Chapter 99 – Salvation (2)

While Adele, Cara, and Isabel were embracing and weeping for a long time, Belloc, unable to wait, sat at the dining table first. He didn’t fail to understand the bond between companions, or the empathy and lamentation for Isabel’s condition. However, he couldn’t imagine the sight of himself joining in and the four of them hugging. The sight of him shedding tears didn’t come to mind either.

‘Wouldn’t I have been teased for a long time afterward?’

Belloc decided to think simply. ‘Let the flowers embrace each other.’ A warrior who had finished a battle with demons needed energy. A body covered in the blood of enemies had to be comforted with alcohol and meat. He picked up his spoon.

Whether it was boiled by Isabel or by the innkeeper or cook before they died, the fish stew looked very appetizing. Just as he scooped up a mouthful of the stew and was about to put it in his mouth, Cara, who had been crying, snapped her head around. Narrowing her red-rimmed eyes, she spoke.

“You’re not meanly trying to eat alone now, are you? Huh? We all suffered together, didn’t we? Of course, you did kill most of the enemies…”

Belloc paused his spoon. He weighed the immediate happiness gained by ignoring Cara’s words against the pain of the nagging he would hear afterward in his mind. As he hesitated, Cara continued to speak in a very rapid tone, as if reciting a spell.

“Sir Belloc. My honorable knight. I’ll ask one more time. Surely, you won’t do something so shameless as to pick up your spoon first while your women are starving?”

His women? Did she see the kiss with Isabel? When he, feeling needlessly guilty, flinched,

“Lord Belloc…?”

Even Adele turned her head with a slightly hurt look. ‘Dammit. I can’t win.’ ‘Fine, I was wrong.’ Belloc eventually put down his spoon. At that moment, a cackling laughter was heard. It was a sound made by Isabel, who was holding the two. Showing off her backless dress and shrugging her shoulders, she spoke.

“Shall we wrap up the greetings for our reunion here? Eat quickly before it gets cold. Ah. I didn’t put any poison in it, but if you’re worried just in case…”

“Don’t say such hurtful things! Now that the brainwashing is lifted, there’s no way you would do that, right? Besides…”

Cara stroked Isabel’s shoulder and then turned her gaze toward Belloc. She spoke.

“We have an excellent poison taster over there. He has a nose like a dog. I’ll tell you what happened while we eat.”

The three of them gathered around the table. Adele picked up her spoon immediately, and Cara and Isabel tied their long hair back with hairbands before picking up their spoons. Belloc was also finally able to taste the soup he wanted. It was a clear, broth-like soup, unlike the endless pig-slop porridge commonly seen in the Kingdom of Adria.

Shit. This is it. Broth has to be at least this good to be called soup. Moving his spoon, he smirked slightly. Perhaps to get rid of the fishy smell, they had thrown in all kinds of spices, making the broth smell strange yet spicy. Moreover, the unique firm texture of the white-fleshed fish and ingredients like vegetables danced in his mouth. It felt like eating spicy fish stew.

“Wow. What is this? It’s spicy, but… I somehow keep eating it? What is it?”

Cara, whose face had turned red, darted her tongue out but continued to move her spoon.

“Isabel. Did you boil this?”

Adele also opened her eyes wide and admired it before asking. Supporting her chin on her arm at the table, Isabel, who was watching the three with a smile, nodded.

“It’s an elven-style seafood stew. Maybe because the inn is large? Fortunately, there were spices that I used to use in my hometown, so I tried making it. I’m glad it seems to suit everyone’s taste.”

Belloc had finished his portion of soup long ago and stared at Isabel while tearing into seasoned chicken. She had not put a single hand on the food. At this rate, it would get completely cold. He asked.

“Isabel. Aren’t you eating?”

“Ah… I…”

Isabel wore a slightly ambiguous smile and trailed off. When Cara and Adele also stared at her, she cautiously picked up her spoon. Soon, after scooping up a few bites of soup, she tore some bread and dipped it in. She also tore and ate a few pieces of meat like Belloc. She repeated those actions very rapidly. It looked as if she was swallowing without even chewing.

Could it be… Just as his expression turned serious, Isabel put down her spoon. Her plate, which had been full, was cleared very cleanly. Wiping her hands and mouth with a handkerchief, she spoke.

“I boiled it, but it’s really delicious.”

At Isabel’s exaggerated behavior, the group hardened the corners of their mouths slightly and then simply laughed. Adele tried to change the mood while pouring alcohol into an empty glass.

“There is nothing like this to relieve the fatigue of battle. Shouldn’t we also discuss our future plans?”

“Right. We also have information obtained from interrogating Harmoa this time. And we should tell Isabel how the situation is unfolding.”

Cara clapped the table with a thud and made a fuss, and the three soon spoke of what they had experienced after falling into this desert kingdom. Altanis, the witch and demon of the sewer, the bandit village that tried to poison them and offer them as sacrifices. The witch who trained the manticore that ruled over them, and what happened here. Isabel, who was nodding, trembled slightly when the talk of the manticore came up.

“The manticore… I’ve seen it. When Harmoa… no, when I was captured by that woman, I rode on it and flew.”

Cara, who was looking at her companion who had become a devil with pitiful eyes, bent her waist. Soon, she lifted a glass bottle that was rolling on the floor. It was a bottle with strange characters engraved on its surface and containing something like black liquid inside. Handing it to Isabel, she spoke.

“Isabel. Look at this. Guess what this is?”

“What is this?”

The smile on Cara’s lips grew deeper. It was the laugh of a cruel mage that she used to wear when burning enemies. She spoke.

“It is the soul of that bitch Harmoa who tortured you. Using all the secret methods I know, I made it an absolute mess. To the point where she can’t even remember who she is… to the point where her self-consciousness collapses.”

Isabel stared blankly at the glass bottle. She toyed with it in her hands or shook it here and there. Looking at her complex-looking face, Belloc thought. Perhaps her fear had not fully faded yet. Because the terrible experiments of the witches would have left a huge wound on her soul and body. Soon, he realized his thoughts were wrong. Because Isabel’s shaking pupils regained their place, and soon her mouth tore wide, and her signature menacing cackle was heard.

She laughed like a crazy woman for a while, then suddenly threw the glass bottle in her hand. The bottle shattered with a crash, and black liquid stained the carpet. Isabel stepped violently on what had been Harmoa’s soul, spitting out curses.

“Dog-like bitch! Fucking bitch! Trashy bitch! I… how much I…”

When she eventually shed tears in the end, Cara and Adele approached her.

“Isabel…”

“Are you okay?”

Isabel wiped her eyes with her dagger-like nails and blew her nose. Soon, she bowed her head toward the three.

“I’m fine. More than that, I’ll say it one more time. Everyone… thank you for saving me. Thank you even more for not giving up on me in this state. You guys are my lifesavers.”

“It’s nothing. You also saved my life back then when we escaped from the castle.”

“Comrades don’t say such things to each other.”

Cara laughed, twisting her hair, and Adele replied standing crookedly with her arms crossed. Belloc sat quietly at the dining table, drinking. Judging by the bright yellow light floating on the tin cup, it was mead. Gulping down the strong liquor repeatedly, he spoke.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

As Isabel nodded vigorously and sat down again, Belloc filled her empty glass and spoke.

“There’s no need to pretend to be so strong. If it’s hard, you can scream, curse, or smash things. Don’t keep it bottled up in your heart; pour it all out. Isabel, you had a really hard time.”

Besides, in this city that has lost its master, even if you smash things, there are no soldiers to deploy anyway. Keeping those words to himself, Belloc smirked, and Isabel laughed as well. However, she licked her lips and her eyes flashed like a snake, making her smile look somehow slightly dangerous. She spoke.

“Yes, yes. Belloc. I understand.”

“Now. Then since Isabel also seems to have roughly grasped how the situation is unfolding, we should discuss the problems confronting us, right?”

Cara slouched back in her chair and held out a glass. She seemed to be asking for alcohol. Belloc turned his head, but Adele did not stop her. Rather, she also cleared her throat with a hum and held out her glass.

Good lord. Are you guys all close now? You three are going to order me around like a servant? Is that it? He wore a grumpy expression for a moment, but soon thought, whatever. What was so hard about it? A knight’s honor and authority? The weight of being a party leader? What does all that matter? They are all my people. My friends. And… Swallowing his last words, he tilted the liquor bottle. Cara smirked, took the mead, and sipped it a bit. She spoke.

“As you all know, our goal is to stop the second Archdevil, the King of Demons, who is in this desert kingdom of Arian. Because this crazed monster is trying to destroy the world beyond this country.”

Isabel, who was listening, spoke.

“I remember hearing a glimpse of it when I was undergoing experiments. You said the witches are also in on it, right? Then we have to face both a devil army and a mage group at the same time.”

Cara nodded. Looking at Belloc, she spoke.

“To be honest, I want to leave this task to the arrogant powerful bastards—kings and nobles—and run away. But our Sir Hero seems to want to slaughter that Archdevil with his own hands. So the party has been formed once again.”

When Cara smirked and spoke playfully, Belloc shrugged his shoulders. If he caught him and his lackeys, they would give a lot of experience points. And they might give a new skill just like when he caught Astaroth. By obtaining an even stronger power comparable to the Dragonslayer’s lightning, his survival in this cursed world would be further guaranteed.

‘I might meet the Goddess again. What excuse will she make this time? Will she tell me to catch another guy? If I grow stronger, wouldn’t this blade reach even a god?’

While he thought so, Adele also downed her cup in one shot and tore off a handful of chicken drumstick. Mumbling, she spoke. It was information for Isabel, who might not know, even though the three of them already knew.

“The King of Demons is in the basement of the Witches’ Tower in the Rungen Great Desert. Centering around that place, the two groups have sent out witches and devils under their command throughout Arian to plot some scheme.”

“Like what happened in this city, they kill people… and prepare bizarre rituals with their blood and flesh?”

At Isabel’s words, Cara nodded.

“According to Harmoa, they planned to weaken the human forces one by one starting from the outskirts where the central control is weak. Raising dead people as undead or using them as sacrifices to create monsters. Their plan is to build an army of thousands of monsters, march to the center of the Arian Kingdom, and smash the capital in one go.”

Isabel expressed doubt.

“No matter how far apart and poorly controlled the outskirts where this takes place are, if a disturbance of this scale happens, the center couldn’t possibly not know. People’s eyes and mouths are always open, and the higher-ups can’t all be fools…”

Her question was valid. From wandering warriors to mages, mercenaries, hermits wandering the world with hidden identities, and foreign informants. In this vast kingdom, there were many unseen eyes. Cara spoke.

“To block those eyes and mouths, those bastards released monsters. To prevent informants and carrier pigeons conveying news from crossing the desert. Moreover… the current capital of the Arian Kingdom seems to have many problems in various ways.”

“What is it?”

Cara’s expression frowned. Her hand held out an empty glass once more, and Belloc filled that glass.

“It seems the dying old man with a crown lying in bed sired many children. Dozens of noble bloodlines are competing for the next emperor’s throne. And in their midst, the witches are also dipping their spoons in. You roughly understand the situation, right?”

Isabel nodded and thought.

A civil war is currently taking place in the capital of Arian. In this situation, to become king and to survive from one’s siblings, power is needed. At that moment, what if witches with gloomy mana and secret arts, or devils that are powerful warriors in human skin, approach and lend their power? And what if they do it not to one or two, but to dozens of heirs to the throne? The blood shed will be greater, and the confusion will be intensified. And if the monsters, each occupying a position under the protection of the powerful, take action, the information sent from the outskirts will be ignored. Isabel spoke.

“Even if we obtain clear evidence and inform the people, it would be useless, right?”

Cara shrugged her shoulders.

“This is not a holy kingdom overflowing with churches. It is a sanctuary for warriors who swing curved swords. A dry and harsh desert land. If I were them… if I were those noble stars of the desert, I would gladly borrow even the power of monsters for the throne or to survive. And if things go on like this, this country will scatter like a handful of sand. Demons will swarm even more.”

“Ha. Powerful people…”

Just as Isabel let out a sigh, a thud sounded. It was the noise of Belloc putting down the liquor bottle. He spoke.

“In fact, the biggest problem is… whether we can arrive there in time.”

“Is the distance from here to the capital that far?”

Isabel, who didn’t know the exact geography because she was captured by a witch as soon as she opened her eyes, wore a blank expression. Belloc continued.

“They say it takes four months even by camel. That is enough time for their plan to be completed.”

“Just as Belloc said, that is the biggest problem. Our movement speed… and we can’t use portal spells either…”

Cara sighed, and Adele drank repeatedly. At that moment, Isabel let out a hum. Stroking her horn, she spoke.

“I don’t know whether to call this a relief… but I think I can solve that problem. A very fast mount that never tires. I can create it.”

“What?” While the three opened their eyes wide, Isabel stroked her neck covered in tattoos and wore a meaningful smile.