Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Warning (2)
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When he received the order to capture a man named Victor, Sanchez didn’t think it would be all that difficult.
He had already heard the news that Victor had beaten Hayden to a pulp with nothing but a club, but he didn’t take it seriously.
There were plenty of knights under Duplis who were superior to Hayden. Sanchez himself, for example.
‘Beat Hayden with just a club? It might be a little tough, but I could do that much too!’
Victor might be slightly, just slightly better than him in skill. But he wasn’t alone. He had brought along two more knights of similar caliber.
That was why he was so confident.
Confident that he could subdue Victor and deliver results that would satisfy Sir Duplis.
“……Huh?”
That confidence vanished the moment he saw the club falling from above.
He couldn’t even block it, let alone react. The attack was that fast.
If he couldn’t dodge it, he’d just have to endure. Fortunately, the club Victor swung wasn’t made of metal, but wood. It probably wouldn’t hurt much even if it hit……
“Gurk!”
The moment the club smashed into his head, excruciating pain shot through his entire body.
What? What is this?
Along with that brief question, Sanchez’s head slammed into the ground. His face was smeared with filthy mud trampled by countless people.
The unpleasant smell of dirt filled his nostrils, but Sanchez couldn’t lift his head.
It hurt like hell.
It hurt so much he didn’t even have time to touch the wound with his hands. He could only wait for the pain to subside.
“Ugh, uwaaaagh!”
Only after the pain had somewhat eased could Sanchez lift his head. He frantically rubbed the struck area with both hands.
“It’s…… fine?”
He was sure his head had split open, but there wasn’t a scratch. As Sanchez panicked at this bizarre phenomenon,
A shadow fell over his head.
He turned his head and saw Victor holding the club. Sanchez screamed and hurriedly spoke up.
“W-Wait a minute! I-I’m the herald of Sir Duplis! If you touch me one more time, he’ll take it as a declaration of enmity against him!”
From Sanchez’s perspective, it was a threat meant to say “don’t hit me anymore.” But the other man’s reaction was somehow off.
“Oh? Really?”
Feeling an ill omen, Sanchez emphasized it once more.
“Y-Yes, really! If Sir Duplis finds out you touched me, he’ll be furious…… W-Wait a minute!”
Victor immediately brought the club down. It hurt even more than before.
“Why, why hit me again…… Agh! Kuaaaagh!”
And this time, it wasn’t just one hit. He pummeled Sanchez all over his body.
“Those guys are getting up too?”
He didn’t forget to beat the accompanying knights either, not just Sanchez.
Only after beating them for a good while did the club finally stop. Victor wiped the sweat from his forehead and said refreshingly,
“Now I feel a bit better.”
At those words, Sanchez felt rage boiling up inside him.
But he couldn’t even stand up carelessly. He felt like Victor would beat him again if he did.
“What in the world is going on here?”
At that moment, a stern voice rang out. Recognizing the familiar voice, Sanchez quickly raised his head.
A man with a fierce face was approaching, clad in thick armor.
Behind the man followed knights and soldiers bearing the emblem of the White Nation.
A High Class of the White Nation.
Domenico had appeared.
“D-Domenico, sir!”
Sanchez hurriedly ran toward Domenico. Clutching at his pant leg, he shouted,
“That guy! That Victor attacked me! He beat me and the other knights with that club!”
Sanchez pointed at Victor, his hand trembling.
“This violates the White Nation’s rule against starting disputes on the surface. He must be expelled immediately.”
“Is that true?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask the others!”
Sanchez spoke with a confident face. Then Domenico turned to the people around and asked,
“Is what this man says true?”
“Uh…… That man did swing the club first.”
The people nodded with reluctant faces.
Regardless of the circumstances, it was a fact that Victor had used force first.
As the people agreed, Sanchez shouted even more triumphantly.
“You see? Expel that man at once! That’s the White Nation’s rule, isn’t it!”
* * *
‘Pathetic bastard.’
Demian clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at Sanchez. It was quite pitiful to see a knight who couldn’t even think of paying him back personally and was instead clinging to Domenico.
Tievo whispered cautiously to Demian.
“Sir Victor, you should explain quickly.”
“Why bother doing that?”
Demian tilted his head as he asked.
“The mood is a bit…… If this continues, you might get expelled.”
“Don’t worry. That absolutely won’t happen.”
“Yes?”
No one else noticed, but in fact, Domenico had been nearby since earlier. Demian’s senses had picked up his mana, so it was certain.
But Domenico had just watched without stopping Demian from beating the knights.
“Expulsion, huh…….”
Domenico stroked his chin, lost in thought.
“But looking closely, there’s one on that side and three on this side. Did you really get beaten in a 3:1 fight?”
At Domenico’s words, Sanchez’s face turned beet red.
“W-What does that matter right now!”
“It’s important. It means Duplis’s knights, who were bragging so much, couldn’t even beat one man with three of them.”
At Domenico’s words, the White Nation’s knights and soldiers burst into laughter.
Once the laughter died down, Domenico spoke in a serious tone.
“It was clearly an unfair fight for Victor. It would be strange to hold him solely responsible. I won’t issue any punishment.”
“Sir Domenico! Are you taking that man’s side right now?”
Sanchez shouted with a furious face. At that moment, the smile on Domenico’s face vanished.
“And if I am?”
“W-What?”
“I asked, what will you do if I am.”
Domenico unleashed his presence. Sanchez’s face paled and stiffened under the overwhelming pressure.
“Do you have any complaints about this body’s decision?”
Sanchez’s head bowed involuntarily. He couldn’t even meet Domenico’s gaze, only breaking out in cold sweat.
“I asked if you have any complaints.”
“N-No, sir.”
Sanchez replied in a crawling voice. Only then did Domenico withdraw his killing intent.
“Then there’s no issue between us now? Get lost already.”
Sanchez and the two knights fled in a panic.
Once the three were gone, Domenico said to Demian,
“You must have been tired from exploring the ruins, yet you had to deal with this nonsense.”
It was a completely different attitude from when he dealt with Sanchez.
“If something like this happens again, beat them to a pulp like today. I’ll look the other way, so don’t worry.”
“Aren’t guards supposed to be impartial?”
When Demian asked teasingly, Domenico laughed loudly.
“Those bastards are strutting around in the White Nation as they please, so I figure I can pull some bias like this. Besides, who could complain about me?”
As a High Class, he had that much authority.
Not quite Master Class, but still an existence important enough to determine a nation’s power.
“My patrol isn’t over yet, so I’ll take my leave.”
With that, Domenico left with his subordinates.
* * *
After that, Demian returned to the inn and rested.
The relics found in the ruins were to be stored in the inn room Demian had rented. There were too many to fit entirely in his subspace.
The next day, Demian said to Tievo in front of the ruins entrance,
“There’s something you need to do separately.”
Tievo tilted his head at Demian’s order.
“Something separate?”
“You go around the White Nation today and investigate the market prices for relics.”
They had accumulated a lot of relics from exploring the ruins, so it was time to find a way to dispose of them.
They would likely find even more relics ahead, so preparation was necessary.
“Market prices?”
“Yeah, not just for the relics we’ve collected, but prices for other relics too. Got it?”
“Leave it to me! I’m an expert at gathering information.”
Tievo said with a confident face.
He had thoroughly investigated the White Nation back in Apple Kingdom, so his skills were proven.
“And one more thing I’d like you to look into.”
“What else?”
“See if anyone’s spotted undead in the ruins, and if there’s anyone regularly buying magic-related reagents.”
Tievo made a puzzled face, as if wondering why that mattered.
‘I need information on Gasdal’s movements.’
He couldn’t just wait around blindly for Gasdal to show up. Even trivial info on Gasdal would be useful.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have a perfect investigation ready before you return from the ruins, Sir Victor!”
Tievo bowed his head and shouted.
With his farewell, Demian entered the ruins.
* * *
Demian headed straight for the fifth floor.
Unlike yesterday, there were no mercenaries guarding the fifth floor entrance. Probably because the Obter Mercenary Group had been wiped out.
Thanks to that, Demian could enter the fifth floor without any trouble.
“Huh? Victor?”
As soon as he descended to the fifth floor, he ran into a group of knights.
The knights’ armor bore the White Nation’s emblem. They were probably patrolling the ruins.
“Didn’t expect to see you here!”
A knight who recognized Demian grinned amiably. The other knights asked with curious faces.
“Who is he?”
“Oh, you weren’t here yesterday? This is Victor.”
“Victor? The explorer who beat the crap out of several of those annoying Duplis knights?”
Once they knew Demian’s identity, the knights’ reactions changed.
“Out exploring again today? Take care!”
“If more Duplis knights show up, handle them like you did. Smash them good!”
Like Domenico, the White Nation’s knights didn’t seem to like Duplis much either.
Suddenly, Demian’s gaze shifted to the cart the knights were pulling.
The cart was loaded with people. They were still alive, letting out faint groans.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, this? We’re transporting the wounded to the surface. Can’t just leave them to die, right?”
They were lucky to survive a dangerous place like the fifth floor.
“Then good luck to you.”
The White Nation knights passed Demian and headed up.
Demian also started walking.
He had no plans to explore the fifth floor today. He hadn’t encountered Gasdal yesterday despite wandering around.
Demian’s target today was the sixth floor.
The fifth floor was huge, but thanks to the map, he quickly found the entrance to the sixth floor.
“Core production facility.”
Demian read the ancient script written at the sixth floor entrance.
“Looks like it really is an important place.”
Demian shifted his gaze forward. There, three ancient golems crouched.
As he approached, the ancient golems awoke, rising and glaring at Demian. They were captain-class, like the ones he’d encountered yesterday.
He had no time to waste on these. As Demian reached for Dawn,
“Let’s see that face first.”
Instead of grabbing Dawn, Demian opened his subspace. He reached in and pulled out a large travel bag.
It was a magic tool he’d obtained from the Corpse Puppeteer’s lab long ago. Being old, it exuded a heavy aura.
Demian unzipped the bag left and right. Inside was only pitch-black darkness.
“Come out, Miya.”
From the darkness sprang a person with snow-white skin.
An androgynous appearance that made it hard to tell if male or female.
Yet a face that struck one as beautiful.
“Been a while. Let’s see what you can do.”
The Corpse Puppeteer’s final masterpiece emerged into the world once more.