Chapter 114: Traces

Chapter 114: Traces With the group, he arrived at the beach that had been turned into glass. The five members who had arrived looked around with some surprise. As the red dragon’s flames had burned everything, the traces of Michel’s fight against the mutated six-legged crocodile were completely erased. In addition, the fight between the viscount-ranked beasts that had come to the place to claim this territory as their own, before meeting their deaths, had also been obliterated. Luca, with a serious expression, was the leader of the group; his gaze scanned the surroundings calmly. He had been assigned as an investigator into the deaths of several members of prominent families at the event held on Kiran Mountain, which was now uninhabited. News of the fall of the ancient and long-lived Medici Clan had already spread throughout the three kingdoms of the Northern Frontier. So the King of the Kingdom of Aragon sent a group to find those responsible for the destruction of one of the pillars of the kingdom, which now faced a possible attack from the Kingdom of León and the Holy Empire. After a long journey, and thanks to the magic of tracking and Zu’s expertise in tracking, he had found a clue to the possible cause of the fall of the Medici Clan. And it was right here in this dangerous jungle. "Captain Luca, we’ve found a faint trail. From what we’ve gathered, it looks like they’re traveling in pairs," one of them reported after discovering a faint trail. "Which way did they go?" Luca asked, his voice soft but full of authority. "With the few clues we have, they went deep into the forest. They’re probably two or three days away from where we are, maybe even further." Luca put his hand on his chin as he thought; his green eyes looked up at the dark sky for a moment before he made a decision. "First, let’s find a place to sleep and eat before we go into the forest." "Yes, sir!" replied the person who gave him the report and left to set up a small tent for the night. Luca stood there, looking at the mess. This level of destruction was not something that two young people who were not in rank 5 could do. The possibility that it was a dragon never crossed his mind, because they are beings that rarely appear. And he had never seen one in his life. He looked up at the sky with a weary gaze, watching the smoke that still rose like cancer, seeking to stain the firmament. Luca let out a long sigh, approaching his group, who were preparing the campfire so they could have dinner and continue their pursuit tomorrow. And a thought crossed his mind: I hope catching up with them isn’t too difficult... ... The next day, with the sun shining high in the sky, the air still carried the strong smell of dried blood and charred wood. Luca and his group had ventured deep into the suffocating jungle, guided by the traces that the tracking magic and the specialized Zu had managed to detect. The mission they were undertaking was of the utmost importance. One false move and the fall of one of the oldest and most powerful clans in the region could spark a war between kingdoms. The balance, maintained for decades, now hung in the balance. As they advanced, cutting through vines and clearing a path through the thick vegetation, they encountered several Baron-ranked beasts, and even one Viscount-ranked beast. Despite this, all members of the group were ranked 7. The battles were prolonged, but they suffered no casualties. Time passed. The sun slowly descended toward the horizon, painting the sky red, and the moon began to peek through the clouds with its pale light. After an exhausting day, Luca’s group was forced to stop: the trail they had been following now branched off in four different directions. "Let’s rest first. We’ll continue tomorrow. We’ve wasted too much time," Luca said in a tired voice. It had been a brutal day. They had faced several Baron-ranked beasts and one Viscount-ranked beast. Their bodies were at their limit. They needed to rest if they wanted to keep up the pace and survive what was to come. However, one of his subordinates approached with a tense expression, visibly concerned. "Captain... the four Zu we used to track the couple were killed during the fight. It’s unlikely we’ll be able to keep up with them accurately." Luca’s expression hardened. Throughout the entire journey, he had relied on these Zu, beasts specialized in tracking, to follow the trail of the couple ahead. Those two were responsible for the destruction of the Medici Clan, and Luca had no intention of forgiving them. But without the Zu, everything became complicated. What had been a relatively simple pursuit now became slow, uncertain, and dangerous. He was silent for a few seconds, thinking. "What is the closest territory to the last place where we lost track of them?" "The closest one is Baron Aiden Blander’s territory. It’s on Mount Dibhu," replied another member of the group. Luca nodded slightly. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke decisively: "We’ll head there. If they keep moving forward, that’s likely to be their next destination as well." With the order given, they lit a fire and began to prepare camp for the night. Now that they had a clear destination, the journey would be easier. ... The sun was shining brightly once again in the sky, casting its light over the thick forest. The clouds drifted slowly, forming whimsical shapes high above, indifferent to the world stirring below. Kael and Michel moved quickly through the dense jungle vegetation, but without neglecting caution. After visiting the territories of the four Viscount-ranked beasts, they had quickened their pace to reach Mount Dubhu as soon as possible. What neither of them knew... was that they were being followed. And that’s why they hadn’t hurried their pace even more. They advanced without interruption until the sun reached its zenith. Then they stopped under a clearing to eat something before continuing. "How much longer until we get there?" asked Michel, panting slightly. Sweat drenched his clothes, and the stifling humidity of the jungle was beginning to take its toll. Kael, who was rummaging through his rune ring, replied calmly. "If we keep up this pace, we’ll be there in about three days... maybe a little longer." Without wasting any time, she began to prepare the meal, taking out the ingredients one by one and placing them in a small pot. She moved each item with precision, without rushing. Michel, leaning against a tree, let out a sigh as he dried his face with his forearm. "I’ve been with you long enough to notice something," he said disinterestedly. "You don’t move without a reason. There’s always a purpose behind every step you take." Kael didn’t respond. He continued adding ingredients to the fire, one after another, stirring slowly, as if the other man’s words were just distant noise. Michel let out a light, amused laugh before insisting: "What I find curious is the path you chose. The territory of the Viscount Ryan Show was much closer, and it would have been easier to establish a base there. But instead, you veered east... toward Mount Dubhu. What is so special about that place? Why did you choose that particular path?" Kael finished stirring the broth, which was just beginning to boil, and replied in a calm voice, without looking up: "I didn’t choose the territory of the Vizconde Show because it was too predictable. If we had taken that path, we would now be dead... or chained up in some dungeon, being tortured for information. This route, although less traveled, is safer. The hostility of the environment works in our favor." He didn’t mention the real reason he was heading for Mount Dubhu, but what he said wasn’t a lie. If they had chosen the other path, their pursuers would have caught up with them by now, and being alive would be a luxury they couldn’t afford. After all, Kael was no ordinary traveler. He had been the young master of one of the most powerful houses in the Kingdom of Aragon. And Michel... the heir to a rising family, whose movements had already begun to shake the foundations of power. Eliminating both would not only be a brutal blow to House Abraham but also a direct wound to the pride of the kingdom. Michel, after listening to the explanation, asked no further questions. He simply leaned back against the tree in silence, waiting for the food to be ready. Although he refused to admit it out loud, the truth was that Kael’s cooking far surpassed that of any chef in his family. What he didn’t know was that Kael didn’t belong to that world. He came from Earth, a place where gastronomy had reached levels of refinement unthinkable in this much more backward world. After eating, they resumed their journey at the same rapid pace until they reached the banks of the river of blood, which was much smaller. They crossed, wetting the hems of their Taoist robes, and reached the other side, but as they crossed, Kael’s expression hardened slightly when he saw a bonfire and several dead snakes. They were traces.