Chapter 11 - Academy City
The Granvelle village, upon my return, was filled with people.
"Work crew, moving in!"
"Quickly report on the purification status of the zone!"
"Dinner delivery is here!"
"Already?"
"Hey there! Why aren't you moving that toxic waste quickly! Don't you know keeping the incinerator idle costs money!"
As expected, there were no villagers among them.
All were soldiers of the Sword King family in uniform.
I watched this unfamiliar sight for a while from a hill slightly removed from the village.
Should I just go back?
Thanks to Inspector Pale's consideration, my entry into the newly built dormitory was confirmed.
So, I had a place to return to.
I just wanted to take one last look at my hometown...
"Who's there! Step back! This is a restricted area!"
A young man guarding the village entrance shouted as he approached me.
"You there! Yes, you! It's dangerous here, so go back quickly! The purification work isn't finished yet!"
"Is that so?"
"Is that so? Haven't you heard the news here? Do you think this is easy? No one knows how many months it'll take to finish the work! And it will be sealed off for a few years after that. By the way, which village are you from? You certainly came a long way to sightsee. Even the closest village would take half a day from here."
Sightseeing.
The man seemed to have mistaken me for someone from another village.
A curious, naive kid who came to see the commotion in the next town.
Of course, I wished that were the case.
But I am the sole survivor of the Granvelle family.
If I just let such words pass, my brother in heaven would sigh.
"My apologies. I'm late with my introduction. My name is Ray Granvelle."
And I showed him the academy student ID I had received in advance.
The man frowned and scoffed.
"Hah! Granvelle? What nonsense is this now? The Granvelle family were all... in this incident..."
"Hey! Wait! That's an academy student ID!"
Suddenly, a middle-aged man guarding the entrance rushed over like lightning.
"Ray Granvelle! The sole survivor!"
"What? Supervisor?"
"You idiot! Haven't you heard that news?"
The supervisor hit the man hard on the head.
The man, struck once, crumpled with a yelp.
"Argh! Is... is that true? Are you really from the Sword King family? I didn't hear anything about that..."
"That's enough, step back! My apologies, Young Master Ray."
The new supervisor checked my student ID, then immediately bowed his head.
"This fellow is still new to how the world works, you see. He's a rookie who was just assigned here, a bit clueless. Please, calm your anger."
"No. I just came to look around, but it seems you're still busy."
Amidst that, a faint scent of poison diffused from the supervisor's body.
Given its superficial nature, it seemed the smell had simply clung to his clothes.
"That's right. The purification work is still in full swing. Of course, if you're just looking around, there's no problem at all. Hey there! What are you doing! The survivor of the Granvelle family has returned! Open the gate immediately!"
Screech...
With a dull sound, the gate swung open inwards.
The supervisor immediately took the lead and began to guide me.
"Come, this way. I am Hayble, a 7th Grade Officer of the Sword King family's Management Department. I am in charge of managing the purification squad on site."
The Management Department is an organization belonging to the Sword King family.
Its main duties include material management and the reconstruction of villages and cities damaged by enemies.
"So you're a supervisor. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Ray Granvelle."
"The pleasure is all mine. Inspector Pale from Crest contacted me in advance. He said Young Master might stop by here."
"Inspector has been very thoughtful. I apologize for bothering you when you're so busy."
"What are you saying? This is Young Master's hometown. You can come anytime. Oh, it's late, but I offer my condolences for the deceased."
"Thank you."
As soon as I passed through the gate and entered, a strong smell of poison permeated the air.
Numerous soldiers and workers were bustling around, carrying something.
"Is it really okay to look around? Everyone seems busy working."
"It's fine. The mansion and the main road areas have been cleared. Just avoid entering the residential areas of the village."
"Yes, understood."
"Then, this way."
The supervisor moved towards the central avenue of the village.
I followed, but suddenly felt a choking sensation and stopped walking.
Rubble.
The true landscape of the village that couldn't be seen from outside.
Nothing remained.
Just a month ago, it was a large village where over a thousand people lived together...
"Hey there! The cart wheel is stuck! Pull it up quickly!"
"Body found! Moderate level of decomposition! No, severe!"
"High toxicity reaction! Must send it to the crematorium quickly!"
"What? The crematorium is full? What are you talking about! When was the new crematorium in the west built?!"
"Alright, alright! Make way! Coming through!"
"Move quickly! We have to finish Zone 3 before sunset!"
Men in thick masks scoured the ruins, hard at work. Among them, I saw a few people in green jackets pulling large animals on leashes.
Croak.
The animals were none other than frogs.
For a moment, I doubted my eyes. Verdant green frogs, as large as calves, were crawling through the ruins.
"Frogs... The frogs are huge."
"You mean the poison frogs. They might look a bit disgusting, but they're the Management Department's pride and joy."
The supervisor smiled broadly, looking at a frog that had stopped nearby.
"Their temperament is gentle, and they follow human commands well. Their official name is Sponge Frog."
"Sponge Frog..."
"Although everyone actually calls them poison frogs. Many people still don't know about them. It hasn't been long since the Management Department brought them in, you see."
"Yes. This is my first time seeing one too."
"Their origin is the North."
"You mean the Poison King family's territory?"
"That's right. They are said to mainly inhabit the wild swamps of the North. Recently, we succeeded in breeding them and began deploying them for work. Poison purification work, that is."
"What do the frogs do?"
"They absorb the toxic gases from their surroundings like sponges. They cost a bit in upkeep due to feeding expenses, but... it's still cheaper than spraying universal antidotes everywhere."
"Universal antidotes are expensive, aren't they?"
"They've become especially expensive these days. And they don't even work on all poisons, despite their name. But these poison frogs absorb almost all kinds of poisons without discrimination."
The supervisor stroked the frog's head. The frog looked up at the supervisor with dull eyes and let out a croak.
Croak.
"Good boy. Good. Haha... Once you get used to them, they're surprisingly cute, aren't they? If you release them into contaminated areas, they absorb the poison on their own. Thanks to them, the burden on the team members has been greatly reduced."
Frogs that absorb poison, huh?
Suddenly, I remembered the moment the Poison King Cult minions in the poison cave were screaming.
-Get up! You frog bastards! Get up, now!
Were they talking about these very frogs?
Since the goal was to absorb the poison in the poison cave, in effect, we did the same thing as those poison frogs...
"However, if their skin turns red or purple, absolutely do not touch them. That means they've absorbed poison to their limit. At that point, they need to be sent to a non-toxic area to rest for a few days."
"Do they return to normal after a few days of rest?"
"Yes. We need to feed them well and let them rest deeply. Oh, the path from over there leads to the Granvelle mansion. Although Young Master probably knows that better than I do."
The supervisor stopped walking and pointed to a fork in the road turning to the right.
"The mansion grounds have been purified. It's safe now, so you can go there with peace of mind."
"Thank you. Then I'll be going."
The supervisor was quick-witted.
I said goodbye and started walking down the fork in the road alone.
Then a memory suddenly surfaced.
Old pine trees used to grow on both sides of this path.
But now, there were only cut tree stumps.
Beyond the trees, a flower garden planted by the villagers used to unfold.
But now, there were only charred traces.
Next, after passing the flower path and turning, came the Granvelle mansion with its large garden, where many employees once lived.
But now, it was gone.
Nothing remained.
There was a reason the supervisor referred to it as "the mansion grounds" rather than "the mansion."
What unfolded before my eyes was not ruins but merely land.
Just a vast expanse of charred ground, with no trace left that a building had ever stood there.
"Hah..."
For some reason, I laughed.
I hadn't returned to do anything special.
I had merely wanted to take one last look.
At the past of Granvelle.
But that past had vanished without a trace.
Neither the people who were with me nor the place where we lived together—nothing remained now.
Only memories.
I closed my eyes, recalled the old appearance of the mansion, and slowly walked forward.
Where is this?
Is this the mansion entrance?
This must be the reception room.
This is the kitchen.
This is the staircase leading to the second floor...
This is enough.
I stopped walking and lay down on the ground.
"Ugh..."
This must be my room.
Probably.
The evening sky was painted with the sunset.
I opened my mouth, looking at the orb redder than the sunset.
"You followed me."
The orb floating in the sky.
My family.
My family isn't here; they are there.
So it will be alright.
It doesn't matter if the village was destroyed or the mansion disappeared.
I will be able to keep moving forward.
"I'm back."
And how much time passed?
I got up and brushed the dirt from my clothes.
"Then, I'm off."
And I walked back the way I came.
Without looking back.
***
Beyond the border, in the northern part of the continent, there is a mountain range where snow piles up even in midsummer.
The Taeseol Mountains.
The Poison King family's headquarters is located right here.
The exterior consists of several-story pavilions built on dizzying cliffs, and the interior is like an ant's nest of hundreds of caves burrowed into the cliffs.
It was impossible to infiltrate this place by normal means.
All passages were guarded by the Poison King family's elite forces, and due to the region's characteristic recurring harsh weather, climbing the cliffs was akin to suicide.
But that afternoon, it was clear.
KABOOM!
Two poison-wielding figures guarding the throne were shattered into pieces along with the door.
The 9th Poison King, Galbray, frowned, setting down the vial of poison liquid in his hand.
"What is it? This young whippersnapper."
The one who had smashed the door was a tall boy.
The boy stood with his arms crossed arrogantly, looking at Galbray.
"I should be asking you. What are you doing here?"
"You?"
"Yes. You."
"Hah, do you know who I am?"
"The Poison King, aren't you? I don't know why you're doing this in the throne room, though."
"This?"
Galbray lowered his gaze to the floor.
There, several experimental subjects were writhing miserably, melting alive.
"Ugh..."
"Save me..."
"No, no, kill me... Please..."
"A new, interesting poison just came out."
Galbray poured the poison liquid onto the experimental subjects' bodies.
Sizzle!
"Choke!"
"Ugh, ugh..."
"Aaaargh!"
"Haha, good screams. So I was just enjoying the hands-on experience. It's perfect for stress relief."
"A hobby? A rather vulgar hobby for a Poison King."
"And your hobby must be suicide, judging by your actions?"
Galbray chuckled and poured the remaining poison into his mouth.
"Hmm, still weak. I can increase the concentration. It's perfect, I needed more experimental subjects. No matter who you are, I'll give you special attention. Keeping you alive for as long as possible... Hmm?"
At that moment, another old man followed into the room. Galbray suddenly widened his eyes and shouted.
"Well, well, who do we have here!"
"...Long time no see, Galbray."
"Traitor Zigrat! I never thought you'd return here on your own accord."
"Don't call me by that name. I've already discarded it."
The old man shook his head.
Galbray shook his head with a bright expression.
"That's your business. Looks like I'll save some money. Do you even know how big a bounty I've placed on your head?"
"I don't know. Why would a Poison King bother with such useless things?"
"Well? Perhaps because you dragged out a bunch of idiots and started acting like a king?"
"I am not a king."
The old man sighed and shook his head.
"I am merely the Vice-Cult Leader of the cult that serves the true Poison King. Even now, if you change your mind, cooperation is possible."
"Cooperation, my foot. Aren't you just trying to return to the antiquated past? Has a man who almost became the Poison King himself not yet realized that the world has changed? Speaking of which..."
Galbray looked at the boy again and clicked his tongue.
"The spy's report was true. So, you secretly raised a brat and started mimicking the First Poison King?"