Surrounding the square, hundreds of people in all manner of dress were prostrated on the ground, murmuring whispers that could drive a person mad. They looked like ordinary citizens, police officers maintaining order, tourists visiting Ruen... in short, they were all people who had a reason to be there that day.
Beside the kneeling masses, a dozen grim-faced n in black were either finding or making corpses just outside the square, then tossing the bodies into its confines.
Blood, bone, and flesh mingled together, a horrific scene reminiscent of the hells from old tales. A few figures in white robes walked among the carnage, treading on the remains. Each held a small pouch, from which they sprinkled a crystalline powder onto the corpses, following so kind of ritual pattern.
"The people on the ground seem to be under mind control... The n in black are hired rcenaries, ordinary folk. The ones in white robes are the masterminds... That's as much as I can surmise for now. Jenkins, can you find Dolores?"
Alexia asked calmly, taking in the scene.
Jenkins took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away from the square. He blinked, his eyes sweeping from left to right in search of a familiar point of light.
"Under the Parliant Building. There are... eight Enchanters there. Royal bodyguards, maybe? When the incident happened, so of them must have reacted in ti and escaped underground."
"Are there any demigods present?"
she asked again, placing full trust in Jenkins's intelligence-gathering abilities.
"None underground, but there are two around the square. It's strange, though. They have the presence of demigods, but their own strength isn't sufficient. Could they have been artificially elevated through so kind of contract? Oh, one of them is on the stone steps in front of the Parliant Building, directing the entire operation. The other is at the very top of the side tower's spire, and he's looking right at us."
On the spire of the parliant's side tower, across from their rooftop perch, stood a tall, thin man with a turban and an aquiline nose. His features were sharply defined, characteristic of the dominant ethnicity of the southern Cheslan Kingdom. He had spotted Jenkins and Alexia as well, but did nothing, rely glancing their way before his gaze shifted elsewhere.
"It seems that barrier gives them a great deal of confidence."
Jenkins muttered, then stomped hard on the ground. With precise control, he shattered the thick ice, sending shards flying. He casually caught a piece of the right size as it flew up and, with a flick of his wrist, hurled it toward the distant barrier.
The shard of ice whizzed through the air with a sharp hiss, but it vanished the instant it made contact with the barrier. It wasn't teleportation; it had been obliterated into fine powder by an imnse force.
"We can't just barge in."
Jenkins understood this, so he and Alexia temporarily retreated back into the ruins below. Alexia could analyze the principles behind the barrier, but cracking it was not sothing she could accomplish in a few minutes.
"Before I left Ruen to search for ore in the mountains, I gave a spirit lodestone to Dolores so you could contact her," Alexia explained. "It's highly likely she still has it on her. Project yourself to her location imdiately, then use your shadow ability to pull your physical body over."
"And you?"
"I'll stay here and look for a way through the barrier. We have to get inside. First, go and confirm that Dolores and Julia are alright."
the petite lady instructed.
Jenkins nodded, about to agree, when he suddenly rembered he was also carrying the lodestone Chocolate usually used to travel to Ruen. He spoke up again.
"Why don't we go together..."
"And who would watch over my body and your cat?"
Alexia cut right to the heart of the matter.
It was true. If they both projected themselves, Alexia's unconscious body and the cat, which couldn't be transported, would be left behind—a very dangerous proposition.
"I understand. I'll go help Dolores and Julia first and look for an opportunity to disable the barrier from the inside. Please take care of Chocolate for ..."
As he spoke, he pulled the cat out from where it had been hiding inside his coat. It refused to sit on Alexia's shoulder or head, so it leaped to the ground, only to beco instantly disgruntled by the cold snow under its paws.
Not knowing what the situation was on Dolores's end, Jenkins made thorough preparations before using the spirit lodestone to transport himself.
His caution proved necessary. The mont he appeared in a dim corridor, a brilliant fireball ca flying straight at him. He had no ti to react before it struck, almost as if he had deliberately materialized directly in its path.
The underground structure couldn't withstand the massive explosion that followed, and falling rubble almost completely buried Jenkins.
A good while after the rumbling collapse subsided, he struggled out from the wreckage, his face a mask of blood. He saw that the corridor the fireball had co from was now completely destroyed. Even though he had glimpsed the culprit, and even though his Eye of Reality now confird it was a Level 3 Enchanter heading in the opposite direction, he had no way to pursue them for revenge.
The person hadn't been targeting him specifically; their goal was to destroy the passage. Jenkins had just happened to appear in the wrong place at the wrong ti.
"Damn it all!"
He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground and wiped his hands across his face. The bloody, mangled features imdiately began to heal. Fortunately, he was in his projected form; otherwise, recovery would have been much more difficult.
Once that was done, he summoned his monocle to grant himself dark vision, but he didn't see Dolores in the corridor behind him. In fact, it was completely empty. Jenkins dug through the rubble for a long ti before he finally found Dolores's handbag.
The expensive little bag was so damaged by the rocks and the explosion that its original form was unrecognizable, but the sapphire embedded in the clasp was still intact. Inside, besides the spirit lodestone, were a few personal items like a handkerchief, a personal seal, and perfu. Jenkins was deeply worried by the fact that the bag was here without its owner.
After gathering everything, he returned to Alexia's side and told her what had happened underground. Alexia considered it for a mont but still insisted that Jenkins go find Dolores instead of staying with her.
"Dolores has always been lucky," she said, "but we're both worried about her, aren't we?"
"I understand. There's no ti to waste. I'll go to the Parliant's underground levels in person. Alexia, you be careful here."
He leaned down and kissed the petite lady on the forehead.
"You be careful, too. I'll take good care of your cat."
The cat, perched on the end of a broken, upturned pillar in the ruins, let out a soft "ow~" as if to declare it was perfectly safe. It knew Jenkins wouldn't be in any danger on this trip, because their journey in the northern city had only just begun.
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