Chapter 205
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205
He ended up eating it. How pitiful.
Though I had no idea why he ate it all by himself and ended up bedridden.
"If he says he's sick, there's nothing we can do."
"Even monsters can't be healthy every single day," Patrick chimed in. As someone who had no choice but to be healthy every day, he was quite supportive. Rene, oblivious as ever, simply stared toward Room 2 with a worried expression.
“……”
The number of victims seemed to be growing. Was it finally time to tell her the truth? But if I did, Rene would surely be hurt.
"It seems Lord Swallow has something important to say," Hyeong-ak carefully observed, having waited for Swallow to speak. After being thoroughly "educated" by Rene a few times, Hyeong-ak seemed to have become much quicker on the uptake.
"Right, indeed," Swallow replied.
The other monsters were also waiting for him to speak.
Swallow, who usually did everything he could to avoid leaving, had been away for nearly a week. Furthermore, instead of lounging in his room upon his return, he had immediately gathered everyone.
Unless they were fools, they could all tell something had happened.
Above all, the items Swallow held in both hands spoke volumes about the gravity of the situation.
"It's nothing too major," Swallow continued. "Scobina was kidnapped."
If that's not major, then what on earth is?!
Patrick, who had almost shouted in protest, barely managed to restrain himself, his jawbone merely rattling once. The atmosphere was far too heavy to raise any objections.
As they watched in silence, Swallow dropped the small thing he was holding in his right hand onto the floor.
The small figure collapsed onto the hard stone floor with a soft groan. However, he immediately gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand.
…It was Valer.
"Explain."
"Y-Yes… I am Valer, the guild master of the Leprechaun Merchant Guild."
Valer bowed deeply to the other monsters. His voice was completely devoid of confidence; he was a pitiful dwarf, utterly unworthy of his moniker, the 'Little Giant.'
The Younger Yaksha Sister and Hyeong-ak reacted with surprise but quickly masked their expressions after reading the room. They had seen how well Scobina was treated within the Primordial Core and had never expected Valer to be handled so harshly.
"F-First of all… I have no excuses."
Valer explained what had happened in a trembling voice.
His rambling explanation dragged on, but the summary was simple:
The Leprechaun Merchant Guild had only realized what had happened long after the fact.
"We had assigned quite a few monsters as escorts… enough that ordinary humans wouldn't even dare lay a finger on them. That's why we thought a delay of two or three days was normal… Really! We never imagined they would be ambushed!"
As a rule, monster merchant guilds kept their identities hidden from humans, with the exception of a few nobles. Therefore, they only traveled the shortest routes that humans did not use.
Since it was the dead of winter, the chances of encountering humans were virtually zero. And with most monsters in hibernation, they were unlikely to run into them either.
Even if they did encounter someone, they had multiple layers of defense. For a monster to break through all of them, it would have to be powerful even among A-rank monsters, and most of that caliber possessed enough intelligence to avoid provoking the guild. If they did, they would face retaliation.
"…In the midst of that, Lord Swallow contacted us first. I am sorry, I am so sorry!"
The guild had realized the situation too late and sent an urgent telegram to the Primordial Core, but Swallow's contact had arrived even faster. To be precise, Bathory's retainer had arrived at the merchant guild's district.
"So, what happened?" Rene asked this time.
At her question, Valer lifted his head, trembling violently. His shaking was far worse than before. He looked like a prisoner standing before the executioner's block.
And he wasn't shaking solely out of fear.
"There wasn't even a need to investigate," Swallow said.
It had happened while the retainer was exchanging information at the guild district. A carrier pigeon of unknown origin had flown in and dropped off a box at the Leprechaun Merchant Guild. That very box was now held in Swallow's left hand.
Swallow opened the box.
Inside was Scobina's severed head.
Epilogue
The ground shook.
An Orc Thousand-Man Commander, grabbed by the collar, was slammed directly into the ground. The Touki (Fighting Spirit) condensed in his hand scattered in all directions like a gale. The wind swept through the ranks of the Orc horde, bleaching their minds blank. Only occasional, wheezing gasps could be heard.
Sixteen Centurions.
Four Thousand-Man Commanders.
That was the number of Orcs the bastard in front of them had defeated. The problem was that they hadn't attacked one by one. Sixteen Centurions had charged simultaneously, followed immediately by a coordinated ambush from four Thousand-Man Commanders.
The scene before them was the result.
“……”
He hadn't used any cheap tricks or relied on agile movements to dodge and weave. It was done through sheer, unadulterated strength.
"Do you need further proof?"
Kaltum, the former gatekeeper of Nilkumbal and chief of the Kariem Tribe, let out a low groan.
Following Kurak's death, the six Orc tribes that had gathered under the name of Nilkumbal disbanded in an instant. Unlike when they had united, however, they fractured into dozens of splinters.
Most of the tribal chiefs had fallen in battle. Amidst the pandemonium, the Kariem Tribe, whose chief Kaltum had survived, currently maintained the most intact and massive force among all the Orc tribes.
Even though their power had shrunk significantly, they were still strong enough to easily crush an ordinary A-rank dungeon.
Yet, was there truly not a single soul who could defeat this bastard?
"I'd like an answer," the insistent voice called out.
Kaltum slowly rose from his seat.
Deep down, he wanted to test his own strength against the man, but if he fell here, the fate of his tribe would once again be in jeopardy.
Kaltum carried the weight of his tribe. He needed to be more level-headed.
…I have always carried the weight of my tribe.
He reconsidered.
Though he used the weight of his tribe as an excuse, the truth was he had no confidence in winning. He was simply afraid.
Since the war, every single Orc had turned into a coward. That fear was the lingering residue Kurak had left behind.
"Did you say you are a Holy Fire of Rium?"
"Call me Alta."
"Alta."
Kaltum raised his eyes to look at the giant who had introduced himself as Alta.
He was a bizarre-looking being.
When Kaltum had heard the term 'hybrid of human and beast,' he had assumed the creature would look closer to an animal. But seeing him in person, he was far closer to a human. If he disguised certain parts of his body, he could easily pass for one.
The problem lay in those 'certain parts.'
Alta had two horns, one large and one small, protruding from between his brows. His skin was a mottled gray, resembling a rotting corpse. His hair was an ambiguous blend of brown and gray. His eyes were those of a beast. His build was twice the size of a human's.
Is he a… rhinoceros?
Kaltum wasn't sure. It was just the first thought that crossed his mind.
"If you are a Holy Fire, you must be the Empress's knight."
Alta gave a slight nod, as if the question wasn't even worth confirming.
Regrettably, that was the extent of Kaltum's knowledge. Since Orcs did not have long lifespans like Kurak, they rarely had the chance to encounter Beastkin in their lifetimes. All he knew were the scraps of information he had heard from Kurak.
He had to make use of even that.
First of all, the Holy Fires were strong.
In the past, Kurak had mentioned there were six Holy Fires and warned him never to even think of fighting the Black Goat or the Snake, as they were too dangerous.
Since this man is neither the Black Goat nor the Snake…
It was safe to assume there were others even stronger than him.
There was nothing to gain from starting a conflict.
Having made his decision, Kaltum asked, "We have done nothing to draw Rium's attention."
“……”
"Why have you suddenly visited our territory?"
"When Nilkumbal entered the Imperial Capital."
“……”
"Precisely at that moment, Swallow began attacking humans."
Alta smirked. Dusting off his hands as if there was no need for further conflict, he reached down to help the fallen Thousand-Man Commander to his feet. "I have a lot of questions for you."
* * *
In the Great Desert 'Sand Hell,' where the heat distorted one's very vision.
"Oh, are we going to fight?"
The Black Goat Prisa smiled.
She was quite a rare sight.
Her curved black horns and the voluminous, wavy indigo hair cascading down to her pelvis were rare. Her gentle eyes beneath thick eyelashes, seemingly designed by nature to conceal any hostility, were rare. The strange energy—not mana—wafting from her body was also rare.
Her mysterious skin, which appeared gray or flesh-toned depending on the backlight, was rare. So too were the goat hooves visible when one's gaze traveled down her curvaceous figure.
The black feather ornaments adorning her body, the pitch-black dress that seemed entirely unsuited for combat, and the fact that she wore such attire in the sweltering desert without shedding a single drop of sweat were all incredibly rare.
But above all else, the fact that she could wear such an unpleasant smile, and that she remained completely unfazed even when facing hundreds of thousands of insects, was the rarest of all.
“……”
A silence of several dozen seconds. A brief cold war.
Ganakwol, the desert centipede who had inherited leadership of Sand Hell after the death of 'Mother' Hexabel, scrutinized the Black Goat before him.
He had received no word from Rium about sending a Beastkin. The Black Goat before him had appeared suddenly, without any prior notice. Normally, he would have deemed her an intruder and killed her on the spot.
Indeed, the area behind him was teeming with insects glaring at the Black Goat.
However…
"Do you need a comfortable place to sit?"
"If you have one, that would be wonderful."
Ganakwol scooped up sand with his massive tail. Once the rising sand roughly took the shape of a chair, he hardened it with mana. The Black Goat Prisa bowed politely and sat upon it.
…Ganakwol possessed many memories inherited from Hexabel.
One of them concerned Rium. It was information Hexabel had obtained through contact with Rium while researching 'secrets she had not even shared with her children.'
Their Mother had been extremely cautious of those who introduced themselves as Holy Fires. Among all the Beastkin, she was particularly wary of the Black Goat.
The Black Goat was strong. According to his mother's memories, she was the strongest even among the Holy Fires. She wasn't strong because of her 'physical traits' like other Beastkin. She possessed a certain blessing that defied common sense.
Her lack of intimidation in front of hundreds of thousands of insects wasn't just fearlessness.
She was truly confident that she could win even if she fought them all at once.
…A one-woman army.
[All of you, withdraw.]
Ganakwol surmised the Black Goat found the swarming insects behind him annoying.
Having made that judgment, Ganakwol commanded them all via telepathy. Soon, the insects retreated back into the sand.
Only after he was left alone with Prisa did Ganakwol ask, "State your business."
"Going straight to the point, are we?"
"We lost our will to fight simply by losing our Mother. Moreover, all the kingdoms surrounding the desert are aiming to reclaim it, so we have neither the will nor the energy to fight you."
"I suppose even insects become smarter than humans if they live long enough."
Ignoring the provocation, Ganakwol approached Prisa. His hundreds of legs made a squelching sound as they wriggled.
Prisa closed her eyes slightly, as if organizing her thoughts, then raised their corners and asked Ganakwol, "Could you tell me everything that happened back then?"
Her unpleasant smile remained to the very end.
*
The southern part of the Empire.
The Anselm Duchy.
"Ahahaha! You must be a madman!"
The lord, Duke Peter Rutendorf, roared with laughter as if he’d gone mad.
The Rutendorf family was one of the few founding families of the Empire and an outstanding martial house, having accumulated wealth early on after being granted fertile lands. As their influence grew with each generation, their territory had practically become the largest metropolitan area after Riaze.
In short, now that Riaze had been destroyed, the Anselm Duchy was virtually the capital of the Empire.
Not only was security tight, but the massive migration of people due to the recent war had also made the local residents more hostile.
And yet, that man had entered such a territory entirely alone.
A Beastkin, whom humanity hated above all else, had walked right into the second heart of the Empire.
"You said you are Bernard, a Holy Fire of Rium?"
"That is correct."
"If you are a Holy Fire, are you not part of the highest order of knights guarding Rium?"
Bernard, the Beastkin with the eyes of a hawk, nodded. The Duke followed up with another question.
"When people think of Beastkin, they usually picture land animals like dogs, pigs, or cats. Judging by your eyes, you are a hawk. Are birds also considered Beastkin?"
"Neither you nor I have the authority to decide what is 'considered' what."
"You? Did you just address me as 'you'?"
As Bernard smirked, a look of sheer ecstasy washed over the Duke's face.
Ah, magnificent