Rivers of the Night-Chapter 234: Scythe

Aliza didn't wait for Gengh's rebuttal at all. As for Theron, he just followed along without a word too.

Gengh stood in silence, not sure what to do, but then one horse after another began to brush by him.

"Wait!" Gengh called out. "You can't just make a unilateral decision. You have to at least explain yourself!"

He quickly hopped onto his horse and rushed after them. There was a defiance in his eyes that was only belied by his embarrassment. But he felt that he couldn't just let things drop like that for no reason.

Theron didn't have much to do with this, so he was content to sit by and watch. Why get himself involved in something he didn't have to get involved in?

Aliza looked over her shoulder. "There's no such protocol."

According to the rules, decisions like this could be made based on hierarchy, and she was clearly the highest priority opinion here. Plus, if every decision intelligence made had to be explained down to the lowest tier soldier, then would the army ever even get anything done?

Obviously not.

Gengh was simply wrong again, but his embarrassment wasn't allowing things to rest.

In Aliza's opinion, though, he only had himself to blame. If he didn't try and make a quick decision for everyone, she would have been willing to have a discussion. But there was little she hated more than people who were confidently wrong, so she decided to put him in his place instead.

Irritation flashed across Gengh's face, and he almost exploded. But in the end, he quite literally bit his tongue to calm himself down. This was definitely some sort of test, and he was failing with drowning colors at this point.

"… Then I will have to ask my superior to please explain to me…" he said slowly.

Aliza looked back as they trotted along.

"Your deductions were too shallow," she explained. "You spent all your brain power thinking about what path the hounds would choose, and not enough about what would happen to the path after they got there."

Gengh's eyes opened wide as realization set in.

"But… have they been here for long enough to cause such changes to the environment?"

"That would also depend. Where are we right now?" Aliza asked as though lecturing a child. But the gentle and almost caring tone of guidance she was suddenly using showed why it was Dean Pennel would trust her with the role of librarian.

"Um, the center of the province?" Gengh wasn't sure how else to answer.

"Not just the center of the province. We're actually in a plain located between the north and the center, a transition point that doesn't have much of a population, and for good reason. The nutrients here are lacking, the Mana isn't quite so dense, and the natural phenomena here are lacking. If anything, the hounds are choosing this place precisely because it's the location with the least amount of competition."

Gengh's eyes opened wide. "You mean because this region is so weak and Mana deficient, the ability of powerful Silver Resonance Mana Beasts to influence the landscape is naturally powerful?"

"Exactly right. They could probably do this much damage in just a few days at the moment. In fact, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if they caused these changes to the right path in just a single pass through if what I think about the Alpha is true…"

Gengh and Shah looked toward one another.

"What's wrong with the Alpha?"

"… The instincts of a beast should be even sharper than any of ours, especially when it comes to finding things that would be useful for their evolution. There's a very good reason they would ignore the potential Blood Weeds on the first path…"

"It's no longer useful to them," Shah finished softly.

Blood Weed. It wasn't some great Mana Herb or something, it was just a Bronze Resonance Mana Herb that could be improved. But… it was still classified at the Imbued Grade, making it far stronger than most Mana Herbs.

Logically speaking, it was quite valuable. Even if not for Silver Resonance Mana Beasts, the lower tier Bronze Resonance Mana Beasts of the pack would certainly need it.

Plus, finding it and nurturing them, protecting them, was something that might give the pack a chance to grow them into Silver Blood Weeds, which would be useful for the larger majority of them.

But the pack ignored them entirely.

What would give them the capital to ignore Imbued Mana Herbs?

Much like Beasts, Graded Mana Herbs were on another level compared to normal Mana Herbs. Mana Herbs and feral beasts were perfectly analogous to Graded Mana Herbs and Mana Beasts.

The only Mana Beast that would ignore Imbued Mana Herbs of the Bronze Resonance was either a beast that had already stepped from Quasi Gold to Gold…

Or a Manaborn Beast.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

"Alright, Aliza. Come back," General Pennel said calmly. "You will ride with us."

Aliza blinked, but silently obliged, slowing her steed until she rode alone behind the General and his Lieutenant. By this point, the four students of the military stream had moved ahead of this group.

Theron continued to observe this silently. Now, the academic stream trio was ahead of everyone else, but they were also going deeper and deeper into what was presumably real danger.

'Interesting methods…'

Theron's eyes shifted back to the military stream students to see what they were thinking. One of them, the Second Year, Theron believed, grinned at him.

Theron's eyes shifted to his lapel, and then back up to the golden hair that flowed down his shoulders.

Zhen Clan.

Typical.

Well, this wouldn't likely be under Dean Pennel's instruction. She was the head of the academic stream, not the military stream. The only reason Theron was participating in both was because of the Emperor's words.

But other than that… the Pennels had very little input on who could stand amongst them today.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to the road?" the Second Year asked.

Theron smiled gently. "I am. Understanding my teammates is part of my task."

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"Is that so?"

"Mm," Theron nodded, his smile still so gentle no one noticed him unsheath his weapon but General Pennel himself.

But even General Pennel only had time for his gaze to sharpen just the slightest bit before a scythe of water had cut off the Second Year's head.