Chapter 85: Tunnel Infiltration (3)
As silence followed the unexpected situation, Gale cautiously opened his mouth.
"Uh, um... So, what exactly are we supposed to do about that?"
With a displeased look, Gale pointed toward the drunken woman sprawled on the ground like it was her home—none other than the ruler of the Batevil Tunnels.
He sighed inwardly. 'Do I really come off like that when I'm drunk too?'
He never expected to meet a woman who mirrored him so uncannily.
Drunken antics were Gale’s specialty. He prided himself on his high alcohol tolerance, but always chose the strongest drinks possible, which often left him passed out in the street.
'...Wait? I’m not some big shot like her, right? Oh, then it doesn’t matter!'
Turning his gaze away from the Horned Lizard, Gale rationalized things in his head—and it worked.
After all, it wasn’t unreasonable. He was just a lowly mercenary; it wasn’t like he needed to maintain dignity or authority.
Then suddenly—
"I’m not dead yet, I tell ya~!"
The Horned Lizard shot up, eyes wide, and thrust her empty flask into the air.
Then she shouted in a booming voice,
"Barkeep! One more of that 'Black Spider Soup That’ll Kill You if Two Share It'... Hic!"
And then promptly collapsed again. Even after waiting a while, she didn’t budge.
Gale poked her leg gently with a rounded stone.
"Oh. Is she dead?"
"...Of course not. She’s probably sleep-talking."
While Gale and Sercia whispered quietly—
"Hmm."
Hake, who had been staring at the collapsed Horned Lizard, suddenly reached out a hand.
Before they could stop him, he placed one finger near her nose and the other on her wrist.
"You can relax."
Rising from a kneel, Hake said,
"Her vitals say she’s just asleep."
"Is that so? Good news, then."
Sercia extended both hands.
Her webbed fingers spread wide as a small magic circle materialized before her.
"Sleep."
Mystic violet mana surged from her hands, soaking into the Horned Lizard.
Soon, soft snoring joined the already raspy breathing.
"That was a strong sleep spell. She won’t wake up for a while."
"So what now? Do we stash her somewhere quiet and sneak around for intel?"
"Nope. I have a better idea."
As Gale surveyed the secluded area, Sercia shook her head gently.
"She came right to us. We can’t just waste this chance."
A chilly smile curled on Sercia’s lips—unnerving in someone known for fire magic.
"We’ll scour her mind. Leave not a thread of information behind."
That smile gave Gale chills. For a moment, Sercia looked less like a mage and more like a con artist who’d strip a mark to their last coin.
Gale decided then and there to watch his every word and move around her.
"Hake, do you know a secluded spot in these tunnels? Somewhere no one ever comes near?"
Sercia spoke while scanning for auras.
"Coordinates would be even better."
"Ah~ yeah, I know just the place. And I’ve got the coordinates too."
"Excellent."
Nodding at the location Hake provided, Sercia closed her eyes and entered a focused trance.
Whoooooom—
Chanting in what sounded like an ancient tongue, she summoned three magic circles around her.
Then, tilting her head slightly, she wordlessly urged the others.
"Come close. I’ll teleport us."
Meanwhile, Calix and Jana—
"...Those guys!"
"Teleportation?! Where are they going all of a sudden?"
They stood frozen, watching their comrades vanish. The hands they’d reached out in greeting fell to their sides.
"We already gathered our intel, even found a clue about that 'Curse of Sacrifice' they were after..."
Incredibly, Calix and Jana had found their targets well before the meeting time.
What about starting there?
Jana had pointed to the most massive and grand structure in the tunnels.
Essentially, the Batevil Tunnel's Town Hall.
No point asking random civilians. We won’t get the real information that way.
Agreed. The Gnaude Tribe and the Curse of Sacrifice aren’t exactly public knowledge.
Both of them had solid instincts for espionage and stealth work. From the start, they’d known street-level questioning wouldn’t help.
Even I, as another non-human, don’t know much about the Gnaude Tribe. I’ve heard they clean up rotting animals and purify tainted lands... but—
Zeraphe Gnaude wielded corpse-eating vines with ease. Clearly, there’s more going on.
Agreed. And likely connected to the ruling powers here in Batevil.
Anywhere there’s a population hub, hierarchy is inevitable.
There were the guards and overseers—
The general tunnelfolk living peaceful lives under their protection—
And then the ruler above all, the Horned Lizard.
And power... only ever aligns with other power.
The ruler of Batevil... she was called the Horned Lizard, wasn’t she? Could she be allied with the Gnaude Tribe?
Not just them. I’m sure there’s also a connection to Depicio. As a former White Moon, I can say that for certain.
Jana confessed that Depicio and the Gnaude Tribe had a far deeper bond than even the Magpie Merchant Group ever had.
No, it’s not a mere alliance. It’s more like a blood pact.
She whispered on the wind—
Depicio’s leader, the Mountain Elder, is a member of the Gnaude Tribe.
...! Then there must be valuable info inside.
Together, they infiltrated the Town Hall.
Something’s odd. There are barely any guards. Security’s a joke.
The few patrolling guards they did find? Knocked out cold with a tap to the neck.
No one strong was guarding this place.
The interior’s messy. Looks like everyone left in a hurry... did something happen?
Who knows. But this works in our favor. Let’s use this gap to search fast and get out.
Deeper and deeper they went into the empty hall.
...Still no one around.
Oh! That must be the Horned Lizard’s office!
There, in the top floor’s chamber, they uncovered a hidden cache of documents behind a secret wall.
Hmm? Calix, this vault feels suspicious.
...Stand back.
Bang, bang.
At Jana’s cue, Calix slashed the chain-bound safe clean in half.
Watch it.
Jana cloaked the heavy crashing metal in shadow, muffling all sound.
Even if they’d knocked out guards, a noise like that could draw attention.
That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?
Though Jana wasn’t a Spero member like Gale or Sercia, she’d fought alongside Calix before.
They’d done a few training bouts during their travel aboard the airship.
Looks like we got what we came for.
Hah. Hard to believe it went so smoothly.
Smiling faintly, they pulled from the vault a stack of papyrus scrolls—
Records on the Gnaude Tribe, the Curse of Sacrifice, and their links to Depicio.
And—
The true objective behind Depicio’s so-called 'cause.'
What the—! This was their goal?!
...You didn’t know, Jana?
Not a clue! I’d just been appointed a Moon and sent on long-term duty...
They swallowed hard. Depicio’s goal was far more deranged than expected.
It had to be stopped.
...This completes Sir Elwin’s orders.
Let’s bring this to him right away! We need to find the others and head up to the surface!
Just as they rushed to regroup, they spotted their comrades—and were just a second too late to catch them before teleportation.
"...Hah. Unbelievable. What the hell is that damned mercenary thinking?"
Though it was Sercia who used the spell, Calix instinctively blamed Gale as usual. He sighed, rubbing his face.
'I need to earn that man’s trust soon...'
Truthfully, Calix didn’t care much about Depicio or the Gnaude Tribe.
His nature was sharp and focused—he rarely concerned himself with matters beyond his interest.
Calix. I told you before. Unless absolutely necessary, make sure Aajen doesn’t get hurt. I’m entrusting his safety to you.
Right after the Clover Trade Company incident, Elwin had called him in.
And gave him a harsh scolding.
But you failed in that task. Didn’t you? You didn’t stop an attack you could’ve blocked.
...! How do you—?
I asked Aajen to tell me if something like that happened. And what do you know...
...
Elwin had sighed deeply, and Calix flinched.
This won’t do. You agreed to follow my orders until I fulfill my end of the deal: finding the heir to the Arad royal family.
...I’ll obey. Please trust me once more.
Haha! Of course. I do trust you.
Elwin had patted his shoulder lightly.
Let’s do better next time, alright?
Recalling that, Calix clenched his fist.
He had to earn Elwin’s trust.
He had to find the Arad royal bloodline.
'Felix... my brother...'
It was the only reason Calix Tutatio Zahardt still drew breath.
And the only way he could atone for the sin of his past.