Chapter 590: Six Guests
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 590: Six Guests
"There are four inns in Cross Guard, and this one is the cleanest."
Luagarne nodded. Since Froks had a dull sense of smell, the stench didn't bother her anyway.
Encrid, despite his sharp senses, also found this level of grime tolerable. He had once wandered the mountains for days on end, drenched in the blood of demonic beasts. Compared to those times, this place was practically a manor—if not a palace. Of course, that didn't mean it was actually pleasant.
Still, he didn't particularly want to go all the way to the manor the administrator had mentioned.
"Give us your best room," Snake Eyes said, pressing a few copper coins into the innkeeper's hand.
The first floor of the inn doubled as a pub and was bustling with noise. As the group entered, three or four people sitting at grease-stained tables glanced back. None of them had clear eyes; their gazes were either bloodshot or glazed over with intoxication. After a brief look, they quickly turned back to their own business.
It wasn't even early evening, and the sun had yet to set, but people were already huddled over card games here and there. There were six tables on the first floor; card games occupied three, while dice games took up two more.
Encrid became aware of a single gaze that refused to pull away.
It came from the last remaining table. A sharp, awl-like dagger was stabbed diagonally into the wood, and a one-eyed man sat there, staring quietly at Encrid. Usually, when someone lost an eye, they would cover it with an eyepatch, but this man left his wound completely bare. His face was a messy web of scars, likely the result of being cut and scraped multiple times. It wasn't a pleasant sight.
The fellow sitting right next to the one-eyed man whispered in his ear, his voice too low to carry. Only a few words drifted over: sleep, night, guests.
"The bastards from the Demon Realm Holy Land Cult show up at night to kidnap people. That’s why everyone’s nerves are a bit frayed," Snake Eyes explained while the employee—a boy who looked barely ten years old—went to clean their room.
Encrid nodded and ordered a cup of rum. He preferred milk or tea, but ordering something like that here would likely result in an unswallowable liquid. He watched the innkeeper behind the bar pour an amber liquid into a tin cup.
That cup doesn't look very clean either.
Encrid had the thought, but he accepted the cup and tasted it anyway. He wasn't particularly fond of alcohol, but this was truly terrible. It wasn't just cheap; it was watered-down rum.
"What an interesting city," Luagarne said, scanning her surroundings. She surely didn't mean it literally.
The atmosphere was harsh, rough, and bleakly hopeless, wrapping around the entire city like a shroud.
"How about heading to the manor even now?" Snake Eyes asked. His tone was respectful of Encrid's wishes, but Encrid shook his head.
"It's fine."
He needed to ask around about the missing guild members, so he figured staying here was better than staying in a manor and constantly traveling back and forth. They said that to catch a ghoul, one had to carry dripping raw meat in the dead of night. To catch a wild beast, shouldn't one enter its den?
Besides, was there anyone here who could actually pose a threat to him? He doubted it. His intuition told him as much.
"Then I pray you defeat those bastards from the Demon Realm Holy Land Cult," Snake Eyes whispered before taking his leave.
Encrid pondered why that otherwise ordinary man's eyes looked so much like a snake's, and the answer came easily. It was because they were like a doll's eyes, devoid of readable emotion—much like the Ferryman he had seen last night. Though, compared to the Ferryman's eyes, they were practically overflowing with humanity.
After Snake Eyes left, the young employee brought out the food. It consisted of mealy apples, the "eternal stew" simmering in the corner of the inn, and roasted pork. Encrid didn't touch the stew, eating only a few apples and the roasted meat. The meat had a strong, gamey odor that made it unpleasant to eat. Still, he wasn't in a position to be picky about his food like Ragna.
After finishing his meager meal, he went up to his room, which was cleaner than expected. There was no bed, just a sleeping area made of several layered blankets. The inn was a three-story building, and their room was at the end of the third floor. It smelled a bit, but as long as there were no fleas, it was better than sleeping on the street wrapped in a single cloak.
"Can you prepare some water for washing? A tub or a bath would be even better."
"We have a tub," the boy replied quickly.
Encrid flipped a silver coin with a sharp ting. The boy snatched the glittering coin with both hands.
"Ah." The boy was startled. It was a substantial amount of Krona. Glancing toward the stairs leading down, the boy hid the silver coin inside his trousers and spoke. "You're rich."
Deeply moved, the young employee served them with utmost care. After eating and washing, Encrid brought his first day in the city to a close.
He had heard that travelers and peddlers rarely visited Cross Guard lately. Making a living was already difficult enough, but the cultists had deliberately infiltrated the city, making things even worse. Perhaps because of that, there was no sign of life in the rooms to their left and right. Although the inn had over ten rooms, it seemed their group was the only one staying on the third floor.
"I really didn't like that fellow's eyes," Luagarne said, and Encrid nodded in agreement. She took a few sips of the water provided by the inn and frowned.
Although Froks got along fine in swamps and didn't mind not washing, there was one thing they were picky about: drinking water. They loved clear water. Consequently, drinking murky water caused them considerable displeasure.
"There isn't a single decent thing about this place," Luagarne grumbled. Since she didn't actually mind the sleeping arrangements or the food, her complaint was entirely due to the water.
Border Guard had an abundant water supply thanks to the nearby Pen-Hanil River, and there were several pools of standing water up in the mountains, so clear water was plentiful. The conditions here weren't much different, so the poor quality of the water meant it wasn't being managed properly. The contrast with the neighboring Border Guard was stark.
Was it because they lost the war? Or was it the lord's lack of competence?
Probably both, Encrid thought, nodding. "Indeed."
It was after they exchanged a few more trivial words. When he closed his eyes and fell asleep, the Ferryman appeared. Encrid felt as though he had been hastily dragged somewhere, and indeed he had. The Ferryman spoke as if he had been waiting, conveying his thoughts without even moving his mouth.
"You dare compare my eyes to something like that?"
Today's Ferryman felt somewhat familiar. His tone was light and cheerful.
What a fickle personality.
He was angry right off the bat. It wasn't hard to deduce the meaning behind his words. It was because Encrid had compared Snake Eyes to the Ferryman. He had likely eavesdropped on Encrid's thoughts from earlier in the day.
But is that really something to bring up in such a hurry?
"I was just making an observation," Encrid shrugged.
"How dare you."
Was the mere act of comparison offensive, regardless of the context? The Ferryman snorted and conveyed his thoughts again. It was the same message as yesterday, just with a different tone.
"You can still turn back. It is not too late."
Encrid also started with a question similar to yesterday's. "Is misfortune coming?"
At those words, the Ferryman started to say something, then shut his mouth. Encrid couldn't read his emotions, so it was just a guess, but the Ferryman's attitude made it seem like he simply didn't want to exchange words with this bastard.
"I'm not teasing you," Encrid defended himself.
"Haha. Teasing? Me? How dare you. You speak nothing but nonsense."
The Ferryman let out a laugh, but his face didn't mimic the action. He was merely transmitting his intent through his Will.
Encrid suddenly realized that the way the Ferryman transmitted his thoughts was quite similar to how one manipulated Will. It was an unexpected realization. It wouldn't change anything immediately, but it was a stroke of luck, like finding a silver coin on the road.
Encrid reflected on his sudden insight for a moment before speaking. "Transmitting your thoughts is quite similar to manipulating Will."
At that, the Ferryman snorted. This time, he actually mimicked speaking while transmitting his thoughts clearly.
"Did I not tell you at the very beginning? That you wouldn't be able to properly perceive our conversation. And why is that? Because this entire conversation is held solely through Will."
Yet, Encrid remembered the conversation. Even if he pondered it now, he wouldn't find the reason. Besides, it probably wasn't that important.
"Conversing through Will. Infusing Will. Naturally and smoothly."
Rather than dwelling on the mystery, Encrid chewed over what he had realized through their conversation. The Ferryman had laughed and gotten angry. Those were feats performed through his Will. As Encrid began to murmur, the Ferryman didn't even snort; he simply stared at him intently for a moment.
After a brief pause, the Ferryman transmitted his thoughts once more.
"...I said it is not too late. Do not forget."
With those words, the Ferryman began to fade like mist.
What is this? This has never happened before.
Encrid smelled a pungent, acrid scent. Had he ever smelled anything while with the Ferryman? Never. Therefore, this wasn't happening in his mindscape; his physical body was reacting.
This isn't a dream. Something is happening.
"Go."
The Ferryman's command and Encrid's realization occurred simultaneously. Encrid snapped his eyes open. An acrid smell filled the room. Finding the source of the scent was not difficult.
It was the brazier, which had been filled with heated stones and charcoal to keep them warm. Someone had thrown something inside to burn—a sleeping incense that would put an ordinary person to sleep for two days from a single whiff.
Encrid stood up and slowly opened the window. Luagarne had also opened her eyes at some point. When Encrid pointed at the brazier, she immediately caught on.
"Such consideration just to make sure we sleep well?"
Ever since she accepted that they were dealing with cultists, she had taken to puffing out her cheeks occasionally. It was a habit of hers when steeling her resolve, and she did so now.
Playing tricks the moment we arrive in the city? It must be the cultists, right? Luagarne held her breath and approached the window.
Encrid didn't jump to the conclusion that this was the work of the cultists. It wasn't something he could confirm just yet. Instead, he reflexively checked his physical condition.
Is there poison mixed in as well?
He leaned his head out into the cold wind and took a breath; it didn't seem like it. He hadn't inhaled much of the incense anyway. No matter how strong Encrid was, inhaling a full breath of such incense would normally make drowsiness wash over him, but he felt no such symptoms. This was thanks to his heightened senses, which had reacted the instant they detected the scent.
Hadn't Sachsen told him to always use his nose first when staying in an unfamiliar city? He was right. He had also said that one's senses were the best warning lights.
His lungs expanded as he took a deep breath of the night air.
No abnormalities.
His fingers moved with full strength, and there was no grogginess. As he left the window open to let the room air out, he sensed a presence. It was thanks to his five senses blending with his hearing, opening the Gate of the Sixth Sense.
Using sound to sharpen the blade of his senses, he could easily pinpoint their approximate hiding spots and numbers.
Two on the roof, two in each of the adjacent rooms.
Six in total.
Was there anyone dangerous among them? Judging by how carelessly they leaked their presence, probably not. That was what his intuition told him.
Encrid raised his hand, palm facing down, tapped his chest with his thumb, pointed his index finger toward the ceiling, and then pointed at Luagarne. It was a signal that he would handle the rooms, while Luagarne should take care of the roof.
Without even nodding, Luagarne placed her hands on the windowsill. There was no need to coordinate their breathing or time their movements. The gap in strength between them and the attackers was stark.
The Frok hooked her foot on the window and lightly leaped up, while Encrid slowly stepped forward and opened the door.
Creeeak.
The rusted hinges groaned, and in the time it took to draw a single breath, the doors to the left and right swung open. The fellow who emerged from the left room stepped out of the deep shadows and into the lamplight.
"You should have just gone to sleep quietly," he said. "Why make things difficult for us?"
Judging by the scars on his face and his overall appearance, he was one of the men from the first floor of the inn. The one-eyed man who didn't cover his eye, and the ones who had been gambling beside him—they were the same people he had seen earlier that evening.