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Chapter 447 - Next Step
🕑 Added 2023-10-06 05:29:07 +0000 UTCA few minutes of awkward silence went by before servants entered the room to lead each of them to their room. Leon was still in a daze, but before they parted ways, he called to Red.
“I forgot about the matter of purification. Although none of us were exposed for too long, there could be lingering problems we haven’t noticed.”
With that, he took out a pill similar to the one he gave Red earlier.
Red, however, shook his head. “I still have the one you gave me before.”
“That one was supposed to be a gift.”
“It will still suffice.”
In reality, Red knew that only stronger corruption could affect him, and standing in the presence of that egg for a few minutes was not enough to taint him.
Leon didn’t argue. He nodded and walked away with a despondent expression.
A servant brought Red to a guest room, making sure to see that all his needs were taken care of. Red just wanted to be alone, though, a wish he was granted with no fuss. He spent the rest of the night writing a list of materials he recognized from the demonic formations, and after he was done, he meditated until the sun rose.
…
As soon as morning arrived, the manor came alive.
Red heard the footsteps of servants walking around the corridor, as well as their hushed conversations. None of them came to knock on his door, though, so he left his room of his own volition. He immediately bumped into a maid passing by, carrying a pile of clothes.
“Master Viran, you’re already awake!” she looked at him in surprise. “Please, hold on for a moment and I will get another servant to-”
“There’s no need,” Red cut her off. “Is your young master awake?”
“I am not sure, sir. I can take you to a waiting room while I check, if you’d prefer.”
He nodded. “Very well.”
Red was taken to the same room from yesterday. As soon as servants saw him there, they brought along a variety of refreshments, despite him saying he didn’t want to eat, and kept asking if they could be of service. He wasn’t used to or comfortable with this treatment, so he just told them he didn’t wish to be bothered, and after that, no servant spoke to him again.
It took ten minutes before the maid from earlier returned.
“I’m sorry, Master Viran,” she approached him with an embarrassed expression. “It seems young master Leon is indisposed and will spend the day resting in his room.”
Red frowned at this. “I was under the impression we would be discussing business.”
“Yes, he told me about some arrangements. The butler would be in charge of discussing terms with you, or if you’d prefer, young master Leon would be available again tomorrow.”
He went silent for a few seconds before nodding. “Lead me to the butler, then.”
The conversation with the man was short and straightforward. Red provided the butler with the list, and was told that all of those materials would arrive at his manor tomorrow. When asked about how they would communicate when he was done, the man provided a talisman with which he could call for them to come and collect the results. As for rewards, Red asked for more spiritual materials. But this time, they were forging materials instead of formation components.
After that, he left the manor. Just as he was about to board a carriage that would take him home, though, someone called from behind him.
“Viran!”
Red turned around and saw Emeric running in his direction. His complexion was healthier, though he still needed to catch his breath from that quick sprint.
“You… You’re just going to leave like that?” he asked, panting as he bent over with his hands on his knees. “You’re not even going to say farewell?”
“Why should I?”
“Uh, well… We fought alongside each other yesterday, right? They say the best way to form bonds with someone is when you’re both putting your lives on the line fighting against a common enemy.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard this.”
“Ugh, it doesn’t matter!” Emeric brushed him off. “You saved my life yesterday, so how could I feel at ease with myself if I didn’t show you any appreciation?”
“Are you going to pay me?”
“Uh, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but… I can try to pay you something. Be aware that I’m not as rich as Leon, though!”
Red shook his head. “There’s no need. Your appreciation or gratitude is misplaced. I have done nothing more than what I was paid to do.”
“Really?” Emeric gave him a skeptical look. “I thought you were just supposed to be a formation specialist, not a swordsman or a strategist.”
“I did what seemed practical at the time.”
Red had his own reasons for collaborating beyond his established responsibilities, but he didn’t care to explain this to Emeric.
“Right, if you say so,” the young noble shrugged. “Just know that if you need my help, you can call upon me. I’m sure it’s the same for Leon, even though he’s… undisposed at the moment.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
He was being sincere. There were many matters that would be made easier with the help of nobles and their connections, so he would be a fool to deny their assistance. Even if he needed to pay them, the option being there was already enough for him.
With that, Red turned around and entered the carriage. He knocked on the wall of the vehicle two times for the coach to know he could go. As he was leaving, he heard Emeric shouting.
“You still didn’t say farewell, you bastard!”
…
On the way back to his manor, Red came across a city in chaos. People were flooding the streets, amassing around newspaper sellers who cried at the top of their lungs.
“Demon attacks our city! Tremors last night caused by a demon! Outer city neighborhood destroyed!”
These words fanned the chaos and apprehension amidst the populace, who discussed nothing else. They even surrounded groups of guards, questioning them about what exactly happened and what they were going to do about it. Yet, the men could only give them vague answers, which didn’t help calm anyone.
From what Red picked up along the way, there were hundreds of people dead from just from the collateral destruction of the battle against the demon - not even including all the disappeared vagrants in the sewers. This was a disaster of extreme proportions for these people who lived their entire lives protected by the city, and the fear they felt at the moment was almost palpable.
This was supposed to be a sanctuary for them, not another battlefield.
The situation seemed so serious that King Thomas arranged an emergency council with all the most important officials and nobles in the city to discuss and investigate this matter. When he heard this, Red became a bit apprehensive.
‘Will they figure out my involvement?’
He didn’t believe Duke Northvale would say anything, but perhaps there were other avenues to discover his involvement. Red didn’t think he left any evidence in the sewer, but something worried him.
“Do they have oracles in a kingdom like this?” he asked Aurelia.
His only worry was divination. He still had his protective spell against them, but if they could figure out Leon’s involvement like that, there was no guarantee Red wouldn’t be outed either.
“What kind of world would this be if every kingdom in the world had oracles?” Aurelia scoffed. “No, I’ve never heard of any kingdom who employed oracles, at least not at this level. This is a domain sects always kept a tight leash on, and I don’t see anything changing even if thousands of years went by.”
“The Empire has them.” Red said.
“Is this kingdom as powerful as the Empire?!”
“I suppose not.”
“Then stop worrying about nothing!”
Red couldn’t rebuke her.
Soon enough, he arrived at his manor, which seemed intact. But as soon as he walked through the door, he was greeted by a frantic imp.
“Master, master! Something terrible happened!”
Red was immediately on guard..
“Did someone try to invade the manor?”
“No, no! It’s not that! Something worse!”
Red frowned. “What is it?”
“A d-demon appeared in the city!”
“… A demon?”
“Yes, yes! A demon, and a powerful one too!”
“How could you tell?”
“I felt it, master, in my bones. In every part of my body! Something terrible appeared in the city, and I can tell it’s just like me - a demon!”
Red fell silent as he digested his words.
“Can you still feel it?”
“Ah, well…” the imp seemed scared to respond. “Not anymore.”
Red nodded. “You’re right. A demon did appear last night, but it’s already dead.”
“Ah, so I wasn’t wrong?!”
“Not at all, though it surprises me you could sense it. It happened almost on the other side of the city.”
“W-Well, I don’t know how to describe it to you, master… It’s like it was calling to everyone that could hear it, and I just happened to hear it.”
“Calling?” Red was confused by the wording. “Was it trying to say something?”
The imp hesitated. “It wasn’t words, exactly, but it was definitely calling for others to… Join it.”
This would fit with what Red knew about the monster being an amalgamation of hundreds of people. But it was hard to tell if this was just an unthinking beast lashing out of instinct or if there was a deeper reason behind this call.
He stared at the imp with an intense gaze. “Did you feel compelled to join it?”
“I would never even dare to entertain the thought of betraying you, master!” the imp trembled and knelt.
“Answer the question.”
“Ugh… Well, for a moment I felt something appear in my mind and the idea of joining that demon did appear, but at the next second it was gone,” the imp bowed in Red’s direction. “But I swear these thoughts weren’t mine! It was like someone put them there!”
“It’s fine. I believe in you.”
It wasn’t like the imp could lie to him, in any case. Red thought to ask the imp if he knew anything about what happened, but decided it was a pointless effort. He had conversations with his servant about the Serpent’s World Cult before and the former cultist didn’t seem to know any more than the basics.
With that settled, Red went around the house to check if anyone had bypassed his formation without his notice. This didn’t seem to be the case, though, and he finally relaxed and sat down to reflect on his confrontation in the sewers.
Red had come to understand his strength was falling short compared to the dangers he was facing. The giant demon was an exception, but when he thought back to Emeric and his confrontation with the three Lesser Ring Realm snakemen, he realized he wouldn’t have fared any better in that position. In fact, he would have probably fared worse because he simply did not possess the same offensive power as the young noble, even with the help of his empowered Gale Breath.
Of course, he probably wouldn’t have put himself in that position in the first place, but the fact remained: he lacked firepower. This was what he needed to focus on, a reliable way to attack his enemies, and one that wasn’t some sort of trump card or that could only be used a few amounts of times in a fight.
It just so happened, Red had a rough idea of how to acquire such a power as quickly as he could.
He took out a book from his pouch - the Amber Saber Sect forging manual his blacksmith master had once entrusted to him.
It was time for him to forge a Spiritual Artifact.
