Chapter 99
Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Village of Silence (5)
The black sphere's true nature was the egg of a monstrous creature.
The monster hatched from the egg and skewered the half-ogre dead in an instant.
And.
The thing was still hunting for prey.
It prowled about, never straying far from the area.
'Fuck.'
One mistake and you're dead.
His long-honed instincts were screaming it at him.
The count gritted his teeth.
He had to break through this somehow.
But.
How?
Seeing the black mage halt the group's movements.
They were probably within the creature's range.
Its hearing wasn't exceptional.
But that didn't mean it was worse than theirs.
Unfortunately, sound carried extremely well here.
The surroundings were deathly quiet.
The metal floor panels must have loosened from whatever held them in place.
Every step produced a screech like nails on steel.
Even the slightest movement could mean death.
Feeling utterly helpless and foolish in that moment wasn't pleasant.
It was so damn unfair.
'We knew what we were walking into, but even so... this is...'
He exhaled as quietly as possible, afraid even his breathing might reach it.
His heartbeat quickened.
It felt so loud, like he'd never realized how thunderous his heart could be.
"......"
The creature halted its steps.
And turned.
The count's pupils dilated.
It was slowly approaching their position.
Had they been spotted?
No.
Not yet.
If they had, he'd be spit-roasted like the half-ogre.
The thing was probing.
Instinct told it that this would flush out prey.
It looked terrifying no matter how you sliced it.
As it drew closer, the count's breathing and pulse grew louder.
His body betrayed him, amplifying the noise with every step it took.
At this rate, it'd hear them.
Were they going to die?
'No.'
He couldn't die here.
If he did, Aid would too.
He couldn't fall before fulfilling his duty as a father.
A sudden thought struck the count.
The one way to break through this impasse.
'Sound.'
Earlier, the monstrous creature hadn't killed the black mage.
Instead, it'd taken out the PTSD knight at the spot where the alarm blared.
'I need to give it a target.'
The creature had priorities.
Determined by sound.
If he could generate noise elsewhere to draw it away.
They might just escape this mess.
Was there any way to make noise?
The count racked his brain.
Traps were out.
He didn't even know what they were, and that alarm had droned on for ages.
Trigger one, and it'd wipe them all out.
'Then, something from what I have on me.'
The count recalled the magic bomb he always carried.
Brought to kill the Dungeon Master, but maybe its bang would divert attention?
Its hearing matched theirs.
Meaning a big noise might drown out everything else.
Let's do it.
Somehow, make it happen.
The process had to be meticulous.
No sounds allowed.
If it pinpointed their location, game over.
The moment the count reached for his pocket.
The black mage swung his arm wide.
Boom──!!
A massive explosion roared from outside.
And it rumbled on for a good while.
The creature's tentacles lashed out viciously.
But its target wasn't the group.
It was the explosion site.
The count and the noble slayer were stunned.
But they weren't amateurs.
What kind of opportunity was this?
No fools here to waste it.
They bolted for the only safe spot from the creature.
The central chamber.
"That sound just now..."
"Call it insurance I set up before coming in."
The black mage shrugged.
The blast had been his Soul Explosion spell.
He'd used up a stockpile at the entrance, just in case they ran into one of those things.
Thanks to that, they'd barely survived.
The count bowed his head in thanks.
"You saved our lives. Thanks."
"Good, you get it... you dumb ogre bastard. Could've lived if you'd stayed quiet... but no, you had to make noise, fuck."
The black mage clenched and unclenched his fist.
His expression was complicated.
Guilt?
Regret?
The count wasn't at ease either.
A man had died.
In their situation, losing one was a brutal blow.
The road ahead was long.
Clearing this zone wouldn't get them to the core room.
Four more like this lay ahead.
Even with guides for zones 1 through 3.
The odds were slim.
If they lost more here.
It'd be a total disaster.
Plus, a comrade's death was never pleasant.
Even if the guy was a stranger and a criminal.
The atmosphere on-site didn't make anyone ice-cold.
"......"
The noble slayer broke the silence.
"Count."
"What."
"You said the sphere in the well looked exactly like that one, right?"
The count nodded.
The noble slayer scribbled notes.
He listed out the known facts.
"Black spheres are eggs."
"Monsters hatch by breaking them."
"The one the black mage saw, the well one, and just now."
"Three confirmed already..."
"Assuming more eggs elsewhere..."
The conclusion.
These creatures weren't rare.
If they laid eggs and bred.
The longer they stayed, the more there'd be.
This place was shrouded in thick fog.
Stepping into their range without spotting them.
A gruesome end awaited.
The count fiddled with his escape scroll.
Dreamland blocked them per zone, typically.
Zone 2: confiscated by the student council head.
Zone 3: scrolls outright unusable.
Likely the same in zone 5.
Would he get another shot? A silent sigh escaped.
"No sign of it for now. Probably not coming."
"What now? Head back?"
"No. Now that we know monsters hatch from eggs, we search thoroughly. Missing info could make a redo even worse."
"You all know: alarm means total wipe. Watch every move."
The group hurried.
The group's current spot was the building's core.
A massive machine of unknown purpose dominated the center.
The black mage blinked.
It looked familiar.
He checked the blueprint from his pocket.
"What's up?"
"Matches the machine described in the blueprint I found in the warehouse. Just verifying."
"Verdict?"
"Eyeballing it, yeah. Come check."
The noble slayer and count paused and approached.
The blueprint's gist, simplified:
This machine was a generator.
It supplied power to devices inside the facility.
'Power source... and noise...'
The count pondered.
Why the elevator they'd found hadn't worked.
Maybe no power?
Like a magic tool out of mana.
If that was a real elevator.
They needed to fire up the generator somehow.
"To activate that 'generator,' one assumption."
"That the elevators here are real ones?"
"Yeah. No guarantee. Could all be traps. Best to check north, west, east, everywhere first."
Searching wasn't easy either.
Traps and creatures at every spot.
No telling how long it'd take.
And.
"Hold up."
The black mage scratched his head, pained.
"Fuck."
"Y'know, this is ridiculous."
"I'm not a goddamn magitech engineer."
"Couldn't even explain how to use it properly."
"How the hell do you start this thing?"
"No clue."
The biggest hurdle remained for the group.
They got what a generator did, roughly.
Not confirmed, but probably needed to run the elevator.
But they didn't know how.
The black mage stared holes through the blueprint.
No answers.
He was the best at this stuff among them.
If he didn't know, neither did the count or noble slayer.
If activating it was key.
Stuck without the method.
"Tricky."
"Head back for now. Might find info elsewhere."
"Yeah..."
The group slipped out of the derelict power plant, holding their breath.
'Driving me insane.'
The count squinted.
Foggy vistas revealed bizarre scenes.
Eggs now visible in grass clumps that'd been empty before.
Monsters dotted the area here and there.
The group grimaced.
Did these bastards breed without mating or what?
"Try smashing an egg quietly?"
"Don't. It hatched full-sized, might just speed things up."
"Dragging time's bad news."
Regrettably, the Village of Silence was vast.
Sun had set; moon risen high.
Sleep and condition were critical.
Especially where one slip meant death.
Time pressed, but rest was needed.
"Back to the village. Stay sharp. Numbers are up."
"Yeah. Village is the only safe rest spot... or so we hope."
"You two go ahead."
The black mage split off.
His gaze eastward.
"I sleep light. Gonna check the eastern woods. Where the knight died."
His reasoning:
The PTSD knight probably triggered a trap.
Setting off the alarm.
Body taken by monster, but first detection spot might have blood or flesh bits.
Died right as alarm sounded.
Trap around the bloodstains, for sure.
"Wanna see the trap. Lowers our odds of dying."
"Wouldn't we be safer together?"
"Nah. Rest up."
The black mage waved them off.
Meaning he was fine solo.
He vanished.
The count was alone with the noble slayer again.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
They headed to the village.
"We should take watches."
"Agreed. Low chance, but can't rule out monsters invading."
"I'll take first."
"Wake me in four hours. Then switch."
They reached yesterday's house.
Still empty.
The noble slayer hit the bed first.
The count confirmed he was asleep.
Then moved.
No monsters around the village.
The one from the well should be somewhere.
No evidence, just gut feeling.
But the village might be zone 5's sole safe rest area.
"......"
He patrolled the village.
Not lightly.
His steps had clear purpose.
The count arrived.
Anemone's house.
Short absence should be fine.
As he reached the door.
It flew open, like she'd been waiting.
"You're here?"
The count nodded at Anemone's bright smile.
He stepped slowly inside.
Click.
The door shut.