Chapter 236: The Best Guide (2)
P7fB4Rumble-rumble-rumble-NJj
lhnqVB6It was a strange vibration.1aiX
4XWA tremor that seemed as if it might stop but continued on without end. The man, who had been sitting as if lifeless, began to slowly open his eyes at the persistent tremor, one too prolonged to be merely an earthquake.dQYAMn0
LFKW“…So, it’s finally happened.”wsL1a
27OIt was a dark place where not even a ray of light could enter.c5o
LBmOzhYet, Frausen naturally rose to his feet, as if he could see perfectly in the darkness.H6iwci
g39i“Sarnus.”O3IqZhS
bJngnSJFrausen’s world was one that had long since lost its luster.XxsYXd
PuMHowever, he could glimpse the world of dragons through the carvings embedded in his chest. Through Frausen’s left eye, which was now closed, he could see Sarnus slowly taking the form of a dragon, and Vlad trying to flee from him.mrYKYp0
iSc7S4s“In the end, you’ve broken our pact and swallowed the dragon’s fragment.”v9o
ndzD8Frausen, watching the scene with a stern expression, began to smile quietly.TLkVir
Cf5Q6BBThe presence of the oldest dragon grew darker, while the traces of the most perfect dragon attempted to escape from him.7VT
Te0Eh9Frausen felt an almost hollow satisfaction as everything unfolded exactly as he had predicted.eKIgCz
qnGbRiY“Without knowing it was poison.”nDPsk
2eOC6KAfter speaking his final words, Frausen silently stepped forward and stood before the door leading to the corridor.92eK
4whNow that the oldest dragon had consumed the true fragment, it was his turn to act.1qEP
KG0“It was indeed a good decision to let you live, Sarnus.”csDwDZq
OeoOFEven when the door opened, Frausen was only greeted by darkness, but he stepped into the shadows on the ground without hesitation.S98
u7MpDEHe had forgotten so many things as he walked this path, but now he had to finish what he had scattered.2Gqy
N6CO***ofbk
CD7syTqChiik-YuPM
QoaVxNWWith the sound of a match being struck, the dark cave was illuminated.nuXC3vE
CYTThe group began to sigh in relief as they finally recognized each other in such a narrow and deep cave that they had to brush shoulders.5e35gJy
GUlDzYj“What is all this? Why did this hole open up?”yvJ
Zsv“I don’t know. If you, a mage, don’t know—”P9pq9R
0eA1FRC“Damn it! I almost had a heart attack!”5RMT569
pmZKRadu, who had been falling for what seemed like an eternity, shook his head as if he didn’t want to recall the sensation.1DFC
gmuHowever, despite the horrible feeling of freefall, everyone was unharmed, probably thanks to the small mole that was still glowing.Z3R4Dj
1zJxuqKyu-!Uw9X
PA8The group’s eyes, now regaining their senses, naturally focused on Vlad.BkV
1ArLMore precisely, on the glowing mole sitting atop Vlad’s head.8YN
CANuUz“What is that damned rat?”Nt0TE9T
6D8“It’s not a rat, it’s a mole. A mole.”mZiE
CGF5“Why is it glowing if it’s a mole? Does it think it’s a firefly or something?”744
nEwBq7bThe group muttered as they looked at the strange-looking mole, but the little creature began to shrug its shoulders as if it thought they were praising it.NaD
hFnXbJuSeeing this, Nibelun, almost without thinking, offered a piece of bread from his pocket.eVJLX7g
f1WCN7“…You’re just feeding crumbs to it, bastard.”J41r
kpc0GVlad, who had finally regained consciousness, looked up at the mole squeaking on his head and frowned.mDU7W19
QUymOIBut despite his irritation, he couldn’t bring himself to knock it off, as he didn’t want to imagine what might have happened if not for the hole that had saved them.JnPGkn
CyBqm“But where do we go now?”A55
lOPqu“We should ask the one who dug this hole.”HPqFNuD
elhHEven though the tunnel had only one direction, they didn’t know which path to follow.4wr
EYo9CIWithout knowing which way to go, Vlad raised a finger and bluntly poked the side of the mole.uEMmEdU
FPL“Where do we go now, huh?”z6apR
b3c7Lc8Kyu-!E1d7
hzLdKThe mole straightened up as if surprised by Vlad’s finger, then immediately raised its short arm and began pointing somewhere.OnYE
NahCIt was a completely dark cave, but the direction it pointed was towards the mountain they had tried to escape from earlier, and it was also the direction where the Ruga tribe, who had fled the city, was heading.74XSwr5
opjqVOT“Let’s go.”ZS3
7DrxPr5After deciding which direction to take, Vlad lifted his head for a moment and looked towards the entrance from which they had fallen.jzX8G
pfUz9fThe ground now looked like a hole in a black curtain.IMAzBKm
HGvVlad thought of the Dragon Duke who was above that ground, but he turned his head and began to walk in the direction the mole was pointing.Q41
rP8LCl‘I’m sorry for fleeing and leaving you in my place, Kihano.’SeIZ
XGge[…Don’t worry.]sjBpDPK
o3OEven though his emotions were complicated, the mole’s tunnel stretched out straight and clear.I9IwEh
rBZSGVlad felt comforted by the fact that there was a path he could follow without overthinking, and he quietly thanked Kihano for taking his place.UwdxLY8
wrVXtZ***g1Qh3b
17GFXvNWhen the group emerged from the cave, they found themselves right at the mountain they had seen earlier.TQmP
myf7yj6It was a mountain not far from the city of Namarka, and it was also a place where the dark army of Dragulia, still gathering in the distance, could be seen.Lxaj
x0UqJPs“They survived.”wdU
DBTsdEAt that place, Vlad met the Great Mother of the Ruga tribe, who had been waiting for him.8pM2Ae
9rRLYDespite the risk of being discovered, she had lit a small fire that emitted a bit of smoke, and her forehead was damp with sweat, as if she had been using magic until just a moment ago.bKzR8B
dCknjR“It’s an earth spirit. I didn’t expect one to appear.”jBezvE
WwX7EThe Great Mother watched with curiosity as the glowing mole sat atop Vlad’s head.BDBjNL
jWfZD6“Did you summon it, Great Mother?”m3cK
pDGP6hT“I called for it, but… I didn’t expect an earth spirit to appear.”PjXyI
buGNIt’s a mystery because it can’t be explained, and it’s magic because it’s unpredictable.CeRc
hFSpNyRAlthough the Great Mother of the Ruga tribe had invoked that magic, she seemed surprised to see the mole atop Vlad’s head, as it was not the result she had anticipated.VA6frPM
SrPJ40“It seems there’s a bond between you two. Normally, it would take a lot of preparation to summon a creature of that level.”2LMQ6
LOzx2Though it was just a vague assumption, the Great Mother was right.5NCY
1fTtQXThe glowing mole, which had descended from Dobrechiti, following the mountain range from the north to this place, was able to arrive here not just because of the Great Mother’s magic but also because of the possibility residing in the Dragon-Slaying Sword and its bond with Vlad.hxt
dFHI8Kyu-?GmbmV
pw8GIn the brief silence after their conversation, the mole made a sound as if asking, “What do we do now?”kJ3KwHb
o0hm2Vlad, hearing the sound, looked around and then spoke.eiBBwSL
2ytl“…How many are there in total?”eAuMN
pjC“About 300.”PjBg
tpLH5u“Do they have anywhere to go?”TDA
URJbKrVlad scratched his cheek as he observed the Ruga tribe refugees gathered together.d1r
f8wE0However, when Vlad asked if they had any place to go, the Great Mother merely shook her head without saying a word.J6ZwUw
fo0“This is all because we lost our home. Anywhere other than the land of our roots, who would welcome us with open arms?”IDW
a5fUsBecause of their magic, the Church rejected them, and because of their different appearance, they were driven out by others.8Dc
54A5PThe story of the Ruga tribe was a story of wandering. The rootless city of Namarka had allowed them to settle briefly, but now even those dirty alleys had been destroyed by the arrival of the dragons.wBsd40
P11jfc“But for now, let’s get out of here. If we move north, we might find a solution.”oI3
MiyNhbEVlad couldn’t help but feel responsible for the Ruga tribe, who had lost their home because of him.0x1MArV
YHvHowever, he knew they had to leave, so he looked up at the mole on his head.GLCk
6dH“I want to go as far north as possible.”AhV5lzX
P3DZiP4Kyu-?Uel7v
M5Gc29E“Don’t you know of any place where we can all go?”ABB
altmUThe glowing mole began tapping its tiny paw as if thinking about Vlad’s question.CjyGB
AL2Though Vlad found its behavior irritating, he had no choice but to suppress his growing frustration, as that creature was his only hope of finding the way.5Rzk
GVO“…Think fast.”yT1wSRo
GndbLHNAt Vlad’s cold insistence, the mole finally seemed to remember something and rolled down from his head to stand in front of the hole it had dug.0GP
4QBVMUKyu, kyu-!tcf
ygSJvThe mole waved its tiny paws as if indicating that they should go that way.zj4IZR
nExqSeeing those small but energetic movements, Vlad and the Great Mother of the Ruga tribe exchanged silent glances.nX0
0lMwbW***lqOd
0emxAk9The room was spacious, with large windows through which warm sunlight poured in.ektjeap
7BzDJoseph gazed at the decorations visible through the light and quietly lifted the teacup in front of him.6Uydz
7Wq2“It seems you have a great interest in Elven culture.”6Yq06b3
xEICThe room that Joseph observed was filled with objects related to the Elves.IrrDTo
PLYwThe Elven ornaments, which might seem unusual at first glance, had an antique charm that made one feel as if they could fetch a good price at auction even now.r9LZ5
kvtMH“There was a time when that was the case. I tried to please them as much as I could.”q2uYO
OmPWith those words, Count Vitskaya set down the teacup he was holding and smiled as he looked at Joseph sitting across from him.423P
tg3mHe must have taken a deep sip of the tea he had just drunk because the tea water in his white beard had turned as black as night.yIzT
9ClMML“There was a time when Elven products were the lifeblood of my territory and the center of our economy. But now all of that is in ruins.”1yn4hL
YS6GThe city of Tanobo, which had once been the epicenter of trade with the Elves, was now in decline.19uk
JhtKCount Vitskaya, who had been the ruler of that city, licked his lips in disgust, remembering those days.r87
rOYJZrr“The damned Elves cut off all trade with us, and the Dragon Duke blamed us entirely for Absilon. No matter what I did, there was no way to resist.”InELLk
MJIDJNThe self-pitying Count Vitskaya started to look at Joseph for a moment.byjbU
Xtwi5It was amusing to see the Count behave like a man who had been cast out of his own family, but this was not a situation where he could question such things.xfh
YAkFg“But even in these difficult times, there are those willing to extend a helping hand. It seems one is never truly meant to die.”s3W
S3f“Is that so.”SpW1Zzo
O4LolYCThe man named Joseph, sitting across from the Count, was an emissary sent directly by darkness itself.6F17
0IEtOtCount Vitskaya knew that, now that the support from the Dragon Duke had been cut off, he needed Joseph’s help to save his territory and monopolize the Elven resources.NbZ
OLm“Anything you want from Elven lands, including the World Tree, is at your disposal. During that time, I won’t hesitate to provide you with a place to stay, food, or anything else you need.”LhtVKs
vaf“…”fNA8Eyl
2RjJoseph, listening to the Count, began to look at him without saying a word.G3ybZl
ZH0IiwThe Count’s eyes began to glow darker, as if the tea he had just drunk was starting to take effect.8bSLsh5
nfiB2oJoseph began to nod as if understanding the Count’s gaze, which did not conceal his desire at all.825
FJwj“Understood.”chsc
G8cWjXDarkness originally arrives when a person is in their darkest moment.o2gdTt
wcRHiEven if they couldn’t escape on their own, it was the darkness that silently approached them, covering their eyes when no one else was there to help.FzhVCdc
O2HL“The Count’s firm will. We will definitely fulfill it.”heNXGG
yDrdhEThat’s why people have no choice but to take its hand.ogLCi
U2GBecause darkness appears at the most crucial moment, offering exactly what they desire.ydrXtgw
RCkLike the Baron of Moshiam who wanted to save the life of his young son, or like now, with the Count, who is on the brink of death.loG
PeIQ2Ramashutu’s hand, offering what one desires at just the right time, is nothing less than a strong temptation that is hard for anyone to resist.G4E
c79v“Thank you! If everything goes well, I will reward you generously.”896u
im4KtlfSeeing Count Vitskaya express his gratitude repeatedly and nod his head, Joseph began to pick up the teacup he had set down earlier.e1PUC
vceJoseph still found it difficult to get used to the taste of the tea, which was as bitter and fishy as its pitch-black color, but he still needed the dark aroma the tea carried, so it was inevitable.uJ6
5SI3eT6Rumble-ZeEyArY
V21“Hmm?”YhKukAV
BP9dHowever, Joseph’s outstretched hand could not reach the teacup.PwxQt
qQl8oIt stopped as he felt a subtle vibration in the building.nFzz
p6k4UK“An earthquake?”nF6LZH
y4FqKThe city of Tanobo, under Count Vitskaya’s rule, rarely experienced earthquakes.Goau
xQ1uHHBut today, a tremor strong enough for the entire city to feel began to rise from the ground.ozXHL7
n2p4T3xThe shaking, which began with a mound of earth being lifted as if someone were digging underground, started from the southernmost point and continued all the way to Ausurin, where the Elven forest was located.soyY8T
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