Chapter 251
Chapter 251
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 251
Chapter Title: A Hundred Legs, Ten Thousand Poisons (1)
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“......Huh?”
I thought we’d make it to Quarjan without any issues, but something strange happened. The road leading into Quarjan was blocked. Right in the middle of the path, what looked like city guards were blocking the way and turning people back.
“Take the ships! Ships!”
Quarjan was a city shaped like a peninsula. The land connection to the mainland was so narrow that it felt more like an island, but they classified it as part of the continent since the tip touched the mainland. The spot the guards were blocking was that narrow, droplet-shaped tip connecting Quarjan to the continent.
‘Why tell people to take ships when there’s a perfectly good road?’
They’d even built a checkpoint and were tightly controlling access. If they were completely sealing off the island, that’d be one thing, but apparently you could still enter Quarjan by ship? What was going on?
We parked the carriage near the checkpoint. Lloyd and I approached the guards. They were explaining to mercenaries like us why they had to take the ships....
“......So, if you don’t want to die, just take the damn ship.”
“Is taking the ship free or something? Hey. Hey, you don’t seem to know who I am....”
“Doesn’t matter who you are. If you don’t want to lose your life, take the ship. Is that so hard to understand?”
“You country bumpkins must not have heard the rumors yet. Hey, I’m Iron Fist Richard. Got it?”
...The guy spouting this lame line rolled up his sleeve all the way to his shoulder. Sure enough, matching his “Iron Fist” title, a metal arm gleamed underneath.
“I’m the one who took down the monster lizard in Lumen!”
Monster lizard.... He meant those beasts in the Lumen swamps, right? The terrain there was dangerous enough on its own, so whether he killed it or not, just surviving meant he had some skill. Or it could be pure bluff. Let’s watch a bit more....
“You seem to be misunderstanding. This isn’t an order—it’s advice.”
The guard spoke in a cold voice as he relaxed his blocking stance and stepped aside. Well, yeah. He’d said “if you don’t want to die, take the ship.” Not “cross and we’ll kill you.” Things were getting interesting. I quietly watched the two men.
“If you want, go ahead. But....”
“Aaang?”
“When you breathe your last, don’t blame anyone.”
At those words, the guy’s companions—or subordinates—standing behind him stirred uneasily. Now that he’d actually stepped aside, they were having second thoughts? But Iron Fist Richard ignored the murmurs and bellowed louder.
“My last breath? Hilarious! Even if I die, it won’t be in this backwater dump called Quarjan!”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Let’s go, boys!”
By this point, he couldn’t exactly say, “Uh, I think I was wrong. Can I just take the ship?” Pride was on the line now. Iron Fist Richard stomped dramatically across the path, and his hesitant crew followed with shouts of “Hurry up!”
The guards really didn’t stop them. They just watched.
“......”
Whether to look tough or overcome their fear, Iron Fist Richard’s gang noisily disappeared beyond the path.
‘......Will we see those guys in Quarjan again?’
Lost in thought as I stared down the hill, the guard who’d dealt with Iron Fist called out to me.
“What do you want? Didn’t you hear to take the ship?”
“Ah, I did.”
His face looked exhausted, so I quickly added,
“Of course, we plan to take the ship.”
Relief softened the guard’s expression a bit. Mercenaries rarely listened obediently, so he must’ve assumed I’d argue too.
“Good thinking. The ships are over....”
“You seem busy, but may I ask something?”
He fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
“What’s on your mind?”
“How long will this road be blocked?”
“No idea.”
“I see. Then, what’s the reason for the blockade?”
“......”
“At first, I thought maybe the road floods or something.”
You know those places where the path appears at low tide and vanishes at high? But....
“You let that Iron... whatever go. So it’s not the road itself....”
I glanced at his face. Seemed I was right. He scanned the surroundings with a grim look, then met my eyes.
“You a mercenary?”
“Yes.”
“Skill level?”
“Nothing to be ashamed of.”
Though I’d never tangled with a monster lizard. I shrugged, and he let out a deep sigh. What, disappointed? Should’ve listed my full resume?
“That guy with you—is he your companion?”
“Ah, yes. He’s my colleague....”
“......Hoo.”
Huh? Lloyd must look reliable again. The man stroked his beard slowly, then nodded. Geez. Good that Lloyd inspired trust, but it stung a little. Anyway, I stepped closer to hear him out.
“There’s a dungeon in Quarjan that was cleared long ago. Right down that path.”
He pointed to the area beyond, where the land dipped slightly.
“It’s been ages since it appeared. The thing living there was a Poison Octopus. My father said a famous mercenary band got paid big to clear it back then.”
“So it’s safe now, right?”
“That’s what everyone thought.”
“......”
“Until a month ago.”
This sounded ominous. I exchanged glances with Lloyd, then pulled a silver coin from my pouch and handed it over. He hesitated, pocketed it, and whispered lower.
“Starting a month ago—or maybe even earlier, who knows. But that’s when we noticed. Things started vanishing from that cave, that dungeon. First dogs. Then kids. Then....”
“......”
“As you’ve probably guessed, people started disappearing. Missing, yeah. Just gone. No bodies anywhere. Damn, if we even find that iron arm later, it’ll be a miracle.”
“Only people passing this path vanish? Ship passengers are fine.”
“That’s right. So the lord ordered ships only. But these idiot mercenaries.... No offense to you. Anyway, they think we’re doing this to squeeze ferry fares. Rumors haven’t spread yet, so it’s all guys like that. They stubbornly refuse the ship, head down that path, and never show in Quarjan. What do you think that means?”
“They vanish.”
“Yeah. Probably dragged into that dungeon.”
“Has Quarjan checked the dungeon?”
He hesitated, so I handed over another silver. He cleared his throat and continued.
“We sent guards in secret. None came back. No one’s gone since.”
“Ah....”
“The good news is the lord’s recruiting mercenaries soon. Word is he’s talking to a famous band from Roshan.”
“I see.”
“We don’t stop idiots like that on the lord’s orders. Someone might get lucky and kill whatever’s in there.”
“But no one knows what’s actually in the dungeon?”
He dropped his voice to the tiniest whisper.
“We think it’s the Poison Octopus’s offspring. Orphaned, hiding and growing all this time. Long enough to match its parent, if it was there.”
“Hmm....”
“......Hey. If you’re interested in clearing it, mention my name to the lord: ‘Joseph sent me.’”
He specifically pointed at Lloyd. Geez, making me feel left out. Sure, Lloyd was our heavy hitter, but I wasn’t slacking!
No time to argue, though. If he was telling the truth, we needed to scout that dungeon ASAP.
We bid him a light farewell and returned to the carriage. We moved to the ferry spot and waited for the next ship. Not many people were taking it—mostly merchants, few mercenaries. Just one or two groups besides us.
It was a short voyage, so the ships were large but simple. We boarded smoothly, and I calmed the frightened horses. Land-bound beasts instinctively fear the sea, so staying close to soothe them was essential.
“Ooh, impressive.”
“Druid? He’s a druid?”
“Hey, mind helping with our horses too? My group arrives in a week....”
When the land path was safe, fine. But now, with the sea detour, controlling horses—the world’s basic transport—was a hassle. So the people who’d eyed me suspiciously at first gawked in awe at the docile horses once sailing began. They swarmed, trying to chat me up.
“Back off.”
......Of course, Callisto shooed them away appropriately. Still, better do some PR just in case.
“Now, now, everyone calm down. I’ll be in Quarjan a while, so if you need help, look for ‘Theodor.’”
“Theodor!”
“Ooh, Theodor....”
I smiled warmly at them.
“Of course, keep in mind my rates are steep.”