Becoming a Monster

Chapter 588: Chapter 587: A Choice Between Disasters

Just as Noah chose to place the looming storm above every other concern. The same was decisively being made throughout the world.

The endless clouds hanging above them had become the subject of countless theories, yet not a single race could confidently explain why this never-before-seen phenomenon was happening.

Whether it was humans, beastkin, elves, dwarves, or demons, every being felt the same foreboding unease.

—

Far from Noah’s territory, the city of Ashenveil had become noticeably busier than usual.

The streets bustled with hurried footsteps as adventurers, merchants, and ordinary civilians moved from one shop to another, carrying far more supplies than they normally would.

Ordinarily, the growing army preparing to march against the demon would’ve been the only thing anyone spoke about.

Today...

Rumors spread just as quickly as the crowds themselves.

Some believed an unprecedented storm was approaching, while others were influenced by the Church’s sermons, and believed the gods were revealing an omen.

Many didn’t care which answer was true. They only cared whether they could afford to wait.

Even the apothecaries found themselves nearly overwhelmed as preserved rations disappeared with each purchase.

The Church also found itself struggling to accommodate the growing crowds. Those unable to afford an inn, along with those whose homes were little more than wooden shacks, hurried to secure what shelter the Church could still offer before every available space disappeared.

The Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t much different.

For adventurers, missing even a single day of work meant losing the coin needed for food, lodging, and equipment repairs. Yet accepting a mission while the sky looked like that felt no different from gambling with their lives.

Because of that, the Adventurers’ Guild had become even more crowded than the streets outside.

Some came searching for answers. Others came to cancel missions they no longer dared to complete.

More gathered around the boards, where emergency requests for city missions were already appearing one after another.

Temporary lodging needed to be built across the guild’s training grounds in case travelers were forced to remain inside the city.

Adventurers still outside the walls needed to be found and brought back before the storm arrived. Hunters were being hired to secure monster meat before the city’s provisions became an issue.

The entire guild had become a storm of its own.

Yet despite the commotion of filling the lower floors, the atmosphere inside the Guildmaster’s office couldn’t have been more different.

Every member of Thalric’s inner circle had already gathered.

Their attention remained fixed upon the man standing beside the window, his eyes quietly lingering on the endless clouds stretching across the horizon.

"Why must the world continue to place these burdens on humanity?" Thalric’s melancholic voice reached everyone there. The atmosphere reflected why no one answered; each one focused on their own heavy thoughts.

Their city was a mess right now.

The zombies that came from the other world were more dangerous than any common undead they had from their world.

Half of their guild was already struggling to provide aid to distant towns and other cities. Even then, it was something that they regretted doing.

The zombies from this other world were world-threatening. When injured by the undead of their world, one would have to worry about curses, blood, or skin rot. In the worst cases, it would be a slow, agonizing death.

However, the zombies from the other worlds made them wonder how humans could survive for even a few days. One bite, one scratch, and that would be enough not just to curse that individual, but they would even become one of the undead, and powerful at that.

The reports coming in about their adventures being turned, increasing the strength of the undead tide, made it impossible for them to keep still. Nearly every war effort was focused on the new variants rather than the demons themselves.

And it wasn’t just them; reports from their allies suggested that this was happening everywhere.

If that wasn’t enough, they now had to worry about a demon that came from this very same world. A demon with a den of monsters, all possessing strength approaching S-Rank, while its leader possessed the potential to reach even greater heights.

They had already begun preparing to deal with that threat.

And now...

The world itself had chosen that exact moment to change.

No one knew what those clouds meant. No one knew whether they would bring destruction, salvation, or something far worse.

Yet every instinct Thalric possessed warned him that whatever was approaching wouldn’t care whether they were prepared to face it or not.

It was as though the world had looked upon everything humanity was already struggling against...

...and decided it still wasn’t enough.

—

Thalric quietly released a long breath. It did little to ease the weight pressing against his shoulders.

The lives of countless adventurers were now in his hands.

The city’s stability rested upon his decisions.

The welfare of every civilian seeking refuge within Ashenveil had already become another burden he couldn’t afford to ignore.

Even so, there was still one matter he couldn’t continue putting off.

His eyes slowly drifted away from the endless clouds before settling upon everyone gathered within the room.

"...What have they decided?"

The question broke the heavy atmosphere. Everyone gradually pulled themselves away from their own thoughts before instinctively turning toward the same person.

Elowen habitually adjusted her glasses, the slight frown upon her face making it obvious she found little satisfaction in what she was about to say.

"The Church... along with the nobles."

She paused for only a brief moment.

"More specifically, House Ignivar."

"They’re determined to proceed with the attack against the demon."

Her eyes met Thalric’s, whose expression deepened before she could even finish.

"They’re demanding to know what you intend to do."

Thalric was never known as someone who hesitated. Yet this time, he found himself unable to answer immediately.

The situation had slipped far more out of his hands than he would’ve liked. Because the situation wasn’t as simple as the Church and nobles made it out to be.

In fact, Thalric was convinced they already understood that. If he chose to delay the attack and place the city’s safety first, they would accuse him of fearing the demon.

They would use that decision to undermine every judgment he made afterward, claiming that when the time came to make a difficult decision, the Guildmaster chose caution over action instead of protecting the true danger of humanity.

Yet refusing to lead them wouldn’t stop them from going. And delaying going another day wouldn’t stop them from going either.

If the Church and House Ignivar chose to proceed without the Guild and perished along the way, the blame would inevitably fall upon him. They would claim that the Guildmaster refused to support humanity, support God, when they needed him most.

And if, against all odds, they succeeded in slaying the demon, the consequences would be even worse. The Church and the nobles would claim they had accomplished what the Adventurers’ Guild either couldn’t or wouldn’t do.

From that moment onward, every decision made by the Guild would be questioned.

Its authority would steadily erode until the nobles and the Church no longer needed it to help stabilize the city.

And if that happened...

Ashenveil would no longer belong to the Guild. It would belong to those with the greatest wealth and extreme personal bias. Guild members would be used as tools, unequal tools, only to work for their agendas.

Thalric wanted to avoid that more than anything.

Yet, if he agreed to proceed with the attack, and the city was destroyed by the potentially destructive storm...

Then that blood would still be on his hands.

The realization caused Thalric’s expression to darken even further.

For the guild, this wasn’t just about the demon anymore. The demon was merely the piece they had chosen to move.

The real battle had always been for the people’s trust and the power struggle for the city.

—

Thalric silently weighed every possibility one last time. No matter which path he followed, someone would pay the price for it.

He, or the city, would have to pay the price for it.

He had spent far too long searching for a decision that allowed him to protect everything.

It simply didn’t exist.

"I’ve made my decision."

He looked upon everyone gathered within the room. There wasn’t a single person there he didn’t trust.

"I’m leaving Ashenveil in your hands."

Each one had stood beside him through more crises than he cared to remember.

If there was anyone capable of keeping Ashenveil together while he was gone, it was them.

What followed was disorder. Several people opened their mouths at once, each trying to convince him otherwise.

And then there were those who requested to go with him, which he flatly refused. In his words, he could only trust them to take care of the city whilst he was gone.

Throughout all this, only Elowen remained silent.

Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around the documents she was holding. She had been worried this would be his answer even before bringing it to his attention.

No one understood Thalric better than she did.

He was only half-truthful when he said he could only trust them to protect the city in his absence.

That look in his eyes told a different story. This wasn’t simply about leaving the city in capable hands.

It was a precaution.

If the attack failed, someone had to remain for the guild to survive.