Chapter 17: The Rot Of Vaeloria
"My beautiful sword, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have thrown you away. I am so sorry, please forgive me."
Juliana kept murmuring to herself, hugging her legs on the couch, shaking continuously. The ruthless gangster who had effortlessly caved in a man’s skull just thirty minutes ago was completely gone, replaced by a grieving child mourning a lost toy.
Sara raised her head from her book, staring at Juliana with a small frown. She exhaled, finding the other woman’s dramatic display both exhausting and bizarre, and turned to Kelly, who was now sleeping on the dining table, full.
She gave a small jealous smile, and continued reading. Despite the absolute madness that had just occurred on their front lawn, Kelly was entirely at peace, protected by the blissful ignorance of her fractured mind and a full stomach. Sara wished, just for a moment, she could find that same careless rest.
’I feel like something bad is going to happen.’ She raised her head, staring at the closed door. The silence of the house felt heavier now that Asher was gone. For the first time since she had been abandoned by her family, she felt tethered to someone else’s fate.
’It’s already half an hour now, I hope he is safe.’
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[Outskirts.]
Asher stared out the window of the Jeep, watching the rundown buildings, as the cars drove past. The transition from the slightly better-off residential zones to the true slums was jarring. The air here felt thick with desperation and untreated decay.
There are a total of five countries, still inhabited by Humans, and in these five countries, there are a different number of cities each. For example, the Country Asher was in is Vaeloria, and it has only five cities, namely; Silverspire, Sunreach, Highcairn, Aethelspire, and Crownfall.
Silverspire is Asher’s current location. Located northwest of Vaeloria. Silverspire was actually a more peaceful city, being far from zones where dungeons usually appear; due to this and its size, it was made Vaeloria’s capital city, housing the three major Guilds in the country.
But all this still couldn’t hide the suffering ordinary people were going through. The gleaming towers of the Awakeners cast long, dark shadows over the rest of the populace. Due to their lack of strength, they were all forced back to the outskirts by those who called themselves nobles. The people could only try their best to survive, and work hard to pay taxes to the very system that oppressed them.
Asher sighed softly. He thought his life was bad, cast aside by the Starfire family and branded a waste, but seeing the people living in such a place, wearing nothing but rags, and begging for food... He actually felt sad for himself. He had been so consumed by his own fall from grace that he hadn’t fully grasped the brutal reality of the world at the bottom.
After about five minutes, the cars finally stopped in front of a worn-out gate. The Vice Guild Leader quickly stood up, and rushed towards the gates, and opened it wide. He moved with the frantic obedience of a man who knew a C-Rank monster was sitting in his vehicle.
Asher sat calmly on the passenger seat, his expression calm, but his mind alert; his gaze silently taking in every building, and corners. He was analyzing escape routes, choke points, and structural weaknesses, fully utilizing the enhanced cognitive processing of his new Sword Physique.
"We are here, Sir." Fat pig shakily reported, as the door opened, and Asher got down.
"Alright, take me inside, I am in a hurry."
"Yes. Yes. This way." She quickly led him inside, leaving the 30 members behind.
Two blocks from their current location, a group of children, no older than 12 were kicking a black ball down the street:
"Hey, it’s the Iron Guild." One yelled, pointing his finger at the Guild.
"They are back again! We love you iron Guild!!" Another screamed.
"Yes!! I want to be like you!!" The third added, rushing towards the gate with her friends.
Hearing the children’s screams, Asher stopped, and looked over his shoulder at the kids outside the gate. The genuine adoration in their voices sharply contrasted with the murderous thugs he had just subjugated. With a flat expression, he turned around, and walked towards them.
"Hello, you said you loved them, why?" He asked, squatting down before the five to meet them at eye level.
The kids looked at one another, then at Asher: "Are you also a member of Iron Guild??"
Asher nodded at them: "Yes, I just joined today, so I don’t know if they’re good or bad." He said, keeping his tone light and non-threatening.
The guild members simply lowered their gaze, none daring to utter a word. The shame of their true nature was suddenly glaring under the innocent scrutiny of the slum children.
"Hmm... Can you tell me about the Guild?"
"Of course!!" A boy pushed out his chest, stepping forward:
"The guild, and Miss Stefanie always takes care of us, giving us food, clothes, and protecting everyone from thugs!"
"Yes! She is our goddess!!" A girl said with bright eyes.
"Oh, is she Stefanie?" Asher asked, gesturing his finger at Fat Pig, whose face immediately drained of whatever color it had left.
The five kids tilted their heads to the woman, and shook their heads in unison.
"Nope." They answered.
Fat Pig swallowed. At that moment she so wanted the kids to say she was the one, maybe Asher might spare her, but their words crushed that hope into dust.
"Okay, who is this Stefanie?" He asked again, sensing a deep, dark secret buried beneath the guild’s surface.
"We haven’t seen her for a week now." One said with a sad expression.
"Yes, we saw the guild members, but not her."
Asher stood upright: "Alright, thank you for your time..."
With those words, he turned and walked towards the entrance, the Vice Guild Leader and Fat pig following behind him. The atmosphere had shifted from tense to suffocatingly grim.
"Stefanie? Who is that?" He asked, as Fat Pig opened the door to the building.
"Um... She is the former guild leader." The Vice Guild Leader answered, swallowing hard, clearly terrified of what Asher would do with the information.
"Oh? What happened to her then?" He asked again, walking inside the huge sitting room. The interior was lavishly decorated, funded entirely by blood and extortion.
"She..."
"Don’t you dare lie to me... Remember your lives are now in my hands." He sat down on a sofa, radiating a subtle, terrifying hint of his golden aura, and pointed at Fat Pig: "Get the documents and safe... Remember, no funny business."
She nodded, and quickly walked away, eager to escape the suffocating pressure of his gaze, while the Vice Guild Leader continued:
"The Guild Leader killed her, and took over."
Asher was stunned in place. The man Juliana had casually killed with a sword hilt wasn’t just a thug; he was a usurper who had murdered a woman trying to protect the slums. In a twisted twist of fate, the Iron Guild had just received a very bloody, poetic justice.