Lloyd said while frowning, and thought who could have spread that information. "But Daniel is... simple. He likes rules. Chaos goes against his nature."
"Or maybe that is just a mask," Rubaiya argued. "The perfect cover for a chaotic agent is a boring bureaucrat."
"True," Lloyd said. "Alright. Let's go talk to Tulip again. She knows everyone's backstory. Maybe she knows Daniel's."
They found Tulip in the garden, pruning roses. She looked elegant, even with shears in her hand.
"Tulip," Lloyd said. "We need to talk about Daniel."
Tulip paused. She looked at them. "Daniel? Why?"
"We think he might be involved," Lloyd said. "Hypothetically. What do you know about him? His family? His debts?"
Tulip frowned. She put down the shears. "Daniel has no family. He was a soldier. He retired after an injury. He lives for his work. He has no debts that I know of. He lives very simply. He sends most of his salary to a veteran's fund."
"A saint," Lloyd muttered. "Great. Just what I needed. A suspect who is a saint."
"Is there anything else?" Rubaiya asked. "Anything strange?"
"Well," Tulip thought for a moment. "He has been... stressed lately. He mentioned he was working on a special project. Private commissions. He said he needed extra money for... materials."
"Private commissions," Lloyd repeated. "Materials. Could be he's buying illegal components. Or paying off someone."
"Or he is just making custom armor for a noble," Tulip said. "He is very sought after."
"Thanks, Tulip," Lloyd said.
He walked away with Rubaiya. The picture was getting clearer, but also muddier. Daniel was a good man who needed money. He had the skills to make the weapons. He had access.