"Um. You did the right thing." Yugo replied.

"Moreover, such a move would cause panic among the population, which could complicate things even further. You made the right decision," He added, continuing to examine and read the numerous files before him.

"See? I told you that closing the city gates would be a bad idea!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleone.

"Y-Yes. You were right, my dear." Said the mayor, wiping his forehead again.

Yugo took a sheet from the table and after a little while of reading frowned.

"Can you give me more information about this?" he said, pointing to the sheet full of writings and statistical diagrams.

"Ah... uh... that! Well, it's... um... It's-"

"It's the result of a small study conducted by one of our teams of researchers." Aleone interrupted.

"Hmm. And what was the purpose of it?"

The mayor nervously wiped his forehead and stammered a little, then finally replied.

"The... the advantages of Negaciones."

Yugo stood up, overcome by uncontrollable rage.

"The advantages? You've got to be kidding me."

Aleone attempted to reason with him.

"Please, sit down! It's not what you think."

"And what do you want me to think?"

"Sit down, young master. We can explain."

He grunted, then sighed and sat back down.

"Go ahead. Speak!"

"Well, um... about twenty five years ago, one of the neighbouring towns under our jurisdiction, Toka village, was attacked by a "Lucido" type Negacion, and after it passed, the local ecosystem changed. Palatinite mines emerged all over the area and the fauna became more abundant. As if that wasn't enough, its attack left traces of Kilith so dense that the soil, which was originally quite dry and not very fertile, became a real goldmine for farmers."

Yugo sighed again.

"Of course, none of this erases the atrocities that took place there and the loss of human life, as well as the material damage."

The mayor stopped for a brief moment after saying this, and cleared his throat.

"However, we must admit that this area, which was dependent on us, has become, in the span of two decades, the locality that provides us with most of the resources we lack."

Yugo grumbled. He was clearly not satisfied with this answer, but he had to make do with it.

"So? What do you intend to do with this research? And how does it relate to our current case?"

Aleone intervened promptly.

"Well, we had hoped that after you purified the Negacion, you would give us its crystal core so that we could conduct more research on how this energy source could help our city. Few people know this, but tourism has become a bit outdated here, and the funds generated by visits and other such events are not enough to fill the municipal coffers. Without the help of the town we mentioned, we would be in serious trouble. Especially since the cathedral closed its doors to the public."

"The church?"

"Yeah! They've been saying, all of sudden, that this city has been corrupted by evil. And since, they've closed their doors to the public. But whatever..."

She paused and spoke a little more slowly, so as to emphasise her words.

"Regarding our matter, we will notify the organisation so that you will not be blamed in any way if there is an issue."

Yugo thought hard. While doing so, he played with his long reddish hair for a moment and, with a sigh, resigned himself.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll talk to HQ myself."

He closed his eyes.

He definitely didn't like the sound of this. But anyway...

He shook his head, ignoring his personal feelings.

"As long as the civilians are safe and there are no major concerns, I think they will be favourable to your request."

He stood up.

"All right! I must leave you for today, I have other things to do."

The mayor and his wife also stood up.

They accompanied him to the two large doors and returned inside.

***

In the plains of Elradine, Yugo was carefully examining the area he had spotted in the photo, even taking samples of grass and soil.

But something was wrong.

He tapped his external switch and brought up the photo.

'I thought so.' 

Although everything in the image in front of him was the same as where he was standing, there was a gap in the list.

No trees or columns.

'Where did that shadow come from? A shapeshifter? I don't think so, otherwise we'd be dealing with a Lucido, but from what has been recorded, the silhouette was visible from the ruins. Or maybe a wyvern passed by ?'

He kept wondering for a few moments.

A grumble was heard.

He stopped his mental monologue, his stomach growling too loudly to let him continue.

"Well, I'll find out sooner or later!"

He pressed the button of his earpiece.

"Lucile, I need you to check something for me. Yeah... I'll send you the files."

After doing so, he stretched and resumed his walk towards the city.

***

In the inn where he had taken up residence, Yugo was sitting at a table in his room.

His plate was filled with a dish composed of beans, a piece of still-smoking glider deer thigh, a few vegetables, and all of it covered with a light sauce accompanied by a few slices of bread.

He salivated over his plate and raised his fork.

With a quick movement, he speared a piece of meat, some vegetables and a portion of beans and brought them to his mouth.

The fork lodged on his tongue and Yugo was almost moved with joy at this taste of heaven. 

He took a second bite and brought it to his mouth again.

As soon as the fork reached his lips, there was an explosion.

He turned his head in panic in the direction of the blast.

He stood up and, staring at his plate, growled.

'You're kidding me? Now? For real ?!'