Chapter 563: Destination (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 563: Destination (3)
Monsters with blue skin, huge eyes, and an average height of ten feet—this mysterious species who called themselves "human"—emerged from the trees to face off against us real humans.
"So these are the monsters Lord Baron warned us about..."
"But why are they just standing there like that and not approaching us?"
The monsters holding position had tense looks on their faces despite the weapons in their hands, their group significantly smaller than our expedition group.
"It's been a while, Bjorn, son of Yandel."
In the ensuing standoff, the village chief stepped out from the group of monsters.
The newcomers from the expedition group were clearly surprised to hear a monster like the chief speak our language, and I stepped forward to position them safely behind me. "Yeah, it's been a while."
"Your allies have increased in number."
"Yeah, things worked out that way."
He seemed to want to talk for now, so I answered him while scanning the area. The rest of the expedition group, the people who had been stationed around the original entrance, were now closing in, and there was no way he hadn't noticed.
So why is he so relaxed?
His casual greeting and utter lack of urgency just made me even more nervous. However, I hid those emotions to the best of my ability as I asked, "So, where did you come from? You told me that the village only had one entrance."
"Don't feel too bad. I couldn't share all the village's secrets with an outsider, could I?"
"Ah, like those bodies in the basement?"
The village chief didn't have anything to say to that. He merely looked me up and down with those freaky eyes before asking me a question of his own.
"Did you know? The cleverest among us tend to pretend they're unaware of the things happening around them. So I wonder, are you only pretending or are you truly clueless?"
Well, I wasn't sure about that, but that was a pretty scary line to hear from someone glaring like he was. I almost swung my hammer at him on instinct.
"Your Lordship! Step back!" Commander Jerome Saintred demanded, arriving from the rear.
The village chief turned his beady eyes on him. "Hmm... and who are you?"
"I am Count Jerome Saintred, Captain of the First Royal Guard. I was awarded the position of commander of this expedition."
"The royal guard... yes, I knew that the palace's people would come down here soon enough—"
"Now it is your turn," Jerome cut the chief off and launched into his interrogation. "Baron Yandel informed me that you introduced yourself to him as the Dragon Knight Cornelius Bruingrid. Is that true?"
The chief stared at him before replying, "Does that matter?"
"It does. Because depending on how you respond, I will be determining whether you are merely an unidentified entity we can communicate with or an ancient traitor who needs to be eliminated via execution immediately."
Ancient traitor? What was this guy talking about?
While I tilted my head in confusion, the eyes of the chief, who didn't usually show his emotions, hardened with killing intent. It looked like the dragon had just had his tail tickled. "Execution... you're quite the comedian."
"Is that so? That's odd. My friends always say that I'm not a very funny man."
"Even after all this time, those friends of yours haven't changed at all. Quite the arrogant bunch. Like they are on top of the world..." The village chief's voice grew colder. "Try it, then. That execution you're so eager for."
"Well, while I'd be happy to fulfill your wish, I can't carry out an execution here and now."
"Why? Are you scared? And after coming all—"
"I have a lot of answers to get from you first. But after we interrogate you and obtain all the information we need, I will personally deliver the execution you deserve."
The conversation died there, after an electrifying exchange full of bombshells that left me mind-boggled, even though I was only spectating.
But the good thing is that they don't seem to be buddy-buddy at all...
When I'd been running through possible scenarios in my head, there had been somewhere these two teamed up against me, so this was already going better than I worried it would.
"Wipe them out! Kill all of them other than their leader!"
"Nia Rafdonia!"
But, wait, what was this?
"(Split up and get back down to the village!)"
As soon as Jerome gave the order for an all-out attack, the monsters fled in all directions.
"Commander! The monsters are running away!"
"Chase them down and kill them! Capture their leader at all costs. You can kill it if you have to!"
Wait, was chasing them really a good idea?
Although the question flashed through my mind, it wasn't like I could do anything to stop the operation. I had no reason to either.
"No one goes off on their own! Stick close to me!" I ordered Squad Four, then hurriedly joined the others in their pursuit.
Of course, I only acted like I was trying to chase the monsters down and didn't give it my all. I mean, no matter how I looked at it, this was suspicious as hell.
"...Yandel. There's a possibility that this is a trap."
"I know. They're trying to lure us somewhere, I'm sure of it." There was no way Jerome didn't know that. However, he probably concluded that either way, he couldn't let the chief escape. He was also probably confident that even if there was a trap, he would be able to overpower the monsters.
"What are you going to do?" Amelia asked.
I answered without a moment's hesitation. "We'll split off from the main unit as naturally as we can." That was the best way to ensure our survival.
However, it seemed that Amelia didn't really get my logic, as she spoke again after a few seconds of silence. "...What do you mean? Split off?"
"Exactly what I said. While chasing the monsters, we'll break away from the rest of the group as organically as possible."
"And after that?"
"We will escape from this island. As far as they'll know, we accidentally got separated from the main unit and retreated out of necessity."
"Do you... really think we can do it?"
I could tell immediately that she wasn't asking if we'd be able to pull this off. She was asking me if I'd be able to handle the aftermath.
Well, what difference does it make...? Either way, it's too risky to stick around and keep chasing after them.
Erwen had ended up with short hair before I could figure out how I was going to deal with Jerome, and now that the village chief had appeared, the odds of something big happening had skyrocketed. What, was I supposed to just sit here and wait for whatever it was?
"Well, while I'd be happy to fulfill your wish, I can't carry out an execution here and now."
"Why? Are you scared? And after coming all—"
"I have a lot of answers to get from you first. But after we interrogate you and obtain all the information we need, I will personally deliver the execution you deserve."
The conversation died there, after an electrifying exchange full of bombshells that left me mind-boggled, even though I was only spectating.
But the good thing is that they don't seem to be buddy-buddy at all...
When I'd been running through possible scenarios in my head, there had been somewhere these two teamed up against me, so this was already going better than I worried it would.
"Wipe them out! Kill all of them other than their leader!"
"Nia Rafdonia!"
But, wait, what was this?
"(Split up and get back down to the village!)"
As soon as Jerome gave the order for an all-out attack, the monsters fled in all directions.
"Commander! The monsters are running away!"
"Chase them down and kill them! Capture their leader at all costs. You can kill it if you have to!"
Wait, was chasing them really a good idea?
Although the question flashed through my mind, it wasn't like I could do anything to stop the operation. I had no reason to either.
"No one goes off on their own! Stick close to me!" I ordered Squad Four, then hurriedly joined the others in their pursuit.
Of course, I only acted like I was trying to chase the monsters down and didn't give it my all. I mean, no matter how I looked at it, this was suspicious as hell.
"...Yandel. There's a possibility that this is a trap."
"I know. They're trying to lure us somewhere, I'm sure of it." There was no way Jerome didn't know that. However, he probably concluded that either way, he couldn't let the chief escape. He was also probably confident that even if there was a trap, he would be able to overpower the monsters.
"What are you going to do?" Amelia asked.
I answered without a moment's hesitation. "We'll split off from the main unit as naturally as we can." That was the best way to ensure our survival.
However, it seemed that Amelia didn't really get my logic, as she spoke again after a few seconds of silence. "...What do you mean? Split off?"
"Exactly what I said. While chasing the monsters, we'll break away from the rest of the group as organically as possible."
"And after that?"
"We will escape from this island. As far as they'll know, we accidentally got separated from the main unit and retreated out of necessity."
"Do you... really think we can do it?"
I could tell immediately that she wasn't asking if we'd be able to pull this off. She was asking me if I'd be able to handle the aftermath.
Well, what difference does it make...? Either way, it's too risky to stick around and keep chasing after them.
Erwen had ended up with short hair before I could figure out how I was going to deal with Jerome, and now that the village chief had appeared, the odds of something big happening had skyrocketed. What, was I supposed to just sit here and wait for whatever it was?
No, this is the best call.
With that, I shook off my self-doubt and hardened my resolve.
This was something that I usually would never do. My hope was that, by acting out of character, I could cause a big enough change that the scene that Parav saw could be avoided.
"The chief! It's the chief!" I shouted. "The chief went that way! Squad Four, follow me!"
The moment I saw an opportunity, I began to lead Squad Four away from the main group.
"What? But I definitely saw him go that—"
"Are you saying I'm wrong? Follow me!"
The members of Squad Four who didn't know my plan looked hesitant, but they thankfully still came with me. We quickly put distance between ourselves and the main group.
"Huh? Lord Baron is going that way..."
"But is there anything there?"
"But he said he saw something..."
The members of Squad Three, the group next to us, shot us all looks that clearly said they were confused about what we were doing and how they should react, but they didn't try to actively stop us. I mean, who in their right mind would imagine that we were going to use this moment to escape with an entire squad?
"He's heading that way? All forces, change course!"
...Huh?
"All forces, follow Baron Yandel!"
What the hell? Why were they following me?
The moment I thought I'd successfully escaped the main group, they changed direction to head in mine, making our squad the tip of a spear formation.
"Yandel, what do we do?"
"Act as natural as possible for now."
"...Got it."
Even if we tried to change directions again here, the main unit would just keep following us.
While I was busy contemplating where my life went wrong, Jerome, who had been moving with Squad One, instantly caught up to me. "Your Lordship! I've decided to trust your judgment for now and ordered them to follow you, but did you really see the monster?"
This was checkmate.
"Uh..."
What could I say here?
With mounting panic, I pretended not to hear his question and kept running. "The village chief, he was definitely headed in this direction—"
"Your Lordship! It's him! The creature we're chasing is over there!"
My mouth snapped shut. I had absolutely no idea how, but suddenly, the village chief appeared directly in front of us, running in the very same direction I was headed in.
"Wait..." Jerome mused. "Were we perhaps chasing after a decoy?"
I didn't say anything, opting not to disturb the pleasant forest ambiance.
"Hah! If not for you, we would've lost him, Baron Yandel! I will not forget the contribution you made here today."
"...Yeah. Thanks." I wasn't sure if I got lucky since this meant I wouldn't have to come up with an excuse, or if I'd truly screwed myself here.
Whatever the case, we saw the chief stop in front of a tree a short while later and then slip through a gap beneath it.
"There's a path heading underground!"
No, this is the best call.
With that, I shook off my self-doubt and hardened my resolve.
This was something that I usually would never do. My hope was that, by acting out of character, I could cause a big enough change that the scene that Parav saw could be avoided.
"The chief! It's the chief!" I shouted. "The chief went that way! Squad Four, follow me!"
The moment I saw an opportunity, I began to lead Squad Four away from the main group.
"What? But I definitely saw him go that—"
"Are you saying I'm wrong? Follow me!"
The members of Squad Four who didn't know my plan looked hesitant, but they thankfully still came with me. We quickly put distance between ourselves and the main group.
"Huh? Lord Baron is going that way..."
"But is there anything there?"
"But he said he saw something..."
The members of Squad Three, the group next to us, shot us all looks that clearly said they were confused about what we were doing and how they should react, but they didn't try to actively stop us. I mean, who in their right mind would imagine that we were going to use this moment to escape with an entire squad?
"He's heading that way? All forces, change course!"
...Huh?
"All forces, follow Baron Yandel!"
What the hell? Why were they following me?
The moment I thought I'd successfully escaped the main group, they changed direction to head in mine, making our squad the tip of a spear formation.
"Yandel, what do we do?"
"Act as natural as possible for now."
"...Got it."
Even if we tried to change directions again here, the main unit would just keep following us.
While I was busy contemplating where my life went wrong, Jerome, who had been moving with Squad One, instantly caught up to me. "Your Lordship! I've decided to trust your judgment for now and ordered them to follow you, but did you really see the monster?"
This was checkmate.
"Uh..."
What could I say here?
With mounting panic, I pretended not to hear his question and kept running. "The village chief, he was definitely headed in this direction—"
"Your Lordship! It's him! The creature we're chasing is over there!"
My mouth snapped shut. I had absolutely no idea how, but suddenly, the village chief appeared directly in front of us, running in the very same direction I was headed in.
"Wait..." Jerome mused. "Were we perhaps chasing after a decoy?"
I didn't say anything, opting not to disturb the pleasant forest ambiance.
"Hah! If not for you, we would've lost him, Baron Yandel! I will not forget the contribution you made here today."
"...Yeah. Thanks." I wasn't sure if I got lucky since this meant I wouldn't have to come up with an excuse, or if I'd truly screwed myself here.
Whatever the case, we saw the chief stop in front of a tree a short while later and then slip through a gap beneath it.
"There's a path heading underground!"
It seemed that this was another entrance into the village.
"Count Saintred, what is your plan? There is a good possibility that this is a trap."
"I know, but we cannot let him go now."
I sighed. Yeah... Yeah, he was always going to go down. Well, fine. I could just send him down there and keep my eyes peeled for another chance to escape—
"So, Baron Yandel, could you perhaps lead the way?"
"...Even though we don't know what might be down there?"
"That is why we need your strength more than ever. You were able to withstand the attacks of a rank-one monster by yourself. So long as you can hold them off for a little, our soldiers will be able to catch up and provide you support."
What Jerome was saying made sense. Of all the members of the expedition group, I was the most durable. Sending me into danger first was the most logical decision a commander could make. However...
Ba-dump!
For some reason, my heart started to thump harder the second the suggestion left his mouth. Simultaneously, snippets of memories I'd collected over the course of the day overlapped each other. Each one of them was a small thing that could easily be ignored on their own, but...
I still need to check.
With that, I met Jerome's eyes head-on and said, "Sure. I will take the lead."
"Oho, that's great! If you refused, I wasn't sure who I would be able to send instead—"
"But only if you allow me to do something beforehand."
When I cut him off to throw in a condition, Jerome shut his mouth and stared at me. The look in his eyes seemed to say 'state your terms.'
"From what I remember," I began, "one of the items you brought down with you was Misplaced Trust. Is that true?"
"It is..." he said, trailing off to encourage me to continue.
"If you let me use it to confirm a few things, I will gladly take point and lead us in."
"I'm not sure what you're trying to verify, but do you have to do it here and now? We don't know what sort of trap that monster might be laying down there—"
"Then that's that. I won't take the lead."
"Even if I order you to do so with my authority as commander?"
I shrugged in place of an answer.
A moment of silence ensued.
"...Things look weirdly tense between the two of them. I'm not the only one who sees it, right?"
"Fenelin, Karlsten, Tersia. Steel yourselves."
"S-Steel ourselves?"
"Just do as you're told."
The friction between the two of us was palpable even to the bystanders. But after a few more moments of heavy silence, Jerome finally came to a decision.
"Fine. Sir Ebost! Bring Misplaced Trust over here! I don't know what, but it seems the baron wishes to confirm something!"
As soon as the order was given, the deputy commander approached with the item, and I quickly took it and activated it.
Clack.
I sighed. With that, we were all set. Now, no one within a ten-yard radius could lie.
"Is your name Jerome Saintred?"
"It is."
I started off with a simple test question before getting down to business. "I will now ask you a question, and all you need to do is answer 'no.'"
"That'll be easy. Go on."
I met his confident gaze and slowly opened my mouth. "Besides today—No, to be more precise, excluding the meeting you had just a few minutes ago..."
The commander was quiet.
"Have you ever met that monster who calls himself Cornelius Bruingrid before?" I asked.
The answer I requested was "no." However, no matter how long I waited, the response I desperately wanted never came.
As I slowly began to raise my hammer and shield, the silence was finally broken by his low voice, each word enunciated very carefully.
"How did you know?"
...Damn it.
This guy had met the chief before.
It seemed that this was another entrance into the village.
"Count Saintred, what is your plan? There is a good possibility that this is a trap."
"I know, but we cannot let him go now."
I sighed. Yeah... Yeah, he was always going to go down. Well, fine. I could just send him down there and keep my eyes peeled for another chance to escape—
"So, Baron Yandel, could you perhaps lead the way?"
"...Even though we don't know what might be down there?"
"That is why we need your strength more than ever. You were able to withstand the attacks of a rank-one monster by yourself. So long as you can hold them off for a little, our soldiers will be able to catch up and provide you support."
What Jerome was saying made sense. Of all the members of the expedition group, I was the most durable. Sending me into danger first was the most logical decision a commander could make. However...
Ba-dump!
For some reason, my heart started to thump harder the second the suggestion left his mouth. Simultaneously, snippets of memories I'd collected over the course of the day overlapped each other. Each one of them was a small thing that could easily be ignored on their own, but...
I still need to check.
With that, I met Jerome's eyes head-on and said, "Sure. I will take the lead."
"Oho, that's great! If you refused, I wasn't sure who I would be able to send instead—"
"But only if you allow me to do something beforehand."
When I cut him off to throw in a condition, Jerome shut his mouth and stared at me. The look in his eyes seemed to say 'state your terms.'
"From what I remember," I began, "one of the items you brought down with you was Misplaced Trust. Is that true?"
"It is..." he said, trailing off to encourage me to continue.
"If you let me use it to confirm a few things, I will gladly take point and lead us in."
"I'm not sure what you're trying to verify, but do you have to do it here and now? We don't know what sort of trap that monster might be laying down there—"
"Then that's that. I won't take the lead."
"Even if I order you to do so with my authority as commander?"
I shrugged in place of an answer.
A moment of silence ensued.
"...Things look weirdly tense between the two of them. I'm not the only one who sees it, right?"
"Fenelin, Karlsten, Tersia. Steel yourselves."
"S-Steel ourselves?"
"Just do as you're told."
The friction between the two of us was palpable even to the bystanders. But after a few more moments of heavy silence, Jerome finally came to a decision.
"Fine. Sir Ebost! Bring Misplaced Trust over here! I don't know what, but it seems the baron wishes to confirm something!"
As soon as the order was given, the deputy commander approached with the item, and I quickly took it and activated it.
Clack.
I sighed. With that, we were all set. Now, no one within a ten-yard radius could lie.
"Is your name Jerome Saintred?"
"It is."
I started off with a simple test question before getting down to business. "I will now ask you a question, and all you need to do is answer 'no.'"
"That'll be easy. Go on."
I met his confident gaze and slowly opened my mouth. "Besides today—No, to be more precise, excluding the meeting you had just a few minutes ago..."
The commander was quiet.
"Have you ever met that monster who calls himself Cornelius Bruingrid before?" I asked.
The answer I requested was "no." However, no matter how long I waited, the response I desperately wanted never came.
As I slowly began to raise my hammer and shield, the silence was finally broken by his low voice, each word enunciated very carefully.
"How did you know?"
...Damn it.
This guy had met the chief before.