Chapter 138
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 138: Warning (2)
***
When Sanchez received the order to capture the man named Victor, he didn’t think it would be too difficult.
He had heard the news that Victor had beaten Heyden to a pulp with a single club, but he didn’t take it seriously.
There were many knights under Duplessis who were more skilled than Heyden. For example, Sanchez himself.
‘He fought Heyden with a club? It must have been a close fight, but I can do that too!’
In terms of skill, the man named Victor might be slightly, just slightly, better than him. However, Sanchez was not alone. He had two knights of a similar class accompanying him.
That’s why he was confident.
He was confident that he could subdue the man named Victor and bring back results that would satisfy Sir Duplessis.
“…Huh?”
That confidence disappeared the moment he saw the club falling over his head.
He couldn’t even react, let alone block it. The attack was that fast.
If he couldn’t avoid it, he could only endure it. Fortunately, the club that Victor swung was not made of iron, but of wood. It wouldn’t hurt that much even if he got hit…
Bonk!
“Ugh!”
The moment the club hit his head, excruciating pain spread throughout his body.
What? What is this?
With a brief question, Sanchez’s head hit the ground. The dirty mud that countless people had stepped on and passed by was smeared all over his face.
The unpleasant smell of dirt wafted through his nostrils, but Sanchez couldn’t lift his head.
It really hurt.
It hurt so much that he didn’t even have the time to feel his wounds with his hands. He could only wait for the pain to subside.
“Ugh, ughhh!”
Only after the pain had subsided somewhat was Sanchez able to lift his head. He rubbed the affected area with both hands.
“My, my head is fine?”
He thought his head would have burst open, but there was no wound at all. Sanchez was puzzled by this strange phenomenon.
Just then, a shadow loomed over his head.
He turned his head and saw Victor holding the club. Sanchez screamed and hurriedly spoke.
“W, wait! I’m Sir Duplessis’s messenger! If you touch me again, it will be considered a declaration of war against Sir Duplessis!”
From Sanchez’s point of view, he was making a threat in the sense of asking not to be hit anymore. However, the other party’s reaction was somewhat strange.
“Oh? Really?”
Sanchez felt a sense of foreboding, but he emphasized again.
“I, I really am! If Sir Duplessis finds out that you touched me, he will be furious… W, wait!”
Damien immediately swung the club down. It hurt even more than before.
“Why, why are you hitting me again… Argh! Ughhh!”
Moreover, this time it didn’t end with just one hit. Victor beat Sanchez all over his body.
“Those guys are up too?”
He didn’t forget to beat the knights who had accompanied Sanchez.
Only after a long time of beating did the club stop. Damien wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.
“Now I feel a little better.”
At those words, Sanchez felt anger welling up inside him.
However, he couldn’t even get up recklessly. He thought he would get hit by Victor again if he did.
“What is this all about?”
Just then, a stern voice rang out. At the familiar voice, Sanchez quickly raised his head.
A man with a grim face was walking over, wearing thick armor.
Behind the man followed knights and soldiers bearing the emblem of the Almond Country.
A high-class knight of the Almond Country.
It was Dominico who had appeared.
“D, Dominico!”
Sanchez hurriedly ran towards Dominico. He grabbed the hem of his pants and shouted.
“That guy! That Victor guy attacked me! He beat me and the other knights with that club!”
Sanchez pointed at Victor and his hands trembled.
“T, this is a violation of the Almond country’s rule that prohibits conflict on the ground. He must be expelled immediately.”
“Is that true?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask the other people!”
Sanchez said with a confident face. Then Dominico asked the people around him.
“Is what this man says true?”
“Uh… That man did swing the club first.”
The people nodded with trembling faces.
Regardless of the circumstances, it was true that Damien had used force first.
As the people agreed, Sanchez shouted in an even more arrogant voice.
“You see? Expel this man immediately! That’s the rule of Almond Country!”
***
‘What a pathetic bastard.’
Damien looked at Sanchez and clicked his tongue inwardly. It seemed pathetic to him that a knight would not think of getting revenge himself and instead cling to Dominico.
Thibaut cautiously whispered to Damien.
“Sir Victor, I think you should explain yourself quickly.”
“Why should I do that?”
Damien asked, tilting his head.
“The atmosphere is a bit… If you continue like this, you might be expelled.”
“Don’t worry. That will never happen.”
“Yes?”
Although no one else had noticed, Dominico had actually been nearby since a while ago. Damien sensed Dominico’s mana, so he was sure.
However, Dominico did not stop Damien from beating up the knights and just watched.
“Expulsion…”
Dominico stroked his chin and pondered.
“But come to think of it, there is only one person on that side and three on this side. Did you really get beaten up by three people fighting one?”
At Dominico’s words, Sanchez’s face turned pale.
“W, what’s the big deal about that now!”
“It’s a big deal. Because it means that the knights of Duplessis, who were so arrogant, can’t even beat one person out of three.”
At Dominico’s words, the knights and soldiers of the Almond Country burst out laughing.
When the laughter died down, Dominico spoke in a serious tone.
“It was clearly a disadvantageous fight for Victor. It’s strange to put the blame solely on Victor. I will not impose any punishment.”
“Sir Dominico! Are you really going to side with that man now?”
Sanchez shouted with an angry face. At that moment, the smile that had been on Dominico’s face disappeared.
“And if I do?”
“W, what?”
“I asked what you plan to do if I do.”
Dominico released his aura. Sanchez’s face turned pale at the enormous pressure.
“Do you have any complaints about my decision?”
Sanchez’s head involuntarily lowered. He could only sweat coldly, unable to withstand even Dominico’s gaze.
“I asked if you have any complaints.”
“N, no, sir.”
Sanchez said in a crawling voice. Only then did Dominico withdraw his aura.
“Then I take it we have no problem with each other now? Then get out of here.”
Sanchez and the two knights ran away quickly.
When the three men disappeared, Dominico spoke to Damien.
“You must have had a hard time exploring the ruins and getting yelled at.”
His attitude was completely different from when he was dealing with Sanchez.
“If something like this happens again, just beat them up like you did today. I’ll watch over you, so don’t worry.”
“Isn’t it supposed to be fair for the person in charge of security?”
Damien asked playfully, and Dominico laughed out loud.
“Those guys are acting like they own the place just because they came to the Almond Country, so I think I’m allowed to be a little bit biased. Who would dare to complain to me anyway?”
A high-class knight had that kind of authority.
Although not as much as a master class, they were still important factors that could determine the whole kingdom or country’s strength.
“I haven’t finished my patrol yet, so I’ll excuse myself.”
Dominico said goodbye and left with his subordinates.
***
After that, Damien returned to the inn to rest.
The artifacts found at the ruins were to be stored in the inn room Damien was occupying, as there were too many to fit into the subspace.
The next day, Damien spoke to Thibaut in front of the ruins.
“There’s a separate task for you to handle.”
At Damien’s command, Thibaut tilted his head in curiosity.
“A separate task?”
“You are to travel around the Almond country today and gather information on the prices of artifacts.”
Given the large quantity of artifacts accumulated during the ruins exploration, it was necessary to start figuring out how to deal with them. Furthermore, with more discoveries expected in the future, preparation was essential.
“You mean the prices?”
“Yes, not only for the artifacts we’ve have, but also for other relics. Understand?”
“If that’s the case, leave it to me! I’m quite adept at gathering information.”
Thibaut spoke confidently, his extensive research on the Almond country from the Apple Kingdom making his abilities evident.
“And there’s one more thing I need you to investigate.”
“What else?”
“I’d like you to find out if anyone has encountered undead at the ruins or if there’s anyone regularly purchasing magical reagents.”
Thibaut looked puzzled as if questioning the necessity of such inquiries.
‘Information on Gathdal’s movements is needed.’
Waiting idly for Gathdal to appear was not an option. Any piece of information, no matter how small, about Gathdal was valuable.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have the investigation completed thoroughly before you return from the ruins!”
Thibaut said respectfully in response.
With his farewell, Damien entered the ruins.
***
Damien headed straight to the 5th floor.
Unlike yesterday, there were no guards guarding the entrance to the 5th floor. It seemed that the Obter mercenary group had been wiped out.
Thanks to this, Damien was able to enter the 5th floor without any friction.
“Oh? Sir Victor?”
As soon as he descended to the 5th floor, he came across a group of knights.
The knights’ armor was emblazoned with the symbol of the Almond Country. They seemed to be patrolling the ruins.
“I didn’t expect to see you here!”
A knight who recognized Damien said with a playful smile. The other knights asked with puzzled faces.
“Who is he?”
“Oh, weren’t you here yesterday? That man is Victor.”
“Victor? The explorer who beat up several of those unlucky Duplessis knights?”
The knights’ reactions changed as soon as they learned Damien’s identity.
“Are you going on an expedition today? Please be careful!”
“If the Duplessis knights show up again, please do us a favor. Please beat them to a pulp!”
Like Dominico, the knights of the Almond Country didn’t seem to like Duplessis very much.
Suddenly, Damien’s gaze turned to the cart that the knights were dragging.
The cart was filled with people. They were still alive, moaning faintly.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, this? We’re transporting the wounded to the ground. We can’t just leave them to die, can we?”
They were lucky to have survived in a dangerous place like the 5th floor.
“Then good luck with that.”
The knights of the Almond Country passed Damien and went upstairs.
Damien also took a step.
He had no plans to explore the 5th floor today. This was because he had gone around yesterday and found no trace of Gathdal.
Damien’s target today was the 6th floor.
The size of the 5th floor was enormous, but thanks to the map, he was able to quickly find the entrance to the 6th floor.
“Nuclear production facility.”
Damien read the ancient letters written on the entrance to the 6th floor.
“It seems that this is an important place.”
Damien turned his gaze forward. There, three ancient golems were crouching.
As he approached, the ancient golems woke up and stood up, glaring at Damien. They were the same rank as the captain he had encountered yesterday.
He didn’t have time to waste on these guys. It was just when Damien was about to grab the dawn.
“Let’s take a look at that thing’s face.”
Instead of grabbing the dawn, Damien opened a spatial ring. He reached into it and pulled out a large travel bag.
It was a magical tool that he had acquired in the research lab of the Corpseplay. It gave off a heavy feeling due to its age.
Damien opened the bag left and right. The inside was filled with nothing but black darkness.
“Come out, Miya.”
A person with snow-white skin emerged from the darkness.
A neutral appearance that was difficult to tell whether it was male or female.
A face that still made one think it was beautiful.
“Let’s see your skills again after a long time.”
The last masterpiece created by the Corpseplay had come out into the world again.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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