Chapter 387
Chapter 387
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 387
Chapter Title: Colors from Space
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"Holy shit, fuck this."
I guess I had no choice but to go out.
—Quaaack.
The Quetes let out another cry. What a fucking bastard. It yawned a couple times like it was tired and plopped down right there. It must've figured it could rest since it wasn't moving anymore.
Bring the soy paste, you fucker.
"No helping it. Blackie, go check it out."
"Got it."
I flung the door wide open and stepped out into the street in front of the inn.
—Screeech.
Cloudy and Winia were holding down the rear anyway, so what was there to worry about? If shit hit the fan, I'd just slaughter the lot of them like always.
They'd arrived on a slightly oversized four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses. It looked big enough to carry a few people inside without issue.
Just the kind of cart human traffickers would use.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Three robed figures stared at me silently. Their hoods were pulled low, hiding their faces... Were these guys human traffickers for sure?
"Hey, bosses! Long time no see!"
I waved cheerfully, sword still in hand, playing it friendly.
"Ah, but we've got no goods today. You come all this way and no girls to sell. Sorry to waste your trip, heh heh heh."
Time to play the part of a local villager.
They could just be travelers, but my gut said shady guys like this were up to no good.
The bandits had said business had been slow lately, so ruling them out... These fuckers were probably human traffickers, or at least folks who knew about this village.
Which meant they were mixed up in crime.
"What, wanna crash at the inn since you're here?"
I tossed out the friendly greeting based on that hunch, but they didn't react at all. Just kept staring.
No real movement from them.
Not even drawing weapons.
"Gonna make this awkward if you don't say something."
Were they that confident? Or just brain-dead idiots? Every wild thought raced through my head. Should I strike first?
"...Those corpses."
The voice that cut in wasn't normal—it had this ominous edge.
I gripped my sword tighter.
People you meet in some foggy nowhere village ain't gonna be normal, that's for sure.
"Did you kill them?"
Come to think of it, I'd wiped out all the bandits in the village, so bodies were piling up everywhere. One of the robed guys pointed at them and asked me directly.
"Who knows... This place is weird. The fog's... too thick. Maybe it's messing with the whole village."
I mumbled something vague since I didn't know what to say. The robed guys glanced at each other and started whispering.
"No goods... then we'll head back."
And with that, they turned to climb back into the cart.
Like they couldn't care less who we were or why the village was fucked up.
"Hold up. Actually, I've got a few left."
"...?"
"Looks like this village was running a human trafficking ring. They're not in great shape, but there are some goods still around. No use to me, so pay up and they're yours."
I spilled that bait, and they finally reacted.
"...If there are goods, we'll pay the price."
"Heh heh heh, now we're talking. What's your offer per head?"
"We'll decide after seeing them."
"Got a healthy guy this time too?"
"We'll decide after checking."
Human traffickers confirmed.
But their attitude was weirdly detached. Like take it or leave it, no skin off their backs. Felt that vibe right away.
To them, our identities or the village situation? Didn't matter one bit.
They were obsessed with one thing: could they traffic humans or not? Pure evil fuckers. Maybe they didn't think about anything else.
Born solely to traffic people!
Only cultists who worship pain and crime could have a mindset like that.
These were definitely heretics.
—Crackle.
Mana surged with my rage...!
Cloudy and Winia were still watching from the inn. We'd synced up so many times it was routine—once I moved, battle would erupt.
"Anyway, hang on a sec... So, what's your deal, fellas?"
I opened my mouth to buy time for the ambush.
"...No reason to tell you. Bring the goods."
"Fair enough. You're here to buy people, who we are doesn't matter."
Only then did they start moving subtly.
Prepping an attack?
Traffickers from the start. Village in ruins, might as well take me too. Their robes fluttered faintly.
"But fuck this. To heretic scum like you, it sure as hell does! Glory to the Order God!!!!"
—Flinch!
The heretics reacted to that. On impulse, I invoked another god's name and charged, sword first.
"A servant of Aizermart?!"
"You heretic fuck! Cursed scum trafficking humans?!"
They panicked, fumbling in their robes for black wands and aiming at me. —Whoosh! That's when a fireball slammed into the head of the robed guy in back.
—Whoosh!!
"Gaaahhh!!!"
The heretic engulfed in flames screamed and collapsed. Perfect cover fire. With Winia around, nothing scared me!
"Da, Daoc!!"
The one next to him quickly aimed his wand to fire back, but Winia's Fire Bolt was faster. He took a fireball to the face and writhed.
In seconds, two of the three heretics were roasted.
Nothing beats a surprise attack.
The last one in front of me tried to bolt instead of fight.
"Heavenly Demon Supremacy."
I kicked off the ground and pursued. No way I'd let a vicious heretic escape...! Invoking Aizermart's name meant results!
"Ughhh!!!"
His hood flew off as he ran desperately.
Revealing a snow-white nape. Skin I remembered. Brought back the inhuman cultists from Isvant’s sewers and slums.
Snow-white skin, grotesque tattoos over their faces, pitch-black eyes without whites!
Unforgivable scum of the world!!!
"Kim Katt Dropkiiiick!!!"
I launched the dropkick. —Thud! My extended leg nailed the heretic's back. "Gah!" He screamed, flying like some airborne evil magician, tumbling across the ground.
"May the Order God's blessing be upon you!!!!"
"Kehahaha! What is this...?! Why is a servant of Aizermart here...!"
I landed smoothly, raised my sword high, and charged the fallen heretic.
His skin was ghostly white. Face twisted in pain, he groped the ground for his dropped wand.
"Not on my watch!"
—Crunch!
I stomped his wrist to pin him.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
"For serving heretics! For trying to buy and sell lives! Pay with death, you heretic fuck!"
No tattoos on his face, but I'd seen plenty like him. And those eyes—pitch black, no whites.
Clear proof of heresy...!
"Kehak...! How dare you! How daaaare you!"
He wailed in agony, black tears streaming as he bared his teeth at me. The sewer cultists had their own tongue, but this one spoke our language well enough.
"Talk, heretic! What the hell were you doing here?!"
I pressed my sword tip to his throat and bellowed.
What did they plan to do with the people they bought?
Just thinking about it flooded my brain with the darkest horrors.
Making ghouls like that immortality incident? Or gruesome human experiments?
These fuckers...!
You call yourselves human?!
"Krahak...! Heh, heh heh heh... Nothing to tell blind fools who worship devils in godly guise...!"
"What bullshit you spewing, you fuck? Lie more and I'll rip your teeth out, you worm!!!"
Seemed like he was bullshitting to escape, so I went to hack off his arm. But then he roared wildly, spewing black froth.
"Servant of Aizermart, I curse you!!! Krahahhh!!!"
—Boom!!
"You crazy black hydra fuck!"
I dove aside on reflex, dodging the foul fluids. Sticky tar-like goo splattered the ground.
Lucky miss.
—Flash!
"Wh-what?!"
Suddenly, the world went dark, like the light vanished!
"What the hell?"
But light returned before even a second passed.
Hallucination?
I turned to see the heretic grinning ominously, declaring like a judge.
"Heh heh heh, feel the hell...?"
"What hell? I dodged it."
"...?"
Figured he'd pull more crap, so I swung my sword.
"W-wait!!!"
"Excuse me!"
—Clang!
The blade fell, sending his pale head flying.
Weirdly, the spurting blood wasn't red—it was black. Heretics were so evil even their blood was black.
"Fucking heretic scum."
I'd dedicate his death to the black souls who perished in agony, exploited in scorching sugarcane fields.
And so the three heretics met their end.
"What were these guys?"
"Same as those cultists from the sewers back then."
Cloudy came over, checking the bodies as she asked.
Felt like those heretics operating around Isvant. What a shithole backwater, full of every freak imaginable.
Anyway, tell Elise next time I saw her.
"But... seriously, what were they?"
Pathetic fighters overall.
No, they didn't even know how to fight. Priests, so maybe? Or not the combat types?
Not every religion packs heat like gangsters.
The Radiant Cross Society was weird for having all members battle-ready. Others split into knightly fighters and support priests.
"Blackie, you hurt?"
"Nah. These fuckers were weak as hell."
Maybe these were their non-combat heretics too.
Anyway, we checked the bodies thoroughly. One had no face tattoos. Probably low-rank cultists.
Hence driving the cart themselves for trafficking.
Grunts, basically.
My guess, anyway.
"Katt, cart's empty. Nothing suspicious."
"Found something."
Rifling the bodies turned up small metal plates etched with a familiar symbol. The one Elise and I had seen a ton.
What the hell were these guys really up to?
—Clink.
Also two pouches with about 500 copper each. Roughly 10 silver in cash.
Meant for buying the detained villagers? Snagged three black wands too.
Decent haul.
—Mist Plains.
Felt like some horrific secret lurked here.
Vast expanse, all shrouded in thick fog.
Perfect hideout for evil bastards.
"Eh, whatever. Let's bounce."
"The cart?"
"Torch it. Winia, if you would."
"Killing the horses feels kinda mean."
She kills people fine.
Well, these days sympathy leans more to beasts than folks.
And so we left the village.
The fog-shrouded hamlet vanished back into the mist.