Chapter 169
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169
"It was Freya."
It was Freya, my partner for the night watch.
It seemed she had made her way over to my post while making her rounds.
"Yes. Anything unusual to report?"
When Freya asked for a status update, I simply shrugged and grumbled.
"Unusual? The fact that I’m even here is what’s unusual."
To be dragged on an expedition beyond the wall, only to be stuck on night watch duty the moment I returned to the family estate…
If this wasn't absurd, I didn't know what was.
"……"
Freya stood there, shifting awkwardly. It seemed she had more on her mind than a simple check-in.
Crack.
As a courtesy, I transmuted another chair from the earth so she could sit.
"Thank you. For the washroom, as well."
"Well, it’s just common courtesy."
Freya thanked me for the latrine I’d built earlier. Though, considering I’d only scrambled to make it after hearing Malt’s comment, it probably wasn’t the most thoughtful gesture in the world.
Freya sat down without another word. After staring silently into the darkness for a long moment, she finally spoke.
"Are you alright? After what happened in the village?"
She was referring to the ambush in Morepit Village. I answered calmly.
"There’s no reason I wouldn’t be. I wasn't hurt. It wasn't even a threat—their swords and poison couldn't touch me."
"That’s not what I’m asking."
"Then what?"
"...We helped those villagers, and yet they repaid us with a midnight ambush, didn't they?"
There was a hint of indignation in her voice.
We had cleared boulders from their fields, unblocked their well, moved heavy logs at the village entrance, and even chopped their winter firewood. We had genuinely gone out of our way to help them.
But as Freya said, our reward was a madman with an axe and a fire meant to consume us in our sleep. Anyone else would have been furious at the betrayal.
I shook my head.
"Not really. You have a rough idea of the situation, don't you? That attack was just my past karma coming back to haunt me."
"……"
Roen Devalis.
His path had changed significantly at the Union, and Freya had witnessed that transformation firsthand. Starting from his second year, Roen had turned over a new leaf, becoming a completely different person from his past self.
She was likely trying to see things from my perspective, feeling it was unfair that I was attacked while performing good deeds.
But even so, the sins Roen committed in the past didn't just vanish. Someone out there was bound to hold a deep, justified grudge against me. This incident was just proof of the reality Roen lived in. It had nothing to do with the kindness we showed the village.
And a single day of kindness certainly didn't wash away the blood of a life taken.
"……"
Freya’s lips trembled. She clenched her fists against her knees and spoke again.
"...Actually, on the way to the main estate, Lady Ciel told me a few things."
"What kind of secrets were you two sharing?"
So that’s what they were whispering about every night during the three-day journey from Morepit Village to the Devalis estate.
Freya replied in a small voice.
"She said that you used to travel through the villages under the guise of collecting debts… but what you actually took weren't valuables. You took old items and clothes used by the common folk."
"……"
Is that so?
When I visited this time, the village chief had given me silver coins.
Come to think of it, he said he prepared it in a hurry because he didn't know I was coming.
They couldn't have gathered personal items or clothes on such short notice, so they must have hastily pooled whatever silver they had.
Freya continued.
"And then, she said you would send relief supplies to those villages every year—using the names of the former family head, Kaiser, or Duchess Aslan."
Sending relief supplies? Roen?
I was puzzled by her statement, but I brushed it off nonchalantly.
"I don't remember it very well."
"It’s no use feigning ignorance. Lady Ciel testified to it. She said she handled the logistics herself."
"……"
Freya’s words sent me into a brief reverie.
He went to villages to "rob" the common folk, only to secretly support them from the shadows? It was an act that defied all logic. Why would he openly court scorn and hatred, only to perform good deeds in secret?
Wait…
I recalled another detail.
Amy’s death—the catalyst for the ambush in Morepit Village.
This fit the same pattern. On the surface, Roen had murdered Amy. Her father, the village chief, and her husband, Duron, were burning with a desire for revenge.
But her son, Jimmy, had actually thanked Roen.
Could this discrepancy—this massive misunderstanding—be more than a simple coincidence? Could it have been planned?
Perhaps…
It occurred to me that Roen’s infamy might not have been entirely due to his own failures. Maybe that was why Ciel continued to stay silently by the side of the "good-for-nothing" Roen.
As I mulled over the possibilities, spurred by this sudden doubt, Freya’s voice pulled me back.
"Roen, is it possible… that you are committing these evil acts on purpose?"
In the darkness, Freya’s blue eyes shimmered. Perhaps she was holding onto a glimmer of hope for the man Roen truly was.
But I couldn't live up to that expectation. I slowly shook my head.
"Of course not."
A strange hypothesis had crossed my mind, but what kind of idiot would spend his own effort and money just to spread his own infamy? And why would he willingly bear the stigma of a murderer?
It was utterly incomprehensible. At least, with the information I had now.
"Then why on earth…"
To Freya’s question, I answered bluntly.
"I don't know."
"...?"
"I don't really remember what happened back then."
As I sighed and looked up at the dark night sky, Freya lowered her head.
"Is… is that so? I’m sorry."
She seemed to think I had lost my memories after ending up in the hospital ward while trying to save her. In reality, amnesia was just the convenient excuse I used to gloss over the parts of Roen’s life I didn't know.
I spoke calmly.
"It’s not your fault."
It was just how things were. Roen… he probably wouldn’t regret it either.
*
The next day.
The expedition began the monster subjugation in earnest.
The primary objective was to intercept high-level monsters appearing in abnormal numbers and destroy their habitats. Our first stop: the nesting grounds of the Black Moths.
Aslan issued orders to the soldiers.
"From this moment, we split into groups. Maintain a distance where flare signals remain visible. Burn the Black Moth habitat and regroup here by 17:00. Move out!"
"Sir!"
Ciel, Freya, and I followed behind Crossen and Malt toward the habitat.
The forest was a dense thicket of twisted, spiky trees.
Slosh—
Our boots sank into the black mud that coated the forest floor as we entered the heart of the territory. Our group included three novices with no expedition experience, but our raw combat power was formidable. Because of that, Crossen and Malt led the way without much visible stress.
Crossen took the lead with a dependable air, while Malt approached me.
"Lord Roen, you are aware of the flare signals, I presume?"
"I am. Green is all clear, blue is on alert. Yellow means enemy sighted, red is engaged in combat, white is a request for support, and black is the signal to retreat."
"Correct. I’ll give you some flares; please use them according to the situation."
Even though my combat ability was exceptional, I was fundamentally a mage. Among the five of us, I had the lowest stamina and slowest reaction time, so I took the central position. I could unleash explosive power using enhancement stones and items, but that was a temporary fix. My base stats were still lacking.
After receiving the flares, I scanned our surroundings.
"Still, destroying a Black Moth habitat for our first battle… our luck isn't great."
"Oh? You know about Black Moths?"
I nodded at Malt’s question.
"Of course I do."
Black Moths were exactly what the name implied. However, they were larger than most eagles and highly venomous, making them one of the worst possible opponents for the soldiers defending the wall.
Pitch-black so you can't see them at night, disgustingly huge, and venomous?
For sentries, they were a living disaster. We had to destroy their habitats in advance to prevent a mass outbreak.
Their item drops are useless and they're a pain to kill. Not exactly 'premium' monsters.
They were useless in the game and dangerous in reality. Better to just wipe them all out.
As we pushed through the black mud deeper into the forest, black cocoons came into view. They were nearly the size of small refrigerators. The thought of a freakishly huge moth pupa inside was enough to make me shudder.
"I will demonstrate first."
Crossen approached a nearby cocoon. He opened his canteen, poured Troll’s oil over the silk, and struck a flint.
Fwoosh—
Flames erupted violently. The fire blazed, incinerating the cocoon and the creature within.
Kieeeek—!
With a bloodcurdling scream, the Black Moth pupa burned to death. Even a small amount of Troll’s oil could sustain a fierce flame for a long time, making it an efficient method.
After finishing, Crossen turned to us.
"This is how you eliminate them. Be careful—sometimes the moths burst out and attack if the cocoon is on the verge of hatching."
"Can’t we just burn the entire forest down?" Freya asked.
Malt answered for him.
"This area is extremely humid, so it doesn't catch fire easily. Furthermore, the black mud throughout the forest prevents wide-area flame magic from working. The mud destabilizes mana particles, causing flame spells to fizzle. We have no choice but to burn them one by one, by hand."
It would have been useful to bring Bell along.
Bell’s Extreme Flame would burn through everything, regardless of the environment. I felt a flicker of disappointment.
No.
I stroked my chin, correcting my line of thought. There was no need to be disappointed. If the black mud was the problem, I just had to solve it.
After running through a few methods in my head, I gestured to Malt.
"Malt, could you lend me your ear for a moment?"
It seemed we might be able to clear this entire habitat in one fell swoop, without having to light every single cocoon by hand.
*
"Hmph. What a god-awful smell."
At the temporary camp near the forest, Aslan sniffed the air as she watched black smoke rise from beyond the trees. The smell of burning cocoons was as foul as ever.
"But the smoke is much thicker than usual, isn't it? Or is it just me?"
Aslan shielded her eyes and gazed at the billowing plumes. It didn't look like individual cocoons were burning; it looked like the entire forest was an inferno.
Was it just her imagination?
A soldier preparing a meal nearby chimed in. "It looks much thicker than usual to me too, Family Head."
"Right? I’m not seeing things."
She had assumed burning the forest was impossible because of the black mud. Had the expedition team discovered a new method?
...The only thing that's changed is that Roen and his friends are with them.
This was likely the work of one of those runts.
Impressive little brats.
If that was true, she’d have to make sure to praise them personally. Just as Aslan was chuckling to herself, imagining hugging the kids when they returned, it happened.
Flash—
A flare shot up from the heart of the forest.
"……!"
Amidst the thick black smoke, the flare glittered a violent red.
The signal for an engagement.