Chapter 20: Silver Bind (4)
“What happened?”
“Captain allowed soone without a Certificate to enter...”
“Did he get bribed?”
“Be quiet!”
The soldiers seed to be in shock as Jas glared at Jaehwan.
‘...who the hell is he?’
And after a while, Mino and Karlton walked out of the office. Mino seed she had been shaken as she definitely had a hard ti going through the [Order of Law].
“Mino, you should always carry the certificate. And never bribe again. I would have to punish you, but I’m letting you go because Jaehwan asked to.”
Mino looked lifelessly at Jaehwan as Karlton continued,
“Jaehwan has proved his identity.”
It was the object Jaehwan threw at Karlton. It was the [Stone of Forgotten Spirit] created by one of five renowned families of Great Lands, the Greens. It was mostly used by mbers of the Greens to prove their identity, but there was a reason why it was famous.
The stone would boost an Adapter’s Spirit Power when carried around with them.
The one he threw at Karlton was powerful enough to change a Non-Adapter into a 1st stage Adapter. That was enough to prove Jaehwan’s identity.
“These stones have been examined, so I will return it to you.”
“You don’t need it?”
“You should not give it away to anyone. You should value what you have, ssenger of the Greens.”
Karlton handed over the two stones to him. After guiding Jaehwan and Mino inside, he took out sothing that looked like a temperature asurent device.
“This checks the Corruption level of the Spirit. Everyone must be tested with this, just in case.”
Jaehwan looked at Mino as she would usually explain in this case. But Mino still looked lifeless.
“She will be like that for a while since she was punished with the [Order of Law].”
Jaehwan nodded.
“I will start with Mino.”
The machine beeped for a while and then a floating small screen displayed in the air.
[Result: Caution – corruption has exceeded 15%. Recomnd taking dication.]
Karlton beca grim.
“Mino, according to Chapter 8...”
Mino then took out so dicine and swallowed the pills with a deadpan face. It was then Jaehwan’s turn. He felt sothing quickly surging through him while the device beeped. It seed Karlton had never seen such a device before.
‘Is he a corrupted spirit?’
The result popped up.
[Result: Cannot asure corruption level.]
Karlton beca dumbfounded and apologized to Jaewan, “I’m sorry. Let try again.”
[Result: Cannot asure corruption level.]
Karlton fell silent. This machine never made any errors. Not once since the device was created had he heard that it make an error. The only occasion where the device could not asure was when the spirit’s corruption level was at 0%.
0% wasn’t sothing that could be achieved just by eating good dicine. No one in this fortress had such a pure spirit. Karlton seed to understand.
“I see... that’s why my [Silver Bind] did not work on you. I have never seen such a pure spirit like you.”
Karlton rembered that all of his skills were useless against Jaehwan.
“Everything is done. You can go now.”
Jaehwan did not leave. He opened his mouth...
“Captain, can we really just let them go?” Jas asked as he saw the two of them disappear. He could not understand.
“Jas, didn’t you know that ones from Green are coming to ?”
“Yes, but...”
There’s no way they would not know. All five renowned families sent a ssage to the fortress before they visited . They were the only ones, along with the [Nightmares], who could visit without paying the price of death. Jas knew that they were coming.
“But he doesn’t look like he’s from the Greens.”
Green skin and two antennae. The people of Greens looked very distinct. Karlton nodded.
“Right. He doesn’t look like them at all.”
“Then how do you know if he is from the Greens?”
Karlton smiled bitterly and asked, “Jas, do you know what the [Stone of Forgotten Spirit] does?”
“Doesn’t it increase an Adapter’s power?”
“Right.”
Everyone knew about the stone. All Adapters wished to put their hands on it.
“Then do you know about its traits?”
Jas beca dumbfounded but Karlton took off his white gloves and showed his hands. It was as if his palms had been burned. It wasn’t a burn, but Jas knew what it was.
“Corruption...!”
Jas could not believe it. Corruption was like a plague that existed within . Everyone in would rack up corruption little by little, just by living here, and when it reached 100%, they would et with a fate more horrific than death.
But there were ways to defend against it. It was to eat the horns.
Those who took those dicine created using the horns were allowed to live longer, and Karlton, was the one with the cleanest of spirits within this fortress.
However, his spirit was corrupt, only at the palm.
Jas took out dicine from his pocket frantically and powdered Karlton’s hand. It was the dicine he got from Mino.
“...Is this from the stone?”
Karlton nodded.
“Jas, have you seen anyone other than the Greens holding the stone?”
Jas thought about it. He had never seen anyone else.
“Isn’t it weird? Why won’t others try to take it as their own?”
That definitely was weird. There were Greens who traveled alone and if they all had those stones, so might have attacked them in order to take the stones for themselves.
“It’s because of the corruption.”
Karlton nodded again.
“Yes. No one other than the Greens can handle those stones. They are the only ones who are allowed to carry the stones without corrupting their spirits.”
If that was true, then it wasn’t weird for Karlton to consider him to be from the Greens.
“But I have never seen Greens without antennae.”
Karlton smiled bitterly and hid the silver wing behind his back.
“Jas, who do I look like now?”
“...Huh?”
Jas then understood.
Karlton Javier.
A crossbreed of the Sky people and humans.
Since he was half-human, he was not born with the Sky people’s unique traits of long pointy ears and a gem on the forehead. All he had inherited was the silver wing. Without it, there was no telling that he wasn’t human.
‘Right... if that man is like him...’
That was when Jas stopped.
‘But let go of him for that petty reason?’
Jas looked at Karlton.
“You seed unconvinced.”
“...I’m sorry.”
“No, your suspicion is well placed.”
“What?”
“I would not have let him pass under normal circumstances.”
Jas then realized sothing.
“Was there an order from the inner castle?”
“Yes, they were in a hurry. They will go look for those two as I already sent a ssage. Whether he’s from the Greens or not, he carries the stone and he can use it so it won’t matter.”
The Stone of Forgotten Spirit.
The stone that empowers an Adapter’s Spirit Power. The stone that corrupts anyone other than the Greens.
Finding one who could use such a stone was important.
Jas suddenly thought of sothing.
“...Is it related to the Master’s sickness?”
“I don’t know the details. But...”
He was certain that sothing was going to happen in Gorgon. Karlton recalled the conversation with Jaehwan.
“I don’t know what you are up to.”
“...”
“I’m not that Greens person. You must know that.”
“Of course I do.”
“Is it okay to let go then? Isn’t it against your ‘justice’?”
Karlton smiled.
“Soon, our justice will et again.”
Karlton then rembered Jaehwan’s terrifying energy. It was that energy that made Karlton exit the office quickly. He didn’t know why, but the man seed to want to fight him.
‘No, maybe what he wanted to fight was...’
Karlton then looked at the wall of the fortress. If Jaehwan did not give him the stones, or if he had drawn his sword, what would have happened? Karlton wasn’t sure.
“Oh, and Jas.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Jaehwan told that you are the one who took the bribe.”
“T-that is...”
“According to the Code of Law, Chapter 34...”
Jas frowned.
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