Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Searching for the Crows (1)
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-Scrape, scrape, scrape.
-Grind, grind, grind....
The sound of grinding down the Hydra's venomous fangs echoed throughout the workshop.
I wore a full-face mask woven from blue bamboo thread and diligently filed away at the Hydra's venomous fangs. They weren't smooth at all, covered in thorn-like protrusions everywhere, so polishing them was essential to turn them into daggers.
'No wonder getting bitten by a Hydra tears right through flesh.'
I'd already been grinding away at the fangs for hours, and sweat was pouring inside the mask. If I didn't polish them properly, I could hurt myself using them, so I was putting in maximum effort.
'Plus, who knows when I'll get access to a workshop like this again.'
A mage's workshop was filled with all sorts of bizarre tools and materials, making it perfect for refining venomous fangs. It'd be tough to do this in a blacksmith's forge.
"Master."
"Yeah?"
"It's lunchtime."
"Already?"
"Yes."
I glanced at the closed door, took off my mask, and stepped outside. El handed me the towel she was holding.
"Thanks."
Time had flown by already. I wiped off my sweat with the towel and headed to the dining hall with El. Jamil was already there, eating heartily.
"Theo, you've been busy since morning?"
"Had some things to do."
Jamil moved over and sat next to me, setting down his desert buffalo leg and lowering his voice slyly.
"I've got something to tell you."
"What?"
"Not here. Too many ears around."
"Just lower your voice a bit, and it'd be fine."
Jamil chuckled as if I'd told the funniest joke, then whispered seriously.
"'That thing,' you know, 'that thing.'"
"That thing?"
"The black gem."
"......!"
Had Jamil already dug up info on the black gem?
"......Alright. Let's talk in my room after we eat."
"Got it."
Jamil went back to gnawing on his desert buffalo leg.
-Grrrrumble....
Watching him eat made my stomach growl belatedly. Truth be told, I'd been too exhausted at last night's banquet to eat properly. I ordered more desert buffalo ribs and picked up a nicely baked white loaf. Spread some wild berry jam and hook-nosed camel butter on it, and even plain bread becomes a delicacy. I took a big bite. It eased my hunger a little.
El watched me and started spreading jam and butter on her bread too. The kid still eats well.
The desert buffalo ribs were just grilled simply, but the fat dripped so enticingly. I sprinkled a mix of my herbs and salt, then ate piece by piece. Ah, this juicy richness! Worlds apart from the dry jerky I'd choked down in the Death Swamp.
The potatoes on the side were just steamed, but they tasted amazing. A dollop of cold mayonnaise on top....
"Mmm...."
The hardships from the Death Swamp melted away.
Gourmet food is the best in any world.
Maybe it tasted even better because I'd been exerting myself filing fangs since morning.
Rice tastes best after sweating for it.
"El, you eat too."
"Yes, Master."
"Yeah! Gotta eat a lot to grow big, little one."
"I'm not little, little Master."
El narrowed her eyes at Jamil. Jamil blinked wide-eyed at being called 'little Master.'
"Little Master?"
"Yes. Little Master. The big Master is Theodor."
"Anyone can see I'm bigger, right?"
I gave a soft smile to Jamil, who looked utterly baffled.
"Quiet down and eat."
Jamil and El fell silent in an instant, making the meal peaceful and serene.
After eating, I returned to the workshop with Jamil. I thoroughly checked for any eavesdropping spells or devices, then nodded to him. All clear.
"You found out about the black gem?"
"Yeah."
Jamil pulled the black gem from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Our vice-captain brought it up first when he saw this."
"The vice-captain?"
"He's a beastkin, but not from slaves. Tough guy who joined the mercenaries on his own to find his sister."
"Skip the backstory. I've got specific questions."
Jamil shrugged.
"Patience, friend. It's all connected."
"......"
I listened to Jamil with a displeased look.
"Thanks to you entrusting this to me, I nearly died last night. The guy went berserk and attacked me—in my sleep, no less. Not like him to be that sneaky...."
"So?"
"But who am I? I subdued him, obviously. No idea what got into him. When I asked why, he just cursed me out...."
"Get to the point, Jamil. Not interested in your near-death story."
"Black Worm."
"Black Worm?"
"That's the black gem's name. He called me a filthy Crow using the Black Worm."
"......"
"After beating the sanity back into him, he spilled the whole story. About these guys called the 'Crows.'"
"Crows?"
"Crows. Nickname for those who use the black gem. Apparently, using it makes anyone obey you absolutely—beast, monster, whatever...."
Now it made sense.
Shadow wolves, trolls, and the black gem.
"His sister got kidnapped and hit with one too."
"So...."
"Yeah. That's why he flipped when he saw me with it."
I pondered for a moment.
I'd thought the black gem was just some submission curse medium....
Too naive.
Mind control spells or curses were strictly forbidden across the continent.
Death sentence if caught.
'......But if they're risking it anyway, they've gotta be rotten to the core.'
I let out a deep sigh. Jamil glanced at me and continued.
"Theo, the Empire incident might've been coincidence. But this? No way."
"I think so too."
"So, about that...."
Jamil scratched the back of his head and grinned.
Wait, this feels familiar....
"How about joining our mercenary band?"
Called it.
"The Red Bear Mercenaries can protect you."
"I can handle myself. Pass."
"The Crows are worse than you think. Vice-captain said they do horrific stuff. Theo, they ambushed you in the Death Swamp, right? They're targeting you."
"I've got things to do."
Maybe I sounded too firm, because Jamil didn't push further. He just watched me with a worried face.
Origin God quest.
Solving it might give me a clue to return to my original world.
I don't want to settle here. Can't be tied down anywhere.
"Anyway, thanks for the info."
"No problem. We're friends, right?"
"......"
I shrugged and put my work mask back on.
"The Red Bear Mercenaries head back to Roshan capital tomorrow morning. Hit me up if you need help anytime."
"......Yeah, friend."
"Hahaha!"
Maybe I shouldn't have said 'friend'?
Jamil burst out laughing heartily, waved, and left the workshop.
I stared at the black gem he'd left behind for a long time.
'Crows, huh....'
* * *
The Red Bear Mercenaries departed amid boisterous farewells, and I finished the Hydra fang dagger. Now, just one thing left.
Hand over the cultists' stuff to Western Tower Master Agni.
Most of it was ritual items, but plenty useful magically.
Temples might shun them, but mages don't care about that.
"Good thing I picked the [Interpreter] trait."
Thanks to [Interpreter], I could roughly decipher the demonic script on the cultists' items.
"Hmm...."
This is junk, sell it. This too. This pretends to be useful but isn't, pass. Praise to Rasgal, pass, pass, pass....
Then, amid the items, I found a palm-sized pebble.
It was so ordinary, I wondered if it was El's toy mixed in.
But.
"This is...."
I traced the engraving on the pebble's bottom with my fingertip. Fortunately, it was readable Demonic.
[Crows]
My breath caught, and Jamil's words flashed through my mind.
'Crows. Nickname for those who use the black gem.'
......Are they connected to the Hydra summoning too?
If they're tied to radical cultists like Rasgal's followers, they're way more dangerous than I thought.
No good drawing attention from scum like that....
Should've stuck with the Red Bears for a while, like Jamil said?
"......Haa."
The unexpected 'Crows' appearance muddled my thoughts.
'Calm down. I already knew some big threat was coming to this continent soon, right?'
The 'Crows' are just one of them.
I'll keep going my own way, like always.
'I know this game's flow.'
That's a huge advantage.
Knowing how this game's—this continent's—history unfolds.
It means I can carve my own path.
I gripped the pebble tightly.
If the 'Crows' are after me....
I'll go after the 'Crows' too.
If they're linked to the Death Swamp incident, they're surely tied to other major events.
Time to track their tail.
"......Let's do it."
They'll be the ones regretting it.