SWY 89

“……”

Lestel didn’t take the bag right away. He looked down at it for a moment, and Simon urged him gently, as if telling him to hurry up and accept it.

“Please take it. I regretted not being able to prepare something myself when you left for Luhas. This won’t be the last time… but still, I wanted to personally pack this and see you off. I’ve included everything I thought you’d really need, so you shouldn’t be too uncomfortable.”

“Thanks.”

Only then did Lestel take the bag and sling it over his shoulder. It wasn’t all that heavy, but perhaps because he could feel Simon’s sincerity in it, it made one side of his body feel oddly heavy.

“And I’ve prepared people to escort you after you deal with the Delos bastard, all the way to the eastern gate. I’d go myself, but…”

“I’ll have to decline.”

Simon smiled, as if he had expected that answer, and pointed behind him. There stood two of Yuel’s subordinates and four people Simon had personally arranged. With only four members in Delos’s group, Sharhan and Lestel were more than enough on their own, but those people were a gesture of Simon’s thoughtfulness, goodwill, and vigilance.

Knowing that, Lestel didn’t turn them away. If they could watch over the party and report that they’d gotten past the wall safely, Simon would be able to rest easy.

“Take care of yourself.”

“You too, Master. I’ll be praying that all three of you reach Serman safely. Then… farewell.”

Simon stepped back and bowed deeply, so deeply it felt excessive. When he finally straightened, his eyes were tinged red. But no tears fell. Lestel gave him a brief hug and said,

“Let’s meet again, Simon.”

“Yes. Once things settle down in Verden, I’ll come find you.”

“Good. Let’s definitely meet again.”

With that short but heartfelt farewell, Lestel turned and strode forward. Sharhan matched his pace, but when he glanced back, he saw Simon standing still in the same place, watching them.

When their eyes met, Simon silently mouthed, ‘Take good care of the Master’. Sharhan gave a slight nod, as if to say “don’t worry.” Only then did Simon’s expression soften with relief. He looked exactly like an older brother worriedly seeing off his younger sibling.

Sharhan turned away, rubbing his temple as he walked. There was something awkward about Simon, who had shared a part of Lestel’s life that Sharhan didn’t know. And yet, there was also comfort in knowing that someone truly cared about Lestel.

“Shan, what are you doing?”

He’d fallen a few steps behind. As Lestel jerked his chin, signaling him to walk close, Sharhan caught up and quietly buried the unfamiliar, unnamed feeling in his chest.

After leaving the mansion, the group carefully followed behind Yuel’s subordinates. They weren’t quite at Parel’s level, but it was clear that they were trying their best to move without leaving a trace, just like seasoned informants would.

“This way.”

The streets were still quiet in the early dawn light. There was no sign of the living, and in several places, moving corpses stood around listlessly, swaying with vacant eyes.

Whenever even the faintest sound came from a distance, they would suddenly rush toward it like flies to a carcass. Whenever that happened, the party would hide briefly, then continue slowly along the silent streets.

“There it is.”

Yuel’s subordinate pointed to a mansion with a small garden. The walls were low enough that the inside could be seen. In the ruined garden, several corpses wandered aimlessly, their eyes blank.

It was clear that the Delos bastards had deliberately lured them in as a defensive measure. Whether they used a living person as bait or not, there was a glimpse of bloodstained bone half-buried in one corner of the garden. The stench of blood hit them hard, unmistakably fresh.

“Did they use a survivor as bait?”

One of Yuel’s men nodded at Lestel’s muttered question.

“A survivor who had been hiding out in that mansion. Just before sunset yesterday, Delos’s group broke in. After a while, they dragged a man out and tied him to a tree in the garden. Then they made a ruckus to attract the corpses. While the moving corpses were devouring him, they locked the mansion door and went inside. With the garden full of corpses, it’s a warning, ‘if you value your life, don’t come in.’ We were watching from a distance, and as soon as the sun rose, we ran to the mansion to report it.”

No one blamed them for only watching. Their mission was to locate Delos, not to rescue anyone.

“Did you report to Yuel too?”

“There were three of us. One went to make the report.”

The group approached the mansion and stopped at the front gate. It was an old iron gate, rusted enough that even the quietest attempt to open it would make noise. And if it made noise, the corpses would come running immediately.

“It’s going to make noise… Should we just climb over?”

The wall was about chest height. It didn’t seem impossible to climb.

“Wait.”

Sharhan pulled out the bow he had taken from the mansion. Seeing it, Lestel made a face that said, ‘Oh, right. We had a bow.’ It had been hanging over Sharhan’s shoulder the whole time, but since they hadn’t used it at all until now, it must’ve slipped his mind. As Sharhan chuckled at his embarrassment, Lestel’s face hardened and he held out his hand.

“Do you even know how to shoot? If you’re not confident, hand it over.”

“Get ready to be amazed by my skills.”

Sharhan scoffed and brushed Lestel’s arm away. His main weapon was a sword, so his archery skills weren’t particularly refined, but at this distance, he was confident he wouldn’t miss.

While Sharhan nocked an arrow to his bow, the people Simon had sent along kept watch around them. Sharhan took aim at the one still chewing with a wet crunch, gnawing at raw flesh.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew with a sharp whistle and pierced straight through the creature’s skull. As it collapsed to the ground, the other corpses, which had been listlessly swaying, suddenly turned to look in unison. Having spotted fresh human meat, they began snapping their teeth and rushed toward the group.

Sharhan loosed a second arrow, and another head was split open just as the corpses closed the remaining distance.

With beastlike growls, they stretched out their emaciated arms. Lestel took a step back and swung his axe, cleaving one of their heads. As he yanked the blade out of the crumpling body, a thick, pitch-black sludge spilled out.

It was a grotesque sight. Lestel grimaced but forced himself to stay calm and brought his axe down on another corpse nearby.

“I’ll handle that one.”

With the enemies too close for his bow to be effective, Sharhan drew his sword and cleaved through the last corpse’s head.

“It’s over.”

It took less than a few minutes for Lestel and Sharhan to finish off the corpses. Yuel and Simon’s men, who had been standing by with weapons in hand, ready to jump in if needed, found themselves feeling awkward now that the fight was already done.

After shaking as much blood off the axe as he could, Lestel cautiously pushed open the iron gate.

Creak.

As expected, the rusted metal let out a grating noise. The group ducked down under the wall, listening carefully to see if there was any movement inside. Even after a long pause, there was no response. Only then did they stand up and slowly step inside.

“The front door’s locked.”

Not surprising. One of Yuel’s subordinates stepped forward.

“I’ll take care of it.”

He pulled a thin wire from his pocket and fiddled with the lock for a few seconds. Click. The lock released with a soft snap. Sharhan motioned for Lestel and Derry to step back, then took hold of the doorknob.

Lestel moved in close behind Sharhan and raised his axe, clearly ready to strike if anyone tried to ambush them the moment the door opened. Derry was also silently preparing a fireball, waiting only for the final syllable of the incantation.

Once everything was ready, Sharhan carefully opened the door. Inside, it was quiet, except for the faint sound of muffled sobbing, as if someone were crying with everything they had forced down.

Sharhan pointed silently in the direction the sound was coming from. It meant: Let’s check over there.

Simon’s men split up into pairs and headed toward different rooms. Yuel’s subordinate and Derry remained in the living room to stand guard.

As soon as they split up, everyone began moving at once. When Sharhan opened the door slowly, he found Delos passed out naked on the bed, reeking of strong liquor. Several empty bottles lay scattered beneath the bed. It wasn’t just one or two.

Clicking his tongue, Sharhan frowned at the man’s sagging gut. Then his eyes caught the thick, limp piece of black flesh dangling between his legs. It was too revolting to keep looking.

Just as he managed to choke down a rising wave of disgust, Sharhan’s gaze landed on a man curled up in the corner of the bed. He looked to be around twenty, thin from starvation but with a face and figure that were conventionally attractive.

Exactly Delos’s type.

His entire body was covered in bruises and marks of abuse. There was no need to guess what had happened. It was painfully clear.

Disgusting bastard. Even while on the run, he couldn’t give up his habits.

When the young man looked up, startled by the sudden intruders, Sharhan raised a finger to his lips in a shushing motion and then gestured toward the door, signaling him to leave. But the young man shook his head and pointed to the chain around his ankle. Delos must have shackled him to keep him from escaping. No wonder he hadn’t fled already. Delos was so drunk he hadn’t even noticed the intrusion.

“Fucking bastard.”

Sharhan finally let the curse slip out loud, and at that moment, a commotion broke out outside.

“What the—?!”

“An intruder!”

“Ugh, aaagh!”

Delos’s subordinates, the ones who’d fled with him, were shouting in panic. There were the sounds of weapons clashing and someone being subdued. Delos smacked his lips and opened his eyes, irritated.

“Fuck, who the hell’s being so loud–”

He didn’t get to finish the sentence.

“Hello, Filthy Crotch.”

As Sharhan greeted him, Lestel raised his axe.