Chapter 580
580fury
70. This side(13)
The troll, with red, rusty iron plates nailed all over its body, did not die even after my careful disassembly work was completed. It's so disgusting to see it rolling its eyes and twitching its mouth even though all that's left is its head. That tough life ended only after pouring kerosene on the severed head and setting it on fire..
Unlike the steel trolls, which left behind a lot of dirty and smelly remains, the goat-headed monsters - so to speak, 'Ushtu's descendants' - did not leave behind any corpses. The wound continued to emit smoke and then disintegrated into dust..
The ‘Dragon Priests’, the Draconians who worship evil gods, also disappeared in a similar way, although it took a little longer. The bundle, which was held with an antler resembling a reindeer as a handle, looked disappointed as if it had lost a trophy as its scaly head was scattered..
“Only the troll remains and the rest disappear... … . What kind of harmony is this?.”
Another strange thing happened in a space full of questions. I'm getting tired of being curious..
Unlike me, who thought I would just ignore it, Ellen came up with her own answer to explain the situation..
“Ushtu is mainly worshiped by unclean pseudo-races. Guys like greenskins, ratmen, ogres, Anuphad, and minotaurs. Goat people and dragon people are similar, so an evil spirit may have taken them away..”
“……So what about trolls? What's the difference between a troll and an owl? It's not like they're both deteriorated versions of giants.?”
“Not at all, of course, ugh…….”
The last puff of smoke from the head of the Yongin priest was irritated by Ellen, who dispersed it with her hand..
“Ogres' ancestors are something between ancient humans and hill giants. On the other hand, trolls are mutants born from the crossbreeding of fallen spirits and giants..”
“Oh, that was it?”
“As far as I know, yes. Anyway, what we can be sure of right now is that Ushtu's influence is quite strong in this subdimension.…….”
Ellen, who received attention from me and the rest of the group, added as if declaring:.
“I predicted this from the moment I felt the dark magic, but it seems like a place closer to the Dark World than to Middle Earth..”
“Hmm.”
For the inhabitants of Middle-Earth, the dimensions of evil - the Underworld, the Phantom Realm, the Flame Realm, etc. - were exactly synonymous with Hell. If a dimension full of death, nightmares, and flames isn't hell, then what is?.
Among them, the one considered to be the leader was the dark world. It was a place where all kinds of negative ideas materialized, and at the same time, it was a magic world teeming with numerous demons, led by the Dark Lord, so such a perception was natural..
However, even after listening to Ellen's words, there was no sign of any significant agitation from the subordinates. The imminent threat was not that great, and the concept of an 'unknown quasi-dimension close to the dark world' was completely unfamiliar to them, so they seemed to not properly understand the current situation..
Well, I didn't understand it properly either..
The battle ended quickly, but we decided to remain vigilant for a while in preparation for additional attacks or unexpected events..
Despite such efforts, there was not even the slightest hint of being attacked, let alone being attacked. The sky was still dark without a single star, and the light everywhere was still gloomy and dim..
However, like last time, the ground shook as if there had been an earthquake and the quasi-dimensional collapse did not occur. It was so quiet that even a needle dropped from far away could be heard..
The vigil did not last long. By the time my head started pounding from the terrible stench of the remains of the steel troll, my patience had run out..
In the end, the group began moving again toward the place pointed out by Iopiya. After some time of wading through the heavy darkness, we finally passed the outer wall and left the royal capital..
“……My lord. Are you going to the cathedral??”
“cathedral?”
“yes. That's the cathedral's graveyard. I think it's going that way..”
Mittelman, holding a heavy crossbow that perfectly matched the dull tone of the underworld, expressed his thoughts as if he was a little uneasy..
“That bitch's spirit may be bewitching the 'half-elf' girl..”
“……What are you doing?”
“Oh, you probably have a grudge against me. Maybe they're trying to capture me and fill the empty tomb..”
“What bullshit? She has no reason to hold a grudge against you..”
“No, there isn't one - the grave was completely turned over and covered.,”
“What is that? You didn't rob, you saved a patient with servant disease who was about to die after being buried alive. If done well, it could be a lifesaver, so why hold a grudge??”
Mittelman adjusted his crossbow and wet his dry tongue..
“……I would really appreciate it if that girl thought the same way..”
For a moment, I felt sorry for the sweaty face, but then I suddenly became dumbfounded and asked the guy a question..
“……But does it make sense for a bastard who cuts human bones into arrows to be afraid of things like vengeful spirits??”
“Master, since you have handled it, you know how to be careful. An arrow that is properly energized can instantly destroy a wall as thick as the palm of your hand.…….”
Did my question start the water? The guy continued to cry..
Mittelman was a man who was despised by all kinds of people in the world and had committed the serious crime of desertion, so in terms of roughness and ferocity, he was one of the best among my subordinates..
But these days, perhaps it's the influence of 'Dead Man's Cross', the death of his best friend Donell, or maybe it's because he got a wife and child, but he seems to have become softer than in the past. I feel like I've lost my taste a bit..
“…….”
Well, what can I do anyway? He has been taking care of me for almost 3 years and has gone through a lot of hardships, so I need to take good care of him..
When the work in the royal capital is over and I return to Eisbowalt, I will have to pay more attention to not only Mittelman but also my other subordinates..
Even though I promised that, I was starting to get annoyed. Ellen couldn't stand it anymore and turned to look at him..
“hey. Shut up.”
“Ah, yep. sorry-”
“It's a vengeful spirit for someone who hasn't even died yet... … . Searching graves and pretending to be a necromancer, now he's putting a curse on me?”
Only then did Mittelman quietly shut up. And when we reached the destination at the end of Iopiya's guidance, we were able to confirm that Mittelman's worries were unfounded..
“stop!”
Iopiya, who led us not to the shabby cathedral where the woman was said to be buried, but to a small stream at the entrance of Seongoe Village, was still blindfolded..
“Stop, you can't get any closer. It's right in front of you. There, down there.”
He pointed down the valley with his free hand, but few people in the group paid attention. Because there was no need for that..
“We're watching too.”
“Uh-yeah?”
“We're watching too, you idiot. Stop hands off.”
At the words of Mungchi, who was supporting her next to her, Iopiya removed her hand covering her front and leaned heavily. The guy realized the cause of the confusion and quickly lifted the spell of 'Fairy Tale'..
“……hmm.”
Iopiya put her head down and blinked, as if feeling dizzy. I supported him from across the bundle and whispered softly..
“It's IOP. I'm sorry I'm in a rush.”
“yes yes?”
“It's not normal for a soul to be visible to ordinary people.?”
“Yes, of course. It's not normal.”
“I see By the way, maybe I'm mistaken, but it doesn't look that much different from a banshee down there to me.?”
“yes? No, no! It's a banshee!”
Iopiya jumped up and shook her head. Then I finally regained my focus and looked down at the stream..
Down in that valley, a woman was squatting in front of a small stream of water flowing with a dull light unique to the other world..
Long hair that touches the waist, a pure white linen dress, a translucent shape that is slightly reflected from the other side, and a faint light flowing through the outline..
In a word, she looked like a typical virgin ghost or banshee..
Meanwhile, the woman was shaking her shoulders slightly, but since no sound was heard, it was hard to tell whether she was crying or laughing. Thanks to this, her backside gave off an even more eerie feeling..
“A banshee, that's not it! Look again, you can't even feel the fraud..”
Iopiya sent a look hoping for salvation, but Ellen seemed unable to relax her guard..
“That's right, but the pressure may have been so great that it crushed me. Banshees are originally undead who are good at camouflage..”
As if those words were a signal, the subordinates' hands moved to the handles of their weapons..
“No, I can't do that.!”
Iopiya was startled and threw up both hands. He had a resolute attitude and tried to leave us behind and move forward on his own..
“……You want to talk? you alone?”
“yes. Other people won't be able to hear each other anyway..”
“Still, I can't do it alone. I knew something would happen?”
“Nothing will happen. What can someone so scared do??”
“Are you scared? who?”
“Of course it's me. More than ten days have already passed since he was trapped here, in this other world. So how scared are you? If they see you, they might get scared and run away..”
I narrowed my eyebrows and asked the question again..
“……How did you know she had been locked here for over 10 days??”
“Because I overheard you talking to yourself..”
“soliloquy?”
“That's not what's important now.”
Iopiya urged him as if he was running out of time, but even so, he had almost no fighting ability. I couldn't allow something that looked so much like a banshee to approach me alone..
After a brief scuffle with Iopiya, I decided to follow him alone. The blade of ‘Saint’s Destruction’ was decided to be tightly wrapped in a scabbard..
Well, this was an acceptable condition. The thing sitting there was a real banshee, so even if it suddenly screamed and attacked Iopiya, I was confident that I would swing my sword and scatter it before it even stretched out its hand..
Iopiya cautiously approached the woman with the appearance of a virgin ghost, and I followed at a half-step distance..
“Juhun orom jikara.”
Iopiya whispered softly. It certainly didn't seem to contain spiritual power, but it was a voice that had a strange resonance..
“Ubirom fanhurlu. Anta suelu.”
At that time, the woman who was squatting turned around to look at us..
First of all, fortunately, I didn't feel the creepy feeling typical of Banshee..
Simple, tear-filled eyes, a slim face, and wavy hair. It was a smooth face in its own way, and it was also a familiar face. It seems to be the soul of the live corpse that Mittelman carried..
“……!”
The woman, whose eyes were wide open as if surprised, looked at Iopiya and me alternately..
Then, for some reason, he looked at me with a strange gaze and his lips twitched for some reason. But I couldn't hear the voice.
“……huh?”
On the other hand, Iopiya frowned with an ambiguous expression, as if she had heard something..
Feeling somewhat uneasy, I took the Saint's Destruction from my shoulder and held it..
“why? What are you saying??”
“Uh, that's it…….”
“why?”
The guy with a strangely distorted face answered with a slightly dejected look..
“They say you’re so handsome.”
“……what?”
“That's what I said. Just now.”
I burst out laughing at Iopiya’s dumbfounded face..
……Anyway, it didn't seem like a banshee..
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