novelraw Chapter 29 : The Twin Gorge (2)
Chapter 29 : The Twin Gorge (2)
Chapter 29: The Twin Gorge (2)
The tavern was a mess of blood and corpses scattered everywhere.
“Ugh, hh, huuu... hhk, ghk...”
The mercenary sobbed, trembling uncontrollably. His comrades had all been dead for some time now. His fear-stricken eyes were locked onto the imposing figure slowly approaching him.
The guy was a monster. No, he had to be some kind of demon wearing human skin. To take out nearly ten mercenaries all by himself in the time it takes to eat a meal... He’d heard rumors of freaks of nature who defied all logic, but he never imagined he’d run into one in a backwater place like this.
He was a dead man, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Facing the barbarian head-on, the club in his hands suddenly looked as pathetic as a toothpick. The mercenary frantically looked around, desperate for anything that might help. His eyes landed on an axe, the one that had split through his buddy's helmet and was now buried in his skull.
The mercenary wasn't exactly an expert in weapons but even an amateur could tell that the axe was no ordinary piece of equipment.
'Th-that thing... it packed a hell of a punch... It ripped through a steel helmet like paper... If I can get a good throw, maybe I can take this monster down...'
He gulped hard. Gripping the handle, he yanked it out with a wet sound. He steadied his shaking arm, put everything he had into it, and hurled the axe.
Embarassingly, the axe wobbled through the air in an arc that wouldn't impress a limp old man.
The axe tumbled pathetically across the floor. It was a joke compared to how it flew before. The barbarian picked up the axe at his feet and shook his head slowly.
"That's not how you throw an axe."
"Haa... haah..."
"You grip it firmly in your hand, gather strength in your muscles, flex your wrist, and use your fingers to give it rotation all the way through. Like this."
WHIIIIIIIR—!
The mercenary got one last, crystal-clear view of the proper axe-throwing form.
CRUNCH—!
And the price for this lesson is his life.
His terror-frozen face split cleanly in half, and the back of his hand dropped to the wooden floor with a dull thud.
"See? That's how you throw it."
Kadim muttered quietly as he walked over and retrieved the axe. After wiping off the blood and bits of flesh, he settled into a chair.
"How's that drink coming? The snacks are all set."
The owner peeked out from behind the low platform where he'd been hiding and responded in a voice that was half-fainted.
"Y-yes... sir? P-please, just give me a moment! I'll bring it right away!"
The special mead that the innkeeper had been saving for a special occasion suddenly made its appearance as the evening's drink.
***
Kadim filled his cup to the brim and knocked it back in big gulps.
The mead was not very sweet and had a rather high proof. Even so, it was packed with rich honey and fruit flavors, and the thick texture clung to his mouth in a way that made him want to keep drinking.
It was not as good as a cold beer, but he was satisfied enough. After draining three cups in quick succession, Kadim spoke.
"Not bad at all. What did you mix with the honey?"
After receiving a gold coin worth one thousand Luden, the shadow that had been cast over the innkeeper's face lifted considerably. Though dealing with this barbarian was still nerve-wracking, at least the immediate terror had passed.
"J-juniper berries, wild apples, and raspberries, sir mercenary. I'm... I'm really glad it's to your liking."
"Got any more hidden away? I'll have one more bottle before I leave."
"S-sir?"
"What? It's not like you all won't be happier once I'm gone, right?"
The innkeeper didn't know what to say to that. Feeling awkward, he mumbled something about getting more wine and excused himself.
Cleaning up the mercenary corpses fell to Duncan and the villagers. For some reason, once Duncan started carrying out the bodies one by one, the villagers who'd been watching from outside began hesitantly coming in to help.
The young men worked together to haul all the bodies outside. The village women brought water buckets and rags to scrub away the bloodstains. Someone even brought a cart to carry the corpses. Everything proceeded smoothly, almost efficiently.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the tavern was quickly restored to normal. Duncan approached Kadim with a bewildered expression.
"Everyone's pretty shaken up, but they don't seem all that upset about the mercenaries being dead. I wonder if those guys were causing serious trouble in the village..."
"Have a drink, Duncan. You worked hard cleaning up."
"Ah, yes! Thank you, my lord!"
"Once we finish the next bottle, we'll leave the village."
"My lord?"
He reflexively questioned it, but soon understood Kadim's reasoning.
Whether the mercenaries had been causing trouble or not, killing ten people wasn't exactly a minor incident. If the local bigwigs got wind of this, it was guaranteed to be a huge pain in the ass.
He couldn't hide his disappointment. Just when he thought he'd finally get a decent night's sleep with a roof over his head, it was back to camping out. Well, at least it was way better than ending up in prison as criminals.
Duncan let out a small sigh and took a sip of wine. Maybe it was because it'd been a while since he'd had any alcohol, but the buzz hit him hard.
He turned his head and burped. His face flushed red as he glanced around nervously before whispering in a low voice.
"By the way, my lord... did you drink that monster's blood again this time? I mean, the demon's blood?"
"No. That blood's still in your bag."
"R-right. I was actually a bit surprised. I knew you were strong before, but now you fight almost like you've drunk it even when you haven't..."
"..."
Now that he mentioned it, that was true.
This body had always been pretty strong, but only by normal human standards. It definitely wasn't at the level where a casual kick could shatter someone's shinbone.
'Is this body getting stronger too...?'
It had been the same in the first round.
A body that started as nothing more than a strong laborer had been forged into something superhuman after slaughtering countless monsters and demons. Since the enemies were powerful demons from the Demon Scape, he'd still needed to rely on demon blood even then. But against anything else, his bare hands would've been more than enough.
It was different from real human bodies that had clear physical limits. Maybe the game system that lets you increase stats with points was automatically applying itself. Since he'd need to rely on demon blood less often, the body's growth was actually pretty welcome.
They quickly emptied the additional bottle of honey wine the innkeeper brought out. Duncan swayed slightly, pleasantly buzzed, but Kadim remained perfectly sober. The barbarian's robust constitution couldn't even catch a buzz from ordinary liquor.
Just as he was about to leave, a middle-aged man approached their table.
"Pardon the intrusion, sir mercenary. I know I'm just a simple old man, but could I trouble you for a moment of your time?"
Kadim's cheek twitched in annoyance, but he didn't immediately get up and leave.
"You're the village chief?"
"Yes, I have the honor of serving in that role, undeserved though it may be."
"It seems I have unintentionally troubled you. It will take some effort to bury ten corpses."
"No, it is hardly your fault, sir mercenary. After all, those scoundrels were simply bitten by snakes."
Kadim raised an eyebrow slightly.
The village chief smiled meaningfully.
So that’s how he wants to handle it.
"Those trash were saying they were protecting the village. What was that about?"
"Not a word of it worth listening to, sir. They called themselves mercenaries, but they were really just bandits in disguise. They used 'protection' as an excuse to eat and drink for free at this inn and generally raise hell all over town."
"Then why'd they go into that forest?"
"They weren't trying to protect the village. They went to catch snakes to make snake wine. Probably heard somewhere that it's good for virility."
"..."
"Honestly, we were all terrified those thugs would get drunk again and start bothering our women... You've saved us a world of trouble. As the village chief, as a father with a daughter and granddaughter, and for everyone here, I thank you."
"Thank the snakes, not me."
The chief smiled faintly and nodded knowingly.
The mercenaries went to catch snakes and were killed by snakes. A perfectly reasonable resolution that satisfied everyone, except the dead mercenaries.
A different question popped into Kadim's head. He crossed his arms and leaned back.
"How's the Alliance's administrative system work? Who governs each region? I'm guessing you don't have emperors and lords ruling over land like in the Empire."
The chief stroked his beard thoughtfully. That wasn't the kind of topic you'd expect from an ordinary barbarian mercenary.
"The councils of the major cities directly govern the primary regions, while the frontier areas are managed by Consuls dispatched from those councils and their assistants. Our village falls under a Consul sent from the Delutana Council."
"Then why didn't you ask them for help to get rid of the mercenaries earlier? Does the Consul lack military authority or capability?"
"No, mercenary sir. The Consul commands council troops, and there is even a high-ranking mage among his men…”
The chief hesitated. He glanced at Kadim before finally speaking.
"Actually, that's partly why I've come to you. It's shameless and presumptuous of me to ask more of someone who's already helped our village once, but... we have nowhere else to turn for help."
Ah, there it was.
The chief and villagers hadn't covered up the incident out of pure kindness. They had a favor to ask, so they were buttering him up first. Kadim thought this village chief was pretty sharp for a frontier elder.
Not that it mattered.
If it’s too troublesome, he’ll just refuse. He gestured with his chin for the chief to continue and the chief bowed slightly and got to the point.
"As I mentioned, this place is under the management of the Delutana’s Consul. Thanks to that, the villagers have been living comfortably without much worry. As long as we paid our tributes and taxes on time, the Consul took care of problems for us."
He couldn't solve broad issues like the Forest of No Return, but that wasn't a major problem. Not all sides of the village bordered the forest, and as long as they didn't go inside, it was fine.
But now things had changed.
"The Consul is based in the nearby town of Remtana. The only way to get there is through the Twin Gorge to the northeast. But for the past few months, a horrific monster has been blocking that path."
For whatever reason, the Consul had been ignoring this problem for months. Villagers who'd risked crossing the gorge had nearly lost their lives. The eastern route was blocked by treacherous mountains, and the west by the Forest of No Return.
In the end, Ekul had become completely isolated.
That was exactly why the mercenary company had been able to terrorize the village. With the security vacuum, similar incidents could happen again anytime. And while they could grow their own food, they couldn't produce essentials like salt themselves.
For the people of Ekul to survive, they needed to kill that monster as soon as possible.
"I heard you defeated a monster in the Forest of No Return. I thought the villagers were exaggerating, but after seeing your skills firsthand, I believe it now. Please, have mercy on these helpless villagers and help us just this once, sir?"
Kadim remained silent with his arms crossed and brows furrowed.
The barbarian's interest wasn't in the villagers' survival; it was focused elsewhere. After pondering something for a moment, he called the merchant over and had him spread out a map.
"Chief, is the Twin Gorge you're talking about here?"
"Yes, yes. That's right. That's the place."
"Then the monster blocking the path must be that one."
"...Which one?"
"..."
After hearing Kadim's next words, the chief's eyes flew wide open in shock.
"How did you know? Have you passed through that area before?"
"I have. A very long time ago."
Probably before your grandfather's grandfather was even born.
Kadim left that part unsaid and stretched lazily. He'd figured out the situation well enough; now it was time to negotiate.
This wasn't about hunting a demon, so he couldn't work for free. He propped his chin at an angle and looked at his potential client. The perceptive chief leaned in and whispered discreetly.
"We're not well-off, so we can't offer much. But since it's a matter of life and death, the villagers pooled together what savings they had..."
"So how much did you prepare?"
"...We've gathered 10,000 Ludens."
"I'll need double that."
The chief's eyes went wide.
Twenty thousand Ludens? The monster was strong enough that most mercenaries wouldn't even dare face it. But even so, that seemed like too much money.
Kadim wasn't just trying to squeeze them dry. There was a reason he'd doubled the price. If they'd offered 10,000 Ludens, then 20,000 was actually the appropriate fee.
Kadim lowered his voice and added an explanation.
"About that monster in the gorge."
"..."
"It's definitely not one monster. It's two."
After all, that place wasn't called the "Twin Gorge" for nothing.
The chief blinked and stared at Kadim blankly.