Albinite Shard Dust.
It was the residue left behind after drawing with an Albinite Shard. To the untrained eye, it was indistinguishable from ordinary white chalk, an identical twin in appearance. But this was no ordinary substance. It was an extremely rare and high-level item, only obtainable by defeating a mature rock wyvern with snow-white scales. Rock wyverns were already rare creatures; a white one was sighted once every decade, if at all.
Yet, someone had used this very material to tamper with Emilia's summoning. The dust was known to disrupt mana flow within a magical formulation and could twist it into a dangerous, chaotic form. This explained all the bizarre phenomena that had accompanied Emilia's summoning—the thunderclaps, the lightning sparks, the small explosions. At the time, they had assumed she was calling forth an immensely powerful magical beast. But the truth was far more sinister: it was all because of the Albinite Shard Dust.
The pieces of the puzzle fell into place with a chilling finality. Someone had tried to stop Emilia from summoning a powerful beast, sneaking into the summoning chamber to subtly overwrite a part of the circle with the dust.
Or, a more terrifying thought—it could have been an assassination attempt.
"No…" Lady Ariana stood speechless, a smear of Albinite Shard Dust on her fingertip. She brushed it off and inspected it closely, her brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
"Ariana, when was the last time you checked this summoning room?" Draco asked, his voice trembling with contained rage.
"Just a few hours ago," Ariana replied. "And I found no such thing!"
"And no one was allowed to enter after that?"
"Yes, I made sure of it!" Ariana said firmly.
As the first lady, Ariana was not only powerful but also highly knowledgeable. With the Silvervein bloodline coursing through her veins, she was by no means weaker than Draco—in fact, she could likely best him in a fight. Renowned for her meticulous nature and sharp eyes, Ariana was the last person anyone would expect to overlook something so dangerous.
Yet… the truth lay bare before their eyes.
Someone had tampered with the spell.
Suddenly, Draco's gaze fixed on Ariana, his eyes burning with intensity.
"What? You think I did this?" Ariana shot back, her voice thick with disbelief, her glare meeting his head-on. The tension between them crackled, almost palpable, like a storm waiting to break.
But eventually, Draco yielded. He sighed heavily, the sound a release of pent-up fury.
"No, I'm sorry…" he muttered, swallowing his anger. "Ariana, I was too hasty."
Ariana was Emilia's mother. There was no way she would harm her own daughter. And besides, even if it wasn't her daughter, as long as they were of the Silvervein bloodline, Ariana would never bring them harm.
So…
Who?
And how…?
How did they do it? The only plausible explanation was that someone had sneaked in here recently, after Lady Ariana's inspection. And that meant… someone either held great power within the Clan… or possessed a special ability that even the strongest members of the Clan couldn't detect.
Draco's gaze shot upward, locking onto the Five Clan Elders on the balcony. But they all seemed genuinely shocked, no cracks in their expressions, nothing to suggest they were involved. At least, nothing Draco could discern. He knew two of them particularly disliked him and his daughter. But there was no evidence pointing to them.
"Damn it…" Draco's fist clenched.
"Draco…" Ariana reached forward, gently grasping his hand. "Whatever happened, it's already done. Emilia is safe—that's what matters."
"Right…" Draco turned to his daughter, his eyes softening. "Emilia, are you hurt?"
"No, Father…" Emilia shook her head.
Elmandir, the Luminaris headmaster, approached her slowly. "Emilia, give me your hand," he said, extending his own. "Let me give you a quick check."
"Yes," Emilia complied. "Thank you, Headmaster…"
Elmandir took her hand and closed his eyes, his magic sweeping through her swiftly. His robe fluttered, and his hand glowed a soft, purple-ish light.
"Hmmm… there's no physical injuries," he said. "Now take a deep breath and let me examine your mana."
Emilia obeyed.
And then, within seconds, Elmandir completed his assessment.
"Elmandir, how's Emilia now?" Draco asked.
"Well, she's unharmed. Just a bit tired from expending too much mana."
Ariana and Draco exhaled in relief, exchanging a glance.
"Looks like we've been lucky," Elmandir continued, narrowing his eyes. "Emilia's mana control was so excellent that she could even tame the violent surge of mana… If not, she could've easily been torn apart."