Awakening (6)
Zeke pulled a recording crystal orb from his pocket.
It was a small bead with a button attached.
The guild master's eyes followed Zeke's hand.
'That's mine! Mine!!! Give it back!!!'
The guild master reached out with trembling hands, his throat crushed by the baguette.
Squeeze.
"Guhk…!"
Click.
Zeke pressed the small button on the crystal orb, and amid static environmental noise, a man's voice replayed.
"Ah, ah. Is this working? This thing? How have you been, Guild Master? I always feel grateful to you for your tireless efforts on behalf of the Empire. I'd love to express my delight more, but time on these orbs is limited, so let's get to the point. Haha."
A cheerful male voice filled the air.
"You mustn't tell a soul about the information I'm about to share. Of course, I'm telling you because I trust you."
He whispered conspiratorially before diving straight in.
"Ho ho."
Zeke felt anticipation building for whatever intriguing tale was coming.
"Do you know the Ulshir region? The place with that quasi-baron. I witnessed a tragic sight. An unnatural phenomenon where the sun doesn't rise."
'Ulshir region? Never heard of it. Worth investigating. Magic involved?'
Zeke stroked his lips as he listened to the recording.
Definitely not normal for the sun to fail to rise in a specific area alone.
"Knights from Lamieli Academy have stepped in, they say. Seasoned veterans, so they should handle it. As long as they follow orders, I'll be fine."
'What the hell? He says it's secret, but knights from Lamieli Academy are already involved? Doesn't add up... Unless there's a secret knight order from Lamieli.'
"What can I do if even Lamieli hasn't gotten involved? All I can do is pass this info to you, Guild Master."
Then the man sniffed.
"Dinner smells great tonight. Soup wafting all the way here. Mountain rabbit, maybe? Beer too? Haha."
Suddenly, the man's cheerful tone flattened, turning commanding.
"Haha. Remember, Guild Master. Three months from now."
Hiss—
The recording ended there.
'That's it?'
Zeke had imagined something like leverage on the powerful or a secret mission.
Disappointed by the mundane content, he eyed the guild master suspiciously.
"What the hell is this about?"
He eased the pressure on the baguette just enough for the man to speak.
The guild master looked up at Zeke with trembling eyes.
"Kuhk. H-ha... A-an adventurer gave it to me in secret!"
"Lies."
Poke!
"Spit it out. What does it mean?"
"Kek!"
Zeke's pressure was on another level now.
The vivid sense of standing on death's doorstep.
His teeth chattered involuntarily.
The guild master's thick flesh quivered.
But fierce resolve burned in his eyes.
"Th-that's everything!"
Zeke raised an eyebrow.
"...You're more afraid of him—the one behind this—than me."
Fine then.
"Alright, your will is strong. Keep your mouth shut to the end, Guild Master. I'm curious how long you can hold out."
Smirk, smirk.
A sinister, ominous aura rose from the transformation spell etched on the back of Zeke's hand.
'Wonder if he can handle the stench of that sadistic bastard from the Demon King's minions.'
Zeke recalled the torture technician from the dark fantasy world—a slime of rotting flesh.
He placed his hand on the guild master's head.
The aura seeped into the man's acupoints.
'Kwaaaaaah!!!!!!!'
The guild master rolled back his eyes.
Veins bulged and pulsed across his face and body.
He wanted to scream, but no sound escaped.
It felt like every vessel burned, bones melting in real time.
Agonizing heat ravaged him from within.
Drool poured from his mouth.
Even unconsciousness was denied.
'M-monster!!!!!!!!!!! Kwaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
He'd vowed to keep silent with iron will.
Now he realized how foolish that was.
'I-I'll talk!!! I'll tell you everything!!!!!!'
His body shook in agony as he reached toward Zeke, voiceless.
But Zeke ignored him, lost in thought.
'I'll talk now!!!!!! Stop thiiiis!!!!!! Kwaaak!!!!!'
Click. Click. Click.
Zeke replayed the recording several times.
A nagging itch tugged at the corner of his mind.
Especially the final words carried an odd vibe.
"Guild Master, how have you been? ... The information I'm about to share... Of course, I trust you..."
'Think.'
Zeke recalled the guild master's expression moments ago.
Two days prior, when the guild master had sent that assassin...
Zeke had assumed the orb held info dangerous enough to threaten the man's life if exposed—like imperial secrets.
Even after seeing Zeke slice a wall with a baguette, he'd sent a half-assed assassin in haste.
It didn't match the value of such trivial details.
'And he desperately wanted the orb back. That was pure terror on his face.'
In truth, the guild master was updating that terror in real time, but Zeke, deep in thought, paid him no mind.
'I-I'll talk, let me taaaalk...!!!!'
What could terrify the guild master so?
The clue lay in the "three months" at the end.
'Eerie ring in my ears—like mana infused in the voice?'
"Guhk... T-talk... talk..."
"Shut up. I'm thinking."
With immense willpower, the guild master forced his sealed mouth open to convey his plea, but Zeke just glared intently at the orb.
'Ulshir region... Probably a small village on the Empire's outskirts.'
Click. Click.
Habitually pressing the button, Zeke's ear caught a specific word grating repeatedly.
"...Je... mul..."
'Huh?'
No, not a word.
More like...
"Guild Master! Where's a pen and paper?!"
Zeke turned to him.
'I-I'll tell you... pleeeease...'
His trembling gaze flicked to the desk.
Zeke rushed over, grabbing pen and paper.
"Guild Master, how have you been? I always... Glad to..."
'Jo, je, ban... No. Wrong. Next part. First letters only.'
"Je" from... "Mul" of course... "Ul"shir...
'Sacrifices!!'
Enthralled, Zeke broke the sentences apart, jotting down the first letters of each.
His eyes widened at the paper.
Chills raced up his arms.
'Am I a genius?'
[Je][Mul][Ul] [Jun][Bi][Hae][Ra] [Baek][Myeong] [Ra][I][O][S] [San][Maek]
"Prepare 100 sacrifices. Laios Mountains. And... three months."
The words slipped indifferently from Zeke's lips.
"So, the secret in that laughter was the acrostic—start and end."
Feeling refreshed, Zeke turned to the guild master.
He looked utterly wronged amid the pain.
Zeke adjusted his mana slightly to let the man speak.
"Th-that's... why... I... said... I'd... tell you... you... fucking... bastard..."
Pfft, spoils the fun if you spoil it. Damn guy.
Zeke withdrew the mana from the man's head.
*
Huehngheung—
Huhuhuk—
Guhk— guhk—
"You crazy bastard... You fucking psycho..."
The guild master buried his face in the blanket, sobbing his heart out.
Of course, the soundproof barrier Zeke had cast upon entry kept it contained.
From the first torture, he'd been ready to spill everything, facts or not.
But the psycho dragged it out, insisting on solving it himself.
Even when he'd forced his sealed mouth open, not a single scream escaped!
"Crazy bastard..."
Smack!
"Euk!"
Dull pain bloomed in his head.
Writhing in injustice and sorrow wouldn't work—this guy was unreasonable.
He'd poked the bear he shouldn't have.
"Calling me crazy is a bit much. But what's that smell?"
Zeke wrinkled his nose at the guild master.
The bizarre torture had shattered his will effortlessly.
Relief brought the inevitable—shit and piss in his pants.
Huehngheung—
Zeke backed away subtly.
"Stop crying and talk. I've solved the clue. Who's backing the one who gave this order? And what are 'sacrifices'?"
"Hic. Hic."
The guild master was too busy bawling to respond.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Hic!!! I-I'll talk!! S-stop!!!"
Smack!
"Good. Speak quickly. My patience isn't endless."
The guild master fought back tears.
"...Hic. S-so, L-Lord Robenus... the Marquis..."
"Marquis Robenus?"
"Hic, y-yes... And sacrifices are for his... m-magic research..."
"Black magic, then."
"I-I'm not sure..."
Smack!
"Euk!!!"
How much more honest did he have to be to avoid this psycho's hits?!
That ridiculous baguette hurt like hell.
Not as bad as the torture, but pain was pain.
"S-stop!!! I-I'm!! Being blackmailed too!!!"
"Does getting blackmailed justify screwing others over? At least hit back at the one who blackmailed you."
Only Zeke could say that.
Marquis outranked him but below imperial kin or dukes—rare elites.
To the guild master, a marquis was untouchable power.
Defy orders, and he'd vanish without trace.
Especially with leverage held over him—what choice was there?
Glare at Zeke in resentment, and smack—another hit for the glare.
'And what the hell are you to talk! No way—you're from a marquis or duke house?!'
Rubbing his lumpy head, the guild master pondered.
No record of this guy, but his freakish skills and nonchalance sparked faint hope.
'He pushed me to the brink but didn't kill me. That means...!'
The guild master ventured carefully.
"...C-can you protect me?"
"Hm? Why should I?"
Zeke raised an eyebrow.
Pain-wracked and barely coherent, the guild master steeled himself—this was pivotal.
"I'll give you all the info on the situation and act as a double agent from here on."
"...And in return, I protect you?"
"...Yes."
Smack!
"You're the crazy one."
'Pot, meet kettle!'
The guild master swallowed the retort.
Zeke's gaze wasn't kind either.
'This bat-shit weasel was diligently prepping sacrifices, wrapping them neat, and now plays freedom fighter? The fuck.'
Hmm. But using him to gut those bastards sounded fun.
He was curious about this world's magic too.
And black mages needing human sacrifices? Zeke despised them.
'Kill 'em all, then deal with this pig. Wait, genre drifting again? Why's this romance world like this?'
"Three months, you said."
"...Exactly two months and two weeks from now..."
"Hmm..."
'Yeah, by then the kids should catch a black mage or two.'
Zeke eyed the guild master.
"Fine. Protection TBD—I'll judge based on results."
"Th-that means!"
"But I don't trust you."
Zeke infused mana into the guild master's head again.
'Guhk!!!!!'
The guild master's eyes bulged, body shaking.
Thankfully, this pain ended quickly.
But inescapable dread burrowed into his mind.
Just Zeke's indifferent stare made his legs give way.
"I just implanted that pain in you. When betrayal tempts you, remember it. I can trigger it anytime."
'Total bullshit. If it were that easy, dark fantasy endgame wouldn't have taken ten years.'
Unaware, tears welled in the guild master's beady eyes.
Real psycho, he thought.
"Gather intel weekly and report. Release all the captives for sacrifices. Tell the marquis you're gathering them smoothly. Proper cover. Got it?"
The guild master could only nod.
* * *
That night.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Serena, flushed and engrossed in her book, snapped it shut at the knock.
'This late...? Eily!? Right at the crucial part!'
The red cover read The 50 Rod Shadows Cloaking the Lady's Face in small print.
'She knows about the others, but not this one!'
Eily wouldn't enter without permission—plenty of time to hide it.
No problem.
Serena cleared her throat.
"Eily?"
"It's me, Serena. Can I see you a moment?"
The thick voice hit unexpectedly.
"Nehet!? Instructor!?"
Serena blurted in panic.
"Got it. Excuse me, then."
Zeke took her stammer as assent and turned the knob.
Clunk.
Creeeak—
Serena shoved the book under the blanket.
'Uwaaaah!!!'
No prep time—she faced him as is.
"W-welcome back!? You're late? Wh-what brings you!? Massage...? No training today, t-totally f-fine!!?"
"No. Something important to discuss."
"Ahaha... N-now?"
Serena forced an awkward smile.
"Yes. Get up from the bed a moment."
"…!"