Chapter 14

Arndt woke up with a strangely refreshed feeling.

It seemed like he had overslept a bit.

Perhaps that was natural since in the mountains, the sun rises late and sets early.

He got up quickly, disliking to roll around on the hard ground. By now, he should wake up His Grace and help him with his washing water...

"Your Grace?"

...but Arenheit's sleeping place was completely empty.

Seeing that the cloak was neatly spread out, it seemed he had moved on his own. Where on earth did he go? Did he go to relieve himself alone?

Arndt slowly tidied up the place and rekindled the fire. He also woke Sir Leandros.

He planned to set off on the journey as soon as His Grace returned.

But His Grace continued not to appear. No matter how long they waited, it was the same. By now, he couldn't have gone just to relieve himself.

Leandros seemed to notice the situation too, as he covered the bonfire with soil and stood up.

"At least it's fortunate. Wherever His Grace has gone, he should be going around in circles right here."

Yes, that was really fortunate.

Arndt and Leandros hurried along the single path.

But something was strange.

The path became unfamiliar even though they hadn't walked very far. It was definitely not the familiar path they had seen yesterday.

Leandros and Arndt's footsteps gradually quickened.

The path was straight, and the bushes and trees growing on both sides of the path were all different from yesterday.

Finally, when they had almost run out of the path,

They faced an old wooden signpost standing there, welcoming them.

<Zimlet>

The two were unable to contain their astonishment.

After running to the town with all their might, Arndt immediately shouted.

"Your Grace! Are you here? Your Grace!"

Something was strange.

The town was eerily quiet.

Even though the sun had risen high, not a single person was visible on the streets.

Leandros visited an inn without much thought, but in the quite spacious dining hall, there was not only no guests but even the owner was nowhere to be seen.

Arndt walked around, knocking on the doors of private houses.

But both homes and shops were all closed, with no response.

Wouldn't this make it seem like the town residents had abandoned the entire town and fled?

Leandros and Arndt, who had gone around the town once, met at the square.

"People?"

"None. Not even an ant in sight. What about you?"

"The same."

The interiors of the houses viewed through the gaps in the shutters were ordinary.

There were tableware and furniture, and some houses even had flowers as decorations.

Nowhere could any signs of hasty escape be found.

Just houses that had been neatly tidied up before going to bed.

Nothing more, nothing less.

But how could every house be without people?

Even the inn was just left open.

Leandros and Arndt felt an unsettled, unpleasant anxiety that couldn't be sorted out.

Rumble.

A faint thunder sounded from the sky.

Arndt looked up, but there were no dark clouds.

Could it rain on a clear sky? Just as he tilted his head, Leandros pounced on him like lightning.

"Aaaaah!! Hey there!!"

Are you crazy?!

Arndt, who had tumbled to the ground with a scream, jumped up and glared at the rude knight.

But ignoring Arndt, who was covered in dirt, Leandros was looking elsewhere.

At the sky.

As Arndt also raised his head to follow, a strange sight entered his eyes.

The atmosphere was undulating and swirling.

The ground where he had been standing just a moment ago was now sunken and emitting an unknown smoke.

"This... this..."

"There's something there."

Leandros started to draw his sword but instead hoisted Arndt up and ran.

"Wha! Ah! Ah!"

Arndt screamed as he was snatched up by Leandros.

However, no matter how swift Leandros was, there was a limit to running while carrying a full-grown man.

The unknown explosion followed closely behind, fiercely pursuing them.

"Something keeps following us! It's following!"

"Be quiet. I know very well."

Leandros had to keep running without even being able to swing his drawn sword once.

It was natural. He needed to see something to cut it!

Leandros glared at the sky and suddenly ran into the nearest private house.

After a few kicks, the door wobbled and opened.

As they threw themselves inside, the ground sank with a thumping sound just at the doorway, and then everything became quiet.

"Wh-what was that? I couldn't see anything, but it kept... Am I going crazy?"

Arndt stammered, stunned.

Leandros silently frowned. As Arndt had said, nothing was visible to his eyes either.

Was it magic using an artifact? Or perhaps sorcery?

He was familiar with hidden long-range attacks, but he had never heard or seen such a wide-ranging pursuit like this.

Without any sign or sound of footsteps, an attack that could target the entire interior of a town in broad daylight.

"Let's stay here for a while and observe the situation."

"I-is it safe here?"

"At least for the moment."

It would be a different story if it came through the ceiling.

But there was no need to mention that.

Leandros had no intention of making Arndt shoulder unnecessary worries.

Arenheit was not here, the town they had barely found was empty, and now there was an unidentified attack.

Would they be attacked immediately if they went out?

Leandros looked towards the door for a moment.

Come to think of it, when he had moved Arndt, it had targeted him and followed him.

Then...

"We should split up."

"What? Sir, are you in your right mind? Have you forgotten everything that just happened? What do you mean split up? We live or die together!"

Leandros somehow felt displeased.

"...It's just a guess, but there will only be one person under attack like this. So I'll be the bait."

"How do you know that?"

"Do I need to explain?"

If there had been two attackers, Arndt would have been a corpse already.

But if there was only one?

They would have had no choice but to target him as he was carrying Arndt.

Leandros pointed outside to Arndt, who had barely stood up on trembling legs.

"First, get out of here. I'll hold it off until you get out of the town."

"Is that possible?"

"There's only one way out of town. Make sure to check the signpost when you come back. If there's no signpost..."

Suddenly, he remembered Arenheit who had calmly lit a fire and laid down on his bedding last night.

Thinking about it now, how could he have been so calm?

Where had he disappeared to?

"It would be a big problem if there isn't one, but."

"What are you saying!"

"It would be best to go quickly. If His Grace happens to be nearby, an unfortunate situation could occur."

Arndt shuddered, whatever he had imagined.

Leandros checked the surroundings one step ahead.

The fiery heat haze swirling in the empty air was still there.

What could this sign be?

As Leandros's cloak billowed as he jumped outside, a faint rumbling thunder sound pooled in the air simultaneously.

Arndt closed his eyes tightly and prayed that at least His Grace would be safe in this crazy eastern region.

* * *

The King's Road, leading from the capital to the east.

The golden wheels of the carriage that had just left the well-maintained road rattled.

The coachman frowned at the path with occasional stones and weeds, but only for a moment.

The carriage racing along the mountain path was extraordinarily luxurious.

Although no guards or soldiers followed behind, anyone could tell that the owner of the carriage was of high status.

The carriage, brilliantly shining with gold and crimson, traveled for a while and then slowly reduced its speed.

Finally, the carriage stopped in front of a fork in the road.

A worn signpost stood alone between the fork.

The writing on the left was smudged and faded, making it difficult to read.

Perhaps because of this, the 'town name' written on the right was more visible.

While the coachman looked at that sign suspiciously, the carriage door suddenly opened, and a man jumped out.

He was a tall young man with long blonde hair casually tied up, wearing black gloves on his hands.

His face was strangely pale, but his eyes were full of vitality, glowing red.

"We've arrived. Good work. I should give you a vacation when you return."

"I am honored, Your Highness."

The coachman spoke overly politely, folding his hands in front of him.

"Will you be moving from here?"

"Yes. Put on the saddle."

A black horse was brought out from among those pulling the carriage.

The coachman, who had firmly prepared the bridle and saddle made of gold and golden tassels, handed the reins to the one referred to as "Your Highness."

"I will wait as instructed."

"You may return to the capital."

"It is my duty to attend to Your Highness."

"Do as you please."

The one who lightly mounted the black horse disappeared to the left of the left fork with a faint smile, ignoring the dirt kicked up behind.

The coachman, watching him disappear, straightened his clothes again.

Sitting on the coachman's seat would provide a place to sit, but the returned Crown Prince would not like that.

In that case, it was better to remain standing.

The coachman began to wait indefinitely, not knowing when the Crown Prince would return.

Leaving the loyal coachman behind, Crown Prince Yurik galloped along the winding path.

It was an environment contrasting with the relatively well-paved road leading to the town.

But both the horse and Yurik preferred this side.

A wild path where everything was overgrown and lush because human footsteps had not properly reached it.

The black horse, noticing that its master's mood was gradually rising as he enjoyed the horseback riding, neighed loudly.

There was only one reason why Yurik had come all the way from the distant capital.

The matter of the inspection of the development of the eastern wasteland.

Large-scale excavations, in which everyone from the royal palace to various merchants had invested, were gathering everyone's expectations.

It was thanks to the demonic beasts pouring out of the pit.

Of course, at first, the pit had almost become a nuisance for the east. But it was none other than Crown Prince Yurik who newly confirmed its value.

If demonic beasts continuously surge from down there, wouldn't one expect enormous profits if their numbers could be properly controlled?

People, enticed by the incredibly expensive demonic beast hearts and processed blood, rushed to pour in money.

They poured in so much money that they could even invite skilled magicians from secluded magic towers.

In fact, the development seemed to be progressing well for the amount of money invested.

Creating structures surrounding the pit, controlling the demonic beasts that emerged through it, and refining demonic beast by-products through systematic hunting.

As the results came out one by one, those who saw them with their own eyes scraped together manpower and money from here and there, sending them to the eastern wasteland and continuing to invest.

The wasteland flourished around the pit.

No, it had been flourishing.

'Perhaps I should have given more time.'

Yurik was also aware of the rumors circulating.

It would be more strange if Yurik didn't know, considering how many guild leaders secretly wanted to contact him to know the exact truth about the pit.

Yurik smiled a little, recalling the mountain of letters piled up in his office.

After this 'inspection' was over, there would be no need to look at them.

Their only use would be as kindling.

At the end of the path, as the green curtain was lifted, a wind with a strange smell blew.

Yurik looked down at the black land spread out below and the pit surrounded by half-constructed structures.

"...What is that?"

The smile on Yurik's face faltered.

This scenery was slightly, just slightly different from what he had expected.

Black mud was slowly overflowing from the pit, covering the plain in darkness.

But the black egg that was bulging from the entrance of the pit...

The next moment, Yurik was riding his horse, leaping down the steep slope.