Chapter 10: Corrupted Mana

Milian led the way while Kael followed her. As the torches and moonlight lit their path, they walked in silence until Kael realized she occasionally glanced at him. Whenever he noticed, however, she immediately averted her eyes.

"Do you want to say something? Then say it. Don't keep glancing at me from time to time—it makes me uncomfortable," Kael broke the silence.

"N-No, it was just..." she denied in a panic.

It's terrifying! Why does he have such dense mana? It's making me sick. I've never seen anyone's mana so corrupted.

"By the way... maybe I shouldn't meddle, but why is a girl like you with that terrifying muscular guy? I mean, you're still young—maybe twelve or thirteen."

"I... I'm fourteen, actually," she said, keeping her eyes on the ground. Her voice was barely audible as she added, "Sir Rudoff might seem scary at first, but... I am indebted to him. He saved my life after my parents sold me to bandits. He was so generous that he even supported me with a proper education and gave me shelter."

"Let me give you some advice. Those goons only do things that benefit them, so always be cautious around them," he casually suggested, sharing his opinion.

"He is not like the others..." she muttered with her head lowered.

"Huh. Anyway, I said what I wanted to say. Whether you follow it or not is up to you," he said, placing his hands behind his head as he walked past her.

"Hm..."

I hate it... the mana he releases is becoming darker. I am curious to know why he hates them.

"Huh? Wha—"

She tripped over a rock and was about to fall face-first, but Kael quickly turned around and caught her in his arms.

"Hey, be careful! Are you alright?"

She lifted her head to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, thank—"

She suddenly paused as a quick flash of Aura creepily giggling while stabbing someone in a room played in her mind.

The same fragments she had first seen through him replayed before her. At the end of the flashes, Aura turned toward her, her white dress stained with blood, and smiled.

"Hey! You... wake up! Hey!"

Kael shook Milian, who stood frozen as though she had passed out. Her eyes rolled back before she suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Huh..."

She looked around, her eyes widening in fear as her hands trembled violently.

"Thank God. Are you alright now?"

Worried, Kael reached out his hand to calm her down.

Her eyes met his, but she hallucinated blood covering his face.

"Let me go...! Please leave me alone!"

She slipped out of his grasp and ran back toward the camp.

Kael held out his hand, watching her disappear into the distance before muttering, "What the hell was her problem? She just screamed and ran away like she'd seen a ghost or something."

Ignoring it, he continued walking ahead in search of shelter. Unable to find any, he spent the night out in nature.

The next morning, the sun rose as birds began chirping. A cold breeze flowed through the forest, carrying the fresh scent of the morning air.

As the sunlight fell across Kael's face, he mumbled as his eyes slowly opened. His blurry vision formed the vague outline of someone standing before him.

"Huh...?"

His vision cleared, revealing Cassandra.

"So, you're awake... Then could you explain what you did to Milian?" she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

He sat up and turned toward her.

"What do you mean, what I did? She was the one who left me!" he complained before sighing. "Anyway, what happened to her? She seemed terrified."

She paused, carefully observing his behavior.

It seems like he really did nothing. Then why was she so terrified? I just hope she didn't encounter possessed Kael.

"Don't worry. She was terrified at first, but Rudoff was able to calm her down." She turned and started walking. "Let's go. The meeting is about to start."

"Well... fine." He stood up and followed her.

They reached the meeting room, the same room they had been in the previous night. After waiting a few minutes, the door opened and Rudoff entered. His expression looked dejected.

"Now that you've come, then—"

As Cassandra was speaking, Rudoff walked past her and stopped directly in front of Kael.

"Just be honest... What did you do to Milian?" His voice was firm and steady.

"I did nothing. And why is everyone suspecting me? If all of you are just going to suspect me, then why don't you just let me leave?"

"Be grateful to Cassandra. If you weren't under her watch, I would personally deal with you." He turned and walked toward the table where a map was laid out. "So, let's begin."

He pointed his finger at a cave.

"Our target is this cave. I'll explain briefly. It seems that some paranormal activity occurs whenever people try to pass through it. We have deployed many soldiers there, but none of them ever returned. So it's hard to say what we'll be facing once we get there."

"Hmm... that's problematic if we don't even know what's attacking people," Cassandra said.

"Why are you all so tense? A cave like this, where sunlight never reaches, is the perfect place for any rebel to hide underneath. They might—"

Kael was interrupted before he could finish.

"If that's the case, it might actually be good for us. But Rudoff, you said they even sent elite knights there, yet..." she said.

"Right. That's why I personally decided to join this expedition myself. Also, thank you, Cassandra, for helping me out."

Just as he finished thanking her, someone knocked on the door. A panicked soldier rushed inside.

"Sir Rudoff, please come with me! I have to show you something!"

"Calm down first and tell me what happened."

"The elite soldiers... they are..." he panted before finally saying, "We found them."