Chapter 577
577fury
70. This side(10)
As Mira explained, the location of the 'rabbit hole' prepared by my men was around the southern corner of the new city of the royal capital..
Like the neighbors in the same alley, it was a two-story wooden building, and it looked so shabby that it wouldn't be surprising if it collapsed at any moment. Meanwhile, the mercenary signboard was brand new and not even wet..
The group led by Fritz left for the Temel River, west of the capital, on a quest, and some stayed at an inn across the street, so there were not many subordinates left in the rabbit hole..
The first person to run out after hearing the news of my group's arrival was none other than Mittelman, the 'Bone Collector'..
“……I committed a mortal sin.”
“Yes, it's a good thing that I know it's a deadly sin..”
Hearing my sighing words, he lowered his head even more..
“If you do something stupid like that again, I will make you a one-handed person instead of a six-handed person. okay?”
“Yes, of course, my lord. While staying here-”
“This place is a mess, don’t do it in the royal capital or anywhere else. Even though it's dangerous, does it make sense to dig up the corpse of an innocent person??”
“Yes, that's right. I guess I went crazy for a moment.”
Seeing Mittelman sweating profusely, I swallowed all my criticism..
It has already taken quite a bit of time to get here while avoiding the gaze of the royal guards patrolling the streets and the few passers-by..
It's a bit embarrassing that I, not anyone else, scold my subordinates by citing morals and ethics. From now on, we have to benefit from Mittelman's misdeeds, so what more can I say?.
After briefly saying hello to Steedman, Gidon, Tilloria, and other subordinates, I got straight to the point..
“The ‘living corpse’ is?”
“This way, my lord..”
There were only four people, including me, who moved from a dry goods store in the old town to a shabby building with a mercenary sign in the new town. If too many people are walking around in a group in the middle of the night, it's sure to arouse suspicion. Ellen and Mungchi were together, and Cole took the lead as a guide..
Now, Mittelman, Steedman, Shea, etc. have stepped forward without anyone else taking the lead. My subordinates led me down the stairs on one side of the kitchen to the basement food storage room..
“……Ugh, the smell.”
Ellen, who entered the stairs with her hood down, grumbled softly. He swept through the basement with a gentle breeze to remove some of the odor, and then summoned the 'guardian fire' with a few words of an incantation..
Hwareuk.
A small, round magic fireball replaced the lamp and lit up the dark warehouse..
There was a small room behind the messy pile of round wooden barrels and sacks of grain. Since the space was limited, I bitten all of my men except Mittelman and entered the side room with only Ellen and the bundle..
A young woman wearing a white linen dress... … . The live corpse that Mittelman had carried from the graveyard of the cathedral outside the capital was lying right there like a corpse, and Iopiya was kneeling down next to it..
“……Orom jikara, alse juhurlu,”
The guy was muttering something in a low voice with his eyes closed, as if he was reciting a sutra. He was concentrating so deeply that when I tapped him on the shoulder, he turned his head this way..
“Ah, Poynix..”
Iopiya was here while I was conducting the level assessment in the Hall of the Dead. There was no need for him to disguise himself as a flying squirrel right now, so he let him help the men in the rabbit hole..
Should I say it’s thanks to that? Iopiya had the opportunity to spend ample time observing the symptoms of this patient with Hain's disease shortly after he arrived here..
“how is it? I found out something?”
“Uh, that… … . Wait a minute, I'll finish what I'm doing first..”
“What I was doing?”
“yes. I was trying to talk to you..”
Iopiya left behind only vague words and turned her attention back to the unknown woman..
“Orom jikara, ubirom fanhurlu-”
While the quiet murmurs resumed, I was able to hear Mittelman's detailed explanation..
“I don't know if your lord knows, but out there, on the side of the road extending south from Seongoe Village, there is a cathedral the size of a small church. It is a place where farmers and livestock workers living under the walls mainly come and go.-”
“Yes, I heard you went there to look for bones. I've heard a little bit from Cole and Mira, so tell me how you found this woman..”
“yes. Well, that's it.”
Mittelman was in a situation where he had to say something that would be uncomfortable for anyone to hear, so he lowered his voice while watching Ellen and Mungchi. Of course, if we're talking in this narrow room, there's no way you won't hear us even if you lower your voice..
“Although I use unusual items to make crossbow meat... … Well, it's not like you forcefully cut or slice the raw flesh. When it has rotted to a certain degree and you no longer need to use any other tools, then you touch it. As much as possible.”
Ellen, who had been silent as the story continued, frowned in displeasure..
“……Are you trying to imitate a necromancer? What a disgusting bastard..”
Incongruous with her pretty face that still had a youthful vibe, her bright blue eyes were full of disgust and murderous intent..
“…….”
Most of my men clearly remembered the battle in the corridors of Obdorf. That scene where countless soldiers of the Elector's Army screamed as they were swallowed up by waves of flames..
Perhaps it was because of this, that Ellen's gaze caused Mittelman to shrink his neck like a frightened person or a rat in front of a snake. Let alone answering, he looked like he couldn't even breathe properly..
“Stop, listen to me..”
In response to my dissuasion, Ellen clicked her tongue and turned her head, and Mittelman continued talking, moistening his dry lips..
“that is… … Ah, yes. When I searched at the cathedral, I looked at the slightly 'older' side. Then I found something suspicious... … There was a low wall around the cemetery, and there were traces of something buried underneath it. Well, I thought someone must have buried the body without the priest knowing..”
Secret burial was a common practice among poor farmers. This is what people do when they cannot afford to pay a donation to place a dead relative in the church's grave, or when they cannot afford to hold a proper funeral..
“I quickly dug and found that there was a coffin.,”
“Instead of a skeleton there was this woman?”
“Yes, that's right. I was so surprised that I almost screamed.…….”
Mittelman, who was saying something pathetic, looked at me and quickly added,.
“Anyway, my prediction was roughly correct. During the day, I caught up with the gravedigger and found out that an old man had brought the coffin and examined it. He couldn't take care of his daughter who had become an idiot, so he buried her alive..”
“……Wow, it's a tearful story..”
It's definitely a heartbreaking story, but the voice that came out without me knowing was just dry..
Aside from the fact that I completely absorbed Poynix's memories, it's already been four years since I fell into this terrible world. Now, even when I see a person buried alive by their parents, I do the same thing..
By the time Mittelman's explanation was finished, Iofiya's muttering had also ended. The guy sighed softly and shook his head..
“There is no answer as expected.”
“answer? what answer?”
“This person's soul.”
‘Have you found out anything about ‘servant disease’? Iopiya got up from her knees and had a worried look in her eyes..
“No matter how hard I try, I can't even feel a trace, let alone talk to a soul. Like someone who died a long time ago.”
“……Uh, I think it's just an invoice, not a live invoice.?”
“That's not it either. As you can see, the body is alive and well..”
As a soul shaman, Iofiya diagnosed that the woman in front of him was neither alive nor dead..
Since he couldn't feel his soul, he looked like someone who had died a long time ago, but on the other hand, he looked like a living person because he was physically intact, except that he had become an idiot..
“It's definitely not normal.?”
“That's right.”
“……So, is this perhaps the work of a necromancer? It's not like the soul is taken out and only the body is left behind.?”
“Umm, that's it. Just because you're a necromancer doesn't mean you can handle all souls.-”
Ellen stepped in to replace Iopiya, who was choosing words to explain..
“Basically, necromancy is a method of taking both the body and the soul. The starting point is, of course, death. It's impossible to take a soul from a living person.”
“Ah, yes?”
“of course. The only spirits dealt with in necromancy are dead spirits. If you can manipulate living spirits, it's already something other than necromancy..”
Iopiya agreed with the firm denial and added her opinion..
“What I learned in my hometown is similar. It is said that even if a necromancer is powerful enough to harvest living souls, upon harvesting, the living souls will turn into dead spirits and the body will die..”
“In short… … . The fact that this woman is alive and breathing is itself proof that it is not necromancy.?”
“that's right.”
“……It's a pain in the ass. Then what on earth is this servant disease??”
Neither Iopiya nor Ellen could come up with a clear answer. This symptom, which was neither a disease nor the work of magic, sorcery, or necromancy, was completely unfamiliar to both of them..
“However, if we look back at the case of the boy named ‘Darren’ whom we told you about a few days ago.…….”
Iopiya mentioned the son of a carriage repairman and glanced closely at Ellen. Fortunately, the guy just crossed his arms in silence..
“Anyway, I think the answer lies in Poynix’s ‘Dimension Seal’. To be precise, it is the quasi-dimension that you named ‘the other side of the world’..”
“Does that happen in the end... … . I don't want to create another innocent victim..”
“It'll be different if I'm there. When it comes to the soul, I have my own confidence. The number of slaves I cared for was well over a thousand..”
It was Iopiya who completely removed the ban on the souls of the soldiers of the Freedom Regiment, who were previously slave soldiers of Altenburg. It was difficult to say that the confidence shown by such a guy was baseless..
“I want to take a look there myself. Of course, you two will have to give permission..”
The first person to react to Iopiya, who finished her sentence with a sharp tone, was not neither me nor Ellen, but Munchi..
“I am?”
“……yes?”
“I am. you don't need my permission?”
“ah… … . Um, would you please allow Lannon too??”
At that lukewarm answer, Mungchi pursed his lips in annoyance..
“Hey, you-”
“stop. I don't have time to joke around.”
My firm dissuasion made Moongchi pout his lips as if he felt unfair. I ruffled his hair and looked back at Mittelman..
“Bring all the remaining guys. armed.”
“yep!”
Mittelman, who noticed what was going on, quickly ran out of the side room..
Less than five minutes later, Cole, Steedman, Tilloria, and seven of his men gathered in the grocery warehouse, fully armed..
I explained the situation to them in detail. And after getting ready, I took a deep breath and touched the unknown woman..
Ugh.
At the same time, the dimensional seal on his left wrist began to emit light, and soon a familiar black disc rose up and covered the underground warehouse..
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