Chapter 59 Salamander's Heart (2)
Tollan Banewig.
He was one of Locus's subordinates, in charge of delivering various information as a contact. At least, until Locus's information network was destroyed.
'Damn it… damn it…! That's why I said we shouldn't mess with it!'
The Salamander's Heart.
That was the cause of this disaster.
One day, a piece of information came through, saying that the Salamander's Heart was being transported near the border of the Kingdom of Estiria. No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say someone deliberately sent the intel.
The detailed location and information were so precise they were instantly understandable at a glance. No matter how one looked at it, it was far too coincidental to be mere chance.
Still, he couldn't just ignore it and not report.
Tollan immediately passed the information to Locus, with an added remark that it seemed suspicious and best left untouched. Of course, the greedy Locus didn't listen in the slightest.
He immediately hired trusted men to steal the Salamander's Heart, and before long, they acted. Luckily, the plan was a success.
They killed everyone involved in the transport, erasing all traces, and by smuggling themselves across borders, completely cut off pursuit.
They then hid the Salamander's Heart in a concealed warehouse, making it nearly impossible to be found even if someone let something slip. That had been the case, until now.
'But then…'
Not long ago, a monster appeared.
A giant, full of scars across his face, wielding two curved blades. His laughter was so chilling that even with eyes closed, the sound lingered by the ear.
And it wasn't only his appearance that was terrifying.
Bodies hacked apart by merciless slashes, subordinates frozen or impaled.
Dozens were cut to pieces or shattered, unable to put up proper resistance.
Even Locus's trusted lieutenants, who stepped forward to block him, couldn't last a few minutes before being torn apart.
In the chaos, Locus and his closest aides escaped.
Tollan and a few others were fortunate enough to slip away and scatter, but whether the rest survived was doubtful. Grey's scavenger-like information brokers were prowling with bloodshot eyes, eager to seize Locus's intelligence network.
And that scarred monster was still hunting Locus.
It wouldn't end until Locus was caught.
Until things settled down, hiding in such a quiet village was the best way to survive, if he wanted to keep breathing.
"Damn it, this is so fucked."
Creeeak.
Tollan grabbed his bottle of liquor and stood up. He was heading upstairs in the inn to sleep it off. His legs wobbled as he walked, completely drunk.
At that moment,
"…Shit!"
He stomped the floor hard and whipped his sword backward in a sudden slash.
***
Klang!
Tollan's surprise attack was easily blocked by a staff.
He gritted his teeth and rolled sideways over a dining table to create some distance. Catching his breath, Tollan shouted at Verden.
"H-how the hell did you find me?! I hid so thoroughly!"
Of course, Verden had no way of knowing.
He had only heard it from Pale.
'Let's just catch him first, then think later.'
Time was precious, so he intended to knock him out quickly. As Verden took a step forward, Tollan panicked and hurled everything within reach.
Plates, forks, knives, spoons, well-roasted meat, cups of water. Yet thanks to the mana barrier created by his protective necklace, Verden didn't get so much as a scratch without even moving.
Naturally, Tollan was driven into a corner.
"Don't come closer! Stay away!"
Vwooom, vwooong.
His sword stance was clumsy, trembling with fear. In the end, with nowhere to run, he clenched his teeth and charged at Verden.
Verden deflected the strike with his staff and countered with a light strike to the stomach.
"Guuhk?!"
Hit squarely in the solar plexus, Tollan's face reddened, bloodshot.
Verden pressed on, knocking the sword out of his hands with a strike, then grazed his jaw with a flicking blow.
Thud.
Tollan collapsed forward and fainted.
With the easy subjugation finished, Verden looked around and raised his gaze toward the second floor.
"That place will do."
He dragged the unconscious Tollan and a chair up the stairs.
***
"…Huff!"
Tollan gasped awake.
But his body wouldn't move. Looking down, he saw that he had been forced into a chair, bound not with rope but by solid, earth-like restraints clamping his arms, legs, and torso tightly.
"This… magic?"
As soon as he realized it, a voice came from behind.
"Tollan Banewig, answer my questions from here on."
"Wh-who's there?! Don't tell me it's that bastard from before! Damn it, let me go! I don't know anything!"
Tollan screamed, but no sound escaped the room. A magic circle had already been drawn for soundproofing. Instead of replying, Verden pressed the staff against Tollan's neck.
The cold metal touched him, and Tollan let out a sharp whimper, shoulders flinching. His heartbeat quickened with mounting fear.
Verden spoke.
"Where is Locus?"
"D-did another broker send you?! I swear, I don't know any— Gaaaahk!"
Frost formed at the tip of the staff.
Ice spread onto Tollan's shoulder. A little more pressure, and his shoulder would be frozen solid in an instant. He'd most likely die, and if not, he'd live crippled.
Overcome with terror, Tollan burst into tears and screamed.
"Wait! I'll talk! No, I'll tell you everything! Just please don't kill me!"
"Then I'll ask again, where is Locus?"
"H-he, he's hiding in a safehouse!"
Safehouse?
"The location?"
When Verden handed him a map, Tollan marked several points scattered across the snowy mountains. In total, about four spots.
"Are there no other places? If even you know, then it seems more likely he's hiding somewhere else."
"T-that's… I secretly found out the location just in case…"
So in other words, he was holding onto a weapon to stab Locus in the back when needed. It seemed that this information broker called Locus didn't even have the bare minimum of trust in his own subordinates.
'With this, I've roughly secured the locations.'
"Someone said Locus's information network was almost annihilated, who on earth was it?"
"I-I don't know the details, but he was over 2 meters tall, with a face full of scars! He was like a monster, wielding two curved blades while also using magic… Ah, and it seemed he was chasing Locus to find the Salamander's Heart!"
So, an information network that had lasted this long was destroyed by a single man.
'But a human who uses both magic and swordplay at the same time…'
That was quite a rare combination.
There were mages who fought at close range with a staff while using magic, but it was almost unheard of for someone to wield blades in melee while casting spells.
There were rare cases where someone awakened both magic power and aura at once, but even then, it was more about variety, not efficiency. The two powers conflicted and hindered each other. The more aura was trained, the harder it became to refine magic power. The reverse was also true.
Verden continued with a few more questions, and Tollan desperately answered everything he knew.
'Seems I've heard everything I needed.'
Now the problem was what to do with Tollan. Taking him along as a guide would be troublesome, since the distance was quite far.
But that didn't mean Verden intended to kill him. Tollan hadn't harmed him in any way, and Verden wasn't some mad killer who slaughtered everyone he saw.
Verden spoke to Tollan, who was drenched in cold sweat.
"Ah, I heard that men hired by another broker are on their way here."
"What?"
"They must be coming for you, to find Locus."
Of course, it was a lie.
The only one who knew Tollan's whereabouts was Verden himself, through information obtained from Pale, whose network far outstripped any other broker's.
Unaware of this, Tollan trembled uncontrollably.
He was certain that the moment he was caught, he would be tortured all day long, and killed the moment he lost his usefulness. Verden whispered.
"Do you want to live?"
Tollan nodded.
"Then I'll spare you. But, you'd better leave right away. If you linger, you'll be caught."
"I'll leave right away!"
Verden released the spell.
At once, Tollan dashed toward the window. In the scramble, he snatched up his sword and coat, then leapt out. Moments later, hurried footsteps faded into the distance.
He probably would never set foot in this village again.
"Well then, time to move."
***
Verden headed for the nearest of Locus's safehouses.
A house hidden in the forest, cleverly concealed by undergrowth and small trees. But there was no need to go inside.
'Looks like it's already been raided.'
The door was smashed, the windows shattered.
Blood was splattered everywhere, and corpses lay buried in the snow. With faint warmth still lingering, they couldn't have been dead long.
Since Verden had been in the southern part of the principality until recently, it was natural he arrived later. Others had beaten him here, surely hired by brokers as well.
Verden swiftly moved to the next safehouse.
The second was also a bust. No corpses, no traces, nothing. It seemed no one had come here. And now came the third.
Klang!
The sharp clash of weapons.
Using flight, Verden hurried toward the source of the sound. A man, wounded on the shoulder and leg, was being pursued, while behind him, four armed men swung their weapons in chase.
That man in front was clearly one of Locus's subordinates.
Verden stepped forward.
The subordinate faltered in shock, stumbling.
"H-here too…?! Hyaaaah!"
The ground swallowed him up, locking him firmly beneath the earth. Of course, Verden left an air hole.
'That secures Locus's position, now for the pursuers.'
Verden looked ahead.
A rough-faced man swung his mace in circles and said,
"What's this robe? Are you in on this too? I don't know where you came from, but you can't just cut in line."
"Did you all set up turns or something?"
"Well, no… but, are you not getting the situation?"
Verden was alone, and they were many.
Even if it turned into a three-way fight, he was outnumbered. If they combined forces, they could kill him faster and get rid of the problem. In this situation, clinging to pride instead of reason would be suicidal. Logically, what they said made sense.
But Verden was far from logical.
Calmly taking their pressure head-on, he spoke firmly.
"Then I'll be taking him."
When Verden didn't back down, the pursuers exchanged glances.
Then, as if they'd forgotten they were fighting just moments ago, they aimed their weapons at Verden together, acting like one team. A gatecrasher had appeared, so they would get rid of him first and then resume their competition.
'Two mages, a mace, a sword, four in total.'
If he left them alive, they'd surely chase him later.
Better to take care of them here and then pursue Locus.
'Good enough for a warm-up.'
Verden aimed his staff at the enemies.