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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Iyerpol, the Blind Swordsman.
A young adventurer in his twenties, considered the most unique of the five representing Tillasden.
The cloth covering his eyes made for an unusual first impression, and those who worked alongside him, witnessing his skill, often used the term “prodigious.”
He possessed incredibly acute senses, able to perceive not only the gazes and presence of people but also the movement of the wind, allowing him to grasp the positions of nearby objects.
His highly developed senses were called a “sixth sense”, said to have surpassed the ordinary five senses of regular people.
But beyond his heightened senses, his individual skill and instincts were remarkable, drawing admiration from many.
His seemingly magical ability to accurately hit monsters with his bow despite his blindness was particularly famous among adventurers.
Demonstrating exceptional skill from his teenage years, Iyerpol quickly rose to prominence as one of Tillasden’s most skilled, despite his young age.
He had once worked alongside Wagner of the Greatsword.
For reasons unknown, Iyerpol left the party, and Wagner, unable to perfectly fill the void left behind, was only able to compensate for the loss by increasing the party size to five.
Many rumors circulated, but the reason why Iyerpol stopped subjugation work remained a mystery.
A few people who had seen beneath the veil covering his eyes claimed that his eye sockets had been deliberately mutilated.
Thus, it became known that Iyerpol had overcome a postnatal disability to achieve his current level of skill.
Ironically, Iyerpol’s popularity surged after he quit subjugation work.
The blind adventurer, continuing his work at a volunteer level and helping the citizens of Tillasden, was showered with their affection.
Unfortunately, he himself didn’t seem to be aware of this…
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Rumble!
“Wagner!”
Iyer, turning towards the collapsing ground, shouted his name.
The smile on his lips suggested he had made a decision.
Having known him for years, Wagner knew him well.
He knew what he was thinking.
“Iyer! No!” he screamed.
He desperately reached out, but his friend didn’t take his hand.
Instead, Iyer casually waved, even flashing a peace sign, and then…
“See you later, Wagner!”
He jumped down towards the rapidly collapsing ground.
“No, Iyer! No!”
His friend’s form, leaping downwards, was instantly swallowed by the black abyss.
As Wagner, who was unable to see Iyer any longer, tried to rush out of the passage, Kundt and Wolf Who Chases the Wind desperately held him back.
“Stop, Wagner!”
“Iyer, Iyer!”
“Are you going to go down there too? Find your senses…!”
Roughly restraining Wagner, Wolf Who Chases the Wind and Kundt dragged him further into the passage.
Whether it was a stroke of misfortune or luck, the rapidly collapsing ground stopped right in front of the passage they had entered.
The situation had been so urgent that the three of them were forced to catch their breath.
Dragged by Wolf and Kundt and thrown to the ground, Wagner stared blankly at the earth, then covered his face with both hands.
“Damn it…”
Seeing Wagner sitting there, face covered and speechless, Wolf spoke.
“Leader human. He’s not the type to do something reckless without thinking. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?”
“…”
“Pull yourself together. You’re the leader of this party.”
Wolf’s words pierced Wagner’s heart.
Every word was true.
He knew better than anyone that Iyer wasn’t one to act recklessly without a plan.
And even though two members had fallen behind, he still had to lead the remaining party of three.
The leader must always consider the best course of action.
For the leader to fall apart meant the collapse of the entire party.
“If Guinness had fallen alone, there’s a high chance she wouldn’t have made it back alive… That’s why I believe Sir Iyer judged that he could save Guinness and jumped.”
Kundt added.
“…You’re right.”
“Yes. Don’t be too disheartened. Have faith in your faith in Sir Iyer…”
The real problem was…
Kundt turned his head to look at the path ahead.
It was a daunting sight.
The path stretching before them was, quite literally, pitch black, devoid of even a speck of light.
Just as when Iyer had disappeared, they were once again forced to continue without a guide.
Beside Kundt, Wolf, arms crossed, stared into the dark passage and spoke.
“Don’t worry too much, hammer man. I don’t think we have much further to go.”
“Can you tell?”
“Instinct. But my instincts are usually right.”
The Sandman had appeared, and then the Sandworm.
The fact that a Sandworm was living nearby meant they had come quite deep, and there weren’t many small monsters brave enough to move around near a Sandworm’s habitat.
If there was something to worry about, it was the one thing.
Monsters that posed no threat even with a Sandworm present.
In other words, the possibility of a monster on par with, or even stronger tha a Sandworm
That possibility couldn’t be ruled out.
Staring into the darkness that seemed to suck in the wind, Wolf quietly prayed.
Please, let there be no more such misfortunes.
Kundt extended a hand to Wagner, who was still sitting on the ground. Wagner looked at the hand, then grasped it, using the leverage to pull himself up.
Kundt’s eyes, shining through his thick fur, met Wagner’s.
“So, leader. What should we do…?”
“…Our party’s top priority is the rescue of Ronchevich and Pichoni. And the investigation of the cave.”
“I’ll trust you and follow…”
Wagner nodded at Kundt’s words, his grip on his own shoulder tightening.
Iyer had jumped to save Guinness.
If that was Iyer’s decision, then he would trust it.
Iyer was always doing what was right… he was that kind of friend.
He lifted the shield that had been lying on the ground.
Scars from countless hardships were visible all over its surface.
Looking at the two men waiting for him, Wagner spoke.
“Wolf Who Chases the Wind.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like to assign you the role of scout.”
The scout’s role was to illuminate the path the party should take, alert them to approaching enemies, and provide support from a distance.
Agile and specialized in hunting, Wolf Who Chases the Wind wasn’t exactly suited to the role of a scout, but a wolf beastman’s keen sense of smell was more than enough to detect approaching enemies.
The problem was that placing Wolf in the rear meant he would have to move ahead of the party, but Wagner trusted Wolf’s abilities.
At Wagner’s words, Wolf nodded.
“If that’s your judgment, then so be it.”
“Thank you. Kundt will be placed in the rear and middle.”
“Then what about the vanguard…?”
At Kundt’s question, Wagner gripped the handle inside his shield.
Screech, the sound of a well-honed blade being drawn, and a one-handed sword was revealed.
The flickering torchlight reflected off the blade, illuminating Wagner’s face.
“I will take the vanguard.”
“Understood…”
“I’ll entrust my back to you, Kundt.”
“Of course.”
The party of five had suddenly been reduced to three.
But their mission was still ongoing, and they couldn’t afford to falter here.
‘See you later, Wagner!’
His friend, who had jumped to save a fallen comrade, had said that.
Then all he could do was… survive and see his friend’s face again.
That was the only thing he could do.
‘See you later, Iyer.’
Wagner looked down at the collapsed ground.
The massive hole that had swallowed Iyer and Guinness was tempting him with a chilling wind.
He trusted his friend.
Staring into the dark abyss for a long while, Wagner turned and walked towards the two men waiting for him.
Standing at the forefront, Wagner firmly grasped his shield.
“Let’s advance.”
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“Haa, haa…”
A thin groan and ragged breaths escaped Guinness’s lips, a single drop of sweat trickling down her forehead.
Watching her, I wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief.
Hmm.
Guinness’s condition was still very bad.
For some reason, Guinness was suffering from a persistent fever, day and night.
If I had specialized medical knowledge, I could have made a diagnosis, but unfortunately, I was completely clueless in that area.
All I could do was wipe away her sweat to keep her from getting cold, give her water, and when her fever lasted too long, administer an antidote to slightly lower it.
It might have meant I needed to change the plan.
I had intended to wait here for Wagner while monitoring Guinness’s condition, but if her condition remained this poor, waiting indefinitely would be difficult.
“But Guinness isn’t in any condition to move…”
Then there was only one option.
I would have to investigate while Guinness was asleep.
For now, I had fashioned small, bowl-shaped objects and placed them under stalactites where dew seemed to collect.
Once the dripping dew gathered, all I had to do was collect it.
Now, I could use the time I had spent supplying water to search for a way out.
Just as I was thinking this, I tried to subtly move Guinness’s head, which I was supporting on my lap, onto my bag.
“No, don’t…”
“Guinness?”
“Die… Die, all of you…”
A curse-laden groan escaped Guinness’s lips, her brow furrowed.
Was she having a bad dream?
Guinness, who had been intermittently trembling and tossing her head, twisted her body as if rejecting my attempt to move her.
Her fluttering eyelids looked unusually weak.
“The person who’s always glaring…”
Seeing Guinness rejecting my touch as I tried to move her head, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
In Tillasden, Guinness was known for being the most ferocious and assertive person.
She neither gave nor received kindness, a woman who was the epitome of a lone wolf, living as if she were alone in the world.
She was even the type to refuse my help when she couldn’t even move…
Seeing such a strong person in a weakened state made it impossible for me to abandon her.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stay with you.”
“Haa…”
Moving… I’ll go after Guinness wakes up and takes the antidote.
Thinking this, I picked up the handkerchief again and gently wiped the sweat from Guinness’s face.
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Rumble!
The ‘thing’ trembled at the sound of the earth vibrating.
It was the sound of the terrifying, giant worm, which was drawn by the ‘thing’s’ scent, collapsing the ground.
It had clearly been brought in to protect its body from the intruders searching the cave, but it had inadvertently become a case of chasing out the fox only to invite the tiger.
But the ‘thing’ had no choice.
The scent wasn’t something the ‘thing’ could control to begin with, and ever since its body had become abnormal, the fragrance had grown far too strong.
The scent, which had once attracted small animals, had been transformed into something powerful enough to draw in even giant monsters.
‘…’
The ‘thing’ was waiting for that person to come, as it always did.
‘That person’ who could resolve this situation.
But he had stopped in one place and remained there.
Please, hurry.
Though it couldn’t speak aloud, the ‘thing’ waited for his signal, hoping he would move as soon as possible.
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[Is ‘the thing’ P.diddy?]
Chapters too short bruh. 😭