Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Sarasma's Darkness 2
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Soldiers had already searched the area once, leaving boot prints scattered around. Since they weren't particularly well-trained, their sloppy work had actually erased many of the traces.
"These bastards. How dare they barge in and rummage through everything?"
Tarki exploded in anger upon seeing the signs of soldiers invading his mother's house.
"Any jewelry missing?"
"N-no, probably not. Mother was fairly frugal and preferred swords or armor over jewels."
"They say a doting mother raises a wastrel, but maybe that's a lie."
Azadin said that to imply Tarki fell short compared to the baroness, then looked around.
The house was restrained overall. Aside from being somewhat spacious and clean, it didn't feel like a noble's mansion. And yet, she'd hired that many mercenaries for her child—she must have been quite wealthy.
Soon, they found something suspicious on the second floor, in the baroness's bedroom. Animal fur was caught in the doorframe where it closed.
"This is."
"Hmm."
Azadin carefully examined the fur.
"Rat fur. The fact it's still here means the soldiers really did a half-assed job."
It wasn't fair to blame the soldiers— just look at Tarki's attitude. He was furious that soldiers had dared enter a noble's home; how could he expect a proper investigation?
"Rat fur? You don't mean..."
Tarki was startled by the words.
"A were-rat? Let's test its reaction."
Azadin pulled out a board used for waxing arrows, rubbed a silver coin on it to make silver powder, and placed the fur on top. Upon contact with the silver powder, the fur's tip began to split, as if scorched by silver.
"Were-rat confirmed."
"A were-rat kidnapped my mother?!"
Tarki was horrified.
Were-rats.
Rat-humans were kin to the Kurt divine tribe, spawn of the Rat King—cursed beings. Far stronger than ordinary humans, they were greedy, violent, and fond of human flesh.
If they'd captured her, the chances of his mother still being alive were slim to none.
"And not just one or two, from the looks of it. Hmm?"
Azadin peered under the bedroom bed. There was a spiderweb.
"A spiderweb."
"W-what's that mean?"
"It's a web infused with magic. Know what that implies?"
"Ah!"
Tarki jolted at Azadin's words. Come to think of it, the mercenary captain who'd toyed with him was a spider demonkin.
"Let's see..."
Azadin lifted the bed. There was a trapdoor underneath.
"A trapdoor on the second floor?"
Opening it revealed not a door, but a small empty space with a metal plate engraved with the symbol of Spider Queen Atra below.
"Your mother was a cultist of the Kurt divine tribe."
"What? No way. Mother's a noble."
"Plenty of nobles are. Especially Spider Queen Atra—she's popular among noblewomen."
Spider Queen Atra granted her female followers the power to seduce and dominate men. In a world with fervent faith in the New King, Kurt divine tribe members—who once butchered and ate humans—still drew cultists because of it.
A threat to humanity as a whole, but a boon to him personally. That was why cultists were a dime a dozen.
"But the ones who kidnapped Mother were were-rats, right?"
"True. Were-rats serve Rat King Mezzeri, not Spider Queen Atra. Hmm, even Kurt kin fight among themselves. I don't know the details."
Azadin headed from the bedroom to the study.
"Huh?"
"Something there?"
"Wait."
Azadin removed a portrait from the study wall. A hidden safe appeared. Using a lockpick, he opened it and pulled out a few gold coins.
"Huh?!"
"Imperial gold?"
Midiam and Ismail gasped in admiration. Imperial gold coins—rarely seen—numbered five in total. The safe also held various documents and treasures.
"Your mother seems like quite the figure."
Azadin said, gazing at the imperial gold.
Azadin usually had no greed for money, but imperial gold was the exception. The number you procured determined your herald rank and earned respect from your clan. Plus, acquiring them as bullion without a contract made them even more valuable than standard gold.
'The wealthy families bid fortunes for these.'
Holding physical gold allowed funneling merits. Use servants to spend it on specific heralds, artificially boosting a child's rank. Its value was immeasurable.
"Th-this gold is off-limits! Save Mother, and it's yours."
Tarki knew well the value of imperial gold to herald clans. Even with his helmet hiding his face, Azadin showed unusual signs.
Ismail then signaled Midiam.
*Kill him now and take it?*
Ismail gestured that killing Tarki was better.
"No."
Azadin stopped him.
"Pardon?"
Tarki, missing the gesture, panicked at Azadin's refusal.
"N-no, not that. Fine, I won't touch it. A herald has his dignity—how could I stoop to looting?"
Azadin smacked his lips, returned the gold, and closed the safe.
"You're dismissed, so herald dignity doesn't apply, does it?"
Midiam tactlessly brought up the dismissal in Tarki's presence.
*********
Leaving the mansion and scouting around, Azadin found another clue at the well.
"Dress hem."
A piece of women's clothing was torn in the rock crevice.
"The well?"
"It's dry below. Probably leads to an underground passage."
"You're going to rescue her?"
"Hold on—I don't know how many enemies there are."
Azadin stopped coldly.
Storming in might net five gold coins if successful, but failure meant risking his life.
Rushing in blind, ignorant of the foes, their numbers, or traps, was suicidal.
"With all the missing people around, there must be quite a few Kurt kin. Otherwise, they couldn't abduct so many."
"So what now?"
"Full armor."
Azadin called his goat from atop the well and unpacked chainmail and plate armor from the saddlebags.
"Too heavy for everyday wear..."
Azadin donned the thick armor, adding gauntlets and steel boots.
"First herald I've seen carrying armor like this."
Heralds of the Emperor usually preferred light gear.
*No wonder the goat's so burdened. That's why he walks it instead of riding.*
Midiam understood why Azadin walked the goat.
"In tight spaces, armor's best. Rely on agility in light kit, and you're done for."
Azadin reinforced the well rope in case the bucket line snapped, then descended.
At the bottom, Azadin scanned the bone-dry well. Sure enough, a passage wide enough for a person branched off.
"Hmm."
Fur on the floor too.
"Eek, I can't see!"
Tarki above chanted a spell. He'd cast ignition to light the lamp.
"You can see without light?"
Midiam noted Azadin inspecting the bottom before the flame lit, realizing his sight ignored light. Azadin picked up fur from the floor without reply.
"Were-rat fur. Footprints too. This way seems right."
"Ah, got it."
At the bottom, Tarki shone the lamp, spotting chaotic footprints.
"Let's go."
Azadin led the way. Through wells, other dry wells appeared, most with footprints.
"Hmm?"
Azadin spotted a trap: a low ankle-line strung with bells.
"This?"
"Shh."
Azadin silenced them. Bells meant someone was listening nearby.
Unmaintained bells just advertised tampering.
Sure enough, presences approached ahead.
"Huh?"
"Who's there?"
Two torch-bearing refugees entered.
Azadin signaled Tarki to hood the lamp. Too late—the light was spotted.
"Who's there?"
"Saw light just now. Not imagining it?"
"Who goes?"
They were busted. The group looked to Azadin for the call.
Azadin signaled Tarki.
"Crush 'em with your status."
"Me?"
Tarki stepped forward, getting it.
"Ahem. I am Tarki, son of the Sarasma Margrave!"
"Ah! A k-knight, sir."
"What brings you here?"
The refugees seemed wary after Tarki revealed himself.
*Terrible actors.*
Azadin saw in their eyes not fear of nobility, but annoyance, irritation, and a shared sly grin.
"I'm here for water. You?"
"We're just wandering refugees seeking shelter."
"Yes. We ended up here looking for a place..."
Tarki sneered at their words.
"Ridiculous. Why not hide the greed in your eyes, were-rats?"
"Ah."
"Hahaha."
The refugees laughed.
"They wanna die—no mercy."
"Kill the men, eat the women!"
"Isn't that the same? Heh heh heh!"
The refugees hunched, beginning to transform.
"You bastards! What did you do to my mother!"
Tarki charged, slashing at a transforming were-rat's head, hoping vulnerability.
But the were-rat refugee blocked with an iron flail from its bosom. Immense power and speed.
"Urk!"
Not defenseless mid-transformation! Tarki reeled from the first clash. The were-rat's strength was overwhelming.
"Kekekeke! Coward! Smells like fear."
The were-rats sensed Tarki's terror.
"Smash the lamp! Darkness is ours!"
The were-rats attacked Tarki. But...
*Sching!*
An arrow pierced a were-rat's mouth with a whistle. Midiam's shot skewered its jaw.
The arrow burst through the roof of its mouth, scrambling brains. The were-rat staggered and collapsed. Fatal for a human, but it struggled to pull the arrow free without dying.
"Uwaa!"
Tarki screamed instead.