Chapter 282: Ch 281: Council’s Stand

Kael reached the council’s chosen place to meet in record time, but he could instantly sense that something was wrong here.

The usually formidable presences that headed these things were missing, and he hesitated to step inside. He felt as if he was falling into a trap by stepping inside.

But in the end, he decided that it did not matter if this was a trap or not. He was here to help, and he needed to show his face inside.

The council looked relieved to see him, but then their faces tensed as soon as they noticed that he was alone.

"Grand Master Kael, why did you come alone? We specifically told you that we need the help of the Saintess and the Hero in order to combat the corruption. Don’t tell us that you still think they are too young? That excuse would no longer cut it."

A council member slammed his fist into the table when he said these words. His eyes were shining with anger at the fact that Kael had ignored his words.

Honestly, Kael was doing them a favor by not bringing Seraphina and Leon along in their current state. But Kael did not want to say these words out loud.

"Both Seraphina and Leon are occupied with the corruption and the current situation, so they were not able to make it. But don’t worry. I will deliver whatever we discuss here to them as soon as I can."

Kael promised the council, but it only served to make the looks on their faces worsen.

"Do you think a direct message will resolve everything? We need them to be physically present here in order to save us. They need to help us in our trying times."

The council kept yelling over and over that their lives were important and that they needed protection. It was too much for Kael, and he decided he needed to yell back at them in order to make them understand that they were not the only ones here.

"Do you think you are the only people in this world who are important? The Hero and the Saintess’s initial duty is to save the local citizens. People like council members are not any more important than the others."

Kael pointed out, and the council broke down into yells.

"What do you mean we are not important? Our family has been holding up this nation for generations!"

"Our wealth is what is making these people thrive. Do you think they would be able to live if we are not here?"

The nobles thought of themselves as self-important, and it showed in their voices and the way they held themselves. It was useless to try to reason with them, and that just made Kael’s decision to leave the kids behind feel even better.

Still, he was not here to listen to these councilmen bickering but to help the world against the corruption.

"Please stop fighting and tell me what the situation is. Did you notice anything off that we can use to determine what is happening?"

Kael asked, and the councilmen stopped fighting and let out a cough.

"We noticed that the corruption is following an unusual pattern as it grows, but we are not able to pinpoint exactly what is going on. Here, this is the outcome we concluded."

Kael was handed the data, and he watched as the letters started to rearrange themselves to form sentences.

From the looks around him, the others could not read the sentences in front of him, but Kael could easily make out what they said.

[I am coming to find you. One more day, and this world will fall.]

The message was simple, but Kael felt his heart skip a beat. He felt faint, and his legs threatened to collapse, causing him to lose his balance.

The others noticed this immediately and tried to grab him.

"Sir Kael-"

Someone wrapped their arms around him in order to catch him, but Kael easily deflected those arms and kept standing. But the worry he was feeling intensified.

"Grand Master Kael, is something wrong-"

"It seems like the corruption is preparing to launch a full-scale attack on us. We had better try our best to defend against it, or else..."

Kael did not finish these words, but everyone knew what he wanted to say. The corruption was finally coming after them, and it would take over this world in no time. They only had two options—to fight or to give up.

...

"Aww, humans are adorable. They think they can win against me? Unfortunately, this is their limit, and the limit of this world’s magic as well. I am going to show them that it is not worth it to go against me."

This time, Aria would allow this world to live past its destruction. All she wanted to do was rewrite human nature, and she would make it possible after her corruption magic grabbed hold of them.

She did not know why they were so scared of her powers or why they opposed this. It was not as if she was killing humans. The only people who died were the ones who resisted her powers and control.

As for those who accepted it? They were happily living in her world without a care in the world.

They were so happy, in fact, that they did not even want to leave, even after Aria left the door open for them to head out.

It was because the humans living under her command understood what she was offering them—unlimited happiness and freedom. And it was about time the rest of the world got a glimpse of this happiness as well.

She was sure they would choose this happiness over anything else once they were able to make their choice.

"But until then, they can keep fighting this futile battle. I will welcome their desire to best me. But I will never give up this life."

Her follower had set her on this path with his death. And Aria had a debt to repay. She was going to make sure her follower, Kael, was happy this time around.