Chapter 399
A tense atmosphere settled over the city. The grim expressions of the residents clustered in small groups made it clear they had all seen the dwarves carrying the bodies.
"An attack from inside? What in the world!"
"Has the stronghold's location been exposed?"
"Could there be one of them among—"
The murmured voices of the residents brushed past Ian's ears as he sprinted up the stairs. No one had yet grasped the full scope of the situation. Reaching the upper floor, Ian pushed through the gathering crowd and moved swiftly along the path.
At that moment, a group of guards returned from the outer passage—two orcs and one dwarf. Ian's gaze fixed on the limping, blood-smeared dwarf in leather armor. His single-edged hand ax, held in place of his usual spear, was also slick with crimson.
One guard had survived.
"The intruders?" Stopping a short distance away, Ian addressed the dwarf.
"Killed them. Both of them." The dwarf, letting his ax hang at his side, responded.
The orc guards stopped beside him, one of them cradling the body of a human man in his arms. Brutal slashes to the corpse's throat and chest left him drenched in blood.
"Fucking hell. Their faces, their voices—it was definitely Donald and Esther," the dwarf muttered bitterly, his nostrils flaring as he continued. "They stabbed Digby as soon as they stepped inside. Didn't even give us a chance to react—"