Chapter 274 Departure From The Capital

Shout-out and thanks to Leo_Micado for beta-reading this chapter.

____

Complete and utter mayhem took hold over the Capital. Within days of a large, highly-coordinated terrorist attack, another attack took place in the Palace. Not much was known about the second attack, as the news leaving the Palace had suddenly ceased. All that remained were rumours, flimsy hearsay at best. And this farfetched words-of-mouth bordered on treasonous talk, given how crassly they disparaged the Emperor. Some even went as far as to state that the Emperor was... emasculated? First off, that could mean a plethora of things ranging from a simple sleight targeted at his masculinity to an actual act of emasculation by castration. Secondly, the very thought could get one imprisoned for inciting treason!

Human beings, like most creatures with high sentience, seek to find order in the inherently disordered world. They search for patterns where none exist, and reason when certain acts are simply a result of pure coincidence. In that vein, many folks connected the attacks in the city with the one that took place in the Palace. The common theory was that the first attacks were a distraction, to divert security out of the Palace (given how there was a sudden increase in soldiers dressed in the Imperial Force's attire moving around the city moments before the second attack). As this theory made the rounds, it started to gain traction. It was believable, after all. Was it more believable that the two incidents were incited by two different parties with two different goals, or if the incidents were somehow related and part of a grander scheme?

"If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not centaurs." A common phrase that establishes the baseline for any investigation. A logically sound basis, but one which did not apply to this situation at all! Because this time, the hoofbeats belonged to centaurs after all.

In fact, Guy was also shaken after hearing about the second attack. He was worried that, somehow, the Other Guy had possessed his body again and gone out and done something as stupid as butting heads with the Crown! He tried going back to the RoK and screaming into the tear, only to receive nary a response. Thus, Guy waited on pins and needles for the Imperial Forces to come knocking and drag him away.

And come knocking they did, much, much later. Fortunately, it wasn't to cart him off and have his head separated from his body (or whatever barbaric form of capital punishment they employed in this place). Rather, it was to conduct an inquiry and search. It was evident that the officials were grasping at straws at this point. They had incorrectly initiated their investigation by assuming that there was a connection between the attacks and were now essentially working backwards by trying to find any evidence at all that could corroborate that.

Guy pitied the unlucky person who would fall victim to this fanatical search-and-interrogation once the Forces eventually grew tired and frustrated. He sympathised with them, but he couldn't just hand himself over to the authorities on a silver platter! What Guy needed was a distraction, something to overpower the guilt bubbling up from within. He hoped that the Alliance's Conference would offer that distraction. The itinerary indicated that there would be additional events and tournaments following the Recruitment Drive wherein the exploratory rights to a recently discovered inheritance ground would be awarded. Guy didn't have plans or hopes to win that award, but he felt that the spectacle would alleviate the burden of all the blood staining his hands that were gnawing away at his soul.

However, it seemed that Guy's fate just wasn't leaning in his favour (he did not have Marie or Krish to verify this, but it sure felt that way). The Conference was put on hold until next year in light of recent events. A few members and elders from the Four Greats had met their demise amidst the terror attacks as well. The sects weren't allowed to conduct their own investigation by the government. Furthermore, the entire district was undergoing an even more stringent search-and-interrogation procedure due to the breadth of the sects' affiliations.

Therefore, the sects decided to disband and regroup at a later stage. Needless to say, everyone was left with a horrible taste in their mouths and a metaphorical red cheek. It felt humiliating to have to just "live with it". This wasn't how a mage's life was supposed to be! There had to be someone to blame for all of this!

The "someone" who should be rightfully blamed was getting ready to leave the Capital.

"The new recruits need time. I've already distributed the travelling expenses to them all," Markus narrated as he stood before his carriage. "I shall return to the Sect immediately and prepare for their arrival."

"I would love to return with you, but I promised Jean that we would address the pressing pandemic up North," Guy responded.

"Are you sure you want to take Dora with you, Master?" Markus probed.

"I know it is a risky move. But the girl has been counting the days," Guy said with a wry chuckle. "According to her, Kano has been out for two more weeks, and that commuting does not count towards the trip days since she's basically doing nothing during that time."

"She's got a good point there," Markus smiled in response.

"You'll do fine," Guy added as he patted Markus on his shoulders and then rubbed them. "We've designed a study plan. We've constructed a course outline. Just follow it until you become comfortable."

"I hope that I don't disappoint..." Markus responded with a nervous sigh.

"You know that you can never disappoint me!" Guy said in response to an embarrassed Markus. He then observed from atop the Capital's walls as his Disciple ascended his ride and rode off through the gates and into the horizon. His ride blended into the sea of others amidst the mass exodus. Merchants were streaming out of the Capital due to the increased stringency of the security affecting their streamlined business process. Imports were being held back for extended durations to facilitate additional levels of inspection, sales were being affected with constant search-and-seizure being conducted by Capital's security and Imperial Forces on a power trip, and there was a marked reduction of customers as people just didn't feel safe entering public areas.

"I can't stay in this city any longer," Guy muttered as he turned and walked back to the Rasmus Clan's residence.

____

Guy departed the city with Jean, Dora and Josie a day after Markus. Their path veered Northwest from the Capital, in the general direction of the Balen Duchy. According to chatter in the Merchant's Guild, there was a sudden uptick in the cases of villages turning barren after contracting the hitherto unnamed disease. Through word-of-mouth, they learned a few of the symptoms of the illness. Fever, headache, loss of appetite, dehydration, development of black bumps all over the body, the bumps filling up with viscous black pus that leaks, complete organ failure, and death. The worst part was that all of this would occur within days of the first sign of exhibiting any symptoms.

As of yet, there were no survivors from this plague. Furthermore, all the victims were mortals - it appeared that whatever it was, the average mage's immune system was fully capable of warding it off. This was also probably why the response to combat this problem has been so delayed. Although the local Clans had taken steps to address this problem (which had inevitably affected their source of income through taxation), it hadn't reached a level that warranted a raise in priority. Nonetheless, there were people already on the case, and needless to say that the progress towards solving it was moving at a snail's pace.

"You're worried," Guy noted after reading the faint stress lines showing on his second student's usually unperturbed face.

"I am... I don't know if I can help those people," Jean confessed. "I'm not my mother. If only she were here..."

"It would be asking too much to have a child such as yourself cure an epidemic of such a magnitude," Guy noted. "It doesn't matter if you succeed, nor does it matter if you fail. What matters is that you give it your all! Do not slack, do not compromise, and do not settle. Do everything that you can within your limit, and then step beyond. Because what hurts the most is knowing that you could have done just a little more. There are very few second chances in life, even fewer so when it comes to healing someone. So you must make sure that at every try, you give it your very best shot! Success is expected, failure should only be a result of ineptitude, not negligence."

Jean nodded thoughtfully as she clenched her palms into a resolute fist. Her gaze veered off into the distance, as the empty plains started to merge into dense shrubbery. With every bump and tumble of the carriage, her mind grew more and more volatile.

#Let this be a lesson for you. You will NEVER be as good as her!#

*You should just do your best. Don't worry about what anyone else says!*

#All you're meant for is failure. All you are good for is watching people die.#

#What CAN you even do after going there? You are nothing! You will amount to nothing! You -#

"ENOUGH!" Jean bellowed.

"Young miss?" Josie exclaimed as she arrived before Jean. Dora groggily woke up from her sleep. Guy looked over and saw Jean grasping her head in distress.

"Jean, are you okay?" Guy asked worriedly.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Just a little stressed, that's all," she responded before entering a meditative pose in the lotus position.

Hopefully, that would shut the voices up.