Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 375: Chapter 375: A Strange City

Chapter 375 – A Strange City

Cassius and his teammates arrived in a Tier Three city when they stepped out of the Sky City.

Since teleportation was always random, they’d hoped to land in a major city — Vorn, Desde, or Storm — somewhere easy to find a carriage.

It looked like they’d been far too optimistic. The Tier Three city they arrived in was nearly barren, its streets full of beggars asking for money with no hope left in their eyes, or with no expression at all, as if nothing in the world could reach them anymore.

Cassius and the others stood out like sore thumbs: their fine faces and clothes, the aura they carried, all screamed that they didn’t belong.

Especially Diaila, who was looking around with clear disgust.

"Where are we?" she asked, an odd edge to her voice, taking in the hungry stares of the homeless. Vorn, there were more of them than she’d ever imagined.

"That’s a good question," Cassius said. "What’s certain is that I have no idea what this place is called. Meadow?"

"Same," she replied. "I could find out through the Net, but that’s not what I’m worried about right now, you know?"

"I know," Cassius smiled. "We need a carriage. A good one, preferably, to reach the border of the Hushsight Domain."

"Not quite," Meadow shook her head, looking at him. "You clearly didn’t read what I sent you closely enough, Cass."

"Young lady, I was busy. And I trusted you to handle it," he said. "Was I wrong?"

Meadow grinned. "Don’t bother gaslighting me. But nothing’s going to irritate me today. I forgive you."

"Don’t tell me you finally—!"

"Cass," Meadow cut him off with a wide, dangerous smile. Cassius got the message instantly. He shrugged and stayed quiet.

Diaila watched the exchange with quiet admiration for Meadow. Speaking to Cassius Desdemona like that was something she never imagined she’d witness.

William, for his part, stayed silent, his eyes cold as he scanned their surroundings. Something clearly bothered him.

"Anyway," Meadow continued, as the four walked down the empty city street, wind howling around them, their footsteps the only real sound, "like I said, we can’t reach the Hushsight Domain by carriage. It’s forbidden."

"Why?" Diaila asked timidly, eyes scanning the houses lining the street. Something about the light around them felt off.

"That’s the Museum’s call," Meadow shrugged, "not mine. And honestly, the Museum practically functions as its own independent power. Which makes this mission even stranger. Why would they bring artifacts all the way to Vorn City itself?"

"Something’s clearly going on," Cassius said. "But I doubt it’s our problem. We’re tasked with protecting the goods, that’s what we’ll do. So how do we get there, if not by carriage?"

"The carriage only takes us to the edge of the domain," Meadow continued. "We’ll have to make the rest of the journey on foot. For context, the Hushsight Domain is roughly the size of a normal city, ringed by mountains on all sides. The Museum sits at its edge. We need to be there in..."

Diaila checked her watch, frowning tensely. "Three hours."

"Bingo."

"...You don’t sound worried. We’re basically in the middle of nowhere," Diaila said nervously.

"We’re in Yoru City," Meadow replied, showing them her phone screen. "And yes," she smiled tensely, "we’re on the exact opposite side of where we need to go. We’ll basically have to cut straight across the entire kingdom just to get out of it, and reach the Hushsight Domain, another two or three kilometers past that."

"I’ve never even heard of this city," Diaila said.

"Same," Cassius added, tilting his head. "If it’s on the edge, exactly opposite our destination... are we standing in Tier Two Safara territory?"

"Yes," Meadow nodded.

"I thought the Safara razed their entire domain to make ’room’ for some project of theirs, and kept only their city intact?" Cassius asked again, it was fairly well-known news.

The Safara were a wild family, wielding fire; black fire, specifically. Rumor had it they descended from the Black Phoenix, a legendary creature.

But that whole family was unsettling, unhinged. Cassius suspected only Jeanne was different.

"That’s exactly why I said it’s strange," Meadow narrowed her eyes. "And before I got even this much, I waited far too long. My Net is the best this kingdom has to offer. I never wait more than a second for information, let alone just to pull up a city name."

"You sound arrogant, and yet I can’t even argue," Cassius shook his head. "You’re right."

"Heh."

The four finally stopped in front of a restaurant, or a tavern, more accurately, judging by the red lettering the owner had painted on the sign.

Not a single sound came from inside. Behind them, they could still feel the homeless watching, their gazes heavy.

The silence over the city was suffocating, wrong somehow. Something unnatural hung over it, and William’s frown deepened by the second. At one point, he was clenching and releasing his fist rhythmically, as if gripping an invisible sword.

Cassius noticed, standing at his side, and asked, still watching the door in front of them.

"Something wrong, William?"

"Hm," William hummed, glancing at the door, then around them. "Yes."

"What is it?"

"I don’t know."

"Alright," Cassius said. "Let me ask you something else." He smiled, gesturing at the door. "Should we go in?"

William looked at him and answered, "Depends."

"On what?"

"Your objective."

"Our objective is my objective. Which is to find a way to reach our mission location on time," Cassius replied. "It would ruin my perfect record if I showed up late."

"Then we’re wasting time," William replied. "I believe we’re being hunted."

Diaila immediately began to panic, eyes darting around wide. And that was when something struck her, tightening her chest.

The buildings that had been there just moments ago — the ones they’d walked past — were gone.

"W-What?" she blurted out.

"Oh, oh, oh," Meadow whispered. "I should’ve guessed something was off when the Net lagged earlier."

Cassius, meanwhile, simply smiled, turning to William, who remained strangely calm. It was as if nothing could shake him.

"How can you tell, William?"

William looked at Cassius, an odd sense settling over him that Cassius was testing him.

It was unusual, but it didn’t bother him. Only Cassius and Emrys could get away with something like that around him, and he didn’t mind either of them doing it.

They were strong, and seemed worthy of him. So he answered calmly,

"One of my affinities is formlessness," William said, his eyes flat but sharp. "So my perception works differently. The air around us..."

He scanned their surroundings, and just then the sky began to peel apart.

"...isn’t real."

The moment he said it, as if giving up the illusion was pointless now, everything around them dissolved in a puff of smoke.

The four students looked up and found dozens upon dozens of yellow, beastly eyes staring down at them from beyond the veil, surrounding them on all sides like the walls of an arena — each one aiming something that eerily resembled a gun to Cassius!/ eyes.

But no. None of it was aimed at them.

"Master must’ve warned me for a reason, I guess," Cassius whispered.

Every one of them was aimed at Cassius Desdemona.

"Little dragon," a voice echoed, muffled, as if spoken through a mask, and the weapons pointed at Cassius began to glow at the tip, casting light across his body and face, "how about a little talk?"

Diaila’s legs gave out beneath her. She ducked behind Meadow, who stood firm, though her expression carried real worry.

William’s face stayed completely blank, his hand closing around the empty air, his aura sharpening like a blade.

Cassius simply smiled. "Why not?"

BAAAAAAANNNNNNG!

—End of Chapter 375—