Episode 125
Chapter 40: The Trackers of Delki (Part 2)
As soon as they stepped outside, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing, the harsh midday sun beat down on the two of them again.
“Ugh, Nari, what exactly did we just witness? Why are all these people dead?”
“They were taken out by a mage of at least eighth rank. The signs point to a hellwind attack.”
“An eighth-rank mage? Someone that powerful wouldn’t normally have a grudge against low-level thugs like these. We must’ve stumbled onto something ugly the moment we arrived in Delki.”
Jin and Jet shook their heads as they mounted their horses.
“Spend about ten minutes asking around if any of the locals know a guy named Garver Marius. I’ll wait by the fountain I saw on the way here. If no one knows him, we move on to the next survivor.”
“Got it!”
Jin headed toward the fountain, ready to puzzle over why the Neltha Vigilantes had been wiped out, when Jet came back sooner than expected.
“Didn’t even take ten minutes, Nari. Three people saw Garver stumbling drunk into the vigilante headquarters just before dawn yesterday.”
“So that means Garver’s dead too. Understood. Let’s move out. Who’s the next survivor?”
“He’s in a village about two hours from here. Weatherway Marius. He’s a mercenary.”
With a heavy feeling, the two left Neltha behind.
‘No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t add up. An eighth-rank mage wouldn’t need to cause such a scene—could’ve taken care of these thugs quietly. So why the massacre?’
Why would a mage risk committing a magical crime in the Hupester Union just to slaughter gangsters?
‘If this was a killing driven by deep hatred, it would have taken longer. There’s no sign of torture. They just raided, crushed the pests like bugs, and left immediately.’
There were too few clues to be sure, but it felt wrong to chalk it all up to coincidence.
That question nagged at them all the way to the mercenary guild where Weatherway Marius was said to be.
Creak.
The door opened to reveal a group of rough-looking men.
“Ha! Thanks for your hard work. We’re here to see Weatherway Marius.”
Jet swaggered in, and the men sighed.
“What’s this? Thought we might get some customers for a change. Why are you looking for Weatherway? Oh, wait—are you the guy who got beaten up by him at the tavern last night?”
“No, no. An old friend, actually. Just passing through and wanted to say hello.”
“Ha! Even that bastard’s got friends? What a surprise! Weatherway’s not in yet. Here, I’ll draw you a map.”
“Thanks, fellas!”
Following the map, they crossed streets and alleys until they reached Weatherway’s house. Jet knocked loudly.
“Weatherway! You in there?”
Bang bang, bang bang.
Even as neighbors shouted about the noise, the door stayed firmly shut.
“Knocking on strangers’ doors a lot today, huh?”
Before Jin could say anything, Jet started picking the lock. Click. The door swung open.
“Hah.”
“Oh no.”
The first thing they saw was a man collapsed in a strange posture right in the middle of the living room—Weatherway Marius.
“Nari, I think this guy’s dead… he’s not breathing.”
“Poison. And he’s been dead only a short while. His skin and complexion haven’t changed color, so it’s a well-refined assassination poison.”
The faint warmth on his chest meant he’d died no more than two or three hours ago.
“Nari, so…?”
“Someone’s killing the survivors of the Moon’s Sacrifice in real time. And the person who killed the Neltha Vigilantes isn’t the same as the one who killed Marius. Their methods are completely different. At least two killers.”
Confirming the death of the second survivor, Jin felt certain.
‘The killers must have recently learned that the Seven-Colored Bird is digging into the name Marius. Fearing information leaks, they’re wiping out the survivors.’
This was no coincidence.
If there was any chance of coincidence, it worked in the killers’ favor.
‘We don’t know if they know Jet and I are tracking the survivors. If they do, they’re framing us. If not… then we’re just incredibly unlucky.’
By afternoon, investigations into the Neltha Vigilantes’ massacre and Weatherway’s death would surely begin.
But the last people to visit the Neltha Vigilantes were Jin and Jet, and Weatherway’s fellow mercenaries had seen them clearly.
Reporting “Weatherway is dead” at the mercenary guild wouldn’t help. Even if they miraculously believed them, Jin and Jet would be questioned by the guards.
That would risk exposing their status as reserve cadets and make finding the remaining seven survivors impossible.
Gritting his teeth to suppress his rising frustration, Jin thought,
‘No matter that I’m just a reserve cadet, how dare they toy with me on Runkandel’s land?’
So far, the confirmed culprits were an eighth-rank mage and a poison expert assassin.
‘That’s already a huge force to send after the Moon’s Sacrifice survivors. This must be a serious matter for them. There might even be more assassins.’
As Jin left Weatherway’s house, Jet hurried after him.
“Nari, what do you want to do? Should we head back to Tikan? We’re definitely going to get blamed for this.”
“Good idea, Jet. But we’ll meet the rest of the survivors first. We have to move fast before the assassins finish them off.”
The third survivor.
The fourth, fifth… all the way to the eighth.
They changed horses three times and used two teleportation gates, searching frantically until nearly midnight.
But none of the survivors were alive. Each had died just hours—or moments—before Jin and Jet arrived.
The only small mercy was that there were only two assassins. All the victims had been killed by wind magic or poison.
Jin was nearly at his breaking point. It felt like the Moon’s Sacrifice survivors were dying right before his eyes.
“Sigh… this is the last survivor, Nari. Den Marius. What if he’s dead too?”
“Open the door and see.”
Den Marius’s home was a secluded house on the outskirts of a city in eastern Delki.
By the time they reached the fourth survivor, they didn’t even knock anymore. They just opened the door, hoping to find someone alive.
Click, click, tick.
The moment the door swung open—
Fshhh!
An arrow shot straight inside.
Jet froze, unable to react, twisting his body. Jin caught the arrow aimed at Jet’s chest barehanded.
“Ah, ugh! Damn it, Nari! You saved me.”
Pshh!
Clang!
Jin quickly drew a dagger and deflected a second arrow. The man standing in the living room’s eyes widened in shock. Then, terrified, he shouted:
“W-who are you?! To deflect crossbow bolts at this range… you’re no ordinary fighter. Why are you barging into my house like this?”
“You’re Den Marius, one of the Moon’s Sacrifice survivors, right?”
The man’s mouth dropped open.
“How do you know that…? Could it be the ghosts of the Royalists? Or someone sent by ‘that one’…?”
The moment Jin confirmed the man was Den, he almost embraced him. Honestly, he hadn’t expected Den to be alive.
‘And “that one.” Taimun? Or the person Alu mentioned?’
Either way, Jin had a strong gut feeling this was a key figure who could shed light on the curse.
“Den, no time for long explanations. This place is dangerous. The assassins will be here soon. Come with me—I’m here to save you.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“Garver, Weatherway, Burt… since dawn, assassins have been killing the Moon’s Sacrifice survivors. Nine of the ten are dead, except you. I don’t know if they’re ghosts of the Royalists or Taimun Marius’s agents, but I’m not one of them.”
“…You know Taimun?”
“This might be confusing, but trust me and come with me. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have wasted five seconds talking. Understand? I promise I won’t hurt you.”
After a few seconds of biting his lip in thought, Den nodded.
“All right… just wait a moment. My daughter is asleep.”
“Oh, come on! Bring her out quickly! You don’t have a wife too, do you?”
“No, I’ll be right back!”
Den hurriedly picked up his half-awake daughter and climbed onto Jet’s horse.
“How long to the eastern teleportation gate from here?”
“About three hours if we ride hard.”
“Far. I’ll explain the rest on the way. Let’s go!”
Hiiing!
The horses galloped through the open night streets. Jin and Jet pulled their hoods low, and the grim man carrying the child looked like a kidnapper in the dark.
Fortunately, the Delki patrol didn’t stop them.
Crossing the main road and entering a deserted forest path, Den finally spoke.
“Are the rest of the brothers really all dead?”
“Yeah. I don’t think it was the ghosts of the royalists. I have a feeling the person you mentioned sent the assassins. Who exactly is this ‘someone’?”
Den avoided the question, as if he wasn’t ready to say more. Frustrated, Zett opened his mouth to curse at him, but then caught sight of Den’s young daughter and turned away.
“You’re going to have to tell me eventually, man! Don’t be stubborn—just confess. I was a nobody too, until I met His Majesty. That changed everything for me!”
“…By the way, didn’t you say earlier that nine of the brothers died?”
“Yeah, I confirmed it myself. They’re all dead.”
Jin answered, but Den tilted his head, looking puzzled.
“In that case, you’re mistaken. I couldn’t say earlier because of the chaos, but including me, there are actually twelve brothers who sacrificed themselves for the moon.”
Shreeeeek!
Jin pulled sharply on the reins, and the horses abruptly came to a halt.
“What?”
“There are two more.”
“Where are the other two?”
“That, I don’t know. Unlike me, those two are still receiving direct orders and carrying out missions.”
Jin and Zett exchanged glances.
Two brothers left.
Two assassins.
Just as Zett was about to ask more, Jin’s eyes caught a sudden eerie blue glow flickering from the dark thicket nearby.
Magic.
“Ambush!”
Whoooosh!
Light shot out from the bushes, and the horses collapsed as if struck down, letting out agonized screams.