Chapter 26
Chapter 26 - The Executioner, Gwyn
Leila and I went down the stairs for quite a while. We soon reached the very end of the basement area. Based on my impression, it felt comparable to, or perhaps slightly lower than a sewer.
The damp, musty smell unique to basement spaces suddenly stung my nose. I let out an gasp while looking at the surroundings dimly lit by the lantern light.
"This is..."
"A prison. It was originally a place to house prisoners."
"Originally? So what is it now?"
"Now..."
Before Leila could continue her sentence, something suddenly rushed at us with a "Kieeeek!" from inside the prison bars.
Clang! The attack was thwarted by the bars, but it was enough to startle me.
"Oh, what the hell! What is that thing?"
"What do you mean? These are undead who were originally landowners," Leila said dryly.
Thanks to her, my fear quickly subsided, and I calmly looked closely at the thing inside the bars.
"...Uh, undead?"
Rotten and torn flesh and a cry that sounded like scratching wood. Bloodshot eyes. They were exactly the same as the undead I saw in the audience hall. The only difference was that they weren't burning. The rotting skin was even more vivid and eerie.
As I stared blankly at it, Leila explained from behind me.
"During the early stages of the curse, bereaved families who couldn't give up hope voluntarily applied for imprisonment. These people were trapped and underwent transformation, becoming undead."
"Hmm..."
I nodded and stepped away from the bars. Leila let out a light "Hmph" and went ahead. I quickly followed her.
"Kieeeee..."
"Gaou... Uuuu..."
At every bar we passed, the undead stretched out their hands towards us. They seemed drawn by the light.
From elderly men to fat women, from young children who couldn't even walk properly - all sorts of people were there. The only thing they had in common was that they were all rotten corpses.
Feeling disgusted, I stopped looking.
"We've arrived. Here it is."
Suddenly, Leila stopped walking.
It was in front of one of the prison cells that looked no different from the others. Leila approached the bars and shone her lantern. I naturally turned my gaze inside the cell.
Leila gripped the bars with a sorrowful gesture and said, "Gwyn. It's me."
Something inside responded to her voice.
Precisely, it wasn't visible, but it was something with a huge body. From its shape, it seemed human, though hard to believe due to its size.
Soon, its gaze turned towards us. A voice split through the darkness.
"...Leila?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. I've been too busy to come visit."
Leila spoke with a face about to cry. Her hand gripping the bars trembled.
But the gaze in the darkness that was quietly looking at us soon shook its head. Then it turned its gaze away, ignoring us.
"Leila. You're not listening to me at all. I told you not to come."
"But Gwyn... Without you, I..."
"Just focus on being the Lord's assistant. Now you're the only one left for His Lordship. Forget about me."
"Gwyn! How can you say such a thing...!"
Leila bit her lip. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Towards her, crying softly, the giant on the other side - Gwyn - issued a cold dismissal.
His voice was trembling. It seemed both fearful and sad.
"Go back. And never come here again. Here is... dangerous. And I am also..."
At that moment.
Suddenly, the red gaze that had been wandering in the void stopped abruptly somewhere. His two eyes gradually grew larger. He seemed surprised.
Wait a minute. Looking closely, it seems he's looking at me.
"A presence from another world... A hero?"
Hearing his mumbling, it seems he is indeed looking at me.
As their so-called junior, I briefly considered whether I should salute like some kind of Marine Corps veteran reunion.
"Uh, uuuu."
Such a sound was heard.
Turning my gaze, there was a giant covering his head and restless.
"...Gwyn?"
"Dangerous... Go, go back... dying.... Uuuu... Ju, Gyu..."
Suddenly, Gwyn's words began to blur. The gaze looking at us gradually distorted. It seemed to be bloodshot,
and then the gaze suddenly rose high. The giant was rising.
Soon, a sound like scratching wood began to flow from Gwyn's throat.
Just like an undead.
"Die... must kill all... must execute... die. I'll kill you. You too. Quickly... diiiiie!!"
In an instant, Gwyn's pitch-black figure approached.
Before I could even react, Gwyn crashed into the iron bars.
"Oh, dodge!"
Leila quickly pulled away from the bars and pulled me by my collar.
Simultaneously, with a huge "Kwaaang!" sound, the basement rumbled. Gwyn, confined within the iron cage, hurled himself against it with full force.
Only then could I see Gwyn's giant figure properly.
"...He's not an undead."
Gwyn was repeatedly throwing his body as if to break the bars.
His height was estimated to be around 3 meters, with eyes showing a red fierce light between his disheveled brown hair.
However, there was no distinctive rotting corpse smell of the undead. His skin was rough, but clearly had the blood color of a living human.
He was definitely different from the other rotting undead in the neighboring cells.
"Die!! I'll execute you! I'll kill you! Quickly! Die! I'm telling you to die!!"
However, looking at his current state, I couldn't say he was a normal human by any means.
As I stared intently at Gwyn's face with a puzzled mind, a familiar sound soon appeared with a panel.
[Name: Gwyn]
[Titles: Executioner, Traitor Hero, Last Knight of Halcenberg]
[LV. ???]
[HP: ??? MP: ??? Physical Condition: Madness/Confusion]
[Strength: ??? Agility: ??? Intelligence: ??? Hero Sense: ???]
As expected. Mimir's Eye did not properly activate.
Given that even the maid standing next to him cannot detect anything, how much more so would this giant who seems stronger than me be.
I glanced at Leila and asked,
"Is your lover the type who gets scary when angry?"
"……."
Leila immediately glared at me when I made that sarcastic remark.
She's looking at me as if she could kill me. I raised my hand in a gesture of apology.
Awkwardly turning my gaze, I looked at Gwyn's status window and soon discovered something, widening my eyes.
'…… Hero Sense?'
This man named Gwyn had a 'Hero Sense' stat.
I don't know how much it is, but that's not important.
What's important is the fact that such a stat exists.
"… Hey, Leila."
"Yes. What is it?"
"Is that man perhaps... you know?"
"What is it?"
"That thing. The group you really hate...."
I couldn't bring myself to say the word, having been through something in the sewers.
But Leila immediately understood and nodded in affirmation.
"Yes. Gwyn was one of the heroes summoned to this land a very long time ago."
Suddenly, my thoughts stopped.
"Graaah! Die! I'll kill you! Execute you! Die, everyone!!"
Even while saying this, Gwyn's rampage continued. His rage would not be quelled unless he killed everyone in sight.
I blankly captured the unsightly appearance of a hero from the previous generation... my distant predecessor.
* * *
"Gwyn was the last knight who survived in this castle."
After meeting Gwyn. While walking back, Leila suddenly opened her mouth.
I silently listened to her rambling. I was wondering how to ask, so I'm thankful she spoke first.
"When the corps was organized, heroes began to be summoned. Do you remember?"
"I remember."
"Afterward, the corps gradually lost numbers, but the numerous summoned heroes replaced their positions. They somehow actively helped us. Gwyn was one of the first to be summoned."
"Hmm."
Probably not purely out of goodwill. Like me, after entering the castle and receiving a quest, he was likely pretending to be friendly to complete it.
But it's unexpected that he took the lead in striking down the northern demon race. Perhaps the quest at that time was completely different from the one I received now.
"Gwyn worked really devotedly. Raising his level, refining his skills... Always sticking next to the Margrave and discussing strategies and tactics... The Margrave quickly trusted him and seated him as his right-hand man."
"What level was Gwyn at that time?"
"Well, if I recall, he easily surpassed level 100. He was the only one who could match that formidable Margrave."
"One hun... dred."
While listening to Leila's story, I realized one thing.
Concepts like levels, skills, and status windows are known and usable by the so-called NPCs, the native inhabitants of this world.
Come to think of it, Leila also used skills to slice the goblins when she caught them before. In other words, all characters in this world possess their own status and skill windows. Mimir's Eye is just a function to peek at others' conditions.
Well, it's still a cheat-like ability. It's my world-specific Nam*wiki that only I carry.
As I was inwardly accepting this, Leila's words continued.
"But afterward, their numbers kept increasing. And they became undisciplined. They created their own groups and started making unreasonable demands to the Margrave."
"For example?"
"Suggestions like using the territory's people as bait to summon demon races, demanding an absurd amount of gold coins per demon race... It was like a group of thieves."
"Oh my."
Leila muttered in a tone filled with hatred. I thought silently.
Based on the heroes' demands, the old quest was probably to hunt ancient demon races.
Somehow, they tried to pursue their own interests in the process. Human nature is pretty much the same everywhere. It's understandable.
"And they crossed a line they should not have crossed."
"What exactly did they do?"
"They kidnapped the Magravine and tried to negotiate with the Eldritch. Their demand? A hundred low-rank demon minions’ lives in exchange for handing over the Magravine. It was a deal that made absolutely no sense."
"……."
I admit it. These hero bastards really went too far. Even I, who has only seen the Margrave for a day, know how much he cherishes his wife.
I inwardly lamented the foolish senior heroes. Leila also continued in a tone close to lamentation.
"But it was definitely an effective negotiation card. The Margrave cherished the Magravine like his own life. For Eldritch, the biggest obstacle to invading Mittelandt was not these hero vermin, but the Margrave."
"……."
"So... the negotiation was ultimately successful."
This confirmed it.
The quest they received was 'Kill 100 Northern Ancient Demon Races'.
I got the answer exactly right, but I'm not happy, just feeling sick.
I urged her to continue her increasingly complicated story.
"So. What's next?"
"Of course, the enraged Margrave set out to exterminate the trash. After countless sacrifices of the dedicated members, the Margrave successfully rescued the Magravine... but it was already too late."
I recalled the Magravine's miserable appearance.
The red ruby shining on her withered, twisted neck particularly remained in my memory.
"Gwyn stood by the Margrave's side at that time, betraying the other heroes. Among those numerous heroes, numbering in the hundreds and thousands, only Gwyn."
I saw Leila's hand holding the lantern trembling slightly.
"How do you think the result turned out?"
"Since the Margrave is still firmly holding his ground, the heroes naturally must have lost."
"Yes. That's right. A civil war broke out in the castle, and every single one of them was killed. After all, they were a group of trash except for Gwyn. Precisely, Gwyn was half, and the Margrave directly killed the other half."
Leila suddenly glanced at me and smiled coldly.
I sensed from that smile. She seemed to be half-certain that I was a hero.
'It's a thousand times fortunate that I sided with the Margrave.'
I let out a sigh of relief and quietly followed her.