Chapter 37

[Translator – Clara]Chapter 37

“I’ve prepared something, even if it’s modest. There’s no fancy arrangement, but it should be enough.”

A piece of black rye bread, a cheap bottle of barely drinkable grape wine, and a few pieces of salted turnips, just enough to fill one’s stomach.

“…”

Devourer, who was scanning the food on the table with a skeptical look, raised his head slightly. The innkeeper, with his characteristic curious smile, was discreetly observing him.

“If there’s anything uncomfortable, oh, and if you’re worried about the knight’s portion, I’ve set that aside separately, so don’t bother about it.”

No, it’s not about that.

“What’s the situation right now…”

As Devourer revealed his perplexity through her facial expressions, the innkeeper nonchalantly replied.

“Huh? As you can see, the innkeeper is treating the guest to a meal.”

The innkeeper said that with a somewhat awkward smile. However, it didn’t look like a joyful smile; it seemed more like a forced smile since he didn’t have a suitable expression and ended up freezing with a smile.

Recapping the situation, the innkeeper called Devourer about ten minutes ago. The culprit behind the stealthy footsteps coming upstairs was the innkeeper. Asking where the knight was out of the blue, the innkeeper, instead of explaining Patrick’s absence, called Devourer.

Upon realizing this, Devourer found himself in the current situation.

Well, that’s how it happened.

Devourer looked down again at the food on the table. Although the menu seemed decent, the dishes in front of Devourer were undoubtedly below the standard for an inn menu.

‘In a bad sense,’ these were not the kind of dishes one would present in an inn. Given that Devourer had a meal at Riaze’s inn just three weeks ago, the contrast was even more stark.

First, there was the hard rye bread that felt tough even at a glance. He touched it himself to confirm, and it was as expected. It was hard enough to be used as a weapon; he thought it might come in handy if an enemy ever needed to be knocked out in one blow. Perhaps it could even be used as a projectile.

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Without saying anything, Devourer shifted him gaze to another dish.

The grape wine also had too little for one person. Even the pickled turnips, which seemed decent, had a small quantity.

“This is all I can offer.”

The innkeeper, noticing the discomfort in Devourer’s gaze as he looked at the food, cautiously spoke.

“I don’t know how you’ll take this, but I specially prepared this as an apology to you and the knight. I really shouldn’t let my guests go hungry, considering that the knight paid much more than the usual fare. I feel obligated to make amends like this.”

Saying that, he smiled awkwardly. However, it didn’t look like a smile born out of joy. Perhaps he was forced to smile because there was no suitable expression to show, and it froze as a smile.

Devourer, staring at the food, couldn’t hide the unease in him gaze. The innkeeper cautiously continued.

“I hope you don’t take it the wrong way when I said earlier that the meal couldn’t be prepared. It’s my way of making amends.”

After descending to the first floor with the innkeeper, for the next ten minutes, Devourer occasionally glanced at the innkeeper. At least, during that time, the innkeeper Devourer saw was desperately searching for any additional food. Of course, he probably didn’t bring out all the food he had, but it was clear that he had gathered whatever he could, making the best of the situation.

Reacting to the innkeeper’s sincerity, Devourer reached out towards the food. He found the hard bread too intimidating to pick up, so he chose the turnips.

As Devourer touched the food, the innkeeper spoke as if waiting for him.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t introduced ourselves properly. I’m Nohan Heteke. I’m not a formal person, so just call me Nohan, Mr Nohan, or anything you prefer.”

“Uh… I’m Devde.”

After a brief greeting, Devourer tore into the turnips. They tasted dirty. The flavor was worse than expected.

Then followed a moment of awkward silence.

This time, Devourer asked naturally.

“…Is the situation in Hastin really bad?”

“It’s no different than hell.”

As if there was no need for further thought, the answer came swiftly, almost chillingly.

After confirming Nohan’s calm expression, Devourer silently took a sip of the grape wine. The wine also didn’t taste good. Despite not having expertise in alcohol and food, this was clearly not something that could be sold for a decent price.

But even these things seemed like precious provisions to Nohan.

“It’s embarrassing to talk about the village’s bad situation to an outsider, but… considering that both the knight and you are in Hastin, it might be helpful to know at least a bit. Well, to put it briefly, a few weeks ago, the ‘Black Disaster’ arrived, and the entire area around the mage tower was completely destroyed.”

“I heard that the area around the mage tower was completely devastated.”

“Even the knight and others seem to know. Given the state of the village, it’s not surprising if you don’t know. It was truly a disaster. Most residents who witnessed the disasters lost their minds on the spot.”

Well, I know better than anyone else. Because it’s me.

— The Black Disaster nodded silently.

“After that incident, the lord… committed suicide.”

There was a momentary crackling sound from the firewood in the fireplace. Startled, Nohan, who had been nervously looking around, confirmed that no one was eavesdropping before cautiously continuing.

“…Did you know about this news?”

“I’ve never heard such a story.”

Devourer nonchalantly tilted his head.

It was a lie.

The news of Lord Hastin’s suicide was something Patrick had mentioned several times, and pretending not to know was more advantageous. It was just a matter of judging what was more beneficial.

“According to the rumors spreading among the villagers, the lord passed away due to an illness. But the maid working in the castle directly said that the lord hanged himself. It’s not just baseless gossip, you know?”

“…”

“Although it wasn’t something openly discussed, such rumors circulated among the villagers. ‘Perhaps the lord knew something.’ That’s what people were saying.”

Nohan swallowed his saliva. Whether it was due to the mysterious atmosphere or the tension, he kept glancing around despite his imposing figure. Only after confirming once again that no one was listening did he cautiously continue.

“…Anyway, the certain thing is that this village has no hope. I, and all the remaining residents, cherished and loved this village. Even though it’s only been a few weeks, we tried desperately to endure and survive.”

As Nohan continued the story, a gloomy shadow fell over his expression.

“But now, it’s clear that there’s no chance. I don’t know the exact reason, but the traffic of carriages to and from the village suddenly stopped after that incident.”

“The reason for that…”

“I don’t really know. Haha.”

As if trying to dispel the subdued atmosphere, Nohan forced a smile. Devourer, holding back his tension, nodded slightly.

Not knowing was quite natural.

Commoners are ignorant. It happened not only in human societies but also in all places with social classes. Especially those in the middle of a class society receive only mediocre information. With only vague information, they mistakenly believe they know enough.

The intricacies hidden beneath the surface of the incident.

In other words, only those who know ‘really important’ things would be aware of it. Most likely, only a few among the upper class would know the reasons.

“Anyway, the definite thing is that this village is in a dire state. Even I, let alone others, am aware of it. After that incident, there’s a pit outside the outer wall of the castle filled with corpses. The pit has reached the surface, showing how many bodies are piled up. Things are not going as we wish. The village’s food is running out too. People are starting to starve to death, and those who have gathered food won’t last more than two weeks, I think.”

Nohan also mentioned that he planned to leave the village soon. Devourer replied that he would convey the message to his master.

“I’m sorry, but this meal was the last one I could offer to you and the knight. Whatever the reason for your visit to this village, I don’t know how much longer you’ll stay, but it’s better to leave as soon as possible. It’s difficult to find more food anywhere in this village.”

As Devourer got up from his seat, Nohan gave him a final piece of advice.

“Devde, you probably know. If people are cornered, you know what happens, right?”

* * *

Patrick returned through the wide-open window shortly after Devourer returned to the room and lay down on the bed, not even a minute passing since he settled in.

Entering the room silently, Patrick glanced at Devourer, and simultaneously, he jumped in surprise.

“Boss… why are you still not sleeping? Why? How?”

“Must you make such noise for such a trivial matter…”

“It’s not trivial. The fact that the boss hasn’t slept in all this time is theoretically incomprehensible.”

Do you really need to throw in theories?

“The innkeeper called, and I went downstairs. He gave me some bread and pickled turnips. I’ve put your share on the drawer over there.”

“That’s great. The boss can have it as your tomorrow’s ration. It’ll serve as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so you need to ration it.”

“No, that’s…”

That’s too much, Devourer thought but couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. For some reason, the feeling that he had to endure the day with those hard-as-stone bread and a few pieces of turnips became stronger.

He realized the harsh reality.

Damn it, Devourer clicked his tongue silently.

“I briefly visited the lord’s castle. I thought of seeing the new lord’s face for a moment, but the guards were strict, so I just came back. No outcome.”

After Patrick finished the report, he finally released the magic. Along with a groan and a clicking sound as if the jaw was adjusting.

“Do you know anything, boss?”

He asked, but his voice didn’t contain any expectation.

Devourer, lying like a corpse, responded briefly.

“Uh… It seems like Hastin’s communication with the outside world has been cut off. Apart from that, even the innkeeper seems not to know much.”

“It’s surprising that the boss found something out.”

Patrick exclaimed with sincere admiration.

“Communication cut off… I thought something like that might happen, considering the appearance of a new disaster three weeks ago. If it’s true, let’s investigate more about it tomorrow, boss.”

“Do it on your own.”

“We’ll do it together.”

Ignoring Devourer, who didn’t move as if he were exhausted, Patrick, as usual, added some nagging.

“Oh, and boss, please try to close the window. I only opened one side when I left, but now both sides are open. Don’t trust humans too much. Thieves might get in if you do.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t touched the window.”

“Haha, boss, you’re something. Calling an unconvincing excuse a joke. This window doesn’t easily open just because of the wind. Do you think ghosts would open it?”

Devourer brushed off Patrick’s remark as a joke. It was definitely meant as a joke.

A silence colder than ice settled in the room.

Suddenly, Devourer, who realized that something was wrong, quickly turned his head. Now that he thought about it, it was gone. It couldn’t be seen.

‘That Devourer’ got up in a hurry from his seat and looked around the bed. It was gone. Certainly, the clothes he had thrown on the bed─were gone.

“My coat is gone…?”

“…Are you serious?”

“No… it’s gone. It really disappeared. Patrick, we have to find it somehow. Even if it’s just money in the pocket, but that clothes…”

It was made by Renee herself for him.

If he loses it, he can’t even imagine what might happen.

In succession, Patrick’s face also stiffened.

“Ughh?! Wait… No way?”

And then he spouted a scream-like question filled with doubt. Making a rattling noise, Patrick rushed to the dresser. The place he ran to was in front of the drawer. Simultaneously opening the drawer, the white skull inside turned even paler.

“Uh… it’s not here. Boss, I don’t have it either. Boss, did you see it? Did you see it in the drawer?”

“…Did you get robbed or something?”

The voice of the ancient monster asking was trembling intensely. The response from the Death Knight trembled even more than that.

“My rib bone.”

“…Huh?”

What did you say?

Phase 2

[Translator – Clara]