Chapter 498: Chapter 498 - Taming Drama For the three thousand soldiers who had remained as prisoners, along with a considerable part of Kharzan’s army, especially those with corrupt beasts, an attempt was being made to organize them for work. But the problem was complex on multiple levels. They were quite strong, which meant few tamers had the necessary strength to keep so many at bay. Gold-rank tamers capable of supervising prisoners of that caliber were expensive and scarce, resources the kingdom needed for other urgent priorities. Additionally, despite established control, due to their abyssal power there was always the latent fear that they could attract beasts from the depths to facilitate their escapes. Though It was an unfounded fear... Since not all had the rare crystals necessary to make such summons... crystals that only Yino’s main crystal had been selectively distributing for specific missions. The logistics were also a nightmare for Arturo. Housing, feeding, and guarding thousands of potentially dangerous prisoners required resources. Yet the alternative, mass execution, carried moral and political costs that were equally problematic. They really had thought hard about simply executing them. However, indiscriminately eliminating those with corrupt beasts sat poorly with most commanders. They were prisoners of war, not common criminals, and many could have been forced into corruption against their will. Ignatius had been in the group of golds personally supervising the group of three thousand from Yino who had stayed on the wrong side of the bridge. It was a particularly problematic group, with a high concentration of ’false doubles’ who had one integrated corrupt beast. But during supervision, he had noticed something strange. Many of them couldn’t use their corrupt beasts at any time. At first he had thought it was passive acceptance after the King’s warning. But after investigating more deeply, he realized it had been due to the contact with golden spores. It seemed their beasts had experienced a lot of exposure and had been damaged, and their internal corrupt cores had also suffered some type of damage. The abyssal creatures, which seemed much more resistant to most forms of damage, apparently had a specific vulnerability to the energy the spores had released. The discovery was significant. If the golden spores could systematically disable corrupt beasts... "Remains to be seen if it will be permanent damage," Ignatius had murmured while observing a group of prisoners trying unsuccessfully to summon their corrupt companions. The situation had become even clearer when they had tried to force some prisoners to act faster. Guards had ordered them to fuse with their normal beasts to increase their capacity, but many hadn’t been able despite anything. It was as if the damage to their corrupt beasts had created some type of collateral damage or systemic interference that affected their ability to access any form of fusion. "Interesting," Ignatius had observed. "The spore damage seems deeper than we thought." It was valuable information that could have implications for future strategies for controlling tamers with corrupt beasts. Now, pushing the rear guard of the prisoner procession toward the castle, Ignatius arrived with the last soldiers. The journey had been long and complicated, requiring multiple stops to handle escape attempts and maintain order among groups that remained potentially dangerous. ♢♢♢♢ Upon arriving at the castle, Ignatius immediately headed toward where purification operations had been established. He joined the groups working to lead and separate for purifying only the corrupted who didn’t have integrated beasts. It was a process that had become careful after some attacks and now required individual evaluation of each case. Those with integrated corrupt beasts were being kept separate, since purification damaged them more directly, similar to how the golden spores had affected the corrupt beasts and their internal systems. While supervising the last auditions to the operation, Ignatius encountered a group of professors and assistants who had arrived from the school. Among them were Finch and Klein, two figures he immediately recognized. Ignatius observed Klein with particular interest. He recognized the son of the defeated traitors, the young man whose family had been practically eliminated during recent events. It was a delicate situation from a political standpoint. The boy carried himself with the careful neutrality of a kid who understood that his very survival depended on being perceived as harmless. Every gesture seemed awkwardly calculated to avoid drawing unwanted attention or suspicion. His attention then turned to Finch, the most impertinent employee of the treasury in charge of one side of the school’s banking branch. He was the type of person who, if he weren’t part of an ’outsourcing’ arrangement, Ignatius would have already fired for his extravagant attitude and tendency to create loud and unnecessary complications. "What’s the situation with these two?" he asked the assistants accompanying the group. The assistants quickly explained recent events, including exposure to corrupt energy potions that both Finch and Klein had experienced in the school attack, and the concern that they might need preventive purification. "I understand," Ignatius nodded. "It would be better to take them to Matriarch Selphira. She’s supervising the purifications and can evaluate if they need treatment." ♢♢♢♢ Finally, the entire group headed toward where Selphira was coordinating purification operations. The elderly warrior had established an efficient system that combined evaluation with safety procedures, ensuring each case was handled appropriately. Ren, who had been worrying about any more attacks and having to shoot a less powerful light to not disintegrate people from afar again... Saw Finch and Klein approaching with Ignatius’s group while he was still working on one of the purification lines. "Teacher," Ren called, "can you keep my line frozen for a moment." Lin nodded. He immediately approached with Selphira also heading toward the new group of people requiring evaluation. "Ah, our young magnate!" Finch exclaimed, placing a hand dramatically over his heart while Theodore, his mouse beast, straightened on his hind legs as if about to recite epic poetry. "You’ve arrived just in time to hear a story of courage, sacrifice, and..." he made a theatrical pause, "unprecedented ’theatrical-emotional’ intelligence." Theodore nodded vigorously, then brought a paw to his forehead in a fainting pose. "What exactly happened?" Ren asked, trying to maintain a serious expression while Theodore stretched his eyelids. After hearing a very small summary about traumas and terrible experiences with corruption from Ravenspire and Kassian from the assistants trying to silence Finch... Ren decided to let the banker talk and approached Finch and Klein with genuine concern. "Ah, thanks for letting us tell our own version my dear creator of the fungal monopoly," Finch began, his voice taking the grave and resonant tone he used for the most dramatic occasions, "you must know that your humble financial servant and this tragic young descendant of the wrong house..." He pointed toward Klein with an exaggerated flourish while Theodore turned toward Klein and greeted him with an elaborate bow. "...found ourselves in fate’s cruelest claws, facing forces that would have broken the spirit of lesser men." Klein, clearly apathetic to Finch’s performances, looked aside rolling his eyes. "The shadows of corruption loomed over us like... hungry ravens over a battlefield!" Finch continued, while Theodore covered his eyes with his paws and trembled intensely. "...It was then when your servant and our dear Theodore here..." The mouse immediately straightened, puffing out his chest with exaggerated pride. "...demonstrated courage that would shame battle lions." ♢♢♢♢ Theodore then began a complete performance. He ran in circles, then stood on two legs and pointed in different directions as if directing troops. He made elaborate gestures with his paws, mimicking what was clearly supposed to be combat, followed by a sequence where he pretended to be gravely wounded, limping and bringing a paw to his heart. The mouse’s acting was so convincing that several onlookers found themselves genuinely concerned for his fictional wellbeing. "Yes, exactly like that," Finch continued, interpreting his beast’s performance. "Theodore detected the threat before any of us, using his superior instincts to..." Theodore interrupted with a series of dramatic squeaks, gesticulating wildly. "Oh yes, you’re right," Finch corrected. "It wasn’t just instincts. It was pure intellectual prowess combined with intelligence that..." The mouse nodded wisely, then brought a paw to his chin in a thoughtful pose. "...allowed us to navigate the treacherous landscape of threat and deception. And when it seemed all was lost, when the forces of darkness had us surrounded..." Theodore immediately threw himself dramatically on his back, paws in the air, tongue hanging out. "It was there when the tactical brilliance of your humble servant and our rodent hero reached its zenith!" Finch declared with a voice that could have filled a theater. "Using distraction tactics that would make ancient generals weep with envy," he continued, getting more into the spirit of the performance, "Theodore embraced the corrupt forces, sacrificing his own safety to..." The mouse interrupted with more squeaks, gesticulating frantically. "Ah yes," Finch said, "he wants me to mention that he also solved a complex financial puzzle that had been puzzling us for hours during the action." Theodore nodded proudly and pulled out a small abacus from somewhere, beginning to move the beads dramatically. "Because," Finch continued with growing enthusiasm, "as we all know, true victory doesn’t come from strength of arms, but from superior accounting!" Theodore cheered silently, throwing his tiny paws in the air.