Chapter 134 : Heading North
Chapter 134: Heading North
It didn't take Levi much effort to reach the strange wooden cabin.
The place was deathly silent, with not even a corpse left behind.
To be honest, if the system hadn't confirmed that the Phantom Killer was dead, simply seeing the scene before him would have made Levi think the man had escaped.
Could it be that guy really died inside his own nightmare?
That would be an unbelievably miserable way to die.
Forget it.
There was no point dwelling on it now.
Levi gathered his thoughts and began searching the cabin.
The cabin was extremely bare, showing almost no signs that anyone had actually lived there.
There was only a bed, a table with a chair, and a wooden chest.
The table was covered with all sorts of bizarre bottles that immediately reminded one of witchcraft.
Inside them were things resembling dried animal carcasses.
Levi had no idea what the Phantom Killer had used them for.
Nor did he want to know.
Fortunately, his search wasn't entirely fruitless.
Inside one of the desk drawers, Levi found a notebook.
As for what language it was written in—
Levi couldn't understand a single word.
However, there was one thing inside the notebook that he could recognize.
Tucked between the pages was a torn fragment of a map.
On the fragment, someone had drawn a red circle around a location.
Beside it was the symbol of the All-Seeing Eye.
“………………”
This couldn't possibly be connected to the All-Seeing Eye as well, could it?
Seriously...
The All-Seeing Eye was everywhere.
Then again, considering it represented the Creator God, perhaps that wasn't surprising...
Hmm...
Levi compared the map fragment with his memory.
If he remembered correctly...
The circled location should be the Orens Mountain Range in the northern part of the Melisia Region.
The Governor had mentioned before that there were primitive tribes living there...
It seemed he would have to make a trip after all.
Afterward, Levi carefully searched the cabin once more.
In the end, apart from an altar...
He found nothing else.
The altar also bore the symbol of the All-Seeing Eye.
The only difference was that this symbol hadn't merely been carved into the stone.
It had been painted in blood.
At first glance...
It looked more like the mark of some evil god.
Levi felt that if a priest from the Holy Lord Church saw this altar...
He would probably faint on the spot.
As for what the Phantom Killer had been using it for...
Judging from the dried bloodstains nearby, it wasn't difficult to make an educated guess.
“Hmm... Looks like I really do need to take a look.”
Levi flipped through the notebook.
Although he couldn't understand what was written inside, the ease with which he had completed this mission left him feeling uneasy.
Now that the Imperial Army had arrived, the rebels were no longer much of a threat.
He no longer needed to worry about being surrounded or ambushed with sniper fire like before.
Since he had nothing better to do...
It would be best to investigate everything thoroughly.
Otherwise, if he left now and the Imperial Army encountered trouble here afterward...
Wouldn't that make him look incompetent?
Having made his decision, Levi returned to Fehart City.
He intended to find someone capable of reading the language in the notebook and translating its contents.
By the time Levi returned to Fehart City...
It was already afternoon.
The entire city had been placed under lockdown.
Imperial soldiers could be seen standing guard everywhere.
Naturally, they didn't stop Levi.
He merely flashed his identification, and the soldiers immediately let him through.
However...
As Levi entered Fehart City, he witnessed an unexpected scene.
Not far away, on one of the streets, a group of people was arguing heatedly with several soldiers.
At first, Levi paid little attention.
After all, something similar happened in almost every city.
Besides, the Imperial Army had abruptly taken complete control of Fehart City.
It was only natural that some people would be dissatisfied.
However...
When Levi noticed one familiar figure among the crowd, curiosity got the better of him.
Walking over, he gently tapped her on the shoulder.
“Miss Branson, what are you doing here?”
“…………？”
Annie turned around.
Seeing Levi, she was momentarily stunned.
“Mr. Levi?”
“Mm. The entire city is under martial law now. You didn't know?”
“………………”
Annie silently nodded.
“Then what are you all doing here?”
“Well...”
Annie briefly explained the current situation.
She had arrived in Fehart City together with Levi earlier that day.
After Levi headed off to City Hall to deal with the Continental Congress...
Annie had gone to report to Miskatonic University and met her academic advisor.
Coincidentally, the professor had planned to depart that very day for an archaeological expedition.
After asking Annie several questions...
The professor waved his hand and immediately added her to the expedition team.
Unfortunately...
Just as the archaeological team was preparing to leave the city...
The Imperial Army descended from the skies and placed Fehart City under complete lockdown.
The poor group had already packed everything and was ready to depart.
Instead, they found themselves trapped inside the city.
Unable to move forward.
Unable to retreat.
Their professor also happened to have quite a fiery temper.
He immediately started arguing with the soldiers, demanding that they allow his group to leave.
Naturally, the Imperial soldiers had no intention of granting such a request.
And so...
The two sides had remained deadlocked ever since.
“Where are you planning to go?”
“I heard it's a place called the Orens Mountain Range.”
“Oh?”
Hearing that, Levi raised an eyebrow.
Wasn't that a coincidence?
“Wait here. Let me see if I can think of something.”
Patting Annie on the shoulder, Levi walked toward the front of the group.
At that moment, the elderly professor was loudly berating one of the soldiers, spraying saliva all over the poor man's face.
Fortunately, the soldier possessed excellent discipline.
Otherwise, he probably would have smashed the old man in the face with the butt of his rifle long ago.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Seizing the moment when the old man paused to catch his breath, Levi hurriedly interrupted.
“Would you mind letting me say a few words?”
“And who are you?”
“Someone who may very well be able to solve your current problem.”
Levi smiled as he carefully observed the elderly man.
Though the old man had completely white hair and beard, his body remained remarkably robust.
His voice was loud and powerful.
Judging by his sun-darkened skin, he had evidently spent many years working outdoors.
“I heard you're heading out on an archaeological expedition?”
“That's right. We're planning to investigate the Orens Mountains. Then these lobsters decided to block our way and refuse to let us pass. It's absolutely outrageous!”
As he spoke, the old man viciously glared at the soldier, looking as though he wanted to swallow him whole.
“I see... In that case, I'd like to make you a deal.”
Levi looked at the elderly man and spoke.
“A deal?”
“That's right. I have a notebook I'd like you to examine. If you can translate what's written inside, then I'll find a way to get your group out of the city.”
“Oh?”
The old man's eyebrows rose.
He looked at Levi suspiciously.
In his opinion, Levi looked far too young to be any sort of official.
Still...
After arguing here for so long without making any progress...
If this absurdly handsome young man really had a solution...
It was worth trying.
“What notebook? Let me see it.”
Levi took the notebook from inside his coat and handed it over.
The old man accepted it, opened it, and began reading carefully.
“Hmm? This script... It's rather unusual. It resembles writing from the Age of Gold... No, wait... This should be from the Second Century... Hmm... Ah, that's it. This is Mokhand Script.”
“What's that?”
“It belonged to a kingdom that disappeared from history. You've heard the legends of Emperor Arthur, haven't you? He conquered the continent through countless campaigns. Among the nations he destroyed was one called Mokhand. Instead of worshipping the All-Seeing Eye, they worshipped one of the ancient gods from the Age of Gold—the Nightmare Goddess Mokhand. According to historical records, Emperor Arthur destroyed that kingdom, and its surviving people fled to the northern frontier of the Melisia Region. How interesting. My original goal in visiting the Orens Mountain Range was to search for traces of Mokhand civilization. I never expected someone would still be writing in Mokhand Script! Who wrote this? I want to meet them!”
“I'm afraid that's impossible.”
“He's already dead.”
“Dead? What happened?”
“That's outside the scope of our agreement, sir.”
Looking at the old man, whose eyes had widened so much that he looked ready to grab him by the collar, Levi merely smiled.
“So...
Can you translate the contents of this notebook?”
“Hmm... Let me take a closer look...”
The old man took out a magnifying glass and carefully examined the notebook.
“Hmm... Most of these sentences are incomplete. This appears to be some kind of sacrificial record.”
“A sacrificial record?”
“That's right. It records things like what offerings were used during sacrifices. Most of the entries say something along the lines of... 'On the Xth day of the Xth month of the Xth year, the sinful soul was offered to the Goddess.' They're almost all records like that.”
“Oh?”
Levi's eyes narrowed.
“Almost all of them?”
“The repeated sections are like that. As for the rest, I can't quite make sense of them yet. I'll need more time to study them. Just who wrote this? Could it be that worship of the Nightmare Goddess still survives somewhere on this land? Incredible... If those fanatics from the Holy Lord Church found out, they'd probably want to burn the entire Melisia Region to ashes.”
The Nightmare Goddess.
Hearing those words, Levi fell into thought.
The Phantom Killer had murdered people through nightmares.
Could that have something to do with the Nightmare Goddess?
Sure enough...
To be safe...
He still needed to visit the place marked on the map.
“Thank you for your explanation.”
Levi put away his thoughts, smiled, and nodded politely to the old professor.
Then, while the old man wasn't paying attention...
He quietly retrieved the notebook.
“So? Can we leave now?”
“I'll go ask. Please wait here patiently.”
After saying that, Levi nodded to the group before turning to leave.
Just as expected...
The old man's furious roar immediately echoed behind him.
“Boy! Don't you dare trick me! Or you'll regret it!”
Naturally, Levi paid no attention whatsoever to the old man's threat.
He stopped a nearby soldier, asked where Henry was, and then headed for City Hall.
The conference chamber looked almost exactly as it had when Levi left.
Well...
Almost.
The bullet holes covering the walls and chairs clearly indicated there were still some differences.
At the very least...
Levi's own weapons certainly hadn't caused that much destruction.
“Yo, Captain. You're back. Find anything?”
Henry, who was studying a map spread across one of the tables, raised a hand in greeting as Levi entered.
Anthony, sitting nearby with a bottle of liquor, casually shook it.
“Want a drink, Boss? The Continental Congress originally prepared this to celebrate the successful conclusion of their conference. I think we can use it to celebrate instead.”
“Opening the champagne before halftime is never a good habit.”
Levi glanced at the bottle before walking over to the table.
“I did find something. So next, I plan to head to the Orens Mountain Range.”
“The Orens Mountain Range?”
Hearing Levi's answer, Henry searched across the map before finally locating the place near its edge.
“That's an awfully remote place.”
“I know. But the case I'm investigating is connected to it. To be safe, I'd like to take a look myself. I'd rather not leave any loose ends.”
“If you want to go, I certainly won't stop you. However, I'm afraid I won't be able to assign many soldiers to assist you this time, Captain.”
Henry sighed.
“At the moment, we're preparing to launch a full-scale offensive against several cities in southern Melisia. Anthony has already uncovered evidence proving these people colluded with mercenaries to attack Imperial convoys and fleets. They even stole a considerable amount of Imperial military equipment in preparation for their rebellion. Although we've already captured all of their leaders, we still can't be certain whether the remaining forces will resist. This is a full-scale war. We have to demonstrate the Empire's strength to the Melisia Region once and for all and completely crush their foolish delusions.”
“I don't need your soldiers. Actually, I just found an archaeological expedition that's already planning to travel to the Orens Mountain Range. What I need is transportation. Can you help with that?”
Levi had no idea how the old professor originally intended to reach the mountains.
One thing was certain, however.
He had no intention of wasting most of his time simply traveling there.
“Hmm...”
Henry thought for a moment.
“I can assign a reconnaissance airship to transport your group. According to its schedule, it's already set to conduct a reconnaissance mission near the Orens Mountain Range tomorrow. I can have it drop you off nearby, but after that, you'll have to rely on yourself.”
“No problem.”
Levi nodded.
“Then it's settled.”
(End of Chapter)