CHAPTER 45: ENDANGERED STATE

Within a few minutes they reached a mansion situated in the middle of the city.

It was the city lord mansion.

And upon reaching it, they noticed more than ten guards stationed outside.

The guards were currently in an entanglement with a few men who were trying to force their way inside.

As Arthur and the two approached, they heard the loud voices of the men who were fighting.

"How can the state governor be taking so much from the people whom he is supposed to be taking care of?"

"I’m going to kill the governor with my bare hands."

As the men shouted, they continuously struggled with the guards.

From what Arthur and the others could see, the guards, although holding spears, were reluctant to kill the men.

The men were the true workers of the state, and if it wasn’t for them, it would be difficult for everyone to gather enough to eat.

The moment they reached, Aella’s lips parted to speak.

"What is going on here?"

At Aella’s words, the guards briefly turned in her direction and so did the men who were struggling.

Seeing it was just three kids, they didn’t pay them any further attention as they had important matters at hand.

Seeing this, Aella’s eyes glinted in anger.

She narrowed her eyes and then a wave of ice spread throughout the surroundings, engulfing them whole.

Everyone turned into ice sculptures and a chill spread to Arthur and Jason, who became solemn.

Arthur glanced at Aella through the corner of his eye, not expecting her to belong to a unique class.

Elementalist.

He had heard of this class before.

They were people who specialized in using elements like they were an extension of their bodies.

Unlike mages who needed to learn spells, elementalists were truly gifted in the art.

Besides, since she was in the sss-rank class, Arthur could guess that it wasn’t just ice she possessed.

And her main element might be something even more terrifying.

’Between her attack and Nephis’, whose is faster?’

Arthur contemplated silently in his heart.

Should any conflict arise, he needed to know if Nephis could eliminate her before she could react.

With this thought at the back of his mind, he followed Jason and Aella as they strode into the state governor mansion.

A chill spread from Aella and before long the door burst into countless ice fragments.

The scene inside was revealed to them.

A group of twelve were gathered at a round table not too far away.

Placed before them were all sorts of sumptuous meals, ranging from tender juicy steaks to chickens and so much more.

It was a sharp contrast to the sight around the state, where people were begging for food.

’Bad governance?’ Arthur raised a brow, curiously glancing at the group of twelve.

Due to the loud noise of the door exploding, the twelve were also alerted to their presence.

Aella glanced at them briefly and her eyes grew colder by the second.

Subconsciously, a chill spread into the surroundings.

Aella walked briskly toward the table.

Upon reaching it, she glared at a rotund man.

The man patted his belly, then placed the meat in his hand on the plate and glanced at them.

"What brings you here? And why the lack of politeness or gentlemanerism?"

His words only caused Aella to grow colder.

"You are the state governor?"

The man glanced at his comrades, then nodded, causing his fat face to jiggle.

"Did you notice the situation your state is in?"

The man narrowed his eyes then replied, "It’s only due to their incompetence that they are in such a situation."

"Indeed," one of the other old men wanted to join in, however a chill swept through the room.

Instantly, he became a frozen sculpture.

Aella finally reached the dining arena.

She placed her hand on the man and tilted his body out of his seat.

Bam.

The man collided with the ground and broke into countless bloodied fragments.

Since he was frozen, the ice only turned red without blood spilling into the surroundings.

The sight caused the remaining men to feel a chill crawl up their spines.

"Gu-guards. Guards!" the governor shouted as he hurriedly stood up from his seat, stepping backward repeatedly.

Aella smiled for the first time, but it was one that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"I’ve killed them all."

Staring intently at the man, she continued, "I came here to ask for your permission to eliminate the dungeons that have been causing you trouble. Am I permitted?"

At her words, the fat man looked stunned, but he quickly nodded.

"Yes of course, you are allowed."

Praying silently in his heart, he continued backing away even as he departed.

"Thank you," Aella said.

Just when Arthur thought Aella was going to spare them, a chill swept through the room, freezing everything in sight including the food.

Then a gust of wind blew, causing everything to burst apart into ice fragments.

Turning to Arthur and Jason, Aella said, "The academy will clean up the mess and replace him with someone suitable. I just need to report the situation. We’ll split up to clear the three dungeons. Remember to retrieve the dungeon cores. Only by doing so will the dungeon not continue operating."

"Okay," Arthur casually nodded with a relaxed expression.

"Fine," Jason reluctantly sighed, then glanced at the frozen sculptures briefly.

His body shapeshifted instantly.

Sharp nails grew from his hands and his canines grew longer.

After the minor transformation, bat-like wings sprouted from his back.

Before long, he flapped them and departed into the distance, heading in the direction of the dungeons.

’Does he even know the precise location of the dungeon?’ Arthur wondered with a quiet chuckle.

Glancing toward Aella, Arthur asked for the location of the dungeon.

After Aella finished explaining, she told Arthur she needed to sort a few things out before clearing hers, which was located in a different place.

Arthur nodded and they bid each other farewell.

Left alone, Arthur summoned Titan from the calamity space.

The swirling black void formed, then the golden knight stepped out into view.

Titan glanced around and, sensing no danger, turned his gaze back to Arthur.

"Big guy, come with me. We’re going to clear a d-rank dungeon."

Titan’s golden eyes gleamed at his words.

A d-rank was a grade higher than the e-rank dungeon Arthur had cleared all by himself, but it was still dangerous for him.

Noting that this was a chance to increase his strength further, Titan nodded.

He then quietly glanced at Arthur’s shadow as a form of acknowledgement to his sister.

With that, they continued on their way to the dungeon.

The dungeon was located just a few meters away from the mansion at the center of the state.

It was in the outskirts of the city, within a small clearing.

That was the farm where the state’s men who were quarrelling before usually farmed all their goods.

Due to interference from the dungeon creatures, aside from losing most of their men to them, they also lost their means of produce.

After walking for more than ten minutes at a fast pace, Arthur finally arrived outside the clearing.

In his line of sight were more than twenty orcs.

Monsters with towering frames that could rival Titan’s.

Their muscles rippled beneath their skin, accentuating their forms as monstrous entities.

Radiating pressures that were at least level 20, the creatures scanned the surroundings with brutal efficiency.

There were a few who dug into the soil, pulling out all the crops without any regard.

’This is going to be a dreadful fight,’ Arthur thought quietly in his heart, then ordered both summons to make a move.