Chapter 86 – Resolution

Behind the low plaster walls and the desert wind blowing from all directions, five pairs of feet kicked up dust with a rustling sound.

Whether Belloc dragged the woman tightly bound in rope or not, and whether Adel and Cara, covered in dark blood, followed behind him or not, the city was silent.

The majority of the citizens were not wealthy enough to light lamps even at night. Furthermore, they were thoroughly indifferent to others’ business unless direct harm came to them. Except for the fact that the ground rumbled and a few citizens had their sleep disturbed, there was no problem in Altanis.

Did these people know they had just escaped death? Did they also know that instead of the rising morning sun, they could have faced the claws of rotting mummies? Belloc thought for a moment, but waking up well-sleeping people to boast about his achievements was a bit too much. He was not a five-year-old child. And as for the reward, the Lord would give it anyway.

They would just open their eyes tomorrow morning and go farming or hunting as they always did. And if nothing big happened, they would live and die like that. Like a turning treadmill. Just like how he had lived in the grey city.

‘Did I make it big?’

Belloc smirked at the sudden thought. Unbeknownst to himself, he was experiencing a world that ordinary people could not even comprehend, building up unbelievable adventures and achievements.

To say he did not feel good would be a lie. However, knowing that it was the result of a struggle for survival against monsters, he could not say it was entirely pleasant. With Belloc’s mixed emotions, the party arrived at the Lord’s castle.

“You have all worked hard. First, after reporting to the Lord, I will prepare bathwater and artisans to repair your equipment. Is there anything else you need?”

Having clearly witnessed the party’s military might, Banzac bent his waist at 90 degrees. It was a very polite attitude, but the party also did not refuse, knowing the importance of what they had accomplished.

“I feel hungry. Prepare something to eat along with the bathwater.”

Adel, resting her axe on her shoulder, spoke arrogantly, and Cara, looking at the tightly bound figure, spoke.

“Is there a vacant room by any chance? It doesn’t matter if it’s dirty. Also… I need some Demon Grass, plantain, fly agaric, a bit of water, and some alchemical tools…”

Why does she need so many things? Can’t we just stab her with a knife and ask? Belloc thought, but Banzac nodded readily.

“Of course. If you happen to obtain any useful information, we would be grateful if you shared it with us as well.”

He called a few servants and gave instructions. Following the servant’s guidance, the party entered a small room. It looked as if they had borrowed a whole mage’s laboratory. The items Cara had requested were also prepared in the room. When did they even prepare this?

“This is why authority is great. Look. You just have to say the word and everything appears, right?”

Cara smirked and opened the Rune Book at her waist. The grimoire left behind by a great archmage, Galdrabok. Soon, she read the grimoire as if reading a cookbook and busily fiddled with the laboratory apparatus. Her brown eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she hummed a tune.

Belloc thought Cara wanted to test the potion described in the grimoire. In other words… she needed a specimen for human experimentation. Shit. Feeling a slight chill, he loosened the figure’s rope slightly and tied her to the pillar of the room.

“Mmph!”

The figure resisted by shaking her head, the only part of her body that could move, but she could not overcome his strength. In the end, the woman, who had become an experimental rat, remained tied up, her shoulders shivering, while Cara’s experiment progressed smoothly. Adel, holding her nose due to the strange smell, asked in a nasal voice.

“You are adjusting it down to every single mark. Is this really necessary?”

“Alchemy is mostly like that. It’s a task where the ratio is extremely important. If it’s even slightly off, it becomes completely ruined.”

Cara narrowed her eyes and carefully tilted the flask in her hand. A few drops of the purple liquid inside dripped down. It was soon mixed thickly into the clear glass bottle boiling below. When the two liquids met, a small mushroom cloud gently rose.

After that, the glass bottles rattled for a long time, and the herbs in the mortar were ground down. A moment later, holding a sticky green bottle, Cara shouted excitedly.

“Finished! With this, I can open that bitch’s stubborn mouth!”

Well, judging by her state, wouldn’t it be enough without feeding it to her…? Belloc thought as he looked at the shivering figure, but he soon admitted that this was wrong.

No matter how much physical torture is inflicted, one cannot suppress the mind. There would also be a probability that the opponent would tell lies. And since the occupation of a mage always uses bizarre methods, she might have preparations for such situations.

‘A mage would know a mage best.’

Or maybe she just wanted to experiment with a new potion… Belloc shook his head once and approached the woman. Her gently drooping eyes and curly hair were enough to soften the hearts of many. However, her true identity was a mage who cast evil spells. She was also the henchwoman of a fiend who had tried to destroy a city. Therefore, he did not hold back his hand. He grabbed the woman’s neck tightly with one hand and pulled her head back with the other.

“Mmph!”

“Now, take your medicine.”

Perhaps Cara thought so too; unlike her friendly tone, she removed the cloth stuffed in the woman’s mouth with a rough touch. Soon, she popped the cap off the potion, put it to her mouth, and tapped her Adam’s apple. The woman gasped and swallowed the strange liquid.

“Haah, haah. You son of a… ugh.”

The woman tried to spit out curses but trailed off. Soon, the unique light in her eyes as a mage gradually faded and died out black like the eyes of a dead fish. Cara slapped the woman’s cheeks or grabbed her collar and shook her back and forth. Nonetheless, as the woman’s blank expression did not fade, she nodded, smiling with satisfaction.

“Good. It worked well. Now this bitch will answer truthfully no matter what we ask. Even when she had her last night of passion and who that partner was.”

“A week ago, Fernan.”

Adel blushed at the woman’s immediate response. It was because the nightmare Astaroth had shown her not long ago came to mind. And it was the same for Cara as well. She looked at Belloc for a moment, tapped his arm, and spoke.

“Se… See? You can ask anything.”

“Hmm…”

Belloc stroked his chin, contemplating, and then spoke.

“Name and affiliation.”

“Amanda. Scola.”

“What is Scola?”

“A coven of witches.”

“A coven? Is it like a gathering of mages?”

“A gathering of abandoned sheep. The cradle that gathers those of us who are lost.”

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Nonsense. A person whose behavior or way of thinking is erratic.”

Belloc’s expression turned strange. As he looked at Cara, she grabbed his arm and muttered.

“Since her psyche is suppressed, it’s hard for her to speak in a fully mature manner. Let’s ask as concisely as possible. And I know something about Scola.”

Belloc turned his head and asked again.

“What is your purpose?”

“The fall of the Kingdom of Arian. The destruction of the world. The death of the Heavenly Gods.”

Who the hell are these bastards? As the scale of this incident suddenly expanded, Belloc was slightly taken aback. But he soon calmed his mind and spoke.

“By Scola alone? Is that possible? Or is there another helper?”

“We made a covenant with the King of Demons. With the help of the archdevil, it is fully possible.”

Cara and Adel gasped. Belloc also frowned. What? Another archdevil? That monster of a form he saw for the first time in the sewer. Was that guy a demon? And this archdevil is the king of those guys?

Just as he was about to ask about this, the woman’s eyes rolled around. Soon, she vomited blood with her eyes crossed. ‘Shit. Why is she like this again?’ Cara whispered urgently.

“It might be a side effect of the drug. Or perhaps a protection spell was cast in case her psyche was suppressed. Better ask the next question quickly.”

Belloc had many things he wanted to ask. The scale of the enemies, the organization’s structure, or their detailed plans. However, at this moment in his head, another question popped up, excluding all of those. Perhaps this was the most important question.

“A female elf with golden hair. Have you seen her? Wearing tight-fitting leather armor and carrying a strange crossbow…”

The blood coming from the figure’s mouth increased. However, her blurry eyes became clear, and her voice also became distinct. Vomiting blood, the woman spoke.

“I have… seen her. Filled with immense magic… She seemed like a useful pawn… To modify her into a weapon for us…”

The woman spat out words sporadically and dropped her head. Along with the fishy smell of blood, the spilled bodily wastes stained the room foully. For a moment, the three said nothing. Then, Adel spoke hesitantly.

“She was… alive.”

“For now, we should consider it a relief… At least her body wasn’t torn to pieces by being caught in the rift of dimensions. But…”

Cara trailed off. Soon, biting her lip, she kicked the face-down corpse of the figure repeatedly.

“Of all things, it’s Scola. To think she is in the grasp of such disgusting bastards… This is not good. Perhaps she suffered a terrible fate. No, she must have already.”

Even without Cara’s angry voice, Belloc could know. How could a group planning to destroy the world by helping demons be normal? It was bound to be a gathering of madmen. And Isabel was held by such guys. Was she safe? Well, she was alive, so they could save her. He let out a sigh.

Whatever the case, it was clearly a shitty situation. What did I do wrong for these bastards to swarm like this?

Demons, monsters, fiends, hungry bandits, crazy mages, and even damn rulers. Even if he overcame one, others popped up like bugs. Before long, this was trying to bind him like an inescapable net. As if it were fate.

What a damn world. Belloc gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. In response to his mood, the sword slung across his back began to hum.

A whisper was heard. It was a whisper of steel, telling him to destroy anything that stood in his way. Belloc was willing to comply.

“I cast a tracking spell on the journal she left behind. Scola. The dwelling of the witches is at the edge of Arian. It’s in the Rungen Great Desert.”

Cara muttered, holding her staff in one hand and the red book in the other.

“If it’s at the edge… it will take a few months at a rough estimate. It seems it will be a long journey.”

Adel, who was crouching, rested her halberd on her shoulder and hardened her eyes. Everyone seemed to have made their own mental preparations. It could be a sense of duty to rescue a former companion, or a grandiose sense of calling to stop the destruction of the world. Under normal circumstances, in addition to the two reasons, Belloc would have also shone his eyes for his return home.

Now… he wasn’t sure. Various thoughts were jumbled together. However, one thing was for certain. It was his desire to drive his sword into the heads of the shitty monsters. At that moment, with a knock, the laboratory door opened. A moment later, the Lord of Altanis, who entered the room, shouted in excitement.

“I have heard everything from Banzac. O heroes! Thank you indeed for saving my city!”

Whether new hardships befell the party or not, the Lord, having resolved his source of worry, had a beaming face. Soon, he clapped his hands and summoned the servants.

“What are you doing?! Bring it in quickly!”

A heavy iron chest slammed on the floor with a thud. Cloaks embroidered with luxurious patterns also revealed themselves. As a servant bowed his head and opened the chest, a dazzling light sparkled.

Hundreds of Arian-style gold coins and precious gems such as jade, sapphire, and ruby filled the chest. The Lord looked proud and cleared his throat. Since he was at least not an ungrateful scoundrel, he thought that this amount of wealth would be enough to satisfy them.

“Hmm? Why… are you acting like that? Is it insufficient by any chance?”

However, seeing the faces of the party, the Lord could not help but be flustered. All three of them were gritting their teeth, their eyes flashing. They looked as if they were extremely displeased with something. Was it not enough? Feeling unnecessarily guilty, the Lord lowered his head. Soon, looking at the servants, he shouted once more.

“You idiots! You turned a deaf ear to my words! Did I not clearly tell you to bring two chests?!”

Unintentionally, the party obtained a year’s worth of Altanis’s revenue.