Ch 6
NEYMAR
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Chapter 06
Thump! Thump! Thump…!
My heart hammered in my chest.
I had expected them to return, but this was far, far too soon.
Danger.
Yes, I was in danger.
The moment I realized that, my mind became strangely calm.
And I began to methodically search for a way to survive.
Just as I always had.
'What should I do first?'
My gaze drifted down to my right hand.
Clutched within it was the [Blinkstone] I had taken from the safe.
There was a way out.
If I used this, I could teleport to any location I desired and escape this danger.
But.
I glanced to my side.
"Wh-what do we do? I think they're already here!"
Keila was stamping her feet, lost in a panic.
Looking at her, I finally gave up on that option.
If this were a game, I would have abandoned her without a second thought… but this wasn't a game.
'…I can't just save myself.'
I felt pathetic for abandoning the most rational choice for survival, but I couldn't help it.
It was as clear as day what would happen to her if I escaped alone.
I didn't have the confidence to handle the guilt that would surely follow such a choice.
"Hey, are you even listening?"
I had to find another way.
But how…?
Nothing came to mind.
"Hide, now!"
"Wh-where!"
This room with the safe was dangerous.
There was a high probability they would search it thoroughly.
"Follow me."
I grabbed Keila's wrist, moved to the adjacent room, and hid us under the bed.
In that instant, I realized my mistake.
Why do ominous thoughts always surface at times like this?
'…Damn it, did I pick the wrong spot?'
...In horror movies, this is always how they get caught and die.
I forcefully shook my head, trying to banish the stray thoughts.
What could I do? There was nowhere else to hide.
Perhaps Keila was just as anxious.
"Do you think we'll be safe hiding in a place like this…?"
Don't you start… I'm on edge enough as it is…
"…Don't talk. Don't even breathe."
"…"
Keila gave a slight nod.
Just as we fell into a tense silence, holding our breath.
Thud, thud, thud…
The sound of multiple footsteps approached.
Even from a rough count, it sounded like more than ten people.
They were laughing and chattering as if they’d just had the time of their lives. Their voices were so loud we could hear every word from inside the room.
"Hahaha! It's been a while since we had such a huge plunder!"
"Heh, you said it. I can't wait to see the boss's face."
"If things keep going this well, we'll be back in Sector 6 in no time!"
"Khahaha! Now that's what I like to hear!"
'Plunder, huh…'
As I suspected, this place was no shelter or inn.
It was a hellhole where ex-mercenaries gathered to commit all sorts of crimes.
'Did I just walk right into the tiger's den…?'
I wanted to beat myself senseless for mindlessly following that old man a couple of days ago.
What was I thinking, acting so carelessly?
…Enough. No use regretting it now.
What mattered wasn't what had already happened, but what would happen next.
I strained my ears.
I was hoping for any piece of information, no matter how trivial, that I could use.
"Hey, why is our hideout so clean?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it… you're right. Did the boss do a quick cleanup?"
"…Maybe an important guest is coming?"
"A guest? Who would be visiting our hideout…."
Thwack.
The gruff-voiced man stopped talking abruptly.
Then, he shouted.
"Boss!"
It wasn't just him.
The rest of them cried out in shock.
"…B-Boss?"
"…What happened to the boss!"
They scrambled off somewhere in a hurry.
I didn't need to see it to know what was happening.
What else could possibly shock them the moment they reached the second floor?
They saw the body.
The corpse of one of their own.
"Wait, isn't that Garon…?"
"Garon got taken out too!"
CRASH!
The sound of a fist hitting a wall.
It was followed by a voice filled with rage.
"Shit… Which bastard did this!"
"Vice-Captain! The blood hasn't completely dried yet!"
"Right… which means they couldn't have gone far! Everyone, move out! Grab any bastard you see loitering around the hideout!"
"Let's go!"
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
The men charged out of the building with frightening speed.
So, the claim of being ex-mercenaries wasn't just for show.
Their judgment and actions were swift.
Though their direction was completely wrong.
We're still in here, you know?
'Good, this should buy me some time…'
Just then.
The voice of the man they called Vice-Captain echoed from a distance.
"Hey, rookie! You search the inside of the building! If you find them, tie them up securely! You can handle that alone, right?"
"Yes, I can!"
…Damn it. Things never go perfectly smoothly, do they?
Still, it wasn't the worst situation.
At the very least, their numbers had been drastically reduced.
Only one person remained inside the building.
And it was the rookie of the group, who I presumed was the weakest.
I couldn't understand why they'd give such an order to their youngest member, but…
'It's just one guy.'
If Keila and I attacked together, we could definitely overpower him.
The important thing was choosing the right moment to strike.
Thump, thump.
Shhhk, shhhk—.
'…What's that sound?'
One was footsteps.
The other… I wasn't sure.
It sounded like something was being dragged…
It was then.
"Useless bastard. I told you to just play the part of a puppet, and you couldn't even wait that long before getting yourself killed?"
A voice dripping with irritation was heard, and a man appeared in the doorway we hadn't managed to close.
He was holding an ankle in his right hand.
He was dragging the corpse of the pompadour-haired man.
"And why the hell is your body so heavy?"
It wasn't hard to deduce the identity of the man who had suddenly appeared.
There was only one person left in the building: the rookie.
However.
'What the hell is that bastard talking about…?'
Even as I acknowledged that fact, confusion set in.
More accurately, I didn't want to accept it.
'Useless? A puppet…?'
A cold chill shot down my spine.
The entire situation pointed to a single truth.
This man, the 'rookie,' was the 'real boss' who had been hiding in plain sight.
Which meant…
'The wizard who created this space…'
It was him.
The moment I came to that conclusion.
"This should be good enough."
The man dropped the corpse right in front of the doorway and knelt on one knee.
As he lowered his posture, I could see his face.
Wild, unkempt red hair and sharp eyes.
He reached out with a grim expression.
That hand.
SQUELCH!
It pierced straight through the corpse's left chest.
A moment later, his hand re-emerged, holding something soft and pulsating.
The pompadour-haired man's heart.
The old man's words flashed through my mind.
—W-Wizards' hearts sell for a high price.
I had found it strange.
There was no such setting in the [Devil Fantasy] that I knew.
But now, I thought I understood why.
It was all because of this bastard.
"Hehehehe…"
A grin stretched from ear to ear as the man brought the heart to his lips.
And then.
RIP!
Chomp, chomp.
He began to devour the heart greedily.
Like a starving demon filling its belly.
As he did, a dark, black mana swirled and gathered around him.
I could feel the malevolence of that mana even from here.
"…"
I had seen a sight like this once before.
Albeit, it was inside a game.
Regardless, the situation was identical, and because of that, I knew.
That man… was the Vassal of a Demon.
To be more precise, a Vassal of Valefor, the Demon of Greed.
"Yes, this is it. This…! Mwahahaha!"
There was only one way for Valefor's Vassals to grow stronger.
By eating the hearts of others.
The effect was greater when the consumed heart contained mana, and greater still depending on the amount of that mana.
The reason he was eating the pompadour-haired man's heart was undoubtedly for that purpose.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heartbeat accelerated.
More violently than ever before.
Any thought of ambushing him was long gone.
Only a single word repeated itself in my mind.
'…I'll die.'
If he finds me, I'll die.
A Demon's Vassal was not something Keila and I could possibly defeat.
All I could do here was pray.
'Please, just walk past…'
But it was meaningless.
Thump, thump.
Having finished his meal, the man walked this way.
I held my breath as I watched his approach.
My mind was a chaotic mess of questions.
Why is he coming this way?
Is it a coincidence?
…Don't tell me he found us?
But when?
In that short time, he had reached the front of the bed.
WHOOSH!
He bent his body and thrust his head under the bed.
Our eyes met. It felt like my heart had stopped.
He flashed a sinister, chilling grin and spoke.
Thick, dark blood was smeared around his lips.
"Enjoy the show? You little rats?"
…So, he knew from the very beginning.
Encountering a Vassal this early in the game was an extremely rare event.
Maybe something that would happen once in twenty character playthroughs?
And of all times, it had to happen to me now.
"...Just my rotten luck."
The only silver lining was that he hadn't killed us immediately.
—You two… you're Awakened, aren't you?
After saying that, he had locked us in the underground prison and left.
I had no idea what he was thinking, and the path ahead seemed bleak, but… it was still a relief.
At least I was alive, right?
"Trapped again. We're trapped again!"
Keila, on the other hand, couldn't contain her anger.
From her perspective, she was right back in the same cell, so her frustration was understandable.
"…Let's calm down and think. A way to kill that bastard."
"…Kill him? That monster?"
"We have to."
Keila bit her lip and let out a deep sigh.
"…It's over. It's all over."
"…"
Her tone was one of complete surrender.
To be honest, I understood how she felt.
I was about to lose my mind myself.
'If only I had magic… or even just a spellbook…'
That was the biggest problem right now.
I hadn't learned any useful magic yet.
I had copied the pompadour-haired man's fire magic, but a basic spell like that was nowhere near enough to fight the Vassal.
In the end, I had to learn more powerful magic…
'…Dammit.'
No matter how hard I wracked my brain, I couldn't find a solution.
Even with a Mythic-grade trait, I couldn't just invent magic out of thin air.
To get out of here safely…
"…"
My gaze flickered toward my pants pocket.
The [Blinkstone].
'Do I have to use it…?'
I was seriously considering it.
Earlier was one thing, but now, there was truly no other answer.
Forget humanity or conscience; I was about to die.
As if sensing my conflict, Keila spoke up.
"…Use it."
"What?"
"You're thinking about it, aren't you? Use it. One of us has to live."
"…"
"…I was going to die anyway. You were the one who gave me a chance. But since it turned out like this… it can't be helped."
When I remained silent, my lips sealed tight, she added.
"Let's be clear. You're not abandoning me. I'm letting you go. Don't forget that."
"…"
A heavy feeling settled in my chest.
It wasn't because I could sense her desire not to be abandoned again in her words.
It was because of my own pathetic self, unable to speak easily even knowing that, that my chest felt so heavy.
It was at that very moment.
Creeeak—!
A sliver of light pierced the darkness as the locked door swung open.
The red-haired man stepped inside, holding a lantern.
"Were you waiting long?"
His attitude was utterly leisurely.
His gaze was like one looking at a toy.
Rage surged within me.
Even more so because of my own weakness, unable to do anything even in this situation.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down. I'm going to give you two a chance."
"…A chance?"
"That's right, a chance."
Thud.
The red-haired man tossed something in front of me.
With its blue cover and complex magic circle, it was…
"A book?"
I answered Keila's mutter.
"…It's a spellbook."
"Oh, you've seen one before?"
The red-haired man crouched down to meet my eyes.
Then he smirked.
"Think you can do it?"
"…So this is why you didn't kill us."
"Right. It would be such a waste right now."
Now I understood everything.
He intended to teach us magic.
To fatten up his prey.
That way, there would be more for him to devour.
Yes, that's what this was.
Not to be outdone, I offered him a smile of my own.
"Of course, I can."
The Vassal of Valefor.
He made two mistakes.
First, he was too arrogant, trusting only in his own strength.
And second, he failed to properly gauge his opponent.
And those mistakes…
Will be the reason he dies.
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