Chapter 8: The Worst Reunion (8)

[8] 1. The Worst Reunion (8)

There are those moments in life…

When you’re engrossed in something, and then suddenly, a realization strikes you like lightning.

As if an omniscient being, unable to bear it any longer, whispers the truth into your ear.

And that realization is usually called…

Am I doing something stupid right now?

“Is it here…? No, this isn’t it… It was definitely around here…”

I looked at Irene, who was scanning her surroundings. Her face was deeply furrowed in frustration as she shone the light on the sleeping plants.

Unable to hold back any longer, I asked,

“What exactly are you looking for?”

Irene avoided my gaze.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m simply enjoying the hike.”

Irene was more brazen than I had expected. Dumbfounded, I retorted,

“Please tell me you didn’t actually think I’d fall for such an obvious lie.”

Irene’s body trembled slightly. But she didn’t speak. I let out a sigh and said,

“I’ll help you find it if you’re looking for something. Just tell me what it is.”

“…”

Irene stared at me silently before looking back at the dark forest.

Then she rubbed her eyes and shook her head.

“I’m sorry. Let’s go back.”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Irene avoided my gaze.

“…I suppose I was just worried for nothing.”

Worried?

I gave her another look of confusion, but Irene had already bowed her head deeply.

“I sincerely apologize for making you go through all this trouble.”

A formal, but for that very reason, a perfect apology.

“And I’ll compensate you separately for today’s work. Out of my own pocket, of course.”

On top of that, she even promised a reward.

Even if I had something to say, it was difficult to say it now.

Is this what it means to be a professional office worker?

“Well… If that’s what you say…”

I couldn’t help but turn back as she said, though something felt off.

***

As we were walking back to the camp empty-handed.

In the silence, my head was racing with thoughts.

First of all, this made it less likely that she was the spy.

If she was the spy, my head would be rolling on the ground by now, or hers would.

But as one doubt was cleared, another one arose.

Worried for nothing?

Does she know something, but is keeping quiet?

“Hold on a moment.”

Suddenly, Irene stopped in her tracks and looked around.

“What is it now…?”

I stopped myself from snapping at her and listened closely.

‘aaa…’

A faint, but putrid scent tickled my nose.

Irene and I looked at each other. We didn’t speak, but we both knew what the other was thinking.

Nodding in unison, we followed the scent and sound.

…And then, after a short while, we finally found what we were looking for.

“…”

“…”

We stared at the cave, hidden behind the bushes, which looked awfully suspicious.

The torches that were placed in front of the cave indicated that there were people inside, and the trails of blood that dotted the cave floor indicated that those people were not friendly.

…And to top it all off, there was a living corpse right next to the entrance, scratching its ass.

The source of the sound and smell that we had followed.

“…”

I quietly looked at Irene next to me.

She seemed calm at first glance, but there was a hint of panic in her eyes. And I didn’t miss her faint mutter,

“As I thought…”

As I thought…

It was a phrase you wouldn’t say without prior expectation.

Irene definitely knew something.

But I had to stop my train of thought right there.

*Crack-*

“…?”

The back of the undead’s head suddenly split open, revealing a large eye that swiveled towards us.

“…!”

I quickly covered Irene’s mouth and pulled her into my arms, hiding behind a thick tree and peeking out.

The undead scratched its head before slowly starting to walk towards us.

Damn it, that’s cheating…!

I cursed inwardly and covered my own mouth with my other hand.

And then I checked on Irene.

Fortunately, she seemed to have grasped the situation quickly and was quietly nestled in my arms.

I slowly removed my hand from her mouth and reached for the dagger in my pocket.

*Rustle, rustle.*

The sound of the undead’s footsteps crushing the fallen leaves grew louder, filling the silence of the night.

And the moment the stench filled my nostrils…

“…!!”

Shoving my hand into its mouth, I plunged my dagger into its neck, throwing my weight onto the undead and collapsing on top of it.

“…!!”

Despite having a knife stuck in its spinal cord, the undead thrashed wildly. It gnawed on the hand stuck in its throat and tried to claw at me.

But I calmly pinned its arms down and examined its body.

There had to be a magic circle somewhere… There it is!

*Snap-*

“…!”

An ominous symbol was carved on its broken collarbone. I stabbed my dagger into it and twisted.

“aaa…”

The undead’s rotten eyes rolled back into its head, and its limbs, which had been thrashing wildly, went limp.

“Gasp…! Gasp…!”

Only then did I let out a ragged breath, my body slick with cold sweat.

I pulled out my dagger and looked over at Irene.

Irene had collapsed as if her legs had given out, and was sitting on the ground.

Her pale face made it clear that she wasn’t used to real combat.

But, after a moment. She grabbed hold of the tree and pulled herself up.

“…We need to inform the others right away.”

She straightened up, albeit unsteadily. Stumbling towards me, she continued,

“This place is less than 5 kilometers from our camp. The fact that there are cultists here… This can only mean that they’re planning something.”

“Could you wait a moment?”

Irene’s face contorted in confusion. But I didn’t care about her reaction and started doing some calculations in my head.

It didn’t take long as it was a simple calculation.

“Please go back first.”

“…What?”

I kicked the undead’s corpse and stood up, cleaning my dagger as I continued,

“Necromancers are a sensitive bunch. They’ll notice that their guard dog is dead soon enough.”

“But…”

“If we’re both gone, they’ll realize that something’s wrong and run away.”

Irene, who had been listening silently, frowned.

“So you’re saying you’ll stay here and guard this place? But that’s too reckless…”

“No, I’m going to attack.”

I pulled out the sword that was strapped to my waist.

It was the one that Amy had bought me. Looking at it now, bathed in the moonlight, I could see that it was worth the price.

It wouldn’t get dull just from cutting off a few heads.

“…By yourself?”

“Is there anyone else here who makes a living with a sword?”

I shrugged playfully, trying to act nonchalant and make it seem like it was no big deal.

“That’s reckless.”

But Irene’s expression was grim.

“We have no idea how many necromancers and undead are in there. And you’re not even properly equipped. Going in there like this is suicide.”

She was right.

“And didn’t you almost die to those necromancers just a few days ago?”

…And her argument was brutally accurate too.

I smiled bitterly. I stabbed my sword into the ground and leaned against it.

“I hate being manipulated.”

Irene’s forehead creased. Maybe I had started talking off-topic. I added,

“But this whole request, it feels like I’ve been getting pushed around since the very beginning.”

Only then did a look of understanding appear in Irene’s eyes. I tapped my head and continued,

“I racked my brain, but they keep reading our moves, and in the end, we’re playing right into their hands. I have no idea what they’re planning…”

The necromancers have been like ghosts, so to speak.

A real threat, but we couldn’t see them, nor could we touch them. They were simply closing in on us.

“You know why? Because we know nothing.”

I looked directly into Irene’s eyes.

“They know everything, and we know nothing. So we’re following them like fucking sheep, oblivious to the fact that they’re leading us to the slaughterhouse.”

I tapped my temple with my finger and continued,

“And as long as we remain ignorant, this situation won’t change.”

I pointed at the cave with my thumb.

“But right now, right in front of my eyes, there’s a place where those who seem to know a lot are hiding.”

It wasn’t just that they seemed to know a lot. My long experience told me that there was definitely something I needed in there.

At the very least, something that would help us get out of this situation where we’re being led around by the necromancers.

“Isn’t that enough reason to take the risk?”

After listening to me, Irene lowered her head for a moment.

“…I understand what you’re trying to say.”

However, when she raised her head again, there was a clear look of disapproval in her eyes.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that this is walking straight into a death trap. At least wait until we have more people…”

“It’ll be too late by then.”

I cut her off.

“I’ve dealt with these bastards enough times to know. The first thing they do when they think they’ve been found out is destroy all evidence. By the time we get back from gathering reinforcements, that den will be empty.”

“But…”

“And…”

I pulled my sword out from the ground, slinging it over my shoulder. I couldn’t hide my irritation.

I never thought I’d be saying this…

“It’s better for me to walk into a death trap than to blindly lead my men into one.”

The men in our mercenary group were either hopeless idiots or accident-prone assholes,

But still, they were idiots who trusted and followed me.

Then it was only right for me to fulfill my duty.

Forcing a smile, I looked at Irene.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’ve already made up my mind. Please go back first.”

***

After losing the boy, Amy learned how to forget fear.

It wasn’t that difficult.

She just had to think about one thing.

The fear of a boy who had to put his own frail wrist into a guillotine.

If she kept that in mind, fear of fire-breathing dragons or barbarians who had slaughtered hundreds of knights seemed trivial in comparison.

In fact, she could feel anger towards them.

Because they brought her back to that day when she was utterly powerless.

She could throw herself at the enemy with reckless abandon.

She could tear down anyone who dared to stand in her way.

She could become what she was today.

That’s how easily Amy could erase her fear.

But why…

Now, standing in front of a tent…

She felt like that weak emotion was an unbeatable enemy.

She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword.

She bit her lower lip until she tasted blood.

But her legs, frozen in place, wouldn’t budge. They simply trembled.

*Clench-*

Gritting her teeth, Amy lowered her gaze. Then, she slowly raised her eyes again, looking at the tent.

A simple tent. A small nameplate hung on it, and she read the engraved letters.

“Rem”

…She was standing here to make a confession.

What her companion, the tower master’s disciple, had said was right.

Not telling Rem the truth,

Lying to him about it.

It was a cowardly act.

Besides, it was something she had imagined doing for a long time.

If the boy had survived,

If that miracle had been granted to her…

She would get down on her knees before him and confess her sins.

She would willingly offer him her life as atonement.

That’s what she’d say to herself every night, when she couldn’t bear the guilt.

How naive she was back then.

Amy looked down at her feet, a bitter smile gracing her lips.

Despite the countless vows she had made, she couldn’t even take a single step forward.

“____!”

Suddenly, there was a commotion coming from the other side of the camp. Amy, curious, raised her head and saw a familiar face.

“Irene?”

The woman who called herself the porter, but who was actually responsible for all the hero party’s affairs.

Irene was running towards her, panting heavily.

A stark contrast to her normally composed demeanor. Amy felt a sense of unease as she greeted her.

“Irene? What’s wrong? Is there a problem…”

“Rem…!”

Amy froze at the name. Irene continued, her voice strained,

“Hah… Ha… He…! Hah… He went to the necromancers’ hideout… by himself…!!”

And at those words, Amy’s mind went blank.