70
Chapter 70
"Is that all the information you have on me? Do you happen to know... what crime I was arrested for?"
"...?"
His Mask hid his expression, but his confusion was obvious.
To be fair, not knowing my own crime must have seemed like a pretty weird situation.
But for me, this was a rather important issue.
"Charges of using forbidden Magic, violation of the Class 7 Magician Law...."
He stared at the Ledger for a long time before tilting his head.
"That's what it says here."
"...Pardon?"
Forbidden Magic, violation of the Class 7 Magician Law?
What the hell did that even mean?
"Does that happen to mean what kind of crime...."
"If it's a violation of the Class 7 Magician Law, it most likely means using forbidden Magic or something similar."
"...Forbidden Magic?"
He quietly nodded.
"Since this clause was enacted directly by the Magic Tower, even I don't have the authority to view its exact details. It's a law rarely applied to outsiders. Which means a problem occurred inside the Magic Tower."
I looked at the Ledger again.
Blue Magic Tower, permanent expulsion.
And a violation of the Magician Law.
"...Is it a major crime?"
"It depends on the case, but generally... it carries a death sentence."
...My heart sank at those words.
It didn't just mean I was kicked out; it meant I committed a crime worthy of death.
To still be alive despite that... Should I call it a miracle?
But another question soon reared its head.
If my crime was really that severe, why wasn't I immediately executed instead of being sent to the Dungeon?
"By any chance, do you have any information on Karhal as well?"
The words I had heard earlier. The Nightmare of Karhal.
That phrase kept lingering in my mind.
"Are you perhaps looking for... information about a Dungeon?"
"Yes, do you have it?"
He tilted his head with his fingers interlaced, seemingly deep in thought.
"Since the phrase 'Nightmare of Karhal' came up, it's likely a Dungeon record."
He then flipped a page in the Ledger and showed it to me.
As I read the contents, my brows furrowed without me realizing.
[Entity Name: Parasitic Mimic]
[Dungeon Location: Karhal Village, Frontine Barony]
[Danger Level: A+]
[Record Summary: Complete annihilation of Karhal Village, total wipeout of the Exploration Team, estimated to have consumed at least 100 people, confirmed structural changes inside the Dungeon]
It was definitely the Monster I had encountered in the Dungeon.
Did that Mimic end up attacking the nearby Village too?
I remembered the moment Cowin died right before my eyes.
A gruesome scene that often resurfaced in my dreams.
"It probably wasn't a normal Mimic. When it comes to deformed Mimics, they are usually subjugated immediately upon early discovery. However... rare exceptions do occur."
I recalled what Drek had said.
A Mimic that had already eaten several people.
That meant it was the root cause of this whole situation.
But why did such a thing happen?
I heard the Dungeon had already been there for a long time.
Did the Lord's faction really not know that such a Monster was inside?
Before I knew it, my head was throbbing.
It was probably because I had just absorbed way too much information all at once.
I had certainly gained a lot of it this time.
But still, it felt somewhat lacking for one gold coin.
Perhaps knowing that, he had answered my other questions like a free bonus.
Even so, a single gold coin wasn't cheap.
Swish—
He silently reached out and pushed the gold coin back toward me.
"Since you already seem to know the background to some extent, I'll give you this one on the house."
"......Thank you."
This was an unexpected windfall.
"It would be best to stop here for today. Your time is up."
"Is that so. I understand."
I hadn't heard anything about a time limit.
Well, there was no point in asking more questions anyway.
I had gotten everything I needed for now.
I let out a soft sigh and stood up from my seat.
***
"Where is Baldic?"
"He went to buy something. But you came out faster than expected."
When I stepped out into the area called the lobby, Silon and Eileen were waiting.
It seemed Baldic had stepped away to buy some information.
...Had that bastard Dardan already run away?
My goal was this anyway, so it didn't really matter much.
Thanks to that, I ended up spending a little more time here as well.
"When did he leave?"
"He went in right after you did. Shouldn't he come out around the same time?"
"Well, I suppose so. Information isn't cheap, after all."
"Is it that expensive?"
"It's not unaffordable, but... it's quite something."
Leaving everything else aside, I never expected my own information to be that expensive.
It wasn't a good sign.
Just what exactly had the original owner of this body been doing?
"What kind of information did you get for your expression to be...."
Eileen furrowed her brows slightly, looking worried.
Did my face really look that terrible?
"...It's nothing."
I tried to sound nonchalant, but my voice lacked energy.
Even I noticed it.
"By the way, why is he taking so long?"
I turned my head and looked around, intentionally changing the subject.
Baldic. Just what was he looking at for so long?
Speak of the devil.
From across the hallway, a small figure appeared along with the sound of a door opening.
It was a familiar silhouette walking slowly toward us.
...He's finally out.
His steps were sluggish, and his expression was far more serious than usual.
The look of someone deep in thought was clearly written all over his face.
"You took longer than expected. Did you get anything?"
At my words, Baldic kept his mouth shut for a moment.
With his lips pressed tightly together, he briefly averted his gaze before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Damn it... A betrayal."
"...A betrayal?"
"There was this guy who lured me into working together on the job I used to do. I thought he got caught with me last time, but he didn't. When I looked into it... that bastard was the one who sold me out."
"...That was related to the holy water, right?"
Baldic nodded and smiled bitterly.
That smile was mixed with indescribable emotions.
"When I told him I knew a bit about making booze, he lured me into doing a job together, saying he'd teach me how to make alcohol using Holy Water. But later on, I realized that bastard slipped away, and I took all the blame alone. Thinking about it now, it was all a setup."
"So... did you ask the Information Broker?"
"Yeah. I confirmed his name and his whereabouts. I heard he's working under some Noble now. He probably handed over all his brewing techniques and is living the high life."
"...."
Baldic's shoulders trembled slightly.
It was a tremor born closer to a sense of emptiness than anger.
"So, what do you want to do now?"
"......I don't know. At first, I was so furious I thought I'd go crazy, but now, it just feels like it's all pointless."
I see.
They must have been quite close.
If not, he wouldn't be feeling this dejected.
"Later, if the opportunity arises... I'll have to see his face first. If he acts shamelessly, I'll smash his face in, and if his apology seems sincere, I'll have a drink and brush it off."
A small chuckle leaked out at those words.
To still be talking about booze even in this situation.
"...So, have you decided on the area we're going to?"
Baldic asked, lifting his head slightly.
Well, according to what I'd heard earlier, our next destination was already set.
The Ladin Plains. And a Village named Beldor located at its entrance.
"I'm thinking of heading to Beldor first. I heard Mercenary requests start from there."
"Beldor? Was that to the west?"
"Yes. From what I've heard, the jobs over there are less dangerous."
"Is that so? Then let's get ready and go right away."
As if he had been waiting for this, Baldic took the first step toward the exit.
He looked as if he didn't want to stay inside any longer.
"Come to think of it, what happened to your Horse?"
I asked Silon, who was standing next to me.
"My Horse? Fortunately, its treatment is finished. It's gotten a bit better, but... I don't think it can be ridden for a while. I might have to get a new one."
"Hmm... Then you go and get one."
"Pardon? Me?"
"Well, were you planning to just tag along empty-handed? You should at least do that much, punk."
Silon waved his hands and mumbled something as if it were unfair, but when Eileen, who was watching from the side, gave him a cold glare, he finally lowered his head in resignation.
"...I guess I should start by checking the nearby Stable."
"Do you have Silver Coins?"
"I have a few left. I've been saving them, after all."
Silon shook the Pouch at his waist to show it.
"I don't know if that will be enough. I heard Horse prices have gone up quite a bit lately."
"I'll still try looking around as much as I can. I'll let you know if I find a decent Horse."
"It doesn't matter to me, as long as you can ride it well."
Silon nodded and subtly glanced around.
I could feel his determination to head to a nearby Stable soon.
Our preparations to move were only just beginning.
***
"Really? You're saying it's a complete mess over there?"
Nodding at Baldic's words, I calmly replied.
"Yes, apparently even the Village near that Dungeon got completely wiped out."
Before leaving for the Village, we were busy gathering necessary supplies.
Baldic and I continued our quiet conversation, reflecting once more on the news we had heard earlier.
"So, just how serious is the situation?"
"I don't know the exact scale yet, but from what I briefly heard, over a hundred people died."
I let out a sigh at those words. If we were underprepared, we could easily get swept up in it too, so we had to move carefully.
"We probably won't have any reason to go there, but if we do, we'll need to be careful."
Baldic also nodded in agreement.
A strange heaviness lingered inside me.
The Soldiers I had seen when escaping back then.
So they all died.
But what could we do? It was hard to see it as our fault, and we had to run away in the end anyway.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but it couldn't be helped.
"Ah, right. I asked about that too."
"About that? What was it?"
Baldic answered with eyes full of curiosity.
"Drek. I asked if they happened to know where that guy was."
Ah, right.
I meant to ask about him too, but I ran out of time and couldn't even ask properly.
"So, what did they say?"
I carefully asked back.
Baldic's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
"Well, you know what those guys said?"
He paused for a moment before suddenly bursting into loud laughter.
"They asked for fifty Silver Coins!"
"What?"
I asked back with a blank expression.
Fifty Silver Coins... Just what on earth had that guy been doing?
Honestly, at the price of one Gold Coin, it wasn't my place to talk, but it made me think that guy had some issues too.
He definitely had a lot to hide.
Of course, there were some things I had already guessed.
Like the story I heard when I first met Dardan.
Judging from that, he must be someone connected to a place called the Drake Mercenary Group.
"What kind of person is he for them to ask for that kind of money?"
When I asked with a tilt of my head, Baldic threw his hands up in disbelief.
"Exactly! It seemed like he was hiding quite a bit... Well, I guess that's why they put such a price tag on him."
After a brief silence, I carefully asked again.
"So, did you pay?"
Baldic snorted and shook his head.
"No, of course not."
A chuckle escaped me at his words.
With that much money, you could hire a decent veteran Mercenary for ten days; paying that just to hear a single line of information would be a real backbreaker.
"You did well. For that price, we'd be better off looking for him ourselves."
"Right. I turned around before I started feeling like I'd been scammed."
Even as he said that, Baldic looked somewhat uneasy.
I could understand how he felt.
The more someone hides, the more curious you become about their whereabouts.
"There's no reason to try and track him down behind his back like that."
"That's true."
It was then.
Urgent footsteps echoed from the store's entrance.
We turned our heads at the same time.
Two Soldiers rushed into the store, panting heavily.
Their faces were drenched in sweat, and they couldn't even catch their breath.
"Mercenary Riv, are you here?"
They called out my name exactly.
I nodded quietly, feeling a sudden surge of tension.
"The Lord wishes to see you immediately."
"......Me?"
Without any further explanation, the Soldiers approached me with heavy gazes.
Those looks alone told me this wasn't a simple summons.
Baldic muttered under his breath.
"Here we go again."