The murals were not as impressive as the ones in Sedulus’s tomb.


    Jay could tell they had been hastily carved, and it seemed like many of the smaller details had been left out. Whoever made these was clearly in a rush.


    Unfortunately, part of them had been destroyed during the battle, so Jay now regretted telling Anya to check themter on when they first entered this pyramid.


    Looking over them, he found the one Anya was talking about – the one with the pit.


    A line of soldiers lead to it, while a line of stone statues lead away. Next to the pit was an altar with a single human and a single statue lying on it.


    The next mural showed the same circr altar with multiple humans and statues on it. Next to that, within the same mural, was the altar again – yet there was arge crab-like creature with two human faces. It was surrounded by statues pointing theirrge spears at it.


    The murals continued to form a semnce of a story.


    Differentbinations of humans and statues were ced on the altar.


    The spell or ritual wasn’t revealed by the murals – perhaps this knowledge was too dangerous, but at least the results were shown; it was always some grotesque atrocity when more than one human and statue was used.


    The vague picture story continued.


    Arge destructive-looking spell was descending on the altar, and Jay could tell that this would have been powerful as the spell was the only thing that had any colour on all of the murals.


    After that, the altar still wasn’t destroyed._.


    The construction of the pyramid began around the altar and the pit – and this is where the murals ended; the rest had been destroyed.


    Thankfully, it was enough for Jay to get an idea of what happened here. Combined with what he saw in this pyramid, he could mostly fill in the missing parts of the story.


    Helvetia, invented some hastily-crafted, advanced, untested ritual to turn themselves into stone soldiers – this was when they made a discovery, which was adding more than one human and one statue.


    Driven by blind hatred and revenge, they continued, attempting to create obscene horrors to hunt down their enemies; the cult who cursed theirnds.


    After realising these beasts couldn’t be controlled, and that this instrument could cause their own downfall, they tried to destroy the altar – but to no avail.


    Thest option was to seal away the altar in the pyramid.


    That was where the murals ended – but Jay had an idea of what happened next, or at least a theory.


    Based on what he had seen so far, he guessed that Helvetia had not given up on its unchecked desire for revenge, so in this prison they continued their experiments.


    A select few master hexamists and manacrafters, along with some guards, were sealed away here. If their enemies ever broke in, they would hopefully be met with creatures that tore them to pieces. The idea was still to lure their enemies back here, in hopes of power and riches.


    The hexamists perhaps could control and y the abominations they created at first, using cages and sleeping anaesthetic fluids – but over time, as the centuries passed and melded into one another, their minds slowly left them. This only resulted in them bing more reckless.


    With their judgement wed and their impatience mounting, they soon created beasts beyond their control – the same abominations that would soon consume their creators.


    Of course, the fail safe was the giant statues – there to stop any creation from escaping and reaping havoc on what was left of the helvetian stone military.


    Jay took this as a lesson, he would not make the same mistakes when he made his first chimera.


    Jay wondered if he would find the same chimera, another dihexapede, in the passageway to the right or some other failed experiment – of course, there was only one way to find out.


    – – –


    “The new students should being soon.. hopefully. Are their rooms prepared?” Norgrim, the head of the 3rd academy, sat behind his desk leisurely eyeing a document as he enjoyed the sunlighting through the window.


    He knew that the mage hunters were already on the march to find a necromancer, so time was of the essence, and Jay still had to be convinced to leave with Lannister and Lara. Thankfully, they were proactive about it and everything was ahead of schedule.


    “Yes. As per your request, I’ve looked over the details about both of them being ce into the Azure dorms… but I’m not sure it’s a good fit for them.” Evelyn pursed her lips.


    “Oh?” he smiled, stroking his beard.


    The azure dorms were luxurious, reserved for the best students who contributed the most to the academy. Only the top students could apply for one, even then there was only a chance of getting a room.


    “Well, these dorms have to be earnt… I think the other students will have a problem with it.”


    “Mm… yes. I suppose so…” Norgrim leaned back in his chair and looked out the window, watching some red leaves gently falling from the trees.


    “Well, perhaps we can just put him in Wisteria?”


    “Put them in Wisteria?” Evelyn raised a brow, stressing the word ‘them’.


    Norgrim cleared his throat, “Mh, yes. Them.”


    In Norgrims view, Jaypletely overshadowed Anya; he was wholly focused on Jay.


    Wisteria was one of the mid-ss dorms; its quality was in between the Azure and the Tawny dorm which was reserved for the trouble makers.


    “Very well, I’ll make some arrangements. Thankfully we have a few spare rooms in Wisteria. Peter was also wanting to know if they would begin lessons?”


    “Oh, I think we’ll wait till next year so they can get a fresh start with other students… how does Peter even know about them?”


    Evelyn smiled, “Words get around.”


    “Yes, I suppose they do…” Norgrim smiled defeatedly, “well, if that is all.” he gestured to the door.


    Evelyn stood up and turned around to go to the door before pausing for a moment.


    “Norgrim, is he really a necromancer?” she asked casually, but Norgrim could tell a glimmer of hope was somewhere in her voice.


    Norgrim looked up from some notes on his desk “We will just have to see.” he smiled.


    Rumours were already floating around the school about a powerful studenting. Thankfully, none of them knew his name yet as not all of them were positive.


    The rumours had be quite detached from the truth, as the only real detail they knew was that the new student had a powerful monster ss.


    Even among these variant-ss students, some of them sneered and many doubted. Despite some of them having a monster ss, most of them were weak and unthreatening.


    “Pff, a ‘powerful’ monster ss? Wait till it eats us all in our sleep.”


    “Yeah, or maybe It’ll probably make us all fall in love with it or…”


    “Make us turn on each other and eat each other’s brains…”


    “Steal our abilities…”


    “Rece us with clones that it controls…”


    “Curses us with permanent mana burn”


    All kinds of wild things were floating about theing adventurer with a monster ss, though there were of course some more different rumours, and some positive ones.


    “I wonder what they’re like…”


    “Maybe they will power level us?”


    “They will lead us to victory,”


    “Pfft, have you seen the other monster sses at this school? That guy with the golem ss? He’s useless hahaha”


    “Yeah, and what about that shade ss. All he can do is mana burn. So useless. He won’t be a threat”


    “Oo, maybe he will make us some micro magic weapons… if we ask nicely. Heh.”


    These rumours didn’t slip by the headmaster either – he knew Jay had to be protected from some of the other students, so he had to make a decision.


    Would he have Jay keep his ss a secret? Who knows.


    Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.


    “Hmm, they won’t like it…but, perhaps things will be better this way.”


    Norgrim began drafting a speech which would be announced to the whole school assembly in theing days.