Gates of Penance

Chapter 40: A suspicious mission

Nacht looked at the cloak with interest.

For some reason, he couldn’t focus on Mirad when he was wearing the black cloak. He would try but his attention would somehow turn somewhere else as if what he was looking at was uninteresting. No doubt it was an extremely useful relic.

He then turned to Magi.

"What about you? Do you also have a fancy relic?"

Magi smiled and tilted her head.

"Why would Magi need to stay hidden? If anything, abstracts should be afraid of Magi."

Mirad shook his head.

"She’s lying... we have the same cloak."

Suddenly, Magi summoned a cloak that was identical to Mirad’s.

Nacht looked at the two sinners in surprise.

"How do you each have the same relic? Don’t tell me relics grow on trees these days."

Mirad shook his head.

"No, it is a product of my primary ability. My rune allows me to duplicate certain objects, including relics."

The ability to duplicate objects was quite the ability. It also explained why everyone in their camp had the same outfit.

Nacht suddenly put on a friendly smile.

"Do you think I can have one?"

Mirad smiled back.

"I thought you said your abilities are uniquely suited to staying hidden? Don’t tell me that was all a lie?"

Nacht shook his head.

"It wasn’t."

With that, he, Magi, and Mirad began their journey across the land of the dead.

He didn’t like the name the sinners have given this place. Partly because it came with the presumption that they were going to die here, but mostly because the land didn’t seem dead at all. Everywhere He looked was a visage beautiful enough to take his breath away.

He even found himself feeling a little excited on his journey because then he would be able to explore and see things he had never seen before. In fact, there were a lot of places he wanted to see but this was enough for now.

He turned to Mirad and Magi.

"So what’s the actual reason we are traveling on this journey? Surely we aren’t risking our lives only to trade some supplies are we?"

Mirad shook his head.

"We do indeed need to exchange some supplies but you are right. There are other reasons we have for venturing towards the other camps as well."

Mirad lingered for a moment.

"In six months each of the camps decided to make one last attempt at leaving this place. There will not be another chance... so we want to make this one count."

His gaze suddenly darkened.

"However, it’s not that simple. After all, each of the camps are split for a reason. Not all of the clans have a good relationship with one other. In fact, most of the sinners outside of this camp are all enemies of our clans."

Nacht knew at least this much. The clans were likely in competition with one another and if they could manage to take down another clans prodigy, then that would be a critical blow. At the same time, Nacht found it funny how humanity was in desperate need of enlightened warriors and yet they were still fighting each other. Human nature was a funny thing.

Magi laughed.

"Magi thinks they are still pretty sour that we kicked their buts all the way back at the institute! Has it really been two years since then?"

Mirad nodded head.

"Time flies. I still can’t believe we’ve been stuck here for a year."

Magi smiled.

"Mirad should be happy. After all, if it weren’t for Nora we would have died the day we step foot out of penance."

Mirad’s face turned pale.

"Don’t remind me."

Nacht had a look of confusion on his face.

"Institute... what is that?"

Mirad and Magi looked at him with wide eyes before they returned to normal.

"I almost forgot... You’re not exactly one of us are you?"

Magi nudged his shoulder causing the green eyed sinner to stutter.

"I–I mean you’re not from a clan."

Magi suddenly put an arm around his shoulder causing Nacht to shudder involuntarily.

"You don’t have to worry about that! Magi and Mirad are from lesser clans so we know how it feels to be seen as less than what you actually are!"

She let go of Nacht while he looked at them in slight annoyance.

’Do they actually think they might hurt my feelings?’

He spoke in a neutral tone.

"That doesn’t answer my question though."

Mirad scratched the back of his head.

"The institution is where the enlightened clans send their children to learn how to become an enlightened and survive penance. That actually reminds me, how did you manage to survive penance given you didn’t have the same tools we did? "

Nacht frowned.

"I was self taught and homeschooled, so I wasn’t entirely helpless... and I got extremely lucky."

He looked at the two of them with curiosity.

"How did you two survive penance?"

He instantly felt the atmosphere turn a little gloomy.’

"Magi and Mirad along with Historia were part of the same legion along with a couple of other sinners. They didn’t make it out, while we did."

He noticed both of their faces turn sad with regret. After all, it must have been hard knowing that your fellow comrades didn’t make it out alive.

He shifted the conversation back to the original topic of conversation.

"I still don’t understand why we specifically have to go on this mission, couldn’t they have sent someone else? And what exactly are we doing besides trading supplies?"

His voice turned a little sarcastic at the end since it was obvious that they weren’t simply going to exchange supplies.

Mirad answered in a matter of fact tone.

"Firstly, this mission is actually quite important so Nora needs people she can trust. Secondly, we have the perfect set of abilities for the job. It will be quite difficult crossing the dead lands without someone with a pathfinding ability and who is better at trading supplies than me who has an ability to literally create resources out of thin air!"

Magi then turned to Nacht and smirked.

"As for the actual reason we are there, that is where you come in."