SWY 31

“Did you say it’s a ruin?!”

Derry, the mage, was the first to react. James, startled, looked back at Derry with wide eyes.

“Some people call it that, but we just call it the old place.”

“How did I not know about it? I’ve never heard there was a ruin nearby…”

“Did you live around here?”

“Oh, no. I’m from Luhas.”

“How is it over there?”

Recalling the hell he had barely escaped, Derry’s eyes reddened instantly as he lowered his head.

“It’s…”

Seeing that he couldn’t bring himself to finish, James patted his shoulder as if to encourage him and said,

“Well, it makes sense that you wouldn’t know. It’s just a wasteland with a few run-down shacks. The land’s dead, you can’t even farm on it. But for some reason, our village chief in Gagos has always hidden the existence of that place. He constantly warned us never to speak of it to outsiders. Sometimes, when kids were found playing there, they’d get scolded harshly.”

“Damn it, and all the while he was hiding food there behind our backs! That’s why he was so scared of it being found!”

Ralph slammed his fist on the floor in anger. Unlike the mild-looking James, Ralph seemed to have a much rougher temperament.

“They are sensitive to sounds. Please be careful.”

Sharhan warned. At his words, Ralph flinched, unclenched his fist, and looked at the door in fear, as if worried that the walking corpses would burst in any moment because of the noise.

“Have you been there? To the old site, I mean.”

Lestel asked. Sharhan looked at Lestel curiously, surprised by his interest.

‘Was Lestel always interested in ruins?’

Given that Lestel owned several relics from the ancient empire, it seemed likely he had developed that interest during the three years they had been apart.

“I snuck in once as a kid without the adults knowing.”

“What was it like?”

“Like I said, just a few abandoned shacks in the wasteland. Everything else is destroyed and gone, but the shacks are still standing. I once sneaked inside one as a child, but there was nothing. Just an empty shack. I got caught by the chief and scolded so badly I never went back. So when I heard they were hiding food there, I was surprised. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to hide anything.”

“There must be a secret space.”

“Yes. Behind the wall…”

As Ralph gave James a nudge on the shoulder, James shut his mouth. It seemed the village chief had told him how to find the hidden space, but he was reluctant to speak about it. Noticing the shift in mood, Sharhan casually asked,

“You two came out here to find the food the chief mentioned, didn’t you?”

Compared to the hot-tempered Ralph, James seemed easier to talk to, so both Lestel and Sharhan addressed only him. Fortunately, James was quite talkative. He licked his dry lips before answering honestly.

“Besides us, a knight, ten villagers, and an outsider named Parel came out too. The chief said the families of volunteers would get food first, so everyone hesitated at first, but when the chief’s right-hand man volunteered, the others followed. I was one of them. But we never even made it near the site. We had barely left the village when we ran into those… those things. There were too many… Everyone screamed and scattered… and then…”

Recalling that terrifying moment, James’s face went pale. He clasped his trembling hands tightly.

“There was a huge explosion earlier. Was that from your side?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. The knight kept swinging his sword, but they wouldn’t fall. They just kept coming. Eventually, the knight got caught and had his throat ripped out by those things… Ugh… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“Before he died, he pulled something from his coat and threw it at them… then there was this enormous boom, and they exploded… Ugh. Only Ralph and I managed to escape. We got lost and couldn’t return to the village, so we ended up here.”

James gagged a few more times before finally finishing his story.

“He threw something and they exploded?”

“It was probably a mana explosive.”

Derry, who had been listening quietly, spoke cautiously.

“Mana explosive?”

“Yes. My master told me it’s a kind of weapon made by condensing a mage’s power.”

“So that means it’s an ancient imperial relic… And the knight from Baron Olais had it…?”

“Oh, the chief gave it to him. I saw him call the knight over in secret and hand it to him, saying to use it in an emergency.”

Sharhan let out a dry chuckle.

“So it really was a ruin.”

Lestel nodded in agreement.

“Looks like it was taken out from the ruin. They were guarding the place so no one else would get close because of the relic.”

“What? There was an ancient imperial relic in the old site?”

It was Lestel who responded to the shocked James.

“It’s very likely. Ancient relics only ever come from ruins.”

“If they had sold the relic, maybe we wouldn’t have gone hungry…”

“If the relic hidden in the old site was a mana explosive, then they couldn’t have sold it carelessly. It’s too dangerous.”

They could guess at its power from the explosion earlier. It was likely made to fight monsters, so it wouldn’t have been weak. If something like that had leaked out and been sold in secret in this day and age…

Sharhan imagined if mana explosive had been used during the territory wars he’d fought in. If one had gone off in the middle of a battlefield… he might’ve died, or at the very least lost a limb.

‘If I had died on the battlefield… would that bastard have been sad?’

Assuming the worst, Sharhan glanced over at Lestel. While risking his life for money, there had been many moments when he’d thought of him. It wasn’t out of longing or affection.

What Sharhan had thought, rather foolishly, was, ‘If I disappear, that annoying Lestel guy will be awfully bored.’ To think that was all he could come up with in a place where life and death coexisted, it was laughable even now.

Lestel turned just as he felt Sharhan’s gaze.

“H-he meant to sell it!”

James suddenly cried out, filled with rage.

“What?”

“Now that I think about it, it makes sense. I always wondered why the lord himself would visit such a small village… It was because the chief was secretly trying to sell that ancient relic, that mana explosive!”

It was a plausible theory.

“James, you’re probably right! There’s been a serious drought for years, and after paying taxes, everyone’s been starving. The chief’s family was a bit better off, but they weren’t rich. And the chief’s son wanted to become a knight’s squire. But that takes money! He was going to sell the mana explosive for the funds! While we were all starving to death, that bastard turned a blind eye… that son of a bitch!”

Ralph agreed with James, face red with fury, and cursed the village chief. The two looked at each other, swearing they wouldn’t let the chief get away with it and would tell everyone in the village the truth. Then they both lowered their heads at the same time.

“C-can we even go back? Those things are swarming outside…”

“We have to! My wife and kid are waiting for me. No matter what, I have to… Hey, are you all mercenaries?”

Lestel wore a hunter’s outfit, Derry a robe, but Sharhan’s clothing was clearly that of a mercenary.

“Yes.”

“C-could you take us to the village? I don’t have anything to offer, but if you wait, I’m sure I can find something. If you help us, I’ll find a way to repay you.”

“Sorry, but we’re in a hurry ourselves.”

“Please, I’m begging you.”

James and Ralph bowed their heads desperately. But Sharhan could only refuse, though it pained him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Really? You won’t help?”

“No.”

“I… I see.”

James accepted it with disappointment, but Ralph didn’t. Overcome with frustration, he lashed out.

“We’re not even asking for charity! We said we’d pay you somehow if you just take us to the village. You’re really going to be this heartless? I saw you fight earlier. You’re clearly capable. Can’t you just spare a little time to help?!”

Just a little time, Sharhan was appalled. This wasn’t a simple errand. There was a very high chance of dying. That kind of thinking made him angry.

“Why should we?”

“W-what?”

“You’re not offering any payment up front. Just vague promises of a reward. No mercenary moves on empty words like that.”

“Then out of kindness–”

“Kindness? You want us to risk our lives out of kindness? Our lives aren’t so cheap.”

As Ralph’s face reddened with anger, James stepped in to stop him and bowed apologetically. Ralph was dragged to the corner of the shack, grumbling, “Damn it, it’s not even that far. They could’ve just taken us.” Sharhan, seeing the growing coldness in Lestel’s expression, shook his head and grabbed his hand. It meant, don’t say another word.

“We’ll be leaving at daybreak. You do what you want.”

No reply came.

Ever since refusing the request, tension hung in the air. Ralph’s constant muttering was grating, but since they’d only be there one night, Sharhan ignored him.

“We’ll take turns standing guard in pairs. First, me and James. Then Derry and Ralph. Lastly, me and Lestel. The one in the robe is Derry, and that’s Lestel over there. No objections allowed.”

Sharhan unilaterally assigned guard duty and made it clear there would be no arguing. When Ralph tried to protest, he silenced him by slightly drawing his sword. Pairing everyone was a precaution in case Ralph or James got any foolish ideas during their watch.

Everyone except Sharhan and James lay down to sleep. James remained quiet, and Sharhan didn’t speak to him either. He just listened carefully to the sounds outside. After a while, he woke Derry and Ralph, then lay down beside Lestel.

As if waiting, Lestel immediately pulled Sharhan into his arms. Though he grumbled about not being able to sleep comfortably, he was familiar enough now that Sharhan quickly fell asleep in his embrace.

And then, at some point, he jolted awake. Something cold touched his neck.

It was a dagger.