‘Could this be related to that place?’
Red wasn’t able to tell from just this information. There was also the fact that none of what Rimold told him seemed connected to the underground at face value. Technically, the center of the circle that Rimold indicated was still a rather large area, so it didn’t mean that the underground was the source of these disappearances. Not to mention that according to the necromancer, the imperials closed off the cave Red came from.
He assumed that by “closed it off”, the necromancer meant that they did more than just collapse the entrance, as he found it hard to believe some debris would stop them from getting into that place. The youth himself never went to check. He was just too afraid that the imperials would still be keeping an eye over that area and that Red would give his identity away if he went there.
Now his caution was rewarded.
Even with no apparent indication of the connection between the disappearances and the underground, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence to ignore.
Domeron looked at Red. “You went there before, right? With Narcha, that is.”
Red nodded. “Yes. It was where we first saw an undead and the demon.”
‘And also where I first appeared on the surface.’
Red didn’t think this detail would escape Domeron, but the man didn’t mention it.
Instead, he looked back at the map. “Did you see anything weird there? Other than all the death, that is?”
“Not necessarily.” Red shook his head. “The vegetation and soil in that area seem to be recovering, even if almost every animal avoids it for now. In a few decades, it will be lush again, so it’s safe to assume that whatever was causing that destruction is now long gone.”
This was the youth’s way of saying that these disappearances had no apparent relation to the thing that caused the death of that section of the forest.
Domeron frowned. “So, you think this is just a coincidence?”
“It’s always possible.” Red nodded. “Maybe the dead forest was an indirect catalyst for this change, or maybe Rimold is wrong about his initial theory, too. In any case, it’s hard to tell without investigating the region first.”
The swordsman sighed. “By all means, none of this should be happening in our isolated little region. Necromancers, demons, inheritance lands, and now a body part of a near-ascension cultivator! Even one such strange occurrence is rare enough, but all of them happening in the same region over such a short period of time? It’s just hard to imagine that all of this is a coincidence.”
Rimold grunted. “It does seem too convenient, but no matter how I look at it, some of these things have no connection to each other.”
Domeron smiled with an exasperated expression. “No connection that we can see.”
They all digested the swordsman implications in silence. Even Red, who knew more about the secrets of this region than anyone else, was stumped in trying to find a connection between these occurrences. Was this all spurred by the existence of an entrance to the Moonstone Mine in the region? Did his master set up an entrance to his inheritance here because of that? Did this supposed holy finger bone appear here because of the mine too?
None of it was clear to Red, and what frustrated him the most was that the answer still seemed far away from his reach.
“I think you guys are missing the point!” Allen interjected.
“Hm?” Domeron looked at the young master with a frown. “How so?”
“Well, you’re talking about getting this dagger or finger-bone, or whatever it is, but you haven’t even discussed the most important part - whatever this thing is, it is abducting people away without a trace! Isn’t that just something an evil treasure would do? Or better yet, how could a finger bone or a dagger just abduct people in the middle of the night?”
“Some treasures can definitely influence vast swathes of land around it… However, you have a point when it comes to questioning the nature of this bone dagger.” Domeron nodded. “Causing hallucinations and people's disappearances in the middle of the night sounds more like something a demonic treasure would do.”
Allen frowned with a concerned expression. “Are you telling me this is the bone of demonic cultivator?!”
“No one is saying that!” Domeron glared at him. “It’s just Rimold’s stupid obsession with this bone dagger that has us thinking about that in the first place. It could be a number of different things causing this phenomenon.”
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“Hey, I’m right here!” Rimold interjected.
“I know you are!” Domeron looked back at him. “And I also know that you intended to convince us to go look into this matter behind Hector’s back, isn’t that right?”
The rogue gritted his teeth and looked away in embarrassment. “He would never have allowed us to go!”
“With good reason! Even after knowing the imperials are trying to kill us and that ghouls are roaming around the forest, you still want to go?”
“If we can get our hands on this, it can change our destiny! It can save Rog and help us through this crisis!” Rimold said. “I know you don’t believe me, but I can tell you for sure that this is the work of the dagger that ghost was looking for! I have no doubt in my mind!”
“How can you be sure of that?” Domeron shook his head with skepticism.
“I just know!” Rimold said with insistence. “Look, I understand that I have given reason to not trust me in the past, but I’m asking you, just this once, to place your faith in me!”
Domeron seemed hesitant. “I’m not sure I can.”
The rogue gritted his teeth. “Well, I’m going with or without your help! I need this dagger! It’s the only chance I have!”
Allen and Domeron looked bewildered at Rimold’s persistence, but Red knew why he seemed so pressed to pursue this dagger at all costs. He wanted to repay his debt to Gustav’s guild and help his sister at the capital, and he was willing to risk everything to do it.
“… I’ll go.” Red said after some thought.
Domeron frowned. “Why?”
“We can’t let him go alone, and like he said, this is something worth investigating. Whether the imperials or necromancers are behind this, or even if this is something entirely unrelated to them, it could let us gleam some knowledge about the region, and perhaps afford us an opportunity to turn the tides of our destiny in the off-chance that Rimold is right about the dagger.” Red said.
The swordsman stared at him in silence. “Are those the only reasons you want to go?”
Red hesitated. “… No, but they’re the only ones that should matter to you.”
The youth, above everyone else, had his reasons for looking into this. He wanted to find out more about the Moonstone Mine and, in turn, the nature of this curse, and if there was a chance this bone dagger was connected to its existence, he couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
With the imperials encroaching on their presence within the region, this might truly be Red’s last chance to investigate something that haunted his entire life to this day.
“… You can disguise your presence from the imperials, right?” Domeron asked with a thoughtful expression.
Red nodded. “I have a way to fool their tracking methods.”
“Can you disguise other people too?”
“As long as they stay close to me, I can do it.” the youth said.
“Good.” Domeron nodded. “Then I will go with you.”
“Really?” Rimold seemed surprised.
“Hey, I want to go too!” Allen interjected.
“No, you’re staying here, Allen.” Domeron shook his head. “We need to do this as quietly as possible, and you’re not suited for these types of missions.”
“You heard what he said, kid!” Rimold patted Allen’s back. “We’re not going out there to kill any monster, or else we would invite you with us without hesitation!”
The young master frowned with a reluctant expression. “So, only I am going to stay behind with Hector and Rog? This doesn’t seem fair.”
“You’re not the only one staying behind.” Domeron looked over at Rimold. “You’re staying too.”
“What?!” Rimold’s eyes widened in shock.
“You heard me. It’s clear you are in no condition to travel, and as you yourself admitted, you have been influenced by that ghost to have an obsession with this dagger. Who knows what will happen to you if we do find it? It’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”
“This…” Rimold was reluctant to accept Domeron’s words, even if he found no reasonable argument against it.
Domeron ignored him and looked over at Allen. “Your duty over these days we are gone is to watch over Rimold and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. Do you understand?”
“I do.” Allen nodded with a resolute expression.
It seemed that all it took to change Allen’s mood was to give him a purpose. Even if it wasn’t what the young master wanted at first, he still always took his responsibilities seriously when it came to watching after his companions.
Rimold, on the other hand, didn’t seem too happy. “I don’t need a damn teenager to look after me!”
“That remains to be seen.” Domeron said. “Either way, let us return to the sect at once and explain our decision to Hector.”
“You’re telling Hector?” the rogue looked surprised. “There’s no way he will let you go!”
“He will.”
“How can you be so sure?!”
“Because I’m the one requesting it.”
Domeron’s confidence left Rimold at a loss for words.
“Now stop fooling around and let’s leave.” Domeron said. “I don’t want to spend another second in this god forsaken room.”
None of them argued against Domeron’s decision.
Red followed behind the group with a lot on his mind. Not just about the mission ahead and what that might mean for him, but also about the strange aura surrounding Rimold. Was this caused by this supposed bone dagger the rogue was after? Or was this an entirely unrelated matter?
Red could see this because of the special “acupoint” he unlocked in his glabella, which apparently allowed him to see into ghostly forms like souls, as Aurelia claimed. Yet, when he looked at Domeron and Allen, he couldn't see anything strange surrounding their bodies, while it clearly wasn't the case with the rogue.
Still, the youth thought better of mentioning this to Rimold or the others just yet. And there was a very good reason for it.
‘Aurelia hasn’t said anything this entire meeting.’
From the limited time Red had spent with the woman, he learned that she was rather noisy and arrogant, happy to flaunt her superior knowledge to the youth at every opportunity she could, even during ongoing conversations. How could something like the bone of a near-ascension cultivator not interest her?
Yet she remained silent, something rather uncharacteristic of her part. The only other time she did this was when she felt the presence of the necromancer nearby, and she didn’t want to give herself away no matter how much Red tried to speak to her.
This made the youth consider one possibility.
Was she hiding from someone here, too?