Chapter 184
Chapter 184
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: Enjoyable Banquet, And (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Hey!”
A rough voice boomed from behind the table, resonating like a tiger’s growl. I couldn’t help but tense up and turn toward the source.
There stood a hulking man with his hood pulled low. His cloak shrouded most of his body, but I could tell he possessed a thoroughly trained physique. What the hell? My hand instinctively drifted toward my waist...
“Stop!”
...as I tried to reach for it. But before I could even extend my elbow, the thug drew his sword with lightning speed and pointed it at me. The razor-sharp tip gleamed right at my throat. At the same time, I felt Legion squirming in my arms, but it settled down with a single click of my tongue. I slowly raised both hands in surrender.
‘Not your average skill.’
I silently stared at the man. I could feel his piercing gaze probing me from beneath the hood.
“Do you have business with us?”
“Business?”
The man snorted.
“There’s plenty of business.”
At the same time, I noticed his eyes shift toward Lloyd. Unlike El or me, Lloyd hadn’t flinched at the intruder’s appearance. He calmly finished his meal and drained the last of his beer. Then...
“Cut it out, Lou.”
Lou?
Judging by Lloyd’s demeanor, the two clearly knew each other. I’d never even imagined Lloyd speaking to anyone in such a relaxed tone, so they had to be family, relatives, or at least close friends.
‘Come to think of it... There’s no way Lloyd wouldn’t have noticed an intruder with hostile intent.’
The sword aimed at me slowly withdrew. Phew. I let out a sigh and lowered my hands. The thug glanced at me before pulling back his hood, revealing an unexpected face.
‘Louis Corin...!’
I swallowed involuntarily.
Louis Corin.
Later, when the Silver Lion Reinhardt appears on the Cursed Land, the emperor of the Barak Empire sends Louis Corin to stop him. Louis Corin acts as a mentor to the players on the Cursed Land before meeting his end at the Silver Lion Reinhardt’s blade, entrusting them with his revenge.
Of course, that Silver Lion Reinhardt was sitting right next to me now.
The reason I recognized Louis Corin was simple. He had an unforgettable trait. Namely...
‘Half his ear is missing.’
That’s why those who despised Louis Corin called him “Half-Ear” or “Goblin Knight”—but only behind his back, of course.
Louis Corin was a fairly important NPC in the game. And he knew Lloyd?
‘Now that I think about it, Lloyd came here to rescue El.’
Both El and Louis Corin had significant story roles in the game, and yet...
‘But I’ve never heard the name Lloyd in the game.’
A belated question arose. When I first met him, I’d assumed he was just a knight tied to El’s family, but with Louis Corin in the mix...
This changed everything.
“Lloyd. If you came to Corin, you should’ve come straight to me.”
“What for? You found me anyway.”
“True, but it still stings.”
Louis pulled over an empty chair and sat at our table, ordering a beer from the innkeeper.
“Want one?”
“I’ve had enough.”
“Hmm.”
When Lloyd refused, Louis turned to El and me.
“You two?”
“...I’ve had plenty too. And this kid’s not old enough for beer.”
“Is there really an age for drinking beer?”
In the civilized world, yes, you bastard!
I declined the beer and sat back down. I shot Lloyd a look demanding an explanation, but he said nothing, as if the time wasn’t right.
“How’d you know I was here?”
Lloyd asked Louis.
“Heard there was a one-eyed guy among the mercenaries who took down the carriage bandits, so I came to check.”
“There’s more than one or two one-eyed mercenaries.”
“But only one one-eyed left-handed swordsman. You.”
“The guards have sharp eyes.”
Lloyd rarely showed a faint smile. Louis downed the beer the innkeeper brought, then scanned us again.
“Who are these guys?”
About time you asked.
“This is Theodor. A druid. And that’s El.”
“El?”
Louis narrowed his eyes at El. He stared for a long while, as if the face seemed familiar, then turned away with a puzzled expression. Phew, looks like he didn’t recognize who El was. Not surprising. El had grown a lot, and with her hair still cut short, she didn’t look the least bit like a noble lady.
“You knew we were with Lloyd, so why attack us?”
At my question, Louis chuckled amusedly and picked up a knife from the table, pointing it at my chest. I felt Legion stir.
“You’re giving off some unnatural aura.”
“...”
“Lloyd doesn’t travel with companions. So I thought maybe you’d used mind control magic on him...”
“Lou.”
“Yeah, yeah. Got it. Sore spot. Shutting up.”
Mind control magic?
Had someone as tough as Lloyd ever fallen victim to mind control magic? I glanced at him, but Lloyd avoided my gaze and offered no explanation. Makes sense—he’d want to hide something so humiliating.
Still, sensing Legion’s presence and approaching... Well, technically he mistook me for a mage, but either way, this guy was a monster in his own right.
“You didn’t come just to say hello.”
Once Louis emptied his mug, Lloyd got to the point.
“This isn’t the place to talk about that.”
Lloyd looked at me. I nodded, and he told Louis,
“Then let’s head upstairs.”
* * *
“El, go feed Isla dinner. Check on Storm’s condition too.”
“And?”
“After we go up, keep an eye on people coming and going from the inn. See if anyone suspicious shows up.”
“Yes, Master.”
I sent El off with a meaty bone dripping with blood from the innkeeper and a fresh, thick slab of unbled meat.
Upstairs, we began our quiet conversation. Well, less “we” and more just Lloyd and Louis talking.
“You timed it perfectly, Lloyd. I even offered thanks to Lord Arjan when I heard you were here.”
“Corin looks peaceful enough.”
“For now.”
Louis glanced at me, then looked away. I could tell he still didn’t trust me. What can you do? Better to praise his caution. Blindly trusting strangers in this pseudo-medieval land was basically suicide.
“There’s a subjugation coming soon. A massive one, with the army led by my father and brother, plus mercenaries.”
That explained the flood of mercenaries in Corin. The guards had mentioned a big subjugation soon—check it out if interested. The lord himself was recruiting.
“Corin’s forest is well-managed.”
“Exactly. That’s what makes it so strange.”
Louis lowered his voice to a whisper.
“The orcs from Corin Forest? Our army could handle them fine even if their numbers grew. No need to muster mercenaries on this scale.”
“I know.”
“But Father and Brother are recruiting mercenaries left and right. When I ask why...”
“Doesn’t add up?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s your guess?”
Before speaking, Louis glanced at me again. Clearly debating if he should say this in front of me.
“Tell him, Louis. The judgment’s Theodor’s to make.”
“But you...”
“I follow his lead.”
“...”
Louis clamped his mouth shut in frustration, adjusted his posture, looked at me, and said,
“My father and brother...”
“...”
“They’re clearly planning to use the mercenaries as meat shields.”
Meat shields?
That didn’t make sense.
Corin was one of the wealthiest cities in the empire. They solidified their status with strong military power without craving more authority. Plus, their lord had a knack for maintaining balance among the nobles.
And now, using mercenaries as meat shields under the pretext of subjugation?
Something was off.
But...
“...That’s not enough.”
“What?”
“No evidence, no info—just your speculation.”
“...”
“Or is there something you’re not telling us?”
Louis fixed me with a cold stare. But a mere glare wouldn’t faze me. It might work on ordinary folk, but I’d stood firm against dragons and demons.
“If you want help...”
“...”
“...better spill everything.”
* * *
In the dark night, as the stars rose, Louis left the inn.
“No suspicious people coming or going from the inn.”
“Good.”
I stood by the window, having set out the packed meal from the innkeeper. Pipi fluttered over and pecked at the ripe loquat flesh. Legion gaped beside it.
「Theodor. Tasty.」
“Tasty?”
「Theodor. But. Theodor. Food. More.」
“You like my cooking better?”
「Theodor. Yeah.」
I fed bits of tender meat into the little lizard’s mouth and counted the emerging stars.
‘The Hunter’s Moon will rise soon.’
The Hunter’s Moon. When the blood-red moon appears, hunting season begins. No better time than when leaves fall and barren winds blow.
The only question was whether I’d be the hunter... or the hunted.
‘Louis Corin...’
The second son of the Lord of Corin. Was his plea for help to Lloyd a good thing... or...
‘The start of another incident?’