Chapter 45
Chapter 45
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Witch of the Wilderness (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, an unexpected commotion erupted in Mesen.
Cavalry flying Remtana's banners crossed the bridge and seized the village. The man leading the soldiers was a middle-aged fellow dressed in a neat coat. The village chief recognized him at once, paling as he bowed and scraped.
"Ah, no, isn't that the Chief Aide himself? What in the world brings you all the way out here...?"
"I heard rumors of illegal armed forces running rampant in Mesen and came to inspect. I already know you're in cahoots with them, so tell me straight where their base is, Chief."
"Pardon? Th-that..."
The chief hemmed and hawed but still led the aide wordlessly to the vigilante office. The inspectorate soldiers prepared for any contingency, smashing through the windows since the door was barricaded and storming inside.
But what greeted them wasn't a band of vigilantes ready for a desperate last stand.
"Hmm?"
'Mmph, mmph!'
'Mmph, mmph, mmph!'
Men bound tightly, one or both arms or legs broken. And a bizarre corpse riddled with holes.
The aide freed the men from their bonds and interrogated them. They confessed readily that they were the vigilantes and that the corpse was their captain. But they had no idea who had done this to them or killed him. They'd been clobbered from behind in the dead of night, lost consciousness, and woken up like this.
No one outright admitted they'd been on their way to kidnap someone when it happened... but the aide clicked his tongue as if he already knew something.
"What should we do, sir? Investigate who did this to the vigilante captain and these guys?"
"...No. We're just carrying out the inspector's orders. Chain them up again and hunt down the remnants of this illegal armed group. Hurry—we'll leave as soon as we've got them all."
The aide and the inspectorate soldiers rounded up the chief, the self-proclaimed vigilantes, and anyone connected to them, chaining them together for a public shaming march through the village center. Travelers who'd suffered at their hands hurled curses and stones without mercy. The criminals limped on broken legs, twisting desperately to dodge the rocks.
But the locals reacted differently. To travelers, the criminals were strangers, but to them, they were neighbors, brothers, sons, fathers.
In the midst of the march, a middle-aged woman burst forward and threw herself flat before the aide.
"Oh, sir! My boy didn't do it out of malice! The taxes got so high, he just wanted to scrape together some money somehow, to save the village! Please, just this once, have mercy!"
"...Didn't we lower the taxes after Twin Gorge Pass opened and tax revenue from the southern territory stabilized? So why haven't you convinced your son to quit this armed gang business by now?"
"That's, uh, well..."
She couldn't very well admit the dirty money her son brought in had been too sweet to give up. The woman stammered excuses that didn't hold water. The aide's expression grew stonier by the second.
"The inspector ordered me to handle this with the situation in mind. Your son will receive fitting punishment and then be allowed to return, so don't worry too much."
"R-really?"
"Yes. Now get out of the way and stop blocking the road. Keep interfering, and his punishment will get even harsher."
The woman scurried back. Then she waved piteously at her son. He managed a weak tug at his lips, as if to say not to worry. Ironically, he was one of the ones who'd caused a ruckus at the inn, stolen a horse, and stabbed its owner dead.
Two men watched the scene from the back of the gathering crowd. A hulking barbarian and a middle-aged man in a cap. The aide locked eyes with them but looked away quickly without acknowledging them.
Kadim peered down at Enrico and murmured low.
"Is it really true those guys can come back here after their punishment?"
"Of course. Though everything below the neck won't be coming back."
"..."
A cold reply. Enrico's face bore the sternness of a leader guiding an entire region.
For organizing an illegal armed group, occupying public facilities without permission, stealing and damaging territory assets, and plotting to kidnap an inspector, there was no punishment fitting but beheading.
They handled the vigilantes quietly without revealing the inspector's identity. The aide discreetly arranged new transport as well. Under normal circumstances, the inspector and his group should have left Mesen right away and continued their journey.
But that wasn't possible.
"Ugh... sorry about this... Of all times, my body's..."
"..."
Enrico, who hadn't even caught a wink and had no real rest even in the village, finally fell ill. Traveling nonstop for two days with a feverish, bedridden man was out of the question. In the end, the inspector and his entourage were stuck in Mesen for a few more days.
Kadim initially considered just returning his pay and heading out alone. But he quickly changed his mind. With precedent of someone targeting the inspector, leaving him unattended felt off. Besides, he still had a debt to collect from the man.
'Can't let him die before I get access to the Magic Tower's records.'
Kadim set out to find ways to kill time.
Mesen wasn't a village with much entertainment. The food was mediocre everywhere, and the booze tasted like swill. A barbarian like him had no interest in gambling or whoring. Plus, the vigilante fiasco had the whole place in an uproar, so few shops were even open.
In the end, there was really only one thing worth doing consistently.
"Ow, aaaagh!"
Beating on Duncan and teaching him to fight.
"Always judge distances right. The enemy's weapon reach and arm length, your own weapon and arm reach, the gap between you, your stride length. And if you're in the enemy's range, pick one fast as you can—stab him or break away."
"Ah, wha—eek!"
"It's good to have a weapon the enemy doesn't expect. If he's swinging his sword all honest, chuck that rock you've got hidden at his face. Just because he fights fair doesn't mean you have to. The dirtiest win beats the cleanest loss any day."
"Aaaagh, ack!"
After days of thorough beatings, Duncan was bruised head to toe—finding unmarred skin was the real challenge. Still, nothing was broken or immobilized. Kadim had controlled his strikes and power with exquisite precision.
Whether because he liked his instructor or just hated getting hit, Duncan's skills improved faster than expected. He could now dodge two or three out of every hundred attacks, his reflexes sharpening up. His follow-up counters still couldn't graze a hair on Kadim, though.
Kadim's assessment of Duncan's talent shifted.
'Less pathetic.'
No great gift, but he had grit. At this rate, it might be worth nurturing that 'potential' he'd spotted last time.
"H-hek, hek, aaagh, ugh... guh..."
"Good work. That's enough for today."
Just as they turned to head back to the village, someone caught Kadim's eye over Duncan's shoulder.
Kadim focused. Dusky brown hair glowing reddish in the sunset, sharp upward-tilted eyes with glowing yellow irises, loose tunic clinging to leather pants. Not someone he knew, but a familiar face.
The woman approached slowly and spoke as she drew near.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Ilenia, a scholar from Galentana University—but also an archaeologist. You're an outstanding warrior, and an Atalain to boot, right?"
"..."
"Historic encounters always weave inevitability and chance like warp and weft. I think ours is one too. A valiant warrior of Atala and an archaeologist hunting ruins! What boundless possibilities this meeting holds..."
Kadim and Duncan stared at the woman, speechless.
She'd launched into her spiel so boldly it almost felt like they'd asked first. A sense of déjà vu hit Kadim. He'd met someone like this before—someone who latched on out of nowhere.
'...That leper from the forest with the hydra.'
Her head wasn't on straight.
No need for deduction; he could tell this woman was off-kilter too. And dealing with types like her usually dragged you into headaches.
Kadim quickened his steps to leave.
The woman panicked. She'd thought she'd set the mood right, not expecting this reaction. Screw the mood—she chased after him in a fluster.
"W-wait! Where are you going? You have to at least hear me out! I came to say thanks!"
"..."
"Those damn vigilantes! You took them out, mercenary! I knew they were up to no good ages ago! Bad rumors, bothering folks—I even lured them somewhere quiet to give them a piece of my mind on purpose! But thanks to you, I didn't have to bother..."
"..."
"Hey! Wait, just wait! Five minutes—no, three! What kind of legs move that fast..."
No matter how she yelled, Kadim had no intention of listening. His stride matched a hard run for most folks, and the gap between them widened.
Finally, in desperation, she bellowed her last resort.
"Turn back now and it's 1000 luden! Listen to me and it's 100 per minute! Answer my questions and 500 each!"
Considering a decent inn room ran about 100 luden a night, it was a lavish offer. She planted her hands on her hips confidently, figuring he'd whip around and trot back.
But she'd overlooked one thing.
The barbarian had over 500,000 luden on him.
"Wha—huh?"
Kadim's sense of money had fully adapted to the era. A few hundred or thousand was pocket change. He kept walking without a glance.
The reaction she wanted actually came from elsewhere.
"...Miss, I'd listen for half that... heh heh..."
"..."
Duncan, face black-and-blue, grinning innocently as he scratched his head. The woman stared at the goateed merchant in disbelief.
An unrequested beer and chicken stew with eggplant appeared on the table. Kadim eyed the innkeeper. The man shrugged and jerked his chin toward a corner of the hall.
"No need to pay. That lady over there bought it."
A glance confirmed it: Ilenia, waving cheerily. Kadim scowled instantly. Damn it, no wonder she'd been hanging around.
He shoved the plate and mug aside and stood. Ilenia jumped up and hurried over, but he planned to ignore whatever she said and head to his room.
Unexpectedly, her words snagged his ankle.
"Hey! Do you know about the 'Witches of the Wilderness' by any chance?"
"..."
"Right? As an Atalain, you'd have to. The Atala priestesses who divined fate in sandstorms, blessed warriors with blood tattoos, wielded miraculous sorcery! Then one day, they vanished from the world like dust..."
Kadim hesitated, then sat back down. Ilenia sighed in relief and joined him.
"...The Witches of the Wilderness vanished?"
"Yes, you know? Atalain warriors like you aren't rare, but you never see a witch anywhere."
"What are you talking about? Even if not here, they could be beyond the mountains."
"Oh, no chance. I went there myself."
"...What?"
"To the wilderness. Wandered for years, didn't see a single one. Sure, if they're hiding from outsiders, I can't argue..."
Kadim's frown deepened.
Forget how barren it was with barely a drop of water—the wilderness bordered demon territory, making it insanely dangerous. Atalains weren't natural-born warriors for nothing. A woman wandering there unscathed for years? Didn't add up.
Ilenia smirked oddly and changed tack.
"Anyway, as an archaeologist, my research is on the 'Witches of the Wilderness.' Specifically, the last ones who vanished centuries ago, and the unknown ruins they left across the continent!"
"..."
"I found one of the entrances nearby—that's why I came here. Haven't figured out how to get in yet, but if we can, it might reveal why they disappeared. Sound interesting now?"
Ilenia beamed, yellow eyes sparkling. Kadim, facing her, seemed utterly uninterested beyond not leaving.
But anyone who'd traveled long with him would have noticed. He was reminiscing about a certain blind witch from ages past—close yet distant, parted without even a proper goodbye.
The silence stretched. Ilenia peeked at the barbarian's blank eyes, then leaned forward slyly.
"I already know you're no ordinary warrior. You took out that whole vigilante crew solo. Others might not see it, but I've figured it out."
"...So what do you want from me?"
"Escort to the ruin entrance. And if we get inside, escort within. Who knows what might pop out—we need to be prepared."
"..."
"Ah, and the pay won't be stingy, don't worry! This is just the advance."
Ilenia plunked down a jingling coin pouch. What if thieves targeted it? Or if he just took it and bolted? Careless from the start.
Kadim pocketed the pouch. The inspector was still bedridden anyway. He didn't need the money, but it seemed like decent busywork for a day.
Plus, he wanted to know how she'd survived the wilderness—and how she'd pegged him for the vigilante killings.
Kadim stared at Ilenia. Her jewel-like eyes shone clear, without a hint of guile.