140 My Heart Sank

"Why?" He asked me without even waiting for a second.

"As you know, I'm not quite fit to be a Guild Master or a leader," I admitted, certain that I wasn't suitable for leading a guild, considering I was used to leading a different kind of organization. "And I won't be around in a month, as I'll be going to the Imperial Academy, so staying here is out of the question," I added.

"Mr. Ren, I think you're taking the position being offered to you lightly. Let me guarantee you that wasting your time going to that academy won't do any good. You might as well stay here and help us; being a Guild Master is not a small opportunity," Clay tried to convince me, but my mind was set on my plans.

"Listen-" I began to explain my reasons when suddenly,

*Knock*knock*

"Guild Master, there's an emergency," Astrid's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Come in," Clay said as Astrid entered the room.

Alongside her, Blaze entered the room behind her while wagging his tail.

'You succeeded?' I asked as Blaze jumped on my lap and then to my shoulder.

'Yeah, I did, how'd you even know that there is a secret chamber in this building?' Blaze asked a genuine question, and the answer was simple.

The moment I entered the guild, I felt dense mana in the atmosphere, so I used Elemental Vision and mana senses at the same time and looked for abnormalities in the structure itself.

It works like radar or x-ray vision, to be honest, which is quite useful. The world loses its normal appearance and is painted in the colors of the elements and raw mana only.

If I were to look at a person, I wouldn't see anything - not their silhouette, flesh, or even the heat in their body. I can directly see into their mana core.

I did the same when I entered this room and found out about the hidden chamber that was triggered by the books on the shelves.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, Astrid approached Clay and me.

She looked a little bit nervous as she gazed at me and Clay simultaneously and opened her mouth,"An Illusory Forest Path has appeared in Balcker Forest. Few of the Adventurer parties have gone missing in the restricted area of the forest, and we can't contact them at all. So there's an uproar down in the hall... they are all worried."

"What!?" Clay exclaimed, and I was simultaneously surprised.

Not by the fact that Balcker Forest had an Illusory Forest Path, but the fact that this is the second time that this has happened. I still remember that day when I encountered the Illusory Forest Path while traveling with Anabelle and her friends.

"I think this concludes our chat here. We can continue this when Alver comes back, I guess," I got up from my seat as I think I got everything that I had been looking for.

A lot of pieces were scrambled here and there, most of them were not even connected to me, but the impact they could leave on me was huge... at least that's what I would like to think.

"What about the... are you saying that you'd accept?" Clay asked as he got up too, and we both began leaving the room as Astrid followed.

"I said that we'll talk about it after Alver is here... I think it might be better for us to not leave him out of the conversation," I smiled as I held the door open for Clay and Astrid and closed it on my way out too.

I think it'll be better if Alver is here because I have something that'll benefit me from the deal... if it's made, that is.

We then came down to the Guild hall, and it was chaos.

There were a lot of adventurers waiting for Clay down here, all of them had worried expressions etched on their faces. It was the first time for most of them to see this kind of phenomenon happen because they don't travel that much like mercenaries.

"Hey Clay! Do something, my friend is stuck in there! We have to send someone to look for him," a lean grey-haired young man shouted as soon as he saw Clay. He didn't even add "Old man," which is usually used to refer to Clay, meaning that adventurers are in a panic.

Another girl who wore a witch hat stepped forward and said, "Acting Guild Master, my sister is also stuck in there, and the knights won't let us go in there."

"Listen." Clay clapped his hands and attracted the attention of everyone in there to himself as I was getting out of the Guild.

I don't think there's any need for me to be here anymore, as I've already gotten what I was looking for. As for the Illusory Forest Path, it'll go away after some time, but till then, it's quite shocking to be able to encounter it twice in this short time span.

"I know that y'all are not used to seeing this kind of thing, but let me assure you that these Illusory Forest Paths aren't mostly harmful. It's just Illusion magic that occurs because of the disturbance in the mana atmosphere and a few more other catalysts, nothing much," Clay began explaining, trying to calm down the worried adventurers. "At most, they'd lose their consciousness because of the headache."

"And what about the mana beasts?" I asked in my mind, as it's obvious that the people who are currently in the Balcker Forest's restricted area might encounter some mana beast who is also confused by the Illusory Path and... something worse might happen.

Clay continued to calm the cattle of adventurers, and I completely left the guild behind.

'Princess, aren't you interested in the Illusory Forest Path appearance at all?' Blaze asked.

I can't say that I am not interested, but it's not strong enough for me to waste my time and go there to look. Plus, that girl in the Guild also said that the knights have seized the forest too.

It's not like they can stop everyone from entering; at most, they are just doing the basics of what is needed. So if that girl actually was that worried, then it wouldn't be hard for her to get in, but it's just that she won't even try because of the fear of getting lost too.

"So where are we going?" Blaze asked as I looked up, his curious eyes scanning the surroundings.

Today wasn't as bright as usual; the sky was filled with clouds, and it felt like it would rain soon. The air held a tinge of dampness that hinted at an approaching downpour.

"We'd get something to eat, and then the next destination is our father's antique shop," I said, glancing at Blaze to see if he understood.

Blaze nodded, his tail flicking from side to side in anticipation.

We then made our way to the market district, the sound of bustling activity filling the air as merchants called out their wares. Spotting a good restaurant, I entered and had a hearty meal with the money I had. The aroma of freshly cooked food tantalized my senses as I savored each bite.

Leaving the restaurant, I made my way to the place where the antique shop is. The talk with Clay took quite some time, so it should be time for my father to open the shop....

Or so I thought.

"It's still closed?" I wondered as I looked at the still locked door of the small shop.

"Yeah, it looks like Mr. Hilton is late," the neighboring elderly shop owner lady said as she watered the flowers that were on display in front of her shop. Her hands moved gracefully, carefully tending to each plant with a gentle touch.

"That seems to be the case," I sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.

As I turned my face, I noticed the beautiful flowers that were planted in pots nearby. The vibrant colors stood out against the gray sky, adding a touch of beauty to the otherwise mundane surroundings.

"How much for those?" I asked the lady, pointing at the white five-petaled flowers.

"Oh, these? Two bronze coins for a bouquet," the lady said with a warm smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

I handed her four bronzes and took two bouquets from her, the delicate petals soft under my touch.

Pluck*

"Take this, hope you have a good day," I said, extending one flower from the bouquet towards the elderly woman.

"Oh my! What a gentleman, thank you, and hope you have a good day too," she said, her voice filled with gratitude, as she accepted the flower.

'Quite chivalrous, huh? Didn't expect that from you, princess,' Blaze commented, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"Well, it's not like I should always be stressing about everything. Sometimes being able to relax is also good," I replied, feeling a sense of contentment in my heart.

Walking around a little more, I came in front of a house. The house was quite big with a dojo attached, and I could hear the faint sounds of training coming from inside.

I approached the door and rang the bell.

Ding dong*

I waited for quite a while, but there was no response, and the door remained locked. The silence was only interrupted by the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.

"Is she not home?" I wondered aloud, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Last time, Marylin had mentioned feeling lonely since her daughter was not around much, so I thought I'd give her a surprise visit. But it looked like she wasn't home.

'What if she's at your house?' Blaze suggested.

"Could be," I mused, my mind racing with possibilities. Since my father wasn't at the shop, and Marylin's floral shop was closed, they might as well be still at home, spending time together as a family.

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Ding*

"Why isn't anyone opening the door!?" I grabbed the knob and tried to open the door of my house, but it was already open.

"Huh?" My heart sank in a moment as I saw the door open without any effort.

It's not usual for my mother to leave the door open at all; she keeps it closed no matter what.

"Calm down, princess. Don't panic; it's nothing-" Whatever Blaze was trying to explain to me was not going to my head, as I was quite baffled.

This scenario felt so familiar that it haunted me even now.

The day I lost my parents was just like this.