Chapter 17 : Dawn Order

Cintra Town, Government Building

Behind a large, worn desk sat an older man, his back slightly hunched and his hands clasped tightly in front of him. Deep lines carved his weathered face. Across from him stood a man in uniform, his sword sheathed at his waist, his posture rigid.

"Sir Rither, any news?" the mayor asked, his voice low and tired.

Rither stepped forward, his expression grim. A mole between his brows creased as he furrowed his forehead. "Yes, Mayor. The map we received was accurate. The men I dispatched confirmed the marked spots were indeed contact points. We've managed to capture several groups of bandits operating in those areas and have already begun interrogations."

The mayor straightened slightly in his chair, eyes narrowing. "And?"

"Unfortunately, the captives don't know much," Rither replied. "Some of them also carried copies of the same map, suggesting it was distributed among their group. It appears the map was used solely for coordination purposes. As for their base, we still haven't located it. The bandits claim they were told to go to designated spots where someone would pick them up, using a teleportation. They have no idea where the actual base is. This confirms our suspicion—an Awakened is involved in their operations."

The mayor let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair. His fingers tapped against the armrest. "Is there any way to pinpoint their location? What did Sir Galeal say about this?"

Rither shook his head. "Though Galeal specializes in tracking, he couldn't find anything. He believes the base is either hidden extraordinarily well, or they possess some method to block his ability. Personally, I believe it's the latter. With that in mind, it's likely that the Dawn Order has established a base within this area."

The room grew heavy at the mention of the Dawn Order.

The mayor's eyes narrowed. "That damned organization..."

The Dawn Order—a dangerous group that emerged alongside the Warrior's Association. While the Association stood for the protection of humanity, the Dawn Order believed in ushering a new era of superhumans. They preached that only the Awakened would survive the upcoming Corrosion. And to that end, they developed a twisted method to forcibly awaken abilities in ordinary people—at the cost of human sacrifice.

Across the world, reports of missing persons had increased at an alarming rate. Hundreds, even thousands, vanished without a trace. After long investigations, the name "Dawn Order" had surfaced. Their upper ranks were already filled with Awakened, a revelation that had shocked both the government and the Association.

Their methods and atrocities had forced the authorities to act. Several of their bases had already been raided, but the organization was like a tenacious weed—no matter how many times it was cut down, it continued to sprout elsewhere.

The mayor's tone hardened. "If what you say is true, then we must accelerate the evacuation of the people. Lest they become a fodder and increase the awakened members in their group. How many bandits were captured this time? Can't you at least narrow down a possible location? Even blind searching is better than letting them grow stronger."

"We're already surveying likely locations where a base could be hidden," Rither replied. "However, once we started intercepting their contact points, they seemed to catch on. In some marked areas, no one showed up. I've stationed scouts in all known contact zones and set up checkpoints along the main roads to prevent ambushes. But our biggest issue is manpower. Our forces are stretched thin, rotations are becoming difficult and we also have casualties on our side."

The mayor nodded solemnly. "I sent a request for reinforcements. Just this morning, I received word that Beltry City will dispatch more Awakened and soldiers. Once they arrive, we can relieve Victor from duty and send that boy, Emett, to the capital. Are you sure he's one of theirs?"

"Yes, Mayor. He's one of the newly awakened created by the Order. I recognized his face—he was definitely one of their operatives sent here for training. We got lucky this time. He's the son of one of their members, and he's also the one who led the revolt and raid on the storage facility in Hansi Town. Honestly, I was surprised we managed to capture him so easily. They likely didn't expect that their plan had already been compromised. We need to make sure we extract something useful from him. There's an awakened person in the capital with memory-reading abilities—hopefully, they can pull some intel from his mind."

The mayor exhaled slowly and turned his gaze toward the large window behind his desk. Beyond it, the town bustled quietly, unaware of the storm brewing beneath their feet.

"Then make sure that he's looked after well. I can see that the kid was scheming. Don't let down your guard around him. Fortunately they didn't send someone to guard him. What about the ones helping him?"

"I've kept a close eye on them," Rither assured. "Someone is likely to make contact with them soon. They probably don't realize their operation has already been exposed. Also, we confirmed that they're the ones who provided the map and the initial leak."

The mayor clenched his jaw. "Hmph. They're bold. It was my oversight that allowed them to move freely in this town. Thankfully, they haven't had time to cause serious damage."

Rither straightened. "Not at all, Mayor. If it weren't for your sharp intuition, we would have remained blind. Once this is over, I'm sure the government will recognize your efforts."

The mayor chuckled dryly. "We'll see. What about the man who gave us the map? Did you check him thoroughly? Are you certain he's not involved?"

Rither nodded. "Yes, Mayor. We investigated him. He appears clean. From what we can tell, he was separated from his village and stumbled upon the location by chance. Our scouts followed him and found no signs of contact or suspicious activity. We also visited the site he pointed out. We found several charred corpses, abandoned in the open. No signs of struggle, no remnants of battle. We suspect they were eliminated by an Awakened—possibly one we're unaware of."

The mayor stiffened. "Another Awakened? In our town?"

"That, or internal conflict among the bandits," Rither offered.

"Either way, we must stay cautious. As for the man who delivered the map, make sure he's rewarded. We need to keep honest civilians on our side."

"Understood. I'll handle it personally."

The mayor turned away from the window, his expression hardening. "We must strike before they do. This town will not become a breeding ground for monsters."

Rither gave a firm nod. "Yes, Mayor. I'll make sure of it."

As the sound of heavy boots echoed down the corridor outside, the two men remained still, the weight of responsibility pressing down on them. The sun outside was setting, casting long shadows across the floor.