Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Chapter 4. Uruun, the Land of Entertainment and Culture.
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Antique furniture, plush carpets laid across the floor, a wine rack on display, magic stones embedded in the ceiling emitting a soft yet luxurious glow, and various games including a billiards table.
'...Just a reception room?'
Or perhaps a place to rest quietly without any interruptions. According to Roxin, the elves were hidden here somewhere. Standing at the entrance, Judah scanned the room, extending the domain of his shadows. He sensed presences lurking silently behind the sofa and the counter by the wine rack. They were trembling.
He wanted to sneak up and yell "boo!" to scare them, but approaching covered in blood that clashed horribly with the room's elegance might give them heart attacks. He walked slowly, making noise. From the information relayed by his shadows, there seemed to be four women hiding behind the sofa and one man by the counter.
"I'm not here to kill you, so no need to be scared."
Keeping his distance, he slowly approached and revealed himself to the women by the sofa. Upon seeing him, they flinched violently, huddling together and shaking. Their tear-streaked faces looked ready to burst into sobs. Feeling awkward at their terrified expressions, Judah hadn't expected it to be this bad, even if he had anticipated some reaction.
"Hup!"
Right then, from behind came a strained grunt and the sound of something swung forcefully. The one hiding by the counter was hurling a wine bottle at Judah's head with all his might. He knew of the attack beforehand, so defending was easy. Besides, the elves had seal runes on their bodies that completely blocked their mana, rendering them harmless.
Judah extended his left hand over his right shoulder and grabbed the man's wrist. It connected with a light clack, utterly powerless. Turning his eyes, he saw the wine bottle's contents sloshing, and behind it, a man staring with wildly shaking pupils. When Judah released his hand, the man hurriedly dropped the bottle and backed away.
"Uh."
Catching the falling bottle and placing it back on the counter, Judah removed his wooden mask. The shattered mask, soaked in blood and scorched by flames, was a sorry sight. Setting it on the counter, he turned around. An elf stood within arm's reach.
"Don't be scared. I have no intention of killing you."
"How... can we believe that?"
"Hmm, well. If you can't, there's nothing to be done..."
Judah reached out, lightly tapping the seal rune around his neck and smirking. The elf shuddered visibly. Trembling in the face of potential death was a natural response for any ordinary person.
"Don't you have no choice but to trust me?"
Because you're powerless.
Unfortunately, that was the law of this world. To survive, one had to be strong. Judah activated Valentin's Dispel to release the seal rune around the elf's neck.
"!"
With a snap, the leather strap unlocked and fell away on its own. The elf's eyes widened as he felt his mana slowly returning.
"H-How did you...?"
"You're making me repeat myself. Time's short as it is, and your only option is to trust me. If you want to return to the forest, come along quietly."
Judah turned from the man to the huddled women. Dressed in silk garments, they squeezed their eyes shut and clung to each other as he approached, stirring his protective instincts. Pretending nonchalance, he released the seal runes around their necks.
Looking down at their stunned faces, Judah stood. They still seemed dazed, not grasping the situation. He glanced at the entrance. No presence emanated from the blood-soaked doorway.
'Why is it so quiet?'
He had only taken down about fifteen warlocks entering the mansion, and even if the guards numbered double that, plenty should remain. Above all, Count Seronic himself was nowhere to be seen. Sighing at the thought that he might be waiting at the underground stairs' entrance, Judah considered the rescue a success so far. Escaping Uruun was the real issue now.
It won't be easy, right?
Pulling out a new wooden mask and donning it, he turned back.
"Alright, get up. We need to get out of here."
"Can we... really get out?"
One elf woman asked, her eyes glistening with tears. Judah nodded.
"We have to. This isn't where you belong."
Gesturing for them to follow, he exited the room. Passing the corpse-filled hall, the elves grimaced and let out small whimpers. Glancing back, their legs trembled, but hope of returning to the forest drove them forward cautiously. Though their pace frustrated him, he said nothing.
Planning to shield them from any attacks with his body, he ascended the stairs. Nothing happened, making his tension seem pointless. The rooms held no one. Precisely, no living souls.
The gaunt-faced bodies on the floor wore expressions of ecstatic bliss in death. He had killed those blocking the underground stairs, but not these. Sniffing, an unpleasant scent cut through the blood.
'Night flower smell?'
His brow furrowed instantly.
'Damn, why is this smell here?'
Judah eyed the dead men's lower halves suspiciously. Though dried, something visibly wet stained them. He didn't know how, but they seemed to have died from overexertion in pleasure.
"D-Did you kill them like this?"
"As if. I couldn't kill like that even if I tried."
A man killing men via fatal orgasms—what a horrific notion.
Judah shot the elf a glare meaning "watch your words." She averted her eyes, knowing it sounded absurd. After her slip, they proceeded warily.
'Who the hell did this?'
The entire mansion seemed wiped out by ecstasy deaths; no presences anywhere. Even Count Seronic was dead. At first, seeing him slumped against the entrance, Judah had nearly thrown a dagger in surprise, only realizing belatedly he was gone. His pants were soaked too, face twisted in agony unlike the others' rapture.
Peering out a window, the guards employed by the count lay dead in the streets. But only those inside the estate walls; pounding echoed at the gate. As a great noble's mansion, they wouldn't enter immediately, but time was short. Realizing this, Judah activated and beckoned the elves.
"Let's go. Follow me."
He knew where to head—already arranged with Roxin and Miyoung. He led them to the mansion's rear. The ecstasy deaths felt eerie, but with no obstacles, movement was easy. He flung open a large window and exited. With seals released, their mana partially restored, the elves nimbly jumped down without aid, landing lightly on the sill.
"Can you climb over this?"
Pointing to the over 2m wall, the elves exchanged glances and shook their heads. One cautiously eyed him before speaking.
"I-It's tough right now. Our mana's barely back, and it's been years since humans captured us..."
Seeing the others nod, Judah sighed softly and leaped atop the wall. He chose the Seronic estate last for two reasons: proximity to the walls and its position at the row's end, with only residences behind. From atop, no one nearby; dark alleys stretched out. He dropped back, opened <Bag>, and tossed them robes from a general store.
Not entirely clueless, they donned the robes, pulling hoods to hide ears and beauty. Generously sized, only the shortest dragged slightly, but no issue for moving. He stabbed his yakal into the wall, traced a square, and kicked—a door formed. With a thud, the wall section fell, dust rising.
"Run."
They hesitated, then one bolted, the rest following in line. After they all exited, Judah righted the wall roughly and followed. Townsfolk spotted them en route but paid indifferent glances.
KABOOM!
Mid-run, an explosion roared behind. Startled, he looked back—black smoke and flames billowed from the Seronic mansion. Explosions chained, engulfing it in fire instantly. Gazes that had drifted toward Judah and the elves snapped to the blaze.
"What are you doing? Run! Ugh, so frustrating! No time to gawk—keep moving, no breaks!"
He felt their panting, but no respite here. Urging them, they reached the rendezvous. A man stood there, raising his right hand upon seeing them. Judah mirrored with his left; the man entered.
The signal. He hustled the elves through the open door and shut it. The man shoved aside the kitchen table, lifted a floorboard—stairs to a basement appeared. Pre-lit candles lined the walls.
"Down these stairs, you'll exit the city. Hurry. It takes time to use the scroll preventing memory recall magic."
Judah nodded thanks, handed over gold coins, and pushed the elves in. Panting, they descended steadily.