Chapter 71: Godok (1)
Viscount Kilkearn's eastern forest was an area where people rarely set foot.
It wasn't a place with expensive medicinal herbs, nor did ferocious Monsters appear, so there was no reason to send a subjugation team.
Occasionally, hunters would come and go to collect animals caught in traps, but when rumors spread that evil spirits appeared every night, even that disappeared.
Nevertheless, if someone were to show their face here in the dim evening, it was certain they were someone doing something unsavory.
And now.
A single carriage cut through the dreary winter wind and stopped in the eastern forest.
Clunk, crackle
“Phew, this place always feels unpleasant, no matter when I come.”
“Well, it can't be helped. There must be over a hundred corpses buried here; it would be stranger if it felt good, wouldn't it?”
“Is that so? Over a hundred?”
“It's not just us who dump bodies here. All the bastards doing dirty work in this area use this place...”
“Hmm, that's true.”
“Right?”
“Sip, hoo... Let's stop the chit-chat here, have a smoke, and then let's start working.”
“Understood, Boss. I'll take out the shovels in advance.”
The two men were members of a violent group operating in Viscount Kilkearn's domain, and they had driven the carriage to this deserted place to dispose of a body.
It was also them who had spread the rumor that evil spirits appeared in the eastern forest.
Since then, encounters with the domain's residents had definitely decreased, so not only them but everyone who worked here was pleased with the idea.
The problem was that, despite such rumors, uninvited guests occasionally appeared.
Thud, thud
“What's that? Is it a beast?”
“……No. It's a person.”
“Ha, what in the... A hunter?”
“Doesn't look like a hunter. Wearing a hood…… Maybe they came for a similar reason as us?”
“You idiot, if you're moving a corpse, you need to bring a carriage, but that bastard is just walking over without anything. Does that make any sense?”
“Ah, that's right. I'm sorry.”
The younger one, having been chided, wore an awkward expression.
The Boss's words were right.
If it were people from another organization who came to dispose of a body like them, they would have brought a carriage.
Not trudging along without any luggage like now.
“Hmm. Then what should we do, Boss?”
“……What do you mean, what should we do? We have to kill him. Dammit.”
The man called Boss scowled deeply.
Just burying one corpse was tiring and troublesome enough, but the thought of having to add another one made his irritation surge.
That irritation fully transferred into anger towards the approaching man.
I'll kill him as cruelly as possible.
Muttering to himself, he swapped the shovel for an axe and was walking towards the hooded man when it happened.
Phyut
Thwack!
Thwack!
A pair of daggers shot out from within the Robe!
The blades, coated with charcoal so they didn't even reflect the moonlight, flew out swiftly and embedded themselves in the foreheads of the group members.
The two, who lost their lives in the blink of an eye, collapsed to the ground like dolls, becoming just like the corpse they had intended to bury.
Seeing this, the horse neighed in alarm, "Heeheehing!"
Swish
Thump-!
The Mysterious Figure, perhaps finding the sound unpleasant, drew a sword from his bosom and struck down the horse's neck.
Gush, gush, gush, after watching the scene of blood flowing like a stream for a moment, he sat down on a suitable tree stump and remained motionless for a long time.
1 minute.
10 minutes.
30 minutes.
Finally, as 8 o'clock sharp approached, two mysterious figures dressed entirely in black walked towards the forest from afar, at a pace neither too slow nor too fast.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
And so, the Godok, meeting again after nearly 8 months.
None of them had a relaxed expression.
One of them looked even more lifeless than when he was in the village; the first to arrive, noticing this, spoke in a sneering tone.
“Life seems tough, Rank 21.”
“……Don't call me by my rank. My name is Mets.”
“Ah, was it? My apologies. But what can I do? I don't memorize the names of those ranked lower than me, Rank 21.”
“A guy who's at most two ranks higher than me...”
“It seems your walnut-sized brain can't comprehend that those two ranks separate the teens from the twenties.”
“This bastard...”
Wooooong……!
A sword sprang from the bosom of the man called Rank 21.
That wasn't all.
The Aura that rose with a woooong sound soon took a complete form and emitted a tremendous sharpness.
It was the stage of a mature Graduate.
Wooooong-!
The Rank 19 man didn't stay still either.
From the sword that had cleanly severed the horse's neck, a grayish-white, complete Aura surged upwards.
With it, the evaporated blood gave off a thick, bloody scent, and the eastern forest instantly became a dueling ground for the two monsters.
But a moment later.
“Stop it.”
“…….”
“…….”
As the remaining one, who had been silent until now, muttered in a low voice, the fighting spirit and killing intent that had pervaded the surroundings began to noticeably diminish.
It couldn't be helped.
Rank 9, Aratus.
Because there was no one here who could ignore the words of him, the one with the highest skill.
“I'm asking just in case…… You two don't hold grudges against each other, do you?”
“……Not particularly.”
“Same here.”
“Me too. I gathered the brothers solely to ask about each other's well-being and……”
“Ask about well-being?”
“……Alright, let me be more honest. I don't care about well-being. But information is crucial. I called you to get information about the village, information for safety…… and other information that would be helpful to me, not for some meaningless fight.”
“…….”
“…….”
“Isn't it the same for you? This is a miraculously obtained opportunity. A village we miraculously escaped from. How long has it been since we gained freedom? I have no intention of wasting it on a pointless pride battle. Tell me, Rank 19, Rank 21. Are you guys foolish enough to throw away your current freedom over a pointless emotional squabble?”
“It's not Rank 21. My name is Mets, Aratus.”
“I'm not Rank 19 either.”
“Right. Grizel, Mets. And……”
Village Rank 9, Aratus, paused for a moment.
He looked towards the inner part of the forest, precisely where the trees were dense, making it darker than other areas.
Rank 19 and Rank 21, sensing something was amiss, followed his gaze and tensed up with startled expressions.
Rank 9's mouth finally opened.
With an even colder voice than before, he called out the opponent's name.
“Verner. And…… Cecilia.”
“…….”
“Come out quickly. If you don't want to be hostile to me…… no, to us.”
Shhk
Ssk
It was as he said.
Rank 19 and Rank 21, as if they had never snarled at each other, moved to Rank 9's side and took a combat stance.
It was truly an action befitting the expression 'us'; it was unavoidable now that they had identified the hidden individuals.
Rank 10, Verner.
Rank 7, Cecilia.
Considering the tendencies these two had shown in the village, the alliance of the three was an extremely natural course of action.
“I'm disappointed, everyone.”
Seeing the trio's attitude, Rank 7, Cecilia, stealthily walked out from the darkness.
Mystical purple hair and eyes.
Her eyes, in particular, shone faintly like jewels even in the darkness.
Her captivating appearance, which made one want to reach out despite her looking dangerous, was very impressive, and when a relaxed smile was added, a flower-like radiance bloomed.
Of course, there was no one in the eastern forest who would be fooled by it.
Those who might have been were already all dead in the village.
Rank 9, having thought that far, took a deep breath, hoo, and then looked at Rank 10, Verner.
‘This guy…… is still unreadable.’
Cecilia was also unreadable, but Verner was of a slightly different kind.
It was like looking at an emotionless stone.
The fact that these two, with such different dispositions, were twins was still unbelievable, but that wasn't important now.
Swallowing dryly, he looked back at Cecilia and opened his mouth.
“What's disappointing, Cecilia?”
“Hmm…… Because you three look so close? I was drawn here by the affectionate term 'brothers,' but it feels like just the two of us are being pointlessly ostracized. Can't we come a little closer?”
“Considering the actions you two have shown so far, it's unavoidable.”
“The actions we've shown? What are those?”
“……I don't particularly want to bring up matters from the village here. As I said earlier, I called everyone to exchange information that could be mutually helpful.”
He was serious.
For about a month after being freed from the village, Aratus had a genuinely happy time.
He no longer had to listen to the administrator's orders, and his life was no longer threatened.
For the first time, he could live a 'human-like life' where he could envision a 'future.'
However, on the other hand, he couldn't help but spend hellish days filled with dreadful anxiety.
What if the village found us again?
What if the village's chief administrator appeared before them, captured the thirty Godok including himself again, and continued the hellish training until only one remained?
It wasn't an impossible scenario.
It was terrifying precisely because it was entirely possible, and that fear made Aratus writhe in agony for the next 7 months.
It made him hide in the darkness.
It made him tremble with such anxiety that he couldn't bear it anymore and risked creating such a meeting.
To make today's meeting happen, he had written the Godok's coded message in ten locations where Godok might be, including Viscount Kilkearn's domain.
‘I have to find out about the village, somehow!’
Through this, I must find a way to escape the village's eyes.
That was the one thing Rank 9, Aratus, desperately wanted.
Therefore…….
‘Rank 7, Rank 10. I had hoped these guys wouldn't come…….’
Rank 9's expression hardened even more.
These guys were dangerous.
It wasn't just because they possessed top-tier skills.
These guys…… were individuals who didn't particularly dislike harming their Peers or being under the village's system.
Could he exchange information soundly and smoothly with such people?
Could they be trusted?
Before that, could they even reach a point of conversation?
“Hmm. Information, you say…….”
“…….”
Whether she knew of Rank 9's worries or not, Rank 7 Cecilia looked at the three Godok with an unreadable smile.
Rank 10 Verner still stood behind her like a rock, and Rank 19 and Rank 21 felt intense pressure from the sight of the two.
“…….”
“…….”
A 3 versus 2 formation.
However, in terms of Presence, the smaller group was ahead.
That made Aratus uncomfortable.
He thought.
It would be good if one more person came.
It would be very good if someone who could keep Rank 7 and Rank 10 in check appeared and broke the current unfavorable formation.
……It was right after that.
“Huh. Why is the atmosphere like this?”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
“What? Why does everyone have such expressions?”
It was incomprehensible.
It was unbelievable.
They had no idea when he had joined them.
Rank 9 felt goosebumps all over his body as he looked at Rank 7 and Rank 10, and realizing they felt the same way he did, he slowly moved his body.
That wasn't all.
Rank 19 too.
Rank 21 too.
They slowly distanced themselves from the newly appeared individual, and before they knew it, they had positioned themselves in a way that grouped them with Rank 7 and Rank 10.
1 versus 5.
The situation was reorganized into a formation even more one-sided than before.
However, none of those in the group of five could manage a relaxed expression.
Rather, only the black-haired young man, looking at the five alone, gave a faint smile and uttered a word.
“Well, anyway…… It's been a while. Nice to see you.”
The appearance of Village Rank 1, Harang.
At this, the atmosphere of the eastern forest grew even colder.