I, the Weakest Traveler, Start by Taming the gods of the Old World.

Chapter 140: Follow the path, Kuronashi

Ha Joon managed to sneak into the castle, his subordinates following behind him.

Since almost everyone was asleep, it was easier for him to walk in without getting caught.

Settling inside his room would be a mistake since Artoria would most likely be there. So he moved to the guest room, with Terra following behind him.

Lyra had been dismissed prior to meet up with Yukio prior to entering the castle.

Now seated on the bed, Ha Joon took a deep sigh.

Terra on the other hand was still oblivious to what was going to happen. She sat on the ground in front of Ha Joon, wiggling her tail as she looked up at him.

"Is Master tired?" She asked.

"Hmmm!"

Ha Joon nodded his head.

"What can Terra do to help?"

Ha Joon took yet another deep breath. Slowly, he sat up right, looking her dead in the eye.

Terra flinched a bit. The look on her master's face was that of a man ready to rip the world apart.

His gaze mirrored the rage building up inside him.

Ha Joon had managed to remain calm all while he was in the underground, but now that he was out, he could finally let it all out.

"Terra, I need you to answer me, what do you know about the people at the underground?" He asked.

Terra was a bit taken aback by his sudden change... Still, he was her master.

"They call themselves the Cult of Barbatos."

"..."

"Terra's village was attacked by them a few months ago. They had this strange weapon, it completely overpowered us, we were put down before we knew what hit us."

Ha Joon glared a bit, "Weapon?"

"Uhm, it was about this long-"

Terra spread her hand apart to show Ha Joon how long it was.

"It has a small hole at the front that lit up every time that attacked. And once it hit us, we wouldn't be able to react in time."

"Did you see what came out of the hole?" Ha Joon pressed on with his questions.

"No, it was too fast, but when it touched me, I felt a sharp pain where it connected. It shattered my bones even though it was so small."

Ha Joon's eyes widened. He had figured out what if was.

There was only one thing in this era, that was both small and powerful enough to shatter the bones of beast men.

"Gun."

Ha Joon ran his finger through his hair with frustration, "What the hell is happening?"

Raphtalia was the one in charge of the gun project, could it be that she was working for these people?

Or perhaps, there was a spy in the organisation.

The fact these people were using his own creation to oppress a group of people, not only made Ha Joon feel like he had failed, but it reminded him so much about his former world.

"Terra, after you were defeated? Where were you taken to?"

Terra looked to the ground.

"Terra doesn't remember much of what happens after that. All she knows is that she saw flashing lights when she woke up, and plenty of other beast men lined up in an assembly."

Ha Joon listened. Every information he got from her was crucial.

"They injected me in my arm, although I survived it, most didn't. And those that collapsed to the ground were thrown into the sea, that's what the man said. Terra doesn't remember his name, Kuronashi! Yes, Kuronashi...After that..."

Terra grunted as she tried to remember, the sharp pain in her head increasing.

"After that... Terra was taken to a white room, she was scared. The bad people were saying weird things to her."

She could vividly picture herself in the room, surrounded by people wearing masks as she screamed for help.

They each hold a lantern, rotating it in front of her while chanting -

"Follow the paths that guides you."

"Follow the path that awaits you."

"Follow the path that guides you."

It didn't take long for Terra to break down, tears rolling down her cheeks as she remembered how she was then beaten to a pulp by the same people, her body covered in bruises.

"T...terra wanted to die..."

She said with the shaky voice, her tears flowing down her cheeks.

From nowhere, Ha Joon fell to his knees, his hands wrapped around her as he embraced her pain.

For a while, Terra could feel the warmth of the world inside her, suppressing her sadness. Ha Joon's presence, the man she had just met, the one who bought her as a slave, now took a stance, as the emotional wall she needed.

She balled her eyes out, pressing her body onto him even more.

And Ha Joon knew to hold her for as long as she needed to let out her emotions.

Though...

A word was stuck in his head even as he embraced her.

The name of someone who was most likely involved with the whole thing.

"Kuronashi." He blurted, a cold expression playing on his face.

If anything, he knew exactly where he needed to start from.

He released her gently, guiding her to sit on the bed.

Her tail, once wiggling happily, now lay limp behind her.

He observed her for a moment. The bruises from her time in captivity had faded, but there were deeper scars. Scars that magic couldn't heal.

"Rest," he said, his voice softer now. "You've been through enough."

Terra blinked up at him, her eyes still glassy with tears. "Master... is Terra a burden?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken fear. Ha Joon's brow furrowed. He crouched down in front of her, meeting her eyes head-on.

"You're not a burden," he said, his voice firm.

"You've survived something no one should have to. You're stronger than you know."

Terra's ears twitched, and for a moment, the ghost of a smile crossed her lips. But Ha Joon didn't miss the flicker of doubt still lingering in her eyes.

She'd need time, and he wasn't sure if they had much of it left.

Just as Ha Joon was about to rise, the door creaked open.

Lyra and Yukio stepped inside, their sharp gaze immediately assessing the room.

Their presence was as calm and collected as ever, but there was a tension in the way they moved—a stiffness that told Ha Joon something was wrong.

"We need to talk," Lyra said, closing the door behind her. Her voice was low, businesslike.

Ha Joon stood up, glancing at Terra once more before nodding at Lyra. "What is it?"

Yukio crossed the room and pulled out a small folded parchment from her belt, handing it to him. "This came in while we were at the arena. It's about the gun project. Sinex found it inside the back room of the arena you went to."

Though he never gave Sinex the order to do that, it was still a good lead.

Ha Joon unfolded the parchment, his eyes scanning the words. As he read, his face darkened.

"They've started mass production," Yukio continued. "And the distribution's already begun. They're using underground routes—smugglers, mercenaries. But that's not the worst part. The weapons are being supplied to several factions, including the Cult of Barbatos."

Ha Joon's jaw clenched.

He crumpled the parchment in his fist, anger boiling beneath the surface.

His creation—something he had designed with the idea of giving his people an edge—was now being used by the very people who destroyed Terra's village, and likely many others.

"Kuronashi," Ha Joon muttered under his breath, his mind racing.

The name had come up too often.

First in Terra's recounting of her torture, and now, in connection with the gun project. It was no coincidence.

Someone high up, someone with influence, was pulling the strings. And it wasn't just William.

Lyra crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "What's the plan?"

Ha Joon tossed the crumpled parchment aside, pacing the room.

His mind churned with a thousand thoughts—plans, possibilities, risks.

He had two options: lay low, gather more intel, and strike when he was sure of who his enemies were. Or, he could go on the offensive, disrupt the distribution of the weapons, and force Kuronashi and his allies out of the shadows.

He glanced at Terra, who was now lying on the bed, her breathing calm, though her face was still pale.

No. Laying low wasn't an option anymore.

"We strike," Ha Joon said, his voice low but resolute. "We'll start by disrupting the gun shipments. Cut off their supply lines. Make them desperate."

Yukio nodded, her lips curling into a slight smirk. "I figured you'd say that my lord. I've already got contacts in the smuggling rings. I can arrange a meeting, but we'll need to be careful. If they suspect we're onto them..."

"They won't suspect," Ha Joon interrupted. "Because we'll move before they have a chance to react."

...

A\\N: Thank you all for reading. Means alot.