Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Wolfji Reporter
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“With such a battle-hardened glare fixed on me, I find myself wary of letting slip any foolish words. And that fork you’re lightly gripping is quite disconcerting too. Since time immemorial, forks have been splendid weapons—the primary tool in that infamous Andres Banquet incident...”
“So?”
“It seems you’re not interested. It pains me deeply that my eloquence doesn’t land with you, milady. I’d love to continue this intimate chat, but with a tiny trident hovering near my throat, it might be wise to stop here.”
He was the type who’d probably keep yapping even if you dunked him in water—mouth bobbing above the surface.
From the moment she sat down, she’d been radiating killing intent nonstop, yet the man acted utterly unfazed, as if he couldn’t sense it at all.
“First, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Karl, a reporter for Wolfji.”
“I’ve heard the rumors. About the lunatics who write articles with their necks on the line. If you’re really a Wolfji reporter, then the rumors are true.”
“Do I look like a liar? I am indeed an honorable Wolfji reporter. It wounds me that you don’t believe me.”
“I couldn’t care less about your status. Just answer my question.”
“No way. You must be dying to know what I do, right? How this blabbermouth knows about the Silent Forge. What my connection is to Maestro Andukaf. How I got hold of the client list. Where I heard about the reddish-brown horse. Whether I know about Inebil too, and so on.”
“You’re getting more interesting by the minute.”
“That sounds like you want to lock me up and torture me, but surely that’s a grave misunderstanding?”
“If that’s how it felt, then probably it is?”
“Oh dear. Much as I adore beautiful women, torture isn’t my hobby. Besides, I’m on vacation right now. I’ve finally carved out some time for my hobbies, so I’ve no desire to end up imprisoned somewhere.”
“You like traveling, I take it?”
“At last, a personal question from you. Excellent. Newspapers always start with the fringes. Going straight for the jugular is fine too, but that requires solid intel. Unfortunately, you know nothing about me, Lady Dianne, so we’ll have to skim the surface.”
“I know plenty of ways to extract information from the reluctant. Don’t worry—no matter how tight-lipped, a little coaxing and sweet-talk turns them friendly enough.”
“I’d love to experience your touch firsthand, but let’s save that for another day.”
She smiled as she pondered.
Should she cause a scene and drag him off? Not a great idea. Drawing the bureaucrats’ eyes here wasn’t desirable.
“I’d prefer a quiet, private chat. Shall we move somewhere else?”
“I’d welcome sharing a bed with you anytime, milady, but tonight I’d rather stay here. Oh, did you know? A few days ago, bodies floated up in that lake. Quite a few, in fact. The intriguing part? They were all young women.”
“I’ve heard many throw themselves into this lake. Tragic, but not uncommon.”
“True. Tragic, but nothing to lose sleep over. Out of personal curiosity, I poked around, but nothing stuck out. Rumors pin it on the mad cult leader, but I don’t buy it. Know why?”
“No idea.”
The man swallowed a bite of panini before speaking.
“That cult leader’s a calculating guy. He’s not dumb enough to shove productive young folks into the lake. Why drown good labor? You’d want to squeeze every scrap of flesh and drop of blood for yourself. So my conclusion: these suicides aren’t tied to the new cult.”
“Thanks for the kind explanation on a topic I couldn’t care less about. Shall we get back to the point?”
How much did this man know?
The women who drowned in the lake—they were sacrifices. Creatures no longer human, stripped of will.
Was he probing? Didn’t seem like it. No link whatsoever between the underground Master and Rielder.
“Let’s drop the dead bodies talk. It’s not exactly cheerful. How about we discuss Ran? Or perhaps Mr. Inebil?”
“So you know where Inebil is.”
“I do. I know a bit more than I don’t—ever so slightly.”
“Could a gentleman tip me off?”
“If that’s what you want, of course. You’ve made my time enjoyable, after all.”
The man said Inebil was at Blue Button.
The kid there? Coincidence, or the fateful pull Master always droned on about? Either way, Rielder wouldn’t like it.
Rielder always wanted Blue Button cleaned up. To erase those two-story houses from the map entirely. But Master opposed it.
When she asked why, he called it minimal mercy. His consideration for the pitiful god.
An unreasonable fool. If he weren’t the only mage who could open the Realm, she’d have acted first.
Uncontrollable humans. Rielder’s most despised type.
“Something going on at Blue Button?”
The man said. She replied with a steady expression.
“It’s a place where people live, so sure. Anyway, thanks for the info. Let’s meet again sometime.”
“No need. You’ve lost interest already.”
“What a quick-fader you turned out to be.”
“Work requires keeping people at arm’s length. So the only ones who can get close to me are... ghosts, I suppose. Dead folks don’t talk back. Ah! Though there are some who chatter even after death. Thinking of that one just cheers me up.”
She scanned him from head to toe, then left the terrace.
Karl, Wolfji reporter. Once this job wrapped up, she’d dig into his background. His ties to Andukaf too.
Back at the inn, she fetched her horse and rode north out of Conne.
“You’re late.”
Karl was waiting at the gate. She glanced at him, then spurred her horse past. He followed right away.
“Leaving me behind so coldly?”
“Any unfinished business?”
“Nope. No business between us. Just figured the ride to Blue Button would be lonely alone, so I’ll tag along.”
Karl pulled up alongside. His horsemanship was no joke. The horse he rode looked purebred, judging by its muscle tone.
Even in an era when military surplus horses were flooding the market, bloodstock was still state-controlled.
If someone rode a fine horse personally, it meant one of two things: filthy rich, or wielding power.
Which was Karl? What hid beneath that Wolfji reporter shell?
“Why the sudden trip there?”
She asked.
“Not sudden. I had a visit planned—just moved it up a bit. And now I’ve got company for the road.”
“I want to take you at face value, but why is it so hard to buy?”
“Everyone I deal with says the same. ‘You’re trash hiding a mountain of secrets.’ But I’m innocent! I’m the purest soul, laying it all bare more than anyone. Yet they twist my words. Tough world for good folks.”
“I agree it’s rough for the good ones. The rest, not so much.”
“When I was a kid, I dreamed of a world without lies. Doesn’t that thrill you just hearing it? No deceit, no manipulation. But once I stripped away people’s masks and dealt with their raw faces, my mind changed. Ah, it’s the right dose of lies that makes people human. A world without that—that’s true hell.”
“A well-timed lie always helps. Doesn’t apply to someone as suspicious as you from head to toe, though.”
She snapped the reins hard. Conne receded behind them.
Travelers vanished from the road, leaving just two horses galloping strong.
The night air cleared her head. She smiled, pleasantly scanning left and right.
Dense forest lined the well-paved road. Low cries from night birds echoed.
Deeper in, animals’ eyes glinted as they hunted prey.
Good-hearted janitors who’d cleanly dispose of a body or two.
She loosened the reins, easing the horse’s tension. Speed dropped until she rode abreast of Karl.
“Lady Dianne.”
Karl said.
“Yes?”
“I’m on vacation right now.”
“You mentioned that earlier.”
“Wouldn’t it be tragic if I met with an accident during my vacation?”
“Who knows. No idea.”
“Think about it. A poor guy crushed by work finally gets a break, only to run into trouble. Wouldn’t that make you tear up with indignation?”
She fell silent, quietly sliding her hand to the sword at her waist.
An irritating man. That sly glint in his eyes, that nonstop chatter—both grated. If that were all, she’d ignore him and ride off.
But those eyes—like they pierced everything—roused her wariness.
Rielder, Inebil, Blue Button, the suicide girls.
Words meaningless apart, yet Karl was piecing them together.
No immediate threat. No connections. Still, it rankled.
Even now, he’d noticed. That she’d resolved to kill.
Rielder said accidents don’t erupt from the unforeseen—they stem from the overlooked.
Her instincts screamed: this man riding beside her would be a future obstacle.
Could be wrong. Didn’t matter. An unexpected variable had popped up. Reason enough to eliminate.
Blood that had quieted during her ‘sparring’ with the 1st Knight Order began to boil. Impulsive craving spread like wildfire in dry woods.
Thirst to exert strength. Parched need for violence that only brutality could quench.
She knew it was wrong, yet her fingers twitched.
Maybe she’d dredged up excuses just to justify killing him.
Irresistible urge to wield her perfected body shattered her restraint.
“A sharp mind like yours, so worked up over what? You’re intriguing me again.”
“Don’t they tell you? That mouth’ll be the death of you.”
“Bravo! You nailed it. You’ve got me pegged. I hear it all the time: ‘That mouth’ll doom you and yours.’ But sadly, I thrived while those who said it met sorry ends. And you, Lady Dianne, will be no different.”
“What about me?”
“You need to make the wise choice. For you and yours.”
(Continued in the next installment)