Chapter 272 – Cleanup

Chapter 272 – Cleanup

Bodies lay strewn around the battlefield illuminated by eerie crystal lights. The downpour covered the stench of blood and insides, though it couldn’t hide the listless eyes and severed limbs. Everyone dead, in just over a minute.

It’s over…

With the tension of the fight dissipating, the cold water made Kai shiver. His clothes were drenched and covered in mud. A Water and Earth spell made the worst of it trickle out of his trousers before he turned to the siren. “You can’t go on a suicide mission without telling anyone. What would have happened if I didn’t come?”

“I had everything under control.” Rain said with a harrumph.

“Did you…?” Kai arched an eyebrow, actually curious about the answer. The last volley of fireballs had looked pretty close to turning him into a grilled fish.

The boy chewed his lip, staring at his boots. “I’m not used to fighting on land. I didn’t think I’d be so clumsy.”

If you call that clumsy…

A jumble of mixed emotions tugged at him. Kai threaded toward the siren, ignoring the butchered bodies. “Let me look at your wounds. What you did was foolish and reckless.”

Spirits, is this how I look from the outside?

“It’s nothing.” Rain looked to examine his cuts and blistered skin with a slight grimace. “I always heal fast anyway.”

Kai poked the boy’s ribs where a spear had split his jacket, the shirt beneath was already drenched in blood. It was red—just like a human, gleaming a shade brighter under the feeble lights.

“Ahi!” Rain flinched back. “Why’d you do that?”

“That doesn’t look like nothing. And it’ll get worse if it gets infected.”

“Sirens don’t get infections. Their blades weren’t imbued with poison or a rotting curse.”

Kai sized up the stubborn teen with all his patience. “We aren’t in the sea. Have you ever gotten injured on land?” If dirt or mud healed inside the wound, his Constitution would let him survive, but wouldn’t spare him the pain.

The siren examined his cut, suddenly hesitant. “I— I’m not sure…”

“Do you want to take the chance?” Kai waved a hand to redirect the freezing downpour away from them. “If it gets infected, we’ll have to open it up again.”

“You’re right…” Rain shifted weight between his feet. “And I’m sorry for leaving without a word. I thought I could make it back before anyone noticed but I got lost in the woods. How do you orient yourself when trees all look the same?”

That is not the issue.

“Experience.” He replied tersely and pulled back his wet hair. “What were you thinking coming here alone?”

“Huh… you were worried about being followed and attacked. So I fixed the issue.”

“By blindly running into a group of marauders and getting yourself killed?” Kai struggled to keep his voice from rising. His gaze fell on the vacant eyes lying around them. All these people had come here to rob and likely murder them too. Still… Part of him wondered if there could have been another way.

Rain was seemingly unaffected by such a dilemma, paying the corpses no more attention than the rocks and weeds. “I asked them to leave. They wouldn’t. If you let your enemies live, they won’t fear retribution and ambush you when you’re weakened.”

That’s quite bleak.

Kai recognized the tone used to repeat a learned lesson. It was easy to forget that behind Rain’s naive curiosity and friendly smile there wasn’t a human. He had been brought up in some abyssal palace by scheming sirens.

I should have expected it.

Apart from a few culture shocks early on, morals hadn’t differed too much from Earth in the peaceful archipelago. But I’m not there anymore. He had landed on the mainland no more than a week ago and had already met a band of adventurers willing to kill him if they could get away with it.

With the right conditions and incentives, humans were capable of far worse. By adding supernatural powers and alien races, the equation only got grimmer.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Rain tilted his head. “I know you’re worried about your sister. Now we can reach Limgrell without watching our backs.”

“Yeah,” Kai pressed his lips together. He did feel more secure without the whispers pulsing in his mind, though the corpses of the fallen hardened his words. “What were we supposed to think if you died here without anyone knowing? You said you wanted to travel with us. You can’t just…” he gestured at the broken trees and lifeless bodies. “On your own.”

Rain looked at the destruction, any reply dying in his mouth. “I… understand.” He hung his head low. “It was irresponsible to come here without consulting with anyone. I’m not used to having companions, though… that’s just an excuse. I can’t fix this, but I promise it won’t repeat.”

“Hmm,” Kai muttered. Despite his irritation, he could have hardly hoped for a better result. Yes, the siren’s behavior looked alien, but they could still find some common ground. “Let’s check your wounds and get back before Flynn freaks out.” His gaze lingered on the dead. “We can get to a drier place first.”

“I can hold the spell.” The siren overimposed his mana on the dome Kai had cast to shield them from the storm. The only mana ripples were the streams of motes flowing to refill his reserves.

And I thought the scariest part about sirens was their charms.

While it was hard to judge Rain’s Water Magic without knowing his Spirit and Mind, he definitely didn’t skimp on skill training.

Let’s just go back…

Kai walked around a severed head, headed for the thicker woods for cover. Given the crimes the adventurers planned, it was unlikely anyone knew they were here. No one would be coming looking for this mob of wannabe bandits, and the mana forest would swallow the clues.

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I can’t leave them like this…

Mana Observer spread over the ruined meadow; vibrant green and brown mote flowed toward his fingers in preparation. There were twelve bodies and more spare pieces that complicated the task. Once he had locked onto everything, Kai released the spell into the ground.

Roots and earth writhed to bury what had been breathing humans just minutes before. Those empty eyes would find rest beneath the earth. It was probably better than they deserved, he doubted they would have given them the same mercy.

Rain knitted his pale brows at the scene. “You’re really good with multicasting. Do you use Mind Construct or Parallel Thought?”

Is this what it means to have been born among the elites?

To hope the siren had missed any of the spells would mean deluding himself. Kai stopped beneath a young elm and shaped the branches into a makeshift umbrella to protect them from the rain, the roots rising to make two stools. “I use Split Mind.”

“Oh, I’ve heard that one’s good too.” Rain tested one of the gnarly chairs with a curious look. “One of my tutors had it. She said it was a chore to learn.”

“Yeah.” Kai hovered to take a look at his wounds. All but the one on his side had already stopped bleeding. It was quite deep, ending just before it nicked the bone. “Hmm… Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What grade were you born at?”

“Huh, Yellow ★,” Rain said as if it was nothing much. “My father believed any higher would be detrimental and lazy.”

What the fuck!

Kai halted, watching the siren unblinking. Being born at the grade he had spent most of his life reaching… His mind went blank when it tried to come up with a response. It wasn’t like the thought had never crossed his mind and yet, how could someone draw their first breath at Yellow? It was unfathomable. Not only that, Rain’s phrasing also implied his parents could have aimed for higher.

That must be why they’re called higher races…