In the end, do I really have to solve it myself?

After listening to Swift's description, Ronald felt quite complicated, even thinking about teaching the casters behind him a harsh lesson.

Just take a look at Kaplan, shrouded in storm and night.

He finally shook his head and then spoke to Swift:

"Alright, I will handle this matter."

"Now tell me where it is and what precautions we need to be aware of."

The great detective already knew about Ronald's experiences in recent days, and naturally, upon seeing Ronald's expression, could somewhat understand his emotions. So Swift gave him a reassuring look before speaking:

"Head southwest from the port, and twenty kilometers out you'll see the island. Now the Dawn Spell Society should still have people on the island maintaining defenses, just ensure your own safety."

Ronald nodded to confirm the information, immediately chanting a spell.

Once he had already flown into the air, he bid Swift farewell:

"That's it then, I'm off."

Swift replied:

"Be safe, travel well."

Ronald looked at the maid standing quietly:

"Costate, keep watch over the dock here, if these sea beasts break through the casters' defenses, you can act without reserve... Call Il over to help from the back if necessary."

Costate's expression was earnest and serious:

"Sir, I understand."

"..."

After giving these instructions, Ronald flew entirely into the sky.

As he passed over the dock below, his gaze lingered on the casters defending the place for quite some time.

Ultimately, it was greed again causing trouble.

Due to the casters' extreme desire for the original texts, not only did the Dawn Spell Society and the Twelve Witches Assembly, two factions that peacefully coexisted for many years, turn against each other in a little under two months.

Even the city they resided in reached its current state amidst uncontrollable and volatile realities, forcing them into staking their lives.

Is it deserved, or just the inevitable result of human nature leading the way?

"Alas——"

Ronald didn't wish to ponder these issues any longer.

So he left a sigh in the air and swiftly moved away under the control of his flying spell.

...

Twenty kilometers is not too close.

But because Ronald was acting alone at this moment, he directly controlled his speed to the fastest level without any concerns. Additionally, although magic in this world wasn't conspicuous, it genuinely influenced his performance.

He didn't take long to traverse the distance within the dark night sky.

Rain was still pouring down in the space above.

Floating in mid-air above the darkness, Ronald glanced down and immediately spotted the small island Swift mentioned.

The Dawn Spell Society indeed had a trick up their sleeve.

On the island, a rather unique array enveloped the entire island, with the scale far surpassing the scene Ronald had witnessed on Lighthouse Island.

And the result.

Is this highly ordinary island being completely unaffected by the environment, steadily suppressing the waves amidst the wind and rain, like a Sea God's pillar stabilizing the site.

Additionally, beyond defense, this array also provided concealment effects.

Although it didn't perfectly nullify attacks like at the port, it effectively minimized the island's presence. If not for someone like Ronald with a precise location, seeking from the air, it could easily be overlooked when navigating the sea below.

"..."

"With this level, even within Springs it's considered top-notch, no wonder those sea beasts' primary target isn't here."

Ronald whispered a bit of admiration.

While unleashing reconnaissance magic, he descended towards the island.

Soon, a peculiar phenomenon appeared before him.

Despite this island being intact, the truth was—within the area protected by the array, there wasn't any sign of human activity.

The only humans Ronald could find now were a few individuals around, and most of these people were on the brink of collapse mentally.

Accepting the situation.

Ronald swiftly descended to the island's edge, then casually brought a caster before him.

He then fixed his gaze on the sallow-faced man before him.

Ronald quickly asked:

"What's going on here? Why is there no one inside the defense spell?"

Due to Ronald's abrupt action, the man grabbed was initially unresponsive.

With slightly dazed eyes, he looked at Ronald before asking:

"You… Sir, are you sent by the faction to resolve this issue?"

"..."

Ronald almost lost his breath.

These theorized guardians of the island and original texts, how bad was their state to the extent that outsiders like him could be mistaken like this? 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Forget it, let's resort to the Words of Power directly.

"You, now answer my question honestly."

With the intention to resolve swiftly, Ronald directly used the Words of Power on the immensely unstable man before him.

"What's the situation inside the defense spell, and why is there no one there?"

Under the spell's control, the man promptly responded:

"Those who entered couldn't withstand the violent infusion of original text magic power, they're all dead."

Ronald raised an eyebrow:

"Violent infusion? What exactly did you do?"

The man continued to respond:

"While stripping original text from the experimental subject, it died, but the parasite survived, leading to the scene instantly spiraling out of control. Ultimately, the impact is as such. The specific handling requires original text holders and masters who can decipher the defense array from the headquarters to attend."

Ronald pursued further:

"You mentioned decoding the defense array, does it mean even Dawn Spell Society members can't enter right now?"

The man nodded affirmatively:

"The defense array can only be controlled internally, but those inside have died. If waiting for the spell's effect to expire, it would take at least four months for the foundation stones supporting the array to deplete."

"..."

Experimental subject death, parasite survival, original text rampaging, then their own casters completely wiped out, plus the defense spell being impenetrable.

Referring to the timeline Swift provided, alongside normal information transmission and traffic efficiency for this era.

Everything had its inception two months prior.

At present, this is really a mess that can't be resolved within the available timeframe!

"Alright, I know what to do now."

Given the current situation, Ronald didn't intend to dilly-dally, testing his attack strength.

So he decisively summoned.

In the next moment, the imprint on his wrist glowed, and the ochre stone tablet was thus taken into his hand.