Chapter 124: The Inheritance of the Ruins (2)

The villagers fled immediately after digging up whatever was beneath the corpse.

Yuri struggled desperately to regain control of his body.

The strange scream that had erupted so suddenly felt like a drill through his brain.

With the “Cut of the soul and the heart” flowing throughout his body, he did everything he could to regain composure.

Little by little, his senses returned. Though shaky, he could move again.

Yuri resumed his stride, following the villagers fleeing from Adelein.

Then, the massive energy approaching seemed to stop.

As he chased after the villagers, Yuri realized he knew very little about Gert. He had assumed Gert indiscriminately attacked any human who entered Adelein, but that had been a simplistic assumption.

Gert didn’t pursue those who left the area. He was like a sentry.

“Phew…”

Now far from Adelein, the villagers stopped before reaching Sordelvain and began talking among themselves.

Yuri approached silently, softening the sound of his steps.

“He came too quickly today.”

“He must’ve been nearby.”

“We only got one.”

“And how are we supposed to split that?”

“One is enough. You’re the ones who waste it.”

Yuri more or less understood what they were talking about. What interested him wasn’t the division—but what the hell they had extracted from beneath the corpse.

Then he stepped forward audibly. The villagers, chatting casually, began turning one by one.

“What’s happening?”

“S-someone’s coming…”

The man who seemed to be the leader turned and saw Yuri waving a hand.

“Hey.”

The man backed away, startled. Yuri raised both hands and approached without aggression.

“Don’t be alarmed.”

“A-a knight?”

“Yes.”

The Sordelvain villagers didn’t really know who Yuri was. To them, all knights were the same.

Yuri pointed to the object the man was holding, wrapped in cloth.

“What’s that?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you.”

“Were you following us? Why…?”

“Because you were suspicious.”

Yuri looked at each of the gathered villagers.

“I followed you because you looked suspicious. Don’t tell me you’re going to deny that dressed like that.”

“That…”

They all stared at him tensely. Yuri smiled maliciously.

“I see that shift in your eyes. You’re thinking that maybe, together, you could take me, right?”

“Of course not!”

“I don’t plan to meddle too much in village matters. I’m just curious about what that is. So relax.”

The horrific scream that had burst out when the man struck with the pickaxe had struck his energy channels hard. Yuri hadn’t even been able to stand at the time.

That must be the source of the wealth sustaining Sordelvain.

“Better to end this peacefully, don’t you think?”

They murmured among themselves. Yuri gently tapped the hilt of Guilty, his sword.

“Sir Knight…”

Finally, the man stepped forward and revealed the wrapped object. Though covered, its shape resembled a human forearm.

“It’s not a pleasant sight. You sure you want to see it?”

Yuri didn’t answer; he simply uncovered the cloth.

He frowned.

“This is…”

It was a plant with leafy fronds. But its roots had a human shape.

With a large head and hunched body, it looked like a fetus. Its face was completely contorted, mouth agape as if screaming, with teeth and a tongue disturbingly well-formed.

Just looking at it was revolting. A word vaguely surfaced in his memory.

“Mandrake.”

“So you’ve heard of it.”

Yuri had only heard the name before. It was the legendary plant said to grow from the fluids of a hanged corpse.

It was said to emit a scream upon being pulled from the ground that could drive one insane or even kill.

“This actually exists?”

The villagers exchanged uneasy glances.

“You harvest and sell them?”

“Yes.”

“And they grow in Adelein?”

“Yes…”

The man hesitated before speaking.

“We’d appreciate it if you kept this secret. We’re just trying to make a living…”

“As long as you’re not hurting anyone, it’s none of my business.”

“We don’t hurt anyone. We just move quietly through Adelein and don’t cause trouble.”

“And who buys this?”

“Well…”

“I’ll keep your secret. Just tell me that. If not, I might start spreading the word and turn Sordelvain into a tourist spot for mandrakes.”

“Ah…”

The man let out a long sigh. The expressions of the other villagers weren’t good. Some even looked hostile.

But they carried only farming tools. Yuri waited patiently for the man to speak.

“Mages buy them.”

“From the Magic Tower?”

“I don’t know what group they belong to…”

“I see. You can go.”

“Pardon?”

“I said go.”

“Ah…”

“You thought I’d take the mandrake? I was just curious.”

The man looked at him with a complicated expression but then nodded.

“Understood.”

And he led the villagers back to Sordelvain. Yuri watched them go, arms crossed, lost in thought.

***

The next day, after hearing Yuri’s explanation, the whole group widened their eyes in surprise.

“You’re saying mandrakes really exist?”

Simon and Cory didn’t even seem to know what they were.

“Yeah. I thought it was just a legend, but it’s real.”

“Does it actually scream?”

“Nearly knocked me out.”

“What does it do?”

“How would I know? Try it yourself later.”

“No thanks. It might be cursed.”

“Let’s forget about the mandrake.”

Yuri lowered his voice.

“That’s not what matters now. If they find out we’re going to kill Gert, they might try to stop us, so stay alert.”

“Why would they stop us?”

Yuri remembered what he saw the previous night.

The villagers moved through Adelein as if it were nothing and dug around corpses with such natural movements that it was obvious they’d done it many times before.

Covering their ears and staying silent weren’t things they were doing for the first time.

From that, it was clear that mandrakes grew in areas where corpses were found in Adelein.

And the reason was obvious.

“That mandrake must be a plant that only grows in land corrupted by dark magic.”

According to what Inariel had told him, Gert was a product of dark magic.

If his presence saturated the land with that energy, it wasn’t surprising that grotesque plants like the mandrake would grow there.

Laurent spoke.

“If the mandrake grows because of Gert, the villagers who sell it won’t be happy to see him gone.”

“Exactly.”

“From their perspective, it’s better that Gert continues to exist.”

Jared scowled.

“But still, he’s the enemy who destroyed their kingdom. Wouldn’t they want him dead?”

“That kingdom is already gone. Don’t expect common folk to remain loyal to a vanished country.”

Yuri smiled.

“In other words, we’re about to cut off their income source. Feel guilty?”

Everyone shook their heads. Yuri stood.

“Then just focus on Gert. With luck, we might pull up a few mandrakes ourselves and sell them later. Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

The seven, including Yuri, set out. When the armed group left the inn on horseback, the villagers on the street openly stared at them.

But Yuri didn’t care and headed straight down the path toward Adelein.

Then, a face he’d seen the previous night appeared. It was the man who had led the villagers to dig up the mandrakes.

“W-where are you going?”

“And why should I tell you?”

“As the village chief, I have the right to know where you’re headed.”

“You were the chief?”

“Yes. I humbly fulfill that role.”

“Wow, someone important.”

Yuri shrugged.

“Don’t worry. We’re not going to dig up corpses like some others. Just out for a ride.”

The man’s face flushed red.

“Don’t mock us. Are you going to Adelein?”

“If we walk aimlessly, we might end up there.”

“You’ll regret it. There’s a cursed Death Knight there. You’ll see. No one has ever come back alive from that place.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“Obviously, your safety.”

“Thanks for worrying. I’ll think about it.”

But Yuri showed no intention of listening. The rest of the group also tapped the hilts of their swords while smirking mockingly.

The chief looked at them with a somber expression, then sighed deeply and stepped aside.

“I hope you return alive.”

“You’re not going to stop us?”

“How could a mere villager stop knights? All I can do is wish you luck.”

“Thanks.”

Yuri replied like that and walked past the chief. The others followed him. And so, the group ignored the chief’s warnings and left Sordelvain.

Jared said,

“He really seemed concerned about us.”

“Maybe. Though I doubt he’ll congratulate us if we manage to kill Gert.”

“Ha…”

Yuri followed the same path the villagers had taken the previous night and crossed into Adelein.

“The air feels different.”

The air was humid. Even though the sun was shining, it felt like shadows were everywhere, and every tree trunk was covered in moss like carpets.

It was strange that they hadn’t noticed anything the previous night. The entire ground seemed soaked with sinister energy.

Yuri expanded his perception. He didn’t sense Gert.

“Seems like he’s napping.”

“Since he’s a Death Knight, maybe he prefers the night.”

“Do you have proof of that?”

“No!”

Yuri called out to Jose.

“Sir Jose, do you sense anything?”

“Let me check.”

Jose nodded and observed the surroundings. Yuri could feel waves of mana emanating from his body.

Jose’s mana technique was as imposing as his build. But Jose shook his head.

“I don’t know. Why isn’t he showing up?”

“Adelein was a small kingdom, but a country nonetheless. If he’s far, it’ll take time to get there.”

“Do we wait or wander around?”

“We…”

Yuri opened his mouth.

“Let’s head to Sordelvain, the capital of Adelein.”

The village they were in had been named in honor of the old capital, but the real Sordelvain was in the center of the kingdom.

“Maybe we’ll find something there.”

If, as Inariel said, Adelein’s fall was related to a scroll imbued with dark magic, the clues would be in its capital.

At his words, Jose let out a loud laugh.

“Wandering through a ruined kingdom… Sounds like an interesting experience. I’m in. Let’s go. Maybe we’ll find some lost treasure from Adelein.”

“Treasure?”

“Since no one dares to come because of Gert, it’s possible.”

“Ooooh…!”

The group’s spirits lifted with Jose’s words. He didn’t seem affected at all by Adelein’s sinister atmosphere.

Yuri also smiled.

“Perfect. Everything we find will be split seven ways.”

“Agreed!”

The group mounted their horses toward Sordelvain. Even while riding, Yuri kept exploring with his perception.

“There’s no trace at all. Last night he appeared instantly…”

“Maybe he only shows up when mandrakes are pulled?”

“If we see any corpses, let’s check them.”

As they followed the path, they came across some scattered skeletons.

Their clothes were worn and little more than rags fluttering in the wind, but it could be deduced that they had been soldiers.

Seeing a rusty sword among the bones, Yuri said,

“He was a soldier. There are signs of battle.”

The sword was partially broken from an impact.

“Is there a mandrake under this?”

“Let’s see.”

Simon and Guinness approached and flipped the corpse.

Then, some compressed leaves sprang up like springs.

“Whoa, there is one…”

The branches and leaves looked oddly alive. More like an animal than a plant.

“Gives me the creeps.”

“Everyone, cover your ears.”

Yuri warned.

“When it’s pulled out, it screams. And it’s not something you can endure. Cover your ears with your hands and use mana to block the sound.”

“Got it.”

Yuri stepped forward and gripped the bundle of leaves tightly. He shielded his entire body with the Cut of the soul and the heart and pulled hard.

The mandrake was ripped from the ground.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

A terrifying scream spread out.

Thanks to the mana, to Yuri it sounded like a faint whisper. Even so, a repulsive energy still seeped in and clouded his mind.

Its effect was weaker than when he had been unprotected. Yuri used his technique to immediately dispel the dark energy.

“Everyone okay?”

Simon and Guinness were on the ground, shaking their heads.

“T-this is weird…”

“Ugh…”

“I can’t stand up…”

“What about the others?”

Jose and Laurent were unharmed. Jared was rubbing his head.

“What a horrible feeling…”

Curiously, Cory didn’t seem affected. He approached Yuri, examined the mandrake, and tilted his head.

“It’s strange. It looks human.”

“Doesn’t it?”

Yuri shook the mandrake.

“They say mages buy them. Any idea why?”

“Hmm, I don’t know…”

At that moment, Yuri looked in a certain direction. Jose also turned his head. Laurent and Jared reacted the same.

“Get ready.”

“What?”

“Get ready to fight.”

Yuri unsheathed Guilty.