Chapter 132
In absolute blackness, with no light whatsoever…
“Damn it…” In the pitch-black darkness that stimulated terror, a low-pitched curse could be heard. There was a young man covered in blood, but it was unclear whether the blood belonged to him or not.
The young man was also holding a pristine white sword and he seemed holy at first glance.
The young man was the representative of the Hubalt Empire in the upcoming Reinhardt Masters’ Battle, Christian.
Christian was trying his best to move fast, but he soon came to a halt.
“It hurts.”
“...!” Christian’s eyes widened upon sensing something holding one of his feet.
“It hurts. It hurts. It hurts…!” Christian was startled upon hearing a voice underneath, and he gnashed his teeth while staring at the figure, repeating the same phrase over and over again.
Christian knew that the figure only resembled a human being, but it couldn’t be further from a human.
It was an indescribable creature that was neither dead nor alive.
“Hermes…!” Christian exclaimed as the creature crawled over toward him.
Christian knew that he had to inform his master about all the things he had seen and heard here, especially about the unique creature in front of him.
The Reinhardt Masters’ Battle wasn’t even important anymore. If everyone found out about what was going on here, the Igrant Continent would soon be covered in blood.
“If God has led me to this place…!” Christian looked around. He was currently located in the basement, so he immediately ascended the steps in front of him and thought about it for a moment before lifting the sword in his hand.
Snick, snack…
Christian immediately scratched the wall with his blade.
“Anyone should be able to recognize this…” With that, Christian started moving once again.
He shot like a rocket, but his footsteps were silent. He made a break for the door on the first floor.
‘I have to get out of here and raze this place to the ground…’
“...!”
Unfortunately, Christian had to stop moving because a black-robed figure had unknowingly appeared in front of him. Christian stared at the figure with wide eyes because he recognized the figure as the entity residing in the basement of this place.
All of a sudden, it was now standing at the door on the first floor.
“...”
A deafening silence immediately blanketed the place.
The figure was facing the door, but it slowly turned around.
Christian’s eyes and the black-robed figure’s glowing ruby-like eyes met in mid-air.
Christian’s heart froze upon discovering the black-robed figure’s identity.
“What brings you here?” Christian shouted and asked, “What are you trying to do here? Are you unaware that what you’re doing can ignite war throughout the continent?”
As though in response to Christian's words, the black-robed man slowly lifted his hand.
Clang, clang, clang…
As if it were a signal, faint metallic noises started reverberating from both ends of the corridor, one at each end of the hallway on the first floor.
“...”
Christian stood there, calmly listening to the metallic noises. He didn’t dare to pry his eyes away from the black-robed man.
After a while, Christian was stupefied upon seeing the arrival of two more figures.
“God…”
At first glance, they seemed to be identical to the one in front of the door. If one had to point out any difference between them, then the black-robed figure in front of the door felt more like a mage, while the other two felt more like knights.
It was dark on the first floor, and the two figures were wearing jet-black armor, so Christian could barely make out their silhouette. However, the moment they came close enough to Christian, he started feeling this strong aura of death only the dead could emanate.
The two figures had swords, and even though they still hadn’t drawn their blades just yet, the combination of their aura and the pressure they exuded made Christian feel as if he was suffocating.
“Don’t tell me…” Christian’s back dripped with cold sweat
At A-Class, Christian was clearly aware of the two figures’ identities. They were one of the strongest undead, and there had only been a handful of encounters with these creatures despite the vast and long history of the Igrant Continent. After all, they were monsters that could only be created from the body and the soul of a B-Class Knight at the minimum.
“Commander Knight… Death Knight...” Christian muttered. His voice, which sounded like a groan, reverberated with conviction that was so sharp it could cut flesh.
A few moments later, there was a showdown between the four.
This happened two days before Joshua's arrival in Rev, where the residence of the late Count Rebrecca was located.
***
In any organization or group, there would always be that one group of people who were always trying to sit on the coattails of others. Whenever a larger group effort was required, they would ask to be included in the larger group to tap on their work without contributing much.
There would always be that one group, even among the mercenaries.
“Hey! This is great. It’s awesome, I’m telling you!”
“Yes? What the hell is wrong with you, Bear?”
There were four guys in two different groups sitting behind a bush, they seemed to be currently in the middle of setting up camp, and they tilted their heads upon hearing Bear shouting.
There were two familiar faces among them—one was Bear, while the other was Greg.
Greg saw that Bear seemed to be excited about something, so he asked, “What’s going on?”
“T-The Empire's three most beautiful ladies…”
“What about them?”
Greg and the other two mercenaries stared at Bear with narrowed eyes.
“Calm down, speak properly, and tell us what you’re talking about.”
At that, Bear took a deep breath before shouting, “One of them is here! Right now!”
“...!” The mercenaries' eyes widened.
“What? Here?”
“Dumbass, did you eat something bad that you started hallucinating? Perhaps that newbie was too awesome he made you go crazy?”
“No! It’s true! I saw her with my own eyes!” Bear thumped his chest, seemingly frustrated.
“Are you dreaming—” one of the mercenaries started.
However, Greg interrupted him with bright eyes. “Don’t move.”
The mercenaries shut their mouths upon seeing Greg raise his hand.
It was now clear that Greg was the leader of the four.
“Speak, Bear. I don’t think Princess Serciarin would be in this kind of place, and Lady Charles wouldn’t be here either. Could it be that you’re talking about…”
Bear vigorously nodded at Greg’s words and said, “Yes, it’s her! I saw her!”
“...!” The mercenaries stared at Bear in disbelief.
“Nonsense! How could she suddenly appear here when she’s been missing for so many years?”
“Well, I have an idea,” Greg said.
“What? What do you mean, Greg?”
The mercenaries' attention shifted to him.
“Where are we going?” Greg asked.
“We’re going to Baron Dubuer, right? To bring relief goods to the locals…”
“Yes, but we have been overlooking one detail.”
“Are we?” the mercenaries asked with tilted heads.
“It’s something we should have known from the beginning. It’s about our client. Do you know who they are?”
“Ah!” the mercenaries exclaimed.
“Branch Manager Eiden is overseeing the quest. Unless he has gone mad, he won’t oversee a quest on his own, much less a quest that wouldn’t bring him any profit. The same goes for other top-ranked mercenaries. In that case, there has to be a client behind this quest. But why is he hiding the client’s identity?”
“Maybe there’s no need to do that? Since the branch manager is overseeing the quest, then the Mercenary Guild itself will take responsibility for anything, so we don’t have to worry about losing money..”
“This has nothing to do with money…” Greg clicked his tongue and shook his head before saying, “This is a matter of trust. Who would rush to provide services to an unknown client? In that case, there’s only one possibility. The client’s identity is problematic. They may have committed a crime, a crime grave enough to warrant hiding one’s identity. Treason, perhaps?”
“Treason?!”
A shocked mercenary sprung from his seat.
Greg waved his hand dismissively and said, “Let’s say the client committed treason, why would the guild accept a request from that kind of client, then?”
“Yeah, why?” asked Beo.
“I'm not sure, but I can guess…” Greg stared at Bear for a moment before saying, “Baron Dubuer has the obligation to oversee the territories here according to His Majesty’s orders, but there’s no way he’s involved in something like this. It’s more likely that the client has some connections with the Rebrecca Family, and they were concerned about the well-being of the territory’s people.”
“...”
“Baron Dubwi. No, a person associated with the location where the previous Count Rebrecca controlled. And at precisely the perfect moment, a high-ranking mage from nowhere emerged like a character from a story.”
“Think about it. They’re concerned about the people under the late Count Rebrecca, and they’re capable enough to convince the Mercenary Guild to help them. To do that, one has to be a high-class mage or a high-class knight.”
“No way!”
The mercenaries' shock grew as Greg continued. “A mystical genius blessed by mana. A lady renowned for her skill in ice magic, as well as one of the three most beautiful women in the Avalon Empire—Iceline zin Rebrecca. She was said to have vanished as well.”
Greg’s lips curled into a smile amidst the deafening silence. “The client has to be her.”
“Yikes! I would have made a mistake if it weren’t for you, Greg. Are they planning on recruiting people?”
“Recruiting people?” Greg revealed a wicked smile. “I have a better idea...”
“Huh?”
“Have you all forgotten about the bounty that Marquis Crombell put on her head a few days ago? I recall it’s ten thousand gold.”
“Greg, you…”
“Think about it. For how long can we keep on surviving as mercenaries? The opportunity to completely change your life is rare, so we have to take advantage of it.”
“...” The mercenaries fell silent.
Bear closed his eyes in guilt. If only he hadn’t opened his mouth, he could have had one of the three most beautiful ladies of Avalon for himself.
“...”
“Why not, right? If we do it right, we might even be able to take one of the three beauties for a ride.” Greg chuckled.
The mercenaries gulped a mouthful of their own saliva. It wouldn’t take a genius to see that the idea had tempted them.
“Nah, I don’t think so. I’m out.” Bear finally opened his eyes, and he decided to abandon the plan and ran back to the camp.
“That coward…!” Greg grumbled.
‘But there’s really nothing I can do if he doesn’t want to do it…’
“So, Greg. What’s the plan?” asked one of the mercenaries.
“Mages have flaws, no?” Greg explained, “They’re weak in close-quarters combat. And as far as they know, we’re allies, yes? If we take advantage of that to get close to her…”
“Oh.”
The mercenaries were so engrossed with their own thoughts about what they would do to one of the three most beautiful ladies of Avalon once they got their hands on her that they couldn’t even understand what Greg was talking about.
Unfortunately, someone else had been listening to their conversation the whole time.
“It seems like a trash can truly be found everywhere.”
“...!”
“Who's there?!”
Greg shouted, awakening the mercenaries from their stupor.
A tall, robed figure then emerged from the darkness.
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