Ethan blinked. The look on Blanco's face gave him déjà vu, and for a moment, his heart skipped a beat. "What?" he asked cautiously.

"Sorry," Blanco said quickly, clearing his throat. "I shouldn't have said that. You know we can't reveal this kind of thing to outsiders."

Ethan's eyes widened slightly. "So now… am I going to be silenced?" he asked half-jokingly, though his tone carried a hint of real concern.

"Of course not," Blanco replied, waving his hand. "It's not that big of a deal."

He crouched down and examined the altar more closely. His eyes followed the cracks that led toward the center where the explosion had originated. "Did you interrupt the process in between? The one that caused such a massive explosion?"

Ethan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"I see," Blanco said, standing up. "The energy from the souls stored inside the altar must have exploded. Thankfully, there was a barrier artifact that contained most of the blast. Otherwise, there would've been heavy casualties."

Ethan's expression darkened slightly. "About that artifact…" he began. He had searched for it earlier but found nothing.

Blanco pointed toward a corner of the rubble, where a scorched, broken object lay half-buried in ash. "It's that thing," he said. "Never mind though. It's already been blasted into smithereens."

Ethan walked over and picked up what was left of the torch-like artifact. It was completely ruined.

In it contained a C ranked monster core.Alas the inner core cracked and burned black. He sighed softly, staring at it in silence.

Blanco suddenly froze as if remembering something important. His face changed, and he turned sharply toward Ethan.

"Where are the corpses?" he asked quickly.

"Corpses?" Ethan blinked. "We buried them in the cemetery."

"Shiit!" Blanco shouted, startling everyone nearby.

Ethan's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Blanco ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Those corpses... as they decay, they'll release miasma. That stuff will spread through the soil and air, and before you know it, the whole land will start to rot!" He spoke in panic, his tone filled with urgency. "Take me there quickly, before it's too late!"

Ethan didn't waste time. He led Blanco out of the ruins, and together they rushed toward the cemetery outside the town walls. The guards followed behind, confused by the sudden commotion. The wind howled through the empty fields as they arrived at the burial ground.

Blanco immediately jumped down from his horse and examined the area. His eyes darted across the gravestones and the patches of grass between them. But after a long moment, he froze again, this time in disbelief.

"What…?" he muttered under his breath, completely puzzled.

Ethan watched silently as Blanco bent down and touched the soil. The grass was healthy, the air calm, and there was no sign of decay or foul smell. Everything looked completely normal, even peaceful.

"How?" Blanco whispered, his brows furrowing. "There's no trace of miasma at all."

Ethan felt a cold sweat slide down his back. His fingers twitched slightly as he tried to stay calm. In truth, he knew exactly why the cemetery was clean. The night after the burial, he had secretly used the insignia's power to purify the area. The light from it had erased all traces of darkness, cleansing the land and stabilizing the air.

Now he could even cast a few minor healing spells and small blessings, but that was something he could never admit out loud. No one could know about the insignia's real abilities, not even Blanco.

He coughed softly and forced a calm expression. "It might be because the corpses were in the early stages of decay," he said, trying to sound casual.

Blanco stood up and nodded slowly, though his eyes still carried doubt. "It might be…" he murmured. He looked around one last time, but seeing nothing unusual, he finally relaxed a little.

....

With the situation settled, Blanco turned toward his horse. The afternoon sun fell behind them, casting long shadows on the ground. "Well, it seems that's all for now," he said, brushing off his cloak.

He looked at Ethan seriously. "Are you sure you don't want your kid to come with me?"

Ethan's voice was firm. "Yes. I'm absolutely sure."

Blanco sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. "You're one stubborn man, you know that?" He reached into his coat and pulled out a small bronze token engraved with an intricate crest. He handed it to Ethan. "Keep this. You might need it later."

Ethan frowned. "Why are you giving this to me?"

Blanco smirked faintly. "Because I have a feeling you'll need it. At such a young age, you're already a Master. I'm sure your accomplishments won't stop here."

Ethan looked down at the token in his hand, its surface glinting under the sunlight. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Blanco nodded once, then turned around. He mounted the horse that Ethan had lent him and pulled the reins. "Take care of yourself, Ethan," he said before riding off down the dirt road. He didn't look back, unaware of how true his words would one day become.

The sound of hooves faded into the distance, leaving Ethan standing there in silence. He looked toward the horizon, his mind deep in thought.

...…..

Far away, in another part of the continent, a new storm was brewing.

Inside a grand tent lined with silk and golden drapes, a man in gleaming armor unrolled a scroll that had just arrived from the frontlines. His long golden hair shimmered under the torchlight as he read its contents. His lips curled into a grin filled with greed and amusement.

"So, you're saying these two kingdoms aren't fighting for land…" he said slowly, his tone cold and curious. "But for treasure."

One of his armored followers stepped forward. "Yes, Your Highness. And according to the report, there's also a Dragon Nest involved."

The man's eyes lit up with interest. "A Dragon Nest?" He let out a low laugh. "I can't believe they managed to hide something that important."

"Your Highness," the knight asked carefully, "do you want to interfere in this war?"

The man tilted his head slightly, a wicked smile forming on his face. "Hehe… of course I have to." He stood up from his chair, his armor clinking softly. "Treasure and gold mean nothing to us. But a world-shattering artifact… that's something different."

He turned toward the window, watching the setting sun dip behind the mountains. His tone grew darker, colder. "Such power shouldn't belong to petty kingdoms. It should belong to us. Only to us."

He looked back at his subordinate. "Go and tell the Baron to ready his troops. It's time to stir the water a little," he said with a grin.

The knight saluted sharply. "Yes, Your Highness."

As the tent flaps fluttered in the wind, the man laughed softly to himself. "Time to have some fun," he whispered.

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