Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: The Furry Bride
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Loan tilted his head and asked.
“What exactly did this demon do?”
The village chief hesitated at Loan's question.
He glanced around, and then answers began to pipe up from the curious villagers who had gathered.
“I heard she killed everyone at the wedding.”
“No, I heard she devoured them.”
“Well, she killed them one way or another.”
“And then her father locked her in the spire?”
“They say she went in on her own. Locked herself away.”
“No, no. She wasn't locked in; she made the spire her den.”
“What about those things roaming around down there?”
“Her minions. Monster minions.”
“Exactly.”
Listening to them, it was clear most of it was just hearsay.
It seemed unlikely he would get any useful information by pressing this point.
“So, how have you been getting to Schwerin all this time?”
“We can't cross that way, so we have to go all the way around the pass. It adds a few days to the journey, but what choice do we have if we want to stay alive?”
“How long has it been like this?”
“At least ten years.”
The village chief looked a bit anxious as he finished speaking.
Outsiders rarely came to this place.
When a rare Runner from the Union started asking questions, he'd hoped the man might vanquish the demon, but he realized he hadn't been able to provide any clear evidence of the harm she'd caused.
Looking at the chief, Loan tilted his head once more.
“Since it's another country, Sion can't easily intervene. But Schwerin is a nation of powerful mages. Are they just letting this situation continue?”
This time, laughter erupted among the villagers.
It wasn't genuine amusement but more of a hollow, resigned laugh.
“When has Schwerin ever cared about worldly affairs? They just lock themselves away in their magic towers all day, up to their strange business.”
Behind the chief's explanation, murmurs arose about how the young Union dignitary knew so little of the world.
For some reason, their complete disdain for mages made him uncomfortable.
At the same time, he was astounded that a nation could be so indifferent to the well-being of its people.
“I see.”
Believing there was no more information to be gained, Loan headed straight for the pass.
He didn't feel particularly tired, and since the people had suffered for so long, there was no need to waste any more time.
Above all, with the Grave's alliance, cooperation between the duchies was becoming increasingly crucial.
A problem at the border wasting travel time was something the Union would want resolved quickly.
After running for some time,
he reached the pass the village chief had mentioned. Below, a wide manor spread out, and a tall spire rose from among the sizable estate buildings.
*The demon of the spire is in there.*
Loan stood still for a moment, deploying his [Barrier of Perception] to survey as much as he could.
Of all the villagers' haphazard information, the mention of "things roaming around down there" had bothered him the most, and it was clear there was indeed a problem.
It certainly wasn't normal for demonic beasts, the kind you'd only see in Rhodos, to be wandering about.
The creatures, which looked like a mix between chickens and dogs with their combs and sideways-facing eyes, were prowling around the spire.
What was strange was the fence surrounding the spire and the estate, preventing the beasts from getting out.
Looked at another way, it could also be seen as the beasts guarding or watching over the spire.
Considering there was no visible entrance to the structure, that suspicion didn't seem too far-fetched.
The whole scene reeked of suspicion.
Those beasts couldn't have been created naturally.
*So, what should I do...*
Loan stared blankly at the beasts, scanned for any other life forms that hadn't appeared within his Barrier of Perception, and then looked up at the spire again.
The spire was made of stacked bricks, with sections that intentionally jutted out here and there, perhaps for external repairs.
If he used them well, he could climb the spire without much trouble.
After all, what had intrigued him most during his conversation with the villagers was the woman known as the "demon of the spire" herself.
Loan decided to satisfy his curiosity first.
He extended a Narrow Path toward a protruding section of the spire at eye level.
Since there wasn't enough moisture in the air, he infused the Narrow Path with Sheville to serve as a foothold.
Before, it would have been difficult to keep his balance.
But now, with his enhanced senses and physical abilities, he believed it was possible.
Swaaa—
He moved along the Sheville-infused path with ease and set his foot on the protruding stone.
Tap-taptap-
From there, he spiraled his way up, stepping on or pulling himself up by the outcroppings, steadily ascending the spire.
No one noticed his climb until he reached the top floor. Even the beasts just continued to prowl below without looking up.
Loan checked the mana inside the spire one last time.
One life form.
It seemed human, but something was off. Also, its mana was too pure for it to be called a demon.
But there were exceptions, like Matthias, so Loan didn't completely rule out the possibility as he slipped his body through the only open window.
“Aah!”
A scream immediately followed.
A very disheveled woman was there.
As planned, Loan held both his palms forward and was about to take a step toward the uncomfortable-looking woman, but then—
“Don't come any closer!”
He stopped in his tracks at her sharp cry.
He looked at her again, confirming her appearance with his eyes and reading it clearly with his mana.
He was surprised.
It was astonishing to see the woman he had only ever read about in books right before him, but he didn't show it.
*I knew it...*
He never knew she actually existed.
The Furry Bride.
The protagonist of a fairy tale he'd read at the orphanage and at school.
Fairy tales were often woven from oral traditions, so the author was uncertain.
If she had truly been in this state for nearly ten years, someone could have written a fairy tale based on her story.
But it was clearly different from the story he knew.
In the story, the Furry Bride was cursed by a witch, and the prince of a neighboring kingdom defeated the witch, causing the fur on her knees to disappear completely.
And so, she became a happy bride and was able to have the wedding she'd always dreamed of with the prince.
*It's a fairy tale, so it must have been adapted...*
Even if the conclusion was different, she didn't look like the demon of the spire the villagers feared.
There was just thick, stiff fur sprouting from around her knees, so much that it resembled a hedgehog.
Of course, her wary, glaring eyes were intimidating, but if she had truly been locked away here for over a decade...
...and rarely met people, her reaction was understandable.
Loan pressed his back against the rear wall, his arms still raised, and slowly began to speak.
“I am Loan, a Runner from the Union's Faith Division. Have you heard of the Union?”
“...”
There was no answer, but she seemed to know of it.
Her refusal to lower her guard was likely due to a fundamental lack of trust in people.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain her attitude upon meeting him.
Loan chose his words carefully, thinking deeply about how to deliver them.
He spoke again, paying attention to the slightest tremor in his voice.
“I was on my way from Sion to Schwerin. The people in the village below told me about this place. To be honest... I was glad to hear it.”
“...”
Was his saying he was "glad" unexpected?
A flicker of curiosity appeared behind her wariness.
Loan decided to just be honest.
There was no reason to deceive her.
“I grew up in a place called an orphanage. I learned to read after spending my days begging on the streets, and one of my favorite stories among the books I read back then was a fairy tale called 'The Furry Bride'.”
“...”
For a moment, he could hear the woman's heart pounding.
She seemed incredibly embarrassed, her emotions beginning to stir. It was strange how those emotions caused a disturbance in her mana, which in turn affected the movement of her fur.
Loan immediately recounted the plot of the fairy tale.
He added that he was genuinely glad, that he had envied the protagonist's abilities, and that he loved the story's ending.
“The reason I came all the way up here to tell you this is because I thought you might need help. I also thought that you might not be the demon people say you are. You could say it's fate.”
He had only spoken his mind honestly, but with that, he felt he had done all he could.
However, this was a matter for Loan, the person who shared a personal affinity with the Furry Bride.
Dealing with the beasts below, finding those responsible for their existence, and taking the necessary measures, regardless of the spire, was the duty of a Union Runner.
Therefore,
having found no evidence to support the rumors about the woman, Loan was prepared to leave the spire if she didn't respond.
Just then, the woman spoke.
“An ending like that is only fit for a children's fairy tale. Reality isn't like that...”
Her voice trailed off, as if she had much more to say.
Loan didn't reply, simply straightening his posture. It was a gesture that said, *Speak freely, I'm listening.*
“The truth is, there's no witch and no prince. Just a cursed body and a cursed life.”
“What about your family?”
“Would they even consider a monster like me family? Well, I suppose they can't bring themselves to kill me.”
He followed her gaze as it shifted to the side.
A small hole in the floor. A pulley on the ceiling.
It seemed food was hoisted up from below.
He didn't know if she really had a family, or who was doing this and for what purpose, but Loan didn't ask further.
Fortunately, the woman continued speaking.
“The reason I'm answering you... is because I think I might have misheard something you said earlier.”
“Something I said?”
“Yes. You said you envied the protagonist's ability?”
As she spoke, a hint of anger began to rise in her voice.
He had been honest, but putting himself in her shoes, he could see why she might be angry.
She shot him another glare.
“It's nothing but a curse. It's just repulsive to look at, and you say you envy it? Are you mocking me?”
In an atmosphere that demanded an explanation, Loan pointed to the right side of his chest.
His finger brushed over a bull-shaped badge and a torch-shaped badge.
“Far from here, between the Grafton Kingdom and the Barcino Duchy, there's a place called the Bridge Zone. It's a swamp constantly shrouded in a thick fog. It's very dangerous.”
What was he trying to say?
Seeing the woman listening intently, Loan continued.
“There's a race of people there called the Torchbearers who protect the Bridge Zone. They are incredible people who burn their own life force to light the way. Thanks to them, no one gets lost in the fog.”
“Burn their life force?”
the woman interjected.
She seemed to have become engrossed in the story.
“Yes. They use their life force to create fire. That's why fighting is forbidden in the Bridge Zone, as it could threaten their existence. If a fight breaks out, you'll face the Torchbearers' judgment.”
“How?”
“They kill their opponents by stabbing them in the nostrils with fur as sharp and hard as steel.”
“...”
The woman was too dumbfounded to reply.
Loan scratched his head.
“I just thought, 'Wow, such special fur exists in the world.' I was envious of that ability, and it naturally made me think of the Furry Bride story. But seeing it in person... it's definitely different.”
A truly absurd story. And the strange audacity to tell it so honestly.
But why was she listening so seriously, and why didn't she feel offended?
“Ha, hahaha.”
She suddenly burst out laughing.
As her laughter rose and fell, the sharp, stiff fur swayed gently in the air.