Chapter 417: Uphill Road (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 417: Uphill Road (4)
I'd only said as many words as I needed to reveal my name, but the impact each of them had was by no means small.
"Holy—!" someone shouted, stunned.
Some immediately accepted this as fact. "No wonder you were able to do all those things as easy as breathing."
Others seemed wary. "But wait, isn't this a big deal? If he's Baronet Bjorn Yandel..."
I quickly continued before this conversation could hit another snag. "Don't worry, the rumors that I'm an evil spirit are not true. I can't give you all the details, but the palace arranged for me to fake my death so I could go undercover." Of course, that was a total lie. But it seemed it was believable enough because the team took it in more calmly than I expected.
"It all makes sense now. There's no way the position of expedition leader would be entrusted to some no-name adventurer..."
"Is that why Blood Spirit has been following him this whole time?"
"It never sat well with me that someone like him randomly died in the labyrinth, either."
"But what reason could they have to have spread false information like that...?"
It was in an adventurer's nature to be curious, but I didn't have the time to sit here and patiently answer all their questions.
"I'll explain more later when I get the chance. That's not important right now."
Once I dispelled the whispers, James Calla, who stood there with a gaping mouth, came to his senses and stammered, "Schuitz—no, Bjorn Yandel... no, Baronet Bjorn Yandel!"
It's cute that he has no idea what to do with himself.
"I-I don't understand. Why would the palace throw you away?"
I chuckled at his question. "Well..." I had a lot of guesses. "Someone considered a hero by those in the adventuring industry and the first adventurer in decades to earn a noble title in return for saving countless lives..." It felt a lot like I was tooting my own horn, but it was an accurate description. "To them, it would be much better if I quietly disappeared. Especially if the alternative is that they'd have to publicly retract the announcement that I'm an evil spirit."
"Ah..." Calla seemed to readily accept that explanation, but in truth, there was more to it.
I couldn't tell these people about my real suspicion, though—that there was a good chance the marquess had clocked me as an evil spirit a long time ago. No, actually, he most definitely did. Sending his son to my room in the middle of the night to check whether I was an evil spirit or not was simply a ploy to lull me into a false sense of security. After all, it was hard to notice when someone was tricking you when you were convinced you were the one tricking them.
"Anyway, that's the end of my story." I looked around at the rest of the unit with a question in my eyes. What about you guys?
Ravien started us off. "The marquess promised me something in return for this job, but I guess... he never intended to keep that promise."
Versyl Gowland. "I... was in a coma for a long time and finally regained consciousness thanks to the Representative from the Church of Tovera. In return, I ended up bound in service to the church. If they were looking for a wizard, they'd be willing to discard on this mission, there would've been no better option than me."
Old Didi, our team's healer. "My granddaughter was killed last year. There was no proof, but it was a knight working for the marquess. I've been looking for that knight. Perhaps the marquess was aware of that when he approached me."
"I happened to find out that the lord of the Magic Tower is colluding with the palace. To make this public, I needed power. Which was why I participated in this quest for money. But it seems he figured out what I was doing," said wizard Riard Ashed from the Lengman School, whose master was the lord of the entire Magic Tower.
"Wait! I-I really can't think of anything. My motto in life is to live without attachments!" shouted Sven Parav.
Yeah okay, the heavens and I both know that you're an evil spirit.
His secret probably ended up getting exposed somehow. I ignored Goblin's whining and looked around at the rest of the group.
Most of them shared their personal experiences as soon as my eyes met theirs. Of course, some chose to remain silent. But I could tell they were only keeping their mouths shut so as not to reveal their secrets, not because they didn't have any. They also had an inkling as to why they were placed in this unit.
Our untimely confession session was interrupted by a sudden shout of protest.
"Wait! I-I... have no reason to be abandoned by the church!" It was a priestess from Kaislan's team named Periton Eriabosti. "T-There must be some mistake. I-I only applied to this position because I thought I could help people..." She didn't seem to be lying. No, it probably wasn't a lie.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, genuinely remorseful. "It was probably bad luck that you got caught up in this."
"Wait! Bad luck—"
"There are others in a similar boat."
For example, there were Erwen and Amelia, along with the knight who had been serving as Kaislan's subordinate for almost ten years, Percival Eric Coulson. Not to mention Calla's old friend Rick Jugusta. Well, as these people's crime was making friends with the wrong people and following them into a tight spot, even they probably didn't feel as cheated as this luckless woman.
"That's..." The priestess, who seemed to genuinely be innocent, dropped her head. She wasn't the only one, either. As expected, the atmosphere of the expedition team was steadily approaching that of a funeral home.
"We... were really abandoned?"
"How can we deny it now...?"
"Then... even if we make it back alive, the palace will still try to kill us somehow?"
"God damn it!"
Like a kite with a broken string, their eyes began to waver with panic.
"Are we going to die? Really? Here, like this...?" Some despaired.
"I... I still have things I need to do!" Some were angry.
"...There's something about this that doesn't make logical sense. If all of this is true, what was Pyke Neldine for?" Some expressed doubts and clung to any sliver of hope they could find.
"Yeah! If they were planning on abandoning all of us, why would they try to sabotage the mission by throwing in a traitor?"
Oh, that.
That was something I had been wondering too. As far as I could tell, there were two possible explanations. The first was that the Guild Master simply didn't want to let the marquess get all the glory for this mission. As I was the leader of this squadron, once the Eye of the Sky was destroyed and all of us were massacred, most of the credit for our achievements would go to the marquess. So what if someone wanted to stop that from happening?
It's quite plausible. If we lost all our food in Ice Rock, we would've died before we even got past this spot, let alone to Eye of the Sky. It's a definite possibility. But...
"I happened to find out that the lord of the Magic Tower is colluding with the palace. To make this public, I needed power. Which was why I participated in this quest for money. But it seems he figured out what I was doing," said wizard Riard Ashed from the Lengman School, whose master was the lord of the entire Magic Tower.
"Wait! I-I really can't think of anything. My motto in life is to live without attachments!" shouted Sven Parav.
Yeah okay, the heavens and I both know that you're an evil spirit.
His secret probably ended up getting exposed somehow. I ignored Goblin's whining and looked around at the rest of the group.
Most of them shared their personal experiences as soon as my eyes met theirs. Of course, some chose to remain silent. But I could tell they were only keeping their mouths shut so as not to reveal their secrets, not because they didn't have any. They also had an inkling as to why they were placed in this unit.
Our untimely confession session was interrupted by a sudden shout of protest.
"Wait! I-I... have no reason to be abandoned by the church!" It was a priestess from Kaislan's team named Periton Eriabosti. "T-There must be some mistake. I-I only applied to this position because I thought I could help people..." She didn't seem to be lying. No, it probably wasn't a lie.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, genuinely remorseful. "It was probably bad luck that you got caught up in this."
"Wait! Bad luck—"
"There are others in a similar boat."
For example, there were Erwen and Amelia, along with the knight who had been serving as Kaislan's subordinate for almost ten years, Percival Eric Coulson. Not to mention Calla's old friend Rick Jugusta. Well, as these people's crime was making friends with the wrong people and following them into a tight spot, even they probably didn't feel as cheated as this luckless woman.
"That's..." The priestess, who seemed to genuinely be innocent, dropped her head. She wasn't the only one, either. As expected, the atmosphere of the expedition team was steadily approaching that of a funeral home.
"We... were really abandoned?"
"How can we deny it now...?"
"Then... even if we make it back alive, the palace will still try to kill us somehow?"
"God damn it!"
Like a kite with a broken string, their eyes began to waver with panic.
"Are we going to die? Really? Here, like this...?" Some despaired.
"I... I still have things I need to do!" Some were angry.
"...There's something about this that doesn't make logical sense. If all of this is true, what was Pyke Neldine for?" Some expressed doubts and clung to any sliver of hope they could find.
"Yeah! If they were planning on abandoning all of us, why would they try to sabotage the mission by throwing in a traitor?"
Oh, that.
That was something I had been wondering too. As far as I could tell, there were two possible explanations. The first was that the Guild Master simply didn't want to let the marquess get all the glory for this mission. As I was the leader of this squadron, once the Eye of the Sky was destroyed and all of us were massacred, most of the credit for our achievements would go to the marquess. So what if someone wanted to stop that from happening?
It's quite plausible. If we lost all our food in Ice Rock, we would've died before we even got past this spot, let alone to Eye of the Sky. It's a definite possibility. But...
Tap, tap.
It was probably best not to mention my other suspicion. I soon came to a decision. We only needed one person worrying about the worst-case scenario, and I could be that person.
"Why did someone send a spy?" Only the team leaders knew that the Guild Master was behind Neldine's actions, so for now, I decided to tell the team only what they needed to hear at this moment. "Isn't it obvious?" And this was probably what everyone wanted to hear. "There's someone out there in the city!" I said enthusiastically. "Someone who doesn't want us to die senseless deaths in here! As long as we get back alive, there's someone out there who can help us stand up against the palace!"
Even if that hope was futile, we had to use it to keep moving forward. That was what it meant to be alive.
Right now, we were in a closed-up mansion with all the windows boarded up, allowing no light in. That was the current situation of our squadron, and it was half intentional on my part.
"What difference will it make if we somehow miraculously get rid of those bastards? What, are you picturing a future of laughing and joking around back in the city? Do you really think a future like that exists for us?"
When that guy said that to the rest of the squadron, I didn't stop him.
"...I am Bjorn Yandel."
I even uttered my real name, which would've sounded like a death sentence to these people.
"We... were really abandoned?"
"How can we deny it now...?"
I had manipulated the situation to stamp out all traces of hope from the crew's heads, closing the windows in the already dark room one by one. My reason for doing so was simple. Those who dreamed of a bright future were easy to break.
But now I had purposefully cracked a window open so a faint sliver of light could stream through. For now, it would have to be enough. With this, I could make everyone focus on the same goal as they pushed forward.
"We can go back...?"
"But... we don't even know who they are. How do we know if whoever it is really has that kind of power?"
These people could see the light. Though they may have been questioning whether it was an illusion, that, at least, was indisputable.
"Listen up, everyone!" I had no choice but to encourage them to move toward the light together, even if it meant crawling through the darkness. Although we weren't sure whether an even darker abyss lay at the other end of it, we at least had to see it for ourselves. "I am Bjorn Yandel! Have you heard of me?"
"How can we not know that name?" the crew replied.
"The first adventurer in decades to become a nobleman..."
"There was no small uproar when news of his death went around."
Their voices were weak and lacked fervor. In response, I raised my energy levels even more.
"I'm glad you heard of it! I won't talk for long! We're in the worst possible situation right now! We have annoyingly strong sons of bitches on our tail and a pack of wolves waiting for us back in the city! However! I have never once given up in my life, and that includes now!" I shouted. "So I, Bjorn Yandel, promise you this on the heart and honor of a warrior." I didn't dare vow that I'd keep everyone alive, but... "I will take on the hardest work. I will do the dirty work no one else wants to do. I will be the first to wade into the bloodbath, and if someone has to get hurt, I will be that person. So!" I let my volume drop and made a sincere request. "Follow me."
Tap, tap.
It was probably best not to mention my other suspicion. I soon came to a decision. We only needed one person worrying about the worst-case scenario, and I could be that person.
"Why did someone send a spy?" Only the team leaders knew that the Guild Master was behind Neldine's actions, so for now, I decided to tell the team only what they needed to hear at this moment. "Isn't it obvious?" And this was probably what everyone wanted to hear. "There's someone out there in the city!" I said enthusiastically. "Someone who doesn't want us to die senseless deaths in here! As long as we get back alive, there's someone out there who can help us stand up against the palace!"
Even if that hope was futile, we had to use it to keep moving forward. That was what it meant to be alive.
Right now, we were in a closed-up mansion with all the windows boarded up, allowing no light in. That was the current situation of our squadron, and it was half intentional on my part.
"What difference will it make if we somehow miraculously get rid of those bastards? What, are you picturing a future of laughing and joking around back in the city? Do you really think a future like that exists for us?"
When that guy said that to the rest of the squadron, I didn't stop him.
"...I am Bjorn Yandel."
I even uttered my real name, which would've sounded like a death sentence to these people.
"We... were really abandoned?"
"How can we deny it now...?"
I had manipulated the situation to stamp out all traces of hope from the crew's heads, closing the windows in the already dark room one by one. My reason for doing so was simple. Those who dreamed of a bright future were easy to break.
But now I had purposefully cracked a window open so a faint sliver of light could stream through. For now, it would have to be enough. With this, I could make everyone focus on the same goal as they pushed forward.
"We can go back...?"
"But... we don't even know who they are. How do we know if whoever it is really has that kind of power?"
These people could see the light. Though they may have been questioning whether it was an illusion, that, at least, was indisputable.
"Listen up, everyone!" I had no choice but to encourage them to move toward the light together, even if it meant crawling through the darkness. Although we weren't sure whether an even darker abyss lay at the other end of it, we at least had to see it for ourselves. "I am Bjorn Yandel! Have you heard of me?"
"How can we not know that name?" the crew replied.
"The first adventurer in decades to become a nobleman..."
"There was no small uproar when news of his death went around."
Their voices were weak and lacked fervor. In response, I raised my energy levels even more.
"I'm glad you heard of it! I won't talk for long! We're in the worst possible situation right now! We have annoyingly strong sons of bitches on our tail and a pack of wolves waiting for us back in the city! However! I have never once given up in my life, and that includes now!" I shouted. "So I, Bjorn Yandel, promise you this on the heart and honor of a warrior." I didn't dare vow that I'd keep everyone alive, but... "I will take on the hardest work. I will do the dirty work no one else wants to do. I will be the first to wade into the bloodbath, and if someone has to get hurt, I will be that person. So!" I let my volume drop and made a sincere request. "Follow me."
Although I didn't shout that time, I knew they'd heard me. There was no answer, though. Everyone was busy eyeing each other despite my earnest plea.
Jeez, this is pissing me off.
"If your lives are going to be thrown in the trash anyway, I'm saying throw them at me instead!"
So I have to yell to get them to listen, huh?
"Anyway, if anyone's with me, get ready. We're leaving in one minute." With that, I turned around.
Someone immediately joined me. "Mister, take me with you!" It was Erwen.
"Good. I was planning to leave on my own if we stayed here any longer," said Amelia. These were my precious comrades who would follow me into the fire.
"Jun, you were right in the end." Next was Kaislan. "You said that when everyone else is ready to give in, this man will stand strong. I don't know what lies at the end of this tunnel, but I will follow you through it." He fell into place behind me.
Next was Akurava. "I was never planning to give up here from the start. I've faced worse situations than this. If I gave up every time I did, I wouldn't even be standing here."
After Akurava stood Jun, and once Calla joined in, the rest of the squadron followed one by one.
"Bjorn Yandel... he's even more of a blockhead than the rumors say."
"Hehe, I thought he was going to say something cool, but he just yelled at the end."
"We've rested enough. Let's get moving again."
"He said he'll do all the dangerous work, right? No self-respecting adventurer would stay behind after getting a guarantee like that."
"Well, we can't let ourselves die here, so..."
"Wait! Don't stand anywhere you want, let's stand in formation! Formation! Huh?"
Before the minute I mentioned was even up, the whole crew was behind me. It wasn't a particularly touching scene, though. Humans tended to change their minds on the precipice of death. Even if I had started walking out of here entirely on my own, everyone would have followed.
"Yandel! So when are we leaving?"
"Hey, you... don't speak to the commander that way!"
"Jeez, who cares? We're all going to die if something goes wrong, anyway."
This was why you had to dot your I's and cross your T's. Life began to stir in the eyes of people who had previously seemed unable to cut down even an Orc. They were either terrified of being left alone or didn't want to be abandoned a second time. This shift wouldn't have happened if they had only chosen to follow me reluctantly.
"Great, then we just need to take care of one more thing before we leave."
"Take care of something?" Parav tilted his head beside me, looking anxious. I ignored him entirely and headed toward the sleds.
A warrior rushed over to me. "Wait! You've been dragging it all on your own until now. We'll help you from now on—"
What is he saying? Who said I'm going to drag it anymore?
"Wait... why are you taking the food off the sled?"
"I think we can shove this much in our stomachs."
"...Huh? Shove it in our stomachs? Then the rest...?"
What else? Throw it away.
Whoom!
With that, I pushed the two sleds I was barely able to pull off the cliff. We were so high up that it took more than ten seconds for the impact to echo. Even then, the sound was faint.
"...W-What the hell?!"
"What did you just do?!"
What do you think? Why do you think the enemy is moving faster than us?
"They'll overtake us in no time if we drag a sled around."
"Y-Yeah, but... still, the food..."
"What's the problem? The food in our backpacks will be enough until we get out of the Glacier Eye."
"B-But what are you going to do after that?"
It was a legitimate question and concern. Even if we managed to get through Glacier Eye in two days thanks to our lighter load, we'd have to last eight more until the labyrinth closed.
Jeez, so cranky. You think I did that without thinking?
Before an all-out riot could start, I quickly shared my plan. "There will be monsters after Glacier Eye."
"Monsters...?"
"No way, are you...?"
I didn't deny it. "Yes, from there, we'll use distortion magic to get meat."
That seemed to cause even more unrest.
"Looks like you're being serious..."
"This is outrageous."
"Um... I... think I might prefer to just die here then."
But this was our best shot.
Although I didn't shout that time, I knew they'd heard me. There was no answer, though. Everyone was busy eyeing each other despite my earnest plea.
Jeez, this is pissing me off.
"If your lives are going to be thrown in the trash anyway, I'm saying throw them at me instead!"
So I have to yell to get them to listen, huh?
"Anyway, if anyone's with me, get ready. We're leaving in one minute." With that, I turned around.
Someone immediately joined me. "Mister, take me with you!" It was Erwen.
"Good. I was planning to leave on my own if we stayed here any longer," said Amelia. These were my precious comrades who would follow me into the fire.
"Jun, you were right in the end." Next was Kaislan. "You said that when everyone else is ready to give in, this man will stand strong. I don't know what lies at the end of this tunnel, but I will follow you through it." He fell into place behind me.
Next was Akurava. "I was never planning to give up here from the start. I've faced worse situations than this. If I gave up every time I did, I wouldn't even be standing here."
After Akurava stood Jun, and once Calla joined in, the rest of the squadron followed one by one.
"Bjorn Yandel... he's even more of a blockhead than the rumors say."
"Hehe, I thought he was going to say something cool, but he just yelled at the end."
"We've rested enough. Let's get moving again."
"He said he'll do all the dangerous work, right? No self-respecting adventurer would stay behind after getting a guarantee like that."
"Well, we can't let ourselves die here, so..."
"Wait! Don't stand anywhere you want, let's stand in formation! Formation! Huh?"
Before the minute I mentioned was even up, the whole crew was behind me. It wasn't a particularly touching scene, though. Humans tended to change their minds on the precipice of death. Even if I had started walking out of here entirely on my own, everyone would have followed.
"Yandel! So when are we leaving?"
"Hey, you... don't speak to the commander that way!"
"Jeez, who cares? We're all going to die if something goes wrong, anyway."
This was why you had to dot your I's and cross your T's. Life began to stir in the eyes of people who had previously seemed unable to cut down even an Orc. They were either terrified of being left alone or didn't want to be abandoned a second time. This shift wouldn't have happened if they had only chosen to follow me reluctantly.
"Great, then we just need to take care of one more thing before we leave."
"Take care of something?" Parav tilted his head beside me, looking anxious. I ignored him entirely and headed toward the sleds.
A warrior rushed over to me. "Wait! You've been dragging it all on your own until now. We'll help you from now on—"
What is he saying? Who said I'm going to drag it anymore?
"Wait... why are you taking the food off the sled?"
"I think we can shove this much in our stomachs."
"...Huh? Shove it in our stomachs? Then the rest...?"
What else? Throw it away.
Whoom!
With that, I pushed the two sleds I was barely able to pull off the cliff. We were so high up that it took more than ten seconds for the impact to echo. Even then, the sound was faint.
"...W-What the hell?!"
"What did you just do?!"
What do you think? Why do you think the enemy is moving faster than us?
"They'll overtake us in no time if we drag a sled around."
"Y-Yeah, but... still, the food..."
"What's the problem? The food in our backpacks will be enough until we get out of the Glacier Eye."
"B-But what are you going to do after that?"
It was a legitimate question and concern. Even if we managed to get through Glacier Eye in two days thanks to our lighter load, we'd have to last eight more until the labyrinth closed.
Jeez, so cranky. You think I did that without thinking?
Before an all-out riot could start, I quickly shared my plan. "There will be monsters after Glacier Eye."
"Monsters...?"
"No way, are you...?"
I didn't deny it. "Yes, from there, we'll use distortion magic to get meat."
That seemed to cause even more unrest.
"Looks like you're being serious..."
"This is outrageous."
"Um... I... think I might prefer to just die here then."
But this was our best shot.