Chương 84: Lealia’s Decision (3)

"Asher risked his very life to bring this intelligence back to us. We need to report this to the mayor, and I am going to do that right now. Iris, if you want to run, go ahead."

"I'm not—!" Before Iris could even finish her sentence, Lealia snatched a straw rain-cloak and bolted out into the rain. The church guards quickly turned on their heels and followed close behind her. She pounded on the mayor's door and recounted every harrowing detail exactly as Jonas had described. Still half-asleep, the mayor stared at her, blinking as if he had drastically misheard.

"Did you say... Miasma? The same Miasma from the Demon King's territory mentioned in the lore?"

"Yes, exactly."

"But, but... there are ghouls too? Could there be some sort of misunderstanding here?"

"There is no misunderstanding, sir. If we do not evacuate the populace immediately, people will die." The mayor rubbed his face vigorously, desperate to force himself awake. He muttered, "But this town houses over a thousand residents. Are we supposed to knock on every single door now? How do we even begin to explain the situation to them?"

"Tell them simply that a wave of toxic gas is approaching the basin. And please, hurry." With that, Lealia stepped back outside and directed the church soldiers:"Spread out and knock on every door. Tell them the entire region is facing an imminent threat of widespread contamination and they must evacuate via the big road immediately. Instruct those who have been notified to spread the word to their neighbors and acquaintances."

Seeing Lealia act with such ironclad decisiveness, the mayor had no choice but to mobilize his own subordinates to echo the warning across the settlement. Since the rain kept most people indoors, spreading the news proved much easier than anticipated. Many initially hesitated at the prospect of traveling through the storm, but when they saw the vast majority of their neighbors packing their belongings and leaving, they could no longer sit still.

However, a segment of the populace—mostly the elderly and the frail—obstinately refused to move. They argued that their health was simply too depleted to survive a long journey on foot. Their concerns were entirely valid. Given that the main road was severed by the landslide, even if they utilized carriages to reach the blockage, everyone would still be forced to disembark and climb over the debris on foot. The elderly feared they would collapse on the mountain path.

Faced with this dilemma, Lealia could only brainstorm a temporary contingency: she gathered them into the most structurally sound buildings located furthest from the northeastern peaks, strictly instructing them to rely solely on rainwater and pre-harvested rations while waiting for external reinforcements to arrive. As the town dissolved into a flurry of chaotic movement, someone suddenly spotted a platoon of church guards appearing at the entrance of the valley path. Leading the formation was Iris's carriage.

As the carriage rolled into the town square, Iris leapt down, calling out to the anxious crowd with an enthusiastic smile:"Everyone! The Holy Church has dispatched a fleet of carriages waiting on the opposite side of the landslide! We managed to relay word of our situation to the neighboring city days ago, and they have already prepared temporary shelters for all of us!" This monumental news instantly revitalized the spirits of those who had been dreading the arduous trek on foot.

Even the frail and sick, learning that they wouldn't have to walk the entire distance, began reconsidering and packed their bags to leave. Lealia let out a soft sigh of relief. It appeared Edgar had successfully navigated the landslide and alerted the high-ranking authorities of the Church. Kamarti watched Iris eagerly directing the evacuees, unable to suppress a scowl of disdain.

"The moment you went to confront the mayor, Iris immediately boarded her carriage and fled the town. She undoubtedly stumbled upon the Church's relief vanguard entirely by chance while running away, yet she's acting as though she orchestrated the entire rescue lifeline herself." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Lealia didn't absorb his complaint. Her eyes remained anchored to the narrow trail leading up into the mountain.

Sensing her detached demeanor, Kamarti asked gently, "What's wrong, miss Lealia?"

"Iris and the remaining soldiers have the situation down here entirely under control. I... I intend to head up the mountain to find Asher."

"What? There are ghouls up there, and you can not fight, can you? Not to mention the Miasma."

"But Asher hasn't returned yet. He needs help." Locking eyes with the young girl and reading the absolute, unshakeable resolve in her gaze, Kamarti lacked the heart to state the obvious—that Asher was likely already a corpse. Yet, during their previous excursion up the mountain to locate the contaminated stream, Kamarti had also perceived that the young aide was someone truly extraordinary. Asher possessed an innate maturity and sharpness that starkly contrasted with his unassuming appearance.

Though the odds were microscopic, if anyone could carve out a lifeline in those hellish depths, Kamarti believed it would be him. Moreover, among all the Hero candidates assigned to this mission, the one he respected most was Lealia. It wasn't merely because he was her designated guardian; it was blatantly obvious that out of the four candidates, Lealia was the only one who genuinely cared for the lives of the townspeople. Her staying behind until this very hour was living proof of her character.

Therefore, if this young girl was willing to risk hell to rescue her companion, he wanted to stand by her.

"I will accompany you."

"Are you... are you certain? I know how suicidal this is. This is entirely my own selfish choice; I don't want to drag you down with me."

"The mandate bestowed upon me by the Church is to protect your life, Lady Lealia. Therefore, where you go, I follow. But if the situation turns fatal, I must insist that you retreat with me." Lealia nodded, her eyes welling with profound gratitude. Overhearing their hushed conversation, Jonas aggressively wedged himself between them.

"Are you two insane? You're actually going up there?" Kamarti shot him a flat look.

"Jonas, you are completely spent. You can barely stand." Jonas opened his mouth to argue, but the reality was undeniable: he had been awake for over twenty-four hours, drenched to the bone in the freezing rain. The mere thought of scaling that treacherous ridge again made him feel like he would pass out right then and there. Defeated, he sighed:"Fine. I wouldn't step foot on that mountain again even if you paid me. You two are absolutely going to regret this."

He paused for a lingering moment, racking his exhausted brain to recall the survival parameters Asher had drilled into him, before adding:"But if you've truly lost your minds and are set on going... I left a pack of climbing gear back at the inn. Take it, and pack as much food and fresh water as you can carry. Once you clear the beaten trail, look for the markers Asher left behind. He tied white cloth strips and carved tracking symbols into the branches. Follow them precisely.

And if you are unfortunate enough to cross paths with any cultists or ghouls, choke down your breath and hide in a blind spot until it passes. You cannot fight them." Both of them memorized the instructions carefully, nodding in deep gratitude. Darting back to the inn to secure the vital supplies, they immediately set out toward the mountain. It was, without a doubt, the most grueling ordeal Lealia had ever endured.

By the time they ascended, the downpour had finally subsided into a light drizzle, but the mountain path remained a treacherous sheet of slick mud. Lealia lost her footing and wiped out at least five times, leaving her garments caked in filth and her limbs covered in raw, stinging lacerations. Multiple times, her body screamed at her to collapse onto the moss and rest, but the horrific image of Asher trapped between life and death spurred her onward, refusing to let her falter.

She felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude for Kamarti's presence. Without his steady hand anchoring her, she likely would have slipped off a sheer precipice and plunged to her death miles back. The navigational markers Asher had left behind were exceptionally clear and pristine, sparing them from wasting precious time wandering blindly through the wilderness. Miraculously, they encountered neither cultists nor wandering corpses along the ascent.

Aside from the heavy, rhythmic thud of their own footsteps, the mountain was draped in a suffocating, eerie silence. After what felt like an eternity of marching, Lealia finally caught sight of the abandoned church Jonas had described. It stood frozen in the mist—massive, archaic, and deeply unsettling, its grand double doors slightly ajar. To the right of the structure lay a muddy trail, where a set of fresh, waterlogged footprints remained visibly stamped into the earth. Kamarti hesitated, lowering his voice.

"Could Asher have utilized this path to descend the mountain already?" Lealia's legs were trembling violently from sheer exhaustion, but she forced herself forward to meticulously inspect the impressions. Shaking her head, she whispered:"No. These tracks belong to only two individuals..." Before she could finish her analysis, Kamarti suddenly seized her shoulder, yanking her violently behind a dense thicket while clamping a hand over his mouth to signal absolute silence.

He pointed a trembling finger through the foliage, directing her gaze toward a silhouette swaying rhythmically behind the dense canopy. A ghoul. Kamarti mouthed the words silently to her. Lealia narrowed her eyes, focusing her vision on the distant figure. Even from this range, she could clearly discern that one of its arms had been cleanly severed at the shoulder, and two iron arrows were buried deep within its spine. A normal human being could never remain upright, let alone wander, with such catastrophic injury.

The two shared a tense, anxious look before reaching a silent consensus. Stepping lightly, they crept away from the creature and drifted toward the gaping entrance of the church. The interior was pitch-black and unnaturally silent, the only illumination provided by a fragile shaft of daylight cutting through the cracked doorway. Kamarti swept his eyes across the desolate nave, before a sharp gasp escaped his throat.

"Over there!" At the threshold of a dark corridor, Asher Griffin lay motionless, face-down on the cold stone floor; it was unclear he's alive or dead.