The World After the Fall

"What happened?"

"Captain allowed someone without a Certificate to enter…"

"Did he get bribed?"

"Be quiet!"

The soldiers seemed to be in shock as James glared at Jaehwan.

'…who the hell is he?'

And after a while, Mino and Karlton walked out of the office. Mino seemed she had been shaken as she definitely had a hard time going through the [Order of Law].

"Mino, you should always carry the certificate. And never bribe again. I would have to punish you, but I'm letting you go because Jaehwan asked me to."

Mino looked lifelessly at Jaehwan as Karlton continued,

"Jaehwan has proved his identity."

It was the object Jaehwan threw at Karlton. It was the [Stone of Forgotten Spirit] created by one of five renowned families of Great Lands, the Greens. It was mostly used by members of the Greens to prove their identity, but there was a reason why it was famous.

The stone would boost an Adapter's Spirit Power when carried around with them.

The one he threw at Karlton was powerful enough to change a Non-Adapter into a 1st stage Adapter. That was enough to prove Jaehwan's identity.

"These stones have been examined, so I will return it to you."

"You don't need it?"

"You should not give it away to anyone. You should value what you have, Messenger of the Greens."

Karlton handed over the two stones to him. After guiding Jaehwan and Mino inside, he took out something that looked like a temperature measurement device.

"This checks the Corruption level of the Spirit. Everyone must be tested with this, just in case."

Jaehwan looked at Mino as she would usually explain in this case. But Mino still looked lifeless.

"She will be like that for a while since she was punished with the [Order of Law]."

Jaehwan nodded.

"I will start with Mino."

The machine beeped for a while and then a floating small screen displayed in the air.

[Result: Caution - corruption has exceeded 15%. Recommend taking medication.]

Karlton became grim.

"Mino, according to Chapter 8…"

Mino then took out some medicine and swallowed the pills with a deadpan face. It was then Jaehwan's turn. He felt something quickly surging through him while the device beeped. It seemed Karlton had never seen such a device before.

'Is he a corrupted spirit?'

The result popped up.

[Result: Cannot measure corruption level.]

Karlton became dumbfounded and apologized to Jaewan, "I'm sorry. Let me try again."

[Result: Cannot measure corruption level.]

Karlton fell silent. This machine never made any errors. Not once since the device was created had he heard that it make an error. The only occasion where the device could not measure was when the spirit's corruption level was at 0%.

0% wasn't something that could be achieved just by eating good medicine. No one in this fortress had such a pure spirit. Karlton seemed to understand.

"I see… that's why my [Silver Bind] did not work on you. I have never seen such a pure spirit like you."

Karlton remembered that all of his skills were useless against Jaehwan.

"Everything is done. You can go now."

Jaehwan did not leave. He opened his mouth...

"Captain, can we really just let them go?" James asked as he saw the two of them disappear. He could not understand.

"James, didn't you know that ones from Green are coming to [Chaos]?"

"Yes, but…"

There's no way they would not know. All five renowned families sent a message to the fortress before they visited [Chaos]. They were the only ones, along with the [Nightmares], who could visit [Chaos] without paying the price of death. James knew that they were coming.

"But he doesn't look like he's from the Greens."

Green skin and two antennae. The people of Greens looked very distinct. Karlton nodded.

"Right. He doesn't look like them at all."

"Then how do you know if he is from the Greens?"

Karlton smiled bitterly and asked, "James, do you know what the [Stone of Forgotten Spirit] does?"

"Doesn't it increase an Adapter's power?"

"Right."

Everyone knew about the stone. All Adapters wished to put their hands on it.

"Then do you know about its traits?"

James became dumbfounded but Karlton took off his white gloves and showed his hands. It was as if his palms had been burned. It wasn't a burn, but James knew what it was.

"Corruption…!"

James could not believe it. Corruption was like a plague that existed within [Chaos]. Everyone in [Chaos] would rack up corruption little by little, just by living here, and when it reached 100%, they would meet with a fate more horrific than death.

But there were ways to defend against it. It was to eat the horns.

Those who took those medicine created using the horns were allowed to live longer, and Karlton, was the one with the cleanest of spirits within this fortress.

However, his spirit was corrupt, only at the palm.

James took out medicine from his pocket frantically and powdered Karlton's hand. It was the medicine he got from Mino.

"…Is this from the stone?"

Karlton nodded.

"James, have you seen anyone other than the Greens holding the stone?"

James thought about it. He had never seen anyone else.

"Isn't it weird? Why won't others try to take it as their own?"

That definitely was weird. There were Greens who traveled alone and if they all had those stones, some might have attacked them in order to take the stones for themselves.

"It's because of the corruption."

Karlton nodded again.

"Yes. No one other than the Greens can handle those stones. They are the only ones who are allowed to carry the stones without corrupting their spirits."

If that was true, then it wasn't weird for Karlton to consider him to be from the Greens.

"But I have never seen Greens without antennae."

Karlton smiled bitterly and hid the silver wing behind his back.

"James, who do I look like now?"

"…Huh?"

James then understood.

Karlton Javier.

A crossbreed of the Sky people and humans.

Since he was half-human, he was not born with the Sky people's unique traits of long pointy ears and a gem on the forehead. All he had inherited was the silver wing. Without it, there was no telling that he wasn't human.

'Right… if that man is like him…'

That was when James stopped.

'But [The Stubborn] let go of him for that petty reason?'

James looked at Karlton.

"You seemed unconvinced."

"…I'm sorry."

"No, your suspicion is well placed."

"What?"

"I would not have let him pass under normal circumstances."

James then realized something.

"Was there an order from the inner castle?"

"Yes, they were in a hurry. They will go look for those two as I already sent a message. Whether he's from the Greens or not, he carries the stone and he can use it so it won't matter."

The Stone of Forgotten Spirit.

The stone that empowers an Adapter's Spirit Power. The stone that corrupts anyone other than the Greens.

Finding one who could use such a stone was important.

James suddenly thought of something.

"…Is it related to the Master's sickness?"

"I don't know the details. But…"

He was certain that something was going to happen in Gorgon. Karlton recalled the conversation with Jaehwan.

"I don't know what you are up to."

"…"

"I'm not that Greens person. You must know that."

"Of course I do."

"Is it okay to let me go then? Isn't it against your 'justice'?"

Karlton smiled.

"Soon, our justice will meet again."

Karlton then remembered Jaehwan's terrifying energy. It was that energy that made Karlton exit the office quickly. He didn't know why, but the man seemed to want to fight him.

'No, maybe what he wanted to fight was…'

Karlton then looked at the wall of the fortress. If Jaehwan did not give him the stones, or if he had drawn his sword, what would have happened? Karlton wasn't sure.

"Oh, and James."

"Yes, sir?"

"Jaehwan told me that you are the one who took the bribe."

"T-that is…"

"According to the Code of Law, Chapter 34…"

James frowned.