Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Twin Canyon (4)
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Remtana's commissioner, Enrico Turis, simply couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed them furiously, as if trying to scrub them clean away, but the scene before him refused to change.
"No, what in the world... My god, Remillion."
He had spent his forty years leading up to this position witnessing every sight imaginable, good and bad alike. He thought he could maintain his composure no matter the situation.
It was arrogant presumption. Right now, his heart pounded like it was about to burst.
The troll blocking Twin Canyon was the worst headache Enrico currently faced. With the eastern and western routes sealed off, Twin Canyon was the only passage linking Remtana to the southern territories under his jurisdiction. To collect taxes smoothly and manage the area, he needed to deal with the troll as quickly as possible.
The subjugation shouldn't have been that difficult in the first place. Trolls were monstrous foes even for humans, but this territory boasted far more formidable forces.
Ymir Demil, the advisor dispatched from Vesta's council.
He was a mage from the Magic Tower, the greatest pride of that coastal city—and not some novice, but a Conjurer, the third-highest rank in the tower. If he put his skills to proper use, taking down a single troll would be child's play.
But he had vanished without aiding the commissioner.
The reason was simple.
"He has no reason to help me, someone from a different council branch. In fact, that bastard's probably hoping this place falls apart. Then he can argue that the next commissioner should come from Vesta's council..."
He hadn't just sat idly by hoping the absent mage would return. He had sent messengers repeatedly to his family and council for reinforcements. But every messenger disappeared shortly after departure or never came back. No bodies were found, so he couldn't even tell what had befallen them.
In the end, Enrico was forced to handle the troll subjugation on his own.
Unfortunately, there were no other mages in Remtana. His commissioner guards had little experience hunting monsters. Enrico offered a hefty bounty and recruited mercenaries to take on the troll. Only when the posters on the walls were tattered did he finally find a mercenary band willing to accept the job.
"The pay is 50,000 luden, right? Hm, ahem, leave it to us, Commissioner! Every member of our band is a master monster hunter!"
Something about them felt off, but he had no choice. Remtana was small, with few monsters nearby, making it hard to find mercenaries. He couldn't pass up a job offer after months of waiting.
And so Enrico selected the confident mercenaries and twenty commissioner guards for the troll hunt...
Splat—thud, splat—thud!
"Gahk!"
"Aaaah, save me! I, I don't want to die..."
"Gaaah, gaaaaah!!!"
...and watched the mercenaries get wiped out the moment the battle began.
Contrary to their claims, the mercenaries had zero experience hunting monsters. They had simply been blinded by the huge reward and taken the job blindly.
From the start, their assumption that crossbows and javelins could take it down safely was a mistake. The troll yanked out the arrows and spears embedded in its hide like toothpicks. The wounds they inflicted healed in the blink of an eye, as if they'd dug shallow pits in mudflats.
Rawrgh!!
"Wh-what?"
Far from it, their hasty attack only enraged the troll. If they'd maintained formation and held a defensive line, casualties might have been lower—but the mercenaries couldn't even think of that. Keeping calm before a frenzied troll was nearly impossible for the inexperienced.
"Urgh..."
"Gaaah, r-run!!"
The collapse was instantaneous. It started with the frontline crossbowmen fleeing, and soon the mercenaries scattered like ants. A few heavily armored ones held their ground, but the troll's assaults weren't something sloppy defenses could withstand.
Thud, splat—thud!
"Agh!"
An absurd exchange: one scratch for one life. The wounds they managed to inflict regenerated in no time. The brave ones died, the less brave fled, and in the blink of an eye, not a single mercenary remained.
With the mercenaries annihilated, the commissioner guards were next. The troll pursued the soldiers with terrifying momentum. Each swing of its club produced a slew of casualties. Soldiers with twisted limbs and ruptured guts rolled through the mud like broken dolls.
Rawrgh!!
"Gaaaaah!! My leg!! My leeeeg!!"
"Agh, it hurts, it hurts so much..."
Enrico let out a groan. The guards had been brought along for escort and cleanup duty after the troll was down. They weren't prepared to face it. He was about to order a retreat when...
Suddenly, a barbarian appeared from between the canyon walls.
Crunch, crunch, rip!
In an instant, he subdued the troll single-handedly and severed its breath.
Rgh...
With indifferent axe swings, its head fell. The troll's fist-sized hooked nose splattered into the mud. The barbarian calmly wiped the blood splattered near his eyes.
"..."
The invincible monster that had seemed impossible to fell was butchered like a fattened pig. Enrico was left speechless.
"..."
The commissioner was stunned, but the soldiers were even more so.
They had felt firsthand how powerful that monster was. It had overwhelmed even the plate-armored mercenaries—and this guy took it down alone? Bare-handed, with just a sword and an axe? It was too outlandish to even pass off as a joke.
But they didn't have time to dwell on it. The truly bewildering sight came next.
Ssshhk.
The barbarian sliced open the troll's belly and began rummaging inside.
"..."
"...Urp."
Gushing blood pooled at their feet, the stench of gore spreading. Torn entrails twitched atop the mud. It was as if a slice of hell's banquet had been brought to the mortal world. They couldn't tell if the sweat—or rain—trickling down their backs was real.
Only after turning the troll's body into a ragged mess did the gruesome spectacle end. The barbarian thrust his blood-smeared, ghastly face toward the soldiers and asked,
"Who are you lot? Who's your leader?"
The soldiers trembled violently, glancing at the commissioner. Even so, Enrico handled it far better than his men. True to a seasoned commissioner, he quickly regained his composure and stepped forward boldly.
"I'm the commander. Enrico Turis, commissioner of Remtana. And who might you be?"
"Kadim. If you know anything about this troll, I'd like you to tell me everything."
"..."
A commissioner held a status akin to a lord in the empire. It was outrageous rudeness to demand answers so bluntly.
But Enrico wasn't foolish enough to stand on ceremony now. Without this man, his soldiers would already be minced meat. He simply thought to converse carefully without offending his monstrous benefactor.
*
While the soldiers treated the wounded and cleared the troll's remains, Kadim held a meeting with Enrico at the canyon entrance. After hearing the rough explanation, Kadim furrowed his brow and asked,
"No trolls had appeared in this canyon recently?"
"That's right. Records show a major subjugation order was issued long before I took office. The Magic Tower nearly wiped out all monsters in the area. After that, trolls were unheard of around here—not even goblins were common."
It seemed truthful. He hadn't encountered a single beast crossing that vast forest, had he? Though he had run into holy knights, a six-armed leper, a pack of mutant vipers, and a nine-headed demon...
"...Meeting beasts would've been preferable."
Kadim shook off the stray thought and pressed further.
"Then why did the troll suddenly show up again?"
"I don't know that either. If monsters appeared frequently here, I'd have prepared accordingly, but it popped up out of nowhere, leading to this mess..."
Enrico glanced at his commissioner guards. Few dead, but half injured—it was disheartening. If they'd trained diligently and hunted monsters regularly, they wouldn't have fallen for quack mercenaries or suffered this fate.
Meanwhile, Kadim cracked his knuckles with a grave expression. When he'd gutted the second troll, he'd found the same dark residue as the first. He couldn't let it slide.
"Any demons around here by chance?"
After a brief pause, Enrico shook his head firmly.
"No. If there were demons, Ymir wouldn't have stayed quiet. The Magic Tower is as aggressive against demons as the Elga Church."
"Who's Ymir?"
"Ah, Ymir is one of my advisors. He's no real help due to our differing political stances... but he's still a skilled Magic Tower mage. If a demon appeared, he'd have been the first to strike it down."
Kadim's eyes sharpened.
"Any chance he was involved in the troll blocking the canyon? With magic, perhaps."
Enrico flinched, shoulders trembling.
He pressed his temple and sank into deep thought. Only after a long moment did his parched lips part.
"...I can't say it's impossible. I've heard some magic can control human or monster minds."
"What about him contracting with a demon?"
"He wouldn't have. The Magic Tower strictly forbids it. If mages sold their souls wholesale to demons, the empire's holy knights would've razed the alliance long ago. Unless Ymir's insane, there's zero chance."
"..."
Something felt off.
Magic stemmed from mana, the supernatural energy in the atmosphere—distinct from demonic energy. Ordinary magic shouldn't leave a residue mimicking demonic traces.
Thus, Kadim had assumed a demon-contracted mage had tampered with the troll. But if that possibility was nil?
"..."
It was suspicious, but no clearer leads. For now, collecting his reward took priority.
Kadim stood. Enrico fidgeted with his lips for a while before slowly shaking his head, as if swallowing unspoken words. Instead, he offered thanks.
"...In any case, on behalf of Remtana and all the territory's residents, thank you. If you hadn't slain the troll, this road would've stayed blocked much longer. You've saved countless people in distress."
"No need for thanks. The village chief of Eckl promised me payment. They were in a real bind too."
"Ah, I see. So that's the story..."
Seeing Kadim rise, Duncan hurried over. He'd been helping with first aid for the wounded soldiers. Kadim glanced between the hesitant Duncan and the exhausted soldiers, then proposed to Enrico,
"With so many injured, how about heading to nearby Eckl to recuperate? I need to collect my pay anyway, so I'm heading back there."
"Ah, excellent idea. I was planning to stop by there anyway... I'll gladly accept your suggestion."
Kadim and Enrico took the lead. The wounded and Duncan stayed in the center, while the able-bodied soldiers guarded the rear. As they entered the narrow canyon, the soldiers kept stealing glances at Kadim, shoulders hunched tight.
The spring rain was tapering off. A damp breeze slipped through the canyon, untouched by human feet in ages. Towering rock cliffs like city walls cast deep shadows. The identical earthen strata piled on both sides made the name "Twin" Canyon feel apt.
Enrico had no attention for the surroundings. He was lost in thoughts of the barbarian's identity and his advisor. The soldiers were too drained. The near-death crisis had sapped their mental and physical strength. Duncan, who had crossed the canyon before, was preoccupied supporting the wounded.
That's why only Kadim noticed the anomaly.
The location was the canyon's dead center, far from entrance or exit. The terrain was a narrow path boxed in on both sides. Suddenly, faint smoke rose from the cliffs above. A subtle vibration hummed, and hazy heat mirages shimmered.
And the whiff of sulfur tickling his nose.
"..."
Kadim clenched his teeth. This wasn't some random fire. It was a trap deliberately set to prevent escape.
Too late to react.
Boom!
An explosion roared, and debris rained from the cliffs. Blazing logs tumbled amid the rocks.
――――― Rumble rumble, crash, boom, boom!
The ground shook from the impacts, dust billowing thick. Flames clinging to wood and stone didn't die even on hitting ground. The front was instantly sealed by a blazing barricade.
"Urgh!"
"Wh-what is this?!"
"Watch out! More falling from behind too..."
Boom!
The rear was the same. A thunderous roar filled their ears as fiery debris formed an impassable wall. The group traversing the canyon became rats in a trap in seconds.
And before they could recover, a streak of lightning crashed down ahead.
――――――― Roar, boom!
Fierce light incinerated the canyon's shadows in an instant. Like the sun descending, the intense glare forced eyes shut. Blazing heat surged, waves of fire lapping at their feet. Scorching air clawed skin and choked breaths.
As the glow slowly faded, the lightning's source revealed itself.
Wavy bronze-gold hair, divine raiment enveloping her like a crimson mantle, plate armor glowing like molten lava, a red longsword spreading hellfire with savage fury.
A woman embodying divine wrath incarnate.
The soldiers cried out in shock.
"A h-holy knight...! From the Elga Church!"
"Why would a holy knight be here..."
Emerald eyes fixed on one spot. From waiting atop the cliff to launching her assault, her gaze never strayed elsewhere.
Arch Paladin Helia Munel spat her words like chewed gristle.
"Finally... finally, I meet you, you hooded fiend."
"..."
"Your sins seethe like a pit of venomous worms... Now judgment of light has come. This sword's hellfire shall burn your rotten soul to ash, not even a speck remaining..."
Kadim silently faced the holy knight. Then he casually turned his head back and asked,
"Didn't you say Arch Paladins never cross borders, Duncan?"
"Y-yes? Uh, uh... Th-that's... I-I don't know what's going on here either..."
Duncan fidgeted like he might burst into tears any second. Kadim sighed deeply inwardly.
An unforeseen calamity had struck. Two possibilities: the Arch Paladin had miraculously secured alliance approval at breakneck speed, or she'd gone mad enough to cross anyway.
Either way, direct confrontation was inevitable. Fleeing now risked another ambush anytime. Even a low-odds fight had to be taken.
Never leave loose ends. Kadim recalled his ironclad principle. His large hand subtly reached for the waterskin at his waist.
But suddenly, an unexpected figure stepped forward.
"What do you think you're doing?! Aren't you an imperial holy knight? How dare a holy knight commit such atrocities on alliance soil?!"
An enraged middle-aged man fearlessly advanced into the flames. Helia narrowed her eyes.
"That's true, but who are you? I'm executing a sacred duty right now. Stay out of it and step aside..."
"I'm Enrico Turis, commissioner of Remtana under the Delutana Council! This is my territory, and I've heard nothing about you in advance! This is blatant border violation! If you don't withdraw immediately, I'll formally protest to your church through the council!"
"...!"
Enrico held up a ring emblazoned with the Delutana Council's seal—ironclad proof of his authority here.
Clear bewilderment flashed across Helia's face, sharp as the flames.