Chapter 122: Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

Chapter 122: Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

Betraying your master without a second thought? How heartless of you, Harold. And here I was, thinking you could be trusted, relied upon. Youre really breaking my heart.

The lazy drawl came from a man that had suddenly appeared in the ruined building I had further demolished. Shit, had I offended a stronger opponent? The man was wearing some kind of straw overcoat that covered his body, while ordinary, brown cloth pants stuck out from beneath this ensemble. He was wearing a strange straw hat that seemed to cover most of his face, though some stubble was visible on his chin. The man was chewing on a stalk of grain as he spoke and seemed entirely uninterested in my presence, only staring at Harold.

He approached his subordinate and crouched until his eyes met Harolds.

My internal monologue was interrupted by the old innkeeper, who ran up to the new arrival and, surprisingly, took a knee and bowed. Well, he bowed with his upper body, since his head was no longer there. I held my breath and prepared to run at a moments notice. [Ghost apparition] was ready to activate any second.

Harold moved to defend himself from the stranger.

Please, Lord of the West! Supreme undead, Fate-denying king... Harold was about to spout off even more arbitrary titles, but the harsh glare from the stranger shut him up.

Wait a minute... Lord of the West? Was this the dry man himself and not just one of his lieutenants? Why was he here? Would I even be able to run away if I wanted to?

Hihihi! Great sir, I wouldnt have told him any truths, I was just trying to buy time until your arrival! This man insulted your honour, I couldnt stop myself! Harold claimed, while pointing at me. I realised I was still dangling him upside down, and quickly dropped him. Harold fell face-first into the dirt, but the dry man didnt seem to care. Instead, he glanced over at me, and then at the old innkeeper.

Dullahan, its not often that you interfere with the villages happenings, let alone interfere with one of my men, no matter how slimy he might be. What are your reasons?

The innkeeper, who had still been kneeling, lifted his head and gurgled something at his presumed master, while the dry man hummed noncommittedly after a while.

I see... he drawled as his eyes slowly slid over to me. A tense moment passed where we stared at one another, before a big grin appeared on his face.

Suddenly, the dry mans body crumbled. His bones cracked and his robes fell to the ground. A second later, I felt a light tap on my right shoulder. I whirled around and swung my sword pre-emptively.Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

A loud clang reverberated throughout our surroundings, and I found myself standing face-to-face with the same dry man as before. He had used a single finger to stop my weapon dead in its tracks, as if to laugh at my weakness.

My momentary frustration was quickly replaced with the looming pressure of powerlessness. Never had I been quite so cornered as I was right now. Even with apparition, there was no way I could escape a tier 6. I was at his mercy.

Thankfully, the same lazy smile was still plastered onto the middle-aged mans face. From close-up, I got a better view of his face. He looked like a typical adventurer, with some stubble on his chin and under his nose. His greasy, long hair reminded me of myself, before I let my hair grow out.

Why havent you sent Dullahan to do it? He seems a lot tougher than me.

Several reasons, young fellow. For one, Abyss watcher knows who all my people are, so they wouldnt be able to get into his territory, much less find my da..., the thing I care about. He said, cutting himself off at the end.

For another, none of my subordinates are what I would call... sensible. They either lack intelligence, or their intelligence is matched by their insanity. You, on the other hand, seem sensible and smart enough to sneak about undetected. On top of that, it seems that abyss watcher will be at necropolis for a few weeks. That makes this the first, and perhaps... the last opportunity to get my thing back. Listen, do this for me, and Ill make it worth your while. Ill waive your offence and give you something you need, trust me. Roas treasury is nothing compared to mine when it comes to dark artifacts. He finished, sending a chill down my spine with his last sentence.

This entire time, he had known who I was. Unsurprising, considering the public nature of the tournament.

This also meant that I was well and truly fucked. I couldnt run away, the dry man would know immediately and kill me.

On the other hand, stealing from another tier 6 while he was away seemed just as dangerous. How could a single mission escalate to this point? Was the church really so unaware of the situation here that they would send me into a death trap?

In the end, I had to agree, though. If I had to choose between dying now or maybe dying later, I would pick the latter. Both the dungeon and the border to Roa were within the dry mans territory. As long as he kept his word, I had a good chance of making it back and completing my mission.

That was IF I made it back to his territory after the heist...

Fine, I accept, on the condition that youll let me retrieve an artifact from a nearby dungeon. I asked. For a moment, I was scared that the dry man would kill me where I stood, but I steeled my heart. Now that the tier 6 had found me, he wouldnt let me wander around his territory unsupervised. If I tried to sneak behind his back, I would definitely get killed.

Oh, you mean that cup? I guessed that the church would send you here for that old thing... Sure, Ill accept your condition. Its not like I care about a single tier 6 piece of equipment that I cant use anyway. Just dont let it slip anywhere that I let you get that rusty thing. He said, smiling good-naturedly. Something sinister told me he had other reasons for helping me retrieve that artifact, but as long as I got my hands on it I wouldnt pry. Sometimes ignorance was bliss.

So... when do you want me to get that stolen object for you?

The dry man seemed to flinch at its mention, but quickly recovered.

Rest for the night, first. Dullahan will nag my ears off if I steal the first customer hes had in years. Ill come to find you tomorrow, after youve dug that old grail out of the ground. We leave for the border right after. Until then. Oh, and remember: I see everything in these lands. Nothing escapes my notice. He threatened, before his body once again crumbled into dust.

The visual was actually quite unsettling. First, his skin and flesh disappeared, as if they had only ever been an illusion. Then, when only his skeleton was left, it cracked and crumbled into smaller and smaller pieces, until a pile of dust was all that remained.

Now that he was gone, I could breathe a sigh of relief. Dullahan stood back up and, with a few swift motions, beheaded the remainder of the thugs, including Harold, who let out a wet gurgle as his bodyless head rolled across the ground. My onyx chains shimmered out of existence, and I slowly carried myself back into the inn, up the stairs, where I tossed myself onto the bed like a big bag of flour. Not five minutes passed until I was out like a light.