Chapter 19
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 019
Chapter Title: Brothers (1)
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Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
In exchange for the information on the Golden Beetle, Kim Woojin explained to the Holy Knight how he'd ended up traveling with the wolf beast Rex.
Their first encounter, the bat wings, the wolf hunt with Hector, and how the red wolf—once a subordinate of the werewolf—had come to Woojin of its own accord...
It would take too long to explain every detail, so he summarized and embellished just enough to get the point across.
Raymond, who had listened to the whole story with his arms crossed, let out a nonstop stream of admiring sighs.
"...Good lord, what an unbelievable tale. So you're saying you subjugated a werewolf alongside the beast hunter Hector?"
"Yes. Things just sort of worked out that way."
"I never imagined Hector was still active... Incredible. I figured with all the money he'd saved, he'd retired ages ago."
Raymond mulled over Hector's name several times. Seeing this sparked Woojin's curiosity.
"Is Hector that impressive a hunter?"
"Of course. He's a man whose fame echoes both inside and beyond the walls. Back in his youth, he was something else entirely. His success rate on subjugation requests was so high that the Church Alliance once burned through its entire bounty budget because of him."
Raymond spoke in an excited, almost giddy tone. It seemed Hector had been quite the hotshot in his younger days.
Sensing an opportunity, Woojin asked about something that had been nagging at him, since the Holy Knight clearly knew a lot about Hector.
"Hector didn't look too healthy... Do you happen to know why?"
"I heard he inhaled poison mist spewed by a beast. That's what ruined his body and cost him his old skills. Such a shame."
That explanation brought the image of the aged hunter Woojin had seen before flashing back to mind.
His unnaturally pale face. And whenever he exerted himself with heavy labor, Hector would hack and cough violently, as if his whole body might collapse.
'Poison damage to the lungs, huh.'
It was a fatal wound, no question.
Yet Hector had ventured into the Demonic Realm to hunt a werewolf in that condition. All by himself, without anyone else.
Looking back... Hector had been holed up in some remote outpost far from the pioneer city. Surviving alone by hunting beasts in a place like that could only be possible with exceptional skill and experience.
"Grrr..."
As the talk turned to Hector, Rex—who'd been at Woojin's side—suddenly let out a pained whine. It seemed the wolf had no fond memories of the old hunter.
From the wolf's perspective, that made perfect sense. Rex had been one of the prime targets on that old hunter's list.
Raymond's gaze lingered on Rex, his eyes tinged with clear regret.
"From what you've told me... that wolf following you around is far too unique a case. No one else could replicate it."
"Sorry I couldn't be of more help."
Raymond had wanted tips on taming wolf beasts, but Woojin's story wouldn't prove useful. Rex had chosen to approach Woojin on his own and become a hunting dog.
The two continued chatting idly as they walked. Suddenly, Raymond looked up at the sky, gauging the time from the sun's position.
"...Guess it's about time I head back."
"Calling it early today, huh?"
"If I stick around much longer, my juniors might stage a mutiny. I've been slacking off too much lately."
With that, Raymond quickened his pace. He did seem in a real hurry. The Holy Knight usually preferred ambling along like a sloth.
Raymond departed.
...At the same moment, Claire—who had been lying down—opened her eyes.
"What, you were awake?"
"I've been pretending to sleep the whole time. I wanted to test something out."
"You were even snoring."
"...Anyway, that's not the point."
Claire cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing.
"I wondered if Raymond's attitude might change if I stepped out of the conversation. Maybe he's suspicious of you."
"...Suspicious of me? Why?"
"Have you ever heard the term 'Dark Cultist'?"
"Yeah."
Woojin answered readily, and Claire blinked in surprise, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Uh... You know it?"
"What's with the reaction?"
"I figured you'd never heard of it. It's not exactly common knowledge... So where'd you learn about it?"
"Yurgis's Demonic Realm Chronicles. I got a chance to read it once."
Dark Cultist was a term that came up often in the Demonic Realm Chronicles. It referred to the fanatics who worshipped the Demonic Realm. Claire nodded, as if confirming something.
"Then I don't need to explain at length."
"...You look disappointed."
"I've been doing nothing but explaining lately, so playing teacher was starting to grow on me. Anyway! Getting to the point—you're traveling with a wolf beast right now."
"Ah, I think I see where this is going."
Wolf beasts couldn't be tamed.
But Woojin was currently journeying with Rex. From the perspective of a devout Holy Knight, that could easily be mistaken for the power of a Dark Cultist.
If so, Raymond might have been probing Woojin's identity under the guise of casual talk.
That's why Claire had pretended to sleep (by her account), leaving the two men to talk alone. With her listening in, the Holy Knight might hesitate to pursue his real agenda.
"So, do you have any idea why Raymond's been approaching me?"
"Yeah. From what I saw..."
Claire let out a small chuckle.
"To borrow his words, it just seems like slacking off. Wanting wolf-taming methods was probably an excuse. I think he comes here purely for fun."
"Matches what I thought."
The reason Raymond kept visiting this place... wasn't anything special. He just really seemed to hate hanging around the Golden Beetle's sons.
And it wasn't just Raymond—even the other Holy Knights on duty with him felt the same. His talk of mutiny didn't sound like a joke anymore.
What kind of guys could make Holy Knights react like that? Now Woojin was genuinely curious.
As that thought crossed his mind...
"...Kieeeek!!"
A ferocious shriek assaulted their ears. Startled, Woojin and Claire turned toward the source.
Tarasque, laden with the tent, was bellowing a long scream. Suddenly, it veered off and bolted straight into the deep forest.
Tarasque's sudden flight.
The problem? Their employers were riding on its back. The Golden Beetle's two sons were in danger. The mercenaries' faces went pale as they grasped the situation.
"Catch it!!"
How? was the obvious follow-up.
Tarasque had been selectively bred for cargo transport, its lizard-beast bulk larger than two oxen combined.
No one had an answer, but with time of the essence, the mercenaries charged after it anyway.
Tarasque wasn't all that fast, weighed down by its massive size and heavy load. The mercenaries shed their armor and sprinted with all they had. The gap narrowed bit by bit.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a crimson gust whipped past the mercenaries. It was Woojin, mounted on Rex. The wolf's swift paws overtook the lizard in an instant.
Woojin checked Tarasque's condition.
'...It's gone completely berserk.'
For some reason, Tarasque's eyes had rolled back white. To stop it now, they'd have to kill it outright. But he couldn't risk that.
'One wrong move, and the employers get hurt.'
There was no airbag-like safety gear in that tent. Stopping it dead would turn the passengers inside to mush.
He needed to slow it gradually.
With that in mind, Woojin grabbed the item he'd brought along. A javelin from the Black Marlin Mercenary Corps. He aimed its tip at Tarasque.
Woojin watched the lizard beast's movements intently. His five fingers gripped the shaft tight, then hurled it with all his might.
Thwack!!
A resounding impact. The flying javelin pierced Tarasque's front leg. But its speed barely faltered.
Tarasque had six insect-like legs; injuring one wouldn't stop the other five from supporting it.
Tsking at the sight, Woojin reached for his machete. In his haste, he'd only grabbed one javelin. Now he'd have to get rough.
"Rex. Get in close."
Let's see if it can run with its legs sliced off. He gripped the blade for the first time in a while.
...But Rex didn't obey.
"Rex?"
Puzzled, Woojin called again. Still no response from the wolf. Instead, it began slowing down.
Why the sudden change?
...No time to argue.
Woojin leaped off Rex's back. Legs weren't exclusive to wolves. If it wouldn't obey, he'd run on his own two feet.
Just as he moved to do so...
Tatata-tak—
The sound of fierce footfalls approached.
Woojin glanced back. Two Holy Knights, wreathed in pure white light, were charging in at astonishing speed.
Long trails of light lingered in their wake, like twin comets streaking across the ground. Soon, they flanked Tarasque left and right.
Fwoosh!
The Holy Knights drew silvery flames from their sheaths. With a single fluid draw and swing, twin blazing arcs sliced into Tarasque's hind legs.
A technique said to be exclusive to Holy Knights.
Tarasque lost both hind legs to that strike, its speed visibly dropping.
It wouldn't be long before it stopped. Woojin let out a sigh of relief, convinced.
'Somehow, it worked out.'
His gaze then shifted to the wolf.
"What was that about just now?"
"Woof! Grrr..."
Rex bared its fangs at Tarasque. Woojin stared, puzzled.
'...Is something wrong?'
Rex seemed strangely tense.
A wolf beast wouldn't fear a Tarasque... So why was it acting up? And why had Tarasque gone berserk out of nowhere?
To find answers, Woojin headed toward the Holy Knights.
Raymond, utterly spent, had collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
"Damn it all, I can't keep up with this anymore..."
Chasing Tarasque must have drained him completely. The male Holy Knight beside him, however—younger, perhaps—wasn't winded at all.
"Senior, rest here a moment. I'll go fetch those two."
"Yeah, thanks."
Raymond nodded repeatedly, his gratitude genuine. Dragging the ill-tempered employers out of the tent wouldn't be easy.
Woojin also approached Tarasque, intending to survey the scene. But the young Holy Knight blocked his path.
"Sorry, but stay back. Sir Derek and Sir Cedric won't allow a stranger near them."
"...Understood."
An ironclad attitude.
Woojin had no choice but to halt at a distance. He'd hoped to catch a glimpse of the Golden Beetle's sons, but no such luck.
Noticing his disappointment, Raymond grinned from his spot on the ground.
"Tough break, huh? Don't take it personally. The kid's just too earnest—comes with being a stickler for the rules."
"It's fine. Just a bit concerning..."
As he replied...
...Grrrrk.
A bizarre wail echoed.
Woojin knew that sound. He'd heard it often, and it always set him on edge. Instinctively, he whipped his head toward the source.
The Holy Knight was entering the tent.
"Get back!!"
Woojin shouted urgently.
Too late. Hands shot from the tent's shadows, seizing the young Holy Knight. He struggled in panic, but his body was inexorably dragged inside.
"Gaaah—!"
A scream pierced the air. Raymond jolted up in shock.
"What the—!!"
He drew his sword and lunged for the tent, but Woojin grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"Let go!! What are you doing? My adjutant's in there..."
Raymond bellowed furiously.
But persuasion wasn't needed. Mid-shout, he caught sight of something and fell silent.
They emerged from the tent.
Two monsters shaped like heaps of sagging flesh molded into human form. Gold hair sprouted sparsely from their heads, and black pus oozed from hollow eye sockets like tears.
'Abominations.'
That was what Woojin called things like them. Creatures he'd seen countless times in the Demonic Realm.
But why?
These two Abominations from the tent shared striking similarities. Their clothes, similar height and build, golden hair...
...They looked just like brothers.