Dawn Architect

Chapter 42: movement in the shadows

**POV: ???**

In the heart of the forest, two men walked together. Both were around thirty years old, but while one had a scar on his face that did not overshadow his noble air, with his white hair and well-defined features, the other was an ordinary person, with nothing remarkable.

The white-haired man was clearly annoyed, his voice echoing with constant complaints while the other, remained silent, bearing the words patiently.

"I can't believe I have to do silly jobs like this. Hey, Ivan, why do we have to do this?" the white-haired man's voice was a mixture of exasperation and disdain.

Ivan, without immediately responding, watched him with an expression that seemed to avoid wasting words talking to a fool. But Finally, however, his patience ran out and, with pent-up anger, he replied:

"Did you forget what made the matriarch punish you, eh? Not only that, but I also have to act as your nursemaid, even though I have done nothing to deserve it. Damn, Dimitri, if you weren't talented, you wouldn't be here but underground."

"It was just a small town," Dimitri replied, indifferently.

"That's not the point. You know damn well it's not time to come out yet, and your damned amusement caused the matriarch to have to spend resources and favors to hide the facts. And you still have the nerve to complain. Did you hit your head as a kid? To the point where your powers can't cure it? Just shut up and let's get it over with. I don't want to spend time with you either,"

Ivan exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. Dimitri, finally silent, walked behind him. After a few minutes that silence was broken again by Dimitri.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Ivan didn't scold him this time, as he wanted to say the same thing both were looking intently at the scene in front of them. There was a destroyed village, as if a bomb had fallen. They walked towards the place, looking at the rubble and the scattered corpses.

"What happened here? Wasn't this supposed to be the kobold village we were raising," Dimitri muttered.

Ivan, more focused, surveyed the area for clues. "This doesn't make sense. There shouldn't be anything that could threaten the kobolds in the vicinity."

"What if it was humans?" suggested Dimitri.

"This place is usually hunting territory for novices, but the kobolds would have been able to wipe them out without leaving evidence. Even if they managed to escape or were suspected missing, they would have to report it to the nearest guild association and we would have heard about it," Ivan explained, his frustration evident.

"Damn, do you know how many resources the matriarch spent to make a deal with the kobold race? The plan was just getting started and we were supposed to come and oversee it."

"Maybe it was just bad luck, maybe a beast or a high-ranking awakened came through here. There's nothing we can do about it. Luckily, this isn't the only place," Dimitri casually continued, "Besides, it's not like it's totally bad. We just have to open the rift again to bring in more kobolds."

Ivan, taking a deep breath to calm himself, nodded. "You're right. I did get a little upset. But if those bastards find out we lost one of our rifts, they'll make fun of us for not being able to handle something so simple."

The two began drawing runes on the ground, placing strange orbs at key points. After a few minutes of preparation, they began chanting a strange spell. It took them five minutes to recite it completely. When they finished, a red light spread through the dark cave, but nothing happened.

Dimitri broke the silence, "Hey, why didn't anything happen?" Ivan, his face sweaty, ignored him as he grabbed his watch to call out.

"Ivan here, I have to report an anomaly regarding the mission," he spoke respectfully into the device.

[Oh, Ivan, my silly brother's babysitter. What did he do now?] A voice answered from the watch.

"Sir, it's regarding the mission."

[Mission?.... Oh yes, I remember mother sent Dmitri on a supervisory mission as punishment. What's the situation?]

"Sir, I have to inform you that the entire kobold village has been exterminated and the rift sealed."

[So what? That's right on schedule. At this point only 5-star kobolds would have come out. At most Solo reopens the rift, this is just a minor hiccup].

"Sir, that's the situation. We've already tried to open it and failed, as if the rift didn't exist or had moved."

[That's impossible. Only our organization has the technology to move a rift from its original place of appearance].

"But sir... that's the situation."

[Did you try to see if there were any clues to the anomaly or the culprits?]

"yes sir Whoever did this is an intelligent and very cunning being. I tried to look for clues, but I didn't find anything, it's like it was all caused by a natural phenomenon."

[Hummm, this is not so simple.... Maybe other factions are sabotaging us.... But that would be foolish, it would be too risky and the leader could punish them severely if he finds out]. The voice on the other side was talking to himself and seemed to be thinking about something, but he came back to reality and continued.

[For now, go back. We will send a specialized team to see the situation and if they can track down the culprits. I'll report everything to mother].

"Yes, sir," Ivan replied, ending the communication. Dimitri, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up.

"Hey Ivan, what do we do now?"

"Nothing. We'll just have to go back. The matriarch won't be at all happy with the news, so I advise you not to do anything foolish in the meantime. Even if you're a talented son, you might die."

Dimitri did not reply. They both started walking back, aware that the return to the base would be anything but pleasant.