Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: The City Where Black Rain Falls (8)
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"Sir, I've checked everything!"
Elle returned from inspecting the warehouse, her raincoat soaked through with the black rain. She shook off the water and shot a contemptuous glance at the manager couple.
"It's overflowing with food supplies."
I knew it. I nodded to Elle and turned my gaze toward Lloyd, who was just emerging from the basement.
"...Theodor. You should see this for yourself."
Lloyd's expression was grim. The managers' faces weren't much better. Leaving the couple sweating bullets behind, I headed down to the basement.
"Ugh..."
A fishy stench wafted up from the stairs. This didn't bode well. Covering my nose and mouth with my sleeve, I descended slowly.
The basement interior was dim. Fortunately, Legion on my shoulder spat black flame at a lantern on the wall, igniting it. The surprisingly spacious basement came into view.
"Ugh..."
In the center stood something like a butcher's table for carving meat. Or perhaps a crude operating table. Sinister knives stabbed into it, dried bloodstains, and buckets on the floor filled with red clumps...
"...Human?"
"I checked. It's not human. Animal carcasses."
"Damn, what the hell have they been doing here?"
"We'll have to hear it from them directly."
"This is a real headache."
I climbed back up the stairs. Behind me, I heard Lloyd extinguish the lantern and follow. The stench still lingered, so I shook my head, pulled a mint leaf from my pocket, held it under my nose, and took a few deep breaths.
'What the hell happened in that basement?'
Did the managers really extract hearts from Altans and sell them? But according to Draven, they hadn't even succeeded in the first kidnapping.
...So what were those things in the basement?
I sat back at the table and scanned the sweating couple up and down. Full panic mode. No sign of loyalty—they'd spill everything if pressed.
"Alright, shall we begin?"
"Th-that... Th-that's..."
"Your answers now will greatly affect your punishment. Be honest, and you might even keep your lives. But..."
"Y-yes! Y-yes, we'll be honest!"
The man screamed his response, while his wife nodded vigorously beside him.
"Y-yes. We think we've made a grave mistake. B-but we did it just to survive. You wouldn't understand, Saint, but managing these barbarians is so..."
"Not profitable."
"Y-yes! You know. As expected of the Saint. You even understand the plight of us lowly folk... Y-yes. It doesn't make money. It costs money. We've even dipped into our own savings to build fences for these barbarians and..."
"From the looks of your nonsense, you still haven't come to your senses. Do you think we don't know those fences were to cage them in?"
"...Th-that... That's..."
"Just the facts. Tell us what happened here."
The man deflated again, mumbling in a barely audible voice with his head bowed.
"Yes. We..."
"..."
"Diverted the relief supplies sent by the lord."
"..."
"We deserve death! Take all the food in the warehouse! Please, just spare our lives!"
"That's not all."
"...Pardon?"
I placed the bucket Lloyd had brought up on the table.
-Thud!!!
Viscous blood splattered here and there. The couple shrieked "Eek!" and squeezed their eyes shut in terror.
"The basement."
"...!"
"Tell us what happened in the basement."
"Th-that's..."
"Not content with skimming relief supplies, were you trying to sell 'Altan hearts' too?"
"N-no, Saint! It's not like that!"
"Then explain what this is properly."
"..."
"Won't talk? Fine, I'll guess."
"..."
"You were 'practicing' on them before extracting hearts from Altans, right?"
"H-heek..."
The man's face had turned ashen blue. He gulped and began muttering in a trembling voice.
"Just spare us. Spare us, spare us. Spare..."
Practicing to rip out children's hearts, and now begging for mercy? Shameless bastard. I fixed him with the coldest glare I'd ever given.
"'I don't know' won't fly anymore. Who wants the Altan hearts? Tell the truth."
"I really, really don't know..."
The man broke down sobbing, snot and tears streaming pathetically. Filthy wretch. As I rose, unable to stomach it anymore,
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow."
It wasn't the man—his wife spoke up.
"Tomorrow, they're coming to buy the hearts."
"Honey! They'll kill us!"
"It's all out now, we're dead anyway, you fool! Prison is our only shot at survival!"
The wife bellowed, and the man shut his mouth again. I shifted my gaze from him to her.
"They?"
"Y-yes. The ones who gave us the 'drug.' The 'drug' made from Altan hearts. Thanks to it, we haven't gotten sick yet. So it's definitely effective. Saint, we were trying to do good. Using worthless barbarians' hearts to save the city's people!"
She shrieked in a shrill voice. Of course, it wasn't worth hearing.
"...It would've been better if you'd just admitted it was for money. Disgusting humans."
I signaled Elle, who bound the couple with rope. We'd gotten all the info we could—the city guards could have them now.
"Elle, take them to the city guard with Connie."
"Yes, Sir."
"Connie, after handing them over, you can return to the temple."
"But..."
"Listen to me. Explaining the situation at the temple will help far more than coming back here."
"...Yes, Theodor."
Once they left with the couple, Lloyd and I would stake out here. According to the wife, 'they' were coming tomorrow...
'First, redistribute the relief supplies to the people.'
If a big fight broke out and the warehouse got destroyed, it'd be disastrous. With the village in bad shape, better to hand it out early. Calling Draven and the villagers would finish it quick.
Lloyd and I headed to the warehouse. As Elle said, it was packed with food. Mostly barley, but the wheat pile was substantial too.
'The lord of Dihid was taking care of the city, at least.'
Worried the damp rainy air might have spoiled it, I opened a wheat sack and grabbed a handful. Good, it seemed fine.
"..."
But...
"..."
Something felt off.
'No way...'
Just in case, just in case, I cast [Nature Purification] on the handful. Clear green mana swirled around it like a vortex. Then...
-Shhh...
The wheat turned to 'black powder' and vanished.
[Nature Purification] purifies poison, curses, or disease in food or water, as the name implies. It doesn't make the food or water itself disappear. But the wheat vanishing as black powder meant...
'...These relief supplies were the plague itself?'
I never imagined this.
I drew my dagger from my belt and slashed open another sack nearby. Thrusting my hand in and using [Nature Purification], the full sack deflated as the wheat turned to black powder and vanished.
"Lloyd, rip open all the sacks."
"...Got it."
Lloyd drew his dagger and started slashing. I plunged my hand into each, casting [Nature Purification].
Without exception, every sack's contents turned to black powder and vanished.
The warehouse that seemed bursting with food now held only empty, deflated sacks.
'Now I get it...'
As I suspected, the 'black rain' was just a smokescreen.
The true source of the plague was these relief supplies.
Why Altans and beastkin hadn't caught it was simple.
The managers had hoarded it all for themselves.
If they'd distributed properly, Altans would be suffering too.
Ironic.
The couple's greed saved the villagers...
It was meant to spread only among the lower classes. But by secretly selling it off, they spread the plague citywide.
No cases among the wealthy or temples made sense now—they never got relief supplies, so no infection.
'And...'
With only Altans uninfected, they spread rumors their hearts were a cure to sow discord.
'...Brilliant scheme.'
If Altans rebelled now, the plague-weakened city couldn't hold.
Then, naturally...
'Neighboring territories might invade.'
Dihid was close to Lyset and Solen. A single spark could ignite conflict.
Dihid's crisis wasn't some random disaster.
The black rain and incurable plague were shadows of a grand conspiracy.
'...This is bigger than I thought.'
I left the empty warehouse.
Outside, the black rain still fell.