The Path of Ruin

Chapter 66: Several Problems with the Guardian

Matthew had his usual smile on his face. He looked relaxed, and it was an expression that Kael didn't like.

"I'm just... curious... why exactly are you on this mission, Kael?"

Kael did not change his posture or expression. He only sighed slightly. Looking into Matthew's eyes, he said a single sentence.

"Same reason as you, maybe? How do you like my answer?"

Matthew waited in silence for a while, his expression the same... unchanging. Only then did he slowly take a single step towards Kael. The sound of his footsteps echoed down the corridor, and he even looked a little intimidating in his upright posture.

But Kael didn't move.

When Matthew was right in front of him, he inevitably felt a little nervous. But he was good at keeping it all under control.

"Are you really sure you know why I'm on this mission?"

And at Matthew's words, Kael paused. His expression finally showed a hint of change.

Now that he actually thought about it... he had thought from the beginning that Matthew was on this mission to gain experience, just like him. But... why? Just because they were close in age?

Matthew could have been on this mission for a completely different reason.

He... had made a mistake.

"Why... are you on this mission, then?"

Matthew widened his smile, and Kael tensed, sweat beading on his forehead. He used to just be nervous up until now, but after this...

"It's simple, actually. Not that complicated..."

Kael held his breath. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling. Maybe... maybe he should have reached for his daggers.

"I'm gaining experience."

"H- huh...?"

Kael felt stupid for a moment. He just stared at Matthew. And he continued to smile as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, it seems you're really here for the experience, too. Very well, then."

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Matthew turned away... but before he left, he said one last thing in a low voice.

"Anyway, I feel like there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye, so you'd better watch out."

And then, he moved along the corridor and disappeared after a short time. And Kael... just stood where he was.

'What did that mean...?'

He hadn't trusted Matthew much before... And, to be honest, he didn't even trust him anymore. What kind of conversation was this?

He thought about everything Matthew had said over and over again. What stuck in his mind, though, was one sentence.

'There's a lot more going on here than meets the eye...'

Matthew... could he know something?

Kael began to move with slow steps. But his brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed.

'First... let me do what I have to do. Then, I will think about this too.'

*******

It didn't take Kael long to find the 'central point of the plant'. When he put his hand on one of the vines and followed the streams of eon, he could easily feel them stretching under the town. So... he knew exactly where he needed to go.

All he had to do was sneak in. And after a little research, he learned that getting in here was going to be harder than he thought. Impossible, maybe, even.

Security was top-notch. People took the maintenance and security of the central plant really seriously. Those who were allowed to enter were either those who had permission slips directly from the baron or those who would be maintaining the plant.

'The entrance is under the mansion. It's through tunnels that go underground and then it leads to a large area.'

Inside this large area was an object that was collecting massive amounts of eon. An object that connects to all the eon streams around it... the brain, the center... whatever it was called.

'How can I sneak in, though?'

If he had been a bit taller, maybe he could have disguised himself as one of the maintenance staff.

Although...

'Hmm...'

He paused as a sudden idea came to him. He remembered something from before, a name he had seen when Scher was studying people who had gone insane.

'Actually... Do I really need to sneak in?'

*******

Towards noon of the same day, a woman was making her way slowly through one of the tunnels that ran underneath the mansion.

She had finished the daily maintenance of their town's Guardian and now, she was going home to rest.

As she moved forward, her eyes fell on the vines on the sides of the tunnels. He thought of one of her colleagues who had gone insane a few weeks ago. Who was also... their teacher.

'There are two of us left now...'

Normally there were three people who looked after their Guardian, at least on a daily basis. How unfortunate that one of them, and actually the most important of them, fell victim to the disgusting disease that infested the town.

'Work got heavier.'

To be honest, she had no complaints. She was happy to take care of the Guardian. But... she couldn't help being afraid.

What if something happened to her or the other maintenance worker? Then things could get a bit messy.

'No... I mustn't think bad things.'

Sighing, she tried to push these thoughts out of her mind. She was doing nothing but invoking the bad.

Like that, she finally came out of the tunnels. She entered the room that connected to the inside of the mansion. And as she entered, one of the guards approached her.

She spoke quickly.

"I have finished the daily maintenance."

The guard nodded and handed her a piece of paper and a pen. She signed her name, Fesila, on the paper. Then the guard thanked her and returned to his post. She thanked him in the same way.

Fesila continued to walk through the mansion. She talked and laughed with the servants and employees she saw in the corridors. But she eventually left the mansion and stepped out into the town. With the pale rays of the sun, she began to walk home, feeling relieved.

Everything was normal. The town, the people... the weather.

But when she entered the street where her house was, she saw something out of the corner of her eye and paused. In one of the alleyways for some reason... had she seen one of the vines moving?

'Huh... strange.'

The vines usually stayed still. There were rare occasions when they moved, but these little things usually signaled that something was wrong.

Fesila approached the vine with slow steps, moving towards the alleyway.

Just as she locked onto the vine... she noticed a young man standing right next to it. He was looking at the vine, just like her.

When he heard Fesila's footsteps, he took his eyes off the vine, turned around, and looked at the woman approaching him. His brown eyes were quite ordinary, at least that was what she felt looking at them.

He didn't look like someone important.

"Oh, hi."

"Hello... have you seen a problem, I wonder?"

The youth waited a moment for the question. Then he nodded his head slightly.

"The vines were moving. And... it doesn't look good, to be honest."

The woman paused at the words she heard.

"It doesn't look good...?"

The youth nodded again.

"Yes. The vines absorb eon from their surroundings and give it back, purifying the air in the same way, and all the time consuming sunlight. But there seems to be a problem with the flow of eon... the level of air purification has also decreased, and the sun is even paler than usual at the moment, so it's not getting enough nourishment either."

Fesila replayed everything she had heard over and over in her mind. Then, her brows furrowed.

"May I ask how you draw these conclusions...?"

The youth didn't question the question at all. In fact, he answered as if he was expecting it.

"Because I am a bearer and I can sense eon. As for the air problem, I can give the color of the vines as an example. The green color has darkened on some spots and even yellowed. Brown and white spots can also be seen here and there. The problem of sunlight is obviously the same."

Fesila... was actually not overly skilled in botany. Yes, she knew some things... but her only job was to take care of the Guardian daily. So what she knew about plants was limited to the Guardian.

And... she could see everything the young man said. The darkened places, the brown spots... maybe she couldn't feel eon, she was just an ordinary person after all... but did the young man have a reason to lie?

"Are you... a botanist, by any chance?"

The youth paused, then smiled slightly.

"Yes. I am also a member of the team sent by the empire to solve the problem in the town. My name is Kael."

"O- oh..."

Fesila thought for a while, her mind going back and forth.

If what the young man in front of her, Kael, was saying was true, then... there was a problem.

But the problem didn't stop there.

Because the person who really knew something about the Guardian and plants was now insane! He and the other maintenance worker had not yet learned what to do in such a situation! Their training was incomplete!

"I... understand. Thank you for telling me."

Fesila glanced briefly in the direction of her house. Then, she took a deep breath and turned back the way she had come. With quick steps, she started moving towards the baron's mansion again.

Kael only looked after her. He had a slight smile on his face.

'Well... this was easier than I thought.'

*******

*(A/N: I will upload two chapters in a row next time. But I have a thing to do today, so they may come a little too late. Sorry for it, but it's important.)*