Chapter 777: Ghostly Expedition (3)
Splash, splash!!
The sight of a giant insect dashing through a humid swamp.
Its numerous slender legs moved busily, gliding across the swamp like a water strider on a lake.
A pouch-like cargo hold hung beneath the insect’s belly, carrying a dozen or so people.
Inside the violently shaking pouch, fellow passengers looked around with wary eyes.
Lennok was among them, leaning against the pouch and examining a map.
His shadow robe pulled low, he munched on a paprika sandwich with one hand.
‘Once I cross the swamp and reach the upper Headrain River, preparations will be complete.’
After disembarking the train, Lennok easily arrived at his intended destination, the swamp, and found a means of transport nearby to board.
He had heard that because no railway connected to the swamp, they had no choice but to use a unique mode of transport, but riding a living water strider was a first even for Lennok.
Thanks to this, he had a little extra travel time to review his upcoming journey.
Of course, before that, there had been a minor disturbance involving interrogating the passengers who tried to take Lennok’s ring on the train, but what happened after the Guide’s Ghost devoured other ghosts was merely a natural consequence.
At least, Lennok had never entertained the thought of letting someone who drew a knife on him go kindly.
‘The problem is, I haven’t decided how to cross the river…’
He had interrogated the passengers from the same cabin and learned a few ways to cross the river.
However, Lennok still couldn’t get a feel for which option would make it easier to enter Yorta.
Information about the Headrain River was so scarce that it was only passed by word of mouth among those involved in travel to and from Military City.
Ultimately, it seemed he would have to personally check the Headrain River and undergo ‘inspections’ that passed through both the material and spiritual realms to get an idea.
“Hmm…”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the swaying pouch.
Even after taking motion sickness medication, his stomach churned with every vibration as the water strider moved.
Even minor inconveniences that he would usually overcome with magic felt overwhelmingly large in this situation.
It was a moment when Lennok often realized how much his daily life depended on the versatility of Common Magic.
Wasn’t that why he had decided to publish the meaning of it in the form of a thesis?
Lennok’s expression turned complex as he looked down at his half-eaten sandwich, but he quickly composed himself.
‘First, let’s be clear about the objective.’
The highest priority was finding traces of Kaiser Vajur and the Black Consumer Project.
And to resolve the Curse of Transformation placed on the Guardian Spirit Beast, he needed to investigate Yorta’s Wailing Tower.
Of course, mastering the Incarnation Spell to properly gain duplication abilities couldn’t be left out either.
The problem was that all three objectives couldn’t even be attempted without touching the most crucial secrets and origins of Military City.
Kaiser. Wailing Tower. Incarnation Spell.
Each of these was a theme that would undoubtedly be treated with great importance in Yorta.
That was why Lennok had concluded that he had to go to Yorta himself.
‘Considering Madrich Onnion’s matter, I should also investigate the Hundred Demons’ Night Parade and check on the Guide’s Ghost.’
Thinking so, Lennok glanced up.
[Ohhh…]
Perhaps the disturbance in the cabin had been the trigger.
Even now, the Guide’s Ghost hovered above Lennok’s head, greedily devouring the stray spirits around the swamp.
Chomp, chomp, chomp!
The Guide’s Ghost let out a satisfied sigh as it chewed and swallowed stray spirits that weren’t even in human form.
The peculiar thing was that no matter how many stray spirits the Guide devoured, none followed it.
And the fellow passengers on the water strider didn’t even notice its presence.
The reaction was somewhat different from when it consumed the ghosts of other passengers.
What, exactly, did the Guide’s ability to ‘guide souls’ mean in the context of the Hundred Demons’ Night Parade?
‘Considering the disturbance at the Rebatenon Necromancy Department, it’s probably correct to assume it had this ability from the start.’
During the agreement with the magic tower, which he had conducted under the identity of Evan, the spirits that appeared during the Necromancy Department’s project demonstration were extremely fearful of the Guide’s soul.
Although he had to act quickly due to their excessively violent reaction, it was clear that the Guide possessed such a deep history.
‘I acquired it to cross into Yorta, but it’s a stranger artifact than I thought. I really need to be careful…’
In any case, it would be ideal if the process aligned with his original objective, but he also had to consider the possibility that things might not go smoothly.
At least, almost none of Lennok’s experiences with travels and plans had ever gone as smoothly as he wished.
As Lennok let out a small sigh and folded the map near the Headrain River to put it away.
“Th-that…”
The young man sitting blankly beside him opened his mouth, looking at Lennok.
Lennok, his robe pulled low in an instant, replied in a cold tone.
“What is it?”
“Aren’t… aren’t you going to eat it?”
“…”
His gaze was fixed on the half-eaten paprika sandwich Lennok held.
Judging by the drool, he seemed hungry.
A quick glance at the others showed them only watching with wary eyes, with no intention of intervening.
All those who crossed the swamp using the water strider’s pouch as cargo space were skilled individuals in their own right.
They were desperate people who had to hitch a ride on the insect’s belly across a swamp teeming with monsters.
The circumstances were somewhat different from when he left for Machina.
After a moment’s thought, Lennok tossed the sandwich he was holding to the young man.
“Whoa, whoa!”
The young man frantically caught the sandwich with both hands and began to eat it.
Lennok wasn’t particularly hungry, and he had plenty of provisions, so there was no reason to save it.
Anyway, there would be no one near Yorta who knew Lennok, so no matter how he dealt with this, there wouldn’t be any trouble.
‘Deciding which identity to use is also a problem.’
He had acquired the Guide’s Ring as Victor, so it would make sense to use Victor’s name.
In fact, Lennok himself, though not wearing a mask, had come wrapped in a shadow robe, hadn’t he?
But if force was needed in Yorta, moving as Van might be more convenient.
If he truly set his mind to it, operating in Yorta as Van was not impossible, which only added to his 고민.
‘If I quickly master the Incarnation Spell, it wouldn’t be difficult… but it’s not a guaranteed plan.’
Lennok thought to himself, silently watching the young man eating the sandwich in front of him.
But the young man, after wolfing down the sandwich, suddenly bent forward and began to vomit.
“U-urgh… It’s disgusting!!”
“…”
“N-no meat… Why would anyone eat this?” Lennok sighed, watching the young man pouting and sticking out his tongue. Just as he was about to ignore the young man and try to sleep, an irritated voice came from across the way.
“Hey. You should clean up what you’ve left behind properly.”
A gruff-looking middle-aged man was frowning.
Judging by his tight-fitting leather armor and gear, he was a Pathfinder.
“The pouch is getting dirty. Clean it up properly.”
“…”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
Only then did Lennok realize the man’s words were directed at him, and he raised his gaze.
“Why ask me?”
“Because you gave food to that idiot. Do you think a mute fool like him can even understand a conversation?”
The man retorted.
“I left it alone because it was a sandwich without a meaty smell, but vomit leaves a strong odor. You should take responsibility and clean it up.”
“…”
Did he mean he had to clean up the vomit to avoid leaving traces?
If he was worried about the monsters inhabiting this swamp, he wasn’t entirely wrong.
Judging by the reactions of the other fellow passengers, they seemed to be thinking similarly.
Lennok nodded.
“I’ll do that. My apologies for the inconvenience.”
“Instead of apologizing, hurry up—”
At that moment, the man’s head snapped forward and he collapsed face-first onto the vomit.
Splosh!!
“Ugh-blech!!”
He screamed and convulsed, rubbing his face against the bottom of the pouch.
It was a bizarre sight, as if he were being forcibly controlled by someone’s hand.
While the others watched in silence, Lennok coldly muttered.
“Instead, I’d like to shift responsibility to you. I trust you’ll be generous enough to understand?”
“Aargh!!”
The man, his face covered in filth, sprung to his feet and pulled a sharp dagger from his waist.
“This son of a bitch, even after I told him, he doesn’t know his place…!!”
Thwack!!
At that moment, a long thorn shot out from beneath the pouch, piercing directly through the man’s groin.
“Huh?”
The single blow pierced between his legs, tore through his intestines, and split his heart.
Unable to utter a word, the man spewed blood from his mouth and collapsed limp.
Realizing that the thorn that instantly killed the man had sprung from beneath the swamp, the others scrambled to their feet.
“M-monster!”
“Damn it, it’s already followed the scent?!”
“Protect the water strider. We need its help to cross the swamp!!”
[Kieeeek!!]
The people in the pouch projected mana in all directions to protect the water strider, but it was too late.
An insect resembling a praying mantis, descending from a tree, sliced the water strider’s waist clean in half with its scythe-like arms.
The insect, its head separated from its body, collapsed, and the pouch hanging beneath its belly plunged straight into the swamp.
Gurgle! Gurgle!
The monsters swimming beneath the swamp, as if they had been waiting, began to tear at the pouch, and blood spurted out like grapes being crushed.
Only a few people who had escaped the pouch and climbed onto the insect’s back the moment the mantis appeared had survived.
“Y-you…!!”
The woman, unable to contain her rage, grabbed Lennok by the collar.
“The water strider died because of you. What are you going to do about this?”
“Let go of my hand.”
Lennok replied coldly.
“Unless you want your head split open.”
“What?”
Slice!
At that moment, the mantis attacking from behind the woman was sliced in half, its head split.
The body, oozing dark green bodily fluid, fell into the swamp, and other monsters began to tear at it again.
Crunch, crunch!
They seemed to prefer the corpses of other monsters to humans.
Stunned by the sudden turn of events, the woman quickly released her grip on the robe.
The person standing on the head of the dead insect, observing the situation, spoke.
“It wasn’t caused by the robe. I smell blood from far away.”
“Blood smell?”
“Someone spilled blood near the swamp earlier. A lot of monsters have gathered nearby.”
“I, I… know…”
At that moment, the young man, who had been sitting blankly on the insect’s back, mumbled.
The woman looked terrified and recoiled.
“You scared me! Why is this bastard still alive?”
“…”
While Lennok silently observed the young man, the young man grinned vacantly and pointed in one direction in the swamp.
“Over there, someone I know. I, know.”
“…You know someone in this swamp?”
“I’ll take you. To someone I know.”
At the young man’s words, the others hesitated for a moment, and the woman, exasperated, burst out in anger.
“You believe that? Let’s just figure out how to escape quickly!!”
“Escape? How do you propose we escape from here?”
The man standing on the insect’s head said.
“We’re still a long way from getting out of the swamp. To cross the swamp without the water strider, we’d have to jump through the trees. Can you do that?”
“Th-that’s…!!”
Indeed, on the trees, monsters like mantises were drooling, staring at them.
If they abandoned the water strider and climbed the trees, they would undoubtedly be attacked.
“If this person’s acquaintance is fighting over there, it might be better to cooperate with them…”
“If they’ve come this far, they must have a way to cross the swamp.”
As the conversation reached this point, the others also seemed to have made up their minds.
With the insect dead, crossing the swamp normally was impossible.
Since things had come to this, everyone thought they should cooperate with the other side and find a solution.
“If there was enough of a fight to draw blood, their numbers must have dwindled. We might be able to board with this many people.”
“Even if not, we can kill them and take it…”
“Shh.”
It was a natural assumption, but not something to discuss now.
All the fellow passengers united, preparing to move in the direction the young man pointed.
Lennok, who had been standing silently on the insect’s corpse, also moved with the group.
“Careful, careful…”
“If monster fluid gets on you, it won’t come off. Be careful not to step on it.”
The group carried the struggling young man and painstakingly moved towards the source of the blood smell.
As they drew closer, the strong scent of blood permeated the air.
It seemed almost certain that this blood, not the recent commotion, had attracted the monsters.
Swish!
A small island in the swamp.
Several dead bodies lay sprawled on it.
Their forms were so mangled, barely recognizable, as if they had been torn apart by monsters.
As the group fell silent, the woman, her face pale, looked around and muttered.
“Hey, is this… right?”
“…”
“Is this right? Why is everyone dead here!!”
The woman grabbed the young man, who had pointed the way, by the collar with a sharp voice.
“Where’s your acquaintance? If you lied, I’ll kill you right here!!”
“No. This, is right.”
The young man smiled innocently, still held by the collar.
“We, need, food, to live.”
“…What?”
Crack!
At that moment, the young man’s head exploded and transformed into the shape of a giant monster.
It then swallowed the upper body of the nearby group.
Crunch! Crunch!
The monster’s jaws crunched with lightning speed, tearing apart human flesh without resistance.
However, only Lennok, who had been standing among the group, remained unharmed.
“…”
It wasn’t that Lennok had dodged any attacks or blocked the teeth of the transformed young man.
The young man had simply avoided Lennok, as if on purpose, and chewed on the other group members.
“You, gave me, sandwich.”
The young man, whose head alone had transformed into a grotesque monster, gurgled.
“I’ll save you. Run away.”
“…”
Did he mean he wasn’t killing Lennok out of gratitude for the sandwich?
But instead of running away, Lennok stared at the young man for a moment, then spoke.
“I thought you were a monster that could speak human language, but that wasn’t it.”
“…I’m saving, you?”
Even as he said that, the young man approached, clashing his teeth.
Unable to control its appetite, the monster opened its maw wide towards Lennok’s head.
Lennok shook his head, looking at the long, bloody foam stretched between its teeth.
“The fable of the grateful beast is only good to look at. I have no desire to be the subject of it.”
“M-meat…”
Reason quickly faded from the young man’s eyes.
“You, sandwich… I’m more hungry…”
“It’s hard to maintain reason, isn’t it? It must be difficult to endure.”
Lennok said, as if understanding.
“At least, all of your kind I’ve seen were similar. Instead of being consumed by madness, they’re influenced and follow their will.”
“U-uugh…!!”
“The strongest sense of betrayal and contradiction is contained in taboos committed by one’s own will. That’s far from the instincts monsters feel.”
Unaware of that uncharacteristically kind voice, the young man lunged at Lennok.
“You gave it to me… Be my food!!”
Chomp!
Unable to control its hunger, the monster’s head swallowed Lennok’s entire body, from head to toe.
It then violently shook its throat, swallowing him whole without even properly chewing.
“Oh, oh…!!”
Leaving the young man screaming and writhing, people began to appear one by one from the surroundings.
Shhh…
Uniform attire of pure white cloth and expressionless, hardened faces.
Each holding a weapon, they met each other’s gazes and slowly approached the young man.
Just as the people were about to thrust their weapons forcefully into the writhing monster.
Crack! Crack!
Innumerable red lines appeared on the monster’s body, then it exploded into dozens of pieces of flesh.
Boom!!
From inside the grotesquely shattered monster’s corpse, Lennok’s voice rang out.
“Monsters that lose their intellect and crave human flesh aren’t the only ones.”
“…”
“Human body transformation beyond the principles of spellcraft. Cannibalism based on human sacrifice. Strength not limited by Hierarchy.”
Lennok walked out past the people, whose expressions had changed in surprise, and spoke.
“Weren’t those all characteristics of the Apostles your side creates?”
Saying that, Lennok cast his gaze upon the attire of the newly appeared people.
Pure white cloth. Simple decorations and uniform clothing.
The form of that familiar vestment was very similar to that of the group Lennok knew.
“I thought I should confirm why your side is here.”
Lennok chuckled, watching the retreating cultists.
“Guido Cult. What are you doing out here in the boondocks, dealing with monsters?”
The source of the blood smell in the swamp that had attracted the monsters.
Hiding there, waiting for the group, were indeed priests of the Guido Cult.
“…You are someone who knows about our temple’s fundamental power, then. You are correct.”
Among the cultists, who met each other’s gaze, someone stepped forward with a smile, clasping their hands in front of them.
“We needed Apostles, so we were making Apostles. Is this something you, esteemed one, might also be interested in?”