novelraw Chapter 28 : The Twin Canyon (1)
Chapter 28 : The Twin Canyon (1)
Chapter 28: The Twin Canyon (1)
The forest is just an ordinary forest now.
Leaves sprouted densely between the branching boughs. Fragments of the sun shone gently, as if light were seeping through a cracked roof. Though the thickets and undergrowth were quite overgrown, that was about it. This place had become just another run-of-the-mill forest you could find anywhere.
The eerie atmosphere and strange phenomena that had plagued this forest all stemmed from that powerful Transmuter-type demon. Now that the demon had been exterminated, the forest naturally went back to the way it was.
That said, the vast expanse and dense foliage remained unchanged. The abnormal growth and regeneration had stopped, but what had already grown wasn't going anywhere. Kadim and Duncan had to trudge through the forest paths for another half day.
But at long last, their never-ending walk in the woods was almost over. Duncan climbed up a tree to scout ahead and shouted with excitement.
"My lord! I can see a village! Just a bit more walking and we'll be there!"
"..."
They’d been walking through this forest for three solid days. Unless they'd been going in circles, they must have already crossed the border into Alliance territory by now.
The merchant had explained that the Free Cities Alliance was technically part of the Lucanian Empire on paper. But in reality, it might as well be a different country. When demons started running rampant and governing the territory became difficult, the previous emperor had partially given up control and granted them autonomy.
Duncan had been adamant that not even an Archpaladin could just waltz in here. If someone with that level of power crossed the border without authorization, it would definitely spark a major diplomatic incident. So, for now, they could breathe easier about running into Paladins and dealing with their bullshit.
Duncan zipped down the tree like a squirrel and happily started leading the way to town. He’d been in a great mood ever since the whole gold and treasure oath. He'd even started babbling on without being asked.
“The people in the Alliance are actually pretty okay with Atalans! Most see them as taciturn warriors with good honor! Well, some ignorant fools do treat them like slaves... but they won't dare pull any of that act in front of you, my lord!"
"..."
"Oh, you'll be amazed when you see the big cities, my lord! The biggest cities in the Alliance are Delutana, Vestana, Galentana, and Agon. Every one of them covers an enormous amount of land and is swarming with people! If you go to the central plaza in Delutana, you will probably see more people than you have in your entire life!”
"..."
It was a funny thought. Kadim was originally from a city with more than 10 million people. Still, there was no harm in gathering information about this era, so he let the guy keep talking.
“The road we are taking is called the Golden Highway. It is a trade route that cuts straight through the Alliance from Delutana to Vestana. It's one of the safest roads on the continent. Each section has guards and even mages from the Mage Tower stationed there..."
The merchant's voice gradually trailed off. His cheerful steps slowly turned hesitant. Sensing something, Kadim also slowed down and looked ahead.
Up ahead, a group of people was raising a ruckus in the woods.
It didn't take long to figure out what was happening.
—Hissss! Sssss!
“Shit, get it off me! Get off!”
"Fuck, I-I got bit! I'm bitten! It’s poisonous, right? It’s gotta be poisonous!”
"Hey, watch out behind you! There's a snake in the back too..."
—Hiss!
"Aaagh! My ankle!!"
"...Son of a bitch."
They were lightly armed, numbering about a dozen men or so. They looked like mercenaries, and they were flailing their weapons around like scarecrows caught in a gale. It looked ridiculous from a distance, but for those involved, they were in deep trouble. A few of them were already down, bitten by the snakes swarming them.
The demon might be gone, but the forest and its demon-bred snakes weren’t. They no longer regenerated when cut like before, but that was cold comfort to the mercenaries. The snakes were still plenty dangerous with their numbers and poison fangs.
“Oh no, this is… this is terrible… they'll all die at this rate..."
Duncan fidgeted anxiously as he watched the mercenaries. Then he turned his gaze toward the barbarian. Kadim looked at the people facing imminent death with eyes as indifferent as stone.
Before long, the mercenaries spotted the two men standing at a distance. Their faces lit up like they'd just seen an angel.
"Hey, it's a barbarian! One of those barbarian mercs!”
“Hey, you! Over here, give us a hand!! There are too many snakes!”
“Get over here and kill these things!”
"..."
Kadim didn't move a muscle. He just stood there and watched with his mouth clamped shut. When the mercs saw that, they started getting louder.
"Hey! Can't you hear us? You there, barbarian! Come help us out!"
“What are you just gawking at? Are those weapons on your belt just for show?”
“Shit! Shut your mouth, Torenon! This is no time to be pissing him off when we should be begging for our lives!”
“Well, the son of a bitch is just staring like he’s watching a damn play! Hey, watch out there!"
"Aaaagh!"
That was enough. Kadim turned and started walking around them. The furious shouts of the mercenaries followed him.
“Hey, HEY! Where the hell are you going?! Goddammit, help us!”
“YOU SON OF A BIIIIITCH! ARE YOU DEAF OR STUPID?!”
“The barbarian and his little bearded friend! We’ll remember your faces! If we see you again, you’re dead, you motherfuuuuuckers!”
Duncan flinched when he got called out. He hurried to catch up with Kadim and asked nervously.
"M-my lord... they were terribly rude, but shouldn't we help them and then punish them? To just leave them be when people are dying before our very eyes is…”
Kadim shook his head firmly.
After being scammed and betrayed countless times in this world, he'd established principles. He wouldn't save anyone unless they met three conditions.
There must be a clear absence of risk during the rescue.
There must be a clear absence of risk after the rescue.
There must be a clear and certain benefit to be gained after the rescue.
Those mercenaries failed to meet all three criteria. The merchant would be a sitting duck while he fought; there was no telling if they'd turn on them afterwards, and there was nothing to gain from it anyway.
In fact, the odds of things going south were much higher.
"Most of them don't look comfortable with their weapons. And their armor doesn't fit right. They probably looted that gear off someone else.”
"...!"
Duncan was floored.
Now that Kadim mentioned it, they really did look like they were wearing stolen stuff. Then again, mercenaries who weren't making good money were pretty much not that different from bandits, so it wasn't that surprising.
Even though Duncan had watched the same mercenaries, he hadn't noticed any of these clues. He was realizing it all over again that this barbarian wasn’t just good at fighting. His eyes and his brain were way sharper than a normal person's.
In the end, Duncan agreed not to rescue them. Kadim walked past the mercenaries, and Duncan diligently followed behind.
Suddenly, Kadim stopped dead in his tracks.
"...What's wrong, my lord?"
"..."
"Is something the matter...?"
"...No, it's nothing."
He took one quick look back before continuing on his way. Duncan tilted his head in confusion before hurrying after him.
***
On a log cabin that smelled of fresh wood and gave off a rustic vibe, a sign swayed back and forth with the creaking movement of rusty chains.
'Ekl's Feast' was the only inn and restaurant in this backwater village on the Alliance's outskirts. The owner was a decent cook, so the place was usually the town's main hangout spot, but lately, the villagers have pretty much steered clear of the inn. It was because a group of rowdy mercenaries had basically taken it over.
But not today. The mercs were gone for the day, and a couple of new travelers were in town. For the first time in ages, the villagers were crammed into the restaurant to get a look.
The table was set with rye bread, potatoes, and thick stew, with a crowd circling around it. Sitting right in the middle were a flustered-looking Duncan and a totally unbothered Kadim.
One man asked in an extremely excited voice.
"You two really came through that Forest of No Return?"
"..."
“…Er, well. That is correct.”
“My god, I can’t believe it! You’re the first ones to ever make it all the way through that forest to get here! So many travelers have gone in trying to figure out its secrets and just… vanished.”
The villagers all gasped and murmured in unison. A little girl took advantage of the chaos to squeeze her way to the front.
"How did you get through, misters? My mom said that the forest is full of snakes and horrible monsters! Did this big mister defeat all the monsters?"
“Now, now, sweetie, don’t interrupt the grownups…”
“But for real, how’d you do it? Nothing happened to you on the way? It’s not called the Forest of No Return for nothing! Forget crossing it, no one's even gone deep inside and come back..."
“Nah, that’s not totally true! Remember that one person who made it back? The woman who was traveling by herself looking for some old ruins, the one carrying that big bag of weird antiques!”
"Right! That girl from some university! She came back and said there was some weirdo in the forest who mesmerized travelers and a demon as big as a house…”
Duncan wasn't sure if he should explain. He looked around nervously, but Kadim didn't even glance his way and focused entirely on tearing into his rye bread. Taking that as a ‘go ahead,’ Duncan opened his pack and pulled something out.
"Ahem, don't be shocked by what you see. The peerless warrior beside me single-handedly defeated that demon as big as a house and obtained this as spoils of war!"
Duncan pulled out a large scale that gleamed with an olive sheen.
The villagers' already wide eyes grew even larger.
They couldn’t even wrap their heads around it. If one scale was that big, how huge was the actual demon? They all shoved forward, trying to get a feel of it.
But after actually touching it, their reactions turned puzzled.
“Huh? You call this a scale?”
"Doesn't look like a scale to me."
“Hey, isn’t this just a piece of sheet metal with some green paint on it?”
Clang, clang—!
When they tapped it, it made a clear metallic sound. The villagers cocked their heads, and Duncan started to look embarrassed.
"N-no, it's... there really was a demon with scales like this..."
The merchant's reaction only fueled their suspicions. People gave him skeptical looks. They stepped back a few steps and started whispering loud enough for everyone to hear.
“…Something’s fishy here, don’t you think?”
“You think… he’s trying to pawn that junk off on us?”
"What would we even do with that..."
“Because mages would know it’s fake right away…”
“Yeah, and his story about crossing the forest sounded like a load of bull from the get-go…”
Duncan was scrambling to fix things, but Kadim couldn't care less. He didn't give a damn whether the villagers believed them or not. Actually, he was happier now that they’d backed off as he could finally eat in peace.
But just as Kadim bit into a potato and dipped his rye bread in the stew...
BANG—!
Someone kicked the door open violently and stormed into the inn.
“…Hah, hah.”
It was a mercenary holding a sword and breathing heavily through his nose. A few more guys with clubs and axes trailed in behind him. They were all wounded and covered in blood and sweat.
Kadim and Duncan had already met them once before.
“…Hk!”
"...Haaah."
The villagers flinched back like a bunch of scared bunnies. The mercenary with the sword glared at them with blazing eyes.
"The fuck. Why are you people here?"
"..."
"Hey, innkeeper! Who the hell gave you permission to let people in here?! I thought I told you nobody gets in while we’re using the place!”
"W-well..."
“You motherfuckers! We're out there getting our asses kicked trying to protect this shithole village, and you’re in here having a goddamn party?! Is this the thanks we get, you ungrateful pricks?! Huh?!”
“N-No! We’re sorry, sirs! I’ll get them out right now, just give me a second…”
The innkeeper frantically gestured for everyone to leave. The villagers scrambled to get out. But Kadim still sat at his table, dunking his rye bread in the stew until it was nice and soggy.
Just as the innkeeper approached with an ashen face...
“Hold on. Not them. Leave those two.”
Sparks flew from the mercenary's eyes.
He walked straight toward Kadim and Duncan, and when he reached them, he kicked the table hard.
CRASH, SMASH—!!
The table went flying, one of its legs snapping off. Plates shattered as bread and soup scattered everywhere. The mercenary stepped close and shoved his sword at Kadim.
"Nice to see you again, you piece of shit. I told you, didn't I? That we'd remember your faces."
"..."
“Oh, I bet you didn’t see this coming when you were enjoying the show so much earlier, huh? Four of our guys died. If you bastards had died instead, at least two of them would still be alive. Hehe, you fucking cowards, worse than maggots..."
"..."
“…You ignored us and you ran. Now you pay the price. Too late for regrets now. Just stick out your neck and get ready to take my blade, barbarian."
Kadim didn't bother arguing.
He didn't ask why he should help bandits who were clearly wearing stolen equipment. He didn't ask how a bunch of pathetic losers who couldn't even fight off snakes had the right to blame anyone else.
Kadim simply put the rye bread in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and said this:
“You’re right, I do regret something. I regret not killing all those trash back then.”
"Ha, what a funny bastard... Yeah, bet you're regretting it. If you'd just killed some snakes, you wouldn't be dying here..."
"No. Not the snakes. You. If I didn't want loose ends, I should've killed you all back then. It was out of character for me to leave a job half-done."
"What? You son of a—"
Kadim kicked the mercenary's shin while still seated.
CRACK—!
The shinbone instantly shattered and the joint bent backward. The mercenary lost his balance and toppled over like the shattered table.
Crunch!
The broken bone ripped right through his flesh.
"Ugh, ughhh..."
As he stood up, Kadim swung his leg up and kicked the mercenary square in the jaw.
CRUNCH—!!
The man's jaw exploded, and the lower half of his face was crushed inward. His head snapped back and slammed into the floor.
BOOM—
The floorboards caved in with a thunderous sound, and the unconscious mercenary made a weird gurgling sound as his limbs twitched.
“Eh… eh… eh…”
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Nobody even really saw what happened. The mercenaries in the back looked stunned.
"...Huh?"
"What?"
“Wh-What just…”
Kadim calmly rolled his shoulders. He drew the axe hanging from his waist and nodded toward the innkeeper.
"Just bread and stew is pretty boring. I’ll pay you, so bring out the good stuff if you’ve got any liquor stashed away.”
"...P-Pardon?"
“I don’t need any snacks to go with it. I’ll just chew on the flesh of these bastards here.
The mercenaries' faces turned as pale and stiff as corpses.
Kadim bared his teeth like a beast and hurled his axe.