Chapter 291 – Kill Them All, No Questions Asked
The current of the Kenline River was truly rough.
The small, swaying boat came to a halt in front of the Ship Gridment, anchored in the center of the river.
It hadn’t seemed that big from afar, but up close, the scale of the transport ship was massive, too large to take in with one glance.
“How much money did they pour into this thing?”
The entire exterior was covered in thick blue steel plates, and magic circles were engraved all over them.
It was known that the ship was also fully equipped with armed defenses to respond to emergencies.
Lord Azonne had invested an astronomical sum to build two Ship Gridments.
“And now, he’s making several times that amount each year.”
The only river in Hell Grime.
With the Ship Gridment and the Kenline River, the fastest and safest distribution route had been established, and Aintrier now held immense influence over Hell Grime’s logistics.
Azonne's investment, taking advantage of geographical benefits, had essentially birthed a golden goose.
“They don’t call him the Midas of the land for nothing.”
Thinking of Azonne, I turned to look at the other boat.
It was the vessel carrying the reserved guest, who had arrived with a guide.
Unlike the one I had boarded, that boat slowly floated upward by a magic device, gliding gently up to the deck.
Though briefly amazed by the sight, my focus returned as a thick rope suddenly dropped onto our crowded boat.
Looking up blankly, I saw a sailor gesturing for us to climb up.
Ours was the manual type, it seemed.
Clicking my tongue briefly, I grabbed the rope and climbed onto the deck.
Once on board, sailors were busily moving about. The reserved guest’s quarters were located at the bow of the ship, and I focused on observing that person as they moved.
“Looks like someone from the Ivory Tower.”
A mage from Demtor, moving with the guide.
Judging from the crest engraved on the robe, it appeared to be a mage from the Ivory Tower, led by Modin—but it wasn’t just one person.
In the short time it took to move from the deck to the cargo hold, I spotted at least three mages from the Ivory Tower among the reserved guests.
“What’s Modin of the Ivory Tower doing paying attention to Aintrier?”
It was possible, given that Modin handled intelligence for Demtor, but the level of the mages present didn’t seem like they were just there to gather information.
“At least 3-star elites.”
Since reaching 5 stars, my sensitivity to energy had heightened, allowing me to roughly gauge others’ strength at a glance.
After a moment of looking toward the reserved section, I began walking toward the cargo hold, guided by a sailor.
Like fish on a string, people entered the cargo hold one by one.
As large as the ship was, the cargo area was quite spacious.
Much like the containers stacked at a port, the hold was filled with crates of goods—hundreds were visible at a glance.
We passed the crates and were led to an empty space in the corner.
A large number of people were already gathered there.
Roughly around a hundred, it seemed.
Once everyone had gathered, a man in an eastern-style mask stepped forward to explain the situation.
“It’ll take about three days to reach Aintrier. You cannot leave this area, but everything you need for daily life is available here.”
From restrooms to a dining area, everything had been prepared.
It was enough for three days’ stay without discomfort.
The only downside was the noisy chatter of the people.
“They’re awfully wary.”
The space with a hundred people had divided into two clear groups.
One side seemed to be apprentice mages.
There were about fifty of them.
They likely weren’t the main force.
If they were apprentices, they’d been brought along as attendants, and the fact that apprentice mages were acting as servants indicated the level of the mages seated in the reserved section.
“No way... Did the master of the Ivory Tower come in person?”
I hadn’t sensed any divine aura, so I doubted it, but the extravagant group composition made it hard not to wonder.
On the other side was a group I hadn’t seen in Hell Grime before.
But to me, who had read the novel, they were very familiar.
About thirty of them, all carrying large bows on their backs, with quivers full of colorful-fletched arrows.
Only one group wore such outfits in Hell Grime.
The Cleaners.
The hyenas of the region.
Cleaners were purely profit-driven.
In Harkman Oleve’s case, he was once a Cleaner, but had been recruited by Grand Duke Clarke to become a knight.
Generally, Cleaners wandered the region, taking requests based on potential gains.
Though close to Demtor’s forces, they were also known to work in Aintrier or Prime Root, depending on the situation.
Seeing how all the Cleaners here wore the same outfit, it was clearly a unified group, meaning that someone with enough strength to lead them was among the reserved guests.
“Who could it be?”
As I scanned around, thinking of famous Cleaners, I sensed tension in the air.
“The atmosphere’s off…”
Demtor and the Cleaners.
They were clearly watching each other with caution, but it felt more hostile than friendly.
“Guess the client doesn’t get along with Modin, huh?”
The rivalry between Cleaners and other factions often reflected the client’s stance, so it was easy to deduce their position from the atmosphere.
I watched both sides—the mages and the Cleaners—with interest.
“Not bad.”
The key info lay with those at the top, but they were tight-lipped.
Minor details trickled down, and those were easier to extract from the people below.
“Even small intel could become a huge clue for me.”
It was a chance to hear inside news from Demtor.
I’d have to stay alert and keep my ears open.
The way the mages chatted and the Cleaners whispered, I was bound to pick up something useful.
BWWWWWWOOOOOHHHH!!!
A deafening ship horn startled me awake.
The interior shook slightly as the Ship Gridment, now ready for departure, began to move.
But because it floated on the water, the shaking inside was barely noticeable.
“Even when going against the current.”
Aintrier was located upstream on the Kenline River.
That meant we were heading against the flow from downstream.
No ship besides the Ship Gridment could travel via the Kenline River.
“They said it’d take three days, right?”
While wondering what to do once we arrived at Aintrier, I overheard the Cleaners talking.
They were talking about us.
Since we had chosen seats away from others, we’d drawn attention.
“Should we check them out? Just two of them.”
“One looks like a girl. Kinda cute, too.”
“Is there a secluded spot? Three days is enough to have fun.”
The Cleaners whispered among themselves.
“I hear every word, you bastards.”
I closed my eyes and focused—every word they said came through clearly.
At this rate, I could probably catch any conversation in the space.
But I ignored them.
“They were told not to cause trouble on board, weren’t they? Want to get kicked off?”
“N-no, sir.”
They couldn’t move recklessly anyway.
Everyone in the cargo hold was under the control of those in the reserved seats.
I knew they wouldn’t act without permission.
Looking over at Lily, I saw she was still in dreamland.
“Still asleep even after all that noise.”
I laid her down comfortably and leaned against the wall.
Closing my eyes, I focused on my senses.
I’d need to live by listening in for a while.
Not being able to sleep was inconvenient, but I had no choice—an important clue could come up at any moment.
“This is a luxury in comparison.”
For me, sleep wasn’t much of a weakness.
Besides, compared to what Lochter’s group would face, this was paradise.
Dark Sales.
A season when rare goods from across the world gathered in Aintrier.
It was like a festival for the people of Prime Root, a time for one big score.
The land route to Aintrier—especially the northwest path through Prime Root—was practically hell.
“They’d better be careful.”
I was concerned, but confident they’d manage.
“They should be flying the flag by now.”
Since Lochter had taken the flag, it’d be hoisted atop the carriage.
The banner with the blue World Tree.
The symbol of the World Tree Union.
Crossing my arms, I settled in and kept listening.
Snore—
Lily’s snoring.
Stroking Keros, who had curled up and fallen asleep like a corpse, I began my peaceful journey.
It had been a while since I felt peace.
***
“You son of a—!!”
Karl cursed, throwing a dagger.
The spinning blade exploded with a boom, tearing apart its target—but only briefly.
The collapsed figure quickly reformed, clenched a massive fist, and charged at Karl again.
A golem made of mud.
It stood about 3 meters tall, and Karl had been stuck fighting it for some time.
The mud golem was targeting the carriage.
“Hurry!”
Ghosts distracted the golem with Karl’s command, while Reefs pulled the carriage away to create distance.
The golem needed to be taken down quickly, but identifying its weakness wasn’t easy.
“Either find its core, or kill its summoner…”
Both were difficult, so they’d decided to retreat, but—
NEEEIGH—!
From the rear, a horse screamed, and its neck lifted into the air.
The rearmost horse had been taken by surprise.
Karl’s figure darted to the rear like lightning.
SSSWAAAAEEEKKK—!
A hand axe spun toward the carriage.
Karl, mid-air, swung his arm and deflected it.
His spectral prosthetic arm.
The blackened spirit form pushed back the axe, but the impact was considerable.
Karl grimaced and retreated.
This time, a strong one had appeared.
“Kuahaha! Die, all of you!”
“You bastard, what now?!”
“Give us your heads and your carriage!”
“Pick one, dumbass!”
With the mud golem in front and now a raider behind, Karl had no choice but to finish the golem fast.
If you didn’t kill raiders around the Kenline River quickly, more would swarm in like flies.
“Lochter! You bastard! How long are you gonna wander?!”
Just then—
Kyaaaaah!
A woman’s scream rang out, and the golem crumbled into dust.
Lochter emerged from the woods, holding a severed head—
It was the head of a white-haired woman.
He tossed it near the carriage and immediately drew his twin swords.
While Karl distracted the axe-wielding brute, Lochter stabbed his twin blades into the man’s back.
“Guuh… C-coward…”
It was something Lochter would never normally do, but in the past three days, he had changed.
Kill them when you have the chance.
If you don’t, your comrades will be hurt—or die.
Over twenty Reefs had already been incapacitated and loaded into the carriage.
Hesitating had cost them dearly.
After killing the golem’s summoner and the axe-wielding raider, they finally had a moment to breathe.
Karl moved the carriage immediately.
“That was really close.”
“Let’s go with your plan.”
“Seriously?”
“It seems the best way to minimize casualties.”
“Then hang the heads of the ones we killed on the carriage.”
At Lochter’s command, Reefs cut off the raiders’ heads and hung them on the flagpole.
“From now on, anyone who approaches beyond a certain range—kill on sight, no questions asked.”
It had been Karl’s idea originally, but Lochter had rejected it.
Now, after repeated raids, he nodded grimly.
Strong raiders.
Mud monsters.
Poison arrows and paralysis bugs.
Traps using children.
Blinding flashes.
Mental attacks.
Lochter hadn’t once sheathed his twin swords in three days.
Any moment of carelessness or hesitation had led to losses.
The land route northwest of the Kenline River—
“And we still have ten more days to go.”
Only a third of the journey was complete.
There could be no letting up.
“From now on, once the signal is given, we kill them all—no exceptions.”
As the World Tree flag fluttered, some party members lay unconscious, and two carriages had been destroyed.
With the remaining ones, they had to reach their destination.
Lochter’s party was rapidly adapting to Hell Grime to survive.