My Demons - Chapter 42



Only Krnovel

My Villains Episode 042

11. Secret passage (3)

I looked through the letter several times, but the content remained the same.

There is no way my reading comprehension suddenly dropped when I became a phoenix, so the letter meant only one thing.

This was a reply to a letter that should not have been delivered.

“… … Why is your expression like that all of a sudden? “What is it about?”

In response to Ellen’s question, who was staring intently at my face, I handed over the letter without saying a word.

The guy took a look at the letter and then lost himself in thought with a serious expression.

I don’t remember the exact details, but… … Well, actually, I’ve never read it properly… … .

The ‘evidence of the secret’ obtained in the game was a letter sent by the Magic Bandits to the inner circle in the city.

The quest I receive after delivering the letter to the guard captain and the castle lord is the quest I am currently performing.

In other words, it was a contact with reinforcements using a secret passage.

However, the letter I discovered was clearly a reply written by an insider in the city.

Although it was decorated with words that merchants would exchange, expressions such as ‘we will secure a route’ and ‘we will meet you’ were clearly suspicious.

Moreover, Torvald, who had this letter, was not going up to the city, but was heading outside using a secret passage. It must have been the way back after receiving the reply.

Ellen, who read the letter several times, said with a serious expression as she handed it over to Arnal, who had a question mark on his face.

“There is a traitor in South Harbor.”

“that’s right.”

“What are you going to do?”

“… “I’m thinking about it.”

This letter was evidence that there was a discrepancy between the game’s scenario and real-life events.

It was similar yet different from the attack by Uvar’s gang. To put it simply, the fight with Poison was an event that existed in the scenario.

Although many situations were different and the order was a little twisted.

On the other hand, what happens when a letter from the Magic Bandit is delivered to the informer and a reply is written?

Something happened that wasn’t in the scenario in the first place.

There is no telling what effect this new twist will have on the scenario and reality.

Grania and Arnal, who heard our conversation, looked at each other blankly and then asked a question with a puzzled expression.

“why? “What does it say?”

“•••? “You gave me a letter.”

Arnal’s face scrunched up at my words and he grumbled as if he was annoyed.

“Are you measuring me by reading a few lines?”

“What are you saying, all of a sudden?”

“We can’t read, so please explain.” Oh right. The ability to read and write was not common among the common people of this world.

It was normal for Grania and Arnal to not be able to read.

“Give it to me.”

Mr. Luke, who handed me the letter as I was about to answer, narrowed his eyes and read the letter.

“Let’s see… The path your top is currently taking is… .”

It was a nice voice to listen to at a moderate pace. Thanks to this, Grania and Arnal succeeded in understanding the content after just one reading.

“Top? Why are the magic bandits so lucky?

“Are you doing a canal?”

“Of course it’s disguise.”

“Camouflage? Hmm.”

Seeing Arnal with a confused expression on his face, I feel like I need a proper explanation. It’s annoying, but I’ll have to give you a rough interpretation.

“Now, listen carefully.”

-The route your merchant is currently using has many risk factors and is narrow, making it unfavorable for upbound travel.

“You magic bandits are passing by.

The road ahead is dangerous and narrow. “We cannot operate large-scale troops.”

– Four days later, at sunset, we will secure an official route. There are many derivative routes near the official route, so it is recommended that you open a path in several directions.

“Four days later, at sunset, we will disrupt the sewer security. “There are a lot of ways to get to the ground level on the first floor of the sewer, so come up and explore various routes.”

-About 300 bags will be enough to maximize profits while maintaining speed.

“About 300 people would be just right.”

-Please share the news with your friends in the south. They will also be happy to cooperate. Additionally, please be especially careful not to infringe on the interests of the three parties.

“Friends of the South… You probably mean pirates. It’s about attracting them. “The message is to be careful not to cut each other.”

-I will greet you with a green flag, so please make no mistake.

“We’ll be holding a green flag, so don’t touch it.”

-May 20th. by L.C.

“May 20th. “The informer.”

After my explanation was over, Grania, who was listening with her arms crossed, sighed softly and said,

“Hmm, I guess it was true that the thieves were all one gang.”

“I don’t know if they are a gang or not, but I’m sure they are in a cooperative relationship.”

“There’s even a traitor inside… … It’s not normal. “You must inform the castle lord as soon as possible.”

Arnal stepped forward and objected to Grania’s question.

“First of all, you found the secret passage. Wouldn’t it be better to solve the mission quickly?”

“This is your chance to hunt down the traitor within. “If you wait, you might miss it.”

“Well, it’s not like something will happen tomorrow, right? Since we caught the letter, there’s no way the thieves will come. “It won’t be too late to tell them the news after contacting the reinforcements.”

Then, Grania gestured at the magician he had interrogated and asked back in a negative tone.

“You still don’t believe that guy, do you? There may be magic bandits guarding the exit of the secret passage.”

“Then you can just go there and get out. “Success is right around the corner, so let’s just leave like this?”

“Success is just around the corner? We’re only halfway there. “There might be some danger in the secret passageway and beyond.”

Hmm, what is it?

While quietly watching the conversation between the two, Ellen suddenly opened her mouth.

“Let’s check the secret passage first.”

“Secret passage? why?”

“If things go wrong, you have to run away. “The more choices you have, the better.”

“It’s a choice… .”

What this means is that we should secure an escape route so that we can run away if the situation arises.

Well, Ellen’s current goal is to go to ‘Raven’s Cliff’, the area corresponding to Chapter 4. What happened to South Harbor didn’t matter to him.

Grania’s expression also darkened slightly, as if she had sensed Ellen’s intentions. She seemed worried about her younger brother, Farrell, who had almost been captured by her personal guard.

Arnal, who was arguing with Grania, also noticed this and quietly patted the leader on the shoulder.

Mr. Luke was quietly observing the situation. His neighbors are probably lying in bed not far away, but they don’t say anything.

Are you trying not to show your impatience? It was fortunate for me.

Four pairs of eyes focused on me. It’s time to decide.

“•••First of all, let’s focus on the number of requests completed.”

Actually, I had no intention of turning back to the ground.

I am a veteran user who has cleared the campaign countless times. I didn’t know the details, but I knew who the traitor was.

Considering the identity of the traitor, delivering this letter to the Lord of Seong was highly likely to be a futile effort.

“Check the exit of the secret passage and retreat if it is blocked by magic bandits. If not, find reinforcements and deliver the letter.”

Knowing even roughly the scenario that would unfold in the future was like a kind of superpower.

If I had to give it a name, would it be something like ‘fuzzy prediction of the future’?

However, the ‘informer’s reply’ was an item that did not exist in the game.

If something that should not have happened like this happens two or three times, the flow of the scenario will change significantly. In other words, the longer I delay, the more difficult it becomes to predict the future.

So, don’t waste any more time.

“Instead, let’s hurry up a bit from now on. “After making contact with the reinforcements, we’ll return to the city no later than three days later.”

The white-haired old man, the skilled warrior, the impatient archer, and the wizard who had just learned a spell all nodded at my words.

After retrieving useful items, the corpses of the magic bandits were turned into dust and scattered by Mr. Luke’s touch.

Among the magic bandits, the one who was lucky enough to survive was reduced to dust after being stabbed in the neck by Grania.

It was an unavoidable choice, but the thought of killing a prisoner who could not resist bothered me. But you can’t take him away or release him. I had no choice but to shake off my discomfort, repeating to myself that I was a thief who lied to the end.

Anyway, after completing the search, we found a small cave behind the heavy wall. At the end of the cave, which was heading diagonally downward, was a secret passageway.

One side of the secret passage was blocked by collapsed debris and large rocks.

Thanks to this, we were able to proceed to the other side without any worries.

Lime-covered bricks, so narrow that your head and shoulders almost touch the wall, and pitch-black darkness.

The secret passage had the same structure as seen in the game. However, perhaps because of the added sense of reality, it hardly felt familiar.

Things that could not be felt in front of the monitor – the thinning air, the smell of old water, the slippery floor, etc. – sculpted a new appreciation for the space.

Occasionally, a beetle bigger than me would appear, but it was easily suppressed by Ellen’s flame arrows and Arnal’s arrows.

There were some who were lucky enough to avoid the attacks, but in the end they were only cut in half by my pulse.

The sight of a bug with a broken shell squirming and spraying sticky fluid was so disgusting that it was terrifying. But after some time I got used to it, I roughly swept away his remains with my foot and then resumed my walk.

“ ooo —–,–

Ellen, on the other hand, was still annoyed by the coffin bugs, so she made a fuss every time she passed the remains that had been pushed to a corner of the passage. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, closed her eyes tightly, and walked past with her shoulders shaking.

Colleagues had to be especially careful not to laugh at the sight. Except me, of course. Well, I laughed and made fun of him.

“Do not laugh.”

“Hehe, aren’t you going too far in telling me not to laugh when you make me laugh?”

“… What a dog… .”

I ignored the guy grinding his teeth and started walking again.

Did I walk along that winding passage for about fifteen minutes?

What we encountered was collapsed soil. The beginning and end of the secret passage were both buried in a pile of dirt. Considering that this underground structure is a legacy of an ancient empire, it should not have been that surprising.

Arnal, who was looking at the dirt pile with an ox-eye lantern, sighed in disappointment.

“Ha, shit. “It’s blocked, right?”

“no. “There is a road on both sides.”

When I got close to the tosa and shined a torch, I could see an open cave on both sides.

Probably one side goes deep into the sewer.

It will be a road heading in, and the rest will be a road heading outward.

Grania looked in turn into the pitch-black darkness and expressed a question with a cautious expression.

“•••Isn’t it just a tunnel dug by an animal?”

“Maybe so. But it’s true that the magic bandits came in from outside, right? “At least one of them will lead to the outside.”

“That’s right. Ha, I should have asked the guy I caught earlier about the route.” When Grania clicked her tongue in frustration, Arnal, who was looking into her crypt with a lantern, sneered.

“Did he tell you properly? “It’s much better not to hear anything than to be confused by hearing nonsense.”

“Hmm. Still, it would have been better than no clue at all.”

A fruitless conversation. I took a step forward and cut off Grania’s regret.