Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 031
Chapter Title: Traitor's Requiem #2
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“I’m willing to take the Purity Pill and prove my innocence. What about you?”
All eyes turned to Sir Gotthalt.
His refined face flushed in a rainbow of colors.
“Swallow a poison that might leave aftereffects? Why should an innocent man like me take that risk!”
*Flash*-.
The tip of Sir Gotthalt’s sword pointed straight at me.
“Who else but this bastard would steal the goods!”
*Shing*-.
Felix drew his sword from his waist as well.
But that blade was aimed at Sir Gotthalt.
“Sir, please take the pill.”
“Felix, you bastard, are you saying you believe this guy over me right now?”
“You know full well your attitude is raising suspicions.”
No one said it, but they all wanted the same thing.
Gotthalt ground his teeth.
“…Fine. Shaman, hand me the pill.”
*Swish*-.
Gotthalt reached out his hand.
A bad premonition hit me the moment the shaman offered it to him.
“Wait—.”
But Gotthalt’s hand was faster.
He grabbed the shaman’s wrist in a flash, yanked him in like a shield, and pressed a knife to his throat.
“Don’t move! You fucking dogs!”
I had a feeling it’d turn out like this.
But the shaman wasn’t some pushover either.
“That’s my line, Sir Gotthalt.”
“My… body….”
Gotthalt’s expression hardened in an instant.
His eyes slowly drifted downward.
The base of the shaman’s staff was pinning Gotthalt’s shadow.
“You… bastard, when did you….”
The shaman slipped free from Gotthalt’s grip while keeping the shadow pinned.
Then he calmly asked,
“I’ll ask you, Sir Gotthalt. Where did you put the bloodstone? This isn’t something to mess with lightly.”
“Heh heh heh… It’s already out of my hands.”
“What? Wait… you mean….”
*Crunch*-.
A sound like bones twisting.
I looked, and Gotthalt’s leg had stepped back a full pace.
That pulled the pinned shadow back a step too—.
Freeing Gotthalt from the bind.
“You endured the pain of twisting bones…!?”
*Flash*-.
Something flashed before my eyes.
*Splash*-.
When I came to, the hand gripping the staff was rolling on the ground, spurting blood.
Gotthalt had clearly slashed it off!
I hadn’t even seen the sword path!
“Guhhh!”
“Shaman!”
I got worried for no reason.
The guy who bought my gem at a high price can’t get hurt!
But the shaman clutched his wrist and yelled at us instead.
“This isn’t the priority! Head to the corners! Protect my ritual totems! The bloodstone is meant to—”
“Shut—up!”
*Flash*-.
The sword gleamed again.
*Clang*-!
But this time, a sharp clash of metal prevented bloodshed.
*Grind*-.
Sword met sword.
“Felix, you think you can stop me?”
“Perfect condition to test my new blade, you thieving bastard.”
Now we get to see the knights’ brutal swordfight.
Even in this mess, I felt a twinge of excitement—until Hermit yanked my side.
“Newbie! This isn’t the time to stand around!”
“Why? What’s up?”
“The shaman said to protect the totems! The missing bloodstone must be something that destroys them!”
Hammer shouted like he was pissed.
“Explain it so even Yor can get it!”
“If all the ritual totems are destroyed, this fortress might collapse! The side effects will backlash and resonate!”
That’s it!
That’s what Nihlaz was talking about!
“I can track the totem locations! Just head to the spots where my gut churns the most!”
We followed Hermit.
She burst out of the tent, scanned around, and pointed to the fortress’s towering spire.
“East, west, south, north! Cardinal protection totems! Split up and find them! I’ll take east, Hammer west, newbie, you south!”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Here it is.”
The towering spire to the south.
The tall building made it easy to spot.
But I worried the south spire guards wouldn’t let me in easily.
I’ve never had smooth entry procedures in my life.
Yet all the south spire guards were dead on the ground.
Stabbed clean through the chest with something sharp.
“How pissed do you have to be to die with eyes bulging like that.”
*Rummage*-.
I closed the guards’ eyes, then rifled their pouches for coins.
*Jingle*-.
“Heh heh. Gotta take payment for closing their eyes.”
I climbed past the corpses to the spire top.
There, I found a woman facing a massive totem like a giant guardian statue.
Pointed ears, sleek leather outfit.
A long, needle-like dagger at her waist.
‘Fuck, it’s an Erdarri!’
Hostility and killing intent boiled up instantly.
Suffocating rage took over.
But?
‘She hasn’t noticed me yet!’
I crept toward the Erdarri, deadening my footsteps.
*Tip-toe*-.
“Sneaking up all careful like that, you thought I wouldn’t notice?”
Right before I could reach out, the Erdarri reacted.
My stealth was busted!?
“Among us, my nose is the best. Salinor, that you?”
Oh?
She mistook me for someone else!
This Salinor guy must smell as nice as me, huh?
“Come help me out. This Lendo stuff is more intricate than I thought—even with the bloodstone, it’s not easy to destroy.”
I held my breath even more and approached cautiously.
Then reached over her shoulder, pressing a throwing knife to her throat.
“Wh-what!”
*Stab*-.
The Erdarri shuddered as the knife pierced her throat knuckle-deep.
She turned, saw my face, and her expression was priceless.
“…Lendo…!?”
“Heh heh, first human for you, demon bitch.”
With a blade at her throat, what could she do?
Even a level 15 knight hurts if you hit his balls.
Demon girl or not, a throat stab should kill her same as anyone.
‘So now what?’
Should I just finish her off?
That’d be good for world peace.
“…….”
But something was off.
Erdarri are human-killing butchers.
Normally, even with a knife to the throat, they’d resist at least a little.
“…….”
This Erdarri was weirdly docile.
She was even sneaking peeks at me!
An old thief’s story came to mind.
—Ever tell you how to spot a noble lady hiding among maids?
Put a knife to their throat—.
The other maids freak out, cry, scream.
But one calms right down.
—That’s the noble lady.
—Heh heh heh, the more you have to lose, the less you act reckless.
Same with this one.
She’s got a lot to lose.
“You’re pretty high up among the Erdarri, right?”
“…….”
Then a great idea hit me.
Know your enemy and yourself, win every battle.
I’ll capture her and squeeze out info!
Rope!
I deftly pulled the rope from the Black Satchel with one hand—the one I got for cave exploring.
Meant to return it to the captain, but it was tough and sturdy, so I kept it.
*Bind*-!
I trussed her up tight with one hand.
Only after she was fully tied did she speak.
“Lendo, capturing me changes nothing. The other totems are probably already smashed.”
“That’s not your concern.”
I stuffed her into the Black Satchel.
*Shove*-.
Even with a person inside, the satchel stayed small.
What a fucking amazing item!
But the next instant—
*Crack, crackle*-.
Like glass breaking.
Hermit climbed onto the south spire roof at the same time.
“Whew, no Erdarri here!”
“There was.”
“…Huh? Anyway, my side was crawling with them, so I bailed. Didn’t wanna get caught and die.”
So Hermit’s totem had Erdarri too.
Meaning Hammer’s did as well.
*Crackle*-.
Glass breaking again.
Hermit scowled at the sky.
“The spells woven into the fortress are shattering. No idea what’ll happen, but….”
*Crack-! Boom*-.
Finally, thunder roared, shaking the fortress.
The next moment, someone below yelled from the pit floor.
“The pit’s backflowing!”
“Night’s overflowing!”
“Run!”
Looking over the railing, black fog-like stuff overflowed from the fortress basement pit.
Like that time slums flooded and sewers backed up.
“Got it! The fortress spells were suppressing the night in the abyss! The fortress was like a lid over the abyss!”
“Night backflow means… whatever’s down there comes up too?”
Huge spiders erupted across the fortress like spray.
—Screeech!
“Argh!”
“Save me!”
The fortress turned to pandemonium in seconds.
Far off, Hammer waved at us.
“Fuck, five Erdarri on my side—I couldn’t do shit!”
Hammer’s side had a ton too.
Mine only had one.
Lucky draw.
Anyway.
Hammer made a veteran call.
“This place is done! Grab Felix and let’s bail!”
Heading to Felix’s tent, he was on one knee, blood pouring from his body.
Gotthalt stood unscathed before him, grinning.
“That’s the gap between human limit level 15 and superhuman level 16. Wonder how amazing 17, 18 gets?”
“So that’s why you joined the demons?”
“Yeah, I’m becoming an Erdarri too. They say you don’t even need ether to level up.”
Become an Erdarri?
Traitorous bastard!
Gotthalt waved at someone.
“Speak of the devils, here they come.”
Nearly ten Erdarri.
“Hey! I smuggled the bloodstone like promised, let you into the fortress—all done! So now make me an Erdarri li—huh?”
*Whip, thunk*-.
An arrow lodged in Gotthalt’s forehead.
Too fast—even I didn’t catch it.
“Uh oh….”
Gotthalt crumpled.
An Erdarri with a massive bow approached, yanked the arrow from his forehead, and brushed off the remains.
“Idiot. As if a soulless Lendo could become Shando.”
Traitor who shook hands with demons.
Good riddance!
‘Now the real problem’s us.’
Erdarri in front, spiders behind.
“What about this one?”
“Almost dead.”
“Body’s covered in sacrifice brands.”
Felix was surrounded by Erdarri too.
No saving him.
Hell, not sure we can escape.
“Those guys?”
“Wipe ’em out.”
“Gimme the mage. Wanna dissect her brain.”
“That boy over there smells weird.”
*Grip*-.
Hammer seized his weapon.
“…Looks like this is our grave. But I’ll get you two out somehow.”
“Hammer, for real?”
“Truth? No clue. Gotta try.”
Hammer’s sincerity for us hit hard.
Tears welled up.
But I thought—we might all survive if I play it right.
I had a ‘card’.
Worth the gamble.
“You lot, don’t touch that guy! Unless you want your precious lady in a world of hurt!”
Brief silence.
Erdarri eyed each other.
“Precious lady? What’s that mean?”
“…Nineveh ain’t here.”
“…….”
The air froze solid.