Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: You Clean Up Your Own Mess
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You Clean Up Your Own Mess
‘Pretty intense.’
I wasn’t sure if I could get through the wall, but the distant screams spurred me on, so I charged.
But the wall was softer than I expected. Some parts crumbled with just a push.
It seemed shoddy construction was more common than I thought. The slightest impact made the walls crumble like tofu, which, thankfully, let me get here in time.
‘This could get addictive.’
The rush was more potent than I’d anticipated, and I licked my lips without realizing it.
“Krrgh…”
‘But what’s with this bastard?’
I only grabbed him by the neck, but he started making strange noises and foaming at the mouth.
“Jojang! Are you alright?!”
I turned my head to see Kel and Brick, who looked to be in decent shape.
“Oh my! What in the world is going on?!”
Just then, an old woman poked her head through the last wall I’d broken. Her eyes went wide as she touched the hole in her wall, an expression of utter bewilderment on her face.
Then her eyes met mine. She spotted the stone dust covering my shoulders, and her face crumpled into a scowl.
“Aron! What do you think you’re doing, smashing perfectly good walls!”
The woman, now barefoot, rushed out and glared at me, yelling her head off.
“I just bumped into it slightly, and it fell apart. Besides, there are bad guys running around outside. For now, go back inside and…”
“Inside where! There are gaping holes on both sides! You call this a house? It’s a hallway! A hallway! My house is gone!”
“No, I’m telling you, there are demons running around. Don’t you see this?”
“Oh, my word? Why is this fella’s hand black?! Does he have some disease? Ugh… how indecent!”
I shoved the hideous man toward her, but she just stared with wide eyes, tilted her head for a moment, and then started shouting again.
I quickly shot a look at Kel and Brick, who were just standing there gawking. *Do something about this woman.*
“We’ll fix it all later. For now, please, go back inside.”
Kel, with his signature smile, gently coaxed the woman back into her home.
Brick stood beside them, picked up a large stone, and tried to place it over the hole. Of course, the stone immediately rolled off, and Brick gave an awkward laugh.
“Yes, for any damages, you can direct your complaints to Aron, Squad Leader of the Outer Wall Guard’s 4th Squad. Yes.”
I could see Berman through the hole. He was busy repeating my name to the bewildered people.
‘Traitorous bastard.’
Seeing the faces peeking through the holes, I scratched my cheek.
“Don’t worry, Jojang. We’ll all pitch in.”
Brick said with a serious face, thumping his chest.
“Well… a rough patch-up job should do it. So… I think we’ve felt the Jojang’s sentiment quite enough.”
Kel, having pushed the woman back inside, scratched his head sheepishly.
In response, I gave the man I was holding a shake for good measure. His neck flopped back and forth as if it would snap, and then his eyes blinked open.
“Aaaargh! Aaaaargh!!”
The moment he saw me, he started screaming and thrashing.
‘What did I even do to make him freak out like this?’
I scowled, and the man hiccupped, desperately clamping a hand over his mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. A sour smell began to waft up from below.
‘Did I do something to make him piss himself?’
I couldn’t understand his violent reaction.
“So…”
“The warlock is the source, the planner! I don’t know his name, but he’s fat and has a vicious look in his eyes! And… he’s after the young lady! He said he needs her heart! Needing a person’s heart… he must be insane! I just did what I was told! I’m truly innocent! I got the call from the Society and gathered here, we’re all strangers! The Society usually contacts us through rats, and there’s a rumor their base is in Turumba! Yes, that Turumba, the lawless city!”
Without me even asking, the man desperately spewed out everything he knew. He was so frantic he didn’t even pause to breathe, and he was gasping for air by the time he finished.
I hadn’t done anything, yet he’d spilled everything so willingly that it was almost disarming. Isn’t breaking a finger or two the standard procedure before they start talking?
“Have you seen a guy who looks sort of languid?”
Berman came up beside me and asked the man.
“A languid-looking guy?! I haven’t seen him! I haven’t been able to take a single step out of the house I was assigned to until today! An ugly guy! A guy with sharp teeth! A guy with a triangular head! A woman with big breasts! Those four are all I’ve seen!”
His immediate response, without a moment’s hesitation, suggested he wasn't lying. No, there was a desperation on his face that couldn't be faked.
“How many more of you are there?”
“There are five minions in total, including me!”
“Minions?”
“Yes! Those who can’t contract directly with a demon and do so through a warlock are called minions! If we gather enough blood to satisfy the demon lord, we can move on to a direct contract and receive the handprint!”
He answered immediately, without hesitation.
‘A contract through a warlock… so these minions are like subcontractors?’
From what he said, it seemed the demon side also had its own complex relationships and hierarchy.
‘But a warlock…’
Mages were troublesome enough, but a warlock with a demon topping was a headache just to think about.
“And?”
“Yes? Ah! The warlock said he would handle the knight, so we should run wild… that he would make this place a base for the Society…”
The man’s voice trailed off as he glanced at me nervously.
‘So they were sacrificial pawns.’
No matter how powerful the warlock was, or how vast the influence of this Society, there was no way they’d be insane enough to try and occupy an imperial castle.
‘The Imperial family would never stand for it.’
If they tried something like that, a line of the Empire’s finest swords would be drawn from the capital all the way here. Making an enemy of the Empire was like trying to pull the sun down to earth.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and smacked the back of his head hard. After he lost consciousness, I swiftly broke his limbs and handed him over to Brick.
“Take this one to the plaza and hand him over.”
“Yes, sir. Everyone, be careful.”
Brick took the man, nodded, and disappeared with quick steps.
“The young lady’s heart… What in the world is happening in a rural place like this?”
“…I know, right?”
Kel grumbled, readjusting his grip on his sword.
“I can’t die yet.”
Berman spoke up with a serious expression.
“Even a simpleton like Brick has done it. I can’t die without doing it.”
“Berman, you’re a virgin? How dare a virgin like you strut around with such an attitude…”
“Both of you, shut up. We find Quarter first.”
I stopped the two before they could start bickering again.
*Fweee— Fweee—*
The whistle was still blowing, its sound pointing us forward.
On a night with a low-hanging moon, the alley was as dark as if a demon might emerge from it.
“Should I ask Rosa to give you a discount later?”
Kel suddenly asked Berman, his face surprisingly serious.
Even though they always bickered, it seemed he cared in his own way, but the nature of his offer made my head spin.
“…I don’t need it! I am simply waiting for a destined, or perhaps fated, encounter.”
Berman retorted as if having a seizure.
‘He’s going to die a virgin.’
I thought to myself, looking at Berman.
***
*Grrrrlk—.*
A grotesque creature making a gurgling sound had its snout buried in a soldier’s corpse. *Crunch.* The gruesome sound of flesh being torn raw filled the alley.
I raised my right hand, and Berman and Kel backed away, their faces tense.
*Grrrk?*
Just then, the creature lifted its head, sniffing. It sniffed the air like a dog, moving this way and that, before turning its head toward us.
‘Hideous.’
It vaguely retained a human form, but it was more like a gray, slime-dripping monster wearing a mask of human skin.
I wondered if this was one of the minions the other guy had mentioned. Despite its horrific appearance, it didn’t exude the same dangerous feeling as the demon I’d encountered before.
I sized up my opponent. It was twice the size of an adult man, with teeth sharp enough to pierce a soldier’s iron-plated armor. I roughly calculated its arm length.
‘My sword has a longer reach.’
*Grrrk!*
Without any warning, the creature leaped into the air. A mixture of red blood and saliva dripped from its mouth, spraying through the air.
Seeing it close the distance in an instant, I planted my feet and raised my sword vertically. Soon, the creature’s human-like maw gaped open, revealing hundreds of teeth inside.
I swung my sword straight down. *Crunch—* It wasn't the sound of a slice, but a crush, as the creature's face crumpled vertically.
The human face worn like a mask contorted into a grimace, then smiled again.
‘Weak.’
Unlike the last demon, this was just like slightly hardened iron.
And that was something I could break with my bare hands.
*Grrrk—.*
The mangled creature swung its right leg. Slime scattered through the air, splattering onto me. The parts it touched smoked and corroded.
‘Son of a bitch.’
Fire flashed in my eyes as I saw the small hole burned into my red cuirass. *Thud!* The creature’s right foot slammed into my chest but was blocked by my armor. I brought my sword down again with all my might.
*CRACK!* With a satisfying sound, its hideous face was completely crushed in half, its eyes pressed together. Its black pupils rolled back.
“Jojang!”
Hearing a shout from behind, I twisted my body. Two swords narrowly missed me, stabbing into the monster’s head. Its face crumpled completely, and it spat black blood from its mouth.
“Agh! My hand!”
“Stop whining.”
I pushed aside Kel, who was hopping around clutching his hand, just as the monster’s left foot slammed down where he had been standing. *CRASH!* The ground shattered, sending mud flying everywhere.
I regained my stance and swung my sword down. This time, the monster’s face split in two. Black blood sprayed out, revealing the soaked flesh within.
I let go of the sword embedded in its head and grabbed the torn flesh with my hands. Then, with all my strength, I ripped it apart.
*Screeeech—*
With a sickening sound, the creature’s flesh tore away to the left and right. Black blood gushed out, drenching my hands.
Finally, I pulled with all my might, and its head split in half, revealing a pale human skull.
“Did… did you have to go that far?”
Ignoring Kel, who was staring at me with a horrified look, I brought my fist down on the skull. *CRACK.* The skull shattered, and white brain matter splattered all over me.
‘Not on the level of the demon I met back then. Four soldiers could probably handle it.’
However, its grotesque appearance would likely terrify the soldiers, leading to greater casualties.
‘Of course, that would only be for the first few times.’
When survival was on the line, they would swing their swords one way or another, and if they did, they could certainly hold it off.
“…Jojang?”
Just then, a familiar voice called from behind me. I turned my head to see Quarter standing there in an awkward posture.
“You— you crazy bastard! What were you doing? Why are you only showing up now?!”
Kel, wiping the black blood from his face, shot to his feet and started cursing, pointing a finger at him. He looked ready to throw a punch.
“Well… when I woke up, it was like this.”
Quarter let out an awkward laugh and scratched his head.
“You call that an excuse? You’ve gone too far this time, Quarter.”
Berman’s face hardened as he admonished Quarter.
“Aah… I was just so sleepy. Haven’t been sleeping well lately, you know.”
It was Quarter’s usual complaint, but something felt subtly off.
“That son of a bitch, I’m gonna…”
“Calm down. This isn’t the time to be fighting amongst ourselves.”
Berman stopped Kel, who was about to swing his fist. Berman’s expression wasn’t pleased either, but it seemed he was holding back due to the situation.
“You two head back to the North Gate. We’ve found Quarter, after all.”
“Huh? What about you, Jojang?”
“You’re not coming with us?”
Kel and Berman asked at the same time.
I stroked my beard in irritation.
‘I have to clean up my own shit.’
Even if I could identify them by the Devil’s Handprint, I couldn’t just strip-search everyone who came through the checkpoint.
No matter who had been on guard duty, it was clear that a warlock who had gone so far as to prepare a merchant caravan’s wagon would have found a way into the castle.
But no matter what, it was my mess.
Unlike these uncivilized medieval bastards, I couldn’t just ignore the shit I’d made.
‘I should have known something was up when my pockets felt so heavy.’
As always, full pockets meant trouble.
“Well, alright.”
“We’ll head out first, then.”
Berman and Kel nodded.
“Aren’t you supposed to ask one more time?”
Their quick agreement was strangely irritating.
“Come on, Jojang, are you going to get hurt? You’re a madman who smashes through walls and rips off monster heads with your bare hands. Besides, if we go ahead, we can help manage the situation later.”
Kel gave me a look that said, *why are you asking the obvious?* He had a point, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.
“We’ll be on our way then. But what about Quarter?”
“I’ll go with the Jojang. I got a good night’s sleep, so I’m full of energy.”
“What’s gotten into you? Fine, do as you please.”
Quarter drew the sword at his waist as he replied, and Kel nodded.
“Jojang, be careful.”
“What?”
Berman suddenly said in a serious tone. Among these good-for-nothings, the relatively normal Berman seemed to be worried about me.
“If you break too much, it’ll be a pain to deal with later.”
Berman said with intensity, pointing to the hole in the wall right next to us.
My eyes met those of the woman peeking through the hole, glaring daggers at me, and my head began to throb.
“…Just go.”
With that, Berman and Kel left, and a strange silence fell.
I watched Quarter for a moment, who was humming to himself as if he really was in a good mood after a long sleep, then started walking.
*BOOOOOM!*
A massive explosion erupted ahead of us.
A burst of blue light illuminated the dark alley.
The sound of Quarter’s footsteps behind me grew closer.
“That guy from the Mozaic caravan we let through, Dornoir, turned out to be the warlock.”
“…Lord Dornoir was a warlock?”
Quarter replied in a strangely drawn-out voice. He sounded surprised, but it also felt like he was deliberately raising the pitch of his voice. It was ambiguous.
“Yeah. Didn’t you get some candy or something from him back then?”
“Ah, he said it would help me sleep… is that a problem?”
“How should I know?”
The conversation died down again. Only the sound of our footsteps echoed in the quiet alley.
“…Jojang. Do you know how painful it is to not be able to sleep?”
The man, who had moved a little closer, muttered in a low voice.
“Is that so?”
I replied, gauging the distance between us. Not yet.
“Yes. When you can’t sleep, you don’t feel awake even when you are. It’s like wandering through a dream, and everything looks hazy, as if there’s a fog in your mind.”
I stopped for a moment and looked back at Quarter. His eyes, usually half-lidded, were wide open. The perpetual fatigue that always clung to him was gone.
As if he’d had a very deep sleep.
“Is that so?”
“…Do you know why I can’t sleep?”
Quarter pressed his lips together tightly, like a drunk man trying to hold back vomit, before letting out a long breath.
“No idea.”
“When I was a child, a terrible famine swept through our village.”
*BOOOOOM!*
Another explosion erupted, and blue light illuminated our surroundings. Quarter’s face, which seemed to be holding back tears, glowed blue for a moment before being swallowed by darkness again.
“Must have been hungry.”
“Yes, we were incredibly hungry. One night, I couldn’t sleep at all. I was just staring at the ceiling when my father got up with a rustle.”
Quarter muttered softly, paused for a moment, then continued.
“From beside me, I heard a very faint *thud!* It was followed by a sound like air escaping. I squeezed my eyes shut. The next day, one of my younger siblings, who was too weak to help with work, was gone, and for the first time in a long time, we ate meat. It was truly delicious.”
*Yes, it was truly delicious…* Quarter muttered in a self-deprecating tone.
Was this a confession? Despite the shocking content, Quarter’s voice was endlessly calm. As if he were just narrating someone else’s story.
“I see.”
“From that day on, I couldn’t sleep at night. I was afraid that tomorrow, my family would eat delicious meat without me.”
Quarter stared at me with emotionless eyes. Looking into those pupils, as dark as a storm cloud, I habitually tapped the pommel of my sword.
‘Fucking medieval times.’
I swallowed the curse that rose to my throat.
*BOOOOOOM!*
The blue flames lit up the area once more, and I could clearly see Quarter’s face, bathed in blue light.
He was smiling.
“Let’s save the rest of the story for later. It seems like all hell is breaking loose over there.”
“…Yes.”
*I hope I’m wrong…* I muttered to myself as I turned away. There was still some distance to the source of the blue flames.
My eyes were fixed forward, but all my senses were focused on my hearing. I gauged the distance by the sound of footsteps.
*Tap, tap.*
The footsteps grew subtly closer. Right behind me. He had crossed the line.
I spun around and thrust my sword. Quarter, who had transformed into a dark beast with only his face remaining eerily human, was lunging at me, his claws as long as daggers.
However, my sword was longer than his claws, and my hesitation was shorter than his.
I couldn’t fully trust a man even after spending two years with him. It was a chronic occupational hazard, a lingering trauma, like reaching for my sword the moment I woke up.
In the end, for the simple reason that his footsteps got too close, I plunged my sword into the man I had lived and fought alongside for two years. Shamefully, I felt not a shred of hesitation.
“Ah.”
He let out a short gasp, and black blood trickled from his mouth.
I twisted the heavy sword forcefully. The blade embedded in his chest churned, tearing the wound wider, and black blood poured out like a waterfall. I took the full brunt of it.
He grimaced in pain, and the hand that had been reaching for me grabbed my shoulder. Black blood stained my green pauldron.
“Sorry.”
‘For not trusting you.’
I swallowed the last words. It would have been hypocrisy.
“…Sleepy.”
Ah… he closed his eyes slowly, as if truly drifting off for a nap, and I held him until his eyes were completely shut.
The gamey stench of a beast mixed with the smell of blood stung my nostrils.
Soon, his breathing stopped.
I grabbed his head and drove my blade into his neck. Black blood burst forth, drenching me.
The unpleasant sensation of cutting through flesh traveled up the sword, but I didn’t stop. Soon, his neck was completely severed. The headless body slumped forward, and a mixture of mud and black blood splattered onto my cuirass.
“Sleep well.”
I placed his head on top of his body and said it with sincerity.
*BOOOOOOOOM!!*
Once again, blue flames illuminated the surroundings.
Quarter’s face was peaceful, as if he were sleeping with his eyes closed.
I didn’t feign the hypocrisy of grief in the face of what I had done.
“I’ll get revenge for you.”
I simply readjusted my grip on my sword and rose to my feet.
***
‘Hmm… even if they were made to counter knights, they’re still lacking compared to a real one.’
Querentel let out a low hum as he watched the battle unfold before him.
The Death Knight, a creation the Society had poured a fortune into specifically to stop knights, was still no match for the real thing.
‘It won’t go down easily, but victory seems unlikely. To think that Aura has different levels, as expected…’
Though a warlock, Querentel was a mage at his core, and he analyzed the scene before him, committing it to memory.
The thought of the money spent on the Death Knight made his stomach twist, but where there was gain, there was also loss.
‘To think someone truly beloved by mana actually exists.’
When he first heard the story by chance, he had been skeptical. After all, the ‘one beloved by mana’ was something of a legend among mages.
He had just been passing through. But after confirming the rumor was true, Querentel had gathered everything he could utilize without the Society noticing.
It was enough. His plan had almost been derailed by some clueless fool running rampant, but he had managed to keep it on track.
And now, the ‘one beloved by mana’ was in his arms. The throbbing heartbeat beyond her pale chest made Querentel gulp.
If he could devour that heart… The mere thought was dizzying. He might even be able to make his contract with the demon an equal one, or perhaps even greater.
‘To embed it directly into the body, what fools.’
Querentel thought of those desperate to make a direct contract with a demon and sneered.
Even a low-level demon was on a completely different level from a human. A direct contract, received into the body, would inevitably lead to being devoured by that difference in power someday.
That was why mages like Querentel didn’t make direct contracts, instead finding a medium for an indirect one. The power gained was less than a direct contract, but as a mage, what he sought from demons wasn’t power, but knowledge. That was enough.
A knight was chasing him from behind, but he was held up by the Death Knight. He had thrown plenty of fools in the way to buy time, so he could shake them off at his leisure.
‘This would have been difficult without the secret passage.’
The fact that he, a warlock, had to crawl through a hidden tunnel was irritating, but it couldn't be helped.
A surprisingly sturdy wooden plank had prevented him from killing the lord. If he wasted any more time here and the lord regained consciousness, he might have more pursuers.
Any further delay would create variables. Querentel, a mage before he was a warlock, despised variables.
‘Hmph… it’s a shame I couldn’t find that bastard, but I can always come back. I will make him feel the pain of his flesh being torn for an eternity.’
A face suddenly flashed in his mind, and rage boiled within him, but he forced it down. Now was the time to retreat.
Querentel was a man who forgot favors but never grudges. He would find that bastard, even if he had to go to the ends of the continent.
Just as he made his decision and turned around.
“Hey, little brother! Where are you off to without saying hello to your big bro?”
A familiar voice reached his ears. It was low and gruff like a beast’s growl, yet it had a way of getting under one’s skin.
He turned his head.
And saw a familiar face.
The hideous scar and the massive frame.
He was wearing ridiculous, colorful armor, unlike before, but it was definitely him.
“When you see your big bro, you should greet him first.”
The clueless bastard who had condescendingly called him ‘little brother’ and arrogantly touched his body.
—*If that fat body of yours starts to stink… how dreadful.*
The bastard who had dared to call him, a warlock, fat and laugh in his face.
“Ha, what a relief. To think you’d walk right to me.”
At the sight of that face, all thoughts of the heart, his grand ambition, and variables vanished from Querentel’s mind. In their place, a molten rage boiled over.
*Crack—.*
Querentel’s fingers bent at a grotesque angle, exuding a black aura.
“Yeah, a real relief indeed, shitty brother.”
The clueless bastard muttered some incomprehensible words and grinned widely.
However, because of the long scar etched next to his mouth, it also looked as if he were crying.