Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: In Search of the Dog
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‘Weren’t thieves here before? How could the residents not notice undead mixed in among them?’
It was a chaotic scene where swords sliced indiscriminately through enemies and allies alike amid the blur between life and death. Most of the bodies already littering the ground were soaked in blood and caked in mud. Even if dawn broke, who could tell if these were the remains of neighbors or rotting corpses?
On top of that, the elderly innkeeper had said she’d only seen a mage once in her entire life. If she didn’t know about beings that wouldn’t die even when killed, she couldn’t even guess.
‘Or maybe the thieves brought undead for the first time. I’ll have to check that later.’
Tadadak!
“Run and!!”
Berik’s booming shout echoed from beyond the wooden fence.
“I’ll kill you all!!”
“Uwaaak! Fuck!”
“If you wanna live, flatten yourself!!”
Chwaaak!
The crisp sound of a throat being slit mingled with screams. The fence half-obscured the view, but the situation was clear as day. He must be tearing through the streets more freely and fiercely than an eagle soaring across the sky.
That was the moment.
Kwang!
One thief who’d escaped the inn burst into the stable. His teeth were all smashed from getting beaten by Berik.
Romandro’s subordinate, startled, drew his sword but hesitated at the thief’s menacing aura. It wasn’t surprising—he was originally just a clerk.
“Hup!”
“Get lost, fuck off! Move!”
“Y-You bastard! Do you know where you are?!”
Kung!
The undead chasing the thief lost its balance and slammed its head into the wall. The subordinate was so shocked he dropped his sword tip to the ground. The opponent’s state in the darkness was far from ordinary.
“W-What the hell is that…….”
“An undead. You must have heard of them.”
“Undead? Heuk!”
As the subordinate clapped a hand over his mouth in shock, the thief charged in triumphantly. He aimed straight for the nape of the subordinate’s neck with his sword.
Chwaaak!
In truth, this was only Ian’s second time seeing an undead.
Necromancy itself was an art primarily practiced in the East rather than Bariel. It reached particularly high levels in regions rife with frequent wars, where the efficiency grew with the number of corpses piled up.
“Uwaaak!”
Before the thief’s sword could pierce the subordinate’s throat, Ian extended his hand, condensed his mana, and detonated it.
Pung! Peong!
The mana burst, snapping the man’s head back at a right angle. The pursuing undead shambled toward Ian like a broken machine.
Pung!
One final burst. Ian blew the thing’s head clean off, then covered his nose with his sleeve. The rotten stench from the exploded brain matter vibrated through the air.
“I-Ian, sir. Are you all right?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
“Ah, I’m fine. Th-Thank you!”
“Hurry and find Lord Romandro.”
“Yes! Got it!”
Ian watched Romandro’s subordinate dash off, then crouched down. He didn’t like it, but he had to check if the thing carried any clues.
First, the thief.
Swish.
The thief had passed out with his mouth agape, not even groaning. Ian checked every pocket—inner, rear, wherever there was space.
“Hm?”
Then, something snagged on his fingertip. The texture alone was disgustingly skillful……
“Well, now.”
It was human hair. Black and curly, tightly wound around a flat wooden plaque. Ian grimaced as he examined the bizarre item.
It didn’t take long to notice that the hair matched the black, curly locks on the headless undead.
* * *
“Fuck, we got dogged.”
Berik, drenched in blood, propped an arm on his waist and muttered. The thieves had cleaned out the inn’s storeroom, leaving not a scrap of food.
“Those bastards don’t know shit about decency.”
“Berik. Staring at empty spots won’t make anything appear. Let’s get moving. The subordinate I sent to find Lord Romandro hasn’t shown his face.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Berik sheathed his sword only after a couple of hours. Armed guards flooded the streets, driving out the thieves, and Berik subtly took the lead in the cleanup without anyone noticing.
“The chaos must have made it hard for them to move quickly.”
“What if Lord Romandro’s dead?”
“Try saying that to his face.”
“Ahh. Okay. Take it back. Hate it when he sulks forever.”
Guards bustled about the streets, extinguishing fires and clearing bodies. The winter night’s biting wind made it look especially grueling.
“Uwaaaang!”
“Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay.”
“Over there, wounded people come this way!”
“I can’t move on my own. Help!”
“Fucking vermin. What the hell is this in the middle of winter night? Trying to take us all down with you?”
“Check for any live embers!”
Berik had somehow scrounged a chunk of bread and was munching on it as he followed Ian out. He glanced left and right, tilting his head.
“Where to?”
“Let’s head to where the shops are clustered first.”
“You two there!”
That was when a voice called from behind.
“You’re outsiders, right? Travelers?”
“That’s right. And you must be the guard captain.”
The guard captain’s lips stiffened at Ian’s informal speech. These punks with blood still fresh on their heads, talking down to him?
But he held his tongue because of the redheaded man standing staunchly behind Ian. He’d seen with his own eyes how that guy had butchered the thieves earlier.
‘Definitely no ordinary skill.’
If they were wandering mercenaries, it’d be wise to offer a small reward and ask for help.
“Ahem. I’m Ullan, captain of Karenna’s guards. Thank you for your help, but for procedural reasons, I’d like to confirm your identities.”
At the guard captain’s request, Ian pulled an ID from his inner pocket.
“We’re heading central for the New Year’s gathering. I’m Ian, this is Berik, and the person we’re about to go find is Romandro. He’s an imperial advisor.”
The guard captain’s face paled at the unexpected words.
New Year’s gathering? Imperial advisor?
Royalty, or at least nobility—minimally, someone of commensurate status. Not wandering mercenaries…. He immediately doffed his hat and bowed.
“P-Please forgive my rudeness.”
“How could your guards take no action while those scum reached this far? I heard there was already one raid before.”
“We’re sorry. Being a small city, we’ve formed an alliance with the three neighboring towns. Unfortunately, trouble broke out there too, so we had to pull guards.”
“Thanks to that, I lost my carriage. It had items for the imperial palace—quite a bind. Granting an inn operating permit implies guaranteeing traveler safety, doesn’t it?”
As Ian calmly laid out his losses, the guard captain felt dizzy. Karenna’s damages were secondary—what about the lost imperial items!
‘Fuck, we’re screwed’ echoed in his mind.
“Where’s the mayor?”
Places without a lord operated under a centrally dispatched mayor. Treated near-nobly but ultimately salaried. Not showing up in this mess smacked of dereliction of duty.
“The mayor, he’s…….”
“Iaaaan!”
Romandro’s voice cut in as he rushed up. Rounding the corner, he looked no different from a beggar. Hair matted with hay and dust, clothes torn raggedly here and there.
“Lord Romandro. Are you all right?”
“Good lord. What is this mess, really. I went all the way to the afterlife and barely came back. Whew, I’ve had all sorts of shit happen while drinking, but this…….”
“Looks like you’re fine from how you’re talking.”
Romandro clutched his pounding chest and rambled on. Ian gave a faint smile agreeing with Berik. He looked rough, but not a scratch on him.
“Fine my ass! I thought I was done for!”
“You didn’t die, did you? Ah, seriously. My ears are ringing.”
“Excuse me, are you perhaps the imperial advisor?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah.”
“First time meeting you! I’m Guard Captain Ullan!”
The awkwardly standing guard captain bowed again. But Romandro waved him off disinterestedly and headed for the inn.
“At least change clothes first. Then we talk.”
“Lord Romandro. The carriage was ransacked.”
“Huh?”
Romandro blinked at Ian’s words, unable to comprehend. With Berik right here, how?
“They hit the inn and snuck it away at the same time. They must’ve spotted us from the forest and targeted it. By the time we got down, it was already empty.”
“No, that—that can’t be!”
His mouth gaped wide.
Piles of documents, and above all, high-grade mana stones? Berik casually propped up his slack jaw and muttered.
“No clothes to change into? I can lend you some.”
“Clothes are the issue!?”
“Ah. Left ear this time.”
“Ian! Ian! What do we do? I’m losing it! What if those bastards knew what was in the carriage?”
At Romandro’s fussing, the watching guard captain broke into cold sweat too. It was real. Definitely something precious inside.
“Doesn’t seem like it. If they knew the contents, they’d know our identities too, but they barged in without a care.”
“Heuk. Fuuuck.”
Meaning they just got unlucky. As Romandro slumped to the ground, his subordinates struggled to support him.
“Are the others all safe?”
“Our guys are all fine. The coachmen were off drinking separately, so not sure about them.”
Ian nodded, somewhat relieved. He jerked his chin toward the inn and ordered the guard captain.
“First, round up the thieves and bodies inside the inn. I have some business to attend to. And I’ll see the mayor too.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
“Ian, where are you off to?”
To Romandro’s question, Ian rummaged for his compass. He recalled the daytime path and muttered.
“I’ll head to Danil.”
“Danil?”
“That abandoned village we saw earlier—they called it Danil. Contrary to expectations, it doesn’t seem to be the thieves’ base. Berik! Get two horses from the stable.”
If it wasn’t the thieves’ outpost, what was the point? To Ian’s calm reply at Romandro’s blank look:
“Going to find the dog.”
“Right. My turn to fetch water this time. Sure thing.”
Berik shrugged happily.
No matter how he thought about it, that mutt seemed to hold the key to all these strangely intertwined events.
‘Thieves, necromancy, talking dog, the massacred village, and even the Magic Department. To find the carriage, I need the full picture first.’
Hiiing!
“Iaaaan! Let’s go!”
“Lord Romandro. I’ll be back. Handle the aftermath.”
Ian and Berik mounted without hesitation and whipped the reins. As the two galloped down the chaotic street, Romandro bellowed at their backs.
“Fuuuuck!! Find the carriage!!”