Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Madman's Records
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It seemed like screams were echoing. She could even picture a woman imprisoned here clawing at the walls and crying out.
She had witnessed countless nauseating sights, but the atmosphere in this place was almost unbearable.
Inevil clamped her hand over her mouth. Bile rose slightly in her throat.
Guchi's expression wasn't great either. Only Lander maintained his composure.
"There's nothing visible to the eye right now, but it reeks horribly. What on earth happened here?"
She steadied her stomach and spoke.
"For starters, it's clear the ones who made this weren't right in the head."
"These marks—they're from fingernails, right?"
"Probably."
Guchi bent down at the waist. As he examined the floor, he picked up a dark, grimy fragment with his fingers. It was a broken nail.
A nail soaked in blood, turned dark red. Looking around, there were quite a few more.
"What's inside there?"
She was starting to feel a bit scared. She gazed beyond the curtain of darkness where the light didn't reach and asked.
"We'll know when we go."
Guchi took the lead. The tunnel stretched on long.
"Why on earth would they make a place like this?"
"The obvious guess is a hideout for the rich. They say during the height of the conquest wars, everyone dug tunnels under their mansions. But looking at this state, that's probably not it."
"The lady said it, right? That the orphanage was run by some nameless wealthy person."
"From the circumstances, we have to assume that person made it. You can't build something like this overnight."
She glanced subtly at Lander. His wife had spent her childhood in this bizarre orphanage? The very thought was unsettling.
Guchi, walking ahead, stopped. A wide-open space appeared. It was round, about ten meters in diameter.
Two dark red wooden tables sat side by side. They certainly weren't stained with red dye.
She looked around. There was something like a dresser against the wall. She opened it and peered inside. Thick bundles of paper were there.
"Everyone, come here!"
She called the two men over.
"What is this?"
She laid the bundle on the floor and opened it. Bizarre symbols were drawn on every page. They looked like a child's scribbles.
"This one looks like a person."
"Then what's this? It kinda looks like a sheep."
She was flipping through the pages quickly to check when text appeared.
She reflexively voiced out the information that caught her eye.
"I have seen beyond the Realm, and through it, I have realized. To question the merciless god, I will open the Realm once more. If the god truly exists, he must prepare his answer."
Open the Realm? It was incomprehensible.
She looked at the men on either side of her. Hoping someone might understand and explain.
"I have no idea what that means. Lander, what about you?"
"I don't know either."
She flipped more pages. More strange symbols appeared.
"This looks similar to what mages write on scrolls, doesn't it?"
"It kinda does. But mages use their own different languages, so we wouldn't be able to read it."
After flipping through for a while, readable text appeared again.
- Tried every method, but opening the Realm with sheep is impossible. Seems like human women are the only option.
- Drought is severe.
- The Anson from downstairs died. Gave them money to contribute to the funeral costs.
- New children arrived.
- Successfully opened the Realm, though unstable. But the test subject that crossed lost its intelligence. Not ideal. Need a suitable vessel. One that can open a complete Realm.
- Lots of rain.
- Plague hit the village. People were fine, but all the sheep died. Watched them gather the corpses and burn them.
The last entry grabbed her attention. The innkeeper had said sheep farming in this village was forty years ago.
"What the hell is this record?"
"Whatever else, it's certain it was written starting forty years ago. Assuming the inn lady's memory isn't wrong. Let's finish looking first."
She quickly flipped through the papers.
The pages dwindled, but no more readable text appeared. Only increasingly grotesque symbols filled the sheets.
"This is the last page."
She turned it. Text appeared. Her body flinched the moment she saw it. The handwriting screamed in agony.
- If the god truly exists, take my life. Rip out my head, cut off my arms and legs, burn them, and guide me to where my son and wife are. But it will be impossible. The lofty god does not hear the cries of humans, lesser than insects.
- If a grand fate comes to claim my life, I will gladly accept. But I still live. As a result, I am one step closer to the god.
- Behold! I leave everything behind! God! Eradicate me through your agent! Stop me with these! If you cannot, humbly accept it. A foolish human will end your eternal life.
That was the end of the recorded information.
"If this wasn't written by a playwright, it's one seriously deranged bastard. No one who rants about gods is ever sane."
"No way they were doing sacrifices here..."
She said, staring at the dark red tables. The words about sheep not working and only human women doing it flashed before her eyes.
If a proper madman had done proper mad things, how many people were sacrificed up there?
"Where's the bastard who wrote this?"
"Could be dead. Or holed up somewhere, old and decrepit."
"Did Gilliuwd know about this place?"
"Maybe Gilliuwd is the successor."
They checked the dresser more, but nothing else was there.
She walked to the tables. Thick ropes hung from the ends. Clearly used to bind someone laid out on them.
She had heard the rumors countless times. Sorcery and magic research using humans as materials happened everywhere. Had it happened here too?
"That exit over there leads outside."
Lander moved. He walked without hesitation, having finished scouting when he went down first.
She followed Lander. Wind could be felt. The musty tunnel smell gradually faded.
"We're quite a ways from the village."
Village lights faintly visible in the distance. If they moved through here, no wonder the villagers didn't know about the women.
"This entrance was blocked too."
Lander said. Around the entrance, there were planks and piles of stones.
"Blocked it so animals couldn't get in. And for camouflage."
She took a deep breath. She expelled the rotten stench that had seeped deep into her lungs in one go.
"This doesn't seem like ordinary business. What now?"
Lander's opinion mattered. The tunnel's owner had been up to weird stuff for forty years.
The orphanage closed twenty years ago. During the time Naria was there, the tunnel owner was here too.
"He wouldn't run an orphanage just as a front. We need to investigate more."
Lander said, looking at the tunnel. He was remarkably calm.
Suddenly, she recalled what Lander had said recently. 'I want to act extremely biased, but I can't.'
His terrifyingly cool head was probably sorting through his impossibly complex emotions.
She felt sorry for him. She could cry when she wanted to cry, laugh when she wanted to laugh.
If her beloved Silder and master suffered misfortune, she would rage more than anyone and tear the culprit apart.
"Lander. At times like this, it's good to vent with some good curses."
"Good idea. But later. After I uncover the truth, after I learn in detail what happened to my wife. And... thank you for worrying."
"Was it presumptuous?"
"No. Not at all. In fact, thanks to you, I realized. That now is the time to get angry and grieve."
Watching Lander smile softly, she felt fear. Even in an unbearable situation, the man before her didn't waver.
He seemed blunt, perhaps even emotionless. If such a cool-headed person got angry, what would happen?
"If we go down this way and turn toward Connero, we'll hit the north side of the lake."
Guchi said.
"Looked around, nothing suspicious. Guess we have to search the cave interior again. What can you do?"
"Let's head back for today. Even if we investigate now, we won't find much. We need experts in this field."
"Experts?"
At her question, Lander just nodded once without answering.
They retraced the tunnel back home. Confirmed no one outside, then left the house.
"I'll go meet someone. You go ahead."
"Got it."
Guchi turned away without prying. Lander headed toward the village entrance.
She stood alone in the center, then started walking at Guchi's call.
"Who's Lander off to meet?"
"Someone needed right now, I bet. You'll know soon enough, so don't worry."
"Not worried?"
"About that guy? Might as well worry about what to eat tomorrow—that'd be more productive. Worrying about him is the biggest waste. You know from all this time, right?"
"Still, you never know. We're all human."
"Don't waste your mental energy. Conserve your strength. Seems like we're tangled in something annoying, so we'll be busy. Wait, you're leaving soon anyway, so maybe not?"
"Who said I'm leaving soon?"
"Then never mind."
As she walked, she looked back. Lander was out of sight.
* * *
'No matter how cleverly you hide, you're bound to get caught anyway. So don't be surprised if I come find you. If he asks a favor, just listen without arguing. Though the favor will probably just be to summon me, so no need to worry.'
The letter enclosed with a single portrait said as much. The wording subtly scratched at his pride. No one in the Special Inspectorate was better at tracking and surveillance than him.
Disguise was basic. He was a master at erasing his presence. He was confident he could uncover even the emperor's private affairs if he set his mind to it.
And yet? Bound to get caught anyway?
Deong snorted and glared at the two-story house in the distance. About an hour had passed since the 'surveillance target' vanished.
He couldn't investigate properly since they were being cautious, but he knew the house was empty.
"What the hell is he up to."
When the captain specifically assigned him this mission, he thought:
This guy's finally openly tormenting his subordinates.
Didn't tell him the target's identity, the reason, not even the purpose—just follow him.
No need for regular reports either; just notify if something comes up in your free time.
And so, for nearly ten days, he had been tailing this mystery man.
Today too, he pondered. Why him for this job?
Because he drank the captain's favorite booze? Because he badmouthed the captain to the juniors? Or just because he didn't like him?
As he mulled over the reasons one by one.
"You're here."
Presence from behind. Deong barely swallowed a scream that almost burst out and turned.
The surveillance target stood there as if it were natural.