#007. City of Lament (1)
To Virgil, who already knew the true identity of the dark sorcerer, the contents were of no interest.
He flipped through a few more pages.
[Plan to Leave Javelin. — 62 Silver Coins]
After that were written the amounts needed to leave Javelin and settle in another city.
They were the kind who, not content with stabbing their neighbors in the back to survive, even sold corpses to the dark sorcerer.
“Dying would be too good for them.”
Virgil left the corpses by the roadside and mounted his horse again.
He dug his heels hard into its flanks.
-Hiiiiing!
How long had they been running without rest?
The forest grew deeper, and with it, the lurking dangers increased.
The beasts he had slain on the way here alone numbered four already.
Of course, if he included the hairy beast caught at the beginning, there were even more.
Virgil stopped before a massive tree.
“So this was it.”
The witch could be found at the deepest part of the eastern forest, beside the tallest tree.
Trusting only this memory, he had rushed here without hesitation.
He had found a tree tall enough to stand out, but the old witch did not appear.
As expected, relying on memory had its limits.
Virgil fell into brief contemplation.
Soon, as if having made a decision, he dismounted and drew his greatsword.
If she wouldn’t appear on her own, he had no choice but to make her appear.
Gripping the greatsword, he stared at the tree.
He immediately used a spinning slash.
Whooom! Ka-boom!
The greatsword lodged deep into the tree.
And the effect that manifested exceeded expectations.
A change came over the silent forest.
The occasional cries of animals all died away.
Now, only one sound could be heard.
The noise of something massive approaching this place.
Not the sound of walking or running, but a chilling scraping sound, like a snake crawling.
Sure enough, from afar, a writhing, pitch-black form began to appear between the trees.
Then, in an instant, it vanished from sight.
A moment later.
-What is the meaning of this!
A bizarre voice burst out from above his head.
Simultaneously, accompanied by a terrible stench, a massive snake’s maw came flying at him.
An incomprehensible incantation flowed from within it, and dozens of black arrows formed around the snake.
-You who bear demonic blood! Reveal yourself!
The snake’s fangs stopped before Virgil’s face.
“Hmm.”
Yet Virgil showed no fear whatsoever.
“I see.”
Virgil slung the greatsword onto his back with a hollow expression. He was dumbfounded that the hermit’s identity had been revealed so easily.
As expected, this body was indeed half-human, half-demon.
At the same time, several questions were resolved at once.
The physical strength and mental power he displayed without mana. And even why Sophia had been drawn to him when they first met.
‘Should I be happy about this, or not…’
It was ambiguous.
The snake growled once more at the expressionless Virgil.
-What trickery is this? Surely you were not sent by Mater?
“I have come from Javelin.”
As if unable to believe Virgil’s words, the snake merely flicked its bizarre tongue.
The NPC should have originally explained sorcery and even given advice about Javelin’s curse, yet now showed only aggression.
Virgil longed for the privilege of kindness afforded to players.
Did that mean he had to beat it into submission?
No, was that even possible?
Staring at the snake as massive as an ancient tree, Virgil fell into thought.
“Ah.”
He suddenly recalled the Javelin crest Sophia had given him.
He took out a round stone from his bosom.
“Look at this. I am a mercenary… no, a demon hunter who came at Sophia’s request.”
At Virgil’s words, the snake rolled its yellow eyes before transforming into black mist and vanishing.
What reappeared was a hunched, white-haired old woman.
Her murky eyes turned toward Virgil.
“Judging by the crest’s power, you are indeed connected to that wench. But why do you lie about being a demon hunter? A demon catching demons… cl-cl, a pathetic contradiction. Besides, you don’t carry the filthy stench of those hunters. Rather, I sense an unidentifiable holy power. A mysterious energy, neither pure nor murky… Demonic blood… fascinating.”
The witch turned around and beckoned.
“Follow me for now.”
She led him to a decrepit hut.
True to a witch’s dwelling, nameless herbs were tangled everywhere, and old bones and hides lay scattered about.
“So, half-baked human. What do you need, coming all this way?”
“I shall speak plainly. I need four items.”
“Speak.”
“First, I need Croum’s Tears.”
“That is no longer in my possession.”
“…That can’t be.”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Croum’s Tears was an item only the witch of this forest could sell, and it was necessary for progressing the main quest.
While it was possible to proceed without it, the fact that it was gone was nonsensical.
“Surely you haven’t made it yet?”
“Tsk-tsk, ignorant fool. It is not something one makes, but a gift bestowed upon me by fate.”
“Then why…”
“I sold it yesterday to those who came from Javelin.”
“What!”
Virgil slammed his hand down on the table reflexively.
It was absurd. There should have been no one else to buy this potion besides him.
If the witch’s words were true, it meant the main quest had progressed that far already.
She had no reason to lie.
He had been so careful, so where exactly had things gone wrong?
Could it be because of the grave keeper, Roman?
No.
Just in case, he had locked him in the sewers instead of killing him.
Virgil formed several hypotheses and concluded they were all incorrect.
Only one remained.
Surely not.
“Was there a woman among them?”
“A woman, you say… There was. I saw a child with a peculiar aura. Similar to you, yet different. I was tempted to lock her away and study her.”
“Damn…”
It was a player.
She had advanced the story.
‘What method did she use…’
There were several ways to advance the main mission.
Among them, the most representative were two.
Passing through the maze-like sewers to enter the assembly hall of Javelin’s underground organization, ‘The Laughing Ones,’ and meeting their leader.
Or completing the side missions existing in the city until they made contact themselves.
Virgil, too, had planned to head straight for the sewers after meeting the forest witch.
But the player had progressed it first.
It was a difficult task for her, who knew nothing. It was also too early.
Had there been another method he hadn’t known about?
Surely not that damned kindness?
This was reality, so he should have accounted for more variables, yet he had been too complacent about the player’s existence.
Virgil furrowed his brow deeply.
“I must take my leave.”
“Cl-cl, so there is indeed something between you two.”
“Please gather the things I mentioned quickly, starting now.”
Virgil asked for a sorcery book available only from this forest witch, a few phantasmal pills, and a skull-shaped flute.
As the witch waved her hand through the air, items flew in from somewhere and dropped onto the table.
“Hoo, how did you know I had these? More importantly, do you have the money to buy them?”
“I do not. I shall pay with goods instead.”
“Goods… How would you know what I need?”
“This.”
He placed a heavy leather pouch on the table.
“This scent…”
The witch’s mouth opened slightly as excitement filled her eyes.
Virgil pulled out a lump of flesh from the pouch.
It was Makum’s stomach.
“The guardian spirit of the southern forest… What in the world are you?”
“Did you not call me a half-baked human moments ago?”
Virgil gathered the items except for Makum’s stomach and rose from his seat.
“I shall be on my way.”
“W-wait.”
The witch called out to Virgil as he turned to leave.
“I underestimated you. Won’t you chat with me before you go?”
“I have no time.”
Thrown by the unexpected response, the witch grew desperate.
She felt she no longer held the initiative in the conversation.
“There must be another reason you received the lord’s crest. Perhaps you came to learn what is happening in Javelin, or where the city’s corpses are disappearing to. Cl-cl.”
She looked at him with a confident expression.
‘Come now, show your cards.’
As she looked at the silent Virgil, the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
“Do you want to know? Then the tainted beasts around here…”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“…Huh?”
“I know everything already. And it’s already too late.”
Virgil left the hut without hesitation and leaped onto his horse.
“Ah!”
He spurred his horse and set off for Javelin.
***
Quite a lot of time had passed since leaving the city.
The sun did not rise, so the exact passage of time was unclear, but he knew at least a day had gone by.
On the way back, he was ambushed once more by unknown assailants.
There were eleven of them, well-trained.
They, too, must have been hired by the dark sorcerer.
Had he known everything would go so awry, he would have killed them all beforehand.
Feeling various regrets, Virgil dug his heels into the horse’s flanks.
-Hiiiiing!!
The main gate of Javelin appeared in the distance.
Today, the dark clouds were unusually thick, and the two moons were red.
It felt as if the god of death had come to personally select his kin.
“It’s all gone to hell.”
Virgil knew what it meant.
As expected, the main quest had begun while he was away.
“Haah!”
He spurred the horse fiercely.
The horse’s panting reached his thighs.
Having run without rest the entire way, the horse was already exhausted.
Virgil took out one of the phantasmal pills the forest witch had made from his belt pouch.
It was a dangerous drug that drew upon one’s life force to temporarily bring the body’s power to its peak.
“Just a little more.”
He shoved it into the horse’s mouth.
-Hiing!
The horse whinnied and refused to chew.
But it could not refuse Virgil’s savage hand.
It was forced to chew and swallow.
Once he confirmed the horse had swallowed, Virgil lowered the visor of his helmet.
Then, the cold chunk of metal shaped like the upper jaw and fangs of a beast obstructed his vision while heightening his focus proportionally.
He drew the greatsword from the horse’s flank and held it in one hand.
The horse demonstrated extreme balance, giving Virgil satisfaction.
-Hiiiiing!
They reached the main gate, but there were no guards.
Beyond the walls, screams of people, the sound of metal, and the howls of ghouls could be heard.
Virgil raised the greatsword above his shoulder and immediately hurled it powerfully toward the gate.
Boom!
A section of the old wall collapsed in a single blow.
Without slowing the horse, Virgil pulled the sword from the ground as he rode past.
“Aaaack!”
“S-save me!”
“Uaack!”
The city center was engulfed in flames.
People and ghouls were tangled together.
-Kieeeek!
“Die!”
A young soldier beside the sentry post thrust his spear into a ghoul’s body.
Another ghoul bit into the soldier’s nape from behind.
Blood spurted forth, drenching the ghoul’s body crimson.
As the soldier’s breath ceased, the ghoul turned its head to find another victim.
Having heard the horse’s rough breathing, it charged this way.
-Kiee…
Crunch!
He brought the greatsword down, splitting the ghoul in half.
Rotting green blood soaked the ground.
Virgil recovered his sword and struck the horse with his heels.
Faster.
At the same time, he blew hard on the skull flute bought from the witch.
-Kwaaaaaek!!!
A thunderous, monstrous sound burst from the horn-flute, shaking the city.
That sound, imbued with mana, penetrated all noise and echoed throughout the city.
-Kieeeek!
-Kueeeek!
The ghouls reacted violently to the sound of the flute.
They stretched their heads forward, rolling their dead eyes.
Soon, as if entranced, they ran toward the source of the monstrous sound.
They discarded the human arms they had been chewing and ran.
They ran even with knives lodged in their bodies.
Each and every one of them was desperate.
As if their most precious lover had fallen into peril.
-Kwaaaaaek!!
Virgil continued blowing the horn-flute as he headed for the city square.
A wave of corpses surged after him, flooding the square.
At the same time, a terrible stench converged upon the square.
-Hiiiiing.
Virgil stopped his horse in the center of the square and fed it another stimulant.
This time, the horse chewed and swallowed without refusal.
Virgil also chewed and swallowed a stimulant.
“Kuk.”
A maddening euphoria consumed his entire body. His heart raced wildly. His surroundings seemed to slow.
It felt as if he alone lived in a world slightly faster than everyone else’s.
The extrasensory perception he was experiencing for the first time gave him a sense of ecstasy.
-Kieeeek!
A rotten tide surged toward Virgil.
The ghouls ran on all fours, spraying disgusting saliva.
They tangled together, rubbing their filthy contagion against one another.
The square floor vibrated with the footfalls of hundreds, thousands.
The killing intent emitted by hundreds and thousands was more terrible than imaginable.
“Huu…”
With a short exhale, Virgil purged every weak emotion.
And into the emptied space, something else rushed in.
Excitement disguised as pleasure.
Virgil’s pupils dilated and the corners of his mouth rose faintly.
“Haat!”
He spurred the horse, and it surged forward with a powerful buck.
A recoil like a taut bowstring being released.
Virgil held the greatsword at an angle.
With the fastest swing he could muster, he drew a great arc.
A fierce sonic boom rushed outward.
Along with the exhilarating impact, the ghouls’ heads flew off.
Shhk— Shhk-shhk!
It was as swift and concise as harvesting ripe grain.
Whereas before he had cleaved using the sword’s weight, this time he increased the speed to amplify lethality.
Heavy yet sharp.
The horse, too, was frantically kicking away ghouls trying to bite its legs.
Already, several ghoul heads had burst beneath the warhorse’s hooves.
Virgil swung the greatsword without rest.
Each time, the ghouls’ heads flew toward the sky, and the horse staggered.
The surroundings were stained entirely with bluish-green blood.
Crunch!
A large ghoul bit the horse’s rump.
The horse tried to shake it off with its hind legs, but only punched holes in the rotting body, unable to pry the teeth loose.
That was the beginning; soon ghoul body parts began embedding themselves all over the horse’s body.
Teeth tore flesh and claws ripped muscle.
With gruesome sounds, numbing poison spread throughout its entire body.
Even a sturdy warhorse seemed unable to endure this.
Virgil leaped from the horse.
If he wasn’t careful, he might fall with it and be crushed by its weight.
-Prrrrr….
As expected, the horse soon collapsed.
It gasped briefly before its breath ceased.
Ghouls, bored with the dead creature, turned their killing intent on Virgil again.
-Kieeeak!
Accepting that thick malice with his whole body, Virgil untied the chain bound to the end of his greatsword.
“Huu…”
He felt anger once more at how his plans had gone awry.
But there was no luxury to think.
He immediately twisted his waist and used a spinning slash.
A massive vortex expanded by the chain minced the surrounding ghouls.
And atop the city’s tallest clock tower.
“Demon hunter… So it was you after all…”
The dark sorcerer ground his teeth.