Chapter 70: Chapter 68
Holding a row of blocks and listening to Alyia’s anxious words, Hye glanced at the wolves around him for a moment.
'This “inability” you say she now has... it’s connected to the contract, isn’t it?'
'Certainly. Before, when we were still in the portal, I could sense and see their mana clearly, but now, not a single trace. There’s nothing in their bodies.'
'But that shouldn’t be possible. You saw it yourself; they still have the same physical capabilities as when they were in the forest. Without mana, shouldn’t that have disappeared?'
'Hmm... indeed, in theory, yes. However, the werewolf curse is intrinsic to the beasts’ bestiality, having their bodies adapted to support such transformations, but...'
'But?'
'Their transformations depend on their mana to occur, so if you really want to know if they still have any mana, ask one of them to transform. If they do, it means they still possess it, having all turned into strange creatures... like you, who can use your abilities even without mana flowing in your body.'
Going back and forth from the trucks, Hye continued carrying the blocks, replacing Lykos and Andreas, those he had asked to deal with the pursuers, and doing the work that both should have done. The anxious glances didn’t stop, but despite what Hilary had told him, at some point, they became irrelevant again, disappearing from his eyes and senses.
The children around Alyia, with blocks in their hands, kept trying to do as they were instructed: "There’s not much to say... mana is something natural, inherent to everyone’s body, so try to find it within yourself, and then push it out through the tips of your fingers, transferring it to the blocks."
Just like the children, even Arche kept trying to find the said energy that should reside in his body, and looking around, Hye could also see others, those who had heard Alyia’s words even from a distance, trying to do the same. Unsurprisingly, everyone failed, despite repeated attempts.
"Sir, I... can I speak with you for a moment?"
No visible or obvious changes in his appearance, yes..., but sensing the metallic smell from his hand, the nearby wolves turned their gaze towards him, observing briefly. With the block in hand, while a gentle breeze ruffled his hair, Arche did the same as the others, watching with Alyia, who turned her face when Hye began walking with Lykos towards the exit. The gazes that had followed him during the walk to the gate did the same as he returned.
"..."
Watching Hye, Lykos paused for a moment. Even in front of a lifeless body of someone of his own kind, there were no signs or slight changes in his expression, instead, his eyes wandered around, appearing to be searching for something more.
"I..."
With his fists clenched, his teeth ground together, causing a slight shiver to run through him.
"I’m sorry... I made a mistake... I didn’t expect them to be so weak that this would happen."
"Hm?"
'Oh, so that’s what he meant by “I’ll talk to him”… Ha! To think he’d choose to take the blame alone... No... on second thought, it’s irritating...' Long, pure white hair appeared in his mind, causing Samael to let a small click escape his tongue. 'Damn it...'
Walking over to a nearby tree, Hye crouched and reached for the fallen phone beside him.
"And what about the second one? There were two, right?"
"Yes, as you said, Andreas took him to the mountain."
"I see..."
Sighing, Hye looked towards the body as the screen of the device in his hand went dark. Seeing this, his mind raced, wondering about the consequences he would face, and Lykos shivered once more.
"It seems this is really the same as the previous one... Alright, let’s go back; after all, it won’t help us standing here, but... perhaps it’s better if you gather the others later. I need to talk to all of you."
Eyes wide, Lykos froze momentarily. He had just taken the blame for the mistake, so why? If he’s to blame, just punish him. Why? Why does he want to talk to everyone? Why? 'Why...?' But even if he wanted to ask, his lips remained still.
"You can go ahead; I’ll be back soon. But first..."
Reaching for one of the man's ankles, as if planning to circle around the forest where the wolves were, Hye moved aside, dragging the corpse with an unmistakable indifference.
"...I need to get rid of this first."
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'Are you sure you want to do this? You already have the contract, so they’re yours, even if they don’t want to or have changed their minds. Despite being weak, these werewolves might still be useful, so why do this?'
After tossing the body into the portal, Hye threw the phone into the same destination and started walking towards the place where the wolves were.
"...I don’t know... I’m still thinking... but I believe it’s what she would want."