Chapter 40: Path

Chapter 40: Path

Staring at the letter in front of her, Dorothy felt a surge of excitement. But as she recalled Aldrich’s earlier words, a trace of doubt arose in her mind.

‘That “toxic corruption” again… I’ve never actually felt it myself, yet so many people seem to take it extremely seriously. Should I take this chance to ask about it?’

Thinking this over, Dorothy organized her words and spoke directly.

“Sir, there’s another question I’d like to ask. What is your understanding of something called ‘toxic corruption’?”

Dorothy asked, doing her best to sound like she wasn’t completely ignorant about the subject.

“An understanding of toxic corruption… Heh~ Miss Mayschoss, that’s not something one can ‘understand,’” Aldrich replied with a laugh.

His answer made Dorothy freeze for a moment.

“Not something that can be understood? Why?”

“Because…” Aldrich said, weighing his hand slightly, “…three pounds.”

Dorothy looked at him with a completely flat expression, then handed back three pounds from the twenty she had just received. After taking the money, Aldrich continued.

“Because no one can truly understand toxic corruption. It has existed since ancient times, present in all knowledge—especially occult knowledge, where it can be terrifyingly severe. The more profound the mystery, the heavier the toxic corruption.”

“Any Beyonder who wishes to learn mystical knowledge must endure the torment and trial of toxic corruption. Those who pursue occult learning but cannot withstand it will, at best, go mad; next, they may die; at worst, they lose control entirely.”

“Toxic corruption is the threshold standing before all seekers of the arcane—a grave obstacle that blocks Beyonders as they climb upward along their paths.”

As he spoke, Aldrich’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

“Many people have studied toxic corruption, yet none have ever achieved meaningful results. No one knows what it truly is, or why it exists. We only know its manifestations, never its essence. All we can do is resist it through experience.”

“This is the poison of knowledge. If there is anyone in this world who could comprehend the true nature of toxic corruption, then it would likely be a god.”

He paused briefly, then continued.

“That’s about all I—and in fact, the vast majority of Beyonders—know about toxic corruption. This information isn’t worth much, so that’s all I’ll charge you. But let me give you one last warning, Miss Mayschoss: when reading occult knowledge, you must be fully prepared. I assume you have your own methods for that.”

Hearing Aldrich’s words, Dorothy was momentarily stunned, then silently nodded.

‘Toxic corruption… a poison inherent in knowledge itself. Its nature unclear, its essence unknown—yet it stands as an obstacle before every Beyonder seeking to ascend.’

…

At night, Igwynt Street glittered with lights. The streetlamps along both sides were fully lit, and many shops were still open. Pedestrians continued to pass along the sidewalks. Though it couldn’t compare to the nighttime bustle of the cities from Dorothy’s previous life, it was already far more lively than Vulcan.

Carriages moved back and forth along the street. At this moment, Dorothy was riding in one of them.

After saying goodbye to Aldrich, she had prepared to head home, only to find that there were no carriages left outside for her return. Just as she was wondering whether she should use the Corpse Marionette Ring to control a dead horse and ride back, Aldrich appeared in perfect timing and warmly offered her a school carriage instead.

Then he charged her ten coins for it—a fare nearly ten times higher than a normal ride.

‘Damn it, this guy is a merchant through and through, isn’t he? He even squeezes money out of something this small—and he calls himself a craftsman?!’

Sitting inside the carriage with her arms crossed, Dorothy couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. Aldrich’s sudden tendency to charge for every little thing left her rather irritated.

Still, in a certain sense, this was also a sign of his strict adherence to rules—and that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. For example, before she left, Aldrich had promised not to leak her information, regardless of whether the other party was the Serenity Bureau or the Crimson Eucharist.

“Rest assured, Miss Mayschoss. Since we’ve done several transactions together, you are now a client of our Craftsmen’s Guild. By the rules, I will absolutely never sell out any client’s information.”

Recalling Aldrich’s words, Dorothy felt a bit more at ease—if he truly kept his word about confidentiality.

The Crimson Eucharist’s attempt had failed this time, and there were no survivors to report back. Under these circumstances, the Eucharist wouldn’t know that Dorothea Mayschoss was anything out of the ordinary. They would only attribute the failure to Grayhill’s intervention, assuming their subordinates had acted carelessly and alerted him.

‘I can’t stay this passive forever. Once my advancement is complete, I can start considering a proactive counterattack. But that said… how did the Eucharist manage to have such accurate information about me in the first place? Last time they knew my schedule, and this time they even knew which school I attend… Something feels off…’

Carrying these doubts, Dorothy continued riding in the carriage. Before long, it reached Sunflower Street and stopped in front of the apartment building where she lived.

After saying goodbye to the school’s coachman, Dorothy slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and went upstairs as usual. When she pushed open the door, she saw Gregor putting on his coat.

“Oh— Thanks the Saint, you’re finally back. Dorothy. I was starting to worry something had happened to you—you’re usually not home this late,” Gregor said with a sigh of relief when he saw her.

Dorothy shrugged and replied casually,

“Don’t worry, Gregor. I just stayed at school a bit longer to ask a teacher about some study-related questions, that’s all. You know how it is—girls aren’t allowed to attend evening classes, so we’re always at a disadvantage compared to the boys. Since a teacher was willing to give me some extra guidance after class, of course I had to make the most of the opportunity.”

Dorothy said with a smile. Hearing his sister’s words, Gregor finally relaxed, his expression brightening as he spoke happily.

“After-class guidance? That’s wonderful. What a kind teacher. If you really can improve your grades because of it, you should definitely thank him properly. When the time comes, I’ll buy some gifts and you can give them to him.”

‘No need for gifts… the money I’ve spent on him is probably enough to cover ten years of tuition…’

Dorothy muttered inwardly. She went inside, put her things away, and then had dinner together with Gregor. During the meal, a thought suddenly crossed her mind, and she asked him,

“By the way, Gregor, does your company require you to register information about your family?”

“Family information… hmm… Since our work can be somewhat dangerous, if something happens they need to contact our families, so yes, family information has to be registered,” Gregor replied after thinking for a moment. As a member of the Serenity Bureau, family background checks were absolutely necessary.

“I see… Then, Gregor, when you take leave, do you have to explain the situation to your company?”

“Of course. Otherwise, why would they approve your leave?” Gregor said matter-of-factly, then looked at Dorothy with some confusion. “Why are you suddenly asking about all this?”

“Oh, nothing. I just want to learn in advance how companies in Igwynt operate, to prepare for employment after graduation,” Dorothy said, making something up on the spot.

However, after hearing her explanation, Gregor unexpectedly became quite serious.

“After graduation… Listen, Dorothy, I’ve told you before—don’t think about doing work like mine. In my opinion, becoming a lawyer would be great for you. You might not know this, but nowadays every rich person needs a lawyer. It’s a very lucrative field! Or you could take the civil service exam—Igwynt’s civil servants are pretty good too. Because of my job, I’ve had contact with some—”

From that point on, the rest of dinner turned into one long session of Gregor lecturing Dorothy about career planning. With the corner of her mouth twitching, Dorothy endured his rambling patiently. As soon as the meal was over, she fled as if escaping a disaster.

Carrying her schoolbag into her room, Dorothy immediately locked the door, turned on the desk lamp, and pulled an envelope out of her bag before sitting down at her desk.

“My career path has been decided a long time ago…”

Looking at the envelope in her hand, Dorothy murmured softly.

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