Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Deserted Village
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just as the Imur Brotherhood had been buried in the sand not long ago, no criminal organization in the empire's history had lasted more than ten years.
The sole exception was the Hashashin. They had been infamous since the empire's founding, and some even claimed they predated it.
It wasn't just a matter of superior skill. To achieve this, they needed a powerful means to bind the group together.
Hashish.
The combat drug used by the Hashashin.
It didn't just massively amplify aura—it also induced a unique euphoria.
Once enslaved to hashish, betraying the organization became impossible. The withdrawal symptoms were more agonizing than death.
Yet hashish itself was readily available in the south.
Of course, processing and distributing it as a drug was a serious crime, but it wouldn't yield the same effects as the Hashashin version.
In other words, the Hashashin possessed a unique secret technique.
"The elders called that power sorcery."
The people who cultivated hashish for the Hashashin and processed it into a special drug. That was the tribe Faruzan had originally belonged to.
Unlike regular Hashashin, they didn't take commissions, yet their status within the organization was quite high.
Without hashish, the Hashashin were no different from ordinary assassins.
Then, a few years ago, an incident occurred. Whether internal strife or some conspiracy, Faruzan's tribe was wiped out in a Hashashin raid.
Faruzan fled into the desert, led by her father's hand, leaving her burning village behind.
But her father, the tribe's chieftain, had already been poisoned and didn't have much life left.
-Revenge! You will achieve revenge, Faruzan! That is your destiny from today onward!
The chieftain left a spell in Faruzan's heart.
That power awakened exceptional aura in a girl who had never undergone proper training.
But a binding came with it as well. Just as in her father's dying words, she had to make the Hashashin pay.
Yet the young girl Faruzan had no idea how to find the Hashashin or how to exact revenge on them.
Even after joining Dudek's tribe, the magic embedded in her heart continued to torment her, and she could only alleviate the pain through "hunting."
Her ferocity was a kind of illness.
"Then I met you."
A peculiar man who suggested they hunt the Hashashin together.
"I'm curious too. Whether the pain in my chest will lessen if we hunt them. If that's what I truly want. And why our tribe met such an end."
This wasn't Faruzan's revenge. It was her father's final obsession tormenting her.
'Trash of a human.'
Even if cooperating with the Hashashin was due to tribal circumstances, to curse his last remaining child like this.
No normal father would ever do such a thing.
'Ancient magic...'
The curse lingering in Faruzan's heart, the method to turn hashish into a special drug. Presumably, it all stemmed from ancient magic.
But that was strange. In his previous regression, when he read the report on the Hashashin extermination, there was no mention of ancient magic.
Rubia, like Damian, had been on another front and hadn't participated in the Hashashin extermination.
But it wasn't a secret that she had immense interest in ancient magic. Why would Michael hide it?
"I'm only telling this to you, male. I haven't even told Dudek."
Faruzan prodded the campfire with a much lighter expression. It must have been hard keeping it bottled up.
Damian's expression, on the other hand, was subtle.
'More complicated than I thought...'
Originally, after wrapping up in the south, he planned to recruit Faruzan to his side.
Their relationship wasn't bad, and there was their connection from before the regression.
The initial plan was to redirect Faruzan's rage properly.
The Hashashin moved only on commissions. They were mere blades wielded by murderers.
Wouldn't revenge against the wielder be more justified than the blade?
But this time, the blade itself was the culprit. Not just one assassin, but the entire Hashashin.
'It was meaningless from the start.'
In his previous regression, Faruzan vanished after succeeding in her revenge. He hadn't known why then, but now he did.
Emotional emptiness. She achieved revenge, but nothing remained. By then, Dudek's tribe had also been wiped out in the Kerzhit City incident.
She had lived her whole life bound by her father's obsession, and with it gone, she lost the will to live.
It was different from Agnes.
She still had desires even after revenge. It wasn't the end of her story.
Moreover, he couldn't exterminate the Hashashin right now. Even Michael had invested significant time and resources.
'The best way is to lift the curse itself...'
Of course, she might still want revenge after that. But without compulsion, there was room for persuasion.
If revenge was truly what she wanted, Damian would help as much as he could.
Faruzan's eyes, speaking of destiny, were filled not with resolve but anxiety. She hadn't found her own answer yet.
Ancient magic was, as the name implied, a power incomprehensible with modern magic. Research on it was scant.
Even Rubia, who had mastered all modern magic, had made some progress, but it was still a distant goal.
'We'll put it on hold for now.'
For now, he decided to focus on what would happen in Meidran.
The clash with the desert drug peddlers was inevitable, and if lucky, he might uncover clues about the curse.
"I've heard all about your situation, but aren't you curious about mine?"
"Not really. You're not lying, male."
He had prepared a suitable backstory for any curiosity, but as expected, it wasn't needed.
That was Faruzan's personality. Once she trusted someone, she didn't question them.
'That's why we could travel together before the regression.'
She didn't pry into Damian's origins or circumstances. As long as he didn't lie, she accompanied him. That was enough for Faruzan.
"Good. Whatever your circumstances, let's focus on this job for now."
They would arrive in Meidran tomorrow. With black magic—Gaze and Faruzan's 《Pursuit》, assaulting the Hashashin hideout wasn't difficult.
"Once we reach Meidran, restrain yourself. Don't charge in just because you spot a Hashashin."
According to intel from Absorption, several Hashashin were operating in Meidran while hiding their identities.
Even if it was a curse, failing to control her emotions would ruin everything.
They had come to hunt them, not become the prey.
"Hah! I'm a hunter. I have that much common sense."
Faruzan patted her chest. It meant not to worry.
"Hmm..."
"Hey. That look says you don't trust me. Back then, I couldn't control this 'binding,' but now I can to some extent."
If this was her control, that was the problem. Considering Dudek's reactions, he honestly couldn't fully trust it.
Still, if issues arose, Damian could intervene directly, so he didn't worry too much.
And the next day, the two arrived in Meidran.
"This is..."
His concerns from the previous day were unfounded.
Not a single ant could be seen in Meidran.
* * *
Streets, shops, homes. No signs of life anywhere in the village.
'Compared to what I saw with Absorption...'
The surroundings didn't seem that different from his memories.
Moreover, the village's state clearly showed people had lived there until recently.
A village-scale abduction? An incident that big should have spread rumors somehow.
He had considered the possibility of a Hashashin trap, but honestly, they wouldn't prepare on this scale.
They had no way of knowing Damian was heading here.
"No ants in sight, really."
Damian and Faruzan scoured every corner of Meidran with senses heightened.
They checked inside buildings, but found only traces of recent habitation.
Human eyes could find nothing more.
'I never thought I'd use this for this.'
A small eye formed on Damian's palm.
His vision shifted instantly. Not through his facial eyes, but viewing the world via black magic.
"A strange magic..."
He felt a sense of déjà vu from Faruzan's words. She had said the exact same thing before the regression.
Whether due to 《Pursuit》, Faruzan was more sensitive to black magic than others. Of course, she didn't know its nature.
'Feels queasy using it after so long.'
The eye slowly rose, bringing all of Meidran into view.
Damian was now receiving visual information from another point.
His feet were firmly on the ground, yet his vision was like a bird overlooking from the sky.
The sensory mismatch caused brain confusion. The first time he used Gaze before the regression, he had vomited immediately.
"See anything different?"
Faruzan was right beside him, yet her voice felt distant due to his vision.
"Not really. Within visible range."
Regular black magic—Gaze only saw what human eyes could.
But the demon Damian contracted was Decarabia, king of gazers. It could see heat, mana, life force, and more—invisible to normals.
That was why black magic—Gaze was essential for this plan.
Even deep underground hideouts could be pinpointed.
Other traps could be handled by Faruzan's 《Pursuit》, so with both secured, the Hashashin would be hunted one-sidedly.
'But with this happening, it won't be that easy.'
Adjusting the view, his vision darkened despite the sun high overhead. Objects blurred, but something else appeared.
"Male, you sure that eye's okay? It's bleeding."
Faruzan asked worriedly. The cost of black magic—Gaze was eye strain. Using Decarabia's power demanded even more.
He first checked mana residues. Such incidents often involved magic.
'No magic?'
No major anomalies in mana residues. So he scanned for remaining life force in Meidran.
'Crazy...'
Living beings constantly leave life force residues. Their amount roughly indicated how long the being stayed.
Meidran was rich in life force residues. Meaning, just days ago, it bustled with people.
But that wasn't what shocked Damian.
'The life force residues are severed.'
That signified death. One or two could be coincidence, but every residue in his view was severed.
Impossible unless Meidran's people vanished instantly. And with no magic traces, it made even less sense.
'No, not completely severed.'
Focusing more, faint lines extended from the severed residues.
Hundreds of thin lines left the ground toward the sky. And where they converged.
'I guess we have to go there after all.'
Releasing Gaze, Damian wiped the blood and looked up. The hill behind Meidran, and the ancient castle atop it.
The faint life force lines gathered toward the Hashashin hideout.
'Need to get closer to confirm.'
Like regular detection spells, black magic—Gaze revealed more up close.
"Right now?"
Faruzan questioned, but there was no time for long explanations. Damian released Gaze and headed straight for the hill with the castle.
Unlike typical desert buildings, it used stone, in a style akin to the central continent.
Long untended, many parts had collapsed, giving an eerie, dim feel.
Even Faruzan shuddered at the strange sensation.
Damian used Gaze again to peer deep into the castle.
The life force lines continued from the hill's base. But he couldn't trace where they converged.
"What's this now?"
It didn't end there. The castle's underground was filled only with severed life force residues.
In this area, only Damian and Faruzan lived.