Chapter 67
The orange candlelight lined along the walls burned brightly, illuminating the interior of the factory building's lobby, moments after the sound of a finger snap echoed through the air.
From outside the building, Alfred stood frozen in the courtyard, still silent, realizing something strange when his eyes caught a faint glimmer of light ahead.
'What is actually happening?' he thought in confusion, wanting to move but not wanting to trouble Mr. Wayne.
Meanwhile, from inside, Wayne noticed two strange things; the mysterious figure, believed to be a woman, had a severe wound on her shoulder, thinking it came from his gunshot, and also, who had lit the candles in the lobby.
'That Casmada Relic should be receiving a signal from that woman. I can't see her face clearly, but her red eyes clearly turned pale blue when the candles lit up,' he thought cautiously, unsure of what awaited him and also aware that Alfred was outside.
'Two people are emitting an aura of confidence from the iron walkway hanging above.' He immediately looked toward the lobby promenade on his left, a damaged steel roof, above it branching metal walkways with supports fused to the sturdy roof as if the place had been well maintained.
"I don't know," he said to shift the atmosphere, "why you two went through the trouble of lighting those candles?"
After voicing his thoughts, Wayne steadily stepped backward until his back nearly touched the wall beside the half-open iron door.
The confident aura of the two people vanished as if swallowed by the darkness above. Even though the candles illuminated part of the lobby and the two adjacent corridors, the weak candlelight could not reach upward, making it difficult for Wayne to identify the two figures.
The atmosphere inside the building tightened for a moment, the air seemed to hold itself back as if reluctant to enter, and the candlelight began to show signs of dying out, as if wind kept blowing from the tension mixed with their vigilance.
Finally, one of the figures spoke in a restrained tone, almost like a threat.
"Before that," one by one, the candles began to go out. "I will give you a gift for that striking attitude of yours." He smiled faintly.
All the candles went out at once, leaving a tension that crept into Wayne's feet, then surged upward, making his mind go blank for a moment as he processed it.
He wanted to run. But for some reason, his legs would not move according to his will. On the other hand, he was curious about the two figures and believed that if he could see their faces, then he would win.
'Do they already know about my supernatural ability? But where did they get such information?' He was truly puzzled, realizing their words might just be a bluff, he immediately turned around and stepped out of the building.
But before his body fully exited, he heard a panicked sound mixed with a strange thrill not far from where he stood.
'Impossible, is that "gift" Alfred?' he suddenly realized. With swift yet measured movement, he lowered his long-barreled rifle to help Alfred face a group of Chalog from the building's stairs.
"Be careful! Don't let those creatures bite you, or you could die."
'Damn, I didn't expect them to go this far.' He glanced back and realized the two mysterious figures had vanished from the building.
Even their presence had completely disappeared.
He clicked his tongue after realizing that.
"Don't die, kid," he whispered softly, "I wouldn't know what to say if that happened."
Without further words, he narrowed his eyes, aligning them with the tip of his long-barreled rifle, preparing to pull the trigger.
"One."
Bang!
A single bullet struck one among the many small Chalog that Alfred was fighting alone.
One died instantly, its head shattered due to its small size.
With a calm motion, Wayne pulled the side of his weapon to reload. Once the bullet was chambered, he aimed to eliminate the Chalog standing still at the roadside, its purple eyes glowing brightly in the darkness.
He knew that Chalog acted as the "medium" and "controller" for the others attacking Alfred in a swarm.
Even though those Chalog were summoned by the two figures as a parting gift, they could not be considered natural Chalog with awareness, thought, and their own type.
It could be said that what they were fighting now were merely imitations, half-complete, created from a forest wolf mutated into a Chalog by being infused with intense spiritual pressure.
Meanwhile, Wayne hesitated to pull the trigger when he noticed something unusual about Alfred's movements.
'I didn't realize he's also skilled with firearms. I thought nobles like him weren't interested in such things, and yet he's actually enjoying defeating those Chalog!' he thought in surprise, even feeling a hint of admiration, momentarily forgetting his own task as he considered inviting him to hunt together.
"Don't worry about me, old man," Alfred said, even though he was enjoying the fight, his expression remained completely unchanged, cold.
"Just deal with that annoying monster creating these little things attacking me."
'This is the first time I've been ordered around by a brat who doesn't know his place.'
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
As gunshots echoed around the building, Wayne realized that the Chalog he had previously killed were much smaller compared to the Chalog acting as the "medium" and "controller."
'It makes sense that such small bodies can move freely and nimbly, making them agile in combat.'
Bang!!
He pulled the trigger. The bullet shot rapidly toward one of the Chalog acting as the "medium" and "controller."
The bullet shattered its skull, causing it to collapse as purple blood poured out heavily, dying seconds later from blood loss.
Bang!!
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger again.
'This is very strange.' he thought, confused, while focusing on the remaining two targets.
But the strangeness didn't last long as all the Chalog were slaughtered by the two of them, leaving not a single one alive!
Wayne immediately descended the small stairs with steady steps, then walked toward Alfred and asked something important regarding the Chalog's appearance.
"Alfred," Wayne said calmly, as if every step had been calculated beforehand. "Did you see anyone else around here?" he asked with a suspicious gaze, also to satisfy his curiosity.
"No," Alfred answered briefly but firmly.
'I was focused on watching what you did in there, old man. But it's true, I heard something before those monsters attacked me.' Alfred completed his thought as his gaze remained fixed on Mr. Wayne, who stared back at him.
"Don't stare at me like that," he said while inserting bullets one by one into the cylinder. "Should we just end this? It seems there will be more trouble if we stay here."
'If I had supernatural abilities like you, I would definitely continue this investigation, I'm sure of it.' Alfred thought, trying to steady himself as he realized he had killed twelve small Chalog, their corpses and purple blood soaking his shoes.
Wayne let out a short sigh to hide his disappointment.
"Good idea. Besides, I should head home now," Wayne muttered as he slung his long-barreled rifle back over his shoulder. He looked away to the side, appearing slightly hurried.
'Mrs. Reva, huh?' Alfred thought in confusion. He couldn't understand how a man as strong and intimidating as Wayne could seem so cautious toward his own wife.
"Let's move."
"Yeah."
"By the way," Alfred spoke in the silence of their walk, "do you think they're safe after sweeping the refugee camp area earlier?"
"They're reliable," Wayne answered shortly. "But honestly, I just want to get home quickly."
Alfred fell silent for a moment, then decided to ask something that had been bothering him.
"There's one thing I want to ask... about those monsters earlier. Why didn't you use your supernatural ability?"
Wayne's steps suddenly stopped. His body stiffened, as if the question had triggered a defensive response. He let out a quiet chuckle, sounding dry.
"Because... you would have been affected too. That simple."
"That's it?" Alfred frowned, his mouth slightly open, not expecting such a blunt answer.
Wayne turned his head, giving a faint, unreadable smile. "I didn't expect a noble as unique as you."
Without further explanation, Wayne continued walking, leaving Alfred's curiosity hanging in the air like the night fog. For him, there were far more urgent matters to deal with than explaining the secrets of his power.
Meanwhile, at Coordinate 15 of the refugee camp, the atmosphere looked different. Under stretched tarps and dim lantern light, a group of youths and others had gathered. They were holding a small party, a forced attempt to celebrate a cultural festival that was supposed to take place in Moran the day after tomorrow. Even though central aid had not yet arrived, they refused to remain drowned in grief.
That group consisted of the same people who had previously held an important meeting in the main tent. However, amid the liveliness, Aurora chose to remain alone. She was still trapped in anxiety over someone she believed had died during the Demon Horse attack.
As Aurora stared at the pale moonlight and the spread of stars, Arvrenda approached. The expression behind her thin-framed glasses was hard to read. She carried a glass filled with red wine, ordered by Fererra for her.
"Still thinking about him?" Arvrenda asked as she offered the glass.
Aurora accepted it stiffly. "Maybe. I don't know, I'm not even sure myself."
'Hmm, this is bad,' Arvrenda thought with amusement. 'Is this what they call love that blinds?'
"He cares a lot about his friends, you know? I heard it from Zeta. So don't misunderstand too quickly," Arvrenda added casually.
Aurora clicked her tongue, a sign she was annoyed but couldn't deny it. She sipped the red wine slowly, letting its warmth flow through her as she returned her gaze to the night sky that remained indifferent to human affairs below.