Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Evil Black Mages (2)
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The night air of Oakwood pierced our lungs like a knife as we emerged from the sewers.
"Ahh... That was rough. I thought we'd get caught for sure."
We didn't even have time to catch our breath.
"They're planning to lure the White Skull party into a trap."
Sena panted heavily.
The plan we'd eavesdropped on from the black mages.
Tonight, they intended to bait the White Skull party—those thorns in their side—into the abandoned mine and bury them alive.
Once the strongest party in the area was gone, they'd trigger an artificial flood to turn the city into a mess.
"Hold on, let's head to the old man's place first! Do you know where he's staying?"
"He mentioned a tavern he frequents nearby! Let's check there!"
We sprinted full tilt toward the tavern that was supposedly Mace's regular haunt.
"Excuse me! Where's the White Skull party?"
We rushed to the counter and asked urgently.
The tavern owner shook his head.
"Mace? He hasn't come by tonight."
We pivoted toward the guild hall.
"Let's try the guild! They might've mentioned their destination!"
The guild hall was still bustling with adventurers drinking late into the night.
We burst into the center of the hall.
We grabbed the nearest adventurer and asked in a panic.
"Hey! Have you seen Uncle Mace?"
"Huh? The little rat girl? Mace? Yeah, I saw him earlier. He was resting at a corner table, then pulled out his magic slate."
The adventurer set down his beer mug, rummaging through his memory.
"Then he suddenly jumped up and yelled, 'Found 'em! You bastards were hiding there, huh!'"
"...The magic slate?"
"He shouted to his party, 'Get the horses ready now! It's the western abandoned mine!' and stormed out. Guy's always so hot-headed."
Western abandoned mine.
I had no idea what happened, but he'd clearly bitten some bait.
Being as reckless as he was, he'd charged right in.
"Ah... He's already gone."
Mani stomped her feet in frustration.
What on earth had he seen to make that cautious veteran rush off without a second thought?
"Sena, hand me the slate. Let me check the gallery."
I took the magic slate from Sena.
I accessed the gallery with practiced ease.
[Adventurer Gallery - Oakwood Channel]
The flickering screen displayed the full post list. I scrolled through slowly.
To find the bait that had hooked Mace.
The gallery was its usual mess of chit-chat and questions.
It all looked ordinary.
But my scrolling finger stopped.
"Here it is."
A few posts caught my eye.
Posted about 30-40 minutes ago. Right around when Mace bolted.
Author: ㅇㅇ (58.22)
I just went to pick herbs near the western abandoned mine and saw something shady.
Three guys in gray robes heading into the mine?
And what they were holding... it sure looked like that flag?
You know, the one the guild master had.
"This must be it."
The flag—probably the one those black mages used. Some adventurer spotted it, posted on the gallery, and Mace and White Skull, sensing something big, headed there.
"Huh? Reti. That's weird."
Sena spoke up with a puzzled look.
"How does the poster know the guild master had it?"
That was info no ordinary adventurer would know. Mace hadn't told anyone at the last meeting about the guild master having the black mages' flag.
"With the guild master kidnapped, only Mace, us, and the culprits know that!
So he flipped out the second he saw the post.
"Reti, is this a real tip? Or did the culprit slip up?"
I shook my head at Sena's question.
"No. Look at the comments."
Comments piled up under the post.
Holy crap, for real?
Yes, for real. I saw it. Hurry and take them out before something big happens.
This guy's right. I think I saw it too while out for a walk.
For real? Heading there now. Don't delete this.
"See? The poster's ID ends with 58.22. But the one chiming in 'I think I saw it too' is also 58.22."
"Huh? They're the same?"
"He posted it himself and then commented to lure people in! They knew Mace browses the adventurer gallery a lot, so they took a shot—and it worked.
Given the situation, Mace didn't notice anything off and charged out.
If this were Earth's internet, netizens would've spotted it instantly.
Maybe because this knockoff internet is still new and clunky?
Or the locals are a bit slow on the uptake.
I clicked a few more posts.
"Check these too. Different usernames, but the tone's weirdly similar."
"How so? Oh! Why talk like that? Adventurers shorten everything in the gallery."
"But these guys..."
I pointed at the screen.
-It would be advisable to arrive swiftly and confirm.
-For the safety of Oakwood, they must be eliminated.
"Who says 'arrive' or 'safety' in the gallery? Formal talk like that's a dead giveaway."
The pieces clicked in my head.
Bookish mages trying to impersonate adventurers, forcing stiff, polite phrasing.
My past-life community savvy was screaming.
This was the black mages' puppet show, using multiple slates.
An obvious trap laid for Mace.
"Wait, would anyone really fall for just one post?"
"Who knows? They probably prepped other baits too. But..."
That straightforward, rough-around-the-edges Uncle Mace had taken it hook, line, and sinker.
And right on cue...
[This post has been deleted.]
[This post has been deleted.]
"Whoa! The posts are gone!"
Sena yelped in surprise.
"They deleted them 'cause they got spooked."
That sealed it.
They were still controlling the situation.
"We gotta go! If it's a trap for silver badges, it won't be a pushover!"
We bolted out of the guild.
But outside the door, despair hit us.
"How do we catch up? It's a long walk to the mine!"
Mani stomped again.
Horses ridden by adventurers were tied up in front of us.
"What about riding those?"
"Can we even ride horses?"
I realized Sena had a point. Horses were out of reach.
We were under 120 cm—climbing those high saddles and grabbing reins was physically impossible!
Then Sena pointed behind us.
"Reti! What about that?"
A donkey tied up in the guild's rear loading yard caught my eye.
Dozing off with a cart attached.
"A donkey? That slowpoke?"
"This one's fast! Trust me! Pack donkeys have good stamina and decent speed!"
At Sena's earnest plea, I untied the donkey's reins without hesitation.
"I'll drive! I've pushed carts in the mines plenty! I can handle the reins!"
Mani leaped into the driver's seat and snatched the reins.
Sena and I clambered into the cart.
"Sorry, buddy, but we gotta hustle! Hya!"
Mani snapped the reins and kicked the donkey's rump.
"Pruuung!"
The donkey snorted angrily and took off.
Clunk!
The wooden wheels jolted straight into our tailbones.
Ride was awful, but the speed was impressive.
"Hold on tight! Don't bite your tongue!"
We tore through the night road like maniacs.
Bouncing in the cart, I prayed we'd make it in time.
We arrived at the western abandoned mine. Horses that Mace had ridden were tied up at the entrance, panting heavily.
As we jumped from the cart...
KABOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the mine entrance, shooting up a pillar of fire.
The night sky lit up like day.
"Gah! Get down!"
I dove behind a rock on reflex.
Plip plop.
Dirt and pebbles rained down like hail.
As the dust cleared, the scene was grim.
The mine entrance was completely sealed by a massive pile of rocks and debris.
"They just shoved them in and blocked the entrance?"
Damn, they got us good. Crude, but the surest way to trap silver-badge adventurers.
Then...
Cackling laughter echoed from the cliff above the collapsed entrance. We ducked and scanned around.
"Kekeke... So predictable. Charging in the moment they bit the bait! That gallery thing's pretty useful."
A man in gray robes lounged on the cliff railing, peering down.
He nodded in satisfaction at the sealed entrance.
"Eh, silvers can handle monsters, but they won't bother us anymore."
He hummed a tune, glancing around.
"Mani, let's jump that guy."
I whispered, and Mani nodded.
He was way too careless.
Clueless that real rats had snuck up behind him.
I exchanged glances with Mani.
She gripped her hammer silently.
We crept forward as quietly as possible.
'One, two, three!'
Mani sprang like a spring. She planted a foot on my back for a boost!
"Eat this!"
She kicked off nearby rocks in quick succession, leaping high.
"What the—?!"
The black mage sensed something and whipped around in shock.
Thwack!
A dull, satisfying thud.
Mani's hammer nailed the back of his head perfectly.
"Guek!"
He couldn't even scream properly—eyes rolled back, out cold.
"Nice one!"
Sena pulled out prepped rope and bound the limp black mage tight.
Didn't forget the gag either.
"Great! Got ourselves a black mage, but..."
"What's next?"
Rescue was priority.
White Skull were silver-badge adventurers—key allies against the black mages later. Couldn't leave them.
But no way in.
"Hole... Right, a hole!"
I called Rodentia.
"Milady! Find us a rat-sized hole! Even a tiny gap!"
[Got it! My turn!]
Rodentia waved her hand, summoning Ratty and Squeak. They scoured the rock crevices.
Whiskers twitching, they tracked drafts seeping through the stones.
Moments later.
"Squeak!"
A bit away from the collapsed entrance.
Ratty wagged his tail in a bush-covered rock gap.
It was a palm-sized crevice.
A ventilation shaft.
An old natural vent dug by miners for air flow ages ago.
"Mani, can you work with this?"
Mani inspected it, nodding with an expert gleam.
"Hmm... Tight, but there's a crack in the bedrock. Dig out some dirt, chip the rock a bit... We can squeeze through!"
"Perfect. Break it open!"
Dwarf know-how. She spotted the weak points after a glance.
We got to work.
Rat hole digging time!
Mani hammered specific spots on the bedrock repeatedly, while Sena and I frantically cleared the debris.
Dwarf craft plus ratkin digging instincts opened a big hole in no time.
"Let's go."
I poked my head into the narrow tunnel.
Beyond the hole, the mine depths came into view.
Looking down, a familiar voice echoed from below.
"Damn it all!"
Mace's bellow.
"Everyone okay?"
Silver rank lived up to the name.
"Krrrk!"
Thud!
Around White Skull lay Stoneman and goblin wreckage. The monsters the black mages summoned were already shredded by Mace's greatsword and the party's magic barrage.
Silver badges outclassed mere monsters.
The real issue came next.
"Goddamn it! The entrance is totally blocked!"
Mace kicked the rubble and yelled.
"Clearing this'll take days!"
"Idiot! What'd you expect charging in on just a gallery post?"
Mace shot back at the protesting warrior teammate.
"But... You saw it too! The guild master's sword was around here. I thought those mages had the old man locked up! You guys thought so too, right?"
Mace whined, holding up some sword, but his comrades glared coldly.
Frustration had them raising voices.
But no time for bickering.
Plop!
Pebbles from our digging rained down on Mace's group below.
"Urgh, yeah, I got played, but... Huh?! What's that!"
I pulled thick rope from my bag, tied it to the railing, and dropped it down.
"Uncle! Up here!"
"Huh?"
Mace and his party looked up, stunned at the rope from the wall.
Spotting us peering from the hole, Mace muttered in disbelief.
"Rat... kids? How the hell'd you get here?"
"How else? To rescue you. It's tight, but climb up quick."
"Heh..."
Mace stared blankly, then chuckled wryly.
"Unbelievable. A rat hole..."
The Mace party grunted and climbed the rope.
"Thanks... Really, Reti! Sena! Mani! I owe you big for this!"
"We'll talk payback later! For now, got a present here."
"Present?... Oh."
Mani and Sena waved, dragging the tied black mage.
"Got any questions for him?"
Mace's eyes gleamed.
He gripped his greatsword tighter, grinning viciously.
"Perfect. After falling for that stupid trick, I need a word with this punk. A nice, long chat."
He growled at the bound black mage.