Chapter 23: The Situation
Despite her curiosity, Grace didn’t dare question Rolof directly.
And Bai, with her innocent demeanor, likely wouldn’t have any answers.
So, Grace kept her questions to herself. The other two Crown Guards, under Rolof’s stern gaze, also refrained from interacting with Bai.
This suited Bai just fine.
They walked in silence towards the warehouse in the southern outskirts, the crowds thinning as they reached the capital’s less-traveled areas.
As they neared their destination, a gust of wind, thick with the stench of blood, swept past them.
“Such a strong scent of blood… did they kill someone in the outskirts?” Rolof’s expression hardened. If a crime had been committed within the capital’s jurisdiction, the Crown Guard was obligated to intervene.
“But even if they killed someone, the scent shouldn’t be this strong…” one of the knights said, covering his nose.
Grace and the other knight also covered their noses, their faces pale.
“It’s just ahead. Let’s have a look,” Rolof said, glancing at the map, quickening his pace. Bai and the others followed.
They reached the abandoned warehouse, its door slightly ajar, a dark red stain spreading across the entrance. The putrid stench of blood emanated from within.
Rolof drew his sword, approaching cautiously.
Grace instinctively pulled Bai behind her, her staff gripped tightly, her psychic circuits flaring. The other two knights flanked them, ready for battle.
Creak…
A gentle breeze pushed the warehouse door open, revealing the horrific scene within, a wave of stench washing over them.
A chill ran down their spines.
Grace doubled over, retching, the other two knights also gagging. Only Bai and Rolof remained impassive, their expressions grim.
Before them was a scene of carnage.
The warehouse seemed to have been ravaged by explosions, the wooden partitions shattered, debris scattered everywhere.
And blood.
Blood everywhere, mixed with mangled flesh and organs, coating the walls and floor.
Several mutilated bodies, barely recognizable as human, lay near the entrance.
Only a small corner near the door remained clean.
Rolof’s expression was grim. Even he, a veteran of the front lines, had never seen such a horrific sight within the capital.
But Bai saw more. She quickly recognized that while two of the bodies had been brutally murdered, the others had died from self-detonated psychic cores, explaining the widespread destruction.
“Lune, Dino, examine the bodies,” Rolof ordered, his voice low, looking at the two knights who were still covering their noses.
He noticed Bai’s lack of reaction, her eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t comment.
“Yes, sir,” Lune and Dino replied, taking deep breaths and steeling themselves as they approached the mangled corpses.
Grace, having recovered slightly, her face pale, looked at Bai with concern.
The scene had been overwhelming, even for her, a newly appointed knight who had never seen the true horrors of war. How could this nine-and-a-half-year-old girl remain so calm?
“Little sister, are you alright?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Bai replied, her gaze softening slightly as she looked at Grace.
Although a rookie, Grace’s quick recovery was impressive.
“Aren’t you… afraid?” Grace asked, surprised.
“Worry about yourself. She doesn’t need your concern,” Rolof said from nearby, his weapon gripped tightly, his attention focused on Lune and Dino.
He was ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.
“I’ve seen similar things before, so I’m not afraid,” Bai replied softly, her calm tone hinting at a dark past.
Rolof’s grip tightened on his sword, while Grace’s eyes lit up with admiration.
“Wow, you’re so young, yet so brave!” She seemed oblivious to the implications of Bai’s words.
To have witnessed such scenes, even worse than this, meant she had been on the front lines, facing the demons.
“It’s nothing,” Bai said, turning away from the gruesome scene, and smiled at Grace.
“It’s still impressive,” Grace insisted.
Neither of them noticed the veins bulging on Rolof’s hand as he gripped his sword.
“Leticia, who is this girl…? Does she know… about me?”
“No, she can’t know. She can’t possibly know!”
“I’ll find an opportunity to… deal with her. Then everything will go back to normal…”
“Just a little longer… I just have to wait…”
Lune and Dino finished their examination, collecting tissue samples from the bodies. As they returned, they noticed a strange, almost sinister, look on Rolof’s face.
“Commander?” Lune called out hesitantly.
Rolof turned to him, his expression shifting back to its usual stern composure, the earlier darkness vanishing like an illusion.
Perhaps it had been the horrific scene that had caused that momentary… lapse.
“Is the examination complete?” he asked.
Lune wiped the sweat from his brow, handing Rolof several small, sealed boxes, identical to the one he had shown Leticia, designed to preserve biological samples.
“Yes, sir.”
Rolof took the boxes, then turned to Dino. “Report.”
Dino, his face still pale, took a deep breath to compose himself.
“Excluding the missing member and the deceased Frick, Sugg’s group had nine members. But there are only seven bodies here.”
“I believe… Sugg is still alive.”
