The Wizard Has A Biochip

The muddy water dripped from my armor with every step.

My steel boots left deep prints along the soaked trail as I ran without looking back.

The engine core no longer roared as it once had.

After that relentless series of battles, the remaining energy was barely enough to keep the mechanisms running.

Even so...

I kept running.

My only priority was simple.

To get out of that damned swamp.

I only began to slow down when the vegetation started to thin.

The green trees gave way to a well-maintained stone road.

I looked up.

There it was.

The Arcangrove Tower.

Its enormous white stone walls reflected the light of the sky, standing in complete contrast to the swamp filth still dripping from my armor.

I never imagined that seeing those walls would make me feel such relief.

I climbed the steps, practically stumbling.

When I reached the top of the long staircase, the massive main gate stood before me.

And standing directly in front of it...

Was the guardian.

A small stone statue carved in the shape of a minotaur.

Despite its modest size, its presence was surprisingly intimidating.

The moment I entered the range of its magic...

Its eyes lit up.

A faint golden glow shone from its stone eye sockets.

The joints of its body creaked.

”Grrrrrk...”

The statue took a step forward.

It slowly raised its massive stone axe.

Its deep voice echoed through the air.

—Stop, acolyte.

I obeyed immediately.

I had no intention whatsoever of testing that thing’s enchantments.

The minotaur tilted its head slightly.

—What is the password?

For a few seconds...

My mind simply went blank.

After almost dying about ten times in the same day, I needed to calm myself.

I quickly closed my eyes.

Then I remembered.

—Blazing Radiance Zentrix.

The minotaur remained motionless.

A few seconds later...

A long sigh escaped from its bovine nostrils.

White vapor spread through the air.

Its axe slowly lowered.

—Entry authorized.

It returned to its original position.

The light vanished.

Its joints stiffened once more.

Within moments...

It was nothing more than a stone statue again.

I walked past it without wasting any time.

As soon as I passed through the main gate, I was greeted by the tower’s spacious hall.

The metallic sound of my boots echoed across the polished stone floor.

Then I noticed.

The entire hall had fallen silent.

Dozens of people were staring at me.

Some acolytes stopped their conversations.

Others wrinkled their noses.

It wasn’t hard to understand why.

I completely ignored their stares.

I headed straight for the mission counter.

The same ghost who had assigned me the mission was still there.

Without saying a word...

I pulled out the completely crumpled scroll.

Then I placed the black pendant I had found with Crystina on the counter.

The ghost examined the object.

His usually indifferent expression changed.

He carefully picked up the necklace.

Turned it over several times.

His expression became serious.

Very serious.

Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet mine.

For the first time since I had met him...

I saw tension on his face.

—Wait a moment.

His voice came out low.

Without offering any explanation, his spectral body simply vanished.

I remained standing before the counter.

That definitely wasn’t a normal procedure.

A few seconds later, he reappeared.

He didn’t even return the pendant.

Instead, he held out a document to me.

—Go to the meeting room immediately.

His tone was now filled with urgency.

—Several administrators wish to speak with you.

A chill ran down my spine.

Shit...

This smelled like trouble.

The serious kind.

The first possibility came to mind almost instantly.

I had murdered an acolyte of the tower, poor Heitor.

Had they found out something?

My mind immediately began organizing possibilities.

I was good at deceiving people.

Very good.

I could negotiate.

Bluff.

Cheat.

But deceiving real Mages?

That was a different story.

They didn’t analyze only words.

They observed breathing.

Heartbeats.

Involuntary expressions.

Some even possessed spells specifically designed to detect lies.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Then an idea came to me.

I remembered one of the Biochip’s functions.

Memory manipulation.

If it truly became necessary...

The Biochip could reorganize my memories, reinforcing a specific version of events.

It wouldn’t be just a well-rehearsed lie.

My entire brain would believe that version.

My physiological reactions would be completely natural.

Everything would match the implanted memory.

Even a rigorous interrogation would have a much harder time finding inconsistencies.

I opened my eyes again.

Then, without another moment of hesitation, I walked toward the meeting room.

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I stopped in front of the large glass door.

I kept my back straight.

I knew that place.

On my first day at the Tower, one of the Mages who had escorted our airship to Arcangrove had led my group there.

Back then, we signed our enrollment documents and received the basic books along with the Level 1 technique for acolytes.

But today...

It was completely different.

Back then, I was just another newcomer.

Today...

I was returning from a mission that had ended in disaster.

I wasn’t foolish enough to walk through that door without permission.

I remained still.

A few seconds later, a calm voice came through the glass.

—You may enter, acolyte.

The moment the words faded...

The doors opened on their own.

I stepped inside.

The room remained almost exactly as I remembered it.

The high ceiling.

The enormous bookshelves covering nearly every wall.

Thousands of carefully organized scrolls.

Ancient books bound by chains.

Magical crystals discreetly illuminated the room with a bluish glow.

Even so...

The atmosphere was completely tense.

At the center of the long stone table sat the elderly Mage who had welcomed my group when we first arrived at the Tower.

His normally calm face was now completely stern.

But what truly caught my attention...

Was realizing that he wasn’t alone.

Five other Mages occupied the seats around the table.

None of them looked pleased.

I immediately lowered my head.

There was no point in staring at them.

—This is unacceptable!

I discreetly raised my eyes.

That Mage was practically spitting out the words.

His face was red with anger.

That was when I noticed.

On the table...

Rested the black pendant I had handed to the ghost.

Every gaze was fixed upon it.

Another Mage violently clenched his fist.

—The audacity of those bastards has gone beyond all limits!

His voice carried such immense magical energy that I felt the air vibrate.

—Those damned dark Mages are now openly sending apprentices to attack ours?

He slammed his hand against the table.

—This is a declaration of war!

An old man with completely white hair folded his arms.

His eyes were cold.

—We have always known those dogs of black magic were treacherous.

—But now...

—They are becoming far too bold.

The old man seated at the center remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he slowly ran a wrinkled finger over the black pendant.

His voice was quiet.

But razor-sharp.

—This is not merely boldness.

—It is a direct provocation.

A Mage wearing a golden hood leaned forward.

—We must respond immediately.

Another raised his hand.

He was the only one who remained completely calm.

—Easy.

His voice interrupted everyone.

—Before any response...

—We need to determine exactly how many Mages of our level are behind this.

He narrowed his eyes.

—Have those lunatics completely lost their minds?

But then...

One of the Mages turned his gaze directly toward me.

I felt my entire body stiffen.

—Come here.

I obeyed immediately.

I took a few steps forward.

Stopped before the table.

Then bowed once again.

The elderly Mage pulled out a thick scroll.

Its magical seal glowed faintly blue.

He placed it before me.

—Sign it.

I looked at the document.

Then at him.

I took a deep breath.

—Sir...

—May I read it first?

Silence filled the room.

None of the Mages seemed to have expected such boldness.

Several exchanged glances.

Finally...

The old man made a small gesture with his hand.

—Let him read.

The scroll was pushed closer.

I slowly pulled it toward me.

[By means of this present instrument, the undersigned hereby declares, of their own free will and accord, that they submit themselves to the authority of the Council of Arcangrove Tower, pledging to preserve in absolute secrecy all information, events, individuals, artifacts, and circumstances witnessed during the mission carried out within the forest, acknowledging that such knowledge constitutes a matter of exclusive interest to the Council.]

[By virtue of this covenant, the following clauses are hereby established, irrevocable in nature and bound by contractual magic.]

[Article I – Arcane Confidentiality]

[The undersigned is expressly forbidden from revealing, recounting, implying, confirming, denying, or transmitting, by any means whatsoever—whether direct or indirect, verbal, written, magical, or telepathic—any information regarding the mission to any acolyte, apprentice, or individual not expressly authorized by the Council of Arcangrove Tower.]

[Any deliberate attempt to circumvent this restriction, even if partial or incomplete, shall be deemed a contractual violation.]

[Article II – Magical Restrictions]

[The present contract is protected by enchantments of automatic enforcement, requiring no prior judgment for their execution. Whenever a violation is detected, the prescribed penalties shall be carried out immediately in accordance with the provisions of this instrument.]

[Article III – Penalties]

[The first violation shall result in the complete sealing of all memories related to the mission.]

[Should further attempts at disclosure persist, the affected memories shall undergo progressive deterioration, compromising the offender’s higher cognitive functions and mental stability.]

[Article IV]

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I read it again.

Then a third time.

Analyzing every single word.

They want to prevent me from speaking.

Not only about Magaly.

Nor only about the dark acolytes.

About absolutely everything that happened during that mission.

I kept my expression neutral.

Inside, however, my mind was working nonstop.

Why?

Do they want to prevent panic?

Hide some piece of information?

Or simply keep the other acolytes from discovering that an enemy group has infiltrated the area?

There was no way to know yet.

I kept all those questions to myself.

Then I spoke mentally.

—Biochip, operate in the background and perform a passive scan using only what my eyes can see. Do not attempt to scan it directly.

[”Beep.”]

[”No hidden traps detected.”]

[”Legitimate magical contract confirmed.”]

[”All identified clauses match the displayed text.”]

[”No concealed mechanisms. No additional curses detected.”]

...

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