157 The Order of the Silver Seraphs [3]

There were slight resemblances between Ellnor and the Supply Station. Enclosed by large walls, the city lay hidden behind it.

.....If it could even be considered a city.

Unlike Ellnor, there was no real freedom to go out. There was also no greenery, and the general atmosphere felt gloomy.

"It's hot."

It also felt rather stuffy.

The air was dry, making it hard to breathe properly. It was also hot, and while it wasn't scorching hot, it was the type of 'hot' that would make one feel extremely uncomfortable.

It felt rather suffocating.

Especially since each breath was accompanied by a slight pain at the back of the throat.

I suddenly started to feel nauseous.

That feeling...

It reminded me of something that I despised.

"....."

I was just barely able to suppress myself by taking a deep breath.

"Huuu."

At the entrance of the supply station, there was no gate to be seen. Instead, the walls seemed to be constructed from a dense black material.

Taking a closer look, I was able to discern deep claw marks and scratches etched across the surface. They covered the entire surface with some scratches being deeper than others.

"Holy..."

"Are those from the monsters?"

The cadets were naturally curious.

I was also curious.

Stopping by the entrance of the supply station which was just a door, the burly man turned around and tapped onto the hard material of the walls.

Tak!

"The walls over here are made out of Kalmium. If you know what it is, then you must also know just how tough and dense it is."

Kalmium.

I had an idea of what it was.

It was a type of 'concrete' used in this world that was extremely durable and was even tougher than diamond due to the fact that it could absorb mana and use it to reinforce itself.

From what I had learned, it wasn't an easy material to create.

It was also very expensive.

'...So you're telling me they're using such precious materials for the walls of a supply station?'

And yet, it also looked like it could just barely keep up with the monsters lurking around.

It made me wonder just what type of materials were used for the bigger supply stations.

Clank

Unlocking the door that led to the supply station, two guards greeted us. They wore light armor and did a small check on every cadet that passed before we were led to a dark and narrow corridor which took us several minutes to cross.

The fact that the corridor took several minutes showed just how thick the walls were.

It also made me realize just how much money had been poured out just to build one supply station.

The burly man eventually came to a stop in front of another door.

"We're here."

He turned to face us.

With his eyes scanning every cadet present, he made sure to give us one final rundown of the situation.

"There are three zones within the supply station. The Sorrowvale Sector. That's the area that you need to go to and where the Guild stations are located."

"The Decaycore Sector. That's where the leisure area is located. You'll find restaurants, and shops there."

"And lastly, the Ruinreach Zone. That's where the armory and supplies are located."

Pressing his hand against the door, he looked at us once again before finally opening the door, granting light to enter our eyes again.

"Come in."

My eyes squinted slightly.

The sudden surge of light felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Ugh."

To the point where I started to feel lightheaded. The sides of my cheeks started to tingle, and so did my ankles.

The sensation didn't last for long.

It was very brief.

"Huu."

'This environment...'

Passing through the door, the sight that greeted me was one that I wasn't quite sure how to describe.

'It's definitely different compared to the supply station located near the Academy.'

...Unlike the supply station at Haven, the supply station here looked like a proper town. However, what I was most surprised about was the infrastructure.

It looked,

"Gothic."

Like a Victorian Era Britain.

Worn cobblestone streets lined up the paths, with gas lamps casting flickering shadows on cobblestone paths. Wooden benches lined up alongside the path, while the infrastructure stood tall with their spirals pointing towards the gray sky.

The streets were far from empty with people wearing warn-

out armors walking around and stopping to take a look at us.

'.....It looks similar to the Victorian Era, but not quite.'

There were subtle differences, but they were a lot less subtle compared to the similarities.

"This is where our paths will diverge."

Micheal, the burly man, spoke. Staring at us before shifting his attention towards his pocketwatch, he went on to say,

"You should already know what to do from this point forward. The Sorrowvale Sector is located at the heart of the supply station. Follow the path, and you'll be able to find where you need to go. You won't be able to miss the Guild posts even if you want to."

That was the last thing he said before finally parting ways with us.

The moment he left, the area around me became rowdy as the cadets started to talk with one another.

I stood on the spot for a few seconds before turning my head and meeting Kiera's gaze. I could more or less tell what she wanted and I nodded my head.

"You find me after you're done."

"Why do I have to find you?"

"Weren't you the one who wanted to roam? I can also rest."

"....Tsk, fine."

She clicked back before leaving.

The same was true for the other cadets who all eventually left.

By the end, I was the only one left. No, not quite.

There was still someone else.

"What are you waiting for?"

"You."

There was still Leon.

He was looking at me with a complicated look.

".....You know why I lost, right?"

"I do."

It was Delilah who had made it clear to me.

"....."

Leon didn't speak at first. But then, he pulled out the necklace from beneath his shirt.

"This is supposed to help with Emotive Mages."

".....That's what we've been told."

"Yeah, so..."

Leon clenched the gem in his hand as his hand started to tremble.

"It's not working."

He looked at me with a bitter look.

"I'm still struggling to think straight. Every second I see shadows in the corner of my eyes, and I haven't had a proper sleep since my fight with Evelyn. I thought things would get better, but they haven't. What have you done to me?"

"....."

I didn't really know how to respond to that.

It wasn't like I could tell him that what he was experiencing was merely a fraction of the fear I had experienced in the illusion where he had killed me over and over again.

.....Just like him, I was also still affected by it.

However, I was able to handle it a lot better than him because of my mental resistance which didn't just come from me, but the many entities within me.

All their experiences.

Traumas...

I had relieved many of them.

For that reason, my mental strength was a lot stronger than it was before.

"It'll eventually get better."

Those were the only words that I could tell him.

I didn't know how to remove the effects, and so he could only live with the fear. At least, for now.

".....Take it as a form of training."

I was sure things were going to get better in the future.

Leon stared at me before shaking his head.

"What Guild selected you?"

Leon asked, trying to shift the topic. He probably was trying to distract his mind from the fear.

"The Order of the Silver Seraphs."

"....."

Leon frowned at the answer.

Surprised by his reaction, I was just about to ask him what was going on when he beat me to it and spoke before me.

"They're not a bad Guild. They've ranked first last year."

"Yes, I'm aware."

"They're a Guild that values skill over anything else. I've also heard that they don't tolerate any mistakes. You might be a cadet, but there's a chance they might kick you out of the squad if you do something that ticks them off. Your best bet is to follow their orders appropriately."

That sounded like a really strict Guild.

But I was curious about something.

"How do you know?"

"Well..."

Leon scratched the back of his head and made a difficult face.

".....I thought I was going to be selected by them so I did a lot of research."

"Ah."

I was starting to feel a little sorry.

But as if he could read his mind, Leon waved his hand in front of me.

"Don't feel sorry for me."

"Why?"

"...I'm not on good terms with one of their senior members."

"Eh?"

This was the first time that I heard of this.

"I had a small conflict with one of their sons."

"No..."

I started to get a bad feeling about this.

Especially when I noticed a subtle smile creeping up on Leon's face.

".....I ended up breaking a couple of their bones. It's been a few months since it happened."

He placed his hand over my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes.

I looked at him too.

But for some reason, I felt that my face was about to crumble. Especially since it looked like he was enjoying this.

"I'm sorry."

He whispered slowly.

".....Since I'm your knight and all. You might get implicated."

He didn't look sorry at all.

"I'm truly sorry for that."

"I see."

I covered my mouth as my eyes wandered to his neck.

All of a sudden, I finally realized it.

The reason for Kiera's gaze.

'Ah, so this is why she was looking at my neck.'

Indeed.

It looked very strangleable.

*

My mood was at rock bottom.

How could I be in a good mood after I heard Leon's words?

"This fucker..."

He had purposely not told me until the end.

It was out of spite.

It had to be.

"Stop!

A loud voice stopped me in my tracks.

Looking up, a young man with golden hair stood a few meters away from me. Behind him was a large towering silver building with intricate design which was unfitting of the gothic vibe surrounding the supply station.

".....Are you one of the cadets that is supposed to join the operation?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any identification?"

"I do."

I handed him a small piece of paper that I had received beforehand.

Taking it, the guard checked it before stepping to the side and granting me entrance. I glanced at him for a few seconds before finally stepping into the building.

Coming into the building, I stopped for a second.

It was,

Neat.

Extremely neat.

In a predominantly white setting, my eyes were met by a red carpet stretching toward a marble desk. Flanking the area were planters, while the pillars in the hall displayed engravings of a large shield with two swords clashing.

Looking around, my gaze eventually fell on a few familiar figures.

In particular, Luxon and Evelyn.

'As expected, she's here.'

It made sense considering that she had beaten Leon.

They were currently talking to a young man wearing a similar silver armor to the guard station outside.

As if noticing my presence, everyone turned to look at me.

"Ah, you must be the final participant."

The man greeted me with a warm smile.

Short black hair, deep green eyes, and a well-toned body... He looked amiable at a glance. And I thought so too.

However, just as I was about to greet him, the world around me froze.

'Uh?'

.....So did my voice and my body.

Before I could understand what was going on, everything turned dark.

And that was when I finally understood.

I was experiencing a vision.