NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
Chapter 17
A Plain and Unjust Conclusion
“Who are you?”
Alright. The dice have been cast.
The owner of the yellow wheelbarrow piled high with corpses. She might be the unknown assailant who had been killed countless times in my memories. Her name is Leira.
Would it be wise to tell her the truth about who I am?
‘No. Absolutely not.’
I quickly decided and began frantically thinking. An explanation came to mind. I spoke up promptly.
“I! I am someone hired by Mr. Hasanberk.”
“Surely you mean Lord Hasenberg.”
“Ah, yes! Hasen, Hasen.”
Leira’s expressionless gaze became even more intense as she stared at my face.
Damn it, why’d I have to mess up the name right there? I faltered, trying to come up with words, as cold sweat poured down my face.
After a long silence, Leira let out a low sigh and began asking various questions.
“I’ve never heard about an increase in staff. Did Lord Hasanberk hire you directly?”
“Oh yes! That’s right. I’m a mercenary… I think.”
“A mercenary? What work do you do?”
“I’ve been given the task of clearing out the sewer monsters!”
Leira placed a finger on her chin after hearing my words, deep in thought. I overheard her muttering to herself.
“Well, it is about time we needed a new hunter… But I didn’t expect him to hire mercenaries…”
The moment she spent lost in contemplation felt like it dragged on forever. I anxiously waited for Leira, who maintained her expressionless face.
Leira finally spoke again, her gaze piercing into me more sharply than before.
“Did you inform the Butler?”
“The Butler…?”
What the hell. A new character has appeared.
When I asked back, Leira raised her eyes and continued questioning.
“Yes. If you’re a mercenary hired to clean up sewer monsters, then you must have obtained permission from the Butler to enter, correct?”
“Ah! Uh, yeah! That’s him, the Butler! Yes, I received permission!”
“Tch, that’s quite impressive. He’s usually very strict. Are you particularly strong?”
“Ah well, I just showed off a bit, and he quickly approved me to enter!”
“Heh.”
Was it just my imagination, or did the corners of Leira’s mouth curl up slightly after exclaiming in surprise? I couldn’t be sure, as she quickly returned to her usual expressionless demeanor.
Leira tapped her wheelbarrow beside her with her fingers and said to me.
“Then would you kindly pull this cart for me?”
“Uh… What?”
“You’ve been ordered to clear out the monsters, haven’t you? Lower-level people should help move things. Junior.”
“…”
So this is why she was smiling? She’s found herself a new underling to boss around?
She slightly grinned behind her expressionless face as she stayed close behind me, her prompt glance encouraging me to get moving. With no other choice, I gripped the handle of the cart.
I began pushing it with all my strength.
“Mu… It’s so heavy!”
I almost stumbled. The cart was much heavier than expected. Of course, a cart piled high with dozens of bodies would be heavy.
“Aaahh!”
I pushed with all my might, using every ounce of strength I had, and glanced at Leira with newfound respect.
Did she really pull this incredibly heavy cart all the way here without batting an eyelid? Sensing the meaning behind my gaze, Leira suddenly raised her hand and made a V sign.
“The longer you work here, the stronger you naturally become. Heh.”
“… Ah. Yes.”
I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly at her empty response.
Could this woman really be the same cold-blooded person who mercilessly decapitated me countless times in my memories? This thought kept unsettling me. Our conversation flowed smoother than expected. She seemed a lot darker, perhaps, but she certainly didn’t appear to be someone who’d kill innocent people without reason.
I took the opportunity to check Leira’s status. I opened my eyes wide and stared at her retreating back.
[Character Info]
[Name: Leira]
[Nickname: The Clumsy Maid, Hasanberk Sewer Manager, Guin’s Lover]
[Lv. ???]
[HP: ???/??? MP: ???/??? Condition: ???]
[Strength:??? Agility:??? Intelligence:???]
“…What? Question marks?”
This was a first. I was so flustered that my grip loosened. When the cart stopped, Leira tilted her head and turned to look at me.
“Don’t mess around, Junior. Keep up.”
“Ah, yes.”
I suppressed my unease and used all my strength to push the cart again.
*
“Get it? First off, these sewer goblins usually travel in groups of 5 to 6. The composition is usually three swordsmen, one archer, one shield-bearer, and sometimes an additional scout.”
“Um. I see.”
We ascended the right sewer tunnel I had passed earlier.
We crossed the central crossroads and were now walking down the left sewer. I occasionally checked all around me to ensure the sewer structure was imprinted clearly in my mind.
“Although they are less intelligent than humans, their physical abilities are above average on average. Moreover, their kinship bonds are strong. So if you underestimate each one as weaker than you, you’ll likely find yourself impaled and dead. You need to be careful.”
“Yes, yes.”
Meanwhile, Leira kept chatting away, giving me information.
Mostly about the monsters living here, which is to say, details about the hunting rats and goblins here.
I wasn’t sure if she truly thought I was her real junior or if she was just killing time and chatting, either way, it didn’t hurt to listen, so I let her keep talking.
“Alright. We’re here. Just dump it here.”
“Phew. Yes, yes. Finally…”
At some point, Leira stopped walking. I had been half-unconscious, pushing the cart with all my might, but only now did I lift my eyes to look ahead.
And I blinked in shock at the overwhelming stench I hadn’t noticed until now, as well as the horrifying scene right before me.
“Are you surprised? I told you, goblins have even better breeding capabilities than hunting rats. You really thought that the bodies wouldn’t pile up like this?”
Leira muttered, seemingly disappointed in how naive I was. I couldn’t give any response.
The bodies of humans I’d encountered before seemed tame in comparison. The goblin corpses filled the sewer walls and were piled up in stacks all around. Even if they weren’t human, the sight of carcasses stacked like garbage was unsettling.
“Hurry up and get to work, Junior.”
“Ah… Yes, yes.”
Leira brushed past my stunned figure and began moving the bodies from the cart. Regaining my senses, I joined her in the task.
Still somewhat dazed, I continued working when Leira suddenly spoke up.
“You know… what do you think is the most important thing people need when trusting others?”
“Oh?”
“I think it’s evidence.”
“Uh… Yes?”
“Therefore, I naturally demand evidence from people I can’t trust. Those old fairy tales about trusting someone without evidence and calling them righteous? I think that’s wrong.”
“Uh… That is a valid point.”
No matter how I reacted, Leira continued her speech.
Meanwhile, she kept moving goblin corpses mechanically, as naturally as if she were eating a meal. It was somewhat unsettling but, for now, I just kept working.
Leira kept talking.
“In this Hasanberk province… for some time now, so-called heroes have started being summoned. You know that, right?”
“Uh… Yeah, I heard something about it…”
“Many people have passed through this land. Among them, there were good people and bad people. Heroes, after all, have all kinds of characters.”
I began to sweat. I kept glancing at Leira’s expressions, but she was still focused on moving the goblin corpses without paying any attention to me.
When the bodies in the cart were almost gone, she spoke again.
“Then one day… I could no longer forgive those filthy hero types.”
“…”
“One of my precious people was suffering because of those trash. Watching it and being unable to do anything about it made me hate myself. I despised myself.”
“…”
“Therefore, I still hate those kids right now. It doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad. I just want to erase all those filthy heroes summoned here. Eliminate all the garbage.”
“Heh, ahahaha… You must’ve had it rough.”
I tried to change the subject awkwardly and reached out to grab another body from the cart. I wanted to focus on the work to avoid this suffocating atmosphere.
But then I touched something cold and smooth buried within the pile of corpses.
“Huh?”
Out of curiosity, I pushed the bodies aside and pulled it out. Just as I wondered why Leira had gone eerily silent, the hidden item came out with a clang of metal.
It was a massive iron ball.
“Junior, do you know what this is?”
It was pitch black, smooth as glass, and covered in flesh and blood. It was buried under the pile of goblin bodies.
My breathing quickened. Memories of my past life rushed back.
“There is no Butler other than me in this Closed Province of Hasanberk.”
Her voice echoed from behind me.
My heart stopped. I turned around to look at Leira.
Leira grinned mockingly.
“There is no Butler to begin with.”
Silence fell.
In the oppressive silence, she took a step toward me.
“Thank you for helping move the cart, suspicious Junior.”
It was instinct, nothing but instinct.
The moment I saw the iron ball, an icy shiver ran down my spine. Instinctively, I jumped to the side.
Perhaps it was by sheer luck that my Hero Sense, only ranked at 3, had activated.
“Hmm, good instincts.”
Shwang!
A cold white light swiped past my side immediately afterward. If I had stayed still, it would have cleanly cut me in half.
A burning pain spread across my side.
“Kaaaahhhh!”