Chapter 496: Episode 496
The mud from the bottom of the pond rose and coalesced in the air, soon forming the shape of a face.
’No way...’
It wasn’t a human head, but that of a dog. Simon recognized it instantly.
’The Demonic Beast of Pestilence, Kal!’
’Creeak...’
The mud-forged canine head turned to look at Simon, Kajan, and Pier. Through the dripping sludge, bone-like structures were visible, a clear sign of its undead nature.
[Well now... How long has it been? Pier!] it boomed, its voice echoing.
[Khahahaha! It has been a long time, Kal!]
’It’s really him? We found him this easily?’ Simon shot Pier a dumbfounded look.
[Of course, this isn’t his true form, boy! It’s merely a clone, much like that skull badge of mine you carry!]
Simon glanced down at the badge on his chest and understood.
[By the way, Pier, who’s the little brat? Still indulging in the amusing hobby of raising human children?]
Pier chuckled. [He is Richard’s son, Simon Polentia. He has succeeded his father as the Commander of the 7th Legion!]
[That bastard’s son?] Kal’s gaze fixed on Simon. [I see, I see! You look exactly like that bastard Richard! This human concept of ‘blood’ is truly revolting. I can feel his very essence clinging to you.]
Kal’s eyes gleamed with a predatory light.
[Hmm... Still, it seems that wild colt raised his child well. The boy has a shell—a very strong and sturdy one. But what if one were to peel back that shell? Would he become just like his father? Or perhaps—]
"My apologies, Kal," Simon interrupted with a faint smile. "Let’s save that for later. We’ve come for you. We’ve secured half of your main body, but where is the rest?"
[How should I know!] Kal’s clone barked out a laugh that sounded unnervingly like a real dog. [The last thing I remember, my main body was being transported in a carriage somewhere in Tarados! It used the last of its strength to create clones like me, and we escaped through cracks in the carriage! We crawled along the ground, hiding in nearby swamps and ponds to maintain our forms. After that, we lost all contact with our main body.]
Kal moved its head closer, inspecting Simon.
[We’ve been waiting there for you to come! Our main body ensured that all its clones could sense the energy of one who possesses the ‘Power of the Legion’!]
Simon smiled to himself. Kal’s main body was in Tarados, just as he’d suspected. They were in the right place.
[Kal! Then where are the other clones?] Pier demanded.
Kal shook its head. [I don’t know. We can’t communicate with the main body, let alone each other. They’re probably all hiding in some damp place, waiting for help.]
[Anyway, hurry, Pier! Those bastards are performing all sorts of horrific experiments on my main body! If this continues, it might be damaged beyond repair!]
At that, Simon stepped forward.
"Alright, Kal. But you have to promise me one thing. If I save you, you and your forces must join the 7th Legion under my command."
[Uh, um! Of course, that... could... happen... I suppose?] The clone’s voice trailed off as its eyes darted about evasively. [But let’s set that aside for now. Shouldn’t getting me out of here be the priority? We must join forces to wipe out those villains. Let us join hands!]
Simon turned his back on it abruptly.
"Let’s return to Kizen. Pier, Kajan."
[Wait! Wait! Wait!] Kal’s clone yelped in alarm. [What do you mean, return? You came to save me!]
"To be precise, I came to reinstate you into the legion," Simon corrected, glancing over his shoulder. "If you refuse, then we have no reason to fight those people."
For a moment, Kal’s muddy face was a mask of disbelief.
[Y-You ungrateful human! Do you have any idea how much I helped your father? Are you truly going to abandon your father’s benefactor like this?]
Kajan silently unfolded a map. "The next teleportation circle back to Kizen is a fifteen-minute walk from here."
"Right. Let’s go."
[Wait! Wait! Wait!]
Kal stuck out its tongue, panting theatrically.
[Alright! I get it! I’ll return to the legion!]
"Good," Simon said, a bright smile spreading across his face. "Negotiations complete."
And in that moment, Kal felt a chilling sense of déjà vu. Simon’s smiling face perfectly overlapped with Richard’s—the same smile he wore when he had invaded a perfectly peaceful dungeon and threatened its master into becoming his subordinate.
[Damn the insatiable greed of humans...!!]
Simon casually ignored the outburst and posed his next question. "Besides your main body being in Tarados, is there anything else you know?"
[I’m just a clone, so I don’t know the exact location. But I can feel its presence! Even now, I can sense it’s trapped somewhere not too far from here! Take me with you. The closer we get, the stronger my body will react.]
The clone was essentially a living detector.
"Simon, use this," Kajan said, pulling a socketed necklace from his bag and handing it over.
Kal’s clone slipped neatly inside.
[Oh! This is nice! No chance of drying out in here.] The necklace swung back and forth like a pendulum. [Let’s go! Hurry up and find my main body!]
"I get it, just be quiet," Simon muttered, closing the socket lid and fastening the necklace around his neck. "Thanks, Kajan. I’ll return this at school."
"Right. First, let’s find the town."
---
Meanwhile, in a swamp near Tarados...
[I am a clone of Kal! I have been waiting for one who possesses the Power of the Legion!]
This time, the swamp floor congealed, and another of Kal’s clones shot out. The same conversation that had occurred with Simon began to unfold.
[As expected. The intel was correct.]
A man in a hooded robe appeared in the swamp. His name was Alaje, an Ancient Undead from the 5th Legion, led by Magnus.
[Even with the main base occupied, he is still securing Ancient Undead. Lord Commander Magnus. Unconventional,] Alaje muttered to himself. He was flanked by guards—undead figures shrouded in large robes. Through the gaps, patches of different colored skin could be seen stitched together, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from their mouths. Their eyes swirled with pitch-black vortexes, like a child’s frantic scribbles.
Kal’s clone seemed more wary of the guards behind Alaje than of the Ancient Undead himself.
[Question,] Alaje began, his voice choppy and clipped. [Cooperation. Possible. But. Condition. If we retrieve the main body. You must join Magnus’s 5th Legion.]
At the mention of joining a legion, Kal’s clone shuddered. ’It hasn’t been long since the 7th Legion was disbanded and I was free. Now I have to join another one?’
[T-That’s...!]
[No room. For negotiation.]
As Alaje stated, Kal had no other choice. ’How many years has it been since someone with the Power of the Legion has appeared?’
[Fine. As long as you get me away from those bastards!]
A corner of Alaje’s mouth curled upward. [Kal and the 5th Legion. Contract established. Anyone who interferes. Will be eliminated.]
---
Tarados, the Jewel of Freedom. This place had once enjoyed a period of miraculous prosperity thanks to a ‘Gold Mine Dungeon’ teeming with high-value ore monsters. Countless adventurers and treasure hunters, dreaming of striking it rich, had flocked here, creating a veritable sea of humanity. The cities of the territory were ablaze with light day and night. Residents welcomed outsiders without prejudice, and adventurers of all regions, races, and nationalities linked arms, drinking and singing together. A new culture that transcended all boundaries was born, and Tarados, a place where the oppressed could live in harmony, grew into a new symbol of freedom.
However, as the ore monsters were hunted to extinction, the flow of outsiders dwindled. When a new lord came to power, everything changed. Corpses began to float down the river. People from Tarados transformed into horrific chimeras, crossing the mountains to attack farms in neighboring lands. Ominous rumors spread like wildfire, and now, it was a place no one dared to enter.
The tragic tale of Tarados was well-known here in the neighboring territory of Ebrun.
"You want to go to Tarados?" a carriage driver asked, his expression one of utter disbelief.
Having safely reached a nearby town, Simon and Kajan had sought passage. Simon nodded confidently. "Yes, we want to leave right now."
"Gods above! Are you boys drunk already?" the driver scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Tarados is a living hell these days!"
He was the fourth driver to refuse them. The others leaned against their carriages nearby, laughing.
"Who in their right mind would go to Tarados now?" one called out.
"If you’re looking to kill yourselves, there’s a poison pond back in those ruins. Go do it there!"
The men laughed.
Simon ignored their jeers. "What’s happening in Tarados?"
"That’s... ’ahem’." The driver cleared his throat, glancing around nervously. "That’s not something I can just tell an outsider. I’d like to sleep soundly at night, if you don’t mind."
Still, he was at least engaging with them, which was more than the others had done. Simon produced a pouch heavy with coins from his robe. "We’ll pay whatever you ask."
’Gulp.’
The driver’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard before shaking his head frantically. "Not for all the gold in the world! Money is good, but my life is more important!"
"Is Tarados really that dangerous?"
"You have no idea!"
"But," Simon said, pointing with his finger, "it looks like those people are heading to Tarados."
A convoy of cargo carriages was preparing to leave, heading in the direction of Tarados. A group of rough-looking men with drawn swords were shouting loudly.
"Be careful," the driver whispered, his voice dropping low. "Don’t even make eye contact with them." The townspeople were already giving the group a wide berth, crossing the street or shutting their windows.
"Who are they?"
"The Ganes Guild. They call themselves a guild, but they’re just a band of thugs. They operate out of Tarados, and they’re extremely dangerous... H-Hey!"
Before the driver could finish, Simon was already striding toward the Ganes Guild’s carriages. The thugs scowled, their grips tightening on their weapons.
"Hey, who are you?"
"Got a death wish?"
The air crackled with hostility, thick enough to be cut with a knife. The driver was frantically gesturing for Simon to come back, but Simon simply offered a faint smile to the thugs.
"You’re going to Tarados, right?" he asked, pointing to a crate on one of the carriages with an air of pure innocence. "What’s in here?"
Just then, a man who appeared to be their leader leaped down from a carriage.
"Who the hell are you?" he growled, his voice laced with menace.
In response, Simon reached into his robe and produced his second-year Kizen student ID.
"I’m from Kizen."
The thugs’ faces hardened. The leader’s face went pale, and he bit his lip.
"I need your cooperation with an investigation," Simon said, tucking the ID away and pointing to the crate again. "I’ll ask one more time. What are you transporting to Tarados?"
The leader let out a long, weary sigh. He pulled a cigarette from his belt, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Smoke billowed out, cloaking the area in a hazy veil.
"Well now, you educated folk are really something else," the leader said with a strained laugh. His voice was considerably softer than before. "You see, sir, I have a son about your age. Doesn’t have the money to open his core, so he’s just holed up somewhere making clothes—"
"This is an investigation," Simon cut in sharply. "Please answer the question."
"Someone from Kizen should be seeing and hearing only the best things. You’re destined to become a great man who moves the nation. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you got hurt stirring up a hornet’s nest?" he said persuasively, exhaling another cloud of smoke as he stepped closer. "We lowlifes have our own way of life. It’s a bit dirty, a bit messy. Getting involved will only sully your eyes. I’m giving you this advice because you remind me of my son."
"If you continue to be uncooperative," Simon said, his voice dangerously low as he placed a hand on the crate, "shall I open it?"
’Shing! Shing! Thwack!’
The moment his hand touched the wood, every thug aimed their swords and bows at him.
"Now, now, I told you not to do that," the leader purred, pressing the tip of his own sword to the nape of Simon’s neck. "Sir! I may be an ignorant, uneducated man, but I can promise you one thing."
He produced a pouch of gold and held it out to Simon.
"If you just walk away, not a single thing in your life will change for the worse! Nothing will happen! Really, I don’t know why you’re meddling in the affairs of common folk. This is what you were after, wasn’t it? Right?"
With his hand still on the crate, Simon lowered his gaze, past the leader’s sword at his neck, to the wooden box. He focused on a tiny crack in the wood.
And from that small crack...
He saw a human eyeball, rolling back and forth.
"Now, now, so, sir—"
"Hey."
In that instant, Simon’s expression twisted into a demonic snarl.
"I don’t think this is a problem that can be so easily dismissed."