Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Shadow of Corin (15)
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“Yeah, why?”
I’d assumed that an elf who’d spent a long time in the Empire would know proper etiquette, but the one standing before me was unbearably arrogant. Even though I already knew that was just how elves were, I couldn’t shake off the irritation. It was because Dawood, too, was a noble with power who’d never been treated this way anywhere in the Empire.
He’d grown up surrounded only by people who bowed their heads to him, no matter where or when, so of course he couldn’t help but find the elf’s stiffly raised chin objectionable.
‘Why did Fabio choose someone like this?’
The plan hadn’t been flawless from the start. Dawood couldn’t understand why he had to recruit an elf at this point. But Fabio’s will had been firm.
-Using the noble souls of elves as fuel will bring even greater rewards.
Was the soul of Lord Corin—notable enough to always be mentioned among the Empire’s strongest swordsmen—not ‘noble’ enough? Dawood felt a surge of anger at the thought, but he didn’t let it show. He wasn’t hot-blooded like his younger brother Lewis. At least Dawood knew how to think coldly and calculate gains. That was the key difference between him and his brother.
The soul of Lord Corin, honed sharp as a blade after decades at its edge, along with the souls of the countless mercenaries backing him...
The preparations were already perfect.
Adding an elf’s soul on top of that...
Dawood couldn’t predict what would happen. He could only guess that the result would be even more perfect and complete. Anything beyond that was an unknown beyond his grasp. Unless you were a warlock like Fabio, it was incredibly difficult to fathom the mysterious will that shaped the world.
“...”
In that case, he had no choice but to follow along.
“I’ve seen your skills.”
This elf was certainly more capable than anyone in the subjugation force. He could be put to good use right up until the moment his soul was offered. Perhaps he could even betray and wipe out the orcs entirely.
“So?”
“I have a proposal.”
Even at the impudent retort, Dawood kept his composure and responded calmly. According to Fabio, this elf had joined the subjugation force solely out of desperate need for ‘money’...
“I want to keep you by my side.”
“...”
“I won’t hold back on the money. Name your price.”
But the elf simply stared at Dawood without a word. They were the desperate ones, and he’d even offered to pay generously—going so far as to let the elf state his own amount—yet not even a thank you...
-Kweruk...!!!!
That was when it happened.
Dawood heard something leaping from behind the bushes. But he couldn’t move. He had no talent for martial arts. That was why even for this subjugation he expected to end easily, he surrounded himself with thick layers of escort knights. He was different from Lewis. Very, very different.
‘Danger...!’
The moment he turned around, he realized it was already too late. The massive orc with green skin looked seasoned with age. Its yellowed tusks, symbols of an orc’s age and strength, protruded sharply, larger than a grown man’s finger, and around its neck hung a necklace made from sliced-off human ears. Too many to count. With blood bubbling at its mouth, it raised two axes high and charged at Dawood. He had to dodge. But which way? How? With what? Damn it, why did Fabio send me alone?
-Puuk!!!!
Before he could even assume the most basic, instinctive defensive posture—shielding his head with both arms—he heard something piercing thick hide. No, it wasn’t just piercing.
-Pshhh!!!!
A brief silence passed, filled by the sound of blood spurting like a fountain from the orc’s neck. Yes. Hot blood was bursting from the orc’s throat, impaled by two swords. Dawood, drenched head to toe in that blood, locked eyes with the orc as the light of life faded from them. And then...
-Crack...
-Slash!!!!
The swords that had pierced the orc’s neck sliced clean through in an instant. The sound of neck bones snapping and the head tumbling off was gruesome.
-Thud!
-Roll...
The head bounced a short distance away and rolled through the mud. As if unaware it had been decapitated, the body—still clutching the two axes—stood rigid for a moment longer before finally going limp and collapsing to the ground.
‘What the hell just...’
It had all happened in a split second. What exactly had occurred? Dawood, soaked in hot blood and frozen in momentary terror, struggled to process it. So, an orc—an orc—had leaped out to kill him, and that orc was...
“Tch.”
The elf had killed it. The one who looked utterly annoyed at the hassle. And so, so ‘easily’.
As if the whole thing had been an illusion, not a single drop of orc blood stained the elf’s swords. Under the moonlight, the elf inspected his blades once, then sheathed them on his back and glanced at Dawood. Dawood unwittingly sucked in a breath. The elf cracked his neck with a snap, scratched his head, and spoke as if he truly had no choice.
“Name your price?”
* * *
-Squeak. Squeak.
-Squeak. Squeak squeak.
-Squeeeak?
Ah, seriously. The territorialism here is brutal. I darted quickly, dodging the mice who kept butting in and acting like they knew me. The cats weren’t the issue. It was the mice pestering the new ‘rat’ me nonstop. Their meddling came in all varieties, but the most common one seemed to be...
-Squeak! Squeak squeak!
That one. That.
As Lewis had said, the castle had plenty of mice—and thus plenty of cats. Of course, as the [Cat Lord], I didn’t need to worry about that, but apparently my nonchalant attitude around cats only heightened the mice’s concerns. They seemed terribly worried about me wandering without avoiding cats, so they kept trying to show me their paths—dark, narrow ones caked in dust.
‘Ugh, come on. I’m fine!’
On my way to Dawood’s room, I kept getting caught by the mice. Unlike cats, they lived in groups, and they seemed determined to drag what they saw as the ‘poor, clueless rat’ to safety. The more I ignored them and kept moving, the more insistently they interfered. And eventually...
-Squeak!
The boss mouse appeared. Bigger than the others, with a long tail and a hole in one ear, it bristled its whiskers with a stern (though, let’s be real, how stern can a mouse look?) expression and chomped down on my scruff.
‘Damn it...!’
-Squeak! Squeak squeak! Squeak!
I thrashed wildly, but I couldn’t escape the boss’s front teeth. Damn, I should’ve made myself bigger! I’d shrunk down to navigate these tight spaces, never expecting this. Dangling from the boss’s teeth, I was hauled off by them.
Releasing [Beast Form] would solve everything, but it’d create new problems right away. Returning to my original size would demolish these narrow mouse tunnels—and potentially hurt these guys who were just trying to help. No choice. Look on the bright side. Maybe I’ll discover another passage?
Surrounded by mice, I traveled for a while. Occasionally, I heard muffled voices of the castle’s remaining people through the walls, but I couldn’t make them out clearly. Probably just chit-chat. That’s what I thought, until...
“Th-the maid haaas disappeaaared...”
Huh? Wait. Why does it sound so weird?
‘Ah, because I’m small...!’
I focused as hard as I could, straining to eavesdrop on the conversation beyond the wall.
“In the kiiitchen last tiiiime...”
Last time.
“In the kiiitchen...”
Kitchen.
“She got cuuuut...”
Cut.
“Aaaanny...”
Any.
“Disappeaaared...”
Disappeared.
“We’re worrried...”
Worried.
‘The maids are saying that Any, the one who got cut last time in the kitchen, disappeared, and they’re worried.’
I couldn’t hear the rest. The mice had passed through that wall into another.
‘Tonight at midnight, I’ll have Elle look into the missing maid Any.’
Even if it was accidental, I’d gained info worth investigating. Should I thank them for this...?
‘In a place where souls are used as sacrifices, people vanishing isn’t something to brush off.’
No matter how small the clue.
‘That said...’
-Squeak! Squeak squeak!
-Squeak! Squeak squeak!
How long do these guys plan to drag me around?
After crawling through who-knows-how-many dust-choked holes, they finally stopped in a surprisingly spacious, warm, cozy space. Piled with stolen cotton and cloth from the castle, newborn baby mice huddled together asleep. They must’ve taken me for an underdeveloped youngling. Damn, should’ve gone bigger after all? As I fumed, the boss finally released me. Then it started squeaking at the other mice—pointing at me, probably telling them to take good care of the dimwit.
‘Where the hell is this?’
Does the castle even have a warm, cozy spot like this? Looking around, light filtered faintly through a crack in the wall. Perfect. If I check there, I’ll know where I am. I climbed the bricks up to the gap. Through the long vertical crack...
‘Wait, this smell...’
Sweet milk wafted in. Along with the aroma of baking bread, melting butter, roasting meat, and freshly plucked fragrant herbs...!
‘This is that kitchen!’