Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: The City Where Black Rain Falls (3)
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Fortunately, we made it to the bridge just before sunset, thanks to Storm running at full speed. Behind us stretched the green grassy path we'd galloped along.
Arriving in Dihid without too much delay was a good thing.
But it wasn't entirely good news. The surroundings had already grown dim even before nightfall, and the rain was pouring down harder.
The river raged as if it might flood at any moment. It was hard to tell if the water looked black because of the darkness or because of the "black rain" itself. We crossed the bridge carefully.
"Isla, sneak in once it's dark."
If the city was as tense as the farm owners had said, they wouldn't welcome a conspicuous beast like Isla. It was regrettable, but she'd have to hide and slip in.
-Woof!
Isla vanished into the darkness like a shot.
After crossing the bridge, we encountered Dihid's guard, who looked utterly exhausted. He was too busy adjusting the windscreen to keep his torch from going out to pay us any mind. We waited patiently until he was satisfied with it.
-Shoooo...
The rain fell in thick sheets. I held out my palm, checking the color of the pooling water. Just as the farm owner had said, it was pitch black. But aside from the color, nothing seemed unusual. It didn't irritate my skin, and I sensed no poison. Was my [Poison Resistance] passive skill blocking it? I tried using [Nature Purification] on the pooled water, but it remained black.
'That's strange.'
It meant this "black rain" contained no poison or disease. Maybe it was just a prolonged rainy season? Or...
Was there something else hidden behind it?
"Mercenaries?"
The guard rasped in a worn-out voice. I pulled out my mercenary badge and showed it to him. Lloyd did the same, and the guard gave them a cursory glance before nodding toward the wagon.
"Who's in the wagon?"
"My nephew."
"Hmm."
The guard approached the wagon and peered inside. Right now, it held El and Legion. To him, it would look like a young boy and a black cat. Nothing suspicious.
"Tch, dragging a kid along in this mess..."
The guard muttered to himself, then waved us through dismissively. We were cleared to enter. I gave a slight nod and proceeded into Dihid.
The rain was intensifying.
Following the farm couple's directions, we headed to the shopping district to find their acquaintance, "Paul." The rain-swept streets were deserted, eerily silent like a ghost town, not a soul in sight.
"This must be around here."
"That looks like the sign."
The rough map they'd sketched wasn't precise, so we'd wandered a bit, but Lloyd spotted the sign. It was a weathered one depicting a chicken, creaking as if it might fall in the downpour. I dismounted and knocked on the door.
-Knock, knock, knock.
No answer.
-Knock, knock, knock, knock.
After a few more tries, I heard movement inside. I waited patiently. Finally, after a long pause, there was a clank, and the small hatch in the door slid open. A man peered through—just his eyes visible—and barked gruffly.
"We're not taking guests. Can't you see that down there?"
I glanced down at his words and saw a sign—whether notice or warning, I couldn't tell—pinned to the door: "No Guests." No guests? That didn't suit an inn-cum-tavern at all. While I stood baffled, the man seemed utterly unapologetic.
"...At least take this. It's a letter from Mr. Rupert."
"Rupert?"
"Yes. From the farm across the river."
He eyed me suspiciously but eventually took the letter through the hatch. He tore it open and read. The letter, addressed "Dear Paul," brimmed with gratitude for how much help we'd given the couple and their earnest wish for him to assist us in return.
The man—Paul—looked sheepish as he met my gaze. I just smiled wordlessly. The hatch closed.
'He's their old friend, so he can't turn us away completely.'
-Creeeak.
Sure enough, the firmly shut door swung open.
"Damn it all, out-of-towners in a time like this... If not for Rupert's request, I'd never have let you in."
"Thank you, Paul. Where should we put the horse and wagon?"
"Follow me."
Under Paul's guidance, we stabled the horse and wagon securely, then returned to the inn. Like many old inns, the interior was worn but cozy.
We stowed our rain gear and were shown to our rooms. The "No Guests" sign must have been real—there wasn't a single other patron. It was as if we'd rented the place out. Well, at least it'd be more comfortable than usual. I paid a week's room fee upfront, generously to win some favor.
"Mercenaries?"
"Yes. We are."
"Then you've come to the wrong place—in a big way. There's no work for mercenaries in this city right now."
"Is that so? Come to think of it, there wasn't a soul on the streets."
Dihid was a city between the Barak Empire, Solen, and Lyset, connected by a grand bridge over the wide river—a hub where mercenaries passed through freely. Mercenaries meant money. Where they gathered, coin flowed, and where coin flowed, people followed. Dihid had been one such place.
Yet from the moment we arrived, we hadn't seen a single mercenary—or even a townsfolk. Few buildings had lights on; it felt like a dead city. Eerily strange.
"The rain started, and the mercenaries vanished. You know how superstitious they are, right? 'Black rain's bad luck' or whatever. Damn it. Bad luck? We've been ruined for half a month already!"
Paul slammed the table in frustration, grumbling.
"This rain's really been going for a fortnight?"
"Yeah. At first, it wasn't even 'black rain.' Just regular downpour. A deluge, that's all. But the next morning... the whole city was dyed black!"
"..."
"Don't look at me like that. I don't know why it happened. Of course not. Even the temple can't figure it out..."
Dihid hugged the river, so its grandest temple was probably Donar Temple, god of rivers and seas. Donar had considerable influence, so if even their priests were stumped, that was serious.
'Might need to visit the temple first...'
Paul looked utterly dejected. No wonder—his business was tanking, and no end in sight. Poor guy. To console him, I pulled out my last bottle of mead and poured him a glass.
"Don't worry too much. The temple's on it, and the lord won't just sit idle."
Paul gulped down the mead and snapped even more irritably.
"Don't even mention the lord. Who knows what he's doing—hasn't shown his face in over a month. Maybe even longer!"
The lord hadn't appeared?
In a crisis like this, abandoning the city made no sense. From what I knew, Dihid...
'Had its share of issues, but it wasn't some corrupt dump neglected by the lord.'
What the hell was going on?
"Rats everywhere, wells turning foul, people dropping dead for no reason... and we can't do a damn thing..."
Paul slammed his head on the table and started sobbing. He'd been through hell mentally. I watched him with pity, then gave Lloyd and El a subtle glance: 'This is worse than it seems.' Lloyd nodded gravely, getting it.
We left the rest of the mead with Paul and headed upstairs. We could hear him muttering drunkenly now and then, but nothing to worry about. More pressing was...
"The situation's worse than I thought."
Dihid's state was the real issue. The city in panic, lord absent, temple useless.
"Sounds like a plague's sweeping the whole place."
"Yeah. But not from the 'black rain.' I checked—it has no poison or disease."
"Then..."
"Something else's the cause. The 'black rain' might just be a smokescreen to hide it."
"That's one elaborate cover."
"Whatever it's hiding could be even graver. We'll play it safe for now. With talk of plague, everyone's hygiene-obsessed. We'll cook all our own meals."
"Got it."
"Yes!"
With [Dimensional Garden], we'd have clean spring water and food aplenty. My subspace ring was stocked with ingredients too. We could hold out until we uncovered the plague's source.
-Knock, knock.
Then came a knock at the door.
"That'll be Isla."
I went downstairs. Paul was out cold, clutching his bottle. I opened the door cautiously. There stood Isla, soaked black by the rain.
-Whine...
But something was off. Isla hesitated, glancing at me nervously, then gently dropped what she'd been carrying in her mouth. A black lump. I knelt to inspect it closely.
"..."
It was a crow.