Chapter 19: Gradual Change

After making sure that no other entity could enter the room filled with statues, Jiablu went towards the Master’s Chamber. At the center of the room, a large stone pillar was immediately seen upon his entry. On the left was a colossal bed capable of accommodating a dozen persons at once.

“Over there,” mumbled Jiablu. He stared at a large painting of a princess on the wall.

A normal person would have a hard time noticing the hidden passageway, but to a magic caster like Jiablu, the flow of mana in the surroundings immediately gave it away.

He touched the painting and it immediately melted down the ground. He entered the narrow passageway, his footsteps echoing amidst the silence.

Eventually he arrived at a small, decrepit room that resembled a warehouse. Wooden boxes that reeked of kranite were stacked one after another. At the corner most portion, Jiablu saw a familiar face. Both her hands and feet were shackled, her body crouching as she slept.

For a moment, Jiablu’s mind was filled with mockery as he stared at her. How could she sleep in such a place, surrounded by enemies? But then, he inwardly sighed. He had experienced the blissful state called sleep, and he could somehow empathize.

Jiablu pointed a finger at the shackles, and they immediately split in half then fell down the ground. The loud clanking sound woke her up. She slowly opened her eyes.

“Priest,” said Jiablu. “Wake up.”

For a moment, the two of them locked eyes with each other. The torment Faith had experienced before resurfaced in her mind. Her eyes widened to the point of popping out. She was about to scream in utter terror when she realized who the young man in front of her was.

“J-Jiablu? I-Is that… W-What are you doing here?” she breathed, her eyes locked with Jiablu’s.

“I’ve come to get you, of course,” he simply replied.

Jiablu have a boiling hatred for humans. That much was sure. But somehow, this priest before him was an anomaly. Whenever he was with her, his hatred somehow softens, and there was even a point during their journey when he had almost regarded her as something greater than a mere insect.

Emotions. It was something he was having a hard time grasping until now. Maybe, this was the first step. Somehow, Jiablu felt a sense of accomplishment. He inwardly smiled.

Now that he had a closer look, he saw the numerous cuts and bruises on Faith’s body. Her clothes were tattered, and her cheeks were swollen. Jiablu remembered the words uttered by the three naked insects when he first woke up. It seemed that while he was asleep, this human protected him.

Jiablu snorted, “You are indeed foolish. But that foolishness saved your life.”

Faith shot a quizzical look. She noticed the stacked wooden boxes within the room. As though she had remembered something, she quickly spat, “Kranite! This room is a storage area for those illegal drugs! Try to hold your breath as much as possibl—”

She coughed. With wobbling legs, she stood up. She looked at her hands and feet. “The shackles...”

She wanted to ask how those thick pieces of metal were cleanly cut in half, but now was not the time for that. As a High Priestess, the amount of mana within her body was greater than most people. She could endure the hallucinogenic effects of Kranite for a bit longer, but the same could not be said of Jiablu. Worst comes to worst, the young man could lose his sanity after breathing too much of it.

She grabbed his hands then ushered him out of the room. “Let’s go!”

Half-running, they entered the narrow passageway and arrived at the Master’s Chamber. Faith was huffing as she breathed in a gust of air. Her vision was starting to get blurry now, probably from the overexposure to kranite, or the loss of blood, or maybe both.

“Are you okay?” she said.

Jiablu wore a blank look on his face. Those things she called Kranite were plants that normally grew in his dungeon. Even if he was exposed to it all day long, nothing would have happened.

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Faith touched Jiablu’s cheeks. She mumbled, “Your face… it must have hurt so bad. I’m sorry.”

Her fingertips glowed for a moment, and Jiablu felt the cuts on his cheeks heal on their own. After making a satisfied smile, Faith sternly said, “We’ve sent an emergency message to the Kingdom. Reinforcement should be coming here soon. Don’t worry. Big Sister will protect you until that time comes.”

Despite trying her best to sound strong and resolute, her weak, almost croaking voice gave her away.

Her vision gradually dimmed, and she entered the world of black. She fell down the ground.

Jiablu stared at her unconscious face. “Humans really are foolish.”

He knew that if Faith had not used her remaining magic to heal his cuts, she would have not fallen unconscious. Why was she willing to go that far for him? It left a bad aftertaste in his mouth.

Jiablu flicked his fingers, and Faith’s body floated on the air. A translucent bubble covered it. Slowly, her wounds closed on their own. Her previously pale face regained its color.

He remembered the words she uttered.

“Reinforcements, huh?”

After a wave of his hand, Jiablu and Faith’s figure vanished, leaving an empty Master’s Chamber.

***

[Dry Valley – the path that serves as entrance to the Kingdom]

The Red Griffin, a special unit of the Kingdom that served as reinforcement in times of dire crisis, made their way through the Dry Valley. They were surrounded by large cliffs, and the ground almost resembled a desert with its sand dunes. Clouds of dust swirled upwards as their cavalry moved forward in top speed. Time was a luxury that that they did not have.

“Commander Rajak, what do you think of the message?” said one of the soldiers.

A man with a scorched jaw replied, “It’s from the old man. There should be no mistake about it.”

“B-But is it really possible? They have that monster commander with them!”

“Let’s leave that for later,” said Rajak. He squinted his hazel eyes. From beyond, his scouts were signaling their group to stop, and he clearly saw the reason why.

“They broke the bridge, huh?” he mumbled. Before them was a broken bridge and an impossibly large ravine that reeked of the word bottomless. The Kingdom once sent an exploration team for it, but they never came back.

He bit his lips then issued an order to the soldier on his left. “Take another soldier with you and report this to the Kingdom.”

“Understood!” said the soldier.

“All troops! Follow me!” roared Commander Rajak.

Clouds of dust swirled upwards as almost a hundred mounted soldiers rode forth. They steered to their right, taking the longer path towards the forest. Behind them was the Great Ravine that protected the Kingdom for centuries.

“Muhasa,” said Commander Rajak.

A small, plump man answered, “Yes, General?”

“We cannot afford to rest. I need your magic,” said Commander Rajak.

Muhasa nodded. “Understood.”

Still riding his mount, he began waving his arms in the air. A few moments after, a small magic circle manifested itself. After it broke into particles of light, a small shockwave blew through the entire cavalry. The horses neighed, and their speed increased further.

After two days, they finally reached the edge of the forest. A large, sole path was seen between numerous trees and shrubberies. General Rajak immediately ordered scouts to survey the surroundings. According to the Red Code they had received, the bandits were the cause of the Third Division’s bane.

Ten minutes passed. A scout returned. For some reason, his face was grim and pale.

“C-Commander… hundreds of corpses ahead,” said the scout.

Rajak nodded. “Good work.” He said to the rest of the soldiers. “This area is infested with bandits. Do not risk it. Kill them on sight.”

After that, he led his men deeper into the forest, where they eventually saw numerous corpses littered on the ground. Upon seeing the insignia on their armors, the soldiers froze. There was no doubt about it. These men belonged to the infamous Third Division.

 Arrows pierced their flesh, and most of them were decapitated. Maggots crawled up their eyes.

Judging by the state of the corpses, Rajak was sure that a minimum of two days had passed since then.

“Search the area! There might be survivors! Be on guard! If you encounter bandits, make sure to fight them in groups! I do not need brave, heroic soldiers!” said Rajak.

The soldiers immediately dispersed out to cover the area. Some tried to find survivors, while some looked out for bandits. Their commander was famous for his cautious demeanor. He was known as someone that would not fight battles he would not win.

Despite being dubbed cowardly and unconventional, the soldiers held pride in being part of the infamous Red Griffin.

From atop his mount, Rajak stared at the innumerable corpses littered on the road. Whoever did it did not bother concealing the bodies. But judging by the headless bodies, they made sure that everyone was dead.

“Muhasa,” said Rajak.

“Sir?” replied a bald, plump man.

“You’re capable of Alchemy, correct? I want you to find what kind of poison killed these men.”

Muhasa jumped down his mount. He stroked his flabby chin. “Poison, sir?”

“Yes. This is the Great Forest. With such massive amount of corpses, there should have been scavengers around,” said Rajak. “But look around you. There is not a single one.”

Muhasa looked around. Indeed, it was just like his commander had said.

Rajak added, “This area is supposedly home to Reavel Wolves. Weak creatures, but those carnivorous beasts won’t let a feast like this pass by. Peculiarly, though decapitated, the corpses are intact. A more appropriate scenario would be a missing limb or two. Even beasts refused to eat the corpses. Most probably, the bodies contain poison.”

“I see. As expected of the leader,” mumbled Muhasa. He began examining the bodies of the dead knights.

A soldier approached. “Sir, survivors.”

Rajak’s ears twitched. The soldier added, “A child… and the other one seems to be a priest.”

“Take me there,” said Rajak.

“Yes, sir!”

Along with a handful of soldiers, Commander Rajak went towards the place where the survivors were found. Upon arrival, he saw two figures sitting under the shade of a tree.

A young man, probably in his early teens, and an unconscious female priest.