[MGM]: 77 - Learning Truth

"You're saying that you want to help me—are going to help?" Baron asked.

"Mm-hmm," I nodded.

"And all you're asking for is some information in return?" he inquired.

"That's right," Amara replied.

"And you're sure that your friend can do what you claim she's capable of?" he pressed.

"Definitely," we answered in a steady tone.

Baron Tristane Feylance took a long moment to look between us, until he finally settled back. He seemed to be weighing our words, considering the pros and cons—exactly what I’d come to expect from someone responsible for managing territory. I was glad. His suspicion would only lend credence to our words when we presented him with evidence.

It wasn’t the Baron's behavior that surprised me though, but rather the question Amara had traded in return for our help.

"Just to be clear," the Baron said, "you just wish to know about the happenings in the Red Forest?"

"Yes, of course," Amara replied. "And about Adrian—and why his death affected everything?"

After a long pause, the Baron finally relented.

"Sir Adrian Ravencroft was the head of the Tower of Spirituality," he explained. "He was the innovator of this era, a figure of immense intellect—"

"Move on. We don't care about his characteristics," I cut in impatiently.

"Yes, well, he was also the person behind the alert systems installed in our barriers."

"But you said the barriers belonged to the Guild, and this Adrian worked for the Royal Family. What's the connection here?" Amara asked.

"A simple one, really," the Baron replied. "Indeed, the barriers are Guild property, but their purpose is to defend the Kingdom. They’re remarkable, true, but if they could be modified to provide better protection, why not make use of that? So yes, the Royals allowed for integration, and the Guild acceded to their request." He paused to take a breath before continuing.

"Then, a couple of months ago, we received reports of illegal transportation of goods, moving all the way from the End Forest to the Red Forest. At first, it was mere speculation, but then real evidence began to surface."

At that, the Baron frowned, as if contemplating some serious problem. I allowed him a minute before urging him to resume his explanation.

"Ah yes, the goods—we found out they were actually Mana Crystals," he said.

I frowned and leaned closer. "Mana Crystals? Someone was transporting goods all the way from the End Forest to the Red Forest? But how did the Mana Crystals end up in the End Forest?"

The Baron gulped and mimed wiping sweat from his brow. "This is actually a secret known only to a few," he said. "There are rich deposits of Mana Crystals in the End Forest. The Royal Family has been mining them for years, but somehow, the rumors reached our enemies’ ears."

"Enemies?" Amara probed.

"Elves," he replied tersely, then shook his head. "Or at least that’s what they believe."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They believe," he said, "that the Elves are preparing for war with the Kingdom—that they’re in the midst of building strength and gathering soldiers."

"But not you," Amara said, frowning. "You don’t believe that, do you?"

"No," he replied, and fell silent. Each of us sat quietly, contemplating and digesting the information shared—and the implications behind it. Alarm bells had been ringing in my head the moment he mentioned Mana Crystals, and they had only grown louder since.

"Right," Amara said, nodding to herself. "But what does any of that have to do with Adrian Ravencroft?"

"That brings me to the question of why I don't believe it was the Elves," the Baron replied.

"And?" I ventured.

"Normally," he said, "this is the kind of information we could've been killed over if it had leaked. But since Sir Adrian is dead and the information leaked anyway, I suppose there isn't much consequence to it now.

"Anyway, you know how Sir Adrian built the alert system in our barriers?"

"We don't—technically," I said, smiling. "But since you told us, we'll trust in you."

The Baron gave me a flat stare before continuing, "As I was saying, the alert system works by detecting if a large concentration of mana appears in proximity to the barrier. But Sir Adrian believed that the system could be refined further to detect the variation in mana that's present in the End Forest."

I raised a brow in surprise—though thinking about it, it wasn’t all that surprising. That they knew the End Forest was different from the rest was to be expected, yet I was still surprised they harbored such ambition toward it.

"Now, before I proceed further," the Baron said, "what do you know about the Cult?"

Cult.

There was only one famous cult in the world he could be referring to. My gaze hardened and I answered solemnly, "You mean the Cult of Acheron?"

"Yes," he replied, offering a terse nod.

I exchanged a look with Amara and shrugged. "Not much, actually—besides the fact that they share some special relationship with the monsters. But everyone knows that bit."

The Baron frowned, surprised. When he glanced at Amara and found her expression equally blank, his brows furrowed further. It took me a moment to realize he was likely surprised that someone as strong as her knew nothing about such an influential cult. Of course, the Baron didn’t know Amara had only existed in this world for a little over a month.

"Well," he began, pausing to think for a moment before continuing, "the Cult of Acheron isn't just related to the monsters—they supposedly worship those monsters, considering them god incarnate. They believe in some god of monsters who will one day descend upon this world. But for that, they need a suitable offering."

"Like?" Amara asked.

"Like slaughtering an entire nation or something."

"Sick," I noted, feeling revulsion at the mere thought. I might act brutal sometimes, but I wasn’t a cruel person. What the cult intended was something truly monstrous.

"Yes, it is. But that's not even the scariest part."

"It's not?" I asked, surprised.

The Baron shook his head. "No," he said. "The fact that they mingle among us normal human beings, maintaining that veneer of humanity—that’s what’s scary."

"They are humans?" Amara asked.

"Not just humans," the Baron replied. "Honestly, we don’t know for sure how many, but the Cult has a wide diversity among its members. Humans, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves—you name it."

"They’re human, and they worship monsters," I said absentmindedly, shaking my head. "How does that even work?"

"That's the interesting part," the Baron said, smiling.

"Sir Adrian believed that monsters were different from us humans," the Baron said.

I blinked and morphed an expression of awe. "Wow," I said. "That's a noteworthy achievement. Did he get rewarded for that?"

Seeing his expression harden at my comment would've filled me with immense joy, had Amara not stamped on my foot and offered a dangerous glare.

"Ahem." I coughed and said, "Apologies, please continue."

"Anyway, as I was saying, Sir Adrian discovered that there was a difference between humans and monsters, in that our mana signatures carried different elements."

"Corrupted mana," Amara said. "We get it. Anything else?"

The Baron allowed a smile to grace his lips and leaned forward. "Do you know why Cult members worship the monsters?"

"Besides believing that they're god incarnate?" I said. "No."

"We don't either," the Baron replied. "But that's not the point. The point is that the Cult members and monsters share a similar mana signature."

"Corrupted mana," Amara remarked, startled. "They both share corrupted mana."

"That's right," the Baron said, nodding, and leaned back.

He didn’t continue further, but there was no need to—we had already gotten everything. Adrian Ravencroft had been researching a way to detect corrupted mana, and Cult members are openly known to hide among normal people. If he had succeeded, then those in hiding would've been found and their covers blown.

This entire thing had been a ruse—a means to somehow kill Adrian—and they had succeeded spectacularly.

"However," Amara suddenly said, drawing our attention, "don’t you think it’s too elaborate a scheme? I mean, first draw attention toward the Elves, then damage the barrier and cause a monster outbreak in some other part of the Kingdom, just to have a chance at striking Adrian. Something doesn’t seem right."

The Baron shrugged. "Of course it’s not right. If we could actually solve their entire scheme just by debating for a couple of minutes, would it even be called a scheme? They’re certainly plotting something else."

"But not the Elves?" I inquired.

"At least I hope not," the Baron replied.

"Alright," I said. "Since you’ve been so forthcoming with everything, I’ll do my best to keep you from sinking to the depths. You have my word."

"I place my trust in you," the Baron said solemnly. "But I need a vow."

I frowned and said, "Sure, if you—"

"No." He held out his hand, shaking his head. "Not that. I need your promise that, if things go south and nothing can stop me from sinking into those depths, you'll do something for me."

"Speak."

Sometime after we left the Baron's room and walked through the corridor, I asked, "I suppose he didn’t lie?"

"No," Amara said, shaking her head. "But if what he said is true, then we’re dealing with something far more serious than any of us could’ve anticipated."

I nodded, thoughts drifting back to the Cult. It was a mess and a half, and I had barely scratched its surface. Most importantly, though...

"It might just be related to us somehow," Amara voiced the thoughts bouncing around in my mind. The fact that the Royal Family knew about the Mana Crystals—and so did the Cult. The fact that I found the Dragon in an Event Rapture, literally the birthplace of monsters, and also the place where I had been bestowed my Origin, or revealed, or whatever.

I might have unknowingly stumbled upon something that could lead me to the truth—and I wasn’t going to waste this chance.