Chapter 60 – Karahan (6)

“Sis… doesn’t that mean we shouldn’t go…?” Hephaestus asked, her voice trembling.

Rubia’s twisted expression slowly softened, returning to her usual calm.

What was that look she gave me earlier…? And what did she mean by “messing with her stuff”…? Hmm… what’s really going on here?

“No, that’s exactly why we have to go,” Rubia replied firmly.

Hephaestus tilted her head in confusion.

I found myself mirroring her gesture.

“Hephaestus, who do you think knew about the existence of Eliximona? I, as a priestess, didn’t even know,” Rubia probed.

“Uh… Master Yuria, me, and… maybe…”

“At most, it’d be someone closest to your master, right?”

Hephaestus nodded slowly.

“But if a pathetic criminal organization like that knows about it—”

“Does that mean Master Yuria was betrayed…?” Hephaestus interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rubia remained silent, but her silence was answer enough. Hephaestus’s face twisted with anguish.

“Who… who could have… Oh, so that’s why we have to go… But didn’t you say all the knights and adventurers failed, Sis?”

Hephaestus was right. Rubia had told us that several knights and adventurers had taken on the mission to eradicate the group, but all had failed. They would’ve been well-prepared and fully equipped for the task.

And here we were, just three of us…

Honestly, I don’t lack confidence in my abilities, but… what if something unexpected happens…?

“Those were ordinary people,” Rubia said, slowly straightening her posture. Then, with one hand placed on her chest, she spoke in a feigned humble tone, “And who am I?”

“The priestess…” Hephaestus murmured.

Rubia’s lips curved into a sly smile. “Exactly. Just trust your sister, Hephaestus.”

“Wow…” Even I, who had been struggling to keep up with the conversation, found myself in awe of Rubia’s radiant presence.

“For today, we’ll just scout the location and assess their numbers. We’ll handle the real mission tomorrow,” Rubia explained.

“Then… what about Mariel? What are we going to do about her?” Hephaestus asked.

“Just act normal for now. Don’t give anything away. I’ll take care of her.”

“Ah, okay. Got it.”

Rubia, hearing Hephaestus’s response, chuckled softly and extended her hand to me. “Let’s go eat, Noah. You must be really hungry. You too, Hephaestus?”

“Uh, yes…”

“…Yeah. But honestly, I don’t have much of an appetite.”

I nodded and took Rubia’s hand. Her grip felt tighter than usual.

“Noah, don’t give anything away either… Hmm. Actually, you’re fine just the way you are.”

“Yeah, Sis, just stay as you are,” Hephaestus added.

Rubia and Hephaestus both smiled at me.

“W-what do you mean by ‘stay as I am’?”

Are they teasing me?

“You’re adorable.”

“You’re just being your usual self.”

They are teasing me!

“Ugh…”

“Pfft, hehe… Anyway, Hephaestus, don’t worry too much. It might take a bit longer, but this is the safest approach,” Rubia said, trying to reassure her.

“Yeah, but… I’m worried you two might get seriously hurt…”

“They have no way to communicate with each other. Even if things go wrong, we won’t die. And we likely won’t get seriously injured either.”

Rubia gripped my hand so tightly that it felt like the blood flow was being cut off. She gritted her teeth and continued speaking.

“But if, by any chance, things do go wrong…”

Her gaze, once again, was fixed on me.

“I’ll make sure they learn just how painful it is to not be able to die when you want to. I’ll carve it into their skulls. One cut at a time, meticulously.”

***

Rubia and Hephaestus’s acting skills were… incredible.

Especially Rubia.

I could understand Hephaestus, but Rubia… How did she hide that terrifying bloodlust so well?

“Did everyone enjoy the meal?” Rubia asked cheerfully.

“Ah, yes. Thank you… It was really delicious. I’m very grateful,” Mariel replied.

But Mariel’s acting was top-tier too. If what Rubia said was true, she was planning to stab us in the back, but based on her expression alone, she looked genuinely grateful.

“Yeah, I’m all done,” Hephaestus chimed in.

“Me too…” I added.

“Well then… shall we get going?” Rubia stood up, flashing a bright smile. It was the same sales-pitch smile she’d used when we talked to Jure.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Hephaestus stood up, her face set with determination.

“Yes, I understand… phew…” Mariel looked incredibly tense.

I, as Rubia and Hephaestus had instructed, simply nodded while keeping my usual expression.

“Remember, today we’re only gathering information on the location and their numbers. We’ll conduct the actual raid a bit later,” Rubia reminded us.

Hephaestus clenched her jaw.

“I’m sorry, Hephaestus. But… this is just something we have to do—”

“I know… it’s okay,” she cut Rubia off with a rough voice, clenching her fists tightly.

I can’t tell if she’s acting or if this is real.

“Noah, you heard her, right? No matter how few of them there are, you have to hold back today. Don’t charge in recklessly like last time. Got it?” Rubia said, turning to me.

Did I charge in before…?

“Y-yes?”

“Remember the time we raided that newly formed crime syndicate in Alrba? I told you to hold back, but you couldn’t control yourself… Sigh.”

Alrba…? What…?

“The boss’s limbs were completely torn apart. He couldn’t even crawl; he was dragging himself by his upper teeth, trying to escape. No matter how evil someone is, that was a bit much.”

Rubia shuddered as she recalled the scene, rubbing her arms slowly.

Even Hephaestus gave me a weird look…

And Mariel, who had been following behind us, froze in place, her entire body trembling, her teeth chattering.

“W-wait, I… I didn’t…”

Is this all part of the act…? Am I supposed to play along…? Hmm…

If I were an adventurer, what would I say in this situation?

After thinking it through, I found an appropriate response. I slowly cleared my throat and said, “He was shaking so much, so I personally skinned one of his subordinates and used it as a blanket for him. It was pretty funny, wasn’t it?”

Was that good? Was it convincing? Why is there no reaction… Maybe it wasn’t enough…?

Okay, what would Rubia say…?

“Oh, and the guy who lured us into a trap… He’s still alive, thanks to Rubia. He can’t move and is just a punching bag now. We hit him whenever we get mad… It’d be great if we could get another one, hehe.”

Rubia would totally say something like this! She even talked about tearing people apart and not letting them die earlier!

“N-Noah…?” Rubia stammered.

“Yes?”

Rubia had stopped in her tracks and was staring at me, her expression filled with shock.

Hephaestus looked just as surprised.

And Mariel…

Thud.

“Hic… hic… sniff…”

She had collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

“Ah… um… haha… Yeah, that was… pretty funny. It would be nice to have another one,” Rubia laughed awkwardly before pulling me close.

Then she whispered quietly into my ear. “Noah, you didn’t actually… do that, right?”

“O-of course not! What do you take me for…?”

“Really…?”

“Seriously, no!”

Rubia finally relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

What the heck. She’s the one who started saying all these things, so why is she looking at me like that…?

“Mariel, don’t worry. We’ll handle everything properly, so there won’t be any revenge taken on you,” Rubia assured her.

“Sniff… yes… thank you.”

“Alright, let’s go. Just show us the location, and you can rest easy. I’ll escort you to the temple afterward.”

“Sniff… yes… okay…”

Rubia helped Mariel to her feet, though her legs were still trembling.

“Careful now.”

Mariel didn’t even have the energy to speak, merely nodding weakly as she walked.

We walked for quite a while. The streets grew quieter. The world seemed to grow still.

Then, Mariel stopped. Her expression hardened.

I expanded my senses.

Mariel bit down on a capsule hidden in her gums and screamed. “You bastards! Come out now!”

“When did…!?” Rubia’s startled voice echoed just as the building came into view.

Magic surged from Mariel’s body. I could sense the structure of the building. The magic pulsed outward. The layout of the building became clear. The magic extended toward Hephaestus and Rubia.

Behind the door, 32 figures appeared. Hephaestus’s face was filled with fear.

I saw the door begin to open. Rubia blocked Mariel’s attack with her divine power.

I reached out. And struck Mariel’s—

No, the beast’s head.

Crack!

The beast collapsed, limp. Thankfully, it was still breathing.

The door swung open. I drew my greatsword.

“Kill the one with the pink hair first!” someone shouted.

An axe flew toward Hephaestus. I deflected it with the hilt of my greatsword.

The beasts’ faces twisted in confusion as I deflected the axe. Without hesitation, I charged forward, swinging my greatsword in a wide arc.

The first beast in front of me had no time to react. My blade cleaved through its abdomen, spilling its innards onto the ground. The next one standing nearby lost its lower body in an instant, blood spraying across the walls.

Behind me, Rubia’s divine power flared, wrapping around Hephaestus protectively as more magical waves were hurled our way from the beasts’ ranks. I could sense the magic gathering—another wave aimed at us.

Ignoring the impending attack, I pressed forward, swinging my greatsword again. The wave of magic slammed into Rubia’s shield just as I tore through the arm of another beast, its blood painting the stone floor.

I heard the same magic surging toward Rubia again.

Too late!

In a split second, I grabbed a chunk of the beast I had just killed and hurled it into the air. The magic wave hit the mass of flesh, exploding it in a violent spray of blood and meat.

I gritted my teeth and dashed toward the beast that had cast the spell, my fist driving straight into its gut.

Crunch—I felt its ribs break beneath my hand. The beast’s magical defenses crumbled as my fist smashed through its body, and I could hear its bones snapping.

But I also felt my own hand give way, the bones in my hand fracturing under the force.

“Agh, got it,” I muttered to myself, grimacing at the pain that shot up my arm. My heart pounded in my chest, the blood pumping violently through my veins.

The pain wasn’t stopping me. Instead, something else was rising within me. A sensation I hadn’t fully grasped before—an emotion that now filled me completely.

Excitement.

My lips twisted into a grin as the bloodlust I’d been suppressing came roaring back. My body moved on its own, driven by an insatiable hunger.

My nails dug into my skin, scratching across my arms, leaving trails of blood behind.

Scratch-scratch-scratch—blood seeped from the wounds as I mindlessly gouged at my own flesh. My greatsword’s blade cut into my hand, spilling even more blood, but I felt nothing.

Then I bit down on my tongue, hard.

Blood filled my mouth as I chewed into my own flesh. The pain, the taste of blood—it wasn’t enough. I needed more.

The blood that spilled from my body soaked into the ground around me.

My entire body felt like it was on fire, the feverish sensation driving me further into madness.

I couldn’t stop.

My throat was dry. It burned.

My body had reached its limit. I’d lost too much blood.

But I wanted more.

I wanted more blood. I needed it.

I stared at my broken hand, at the wounds I had scratched open on my skin, at the blood dripping from my sliced tongue.

The pain vanished.

Only one thing remained: the thirst.

My body was crying out for blood.