“Guests?” Cecilia mumbled, tilting her head in confusion, before giving up thinking about it. She did not understand what Alnea was trying to hint at, but that did not stop her from following him. As long as she could get to fight, and that too, by his side, it would be enough. Nodding to show her acknowledgement, she gathered a hint of her Aspects at the corner of her eyes, just enough to enhance her reflexes, before following behind on his heels.

  Alnea, on the other hand, did not bother summoning his Aspects just yet. There would be time enough for it later. At the moment, there was something else he had to confirm. So, after getting Cecilia’s acknowledgement, he turned around, and rushed into the fog, towards the direction the strange fluctuations were coming from. And the closer he got to their source, the surer he became of his guess. The fluctuations coming from the distance…

  When he first sensed the fluctuations, he thought that someone was activating their Glyphs or Arcanas in the distance. That was until the fluctuations travelled all the way from the edge of his senses all the way to his body. Although casting Glyphs and Arcanas also released fluctuations, those fluctuations would never be so obvious. Especially if they were of just the False Rank.

  No matter how esoteric or devastating False Mysteries were, their fluctuations could only reach about a couple hundred metres. Maybe a little more if facilitated by the environment. But that was the limit. As they travelled through matter, be it air or otherwise, fluctuations released by the descent of Mysteries were supposed to sputter off, until they died out completely.

  Yet, the fluctuations coming from the depths of the fog did not seem be experiencing any attenuation with distance. And they seemed to be coming from beyond the range of his senses. Such fluctuations… they could not come as an inevitability stemming from the descent of Mysteries. No, they came because someone was deliberately releasing them, spreading them out into the fog. Like a beacon. Or a signal, perhaps.

  “Are those…” Cecilia said, trailing off towards the end, slowing down along with Alnea, as they finally saw the source of the fluctuations.

  “Oren Beasts,” Alnea said, trying his best to supress the nausea bubbling within his chest. No wonder they had not seen any Oren Beasts for a while. And he did not think they would be seeing any beasts for a while longer. At least not until they left the Final World. “At least hundreds, if not thousands. All dead and skinned, left to rot in the open.”

  “…Those lunatics!”

  “Lunatics indeed,” Alnea said, trying to make some sense of what he was seeing, as he took hesitant steps towards the clearing some couple of hundred metres away. A large clearing, made by cutting down at least thirty to forty trees. Maybe even more. Though, compared to the sight within the clearing, the crime of cutting down the trees was almost forgivable. Almost.

  What were those lunatics trying to do? Did they not know the dangers they were provoking? And what in Inkah’s name did they kill so many Oren Beasts for? Just from a cursory glance, he reckoned that there were at least hundreds of bodies in the clearing, all piled on top of each other. And that was what he could see from a distance, with most of the smaller Oren Beasts lost in between the larger ones. As for scanning the bodies with his Spirit…

  “Don’t use your Spirit to search the area.”

  “How stupid do you think I am?” Cecilia grumbled, before frowning at the bodies. “What exactly are those bastards trying to do?”

  “…I don’t know, and it would be best if we never get to know about it.”

  “…That’s not up to us, is it?”

  “…Indeed. Just in case, let’s search for some clues before those lunatics get here.”

  “…I am not going in there.”

  “…Fine. Stay here and be prepared to support me if anything happens.”

  “…Now that I think about it, it would be better if I search for the clues.”

  Alnea paused, and glanced back at Yuri, meeting her solemn gaze with an awkward look on his face.

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  “Relax. I am not going to do anything stupid.”

  “…I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “You are too obvious.”

  “…That’s because you always keep worrying us.”

  “That was before, when… In any case, I am not going to do anything reckless.”

  “…Are you sure?”

  “…At least not anything that would kill me.”

  “I knew it. As I thought, it would better if I go check for clues inside—

  “No, you are not suitable for exploring such a dangerous place.”

  “…If you are forgetting, then I would like to remind you that I am the official scout of our team.”

  “I am not doubting your exploration capabilities, Lia. But this is not a place where you can mess around. This… mound… let’s call it a mound. The Lotus clan did not kill all these Oren Beasts and gathered them here in this mound just to disgust us. They would have been better off just driving all those Oren Beasts to harass us, or maybe even besiege us. We know they have the means to do it. And we surely would have had no means to counter their move if they did so. By then, our only option would have been to give up on the Final Trial and leave the Final World.

  “But no, they did not drive these beasts against us. Instead, they chose the most illogical option, killing and skinning all these Oren Beasts, before dumping them all here… Thousands of Oren Beasts, all stacked in one place… Not to mention the strange fluctuations emanating from inside. You should still feel it, right? Even without unfurling our Spirits, the fluctuations are so obvious… I cannot even imagine what would happen if someone dared to enter this place with their Spirits unfurled.”

  “So? You only said why we must explore this place, not why I should not be the one doing the exploration.”

  “…Can you explore without using your Spirit?”

  “I just have to sift through those bodies, right?”

  “And try to find the pattern.”

  “If you can do it, why can’t I?”

  “Can you also deal with any unexpected situations that may arise?”

  “…Stop going around in circles and just tell me what you want to say.”

  “…I was trying to be a little tactful—

  “Just get to the point.”

  “…Although you are an excellent scout, and even better Warrior, you do not have enough means to deal with unexpected situations.”

  “…In other words, I only know how to fight?”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “But that’s what I hear.”

  “…I am just saying that you are more focussed on the path of Warriors, with relatively few Arcanas and Glyphs at your disposal. Especially ones that can help you adapt to unexpected situations.”

  “…My Glyphs are plenty powerful. You just have yet to see their might. Otherwise, you would not dare to accuse a Justice Scholar of not having enough means to deal with unexpected situations.”

  “…Alright, fine. I admit it. You are more than capable enough of handling yourself in any situation. I just don’t want to see you dirtying your hands. Just look at them. Look at these bodies. The rotten flesh, filled with the stench of death and decay, barely clinging to the bones… Are you sure you want to touch them? To put your hands through broken organs, and sift through the endless mountain of gooey flesh that might melt at the slightest of your touch?”

  “…We do not have to go that far, do we?”

  “We don’t have to do anything, but if we are searching, we might as well do it thoroughly. Or else, what will we do if the clues we are looking for are hidden within their bodies? Will all our efforts not be in vain? Not to mention the dangers we will face because we missed the clues to the Lotus clan’s actions. And—

  “Fine, I get it.”

  “…So, do you still want to—

  “Stop disturbing me and go look for your clues,” Cecilia said, waving her hands at him, as if trying to shoo him away, but only made him laugh instead. Just not for long.

  “I knew that you would—

  Alnea gulped down his laughter the moment he noticed Cecilia’s pout, and quickly shifted the topic.

  “As I was saying, keep an eye out for any unexpected situations, both inside and outside the mound. And don’t unfurl your Spirit until I tell you that it’s alright to do so. But if you face any dangers, or sneak attacks, then it is fine. Just don’t use your Spirit to look on my—

  “Shut up and get moving before I change my mind.”

  …There were still many things Alnea had to say, things to warn Cecilia about. But he was not willing to test her patience. Their situation was troublesome as it was, he had no intention of adding more unnecessary troubles to himself. So, instead of preaching to Cecilia about how to handle unexpected situations, he turned around and began walking towards the mound of dead bodies. Though, just before entering the clearing, he did not forget to turn back towards her, and say, “Be careful, Lia.”

  “…I should be the one saying that you, idiot,” Cecilia said, but by then, Alnea had already entered the clearing.