Chapter 327 – Wanted Order (1)
While Verden and Leira were attending the exchange match, Adrian was approaching the secret hidden by the city of Riverungr.
He had abducted the mayor's aide, who was secretly meeting with the Adventurer Guild Master.
As a result, he discovered the corpses of demi-humans piled inside the city's ship.
Among the rotting flesh, there were even the bodies of dead adventurers being preserved.
He judged it not as the traces of demon worshippers, but of a black mage.
However, as it was only circumstantial, he attempted to gather proof, when he was confronted by the city's Guardian, who had come with the knights.
Sandorn Gooseav.
One of the seven Guardians who held the title of Guardian of Riverungr.
He was also the bodyguard of Mayor Trovren, who was a councilman of the Kailiens, and was a sharpshooter who could hit even an ant crawling between cracks in the floor with ease.
A master of the bow.
Until now, there had not been a single opponent who had not been pierced by the arrows he shot with intent.
It was not simply about winning or losing. Like a cunning beast, Sandorn's style of battle was to toy with his prey and finally bring it down in the hunt.
He was a man of skill.
But there is always someone above.
Ssshhk.
The knights of Riverungr advanced in formation.
From behind, a mage gathered magic power, and Sandorn leisurely placed an arrow on the string.
The one to face them, was Adrian alone.
"Fuu."
Adrian expanded his lungs.
Reinforcing his body so that not even aura leaked outward, he took a single step forward.
───!
A swordlight that illuminated the hazy darkness.
The blade of the demonic sword that left not even a shadow pierced through sight.
The sword strike that cut apart the incoming
"...!"
They raised their swords instantly, but it was useless.
Their armor was the same, and even overlaying it with aura was meaningless.
Shhhhk!
The moment they felt something had brushed past, it was the end.
Knights, their throats neatly severed along with the metal, collapsed. They, who could be considered the elite of Riverungr, could not even resist.
For the death of knights regarded as quasi-nobles, it was far too futile. It was a death more wretched than that of a mere goblin.
Reaping what they sowed.
"Th-this...!"
The mage's staff flared red in panic.
"Damn it, why would you cast fire magic here───"
Sandorn tried to stop him, but it was too late.
A third-tier fire spell.
Its explosive power was wholly unsuited for use in an enclosed space.
Even more so when that place was a ship's hull, built mostly of wood. And worse still, the ship was loaded with barrels of oil.
For disguising the transport of demi-human corpses.
At that moment, Adrian cut down the
By the power of the Demonic Sword Cadence, the array of magic power was severed. Having lost its original might, the spell split into two flames that struck the walls on either side.
Kwaang! Kwaaang!
With the explosions, flames burst forth, illuminating everything.
Without sparing it a glance, Adrian kicked up the sword at his feet.
It was the weapon of a knight who had been killed just moments earlier. In an instant, the blade that sliced through the air struck the mage's forehead.
Puk.
Instant death, naturally.
Pulling the robe over himself to hide his identity, Adrian spoke in a low voice.
"I will say it again. Guide me to the mayor."
This time it was different.
A chill ran down the spine.
'This is... dangerous.'
Sandorn's instincts sounded the alarm.
That movement and sword speed, which were difficult to follow even with his eyes, were lethal. In such a narrow space, the match-up was unfavorable.
He needed distance.
He needed to change the stage to hunt.
'No helping it.'
The bowstring he was holding taut shifted to the side.
An arrow pierced through the flames at an angle, penetrating the floor.
"T-that... S-Sandorn-nim, don't tell me!!"
The knight's guess was on target.
The heated arrowhead embedded itself in the oil barrels.
And then───
Kwwwaaaaaaaang!
The massive explosion that erupted inside struck the center of the ship.
All evidence was obliterated, and the remaining knights nearby were killed as well.
Having alone succeeded in escaping, Sandorn breathed in the outside air.
The dawn streets of Riverungr.
He quickly scaled the wall to the rooftops and dashed forward without stopping.
'After all this, he won't be able to follow.'
Sandorn clicked his tongue irritably.
'Still... who on earth is that bastard?'
He had too little information to know.
At best, he could guess it might be an adventurer secretly dispatched by the Adventurer Guild without the Guild Master's knowledge.
But aside from that, he had never heard of anyone who wielded such a sword.
Judging by the way he had killed the city's knights without hesitation, it was clear he was no ordinary man.
"...Hm?"
Suddenly, sensing a presence, his nerves sharpened.
Instinctively, he cast a glance over his shoulder, and there was an uninvited pursuer.
No signs of burns from the explosion.
The distance he had opened was narrowing fast.
Much faster than he had expected.
'What kind of speed is that?!'
Biting his lip, he placed four arrows on the bowstring.
Almost at the same time, Sandorn turned and released.
Martial Art, Kyungshi (Competing Arrows).
The arrows traced strange trajectories.
Responding to the opponent's aura, they pursued unfailingly.
They could be blocked, but not evaded. Originally a technique for sniping from afar, but such was the situation.
Head, chest, shoulder, knee.
A simultaneous strike.
'If they hit, perfect, but even if he blocks, his balance will break.'
Through that gap, he would pierce the head.
Revealing his killing intent, Sandorn curled his lips into a smile.
"Too slow."
Adrian placed his weight on the tip of his foot.
Crack. The rooftop beneath split slightly as his form vanished.
The arrows flew through empty air.
In an instant, Adrian overtook Sandorn, who had been running ahead, then sprang once more, twisting his waist.
"Damn...!"
Thwack!
A sharp kick struck.
Sandorn barely raised his bow to block, but was overwhelmed by the force. Even half-dampened, the impact dug into his side.
Groaning deeply, Sandorn tumbled across the ground.
"Y-you bastard!!"
He slid to regain his stance.
At the same time, he spun and loosed an arrow with a twist of the bowstring.
At point-blank range, a decisive blow.
This, he thought, could not be dodged.
As he expected, the arrow pierced the opponent's head.
"I got him...!"
But in that instant, Adrian's body blurred.
The afterimage vanished without a trace. Behind the Guardian's back, Adrian drove his elbow into the man's face.
Thwack.
His nose bone collapsed.
Dazed, Sandorn dropped to his knees.
The tip of the demonic sword descended vertically. Sandorn's index and middle fingers, trained over long years, were severed.
The lifeline of an archer, cut without mercy.
"Gaaaah───!"
Adrian stomped on Sandorn's back.
The suffocating weight crushed his breath, ragged wheezes spilling irregularly.
'So this is a city's Guardian?'
He was decent, but only that much.
Kailiens was merely a union of cities.
Compared to that, the Central Continent was vast and infinitely more perilous. Men of Sandorn's caliber were in surplus, truthfully.
And Adrian was one who had spread his overwhelming renown upon that stage. There was no way Sandorn could match him.
Crunch, Adrian seized his hair.
And spoke.
As if warning this was the final chance.
"Guide me, to the mayor."
"Uuugh...!"
With this, the Guardian was secured.
Now it was time to truly uncover the evidence concerning the black mage the city was hiding.
***
Verdan, who had been listening attentively to the detailed report, turned his head.
He glanced briefly at Mayor Trovren, who was in a haggard state, having only received rough first aid.
"And so, you met the mayor."
"Yes, I succeeded in extracting the information directly from the Guardian, and found him hiding in a secret chamber within the city hall."
What followed was simple.
An interrogation, with the addition of physical coercion.
Since the absolute initiative was in Adrian's hands, it was not a difficult task.
However.
"The mayor's body had a curse engraved upon it."
A curse that suppressed the mind to seal his lips.
It was cleverly hidden, but it could not deceive Adrian's eyes.
Back in the days when he reigned as one of the Central Continent's Four Greats, he had faced numerous black mages who wielded vile curses.
Thanks to that, he had also learned how to dispel them.
'Gather the aura, drive the curse into one place, and sever it.'
A crude yet effective method of breaking curses.
Of course, it could not remove all, but for most curses, it was sufficient.
"That was where the problem arose."
"...Yes. It was not just one curse. On his right hand was another high-grade curse I had failed to detect."
The moment he imbued aura, the other curse reacted.
Before he could respond, ominous magic power flooded the surroundings.
It was a lethal curse.
It not only sucked away all the life force in the vicinity, but also triggered a powerful mental derangement.
Naturally, Adrian succeeded in resisting.
But the city's Guardian, Sandorn, could not.
───Kkyaaaaaaaaak!
His life force drained, his flesh shriveled into skin and bone.
Immediately afterward, he went berserk, his aura erupting violently all at once. The murderous intent sparked was directed not at Adrian, but at Mayor Trovren.
So Adrian cut him down.
If the mayor were to die here, nothing could be learned.
"And so, with the Demonic Sword given to me by my lord, I severed the mayor's arm. As expected, once the array of magic power was broken, the curse fell away and quieted. Immediately afterward, I performed simple first aid with a potion and brought him here."
After that, Adrian kept watch over the mayor.
Because no one knew when the curse might resurface.
Furthermore, the moment he regained consciousness, another hidden curse might arise, so Adrian had deliberately kept him unconscious.
"I understand the situation. Where did you place the mayor's hand?"
"Here."
Adrian drew the severed limb from his spatial bag.
The right arm, its skin darkened, with black veins spreading like cobwebs. Even after several days, no decay had occurred.
Heightening his magical senses, he could clearly feel the alien magic power.
'Whatever curse it is, it is certainly high-grade.'
It was still alive.
Not only that, but the remnants of the curse lingering in the mayor's body were slowly gnawing at him. At this rate, he would not last long.
Verdan stroked his chin.
"This is bigger than I thought."
"I apologize, my lord."
"I wasn't blaming you, Adrian. The very fact that the Church of Luas secretly commissioned this task shows it was never simple to begin with. Even so, I did not expect the hands of a black mage to reach this city..."
Well, either way, the objective was achieved.
They had secured material evidence related to a black mage.
Thus, the investigation into Riverungr was essentially concluded.
Once they delivered the news to Leira, and she conveyed it to the one from the Church of Luas who had commissioned her, it would be over.
And yet.
'How should I explain this?'
***
"So... in the course of securing evidence of a certain black mage, the mayor's aide and the city's Guardian died, and you ended up abducting the mayor in this crippled state?"
"In terms of the result, yes."
"Aha."
Leira, who had come to the inn, nodded.
Her gaze swept slowly across Verdan, Adrian, and the miserable figure of Mayor Trovren.
Blinking behind the helm that covered her face, she thought.
'Just what kind of people are these?'
It was utterly absurd.
One had turned the exchange match in the Ark into a disaster, the other had overturned the entire city of Riverungr...
It was ridiculous.
No words came to her mind.
She never expected the request for an investigation would spiral into something so immense.
Leira shook her head.
No, now was not the time to be dumbfounded.
"Fuu... This is not at all the outcome I had hoped for, but still, as an investigation, this is sufficient. Now we only need to meet the client."
"Have you set a meeting place?"
"Yes, in a small village northeast of here. We didn't set a date, but once we arrive, contact will be made, so we should meet soon."
Their destination was decided.
"However, it would be best to bring the mayor alive, if possible."
Smuggling demi-human corpses was one thing, but to trade in the bodies of dead adventurers...
As a fellow adventurer, she felt indescribable revulsion, but separately, his life had to be preserved.
Only then could the curse be dispelled and the black mage who traded the corpses be tracked.
"So, we must request help from Bishop Lena. We still cannot be certain if the Church of Riverungr is involved in this incident, but... there is no other way."
At present, Bishop Lena was at the plaza.
To commemorate the new year, and to offer prayers to the God of Light.
Verdan agreed.
"That would be best. But I suggest we change locations first."
The three of them glanced outside.
On the streets below the window, knights and soldiers were moving busily.
And then they stormed into a building.
"We will conduct a search. Cooperate."
"Y-yes!"
Were they searching for the mayor?
Currently, Verdan's group was in the finest inn.
That was likely why it had not yet been included in the search area... but it might only be a matter of time.
Verdan, collecting his thoughts, said.
"Adrian, go hire a carriage. The biggest, most expensive, and most splendid one you can find."
***
The plaza of Riverungr, welcoming the new year.
Led by Bishop Lena, the priests raised their voices in harmony. The resonant hymn echoed throughout the square.
Citizens, each wearing a holy cross around their necks, offered prayers.
"May the light of Lord Luas be with us this year as well! May you all be blessed!"
Bishop Lena waved both hands with a beaming smile.
Her pink hair swayed lightly. Combined with her looks, it was enough to draw all eyes.
After offering praise to the divine, she sat down at the edge to rest.
"Fuu, prayers are fine, but without money, it's hard to stay motivated..."
She muttered in a very small voice.
As she was taking a brief rest, a shadow fell across her.
"Bishop Lena."
Leira, cloaked from head to toe.
Seeing her clad in full armor, Bishop Lena greeted her warmly.
"Hello, Lady Leira! I heard you had gone outside the city to subjugate demi-humans, and you've returned! Please wait just a moment. Once I finish up, I'll return to the church and weaken the demon's curse for you. Oh, and have you heard the rumors? Apparently, the mayor───"
Grab.
Suddenly, Leira grasped her hand.
"Bishop, we need your help."
Her voice was grave.
Hearing it, Bishop Lena smiled.
"Yes, if it is within my power, I'll do anything."
Such was the kindness befitting a high bishop.
Her lively, mischievous personality was only one part of her. If someone was in trouble, she was ready to help.
That was, until just now.
The grand carriage, one that only the upper class rode.
Inside it, Bishop Lena stared blankly ahead.
There sat Mayor Trovren, unconscious, his arm severed.
"..."
Silence descended.
At length, Bishop Lena parted her lips.
"I want to leave."
"You can't."
Thud. Adrian shut the door.
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