Bab 5: Enchanted oath
In an alley near the site of the accident, Isaac leaned heavily against a wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the ground.
The emotions he had been holding back erupted like fireworks, making his heart race uncontrollably.
The situation was even better than he had imagined: the failure of his spell had actually succeeded in making William disappear. He never would have thought it could be resolved in this way.
Originally, Isaac wanted to break the enchanted oath to reveal William's misdeeds, but now the latter was suspected of being dead in Isaac's body. It almost seemed like a dream.
"Let's not be complacent, though; nothing proves that William is truly dead. Maybe he's somewhere else, in another body, or perhaps one day he'll wake up in this body to hunt me down."
As a scholar, Isaac knew very well that he needed to be prepared for any eventuality and not blindly believe that William had truly disappeared, lest he bring about his own downfall.
"However, in the short term, there's nothing I can do. It's a great victory!"
Isaac examined William's face in the reflection of a glass bottle. This face was now his.
"William stole my thesis, so I don't think he would object to me using his body," he muttered with an ironic smile. "Even if he did, I wouldn't care."
Isaac, or rather William, stood up slowly, his mind and body feeling lighter, a smile playing on his lips.
Suddenly, an idea came to him. "I could take advantage of my presence here to pay her a visit…"
After a few minutes of walking through the alleys, William stopped in front of a small, shabby shop. The storefront was old, and the paint was peeling. An old sign hung sadly in the wind, creaking ominously. Written in marker was the name of the shop: "201 Secrets."
If William didn't know the owner, he would have assumed the shop was abandoned, or that the owner had no sense of business.
A smile appeared on William's face. "This place is as uninviting as ever."
He approached and opened the creaking old wooden door, entering the dark shop. Once the door closed behind him, the scene changed completely. The old wooden floor was replaced by a red carpet, and a soft yellow light illuminated the shop.
The size of the shop itself seemed several times larger than one might imagine from the outside. Only the old wooden door proved it was the same place.
William wasn't surprised by these changes. He approached a finely carved wooden counter in the center of the shop and pressed a bell that produced a pleasant "ding."
After a few seconds of waiting, a woman in her thirties appeared behind the counter as if by magic. She had long black hair and skin as pale as the moon. She wore a large black witch's hat on her head, along with a red witch's dress. Despite her outfit, she exuded a mysterious charm.
Upon seeing her, William's smile deepened. Maria truly embodied the stereotypical witch.
Maria, the witch, glanced at William with her sapphire eyes before frowning in disgust.
"Tsk, what are you doing here? Never mind, just tell me what you need and go back to where you came from," she said, not even bothering to hide her disdain for William.
William was initially surprised before a flash of understanding came over him. Although Maria's relationship with Isaac was positive, it certainly wasn't the case with William.
In fact, before Isaac had his thesis stolen and signed an enchanted oath, Maria had been one of the few to warn him about the danger William posed. She had clearly dealt with him before.
I should have listened to you back then… William thought regretfully.
"Don't waste more of my time; I'm a busy person. If you don't want to buy anything, leave, I won't stop you," Maria added, stepping closer to the counter, looking bored.
Maria's personality really changes depending on the customer. Besides, what could she be busy with? This girl is such a slacker, William internally grumbled.
"I want to buy a branch of underground wood and 20 grams of phantom salt," William replied, having already prepared a shopping list.
Without a word, the witch snapped her fingers, and the two items appeared on the counter.
"Here they are. How do you wish to pay?" she asked without giving him a glance.
William was about to reply with money, but he remembered he didn't have any with him. Fortunately, there are other means of payment for wizards.
"I'll use my points," he replied. For wizards, this was another means of payment. By accomplishing various tasks, wizards could save points that functioned like money. It was an economy unique to wizards.
Maria nodded curtly and held out her hand toward William. "That'll be 15 points."
William took her hand and began concentrating his magical power into his palm. He whispered, "transfer," closing his eyes. At that moment, he saw in his mind the number of points he possessed.
I only have 22 points? Damn, only the points I saved as Isaac remain. I don't have William's points… What a shame, after the publication of my thesis, this guy must have earned so many points…
William pushed aside his regret and transferred 15 of his points to Maria, trying to ignore that he had just parted with more than half of his remaining points.
When he was still Isaac, he had planned to destroy his magical powers, which would have prevented him from using his points. He had therefore spent almost all the points he had saved, leaving only about twenty points and some cash. However, the cash had probably disappeared in the ruins, and his meager 22 points had already turned into 7.
As soon as the exchange was complete, Maria withdrew her hand and nodded toward the door.
William gave a small smile and nodded to Maria. "Thank you very much, have a nice day. We'll see each other again at the academy."
Without further delay, he turned toward the exit. He heard Maria mutter softly, "Since when is he this polite…"
Even though Maria's attitude was cold, he knew very well that it was only because of William's actions. This witch was usually a very tolerant and kind person, who didn't care about status.
Isaac knew this well. Maria had taught him a lot for free when he didn't come from a family of wizards.
Back in the carriage, William simply ordered the driver to go back, then sat on the plush seat, examining what he had just purchased.
He hadn't chosen these items at random. They were necessary materials to determine whether the enchanted oath was still active, even now that he had changed bodies and his magical power had undergone so many changes.
William picked up a glass that was in the carriage. However, he didn't pour the water intended for it but filled it with the phantom salt he had just bought.
Once the glass was filled, William took the branch of underground wood and broke it in two. The two cut ends seemed particularly sharp. He used the shorter end to lightly cut his hand, grimacing. He let a drop of blood fall directly into the glass and another on both ends of the stick.
Once that was done, he used the longer end of the stick to stir the phantom salt in the glass, diffusing the drop of blood. As he mixed, the salt turned redder and redder until one might think the glass was filled with wine.
The stick in William's hands suddenly turned ebony black, as if the night itself resided within it.
William then dropped the black stick into the glass, and, as if it entered another dimension, it vanished without a sound.
Taking the other stick, William began drawing a tiny magic circle on the bright red salt. Once the circle was complete, he put down the stick and placed his hand above the glass.
His green eyes became even greener, and the grains of salt in the glass defied gravity, floating in front of William's eyes as if they were dancing.
Gradually, the grains of salt began to form words in front of William. These words would finally reveal whether William was still bound by the enchanted oath.
Finally, the words became clear enough for William to read:
"I, Isaac Kepler, hereby solemnly declare, in my own name, that I irrevocably commit to the following conditions:
I will never publicly reveal, and will keep strictly confidential, the true identity of the author of the thesis Isaac Kepler, ensuring that Mr. William Cédric Moreau is recognized as the sole author of said thesis.
I commit to maintaining that Mr. William Cédric Moreau is the legitimate author of the thesis and will defend this assertion in all circumstances.
I solemnly promise never to undertake, directly or indirectly, actions aimed at harming or bringing harm to Mr. William Cédric Moreau, whether through actions or words.
I commit to transmitting to Mr. William Cédric Moreau any knowledge or future discovery related to the subject of the thesis, before informing anyone else.
I commit to following the reasonable or unreasonable directives and requests of Mr. William Cédric Moreau regarding the thesis and associated research, without question or challenge to his authority.
In the event of a breach of the terms of this contract or an attempt to break said contract, I consent to the immediate and irrevocable revocation of all my magical powers, in addition to suffering a curse of eternal sleep until the end of my days."
William sighed heavily. The enchanted oath he had tried to break at the cost of his magical power was still active.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone