Chapter 353
Chapter 353
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 353
Chapter Title: Chapter 8-2. Fragment Retriever
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Judah frowned as he looked up at the sky. It was as if someone had squeezed out a long streak of black paint—something dark was writhing and bubbling up there.
Black Mist.
But it didn't quite look like mist; it seemed sticky, more akin to storm clouds. Just as that mad mage had described, it appeared to be some kind of curse. Even from this distance, an ominous magic pulsed from it. Simply gazing at it made him feel listless.
Judah glanced around. The nearby异種族—non-humans—were all scurrying off somewhere or ducking into buildings, bustling about in panic. Shopkeepers hastily dragged their stalls inside and slammed their doors shut. The orc who had been standing behind Iris also seemed frightened, peeking around nervously before finally fleeing.
Before long, the street was deserted. It was a mystery where all those people had hidden; aside from Judah, Celine, and Iris, no one else could be seen on the road. Only distant shouts urging haste echoed faintly.
"……."
If that mad mage hadn't lied, one needed high magic resistance or a holy relic to withstand the Black Mist's curse. But could simply locking doors and hiding indoors really protect them from it?
Judah eyed the houses with tightly shut windows and bolted doors skeptically as he closed the lid on the wooden box. He had been thrilled to check the gift from Iris, but this Black Mist had ruined the moment with impeccable timing.
"For now, I'll keep this with me."
The orc who was supposed to help carry their luggage had fled anyway, so unless she planned to tote it herself, stashing it in <Bag> was the best option. Iris nodded without hesitation, and Judah collected the box before standing up.
-What are you going to do?
"…Who knows?"
Judah gave a wry smile at Iris's question. It was a fair thing to ask, but this was his first encounter with it too, so he had no ready solution. Even as he pondered, the Black Mist spread like storm clouds, dyeing the sky black and slowly descending. At that moment, the door of a nearby shop burst open.
"Hey, what are you doing just standing there like idiots? If you don't have anywhere to run, get over here quick!"
An elderly orc stood in the doorway, gesturing frantically. The moment their eyes met, the orc flinched in surprise, but Judah realized it wasn't because of him. Turning toward where the orc was staring, he saw it was at Celine, who had her hood pulled low. The orc quickly regained his composure, glanced anxiously at the sky, swallowed hard, and urged them on. The Black Mist was spreading faster now.
"If you have nowhere to go, hurry over here! There's no time!"
Judah hesitated briefly before deciding to take shelter in the orc's home. With everyone else barricading themselves and this orc stepping up to help, it felt unwise to refuse out of bravado when he still knew so little about the Black Mist. He hadn't even used <Storage> beforehand, so caution couldn't hurt. As Judah, Iris, and Celine entered one by one, the elderly orc swiftly locked the door, turned, and bowed awkwardly toward Celine.
"It's an honor to meet the princess I've only heard of in tales. Please forgive my rudeness earlier."
The orc had recognized Celine's face instantly. But she offered no reply. He seemed to have business to attend to, fidgeting nervously as he awaited her response. He could have just lifted his head and gotten on with it.
Judah wanted to tell him it was fine to stand, but since the apology was directed at Celine, not him, speaking up probably wouldn't elicit much reaction.
He watched as the orc kept bowing in apology while Celine said nothing. She appeared uncomfortable and stuffy from her horns, grunting as she tried to remove her hood.
"!"
Their eyes met, and she flashed an awkward smile. She moved carefully, perhaps worried about tearing her robe. Unable to watch any longer, Iris stepped in to help. Once the robe was off, Celine let out a relieved sigh, as if the constriction had lifted. Judah gestured and signaled with his eyes for her to say something to the orc. Puzzled by why the orc was bowing out of nowhere, Celine nodded vaguely and responded belatedly.
"Ah, you may raise your head."
"Thank you. Sorry, but could you wait just a moment?"
Celine glanced at Judah before granting permission. The moment she did, the orc strode into the house, closed all the open windows, drew the blinds, fetched a water jar from the kitchen, and began carefully pouring small amounts along the doorframe and window sills.
"What are you doing?"
Judah asked the orc, who was watching the process. The orc paused mid-pour, turned, and bowed while still holding the jar.
"I'm sprinkling holy water obtained from Lord Yophiel's temple. Once it soaks in like this, it keeps the Black Mist at bay for about an hour."
With that, he turned back and resumed pouring.
"How long does the mist usually last?"
The orc looked at Judah. He seemed uneasy about the human presence. But with the royal emblem pinned to his robe, he hesitated only briefly before answering.
"Kruk. I can't say precisely, but if my memory serves, it lasts from as short as thirty minutes to a few hours at most. Hmm… on average, about an hour? Then it fades."
The orc replied in a gravelly voice, shot a sidelong glance at Celine, and pointed to the table in the living room.
"I have nothing proper to offer the princess and our guests, but rather than standing, wouldn't it be better to sit there and wait for the mist to pass?"
There were only two chairs. Judah pushed Celine's back as she tried to yield her seat to him and urged Iris to sit as well. Once they were seated and the orc stood awkwardly, Celine told him to relax.
The orc didn't refuse. He simply plopped down on the cold floor. Judah, leaning against the stairs to the second floor with arms crossed, gazed at the blinded window.
Just moments ago, sunlight had filtered through the blinds, brightening the room. Now it was dimming, the space growing darker. It wasn't pitch-black night, but the atmosphere had turned eerie.
Moreover, there was no wind, yet the windows rattled and jerked as if gripped and shaken by rough hands, starting and stopping at random.
Surveying the dim interior, Judah noted the candles on the table and scattered around the room, then snapped his fingers. With a crisp *snap*, flames sparked atop each wick, igniting them all at once. Not as bright as a magic lamp, but the light was better than nothing, illuminating the house. The orc flinched at the sudden candles but sat quietly.
"Hm?"
Even without a visual through the blinds, Judah sensed movement outside. He approached the window, slipped his fingers between the blinds, and parted them. From the foggy haze outside, something suddenly *thwacked* against the glass like a slap.
"Gasp!"
The orc watching leaped to his feet in alarm. The thick black liquid that had struck the window slid down slowly before melting into the mist and vanishing.
'What the hell?'
Beyond the milky fog, a Black Silhouette writhed like a living creature—a starving beast prowling for prey. It seemed to sense Judah's gaze and whipped its head around. No eye sockets, no mouth. He only *felt* it turn. Then, with a *thud*, the Black Silhouette surged forward in an instant, pressing its face to the window.
"……."
Whoa, that's creepy. Nearly jumped.
Judah was glad he hadn't sworn aloud. Blinking once, he recoiled at the thing right in front of his nose. Stepping back, his eye twitched. Celine and Iris rose from their seats behind him at his reaction, while the orc retreated with hesitant steps.
"What is this?"
Wasn't the Black Mist itself the curse? He'd never heard of it taking form and moving like this. Come to think of it, he'd completely forgotten about the Black Mist since arriving in Reillysa.
As if answering Judah's doubt, the Black Silhouette beyond the window undulated, stretching to cover it entirely. Then, like smoke seeping through cracks, black tendrils began worming into the house.