Chapter 35: The Devil in the Deep Mountain Village (4)
So the Marvas they were talking about was a devil. And we were its sacrifices.
‘In all my life, I've never……’
Before I could even marvel at the colorful experiences, Roro's excited voice, completely contradicting her appearance just a mont ago, ca from behind.
“But is this really the way you catch sacrifices? Can you even properly prepare what he wants like this?”
It's too crude…….
Roro, her face now sullen as if she were a face-changing perforr, caressed the crumbling dirt wall of the pit. Then she looked over the people above, one by one, and said.
“What kind of being is Marvas? Does he have a contractor?”
They, who had never expected or imagined such a reaction, were flustered for a long ti before coming to their senses and shouting.
“How dare you utter Lord Marvas's na so carelessly! A re sacrifice!”
“Oh. Vice-Captain, you just beca a re sacrifice.”
At the bald man's shout, Phillip chuckled and patted Roro's shoulder. Delphi was already sitting on the ground again.
Roro, who didn't seem to care what anyone said, continued to speak.
“High-ranking devils have a lot of desires and are picky. But a guy who's satisfied with a sacrifice caught in a pit like this won't do. It ans he's a weakling.”
Was this person capable of speaking in such a serious tone?
At her, who was quite different from her usual self, my face beca much like the villagers'.
As Roro muttered in a genuinely troubled voice, an old man revealed his face from above. He was a small man with a thick white beard.
“You are all impertinent. I want to tear you to pieces right now for insulting the great one, but you should be grateful that every single sacrifice is precious right now.”
Clink-
An unpleasant, heavy tallic sound ca from the old man's hand, and at the sa ti, a few wooden planks were thrown down. As sothing fell, I imdiately turned and pressed myself against the wall as much as possible, while Roro stood without moving a muscle.
I didn't get a good look, but it seed Delphi had raised her hand to block it. In the midst of it all, only Phillip had two of them fall on his head in succession, and he alone let out an 'ugh!' and collapsed.
‘……Is the shield just for show?’
It was awkward to ask if he was okay, so I just pretended not to see and looked at the old man again. His wrinkled hand gestured with a nacing pistol.
“You there, the one holding the child. Put these on the hands of the rest of them.”
What had fallen into the pit were four wooden stocks.
Thick wooden planks the size of a file, with two holes drilled in each. They looked like sothing I had seen in old historical dramas.
‘What is this now.’
It seed to be unlocked, as when I picked one up, it dangled as if it were opening in half.
“Put your arms behind your back, put both wrists into the holes, and close it tight. If you try any funny business, I'll blow your head off, so just do as you're told.”
The old man, who was aiming the gun at , glared at with all his might.
'Geez, wasn't putting us in a pit enough? What's with the stocks too.'
Is it because I'm so tired? I'm cold, sleepy, and now I'm hungry. This day never seems to end.
Anyway, telling to put on stocks. Does this even have any effect on these people?
I now understood why Roro and the others were being so docile.
Roro's reaction to the na Marvas. The Knights had been waiting for the devil. No, they were looking for a devil.
But that's that, will they really put on the stocks?
As I was wondering what to do, I looked to my side and saw Roro just staring at the old man without any reaction, and Delphi gave a slight nod. It was a sign to do as I was told.
“Put it on properly. Especially Ms. Roro.”
Delphi's advice, or rather, non-advice, ca to as I held the wooden stocks up to the blankly standing Roro. I was already doing it with all my might. I didn't want to get shot, after all.
“My goodness, they have guns in a mountain village like this? It's really creepy that the place we ca to just to sleep is so dangerous.”
With Phillip, who was exaggeratingly shivering his shoulders, being the last one, I also put on the stocks. Since I was holding Lottie, I had to put the stocks on the ground, put my hands in, and close it with my foot, which was a ridiculous sight.
It didn't close properly, and I think Phillip laughed as I grunted and fumbled with my feet, but I pretended not to notice.
“Good. Let's go. He will be arriving soon.”
The old man, who had confird that all the sacrifices had wooden planks on their wrists, put away his gun.
Then, one by one, they sprinkled a handful of dirt into the pit. Stone dust and dirt poured down on our heads.
“Aish! What, ptooey! What is this!”
Phillip, who must have had his mouth open, spat and let out a loud cry. The shield was definitely just for show.
“Ooh! Great black being who commands the dead, beasts, and insects! We have prepared a delicious banquet for you, so please descend and wash away the sha of the past!”
“Great black being who commands the dead, beasts, and insects! We have prepared a delicious banquet for you, so please descend and wash away the sha of the past!”
Led by the old man, the people all shouted the sa words. They reached their hands up to the sky and then once towards us.
It seed to be a serenade dedicated to that devil, whether it was Marvas or a village bus.
“May you regain your great strength through this!”
With the old man's shout as the end, the people gradually disappeared from view.
“Thank you, everyone. For becoming Lord Marvas's precious nourishnt.”
Lastly, Emma glanced at us, then smiled brightly and disappeared. When no one was left outside the pit, Phillip spoke.
“Hmm. Nourishnt, I wonder if Marvas is a plant-type?”
Seeing Delphi's crumpled face, it seed to be a useless remark.
“Looks like they're all gone.”
A breath mixed with relief escaped my mouth. At any rate, with the gun that had been aid at my head gone, the suffocating feeling disappeared.
But that didn't an I was comfortable.
Sitting in a pit in the middle of the night with my hands tied with famous people felt even more surreal than I thought. And to be a sacrifice at that.
My mind was a ss. As my fatigue increased, my anticipation for what would happen next also gradually rose. I couldn't even guess or predict what would happen next.
It was when I was a little flustered about what this feeling was.
“By the way, I was worried you'd faint from shock, but you're calr than I thought.”
Phillip said as he scooted closer to with his butt.
“Well, compared to what I've been through so far, there's not much more to add.”
“Wow, your mindset is great. I actually thought I was stuck with a complete baggage. This is pretty good!”
For so reason, I felt like I had heard the true feelings of the Knights, including Phillip, but I just smiled awkwardly.
“Phew. Anyway, what's going to appear? I just hope it's not a ghost type.”
At Phillip's words, I could finally picture the situation that would happen next.
Right. Of course, a devil will appear.
But I wasn't scared. No, in fact, I was even seriously contemplating whether this was a serious situation at all.
Because what that person over there kept muttering was,
“So how long do we have to stay like this? My arm is falling asleep.”
Sothing like that.
“Delphi, can't I take this off?”
Roro, who seed very displeased with this situation, kept wriggling her body. Every ti she moved, a creaking, twisting sound ca from the wooden stocks fastened behind her back.
Just by her complaining gestures, the wooden plank, three fingers thick, was screaming. It was like tying a tiger with a thumbtack.
“Just wait a little longer. Just in case it tries to escape.”
Why on earth did we stupidly follow them here?
Delphi, who was also uncomfortable, frowned and stood up from her spot. I asked her.
“So you ca here on purpose.”
“Of course. Arsen, did you really think we believed Emma's story?”
Delphi raised an eyebrow.
A devil.
As expected. The Knights had been waiting for a devil from the beginning.
“Is devil hunting perhaps the real mission of the Knights?”
They had spoken to as if they had to repay Emma for her help because they couldn't reveal their true intention of catching a devil in her house.
The reason for going to such lengths to face a devil. The only explanation for these people, who didn't seem to have any great sense of duty, to willingly get caught here was that.
At my question, this ti Phillip grinned and nodded his head.
“Smart. That's right. The ultimate goal of the Knights is devil hunting. The other stuff is just sothing we have to do on the side.”
“Phillip. That's confidential.”
“Huh? It was confidential? But Arsen is already a mber.”
“He hasn't been appointed. He hasn't taken an oath either.”
“Ah! Right.”
At Delphi's words, Phillip's mouth dropped open with a look of realization.
Confidential, you say. Then what about , who heard it?
As I blinked at Delphi, she shrugged as if there was no other choice.
“Arsen, if you hear the rest, your enlistnt is confird. Do you still want to hear?”
“Yes. It's fine.”
I have no choice and nowhere to go anyway. The place where the protagonist is is where I'm supposed to be, so what does it matter?
At my firm expression, Delphi opened her mouth.
“Unlike other unions, the Knights' top priority is devil hunting. As for other missions, we have to listen to the Association, so we take them based on the Professor's judgnt. The Cavris case is like that.”
“Why do you hunt devils? Isn't that more troubleso than Gates or terror incidents?”
“We are collecting demon stones.”
“……Demon stones?”
Aren't demon stones the fragnts of hell that high-ranking devils possess? The extrely rare ore that I had only read about in 'Ranker Life Manual' was 'demon stone'.
The very thing that was said to give an astronomical reward if you brought it to the Association because it contained the wavelength and magical power of hell.
The story of a Ranker who found three demon stones, handed them over to the Association, and bought an island in the south of Eastbourne was already famous.
Even when I was at Remble, there were more than a few classmates who dread of getting their hands on a demon stone one day and striking it rich.
“You're not collecting them for money, are you?”
“Yeah. The demon stones we collect from ti to ti are handed over to one person without any compensation.”
“Who is that……”
“Well. Who could it be?”
Delphi just shrugged without naming a na. Nevertheless, I could imdiately guess who it was.
Camila Ingram.
Handing them over without compensation, does that an this is all a secret? Even from the Association.
“The Vice-Captain can escape imdiately if she shows any strange signs, so stay still until it gets close.”
Delphi, who had averted her gaze from at so point, warned the wriggling Roro. It seed there was a deeper story, but she didn't seem to trust completely yet.
Of course. How long had it been since we t? No matter how much it was Camila's decision, it took ti for a person to trust another.
Acknowledging that, I looked at Lottie, and his teary eyes, reflecting the moonlight, were fixed on .
“Lottie, why?”
“Hyung-ah-a-.”
“Yeah. Are you cold?”
Lottie, who had been quiet for a while, called out to softly. I asked if he was cold, and the little one shook his head and whispered even more softly.
“I peed. Pee.”
It was not welco news.
I moved my restrained arm and placed it on Lottie's butt.
A heavy sensation.
This kid, he peed way too much.
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