The West Wind's Destination - Chapter 49
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As they neared their destination, the rain intensified.
Bea had assumed it was raining heavily around the mansion, hence the need for raincoats, but it seemed there was another reason.
“It’s raining heavily. Is this area always like this?”
“No. It’s because of the magical device. It was brought in to extinguish a forest fire, but now it can’t be stopped, and that’s why it’s raining like this.”
The situation was as follows.
Forest fires were common around the mines at the end of spring. Even with preventive measures, the area’s dryness meant a little heat could ignite a fire.
When the fire started to spread, Ruslan, who was dispatched there, requested the use of a magical device.
The problem was the area’s weak geological structure and frequent landslides during summer rains were overlooked.
Although the fire was contained, the downpour created by the magical device caused landslides. Ruslan, responsible for the device, was the first to be swept away and went missing, and the device, needing his command to stop, continued to operate, causing incessant rain.
“So that’s why you had to come.”
“Yes.”
The device was created to mimic magic. With the user incapacitated, it required someone else to stop it, and only Vilkanos’s anti-magic power could do that. Stopping the rain was essential to search for casualties and manage the situation.
As they approached the accident site, a supervisor who recognized Aseph from afar rushed over.
Aseph dismounted and handed Homun, whom he had been carrying, to Bea, then started talking with the supervisor.
The report was grim: at least 150 dead, about 200 missing, and countless injured.
Bea coldly observed the devastated magic stone mine.
‘So many dead.’
Bodies were strewn along the roadside, pulled from the mud. Even at a glance, there seemed to be dozens.
While Aseph talked with the supervisor, another worker approached the solitary Bea.
“Pardon me, are you a mage?”
“No.”
His question was reasonable. Unless she was there to help with magic, there was no reason for a small woman to be at such a place.
“An alchemist.”
Hearing her response, the worker’s face paled.
“Why is an alchemist here…?”
Alchemists could create magical devices but couldn’t remotely control them. Essentially, she was no different from a civilian in this situation.
Even worse, Bea’s inspection of the bodies seemed to terrify him. The prejudice that alchemists were grave robbers who used corpses for research was still strong.
Bea didn’t respond, and the worker quickly left. Others whispered and pointed fingers.
‘Why would an alchemist come here?’
‘To feast on the corpses, probably.’
‘Such people dig through corpses on battlefields.’
‘Why would the Guardian bring someone like that?’
Used to such gazes, Bea ignored them, focused on her task.
‘Still the same.’
Instead, she inspected the mine more closely. The structure was typical, with a large main tunnel branching off like a tree. Despite the chaos, the layout was clear to her.
The large pit, although obstructed by landslides, could still have air pockets within its branched tunnels, suggesting the possibility of survivors. Considering the size of the mine and the number of workers, Bea estimated around 80 survivors might still be found at this site.
As she completed her mental calculations, Aseph approached after finishing his conversation with the supervisor. His expression was nothing short of dismal. He spoke as if announcing a difficult decision.
“Bea, I plan to completely shut down the magical device here. We need to search for survivors.”
The rain continued unabated. Bea immediately understood what he meant.
He had decided to forgo searching for Ruslan to save more people.
“You understand what that means, right?”
“…Yes, I do.”
The magical device, made for those who couldn’t use magic, had a basic safety mechanism. Even if Ruslan was swept away, the device’s proximity would have activated a protective shield around him. However, since the rain hadn’t stopped, he was likely unconscious.
But keeping the device active would hinder the search for other survivors. If it were natural rain, there might be hope for it to stop, but not in this case. To facilitate a safe search, they needed to manually halt it.
Bea, however, was not pleased with this solution.
“No.”
“…”
Aseph couldn’t hide his sorrow. Bea’s reason for objecting was all too clear.
“If you step in, all the magic stones in this mine will lose their function and become mere rocks.”
“Bea, but… We need to clear the debris to find the survivors. It’s impossible with the rain continuing.”
“I came here to find my materials. I don’t want any further delays.”
“Are you insane!”
The outcry came from elsewhere.
“Is this mad alchemist here to mock us?”
“People have died! People are dead, and you don’t care!”
Thwack!
Bea caught a stone thrown at her. She wasn’t foolish enough to let such things hit her.
“Stop this!”
Knights around Aseph yelled, but the crowd continued to rage. They had lost families and colleagues in the accident and couldn’t see reason.
“Bea, as you can see… It’s hard to convince them in this situation. They’ve lost their families.”
And Aseph had prepared himself to lose a dear friend for this decision.
Sighing, Bea conceded reluctantly.
“You forgot. I’m an alchemist.”
“Sorry?”
“I’m an alchemist who digs through the earth for corpses. Haven’t you heard?”
Alchemists, notorious for disrespecting life, using living people as test subjects, or even desecrating graves for research, were despised.
Bea hadn’t denied these accusations when she faced scorn here.
Because alchemists actually did dig through graves.
They didn’t see the dead as anything significant. Why respect a corpse that’s no longer a living person? Bea had even dissected her mentor’s body to understand its structure.
Why couldn’t she find the flesh under the mud? They were all precious research materials.
“Let’s hold off on that method. I’ll search for the survivors myself.”
Rather, finding the living would be even easier.
