“Then why have they become like this now? Filled with an evil aura. Are all anti-magic stones such malevolent things?” Liana asked, a little confused.

Anti-magic stones were a relatively common item in this world.

Even the two giant statues at the gate of the Ibett Magic Academy were carved from them.

If the demon race had evolved from anti-magic stones, then didn’t that mean other anti-magic stones could also become like that?

“Because they were dissatisfied with the status quo and wanted to touch the forbidden. This is a punishment given to them by the gods,” Headmaster Ibett said.

“I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry. The anti-magic stones of today will not turn into demons, nor will they cause any harm. The number of demons is fixed, at least for now,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Liana didn’t quite understand what he was saying.

“It’s just the literal meaning. In the previous demon wars, the number of demons was drastically reduced, which is also why they were sealed for so long this time. They cannot reproduce like living beings and can only rely on devouring to cultivate more of their kind.

“In other words, as long as we kill the demons before they can devour other creatures, we can completely eliminate them. But at that time, we were not able to do this.”

“Then what about now? The magic used by the demon race is very ancient, while we have been constantly progressing,” Liana said.

“Yes. So, this time is our most hopeful one. For the future, and for Mother Tree of Life, we cannot lose,” Headmaster Ibett said.

“Our ancestors have already created too many opportunities for us. This seal of nearly a thousand years has greatly weakened the demonkind. As long as we work together, we can surely defeat them.”

Work together? I don’t think so.

Right now, there were some people who were plotting something, or rather, who had already accepted the power of ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the demons. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

But Liana would not say it out loud. She would not completely trust the other party just because of these words. That would be a very dangerous act.

Not to mention, this matter also involved the demonkind and an elf princess.

“Then what about the two anti-magic stone statues at the academy gate? They are also products of ancient times, right?” Liana asked.

“Yes. They are the only two surviving anti-magic stone elves who were not punished,” he said.

“There were once many like them, willing to coexist peacefully with other creatures. But they died in the constant wars. In the end, only these two were left.”

“I see.” But Liana still didn’t understand why that day, after she had met the gaze of one of the statues, she felt as if the mana in her body had evaporated.

Although anti-magic stones did have this ability, what she was confused about was why it would do that. She clearly hadn’t done anything. And weren’t the statues on the human side now?

“What is it?” Headmaster Ibett looked at Liana’s hesitant expression.

“It’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head.

Since she hadn’t gotten any useful information about the magic core, she could only try to find a way through the holy sword.

“As a participant in the last demon war, I wonder if you have any news about the holy sword?” Liana asked. “If we have the holy sword, the probability of defeating the demon race will be greatly increased, right?”

“The holy sword... aren’t the people of the Elf Forest already looking for it?” he said.

This set off an alarm bell in Liana’s heart.

“So it really is in that ocean, right?” Liana said.

If Headmaster Ibett didn’t know, it would be fine. But if he confirmed that the holy sword was in the ocean, then she would have to suspect that he was a werewolf.1狼人 (lángrén), term used in social deduction games like Werewolf or Mafia to refer to a hidden enemy or traitor pretending to be an ally.

“Perhaps. It’s been too long. Besides, didn’t that little one also confirm the news of the holy sword?” he said.

“That’s true. I thought they were looking in the wrong place. After all, so much time has passed, and they still haven’t found it. I thought it was somewhere else.” Liana now had to carefully consider every word she was about to say.

“The holy sword may be hiding from others. It will only appear when someone who can truly master it appears. It can avoid danger on its own,” he said.

Avoid danger? Does that mean it was sealed in that mountain in the process of avoiding danger?

“Since you knew the holy sword was in that sea, why didn’t you go look for it at the beginning?” Liana asked.

“I am not fated with the holy sword. I did not know it was there. I also heard about this from the Elf Forest. I once searched every corner of the forest, but to no avail. It seems the sword was hiding from me,” he said, joking about himself.

This made Liana a little glad that she hadn’t revealed all her information.

However, just this was not enough to confirm his affiliation. It could only be said that he was a little suspicious.

It was unlikely that an elf who had survived that war would not know anything about the holy sword. Besides, as one who fought for the creatures of the world, why would the holy sword hide from him?

“How could that be? You are our great hero, how could the holy sword hide from you? Without the battles of our ancestors, we would not have the opportunity to chat face-to-face like this now.” What Liana had to do now was not to reveal her true thoughts.

“Hahaha, there’s no need to use honorifics with me. I was still very weak at that time and didn’t have the ability to do much,” he said with a laugh. “Your mouth is so sweet. Could it be that the Mother Tree of Life blessed you precisely for this reason?”

“It’s not impossible.” It was no longer a secret that Liana had the blessing of the Tree of Life. It was normal for him to know.

“I’m just kidding, you are indeed as low-key as others say. If it were someone else, they would probably be showing off everywhere because of this.” He looked at Liana with satisfaction. “For the Mother Tree of Life to choose you, there must have been a reason for her decision.”

“Speaking of which, it seems you’ve also been to the former Forbidden Land of the Elf Forest?”

Liana felt her heart begin to beat faster, but she still tried to remain as calm as possible. “Yes. That day, Princess Sephirena took me for a walk, and we ended up in front of that mountain. I didn’t know it was a forbidden land of your kind. I apologize for my presumptuousness.”

“It’s nothing. That place is no longer a forbidden land. And you, Miss Liana, as a human who has received the blessing of the Mother Tree of Life, can be considered half an elf. You naturally have the right to come to that place,” he said with a smile.

At present, she couldn’t see any major problems with Headmaster Ibett, but she also didn’t dare to ask him for any help.

After a few casual pleasantries, Liana had finished asking all the questions she wanted to ask.

He looked at Loraviel beside Liana. “I didn’t expect that fellow to have a successor.”

“Do you know my teacher?” Loraviel wasn’t too surprised. An old monster like him would surely know something about a master like Orleya.

“She and I are half-friends. To be able to see her find a successor in her twilight years, I am very gratified.” He took a sip of tea. “Liana is also being protected.”

Liana didn’t know what he truly meant by that sentence, but it was true that Loraviel’s protection of her could be considered very thorough.

“Princess of Lisat who possesses sacred magic, you don’t need to put too much pressure on yourself. You still need to grow. You still seem a little immature when fighting the demon race, not as skilled as Liana,” he said.

“I understand,” Mephilia nodded. She herself was also aware of this.

After a brief chat, they left the Ibett library.

They boarded a carriage and prepared to head to the Elf Forest.

“What do you all think of Headmaster Ibett?” The carriage was protected by magic, so the sound could not travel outside.

And the people in the carriage were all completely trustworthy, which was why Liana had directly asked this question.

“A respectable senior?” Mephilia answered. After all, he was a hero who had participated in the demon war, and she didn’t know as much as Liana, so her evaluation of him was still quite high.

“What is it, Liana? Did you discover something?” Mephilia asked.

Liana had nothing to hide from them and directly stated her guess. “Yes, but right now, there is no evidence, nor any clues to support this idea of mine. Perhaps it’s just my imagination.”

If someone else had said these words, Mephilia would surely have given the order to arrest them. Headmaster Ibett was a hero. To say such things about a hero was a great disrespect.

But if it was Liana who said it, then that was another matter. Besides, her suspicion was not without reason. In the end, in this world, the only person you could truly trust was yourself.

Not to mention, Liana had also been hurt by her own relatives before. It was normal for her to be suspicious.

And as a survivor of that war, to have no information at all about the holy sword was also a rather puzzling point.

There were some suspicious points, but there was no conclusive evidence.

In any case, there was definitely no problem with being a little more careful. Besides, what came next was the most crucial part. Only by finding the holy sword could they truly solve all the current problems.