Three full cycles had concluded since their relocation to Hana’s secure facility. The three casualties from Yujin’s vanguard unit had achieved optimal recovery metrics. Paradoxically, Yujin’s cellular regeneration profile was proceeding at an exceptionally sub-optimal velocity—failing to hit baseline projections even with Hana’s high-tier medical monitoring and active wound maintenance.
Adjacent to the cot where Yujin remained immobilized, Kaien sat with a slightly labored, heavy respiration pattern. "Yujin, explain why your biological vessel is executing such a delayed recovery protocol. Is the depth of your structural trauma that severe?"
"Hey, terminate that line of questioning. Do not waste your mental processing on my parameters. After all, the Calamity event has entered a temporary ceasefire state, has it not?" The unfortunate youth, whose upper torso and limbs were completely wrapped in heavy medical gauze, articulated his words with absolute nonchalance.
"You continuously deploy that identical behavioral profile. Do you hypothesize that conducting a deep-level covert investigation in Nerthvale Village was a low-difficulty quest?" Kaien crossed his arms, clicking his tongue in clear dissatisfaction.
Yujin flinched slightly. For a brief millisecond, he lowered his head, allowing his facial features to submerge into the dark shadows of the cabin, before raising his gaze back to Kaien with a perfectly manufactured, relaxed smile.
"Huh? Drop it. There is zero tactical value in discussing historical logs that have already been archived," Yujin stated, waving his gauze-wrapped palm in a dismissive gesture to forcefully redirect the conversation matrix.
"However, my initial psychological projections suggested you would suffer a severe mental breakdown due to the parameters of the Nerthvale ruins encounter, Yujin. Your structural aura during that event was profoundly terrifying," Hana interjected from the corner, adding to the data stream while wringing out a synthetic chamois towel over the ceramic basin.
"Exactly my point!" Kaien agreed, gesturing wildly. "I assumed his mental stability would hit critical corruption or that he would enter an absolute berserk state during our tactical extraction from that zone. Instead, he simply returned looking like a thoroughly pulverized punching bag."
As the three entities engaged in their casual dialogue, Viola materialized from behind the timber door frame. Her high-society garments had been exchanged for a more utilitarian, loose-sleeved white chemise dress, accented with a sharp, geometric black pattern overlaying her thoracic sector.
"The auditory output from this facility is exceptionally high this morning. What exact data stream are you analyzing?" Viola interjected sharply. Her gaze cut through the airspace like a polished blade, locking directly onto Yujin's coordinates.
Yujin rapidly shook his head, crossing his forearms in a defensive 'X' configuration. "I did not initiate this conversational sequence!"
"Then who logs the initial entry?" Viola questioned, leaning her physical mass against the door frame via her left arm while resting her right hand firmly on her hip.
In the structural corner of the room, Hana, who was currently executing maintenance on a glass display cabinet containing decorative assets, shook her head gently. "Cease the interrogation," her voice resonated, smooth as premium silk filtering through their audio receptors.
She redirected her emerald irises toward Viola, flashing a micro-smile. "What is the status of the young female asset? Are her biological parameters stable?"
"Are you referencing Yuna?" Viola released a prolonged respiration. "Aurelia has been managing that child's maintenance protocols with high efficiency... as of late." The Archmage momentarily shifted her gaze toward the exterior corridor, where Aurelia was currently observed gently brushing Yuna’s hair with meticulous care.
Her critical gaze snapped back onto Yujin, and subsequently, Kaien.
"Furthermore, my processing units are still attempting to resolve a massive logic loop. By what operational logic did you two randomly transport a civilian child to this facility? Not to mention, Kaien has been carrying that girl around as if she were a directly linked blood relative."
The two adventurers fell completely silent, lowering their heads toward the floorboards. It appeared as though answering Viola’s baseline statement imposed a massive psychological weight upon their systems.
A brief chronological window passed before Aurelia materialized adjacent to Viola’s coordinates. She was attired in a high-tier noble gown of deep maroon, creating a stark, high-contrast aesthetic against the layered black petticoat underneath.
"Everyone, prepare for immediate departure. The equine transport carriage has achieved total operational readiness," Aurelia announced, her countenance radiating a soft, gentle composure.
Within moments, the room was completely vacated, leaving Yujin as the solitary asset remaining. Every micro-step he forced his lower extremities to execute felt as though his soles were crushing thousands of hyper-pressurized needles. The physical feedback rendered his locomotion exceptionally heavy.
Kaien, observing the sub-optimal locomotion parameters, re-entered the room. He extended physical support, anchoring the injured youth's frame. "Accelerate your pace, partner. If you delay, the transport carriage will initiate transit parameters without you."
The tactical transport configuration was segmented into two independent carriages. The vanguard carriage contained Hana, Kaien, and Yuna. The rearguard unit accommodated Yujin, Aurelia, and Viola.
The millisecond all entities finalized boarding protocols, the synchronized thumping of equine hooves echoed as the carriages initiated forward momentum.
Inside the secondary carriage, the internal atmosphere was saturated with a highly volatile, uncomfortable silence. Zero entities within the cabin displayed a willingness to initiate a communication log. In fact, since the commencement of the transit, Aurelia and Viola had repeatedly targeted Yujin with sharp, analytical side-glances.
'What anomalous variable is driving their behavioral profiles? Their facial expressions indicate they are analyzing a pile of organic waste,' the sole male asset in the carriage muttered internally.
"Yujin," the oppressive silence fractured the exact millisecond Aurelia articulated his designation. "Can you provide the chronological data regarding your arrival at my primary estate? To be precise... the variables are highly anomalous. By what mechanism did you possess the exact coordinates of my hidden residence? Furthermore, you operate under an established familiarity profile with Hana." Her expression softened slightly as her mental processing referenced Yuna's data.
"..."
"I command the same data stream," Viola chimed in seamlessly from Aurelia’s flank, backing her query.
Yujin’s brow furrowed tightly. He harbored an absolute reluctance to unpack these specific archive files. However, according to his current calculations, disclosing the baseline historical log would incur zero structural damage to his position.
"Very well. However, my system will not execute this narration protocol a second time."
The chronological log shifted back to the exact timeframe when Yujin had just exited the residence of the orphaned siblings. The localized atmosphere was heavily fogged, accompanied by a biting wind that caused Yujin’s dermal layer to register minor involuntary shivering.
In the epicenter of the village square, an auditory signal targeted Yujin from a short distance behind. Kaien closed the distance with a high-velocity, rushed acceleration vector.
"Ah! Finally, my tracking algorithms located your coordinates." Kaien placed his palms on his knees, attempting to regulate his hyper-accelerated respiration parameters before anchoring his hand on Yujin’s shoulder. "I have successfully extracted the exact geological coordinates of Nerthvale Village."
Yujin's irises dilated rapidly. "Is that data verified? From what specific source did you harvest that information?"
"From a veteran asset." Kaien forcefully pulled Yujin's arm. "Move out. Ah... an error has occurred in my memory logs. My primary steel blade was thrown to an unmapped sector during the previous skirmish. Did your visual sensors map its location while you were navigating the market zone?"
Without consuming excess time, they retraced their steps to the structural center where a stone monument stood, its form pierced deeply by a longsword. Without a shred of hesitation, Kaien scaled the monument, gripping the hilt with maximum force.
SRAAAKK!
With a singular, hyper-pressurized vertical yank, Kaien successfully extracted the blade from the deep fractures of the ruined monument. He executed a clean downward vault, flashing a self-satisfied grin as he sliced the steel through the air before sheathing it securely at his waist.
"Excellent, parameters normalized. My psychological confidence metrics have returned to 100%," Kaien stated, thumping his chest plate.
'What exact sub-quest were you even running before this?'
Yujin simply rolled his eyes in profound psychological exhaustion. "Cease the unnecessary theatrics. Deliver the data immediately: what specific intel did that veteran asset provide regarding Nerthvale?"
Kaien’s behavioral profile transitioned into a highly serious state. He gestured for Yujin to close the distance, lowering his audio output to a hushed, low-frequency whisper.
"The breakdown is this: when I initiated an interrogation sweep inside the tavern lobby, I audited almost every civilian asset present. Eventually, an elderly patriarch-class asset disclosed that Nerthvale no longer fits the structural definition of a living village."
"Halt, re-calibrate," Yujin’s countenance shifted violently. "Elaborate on that specific log entry."
"Nerthvale Village has transitioned into a zone designated as 'Absolute Ruins.' That is the baseline variable explaining why almost zero modern entities possess data regarding its existence."
"Then what is our next operational directive?"
Kaien locked his gaze onto Yujin for a prolonged duration, his expression completely unreadable. "Has your cognitive core suffered a structural dampening? Our primary quest parameters dictate a deep-level covert investigation of Nerthvale Village. Ergo, we deploy to those exact coordinates!"
Unbeknownst to the two low-tier adventurers, a secondary pair of hidden optical sensors was thoroughly mapping their tracking profiles from an extreme distance—a variable that would inevitably steer their trajectory into a catastrophic threat matrix.
During the meridian hours, following the finalization of their equipment preparation logs, Yujin executed a brief detour back to the siblings' residence to initiate a farewell protocol. Predictably, upon receiving the data stream, Yuna's psychological stability dropped immediately.
"Will big brother execute a return protocol to this specific facility? I harbor high anxiety that Yujin will suffer severe physical trauma during the transit phase," Yuna whispered, her fingers nervously twirling a strand of her hair into a tight spiral.
Yujin stood momentarily immobilized by the visible distress parameters on the young girl's face. Slowly, he lowered his physical mass, dropping to one knee to align his eye level with Yuna’s perspective. He deployed a soft, micro-smile—a highly rare, comforting facial configuration he seldom granted to external assets.
"I will absolutely execute a return protocol, Yuna. Furthermore, Kaien commands immense combat metrics. He will maintain total guardian parameters over my vessel during the journey," Yujin lied smoothly, actively suppressing the classified reality that he himself possessed zero data regarding the lethality index waiting inside the Nerthvale ruins.
"Is that a binding contract, brother?" young Yuna whispered, extending her miniature pinky finger toward his coordinates.
Yujin accepted the prompt, interlocking his pinky with hers. "Contract finalized."
The chronological log snapped back to the objective reality within the shifting transport carriage.
Yujin abruptly terminated his narration sequence. His eyes focused blankly onto the timber floorboards of the cabin, which were vibrating mildly from the kinetic feedback of the wheels grinding against stone. He clenched his right palm—still bound tightly in restrictive medical gauze—registering a sharp, throbbing neural pain that shot directly up to his shoulder line.
"That... constituted the final archived timestamp of Yuna deploying a high-vitality, unclouded smile," Yujin articulated, his vocal frequency dropping into an exceptionally low, gravelly rasp.
Aurelia and Viola, who had monitored the entire data stream without generating a single auditory interruption, instantly interchanged analytical glances. The internal atmosphere within the carriage multiplied in sheer, heavy density, bordering on absolute suffocation.
"Yujin..." Aurelia called out softly. Her facial features, which had initially demanded rigid data disclosure, completely melted, replaced by a subtle, underlying layer of internal guilt.
"What exact variable manifested inside the Nerthvale ruins? Why was Yuna’s biological vessel in such a critical, corrupted state upon your extraction?... And by what structural link did that event connect your trajectory to my primary estate?"
Yujin inhaled a massive volume of oxygen, preparing his systems to unseal the darkest, most compromised sector of their covert investigation log.
"Because inside those absolute garbage ruins... every single variable was shattered." The youth buried his face deeply into his palms. His fingers clenched into tight, high-pressure fists before slowly losing kinetic tension.
"It is mathematically optimal to avoid this specific topic," Yujin stated, raising his head to target the two females with a heavily forced, superficial smile. "Why do we not re-route the data stream toward an alternative subject matter?"
The two girls exchanged a brief silent transmission before ultimately executing a nod of comprehension.
The asset who initiated the conversational re-route was Viola.
"Yujin, explain the mechanism that allowed you to deploy advanced ice-attribute sorcery. My historical records indicate your magic core lacks the required density to actuate such a matrix."
"Halt, re-calibrate," Aurelia interjected rapidly. "Yujin? You genuinely command the capacity to manifest advanced ice sorcery?"
"..."
"Yujin, do not feed my system fraudulent data. It is structurally impossible for an asset of your baseline metrics to chant a high-tier advanced ice-attribute formula of that caliber. Even if your processing speed is anomalous, you require a specific, uncorrupted bloodline legacy to actuate it," Viola stated, crossing her arms firmly over her chest.
"Provide a logical breakdown immediately."
'It is tactically impossible to disclose the parameters of 'ECHO' to these entities. Merely simulating the concept of exposing the system architecture triggers an acute neural headache.' Yujin tilted his cranium to the side, mimicking a state of absolute ignorance.
"T-That is the direct result of a brief training log I executed in the regional perimeter adjacent to Nerthvale. Are your processing units not aware that the Nerthvale region is historically classified for its extreme affinity with ice sorcery?" He attempted to force a high level of conviction into his explanation to pacify the two targets.
"My cognitive core possesses an anomalous learning velocity index. Consequently, I can mimic the structural output of a spell even if my internal magic core operates at a sub-optimal density level."
"Is that so?" Viola narrowed her eyelids significantly, executing a hyper-intense, top-to-bottom analytical scan of Yujin’s physical vessel. "A tree's structural integrity relies entirely on its root network. Regardless of your anomalous learning velocity, an absolute impossibility remains an impossibility. Do not tell me you are feeding my system unverified data?"
Yujin registered a solitary bead of cold perspiration sliding down his temple. 'Damn it, executing a deception protocol directly in front of a genius-class Archmage generates a higher pressure index than engaging a mutated aberration inside a dungeon zone.'
Aurelia leaned her entire upper torso forward, her irises shimmering with intense curiosity, though a minor fraction of skepticism remained embedded in her gaze. "However, if we analyze this logically, Yujin... if you genuinely mastered an advanced-tier spell file that rapidly with a degraded magic core, it implies you forcefully redlined your cardiovascular sirkulation to move at double its designed operational parameters, correct? Is that the exact variable explaining why your cellular recovery index is performing so poorly?"
'Hmm? Cardiovascular circulation? Logically, does an accelerated blood flow not directly optimize cellular regeneration speed? Ah, irrelevant. I must immediately hook onto this lifeline to misdirect their tracking.'
Aurelia’s analytical hypothesis had inadvertently materialized as an absolute tactical salvation for Yujin's position.
"Ah! Yes, precisely! Your deduction has achieved 100% accuracy!" Yujin rapidly hooked into Aurelia’s statement, adjusting his countenance to project a state where her hypothesis was completely validated by the facts.
"The systemic backlash of that redline protocol is exceptionally severe. Consequently, my entire musculoskeletal structure currently feels entirely pulverized, and my muscle fibers are locked in total rigidity. Ergo, do not command my system to execute a live demonstration of that spell file right now. I will literally suffer an immediate structural liquidation."
Viola released a prolonged respiration, leaning her mass back into the carriage cushions while rolling her eyes in clear boredom. "A highly cliché narrative excuse. However, analyzing your current physical status—which closely mirrors a living corpse—I will temporarily suspend further aggressive interrogation protocols. At least for the current chronological block."
Yujin silently executed a massive sigh of relief within his internal core. 'Security compromised averted,' he thought. The classified parameters regarding his integrated 'ECHO' system remained securely locked within his personal database.
'Fortunate that they consumed that deceptive data package...'
The transport carriage conveying Yujin and the two female assets maintained its forward velocity, slicing through the cobbled pathways leading toward the primary gates of the Grand Central Guild Headquarters. Within the cabin, the heavy silence re-established itself, yet Yujin could finally regulate his respiration normalizations, his secrets safe from Viola’s razor-sharp analytical units.
They remained completely devoid of the data indicating that this minor verbal deception inside the carriage was entirely irrelevant compared to the threat matrix currently formatting at the terminus of their path.
Simultaneously, perched high atop one of the skyscraper rooflines that commanded an unobstructed line of sight toward the Guild’s main ingress gate, the high-velocity meridian winds gusted violently. The draft aggressively whipped the tailcoat of a blackened robe worn by a male asset who stood leaning against the stone security balustrade.
The individual held a compact, dual-lens brass spyglass to his optical sensors, meticulously tracking the two equine carriages currently reducing their distance to the Guild gates.
"The targets have breached the perimeter," the cloaked asset articulated, his vocal output entirely cold, flat, and devoid of emotional modulation.
Directly behind his coordinates, the localized shadows in the architectural corner violently shifted. A secondary silhouette materialized from the absolute darkness, attired in light scout armor stamped with the insignia of a Fractured Wing—a heraldry recognized exclusively by a select tier of elite entities within the Western Sector.
"What are the physical metrics of the primary target?" the shadow asset questioned, his voice grating like heavy sandpaper. "Did the catastrophic anomaly from the Nerthvale ruins successfully liquidate that brat?"
The individual utilizing the spyglass lowered the brass apparatus, releasing a cynical, low-frequency chuckle. "Regrettably, negative. He has sustained heavy structural trauma; his physical vessel is wrapped in gauze layers resembling an ancient mummy core. However, he has achieved a successful return protocol alongside the high-tier interceptor assets from the Ignivar Estate."
"Curse it. Then the data logs harvested from the border checkpoint were accurate? The high-density black sorcery operating inside the Nerthvale underground sector was neutralized via advanced ice-attribute arts?"
The robed operative turned his frame, crossing his arms over his chest. "That comprises merely a fraction of the intelligence. The most high-value data variable we have extracted is this... they have transported that specific civilian child alongside them. The female child who carries the baseline traits of Ancient Mana Deletion."
Upon receiving that specific data packet, the shadow silhouette went entirely inert. The ambient atmosphere atop the roofline instantly converted into a highly dense, localized killing intent that was barely suppressed.
"The Ignivar Lineage and that wretched Archmage must be permanently barred from accessing the data regarding what transpires beneath the sub-level laboratory of those ruins," the coarse voice hissed in mounting rage.
"If the official documents detailing our internal conspiracy slip into the palms of the Grand Guild Master or the High Council before our units secure the files, our entire socio-political position will face total liquidation."
"Maintain emotional equilibrium," the cloaked operative responded, a dark, cryptic smirk forming on his lips as he tracked the exact moment Yujin’s carriage was systematically encircled by a massive formation of veteran mercenary adventurers—assets they had heavily financed.
"Our counter-adventurer detachment has successfully established an interception blockade at the ground level. That brat's severe physical degradation is our prime tactical advantage. Deprived of his peak combat parameters, that group is merely a flock of sheep primed for immediate slaughter."
The operative checked the poison-coated dagger resting at his waist, his irises flashing with absolute malice.
"Let us observe for what duration they can suppress that absolute garbage truth... while our systems await the final activation signal from our High Director inside."