Chapter 108. Lawless City (9)
Ehram stood still for a moment, pondering, when the ‘Elder’ mage approached him.
“Why such a grim face? You look as though you’ve been betrayed by someone you trusted.”
How is it that mages, of all people, always manage to make analogies that strike a nerve? Ehram was about to snap back but instead decided to voice his concerns honestly.
“Don’t you find it odd?”
“What exactly?”
“The attack was loud and brash, but it seems to lack substance.”
“Hmm… Although a good number of people did die, and the mere fact that demon worshippers attacked the auction house is catastrophic in itself. Especially since it was because the organizers had captured a fallen one. It’s hard to keep such a thing quiet. You and your lord are in quite a precarious situation, aren’t you?”
The Elder’s analysis was spot on. The Pantheon Church had not been ignoring the Bates black market out of ignorance. The fallout from this event could be colossal, possibly sweeping across the entire continent. Naturally, Ehram and his lord could not remain unscathed.
However, Ehram’s doubts were not about the uncertain future, but about the attack itself.
“You know, don’t you? That lately, the paladins have been fervent in hunting down demon worshippers. And now, those already lacking in power have invested so much in an endeavor bound to fail.”
“Merely diverting the attention of the Pantheon Church towards them might be considered a significant gain for them.”
Ehram’s suspicions were plausible, and the Elder’s reasoning was also a sound deduction.
“Anyway, shouldn’t our priority be to leave Bates? Especially if we want to avoid getting entangled any further. It’s already late, though.”
“… Indeed.”
Suppressing his lingering doubts and unease, Ehram decided to focus on saving his lord, which was his utmost priority.
“Ugh. How did I end up in this mess…!”
“Just bear with it a little longer. We’ll head back to our territory soon.”
“What?! But… Ah, fine! I get it, I get it!”
With no time to indulge his young master’s petulant complaints, Ehram quelled his resistance with a stern look and led their group towards the tightly shut entrance of the auction house.
Swish!
Ehram split the thick door in two with a single slice and frowned at the scene beyond.
‘No one’s here?’
One would expect reinforcements to arrive from inside due to the disturbance. Or, at the very least, if followers from outside had caused havoc, there should be signs of battle left behind.
But there were none – no bodies, not even traces of a fight. It was as if all those people, servants, and musicians who attended the black market party had vanished into the ground.
Faced with a sight that defied all logic, Ehram looked to the Elder for answers, but even a mage couldn’t instantly solve a mystery that surpassed his imagination, especially when he lacked information from having just fought a battle.
“Let’s just leave.”
In the end, it was a problem with no immediate solution. Ehram decided to concentrate on saving his lord as originally intended, urging the group to hasten their steps to leave Bates as quickly as possible.
However, there was one who did not ignore the sense of discord they faced, but looked straight into it. It was Maya Eldred, a woman who somehow made the combination of a torn dress and the spear she held in her hand work perfectly.
“First, we should find and equip our gear. We don’t know what’s waiting for us outside.”
Upon Ehram’s suggestion, most of the group agreed, and even Maya, who was asked for her opinion by Eto and responded with a nod, headed off to find her own equipment.
“Wait, we left all our equipment behind…”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Though Eto and Pavel threw puzzled looks, Maya, instead of bothering to explain, quickened her pace. Their destination was none other than the interior of the auction house they had just left.
“Wait here,” she said, leaving behind nothing but those brief words as she stepped over the corpse of a fallen corrupt and headed towards the back of the stage.
‘The auction hasn’t taken place yet, so it should still be there.’
Indeed, she hadn’t returned to the auction house to retrieve unclaimed equipment, but to secure the relic that was Khan’s goal. Unlike the others, whose minds were preoccupied with the thought of quickly escaping Bates, Maya had focused solely on completing the mission entrusted to her by Khan from the beginning to the end.
She was the first to remember the Artalia’s Relic and had been waiting for the moment to retrieve it.
‘It’s here…!’
Although the items that had been auctioned off had found their owners, two display stands that had yet to find theirs remained. One held a fist-sized gemstone flickering with a golden light, and the other, a brooch that seemed to be made of silver.
And before the display stands stood a figure draped in a dark black robe, reaching out for the items.
“So there was someone with a functioning brain?”
“!”
Maya’s body reacted before her mind did. Surprised, her features twisted in dismay as she thrusted her spear twice in the direction from where the elderly voice came.
He dodged?! Somehow, the aged figure had completely avoided Maya’s attack. However, her surprise was fleeting, and Maya quickly regained her composure and spotted her opponent.
‘Above!’
With a light movement, she kicked off the wall and rushed toward the aged menace, striking the mage’s body with the shaft of her spear. But along with the sound of the breaking defense shield, the mage’s spell was completed.
Whoosh!
A fireball the size of a person appeared right in front of her and engulfed Maya, the explosion and resulting firestorm filling the back of the stage.
The mage, convinced of Maya’s demise, slowly began to descend to the ground.
Whoosh!
As if she had been waiting for that very moment, Maya burst through the storm of flames and plunged her spear forward. The agility with which she moved was unbelievable for a mage, as the aged monster backed away with a nimble step, smiling as it began to chant another spell.
Clank. Thud─
The mage’s mask rolled across the floor.
‘His words have proven right again…!’
The purpose of the demon worshippers who had attacked the auction house was the relic that had been decided to go up for auction. But Khan’s information didn’t stop there.
He had provided insights into the leader of the demon worshippers conducting the attack, their combat strategies, and even as specific as their favorite spells to use as primary attacks. He even went so far as to give advice on how to lead the battle should it occur.
『Ring of Spell Shielding』
─Spell Shielding: Erects a protective barrier around the wearer, shielding them from the effects of spells.
This, too, was a magical artifact selected by Khan from the Duke of Deillon’s Storage.
It required a considerable cooldown period after a single use and demanded a significant amount of mana, but if activated at the precise moment, it could force a significant vulnerability upon the enemy.
Most importantly, knowing what the enemy’s primary spell was in advance could make it all the more powerful.
‘Really, the battle went just as he said it would… How? Even if he got the information from Levin. This would have been impossible unless he had fought that mage multiple times before…’
Maya trembled with excitement. Even the heroes who commanded the continent couldn’t predict the habits or preferred combat styles of an opponent they hadn’t faced.
Yet Khan had done it. Maya’s victory proved as much. She had easily defeated a formidable opponent, who would have been impossible to beat with her skills alone.
After retrieving her spear that had pierced through the heart, Maya collected a relic and a brooch, presumed to be another auction item, from the mage’s corpse.
‘It’s a success.’
Maya happily acknowledged that she had successfully passed the first test given by him, and headed towards the place where Eto and Pavel were waiting. Now, all that was left was to inconspicuously join up with Ehram.
‘The rest is…’
Even without seeing for herself, Maya somehow felt certain.
That Khan, who had not shown himself so far, might have gotten embroiled in some incredible incident somewhere else.
***
“Fucking hell…”
Khan spat out a coarse curse as he furiously swung his magic sword from side to side.
Ssslash!
Thick blood sprayed in all directions, but without a moment to wipe it off, Khan forcefully swung the double-edged axe in his other hand. With a single strike, he blew up a mass of flesh larger than an average troll, then briefly scanned his surroundings for a moment of respite.
“Help meee…!”
“Die, all of you fuckers!”
“If you want to live, stab anything that comes near you! If they get close, just stab them!”
The streets of Bates, already a hellish landscape, transformed into a true hell. On the way to the auction house, they were ambushed by sudden attackers, demon worshippers. And then, there were the grotesque masses of flesh appearing from nowhere. On top of that, there was a powerful clash of forces felt from the direction of the auction house.
‘Is it bigger than what that guy was rambling about?’
Of course, it wasn’t to the extent that it would entirely derail his plan. After all, he was already informed about how to fight the demon worshippers who managed to get their hands on the relic in the original history. With Maya’s capabilities, she should be able to handle it without much trouble. In fact, right after separating from Shae, Khan could have gone straight to the auction house. However, Khan stopped in his tracks because the ‘Vessel of Greed’ in his right chest was reacting to something.
‘This direction is…’
The central district!
“Someone save me…!”
Khan ran with such force that it shook the ground, spinning in the air and slicing through the mass of flesh diagonally. The disturbing sound of cutting made one cringe, and behind the slowly collapsing mass of flesh was a bald man… Kell saw Khan and broke into a bright smile.
“You made it! This is really messed up. We’ve got to get out of Bates fast…!”
“And a criminal like you, you think you can survive outside?”
“Still, life is the most important!”
“No, with everything that’s happened, running away will only make you the first target.”
The nature of demon worshippers is quite clear. With such a large-scale attack, they would aim to sacrifice as many as possible to the demon they worship. In return, the demon would grant power worthy of the offerings.
‘Maybe…’
Khan brushed off the worst-case scenario that popped into his mind, forcefully pulling Kell up from the ground.
“Stop acting like a fool. Gather the people and head to the black market. There’s a fairly useful force gathered there.”
“Ah, right…! There will be escorts for the participants!”
“If you understand, then start running.”
“See you in a bit!”
Khan chuckled at Kell’s unhesitating escape and dropped his arms.
‘The Vessel of Greed originated from Aecharis.’ Although it’s now combined with the holy residue in the ‘Mark of the Abyss’ to become Khan’s, its essence remains unchanged. If the Vessel of Greed is reacting to something, it means whatever it is, is related to Aecharis.
‘I thought it was going a bit too smoothly.’
It seemed that kind of luck wasn’t meant for him.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
As Khan resumed his steps toward the central district, guided by the Vessel of Greed, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
‘Could it be…’ The sensation he was feeling now and the strange sensation he felt from Shae might be similar, perhaps.