Episode 10
The market street of Valhalla Palace.
Two unidentified foreigners were sightseeing on the street.
Among them, the handsome man, Aum Linia, gazed at the metropolis with an expression of wonder.
"Isn't this amazing?! Per! To think such a massive city would spring up before the Sacred Temple?!"
A large man following behind that Aum.
His younger brother, Per, nodded in agreement with his brother's words.
"Yes, Hyung-nim. It's far from the rural backwater village Kudan spoke of. Could it be because of the dwarves?"
"No, even if they are dwarves, they couldn't make a city prosper to this extent in just six months! There must definitely be something else!"
"...Hyung-nim. Please calm your excitement."
Per waved his hand as if telling him to calm his excitement.
"You know well that the reason we came here is because we were asked."
"I know. I know. I know full well the reason we came here."
'Find Kankun and check on her condition.'
The traitor of the Ragna tribe, Kudan Ragna.
Having received his request, they had come to find a girl named Kankun.
"But is it necessary for us to step in directly?"
"They are people who may become enemies. No, they will become enemies. They've grown to this scale in a short time. Eventually, friction will arise between us and fights will break out, so it's best to see, hear, and experience directly."
"Still, isn't it dangerous?"
"It's dangerous, but in return we can obtain more reliable information. There are things that don't directly reach you just by receiving reports."
Per could not understand why his brother was taking such direct action.
For the Nod race, power dictates everything. But how important could this "information" be?
'Well, he must have his reasons.'
"What will you do now?"
"What do you mean what? 'Information gathering' is the priority, of course~!"
Having said so, Aum put down the leather bag on his back onto the street.
He spread a sack on the ground and laid out goods obtained from the continent.
"Now, shall we play 'merchant' for a bit?!"
"...Play merchant?"
"A merchant is the best for obtaining information, I say!"
Having said so, Aum shouted.
"Buy them~! All kinds of rare continental goods are gathered here!"
At Aum's voice, the Nods in the market street began to look at him.
The various items laid out before him.
"Also, there are very rare foods that cannot be tasted on the continent!"
Aum arranged stones in a circle, prepared firewood, and lit a fire.
He placed a pot on top and poured water.
And he added long, soft lumps and strange triangular pieces, then added red powder and stirred.
A unique scent never before smelled spread explosively through the market street.
As the Nods showed interest, Aum smiled.
'Now, shall I gather some information?'
Aum began observing the city.
When the people of the market street bought goods, they gave another item in return.
'Bartering is taking place. But--.'
"Oh, what a peculiar dish. I shall buy it."
The customer who approached Aum pulled out a coin.
'Transactions using currency are also taking place!'
This was an immense change for the Nods, who had only bartered.
Aum looked at the coin the customer held out, smiled, and nodded.
For Nods, currency transactions were very rare.
But he could see that as this city developed, currency circulation was gradually being utilized.
And the currency was....
"Thank you! It is the best dish I have made. Please taste it and evaluate!"
'Currency I've never seen before.'
Made of wood pieces, ore, and metal.
It was truly unique and elaborate currency created by fusing three materials.
'...Different from ordinary currency. Did the dwarves make it?'
The corner of Aum's mouth twitched.
Technology to the point of wonder. No, this wouldn't be easy even for dwarves to conceive.
Or perhaps there was a separate technician who provided it to the dwarves to commence mass production.
Aum's gaze subtly turned elsewhere.
A shop some distance away.
A weapon shop.
The weapons the dwarves were handling and selling were all made of materials he had never seen before.
'...They don't seem to be materials of this world.'
Aum narrowed his eyes.
'And unexpectedly, there are many items I've seen on the continent. Which means...'
Other tribes were exchanging and selling goods plundered from the continent here.
'The quantity is small, but they can still develop.'
It was then.
"Uuaaack! What is this! My... my tongue is tingling!"
Aum looked at the Nod who bought the food.
The Nod scrunched his face, took out water from his waist, gulped it down, and rinsed his tongue with water.
"How are you supposed to eat this!? My tongue feels like it's burning! This isn't some kind of torture--!"
"...It is the best food I have made, however."
Veins bulged on Aum's forehead at the bad review of his food.
He was someone who took pride in his cooking.
It was just that those who acknowledged his cooking were very rare—no. The problem was that there were none at all.
"Damn! To think you'd sell this kind of food for money!"
Just as the Nod got enraged and raised his fist.
Clack-!
Aum and Per felt chills down their spines.
They weren't the only ones who felt the chilly aura.
The Nod who had been about to cause a commotion also flinched in surprise and lowered his raised fist.
And where they turned their heads—.
'Undead...!'
A skeleton wearing pitch-black armor was standing there.
It was a minion under the command of the Throne of Sin.
"P-Patrolman, sir!"
Patrolman? An existence with such majesty is merely a patrolman?!
Aum's eyes widened.
The Nod forced a smile and spoke.
"Ah, it's nothing! I didn't intend to cause a disturbance!"
"......."
"W-well, I'll be going now...."
As the Nod retreated, the skeleton's gaze turned to Aum and Per.
Aum muttered with a stiff face.
'Pe... r. Is that... a Death Knight?'
'...No. It's just... a skeleton.'
'But it gives off this much pressure? How many of those guys could you handle?'
'...Even one would be difficult.'
Aum closed his mouth.
His younger brother was outstanding in combat.
Excluding Kudan and the Shaman, the third strongest man on this frozen land said he would struggle against a single skeleton, so Aum was left speechless.
The skeleton looked at the goods and food the two had laid out.
And soon, it headed elsewhere.
Aum and Per sighed in relief.
"...How ruthless! Is the reason there are no disputes even with so many Nods gathered because of them?"
Public order maintained by overwhelming force, I suppose.
"Still, that's a relie--."
"Oh! It's the Healer!"
"Healer!"
The market street grew noisy.
Aum and Per turned their eyes to the suddenly noisy street.
A strange and bizarre man had entered the market street.
A man wearing a huge crow mask was walking down the market street, and whenever he passed, people bowed their heads to him in greeting.
Aum grew curious about the figure the Nods were expressing gratitude toward.
"Excuse me."
Aum grabbed a passerby and asked.
"Who is that?"
"Hm? Ah, you're a foreigner? You don't know him?"
"...I just arrived today. I was working as a merchant on the continent. But I heard a city had sprung up here...."
"Oh! Is that so? You've come at a good time. For us who wish this place to develop further, it would be a good thing if word spread to the continent!"
"Rather than that, that man is...."
"Ah, the Healer. They say his name is 'Hun'."
"Hun? That's an unusual name."
"Yes, unusual, isn't he? They say he's a minion called the right hand of the Throne."
The right hand of the Throne?
Wasn't his closest aide the Shaman?
As if reading Aum's expression, the man smiled and spoke.
"I don't know the details, but they say even the Shaman bows his head before him. Looking at it that way, he must be number two in the hierarchy."
"Is he strong? He doesn't look that strong...."
"Hah, don't judge a person by their appearance. Especially as a Nod, shouldn't you know that better? How strong he is."
"Is he strong?"
"Yes, truly frighteningly strong. When he first appeared, the village youths thought he was an invader and all rushed at him...."
The man trembled as he recalled that time.
"They all became minced meat barely clinging to life."
"......."
"He faced hundreds alone with his bare hands... He beat them so brutally that those remaining couldn't even think of rushing in."
Aum looked at the man in the crow mask as he listened to the man's voice.
"Well, after it all ended, a man named Hans or something persuaded them, and people finally calmed down. He said something about testing the effects of potions...? He made all sorts of excuses... but he healed everyone."
Trust and belief could be felt in his tone and gaze.
'Hm... The Nods are all being deceived by a con artist.'
Rumors that the Throne of Sin had descended had spread widely across this island.
But few believed it.
However, their faith was gradually growing stronger.
'A con artist is impersonating the Throne of Sin, deceiving the Shaman and the Nods to build a faction.'
This was no ordinary matter.
Perhaps some force from the continent had reached out to manipulate the Nods.
Wasn't the fact that it had developed this much evidence of that?
'Could it be an empire or one of the kingdoms pulling strings from behind?'
Moving on such a large scale, there must surely be a separate mastermind.
'First, the ones who took over this place...'
The fraud impersonating the Throne of Sin. Next, that man, and the Shaman.
'So the hierarchy is divided like this?'
Aum narrowed his eyes and sent his gaze toward the healer or whatever he was.
The healer plopped down on the bare ground right across from Aum and Per.
And began tending to patients.
"Oh! It seems you're treating patients here today! My shoulders have been stiff lately too, so this is perfect! I'll head over now!"
The man approached the healer wearing the crow mask.
Aum watched that healer.
While appearing to tend to patients, the healer was looking at Aum.
"...Per, that crow bastard, I think he's looking at us?"
"...Y-yes, it appears so."
The two whispered quietly.
'Does he find us suspicious? As a close aide of the con artist who even fooled the Shaman, his instincts might be sharp.'
'There's no way.'
'...Let's withdraw.'
'Huh? This quickly?'
'That guy, he gives me a bad feeling.'
'...Understood. Your instincts are never wrong, Hyung-nim. But what about the girl named Kankun that Kudan asked about?'
'We can look into it again later.'
Then, the healer tilted his head.
The two brothers flinched in surprise.
'No way... he couldn't have heard our conversation...?'
'There's no way. In this noisy market street, there's no way he could hear our conversation from here.'
If there was one who could hear, it would be a being transcending humanity.
'Anyway, let's pack up the goods. Now is the time to withdr--.'
The healer stood up from his spot.
And approached Aum and Per.
Per was flustered, but Aum skillfully donned a merchant's smile and spoke.
"Welcome~! Customer! What can I get you?"
"...What is this?"
The healer pointed at the strange object in the sack.
It was a game board with a colorful patterned board and small pieces shaped like round models, horses, castle walls, and crowns.
"Ah! This is a board game popular on the continent!"
"...Board game? Might I play a round?"
"Haha! Of course. I shall explain the rules."
Aum broke into a cold sweat even as he spoke.
To think the opponent would approach him! He had missed the timing to withdraw.
The healer plopped down on the ground. And listening to Aum's explanation, he nodded.
"I understand the rules."
"Is that so?"
"Then shall we not play a round?"
The healer picked up a piece and spoke.
"Ah... you wish to play with me?"
"Yes."
"Customer, I may look like this, but I am a master of this game. I have never lost to anyone."
"It doesn't matter. I shall win."
The nerve of this guy?
Aum frowned at the healer.
Provoking me with a game? I'll show him!
Perhaps he could extract information while playing the game with him.
"Share some of that food as well."
The healer pointed at the bubbling red food.
The unique food with white lumps and triangular chunks.
"Per, give him some."
Per placed the food in a wooden bowl and offered it.
The two began the board game.
At first, when they moved the pieces, Aum's expression was relaxed. But shortly after....
As time passed, he began to break into a cold sweat.
'Am I... being pushed back?'
And after moving pieces a few times.
'I'm being pushed!'
Aum's eyes widened.
Eventually.
"Checkmate."
The king had reached a state where no escape spaces remained.
Aum raised his head, breaking into a cold sweat.
The healer wearing the crow mask made a satisfied expression, then this time lifted the bowl containing the food.
Aum felt bitterness at that sight.
To think he'd lose to someone encountering this game for the first time. But at least he'll scream after eating that food!
At least he could vent his frustration about losing--.
"Delicious! It's delicious!"
"......?!"
"Aah... this sweet and spicy taste! It's slightly different, but... very delicious! It's the taste I've been longing for! It's on a completely different level from the greasy food that exists here!"
Good heavens! To think there would be someone who acknowledged his cooking!
For the first time in his life, Aum felt immense joy that his cooking was acknowledged.
"Pe, Per... perhaps the man before us isn't a suspicious person...!"
"Hyung-nim, I understand you're moved by the praise for your cooking, but aren't your ears getting too soft!?"
"Delicious. This spicy taste lingering on the tip of my tongue! Truly a nostalgic taste!"
"Is that so? I'm glad you are satisf...ied?"
'Nostalgic taste?'
Aum looked at the healer.
"It has been a while since I've eaten [Tteokbokki]. This [Chess Game] as well."
The healer slowly tilted his head and glared at Aum and Per.
In that instant, the two's bodies stiffened, unable to move.
Because killing intent erupted from his body.
"What are your identities, possessing things that should not exist in this world?"