Chapter 85: The Trap
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85: The Trap
Her voice, unsurprisingly, was tinged with fear. Considering Baek Ahyeon's past, it was a natural reaction. Although she had overcome much of her past trauma, being alone with a man in a sealed room was still a terrifying situation for her. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was enough to bring back those faded, old memories.
No, more than that, she sounded worried that her body, which she intended to offer to me, might be defiled.
[M-My Savior... What should I...]
[I'm coming.]
[Y-Yes!]
[Don't sever the magic. Keep reporting the situation.]
[I understand, my Savior.]
Though she answered forcefully, her voice was still trembling. The man had a good reputation, so he probably wouldn't touch her carelessly, but you never know how a person might change in an extreme situation. This was even more true if one assumed his reputation was just a mask.
I'd said I was coming, but I didn't know their exact location. I could feel air flowing, so it wasn't a complete collapse, but I figured there would be blocked or completely obliterated paths.
I had a rough map sketched out in my head, but the problem was its inaccuracy. Still, I had no choice but to press forward.
‘Damn it...’
I needed to treat my arm, so after applying what little potion I had, I began to move slowly through the narrow tunnel. The distance between the northern area where we were and the southern area where the Saint Knights Order was located was about a half-day's run. I had to move quickly, as I could easily get lost for even longer. In other words, I had no time to wait for my scattered clan members. If I carved markers to show my position, they could probably follow me.
As I moved, I rummaged through the pouch hanging at my side to check my supply of food and water. I could have entrusted everything to my clan members, but thanks to an old habit, I had kept a small amount on my person, which was now proving useful.
‘Good.’
After walking for some time, a blocked passage came into view, just as I'd expected. If I were human, I probably wouldn't have even been able to see where I was, but a monster's eyes are certainly convenient. I tapped the wall with my hand; it didn't seem too thick. I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to dig through with my greatsword and immediately set to work.
I dug at the tunnel with my large greatsword. To prevent a potential collapse, I used the Ancient Flame to melt the worm's bodily fluids clinging to the walls and then let them harden. It seemed I could dig through quite quickly on my own.
[Ah... We have no food. Th-Then what should we do? For now, we should wait for rescue... Yes. I understand.]
Baek Ahyeon's voice came through intermittently. Unsurprisingly, their situation seemed far more serious than mine. They must have entrusted all their food and water to their squires and workers, so this was the natural result. In the pitch-black darkness where nothing was visible, they had apparently chosen to wait for rescue rather than move.
Given the risk of the tunnel collapsing, it wasn't a bad choice, but it seemed they hadn't thought of utilizing the Forest Worm's fluids. Or perhaps they simply had no way to melt the hardened fluid.
I put more force into my greatsword, and finally, with a crumbling sound, the blocked passage broke open. It was definitely the path leading south. Just as I was about to press on...
“Kkirik... Kkirik...”
I heard the sound of a goblin crying from somewhere nearby. Not the main force. I wasn't certain, but it was probably some of the ones who hadn't managed to regroup with us. I closed my eyes and focused on the sound. It was coming from the completely blocked wall to my left.
“It's me.”
“Kkirik... B-Blood Dagger... It's Blood Dagger!”
Just as I thought, they began to cheer. The only ones who hadn't rejoined us were the assassins who moved with the dexterous one who drew maps, so I figured it had to be them.
“Blood Dagger came to save us! Kkirik!”
The truth was that I was just as isolated, but I decided not to bother mentioning that fact and spoke to them.
“Wait there.”
Digging through the tunnel required extreme caution. Without Jung Hayeon's roots to stabilize the weakened ground, touching it carelessly could lead to a major disaster, so I first calmed them down.
“I'll dig.”
“Understood! We'll wait.”
The work began once more. I melted the fluid, applied it to the ceiling, and let it harden before starting to scrape away at the wall with my greatsword. The passage where their voices were coming from was likely the weakest part of the wall. I focused my attack there, and it soon began to crumble.
Crumble.
At the sound of falling debris, they let out surprised squeaks, but when my face came into view, they broke into incredibly happy smiles.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!!”
They were adorable, jumping around and cheering amongst themselves. I slowly resumed my work, and bit by bit, the wall crumbled away, creating a hole large enough for their small bodies to pass through.
There were three of them in total. As expected, two assassins and the one who drew maps.
“For Blood Daggerrrr!”
They clung to me with their small bodies, clearly overjoyed. It was something they normally wouldn't do, but they must have been worried about meeting a dishonorable death in a place like this. The one who recently had a daughter looked especially happy. I patted each of them on the shoulder, and they looked up at me with shining eyes.
“Do you have the map and food?”
“We do!”
In this situation, those were the most welcome items. As if understanding my intent, the map-making goblin immediately handed me the map. It wasn't perfect, but it was certainly a plausible-looking map.
“Where are we?”
“Around here, Captain.”
We were still near the northern exit; it was still a long way to where Baek Ahyeon was. Looking at the map, I began to communicate with Baek Ahyeon.
[Can you determine your exact location?]
[I'll... I'll check.]
Unless they were fools, they probably had a map. They had said the expedition was delayed to survey the inside of the burrow, so I was sure of it. My guess was correct. A moment later, Baek Ahyeon's voice came through.
[Yes, I've confirmed it. It's dark, so I can't see well, but I think...]
Baek Ahyeon slowly began to explain her location. She even gave coordinates, so her map was likely of better quality than ours. Furthermore, many parts of the maps matched up quite well. It meant someone like Hakajin on their side had also roughly surveyed the interior. I was a little lost at first, but as I continued to listen to her explanation, I was finally able to get a rough idea of where Baek Ahyeon was trapped.
[Confirmed. I'm heading your way now. Just wait a little longer.]
[Yes, my Savior... I... I'll be waiting.]
“The assassin goblins will continue to leave markers on our path. From now on, we move south to fight the humans.”
“F-For Blood Dagger!”
As if they admired me for seeking battle even in such an extreme situation, their eyes began to shine again as they looked at me. And so, we set off once more.
However, the further we went, the more we realized the path was not in good condition. Unlike the northern section, which was relatively stable, the southern section had collapsed with many casualties. I had expected it to be bad, but it was even worse than I thought.
I thought that without the map-making goblin and the two assassins, the work would have been much slower.
Despite not being Orcs with great stamina, they began to dig enthusiastically at my command. The work continued until they and I were exhausted. If this hadn't been a Forest Worm's burrow, we wouldn't have even been able to think about digging our way out.
That, at least, was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
In any case, we conserved our food and continued to press on. In contrast, Baek Ahyeon's situation was growing worse. First was the problem of having no food or water. While they could last much longer than an ordinary person without magic, the pain of hunger and thirst did not simply disappear.
Fortunately, it seemed they weren't running out of air, but the real source of Baek Ahyeon's stress was something else.
[M-My Savior. He's watching. He seems to be... watching me.]
Being alone together in the dark, the problem was that they had to relieve themselves in front of each other. As if he were some kind of voyeur, the time he spent staring intently at Baek Ahyeon had increased.
Of course, I couldn't know what he was thinking, but from what Baek Ahyeon told me, his recent state was definitely strange.
Of course, just by listening to her story, I couldn't know exactly what had changed, but the problem was that as time went on, he seemed to be trying to vent his pent-up stress on Baek Ahyeon.
I could only form one hypothesis. Suppose he had jumped into the explosion to save Baek Ahyeon. At first, he might not have thought much of it, but as time passed and the rescue party was delayed, I thought there was a definite possibility he was starting to resent her.
There was also the possibility that his accumulating stress was twisting into sexual desire, but he was probably weighing his options.
He was weighing the outcomes of dying here versus escaping. In a way, the title and power he possessed were like a Green Skin's honor. If he considered the possibility of escaping, he would have to behave properly inside the tunnel. However, if we assume the bastard has given up hope, then he clearly wouldn't care what happened here.
It was just my personal opinion, but I was sure the bastard hadn't given up hope yet.
Feeling a sudden unease, I quickened my pace. The goblins, of course, followed me.
And then, three more days passed. I was in the middle of reassuring Baek Ahyeon, telling her we were almost there and to hold on just a little longer.
Suddenly, a scream erupted from the Ring of Covenant.
[My Savior! My Savior! Aaaaaaah!]
I shot to my feet reflexively. Startled, the goblins jumped up with me. Something had happened. If she were still just a squire, I might not have cared, but now she was definitively one of my people. Naturally, I had no choice but to move.
The map was already in my head. I started running. All the while, Baek Ahyeon's continuous screams urged me on, making me more frantic.
“Shit...”
I knew it was dangerous to move so hastily, but my body moved on its own. The tunnel was shaking slightly, but I thought I could push through.
But when I arrived, all I saw was an empty burrow.
‘Was the map wrong?’
It was the only possible conclusion in that situation. But when I strained my ears, I could definitely hear a voice.
It overlapped perfectly with the voice coming from the Ring of Covenant.
“M...y... Sav...ior...”
The voice was coming from below. I looked at the goblins and spoke.
“Wait here.”
“Kkirik. For Blood Dagger.”
It was in case they got into danger. I drew the Ancient Flame and poured my magic into it with all my might. It heated up in an instant. I repeatedly struck the ground with it, and with a burst of flames, my body fell downward.
CRASH!
Before my eyes was Baek Ahyeon, whom I hadn't seen in a very long time. Her filthy, dirt-caked body was sprawled in a corner of the floor. Looking up at me while covering her torn clothes, Baek Ahyeon looked unbearably pitiful.
And then.
A face I hadn't seen in a very long time. A haggard face, overgrown with an unshaven beard and gaunt from days without food, came into my view. The sudden light must have been blinding, as he couldn't look directly at me, wreathed in flames as I was.
“Grrrrrk.”
His expression was one of utter confusion. The hideous thing exposed from his lower body was, naturally, an eyesore.
I drew my greatsword and charged at the bastard. And then, I muttered, precisely in the human tongue.
“Long time no see, you son of a bitch.”