It's not your fault

Chapter 33 It's not your fault

Even after living for 36 years, Ceid would always find himself flustered whenever he faced what he believed to be his life's biggest problem: a crying woman.

Ceid resorted to his old trick, placing his hand on hers to offer comfort. Simultaneously, he focused on controlling his mental strength and True Qi to enter her body, aiming to stabilize her emotions.

He couldn't bear the thought of her succumbing to grief and guilt, potentially spiraling into depression.

While doing this, Ceid continued to accompany her patiently by her side.

After regaining her composure, she continued her narrative.

She recounted how she had infiltrated the base, describing her stealthy movements as she searched for clues.

She detailed the instant she stumbled upon a group of people, the organization's leader and elders, gathered inside a room. When she stealthily spied on their conversation, she learned that the organization had indeed orchestrated the attack on his younger brother.

She confessed to Ceid how her heart boiled with anger and a thirst for revenge upon hearing this revelation. She described how she shadowed the leader and struck him decisively, driven by her desire for justice.

She didn't hide back in admitting that she had detonated the underground base as an act of vengeance. Now, she feared that her actions, particularly the base's explosion, had triggered the beast riot, leading to the beast tide.

As she finished her narration, she wailed again, blaming herself for the death of those soldiers facing the beast tide.

Hearing her wailing, Ceid was momentarily stunned, unable to find the right words to comfort her.

While her story seemed logical, he couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't quite add up. But at the moment, he was too flustered and preoccupied to care about it.

In his clumsy attempt to provide assurance and a sense of security to the young girl, he took her into his arms and gently patted her shoulder.

As her weight rested against him, he realized how small and fragile she appeared. Despite his previous thoughts of her being older, she was undeniably just a young girl who needed assurance and comfort.

He allowed her to cry freely, as she released all pent-up emotions and insecurities she had. With his chin resting on her head, he enveloped her in his presence, becoming a source of support and strength.

Despite his own doubts, he continued to soothe her, "Don't worry. It's not your fault."

While he let her continue to depend on him, Ceid quietly asked Wyd.

"Wyd, what's your take on this situation?" Ceid asked in his mind.

<Host, to answer your question, I believe a thorough analysis is necessary make an informed decision regarding Ms. Ayda's actions. This will allow you evaluate the situation objectively.>

"Oh? Why do you think so?"

<According to a confidential report from the Eastern Military Region database, several days ago, there were explosions deep in northern mountain range.>

<One of the explosion sites, occurred in an underground base suspected to be owned by affiliate organization Vesceira Cult Organization.>

<Said affiliate organization itself is not considered particularly strong. Its most powerful members are only at the initial stage of junior practitioners. However, authorities were having trouble eradicating them due to their expertise in hiding.>

Ceid nodded in understanding. This explained how Ayda could infiltrate the base without being detected after discovering the base.

<Affirmative. Additionally, Ms. Ayda's sensitivity to magic fluctuations likely helped her evade being discovered by those individuals.>

<The report indicates that the explosion had a relatively small range, only affecting mountain where underground base was situated. Consequently, its impact on surrounding area limited.>

<Furthermore, military investigations uncovered another explosion site near the initial blast. This secondary location was identified as a remnant base belonging to same organization, with an underground passage connecting two. However, analysis of energy levels suggests Mystic-level powerhouse destroyed it.>

<However, despite extensive investigation, the military was unable to determine causes of explosion or motives behind attack by powerhouse. As a result, both incidents remain classified as unsolved cases.>

"I see," Ceid silently analyzed the report.

He now had a clearer understanding of the situation.

If he combined the report with Ayda's story, it was safe to assume that Ayda caused the first explosion.

And shortly afterward, another Mystic-level powerhouse destroyed the base. As this report was from the military, it was clear that it was a third-party powerhouse.

In short, the second explosion could have various origins—a deliberate attack by the organization's enemies, retaliation from a victim's family, or even an internal conflict between the affiliated organization and the Vesceira Cult Organization.

Instead, it wouldn't be surprising if someone developed a bomb capable of rivaling the power of a Mystic-level powerhouse's attack and used it against them. After all, the lengths people would go to in such situations were often unpredictable and extreme.

After gaining a rough understanding of the incident, Ceid couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, amused by Ayda's wild imagination.

However, Ayda, lost in her world of self-blame, felt a surge of anger and frustration when she heard him laugh at her story. Here she was, feeling dejected, sad, and remorseful, yet this guy could still laugh.

Glaring at him through her tears, she asked, "Why are you laughing?!"

Noticing his lapse in sensitivity, Ceid immediately coughed and addressed her with a serious expression. "Ayda, let me ask you first. Why do you believe you're partly at fault?"

Ayda answered matter-of-factly, "Because I caused the explosion."

Hearing her prompt response, Ceid followed up, "Then, let me ask you this: How was the distribution of beasts around the base? Did you encounter any Beast Kings?"

Hesitating slightly, Ayda replied, "I'm not sure. I was too focused on infiltrating and seeking revenge. But I didn't encounter any danger. There were no Beast Kings or strong beasts around."

Ceid nodded in understanding, mentally adding, "Of course, or else you wouldn't have been able to approach the base safely."

He then asked, "And lastly, did you inadvertently enter a Beast King's nest and harm its cub, or unintentionally explode a beast nest when you were there?"

Ceid's sudden change of question dumbfounded Ayda. "No, I haven't. What does this have to do with the explosion at the base?"

Looking at her knowingly, Ceid replied, "So, don't you have your answer now?"

Ayda looked at him with confusion. She couldn't connect his seemingly random questioning with her guilt over causing the beast tide.

Sensing her confusion, Ceid continued, "What I mean is, you didn't cause the beast tide."

Seeing that she still couldn't comprehend how she wasn't responsible for it, Ceid changed his approach. "Then, let's look at it differently. What's your cultivation level?"

This time, Ayda was truly puzzled. "Cultivation level?"

"Ahem,...I meant your strength level, your power level." Ceid realized that the concept of cultivation might not be familiar to her.

Ayda answered, "I'm a Mortal Level 3 magician."

Ceid then started to reason with her. "Why do you think someone like you, a rookie, could cause such a catastrophe? Why would those beast kings bother to retaliate with such terror to the land because of someone like you?"

Though in his mind, he added, technically the beast kings she feared were also considered rookies to him, but alas.

Hearing Ceid calling her 'rookie', Ayda's pride tempted her to quibble, but after remembering the Beast Kings' level, she wisely chose not to say anything.

Instead, she hesitantly responded, "I don't know... maybe because I destroyed their habitat?"

Ceid gave her a reassuring smile. "That's where you're mistaken."

He explained, "Among the beasts in the wild, conflicts are natural occurrences. Fights between low and high-level powers are constantly occurring everywhere; it's a matter of survival of the fittest. These clashes can reshape the land—mountains flatten, rivers reroute."

He continued, "Compared to these clashes, why do you think a mere explosion of a small mountain would cause such a great disturbance?

Do you know, deep in the wilderness, these Beast Kings had been coexisting and competing with each other all these while?

Have you ever witnessed the fight between Level 8 and Level 9? That's a scene of disaster.

But have you heard of their fight causing panic among other beasts, inciting other Beast Kings to riot and resulting in a beast tide?"

Hearing Ceid's words, it was as if she was just enlightened. Ayda's mind began to clear, as if a heavy rain cloud had lifted, allowing sunlight to brighten her day.

Seeing her starting to brighten up, Ceid decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Let's examine this time beast tide more closely. The battle formation of the beast horde seemed fierce, with many level 7 and 8 beast kings participating. Typically, only beast kings above level 9 could lead such a horde.

However, here's the issue: this alone couldn't trigger a beast tide.

While there's a level gap between level 8 and level 9, it's not qualitative. They're both still in the late stage of the mortal realm, essentially fellow beast kings. And as fellow beast kings, they could never convince each other and are not afraid of each other."

 Ayda silently nodded in agreement while listening to Ceid's explanation.

"So there's only one plausible explanation," Ceid continued. "Something that could incite so many beast kings to riot must be of a higher danger level."

After listening intently for a long time, Ayda finally asked, "Then what could it be that caused them to riot?"

After finally getting a response, Ceid's face lit up as he answered, "It could be a volcano eruption, a space quake, disturbances in dungeons, or even a retaliation from a Beast Lord who was provoked."

Ayda knew that a Beast Lord was a beast at the Mystical level.

Ceid's words were reassuring, calming Ayda's troubled mind. "Regardless of the cause, there are many possibilities for a beast tide to occur," he affirmed. "The same applies to this situation. There must be something else that triggered the beast tide. And it's certainly not your actions that caused this chaos."

Relief flooded Ayda's expression as she nodded with a smile.

"So, don't worry," Ceid continued, playfully teasing her. "You could never become the catalyst for such a tragedy.

Not until you become a powerhouse in the mystical realm, that is."