CHAPTER 40

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3 – 9

Alois said that if something happened, run into the forest.

The reason was because of the foundations of this town.

Since the city of Einst was built atop a reclaimed swamp, it was surrounded by swamps that had either been used for mining in the past or were currently being excavated.

What's more, the reclaimed land itself was originally a swamp that was mined for manastone. Once the mining in the area had dried up, that's when the town of Einst was built.

Therefore, deep below the surface of this town, a manastone vein still flowed. It was said to have withered due to the mining, apparently almost to the point of disappearing, but it was still a vein that was connected to others. Furthermore, what flowed into it was the very active veins still currently being mined in the swamps nearby.

On the other hand, the forest itself was outside the town limits of Einst. Those woods were populated by trees similar to the ones seen back in the territory's capital, broad-leaved with few animals and insects seen scurrying around in their shades.

Compared to the marshes that surrounded Einst, the forest was unique.

It was the only place outside of town where the ground was dry.

The dirt had become compact and solidified, forming around the deep roots of the trees. There weren't any poisonous herbs or plants growing there, whilst the fact that the trees were thick with leaves and there were some normal animals making their homes there proved that it wasn't polluted with miasma like the swamps.

Between the regular wetlands and the miasma filled swamps and bogs, it was hard to tell just where one ended and the other began. Rather than escaping into the wetlands and potentially running into a poisonous swamp, it would be far less dangerous to escape instead into the forest.

The people in Einst should have known that as well.

Alois himself certainly would have issued those same instructions he told Camilla to everyone else, should there be the need to evacuate.

The booming noises came one after another. The first one was earth shaking, but gradually they became quieter and quieter.

Was the danger passing? Yet every time the ground shook, the miasma seemed to become denser.

On the streets of the town outside, people ran out of their homes in panic. The shouts of confused and bewildered townsfolk began to sound in the streets.

"The manastones exploded! It sounded really close!! Everyone, run!!"

The voice was swallowed up by the sound of another explosion echoing through the town.

"The explosion is underground!! There'll be a collapse!!"

As if that explosion had broken the dam, shouts of fear and confusion poured forth.

Camilla who burst out the front door of the mansion saw women and children fleeing down the street, the earth still shaking under their feet.

That neatly paved avenue, the road that was split precisely for two lanes of carriage and foot traffic, the uniform houses that stood neatly in a row. Yet, the terrified throngs of people, looking for any escape as they ran down that street, destroyed that orderly image.

As the town was filled with cries and the constant tremors from the depths of the earth, Camilla could hardly hear herself think. The miasma filled the air like a thick and discoloured smog, so she could barely make out the faces of people standing right in front of her.

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