Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Baidian Mountains (5)
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Sarante, having polished the statue clean, opened his mouth.
"You've changed a lot since I last saw you, Brigia."
"And you're the same as ever, Sarante."
The voice came from off to the side. Sarante slowly turned his body. Brigia was leaning against a pillar, fiddling with her hair. It was hard to believe she had been on the verge of death just moments ago.
"This temple's the same. Not a single thing out of place."
"It doesn't seem like you came to pay respects to Seniel."
"Well, yeah."
"I never imagined even you would turn traitor. Sending an old friend as an assassin... the cult is ruthless."
Sarante folded the cloth and tucked it into his pocket. Brigia snorted.
"Ha, you're one to talk after stuffing me with paralyzing poison the moment we met. An antidote? Give me a break."
"Do you think it makes sense for the Shadow of Lemeheim to get captured by orcs? I was just helping with your amateur acting."
"Fair enough. But untying the ropes was pretty convincing, right?"
"Yes. If not for that treasure, I might have actually worried about you a little. Using Glang like that."
The ropes that had bound Brigia's hands and feet were a treasure called Glang. Incredibly tough, it could only be tied or untied by the user's will.
Sarante frowned as he recalled her faking unconsciousness and untying the ropes. Mana-infused poison, spells to untie the ropes... he'd had to spout all sorts of nonsense to fool Ronan.
"Still, what you said when you untied Glang was kinda cool. 'Don't touch this child.' It scared me so much I couldn't move."
"Enough joking. You could have just come directly. Why go through all that trouble? Binding yourself and getting captured by a horde of orcs. Your tastes worry me."
"Well... it was fun, for one. And I didn't want to see blood in the temple if I could help it. I've believed in that stone for a long time myself."
"At least some sediment of faith remains. Lucky us."
Brigia gazed at the Seniel statue with the look of someone seeing a long-lost lover. She pushed off the pillar and stood face-to-face with Sarante.
"I figured you'd come running out of curiosity if I pulled another one of those dramas. Baidian Mountains are your territory, so you'd sense my presence anyway. But you didn't show up all night even after I was captured."
"I was busy. Entertaining some precious guests."
"Precious guests? You mean those human kids from earlier?"
"Who else?"
"...I spared them because they seemed decent, but maybe I should have just killed them. Wasted energy on pointless acting."
"I thought it came from goodwill. Just a whim after all, huh."
"Ever since I stopped counting years, everything's been a whim."
The smile faded from Brigia's face. Sarante clasped his hands politely and continued.
"Brigia. Where did your faith in Seniel go? Didn't we carry the rock imbued with the great soul all the way to Dakonya together?"
"My eyes opened late. The world will be swept in starlight anyway."
"Don't fall for the false god's sophistry. It's delusion and escapism. The path to salvation lies only in our own lives."
"Time you grew up too, Sarante."
Clap. Suddenly, Brigia clapped her hands. Roars that shook the mountains echoed from outside the temple.
"Grroooaaar!"
"Rraaaah!"
Sarante narrowed his brow at the sporadic roars. Closing his eyes, he saw ogres surrounding the temple. At least thirty of them.
"...Strange sorcery. Calling so many forest tyrants."
"Another grace of the stars."
Boom! At that moment, a massive hand smashed through the temple's outer wall. It seized Sarante just as part of the wall crumbled. An ogre with blood-red skin revealed itself.
"Grroooaaar!!"
The ogre roared with Sarante held right in front of it. Brigia continued with a coquettish smile.
"Since we're thousands-year-old friends like you said, I'll tell you my orders specially. Persuade Sarante Lemation. If impossible, kill him."
"Not good news."
"What'll you do? Someone of your caliber could easily take a branch leader position. Soon you'll snag a spot close to the cult leader too."
Sarante didn't answer. He just stared wistfully at the ogre's face. Finally, his mouth opened.
"...Normally, I would have just accepted death."
"Hm?"
"Honestly, I was getting tired. The great soul gives no answers, and hide-and-seek with the cult shows no sign of ending after thousands of years."
His voice was calm. Even with the ogre's teeth gleaming before his eyes, Sarante's expression was as peaceful as someone sleeping. Brigia asked seriously.
"What are you talking about?"
"Exactly what I said. This time, I was ready to let go of everything and start a new cycle. But these past few days... I've seen hope."
"Hope?"
"Yes. Seniel hasn't abandoned us yet."
At that instant, a whistle-like sound rang out. Thud! The ogre's arm holding Sarante dropped to the floor. A gut-wrenching scream burst from the ogre's mouth.
"Grroooaaargh!"
Sarante landed lightly and swung his finger at the ogre. Another whoosh of wind sliced the ogre in half. Brigia glared at him.
"I'll take that as choosing the latter?"
"Not submitting, though."
"What a shame, Sarante."
Brigia extended her arm. Gathered shadows formed a dagger in her hand. A voice like reciting a eulogy slipped from her lips.
"Once we walked the same path... my friend."
Magic circles unfurled from Sarante's feet, covering the temple. At the same time, Brigia vanished from sight. Mana in the area swirled into a vortex, gathering toward the ridge.
"Hm? Did you hear something just now?"
"Something?"
Braum looked around. For a split second, he'd thought he heard a shout. But scanning the surroundings revealed only shadows blending into the growing darkness and dense trees. Asel shook his head.
"I-I didn't hear anything."
"Really? Haha, must've been my imagination."
"Wasn't that from the sky? Ugh... look at those clouds. No change of clothes either."
Marya whined, staring at the sky. The storm clouds blanketing the mountains grew heavier by the minute. The dark, moisture-laden mass looked ready to roar with rain and lightning any second.
The group, having left Sarante's temple, was descending the mountains. Their increased luggage from the trip up slowed their pace. Marya, with a backpack three times normal size, spoke up.
"Ah... it's not heavy, but my back keeps chafing. Ronan, you can't summon the ghost horse in the mountains, right?"
"Prrrr~"
Ronan didn't answer. Even as Cita rubbed her face against his cheek, no response. Asel tilted his head.
"Ronan?"
"Don't talk to me for a bit."
"O-okay."
He had been lost in thought about the day's events the whole way down. Ronan's mind was filled with the woman named Brigia, whom he'd led to the temple.
'Something's off.'
She'd looked so bad off that he hadn't observed rationally. But replaying the memories, everything felt wrong. For starters, her being captured by orcs was suspicious.
Orcs don't store live prey. Normally, she'd have been a meal already.
Also, no mana at all was strange. Even unconscious, a faint leak is normal.
But Brigia's mana was invisible, even after Sarante's mana-enhancing tea sharpened his senses. As if deliberately hidden.
-KABOOM!
A thunderclap exploded, lighting the sky above. Asel screamed and collapsed.
"Aaah!"
"Asel! What's wrong?!"
Marya and Braum rushed to him. Ronan whipped his head toward the sound. Two massive waterspouts rose over the ridge. His brow furrowed deeply.
"What the hell..."
Mana torrents swirled around the spouts. It was the direction of Sarante's temple. Amid the churning mana gleamed the signature sparkle of Nebula Klaj he recalled from Dolan's.
"What's wrong, cutie? Scared of thunder?"
"N-not thunder... my head...!"
Asel clutched his head, groaning. A shock like ice water to the brain hit him. Only Asel, with overwhelmingly superior mana sensitivity among them, felt it.
"Hey, Braum."
Ronan approached. He pulled a small white stick from his inner pocket and handed it to Braum.
"This is...?"
"Ghost horse whistle. You all head back to Phileon first. Do not follow."
Braum couldn't argue. Ronan's warning face was twisted like a demon's.
"I mean it."
Leaving those words, Ronan bolted back the way they'd come. Marya and Braum's voices called after him.
"Hey!"
"Where are you going?!"
Ronan's figure vanished behind the rocks in an instant. Then a cold raindrop hit Marya's crown. She frowned and looked up.
"Now of all times...!"
Thicker drops pelted her cheek. Plip. Plop. It didn't take long for the scattered drops to become a downpour.
Whoosh—
Darkness fell over the mountains. Rain poured with world-drowning fury. Muddy brown water surged down the slopes.
"Hah... haaah... damn it..."
Ronan spat curses like vomit and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His briefly cleared vision blurred almost immediately.
A metallic blood taste coated his throat. He'd run at least an hour, but the temple was nowhere in sight. Looking up, exploding mana flashes caught his eye.
"What the fuck... hah... is going on...?"
The battle raged on. The two spouts had become four, twisting wildly. Dark shadows, thorn-like, pierced the darkness intermittently.
"Hoo... haa... alright."
After catching his breath, Ronan ran again, eyes fixed skyward. Thud! Something solid slammed his flank.
"Shit!"
Not tree or rock. A massive shadow loomed before him. A sudden stench assaulted his nostrils. Ronan wrinkled his nose.
"Goddamn, what reeks?"
He looked up. Four glowing lights burned high above. Realizing they were eyes took no time. Intense deja vu crashed over him.
"You're..."
Lightning struck a nearby tree. The world lit like day, revealing a two-headed ogre. The right head, meeting Ronan's gaze, tilted curiously.
"Grohk?"
"Kwor."
"...Long time no see."
Ronan let out a hollow laugh. Thrills raced through his limbs.
Bigger than other ogres. Arms thicker than great trees. The rival he'd clashed with for three days and nights without a victor stood before him. Scanning the Twin Head Ogre, Ronan frowned.
"But you look rough."
In that brief light, he'd seen it clearly. The ogre's chest bore the same mark as those on the cave giants. Then the light faded. Roars swallowed the thunder as if waiting.
"Rraaaah!"
"Grroooaaar!!"
The dual chorus pierced the rain, echoing through the mountains. The ogre raised a fist. Ronan kicked off the ground, drawing his sword hilt.