Chapter 44
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 044
Chapter Title: The Coward and the Briar Knight (5)
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Swish.
The werewolf's body slowly shrank, black fur shedding in clumps to reveal human flesh beneath. In the end, only a corpse remained, riddled with holes from head to toe.
"Ah... Yes, this is definitely the leader of those bandits."
Connell flipped the body over and confirmed the man's face before speaking. It was certain now—the werewolf had been the Briar Knight.
"Sir Heros, there's something strange over here."
At that moment, Bear cut into the conversation. He pointed to the man's abdomen. Embedded there was a fist-sized red gemstone, smooth-surfaced and perfectly round. It looked like the work of a skilled artisan. At a glance, it screamed immense value. But its uniqueness went beyond mere appearance.
'It's brimming with an enormous amount of mana.'
I could see it clearly. The staggering quantity of mana dwelling within the red gem. Only then did it click—how the werewolf had wielded so much power.
'A magic tool, no doubt.'
The red gem was unmistakably a magic artifact. It must have fueled the Briar Knight's transformation magic. There was no other explanation for containing so much mana.
'Similar to that fang Bernard gave me.'
Bernard of the Relief Warrior Corps. The canine tooth he'd given me came to mind. This gem resembled it. It could serve as a battery. But right now, I couldn't tap into the mana inside. It only stored it. To fully utilize this artifact, some condition had to be met.
'Maybe it's only usable for maintaining transformations, or perhaps it has to be implanted into one's body. Either way, it's useless in this state.'
Both the fang from Bernard and this new red gem were finicky artifacts. Still, I couldn't dismiss them lightly—they looked far too promising. Carrying them around might pay off someday. Maybe use them to enhance something. Or sell to a noble if I needed quick cash. Explaining them as magic tools would fetch a premium. Nobles who collected such items were suckers for the exotic and mysterious.
The moment that thought crossed my mind.
Crack.
A fissure suddenly spiderwebbed across the man's corpse. And then...
Poof.
It crumbled into dust. Naturally, only the sword the Briar Knight had wielded and the red gem embedded in his gut remained. The body vanishing like that? Probably an aftereffect of the transformation magic. But I had no time to dwell on it. I needed to claim ownership of the gem.
"Mind if I take this magic tool? I'd like to investigate it personally."
I asked Connell directly. Personally investigate? Pure nonsense. I just wanted it and spoke up first. Honestly, I had every right. I'd taken down the werewolf solo—any spoils from him were mine alone.
"Of course, take it. You were the one who caught the werewolf in the first place. I have no claim to the spoils."
Luckily, Connell had some honor. He relinquished the loot without hesitation. Meanwhile, Bear gathered the Briar Knight's sword and the red gem from his belly.
"I'll make sure to inform Lord Burch about what happened today."
A moment later, Connell turned to me after watching Bear. I simply nodded.
"Yes, please do."
With that, we turned back toward camp to return. On the way to the main force, I mulled over questions for the Briar Knight. I planned to summon his thought body and interrogate him thoroughly.
I slept like a rock and woke to the sun high in the sky. We should've marched at dawn, but my werewolf hunt had delayed us. No regrets, though. Thanks to me slaying our tormentor, everyone had gotten a solid night's rest.
'Ah, this is living.'
After a leisurely lunch, the able-bodied men began packing camp and preparing to resume the march. Seizing the moment, I called Bear aside and headed to a secluded spot. Time to interrogate the Briar Knight.
"Here you go."
Bear handed me the Briar Knight's sword. I wasted no time casting Thought Body Summon.
Humm.
The moment the spell activated, the sword floated into the air. It shattered into pieces soon after. Bear watched with clear regret on his face. Who could blame him? Smashing a perfectly good blade. I felt a twinge too, but since I wasn't a knight, it didn't sting much.
'Swords can always be bought.'
As I thought that, the fragments spun in place before dissolving into dust. In their stead appeared a translucent figure. The Briar Knight.
"Never gets less amazing to watch."
Bear remarked upon seeing the thought body. His reaction made me chuckle.
"This is magic."
I quipped back, then turned to the Briar Knight. The thought body would last about ten minutes. I had to extract maximum info in that window.
"Pleased to meet you."
"You're... the mage who killed me."
"Do you resent me?"
"Nah, not really."
The Briar Knight showed no malice toward me. Surprising. Maybe realizing his death had brought some clarity? Either way, I didn't care. As long as he answered my questions.
"I'll have some questions now. Answer as honestly as you can."
"Fire away."
I started with basics: name, age, birthplace. Easy stuff. He answered readily each time. Extremely cooperative. Bear found it odd enough to ask.
"Why are you being so compliant?"
The Briar Knight shrugged.
"No reason not to. I'm dead—what's left to hide?"
"Even so, spilling everything like this feels off..."
Bear still couldn't wrap his head around it. Ignoring him, I pressed on. With dialogue flowing, it was time for the real questions.
"Are you with Eremus?"
The Briar Knight nodded at my words.
"Yes. I was working with Terence."
"Terence? A black mage?"
"That's right. And he's the one pursuing you. I was stalling until he arrived."
Just as I'd suspected. The Briar Knight had been buying time for reinforcements.
"Is Terence a skilled mage?"
"He's an executive in Eremus's eastern branch. Aside from the branch leader, no black mage in the east could overpower him."
"How do I stack up?"
The Briar Knight stared at me blankly before replying.
"Hard to say."
Bad news. This Terence was at least my equal, maybe better. I'd need to tread carefully. Shaking it off, I continued the interrogation.
"You said he's chasing us. How far back is he?"
This might've been the most crucial question—when would the enemy catch up? Finally, the Briar Knight spoke.
"Three days. That's the max estimate. He'll likely catch you sooner. Terence's soldiers don't eat or sleep."
Oh, crap.
Interrogation over, I returned to camp deeply unsettled. Sir Connell soon sought me out. Lord Burch wanted to see me.
"Sir Connell."
On the way to Lord Burch with Connell, I spoke up. I had news to share.
"Yes?"
"A black mage will attack us within three days."
"Pardon? What do you mean all of a sudden...?"
"Information from the Briar Knight—the werewolf. It's solid."
"He's dead. How'd you get info from him?"
"I got it while he was still alive."
The lie slipped out naturally. Connell eyed me, demanding more. But I had nothing else.
'Frustrating every time. I want to proudly declare I can use necromancy...'
Taking Connell to the interrogation would've avoided this. But too risky. Why?
'He's Lord Burch's man.'
Necromancy had a horrific reputation, worsened lately by rogue black mages. And Lord Burch was fleeing one right now. Admitting I used it? Instant suspicion. Revealing it to an outsider like Connell would do more harm than good. Maybe later if I recruited him, but not now.
"Understood. We'll prepare defenses."
Thankfully, Connell dropped it. He'd caught my reluctance. The silence stretched until Lord Burch broke it.
"Heros! Come in. Heard from Sir Connell—you took down the werewolf solo? Incredible work!"
Arriving at the carriage, Lord Burch greeted me with a beaming smile.
"Just doing what needed doing."
I played the humble mage. Past experience told me he favored that type. It worked—his face brightened further as he continued.
"Things have gone smoothly since you joined. As thanks, I want to reward you. Anything you desire? Speak freely."
A reward? Excellent. Naturally, I wanted grimoires. But blurting it out risked seeming greedy. A brief hesitation was called for.
'Wait for him to prompt me.'
As I hemmed and hawed, Lord Burch urged me on. Right on cue.
"Ah! This is just me in high spirits. Separate from your escort fee to Chester Castle. No worries—speak your mind."
Dragging it out would sour things. Time to ask.
"If you have any grimoires, I'd love one. I'm keen on learning new spells."
Did Lord Burch even own grimoires? Unknown. Just probing. I'd spotted a chest of books on his wagons.
'Don't get hopes up.'
I steeled myself. No visible disappointment if denied. But...
"Grimoires? I can spare those easily. Only have three, though—hope that's enough for you."
Three? My mind sharpened instantly.