Chapter 94: Nameragon
The two scimitars disrupted Crockta’s field of vision as they moved with trails that looked like meteor showers. When Crockta twisted his body to avoid the trajectory of one sword, another lunged at his throat. He then shifted the direction of his greatsword to thwart the attack, stopping the dark elf’s scimitar with his blade.
The sound of metal clanging against each other rang out repeatedly. Crockta was displaying astute evasion skills on the level of acrobatics to defend himself.
The expressionless dark elf suddenly squinted. The world flowed in slow motion. Within the world of the pinnacle, Crockta and the dark elf exchanged attacks at their own pace.
“Dammit,” muttered Crockta as he retreated.
Those around them were watching Crockta and the dark elf’s lightning-fast match, but they couldn’t even gauge what was going on. Only Tiyo understood the level of their skills and clasped the handle of the General even tighter.
“Crockta, are you okay?” he asked.
“No,” Crockta answered with a grin. “He’s strong.”
After meeting Xantimur and growing stronger, Crockta had been confident that he was now strong enough to face anyone without struggling, at least until he met the chieftain. Yet, he had met a formidable opponent as soon as he arrived in Nameragon. What was going on?
“What’s your name?” asked Crockta curiously as it was his first time engaging with a dual-wielder.
The dark elf swordsman didn’t respond, but he tensed up and drew his two swords closer to him.
The group’s leader standing behind the swordsman answered in his place.
“His name is Driden. He is a one-of-a-kind, genius swordsman who remains unrivaled,” the group’s leader said with a proud smile. “Driden only listens to my commands. My name is Arden, the one who will liberate Nameragon and open up a new north...”
Crockta stopped paying attention to the group’s leader. He just mulled over Driden’s name.
‘Driden. He is a man whose name is worth remembering.’
There was a sparkle in Driden’s purple eyes as he stared at Crockta. Crockta couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. Despite Driden’s deadpan expression, his eyes were sparkling with joy like those of an excited little kid.
Crockta’s Pinnacle-tier skill, Heart and Soul Penetrating Eye, helped him see things in greater detail, and he saw his face reflected in those purple eyes. Crockta raised his greatsword. In Driden’s eyes, Crockta was also smiling with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Driden, my name is Crockta,” said Crockta.
“...”
“I want to have a proper fight with you, but this is not the best time.”
As soon as Crockta finished talking, he swung his greatsword in a broad stroke, and a wave of mana surged forward in a fan shape along the Ogre Slayer’s trajectory. Mana with murderous intent spread out toward the dark elves blocking Crockta’s path.
Startled, Driden quickly muttered something, and a magic circle rose into the air. A protective magic film spread out over the dark elves with Driden at the center, but it didn’t fully cover all of the dark elves. Crockta’s fierce mana sliced through the bodies of dark elves to the left and right of the magic film. Blood also sprayed from the dark elves standing by the edge of the protective film, where the magic was weaker.
“What?!” exclaimed Arden.
“Let’s run!”
Crockta carried the injured dark elf and immediately turned around and fled with Tiyo and Anor following behind. The group of dark elves was unable to chase after them.
***
They ran through the city and turned past many corners. The public square, which was usually bustling with activity, was empty. Dark elves hiding in their homes occasionally glanced out at the party from windows.
“What’s your occupation?” Crockta asked the dark elf he was carrying.
Amid the conflict between the opposing groups of dark elves, all of the civilians were hiding like mice. The fact that the injured dark elf was involved in battle meant that he was related to Nameragon’s authorities or was a soldier mobilized for defense.
“I am...” the dark elf began hesitantly, glancing over at Crockta. He then looked at Tiyo and Anor as well before saying, “I’m Adinio—the brother of Ladet, Nameragon’s leader. I work as the administrative officer of Nameragon.”
Crockta nodded and asked, “Is that why they targeted you?”
“They were probably planning to use me as a hostage to blackmail my brother. Arden is trying to quickly capture my brother before he returns.”
“Before who returns?”
“Arden was able to rise through the ranks in such a short amount of time because he isn’t here right now, not because of our shortage of combat resources. He is the Great Wizard Jamero,” said Adinio with glistening eyes.
“Jamero?” asked Crockta.
“Arden aimed for when Jamero would be away at Spinora. He’s the main source of Nameragon’s power. If he had been here, Arden wouldn’t have been able to carry out something like this.”
Nameragon’s situation was complicated.
In fact, Crockta realized that all of the incidents he had become involved in Elder Lord were complicated. The entanglement of desire and greed ultimately led to tragedy. Elder Lord closely resembled the real world in this aspect. However, unlike in the real world, he had been rewarded with the unrealistic skill of reading another’s lifespan.
Crockta suddenly remembered the face of Gordon, the swordsman who had spoken to him with sad eyes. Gordon had displayed incredible powers with his sword. He had also mentioned the Temple of the Fallen God. Everything was intertwined.
Crockta had to go to the temple and find the answer he needed. However, in order to do so, he had to save this place first.
“What do you think we should do?” asked Crockta.
He didn’t know much about Nameragon’s internal situation, so Adinio, the administrative officer of Nameragon, would be able to come up with a better plan than them. The eyes of Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor were all fixated on Adinio.
Adinio looked up at the sky as he pondered about what to do.
Then he commented, “They have currently taken a hold of the area around City Hall. And the dark elf named Driden, whom we saw earlier, has such extraordinary skills as a swordsman...”
“I agree,” Crockta replied with a nod.
Driden was powerful enough to seize control of Nameragon by himself. His dual swordplay was exquisite and powerful like a storm, and he was able to block most attacks with his magic. He would leave ordinary soldiers crumbling like autumn leaves in his wake.
“Let’s go to City Hall and join my brother,” suggested Adinio.
“How?” asked Crockta.
“There’s a secret passage,” said Adinio.
“There’s a passage? Then, is there a chance that your brother might have escaped through the passage?” asked Crockta.
“None. My brother would never leave that place,” replied Adinio confidently. “City Hall must never fall into Arden’s hands.”
Nameragon’s City Hall contained every piece of information in existence about Nameragon. They couldn’t let Arden obtain Nameragon’s top-secret information. It would not only jeopardize Nameragon but also threaten Spinora and the whole dark elf alliance.
“My brother isn’t the type of person to escape by himself,” assured Adinio.
“Mm,” Crockta murmured while nodding.
It seemed like a good idea to meet Ladet at the City Hall and then decide how to respond to the attacks. So, they moved along the outskirts of the city. They occasionally ran into groups of dark elves on Arden’s side, but Tiyo and Crockta easily overpowered them with their shooting and combat techniques. Then they confiscated the opposing dark elves’ weapons, tied them up, and resumed their path toward the secret passage.
Crockta’s crew eventually arrived at an inn. Unlike Nuridot, Nameragon had inns, as it was a large city.
Adinio eyed his surroundings and then quietly opened the inn’s entrance door after confirming that no one was around. It was quiet inside. The pub on the first floor of the inn, which would have usually been rowdy, was empty.
Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor followed Adinio and entered the inn. Then Anor carefully closed the entrance door. With the door closed, the inside of the inn sank into darkness.
“Reina,” whispered Adinio.
No one answered.
“Reina?” he whispered again.
His voice rang throughout the inn. Soon after, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs that led to the floor above them. The footsteps were light and swift.
“Adinio?” a dark elf lady called out as she emerged from the stairway.
She carried a bow on her back and held a dagger in her hand. The dark elf lady warily surveyed her surroundings and then lowered her dagger when she saw Adinio’s face.
“What happened? And who are these three next to you?” asked Reina, the dark elf lady.
“Thank god you are safe,” said Adinio as he approached her and hugged her.
Reina then relaxed and exchanged greetings with them.
Adinio introduced Crockta’s crew to her and explained, “They are helping me save the city.”
“Could this be... Crockta?!” exclaimed Reina.
“How did you know?”
“I heard a rumor. I’ve also heard about him from Ladet a few times. Are you really Crockta?”
Crockta nodded, and Reina let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. Welcome. I heard you are incredibly strong. First, come inside,” said Reina.
Tiyo suddenly coughed to make his presence known. He looked at Reina with expectant eyes as if waiting to hear stories about his bravery, but she mercilessly crushed Tiyo’s expectations.
“Your helpers can come this way,” Reina added.
“H-Helper...!” Tiyo uttered, devastated.
Crockta tapped on Tiyo’s shoulder with a smug look on his face. It was the face of a winner.
“Has anyone come through the passage?” asked Adinio.
“Not yet,” Reina replied.
After that conversation, they all headed down to the basement of the inn. It was an old storage room. They removed various clutter and junk to reveal a small door.
Reina coughed as she rubbed the dust off the door.
Then she said, “I hope Ladet is safe.”
“I’m sure he is,” replied Adinio.
“Yeah... I believe you, Adinio.”
Adinio then turned around and looked at Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor in succession.
Adinio told them, “Apologies for the overdue thanks. Thank you for stepping up to aid Nameragon even though you don’t have any ties with the city.”
“Don’t mention it,” said Crockta.
“Will you join me in this fight?” asked Adinio.
“Of course.”
“Thank you. I will return the favor no matter what,” said Adinio.
He bowed and then exchanged glances with Reina.
“Be careful,” warned Reina.
“You too.”
Adinio opened the entrance to the secret passage, revealing a cave that extended into the distance. He brought out a lamp to light the way and entered the cave first, followed by. Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor.
The entrance was short and narrow, but the pathway expanded as they crawled through the cave, and they were eventually able to stand up. The passage was sturdy and well-constructed as if it had been made in preparation for emergencies.
While walking through the cave, they occasionally heard footsteps and vibrations above their heads. There seemed to be a battle going on above them. Adinio’s movements quickened, and his shadow swayed along.
“Let’s go,” Adinio urged.
Crockta’s crew ran.
Some time passed by. How long had they been running? They had turned several corners already. Eventually, they saw the end of the passage. It was connected to a short and narrow cave, which resembled the entrance of the passage. Beyond the short and narrow cave was a metal door.
Adinio quickly crawled across the cave like a four-legged animal and grabbed hold of the metal door. He struggled to open it because it had rusted over with age. Flecks of rust fell off as he continued to pull it.
“I will give it a go,” Crockta said, stepping forward.
Crockta and Adinio struggled to switch positions inside the short and narrow cave. When Adinio managed to get behind Crockta, Crockta grabbed the doorknob of the metal door. His muscles swelled up as he pulled on the door. With a screeching sound, the door’s hinge slowly gave way, and the door popped open.
The sudden release of the door threw Crockta backward.
“Ugh...” he groaned.
Meanwhile, Adinio was trembling in pain. His shoulder had taken a hit from Crockta’s head from when he had been flung backward.
Crockta apologized, “I’m sorry.”
Adinio replied, “No, it’s alright. First, let’s go inside...”
The inside of the City Hall looked like a storage room. Various tools covered in dust were littered everywhere. Crockta, Adinio, Tiyo, and Anor entered the storage room one by one in that order.
The City Hall was quiet. Adinio led the way again, and they exited the storage room and went up the stairs. The room above had a clean interior that seemed well-organized, as expected of the City Hall of one of the northern region’s top cities.
“My brother is probably sealing and protecting the entrance of the City Hall right now. Let’s go upstairs,” said Adinio.
“Understood,” replied Crockta.
Crockta and the others followed Adinio up the stairs. As they went up, they heard loud noises from the room they were approaching.
“Who is it?!” someone exclaimed.
As soon as Crockta’s party arrived upstairs, they found arrows and spears aimed at them.
Crockta remained silent. Then he saw a familiar face.
“You...!”
“We meet again,” Crockta greeted with a grin.
The number two floating above the dark elf’s head was still there.
“I told you that we can enter any time,” said Crockta.
It was Nameragon’s guard captain, who had stood up to Crockta on the day that Crockta’s party first arrived at Nameragon.
The guard captain’s expression turned sour. He looked at Adinio first and then Crockta.
“Adinio! Are you the one who let these guys come inside?” the guard captain asked.
“Yes,” replied Adinio.
“What sort of—!”
“They have come to help us. Cut your nonsense,” Adinio chided with a scowl.
It was obvious that they had a strained relationship.
“If you want to stress the importance of pure-blooded dark elves in this situation, you can just shut up. Those pure-blood dark elves are attacking us right now,” Adinio said.
“...!” The captain’s face turned red.
Adinio sighed and continued, “Anyway, it’s not the best time for us to bicker right now. Where is my brother?”
“He’s in the office,” replied the guard captain.
During this conversation, the other guards were shooting arrows out the window. They were trying to keep Arden’s forces at bay.
“They will be making their way inside soon. The dark elf who uses dual swords is strong. We need Crockta,” expressed Adinio in a soothing tone to placate the captain.
The captain regained his composure and nodded with a stiff face. “I know.”
“I want to meet my brother first. Crockta, let’s go,” said Adinio.
Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor followed Adinio to Ladet’s office. When Adinio opened the door, they were met with a completely unexpected sight.
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