CHAPTER 170: CHAPTER 170 - WE GUESSED THEIR PLAN....BUT DID WE?

Luca’s hands moved swiftly, pulling out a small vial of healing salve. His fingers were firm yet careful as he dabbed the medicine onto Aurelia’s wound, the faint sting easing almost instantly under his touch. He let out a quiet breath of relief as the angry red scratch softened, then rose to his feet with sharp determination flashing in his crimson eyes.

"Let’s go," he said firmly, voice leaving no room for hesitation. "I might have an idea where those bastards can be found."

Aurelia blinked, startled by the sudden intensity in him, before pushing herself up to stand. She hurried after him, brushing the dirt from her trouser as the two began running through the forest’s thick undergrowth.

"How do you know that?" she asked, her voice carrying just behind him.

Luca didn’t look back. His steps were light but unyielding, eyes scanning ahead as if every shadow hid an enemy. "How do you think all these beasts are corrupted?"

Aurelia frowned, her brows knitting as she matched his pace. "It must be... mass corruption. For this many, it would have to spread through the atmosphere."

Luca shook his head sharply. "But we can’t sense it in the air—or in the nearby trees. And we haven’t found a single clue pointing to wide-area corruption." His jaw tightened. "So what could all these beasts have in common, here in a gorge?"

Her eyes widened suddenly, realization dawning. "The water," she breathed. "They all may have drunk the water."

Luca gave a single, heavy nod.

But Aurelia’s expression turned thoughtful again, her tone doubtful. "But... what could they possibly gain by corrupting these beasts?"

His lips pressed into a thin line. He didn’t answer immediately, the forest rushing past them in blurred shades of green and shadow as their boots pounded the earth. Finally, he shook his head. "It’s not their main motive at all."

Aurelia tilted her head slightly while running, strands of her crimson hair bouncing in the morning light. "Hmm?"

Luca’s voice dropped lower, weighted with a grim edge. "Remember—the location of this gorge?"

"The east," Aurelia answered quickly. "East to Valdros Kingdom."

"That’s right," Luca said, his eyes narrowing as the thought clawed at him. "The river that carved this gorge... it’s the primary water source for the Valdros Kingdom. Even a portion of the Empire depends on it."

His stomach twisted at the thought, a cold fury surging in his chest. Those bastards. If their plan succeeds, millions of innocents will be corrupted. And if the entire Valdros Kingdom falls to corruption...

His teeth ground together, breath growing heavier. No—he couldn’t allow it.

Luca pushed harder, his pace quickening as he urged Aurelia, "Let’s increase our speed."

Without another word, the two of them dashed deeper into the forest, leaves whipping past them as they raced toward the sound of rushing water.

They sprinted through the undergrowth, the wind cutting against their faces, when Luca’s thoughts turned heavy.

Fuck... this didn’t happen in the game. His chest tightened, his jaw clenched. I stopped relying on the game script long ago, but... this much of a change? What the hell is going on?

Before he could spiral deeper, Aurelia suddenly grabbed his wrist and yanked him hard, dragging him behind the thick trunk of an old oak tree.

Luca blinked in surprise, his voice low but tense. "What happened?"

Her answer was silent. She pressed her palm firmly against his mouth, her amethyst eyes sharp and urgent. The faint glow of anger and caution shimmered in them as she tilted her head, gesturing subtly toward the clearing up ahead.

Luca exhaled through his nose and gave a small nod. Only then did Aurelia slowly peel her hand away, her body still taut like a drawn bowstring.

They both leaned forward, peering from behind the rough bark.

In the moonlit clearing ahead, three—no, four—cloaked cultists lounged carelessly around a campfire. Their laughter echoed through the forest, grating and distorted.

"Ji-je-jie-jie-jie!" one shrieked, his voice cutting through the still night. "Idiots! The humans don’t even know what we’re doing here!"

Another cultist threw his head back, his grin a jagged slash of teeth beneath his hood. "Hhh-heh-haha! That’s right! It’s all part of the grand scheme of the Devil General!"

Both Luca’s and Aurelia’s eyes widened at the words. Devil... General?

The conversation pressed on, thick with mockery.

"Ji-jie-jie! And listen to this," one of them leaned forward, his voice dropping conspiratorially as the fire cast his face in half-shadow. "I heard it straight from a higher-up, so keep your filthy mouths shut. Don’t spread this around."

The other cultists leaned closer, greed in their eyes.

He chuckled, the sound wet and grating. "A high noble from the Valdros Kingdom is cooperating with us. Ji-jie-jie!"

The rest erupted into shrill, gleeful laughter, the sound echoing like nails against stone.

From behind the tree, Luca’s body trembled ever so slightly. His fists clenched at his sides, fingernails biting into his palms. A... traitor? Someone from Valdros itself?

Beside him, Aurelia’s violet eyes burned with fury. She leaned close, her lips barely moving as she whispered, "Let’s go and kill them." Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her saber, her whole frame trembling with restrained wrath.

But Luca’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist firmly. He shook his head, his expression sharp, voice low and grave. "No... not yet. Let’s follow them for a bit. They might lead us straight to their camp... and we could learn a lot more."

For a moment, Aurelia’s glare met his—violence simmering in her gaze. But after a tense beat, she exhaled sharply through her nose and gave a curt nod, though her knuckles remained white around her weapon.

Quiet as shadows, the two slipped from their cover, their steps measured and cautious, eyes never leaving the laughing cultists as they began to move.

The damp earth muffled their steps as Luca and Aurelia slipped from shadow to shadow, following the cultists at a careful distance. The forest canopy stretched above, moonlight filtering through the gaps and painting the ground in fractured silver. Every creak of a branch or crunch of leaves made Luca’s pulse hammer against his ribs.

The cultists walked with unguarded arrogance, their mocking laughter echoing far too loudly for men hiding foul deeds.

"Jiiehehhaha, once the water spreads... it won’t just be the beasts. Whole towns will rot from the inside," one of them sneered, kicking a rock into the stream that ran parallel to the path.

Aurelia’s jaw tightened. Her violet eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light, locked onto the men ahead with a predator’s focus. Her fingers twitched near her spear, the urge to silence them here and now trembling in her muscles.

Luca noticed it and gave a slight shake of his head, lips pressing thin. He leaned close, whispering so softly she barely heard him.

"Patience. If they’re this loud, they’re heading somewhere important. Killing them now only cuts us off from the bigger picture."

She exhaled through her nose, tension curling her shoulders, but she nodded reluctantly.

The path narrowed, forcing Luca and Aurelia to step into the underbrush. Branches snagged against Aurelia’s long hair,now free from her braid, catching like tiny claws, but she moved with a grace that belied her frustration, eyes never leaving the cultists. Luca crouched low, pressing a hand to the earth to steady himself, ears sharp for the slightest break in rhythm.

Up ahead, the cultists slowed, their voices dropping.

"...the Devil General won’t tolerate failure," one muttered, quieter now. "But with the Valdros noble’s backing, who could stop us?"

Luca’s chest tightened. His mind spun, gears turning. A noble working with them? Which family? What rank? This wasn’t in the game. Not even close.

As his thoughts churned, one of the cultists suddenly paused, tilting his head. Luca froze, every muscle locking into place. The man sniffed the air like a hound.

Aurelia’s hand brushed against Luca’s wrist beneath the leaves, signaling him to stay perfectly still. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe.

The cultist’s gaze swept the treeline, lingering for a moment too long where they hid. Luca’s heart climbed into his throat. Then, just as quickly, the man smirked and turned back to his companions.

"Paranoia. The forest’s empty. Let’s move."

Luca’s lungs released the breath he’d been holding. Beside him, Aurelia’s grip eased, though her eyes burned with even fiercer intensity.

As they crept after them once more, Luca’s thoughts returned to the water, the corruption, the Valdros traitor, and the mention of the Devil General. Each clue layered atop the other until the weight of it pressed hard against him.

This wasn’t a minor deviation from the script anymore—it was a storm rewriting the entire world.

The trees thinned into a clearing, shadows deepened by torchlight flickering against crude wooden stakes and dark banners. Luca and Aurelia pressed themselves low behind the last line of brush, their breaths shallow as they watched the cultists march forward.

"Jiijijijijijii!" the four of them cackled, their twisted voices echoing in the still night. Together, they dropped to one knee before a figure cloaked entirely in black. Not even a sliver of flesh showed—only a void-like presence radiating from beneath the hood.

One of the cultists, trembling with manic fervor, spoke up.

"We have brought the sacrifice here, sir, Jiijieijieie!"

Luca’s eyes snapped wide, his chest tightening. Sacrifice? What the hell are they talking about?

Before he could piece it together, an ear-splitting screech, half-voice and half-nightmare, tore through the clearing.

"Come out... no need to hide."