Chapter 442: Proof of Existence (30)
Chapter 442: Proof of Existence (30)
It was a night so silent that not even the cry of a bird could be heard.
The breathing of our party, having approached the hut under the cover of darkness, settled into a low, steady rhythm. Observing from such close proximity, the place was riddled with suspicious details.
First and foremost, the signs of human presence around the hut were unnervingly sparse.
It wasn't that the presence of living, breathing humans had grown faint. Rather, the sheer number of merchants who had previously swarmed the area had vanished without a trace.
At most, a few mercenaries stood guard, letting out weary yawns.
There was no way dozens of people could have left the vicinity unnoticed. If they had, we would have spotted them long ago.
The only remaining possibility lay within that 'hut.'
That tiny hut had swallowed every single merchant. This was the only hypothesis that held up.
Naturally, it sounded absurd.
I held my breath and pressed my ear to the ground. Closing my eyes to focus entirely on my hearing, I soon caught the faint, whistling sound of wind.
The group’s attention naturally gravitated toward me. I communicated with them using only the shape of my lips.
‘There’s a basement.’
No further words were needed.
Having reached a silent agreement, we nodded. After designating our respective targets among the mercenaries with a glance, four silhouettes shot forward, kicking off the ground.
Urgh! Ack! Gah!
Then came the sharp crackle of someone being electrocuted.
The mercenary struck in the back of the neck by the pommel of my sword couldn't even manage a proper scream. His eyes simply rolled back as he collapsed in a heap.
The mercenaries handled by Yuren and Celine met the same fate.
The one struck directly by Senior Elsie’s lightning almost let out a cry, but the current surging through his tongue completely choked off his airway.
What surprised me was that Celine’s skill exceeded my expectations.
She was someone who usually prioritized power over speed. I had considered the possibility that she might not be able to neutralize her target in a single blow, but Celine fulfilled her role without even drawing her axes.
The moment her elbow slammed into the man's solar plexus, the mercenary looked as if he were about to vomit blood.
Her rate of improvement was remarkably fast. If she kept this up, she might even be able to reach a higher realm of mastery.
It all depended on Celine’s own effort.
Only after clearing the mercenaries around the hut did we dust off our hands and find our voices again.
"That was surprisingly easy."
"Stay sharp, Senior Elsie."
This was only the beginning.
Since it was a fact everyone already knew without me having to say it, I simply strode toward the door of the hut.
Yuren and Celine naturally took their positions on either side of me, while Senior Elsie guarded the rear.
I let out a short, dry chuckle.
It was a formation clearly prepared for combat. Deep down, everyone realized it.
The moment we opened this door, there would be no turning back.
Whew. I calmed my breathing.
Several scenes began to float through my mind.
I remembered the first attack by the faceless assailants. It had felt somewhat abrupt at the time.
Why did the demonic beasts become so ferocious on that particular day?
And why did the faceless assailants target Ria instead of someone from the Holy Kingdom?
Back then, Ria had clung to me, weeping. It was understandable, given she had just escaped a brush with death.
Crash!
My kick shattered the hut's door with satisfying force.
Splinters of wood flew as a cloud of dust rose. The scene revealed before us was that of merchants resting, enjoying tea and snacks.
Their eyes locked onto me.
It was only natural, considering I had just burst into the hut while clapping my hands.
I offered them the most harmless smile I could muster.
"Is there anyone here who has absolutely no connection to the Dark Cult?"
Blink, blink.
The merchants stared at me, their eyelids fluttering in a rhythmic, vacant blink. Many of them exchanged glances, looking as if they had no idea what I was talking about.
This was why I chose to provoke them further.
"……Try saying 'Delphirem is a son of a bitch.'"
Silence followed.
The merchants, who had been frozen in a daze, tilted their heads in unison. The sight of dozens of pairs of eyes moving simultaneously gave me a chilling sense of déjà vu.
The merchants remained silent for a moment longer, and then—
"Krrgh, Keeeeeeeeek!"
They let out horrific shrieks as their eyes turned a blood-red hue.
Every single merchant rose to their feet at once. There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
Zip! A flash of light tore through the air.
It was a hand axe.
Its linear trajectory buried it deep into the forehead of the merchant at the very front. Blood sprayed into the air like a war horn signaling the start of battle.
Of course, this was only the beginning.
Silver axe blades danced through the air, reflecting the lamplight. Immediately following, the shadows of two swordsmen shot across the floor.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Blood splattered every time the hand axes twisted their trajectories like swallows, and I sprinted through the chaos. Countless silver lines were etched into the body of one of the merchants blocking my path.
It happened in a mere heartbeat.
With a single flash of Yuren’s sword, the merchant’s body was hacked into pieces. Simultaneously, Celine swung her axe with all her might, severing the upper torsos of two merchants.
The strikes were so clean they felt as if they met no resistance at all.
Boom!
The battle axe slammed into the wall, creating a powerful shockwave. Dust poured down from the ceiling of the hut as it vibrated violently.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Screams erupted from all directions like fireworks. Blue lightning bounced between the merchants, leaving behind the acrid smell of ozone and charred flesh. I only needed to step in occasionally to cleave through the chests of the remaining enemies.
Kicking, slashing.
With every step I took, blood and lightning ran rampant. A merchant impaled through the chest by Yuren’s sword coughed up a mouthful of blood; another was split in half from the crown of his head by Celine’s battle axe.
Amidst that festival of blood and flesh, I searched my memories.
It was the day I had dueled the Archmage.
On that day, I had seen a strange landscape. A path I would one day have to walk, a boundary I wanted to tear open.
And then, I had caught a scent.
The metallic tang of blood—the unique stench of the Dark Cult.
Time began to slow its flow.
Before I knew it, my sword was tearing through the lag in time, butchering flesh. The tip of my blade pierced a solar plexus without a sound, and the merchant’s eyes bulged with resentment and shock.
Another merchant was approaching from behind him.
Squelch. An arm emerged, punching through the chest of the now-dead merchant to reach for me. Immediately, my free hand snatched a hand axe flying through the air.
That was the end of it.
Crimson brain matter scattered along with bone fragments.
My body, having tilted to dodge the arm, finally threw its full weight into the corpse without hesitation. Drenched in the fountain of blood, I shoved the two corpses away in one motion.
Thud!
Startled by the sudden collapse of the bodies, three merchants charging at me leaped back in surprise. A beast-like shadow instantly pounced on one of them.
It was Yuren.
Unable to withstand the massive momentum, the merchant’s body slid back and collapsed. Without hesitation, Yuren gripped his sword in a reverse hold and pierced his victim's throat.
At the same time, a hand axe was thrown, drawing a diagonal line of light.
The body of one merchant, struck in the side by the axe blade, was torn in half. As for the last one, I didn't even need to lift a finger.
Crash! A girl flew in from nowhere and crushed his entire body.
Celine, now covered in blood, let a bright smile bloom on her face.
"Phew, all done!"
As if on cue, the hand axe returned to my hand with a clack. The carnage created by the three swordsmen was nothing short of gruesome.
Severed limbs lay scattered across a stream of blood. Hardly any of the corpses had escaped instant death.
A whistle of admiration escaped Senior Elsie’s lips.
"I guess there was no need for me to step in."
"It's too early to relax. We still have the basement."
At my banter, Yuren scratched his head and made an annoyed face. He was making it very clear that he truly did not want to go down there.
"Ian, can't we just be satisfied and go back now? No one knows what kind of monster might be lurking down there."
Of course, his words fell on deaf ears.
I eventually found the secret passage that had been hidden behind a bookshelf. A long flight of stairs greeted us from the darkness.
The view illuminated by the torch guided me.
With every step I took down the stairs, memories scratched at the inside of my head.
My younger sister, Ria.
She had been timid since she was a child. When she first met me, she couldn't open her heart easily and spent every day walking on eggshells around me.
Because of her shy personality, once she got scared, she would tremble for days.
Several scenes flashed across my retinas one after another.
Ria, smiling brightly and kissing my cheek at the mention of money.
Ria, huddled and trembling before the masked phantom.
And Ria, blooming with laughter while talking to the merchants in the city.
"……Ian?"
At that low call, I snapped back to my senses.
Yuren was looking at me with a worried expression. Senior Elsie and Celine were the same.
"Are you going to be okay?"
I wanted to answer "Of course" immediately, but...
For a moment, I found myself at a loss for words. The hesitation didn't last long, though.
Soon, a bitter smile played on my lips.
"……Of course, you idiot."
Yuren withdrew his hand without saying much. We were already nearing the bottom of the stairs.
Just as a heavy silence was about to settle between us—
"Kyaaaaaaaaak!"
A scream erupted from somewhere. It was a cry clearly originating from the place we were heading.
Yuren and I locked eyes. After a quick nod, we practically sprinted down the remaining steps. A surprisingly vast space had been carved out deep underground.
On the ceiling, a blood-red sphere reminiscent of a sun asserted its presence.
Along with some nameless children, a young girl, pale as a ghost, lay sprawled on the ground. She was the child who was supposed to be adopted through the Shylock Merchant Guild.
And there was another girl, huddled and trembling.
Her golden eyes were vivid with terror. Following her gaze, a man standing with his back to us, hands behind his back, came into view.
Perry Quars.
He was the man we had been hunting.