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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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It took a considerable amount of time to bury the bodies. He had to dig deep to conceal the scent and any traces, and he didn’t have a shovel.
Who would have anticipated needing to bury bodies while leaving the forest?
It would be strange to think, ‘Oh, I might have to bury someone today, so I should bring a shovel.’
So, he’d used the orange-haired woman’s round shield to dig.
Damn it, he shouldn’t have punctured a hole in it. Even when using it as a makeshift shovel, the dirt kept spilling out of the hole in the center.
‘I’ll kill my past self.’
He cursed his past self throughout the arduous process.
He missed his neighbor, Mr. Owlbear.
If the gluttonous bear had been there, he wouldn’t have had to dig himself.
After two hours of labor, he was finally finished.
‘Phew…’
He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around.
Night had fallen, and the forest was shrouded in darkness.
Chae-rin had already returned to the city.
Her expression when they parted ways had been… complex.
Like a bystander at a crime scene, pretending not to have seen anything.
…Well, it was his first time burying bodies too. He hadn’t expected to do something like this.
‘…Am I okay?’
He questioned his own humanity.
After living in this forest for 23 years, he felt like he was losing his modern sensibilities.
But he didn’t feel any guilt or remorse.
His humanity seemed intact… or maybe it was already dead and couldn’t speak.
He’d finished his task, but a sense of unease lingered. The fact that they had come to the forest in the first place was a problem.
They hadn’t come looking for him, nor were they fleeing from something.
They were members of Lemegeton, following orders, and they’d stumbled upon him and tried to rape him.
Because of them, he’d spent two hours digging a hole.
And he still had to clean up the blood he’d spilled in his cave.
“Those fucking bastards.”
Enraged, he spat on the freshly turned earth where he’d buried them. He wanted to urinate on their graves, but he didn’t feel the urge.
Judging by his humanity’s lack of reaction, they would have approved.
It was a shame.
He needed to be cautious.
Lemegeton would come searching the forest again.
As Chae-rin had said, they were desperately searching for the hooded NPC. They’d searched the city, and now they’d expanded their search to the forest.
‘This is going to be a nuisance…’
He felt a headache coming on. He hoped they wouldn’t find his cave.
At least he’d camouflaged it. While it wouldn’t fool anyone who came close, it was better than nothing.
If he hid well, they might give up and leave.
He returned to his cave to clean up the blood he’d spilled…
…And that naive thought was shattered just two weeks later.
“I’ve finally found you. Greetings.”
While exploring the forest, he encountered a woman.
A woman with long, white hair that reached her waist, and a cold expression.
She bowed deeply, almost reverently, as if in prayer.
She raised her head and introduced herself.
“I am Sephir, Fifth District Manager.”
“…Sigh.”
Yor sighed deeply.
It seemed a troublesome individual had appeared.
What was Lemegeton’s hierarchy?
Despite being a recently formed cult, their influence was considerable.
Not only did they worship demons, but they also had members capable of defeating Imperial Knights.
An organization of this size must have a structured hierarchy.
Information about the secretive cult was scarce, but surprisingly, their hierarchy was readily available.
Some of the otherworlders who had joined Lemegeton had shared it online.
Lemegeton had a strict vertical structure.
At the top was the General Assembly President, followed by District Managers, Regional Managers, Team Leaders, and ordinary members.
A truly unorthodox hierarchy, befitting a cult.
However, the “Team Leader” position wasn’t necessarily low-ranking. Some individuals held the position for specific purposes.
In some cases, even individuals on par with District Managers held the title of Team Leader… Chae-rin had told him that.
The explanation was a bit long, but the conclusion was simple.
He was currently facing the cult’s second-in-command. The highest-ranking official after the General Assembly President.
He hadn’t seen a District Manager fight, but an otherworlder member of Lemegeton had offered a brief assessment.
[They’re insane; not human lol]
Chae-rin had relayed the message.
He couldn’t help but be wary.
He hadn’t seen her skills firsthand, but the fact that a District Manager had come to the forest was a problem in itself.
He asked,
“…What do you want?”
“To be frank, we want you to join our cult, Carrier.”
She’d addressed him as a Carrier without hesitation. He was inwardly shaken, but he maintained a poker face.
“…Carrier? What nonsense are you talking about?”
“There’s no need to pretend. I already know.”
“…Know what?”
“You’re the one who severed our Lord Seere’s left arm a few months ago, aren’t you?”
Yor’s hand twitched.
He maintained his poker face, but he couldn’t control his physical reaction.
Sephir continued, channeling mana and enveloping herself in it. Like a blanket of snow, her white hair transformed into a dull brown.
“You’re quite clever, using ‘Illusion’ magic. It’s a difficult spell to learn, but there’s nothing better for concealing one’s identity. You had us fooled for a while.”
He mentally slapped himself.
They’d figured it out.
Well… ‘Illusion’ wasn’t some ancient secret art. It was possible to deduce its use.
But one question remained.
How did they know he was in the forest?
As if reading his mind, Sephir continued,
“Our cult has many talented individuals. And among them, our Second District Manager excels in communication and tracking.”
The word “communication” triggered a memory. The person who had communicated with Lian through the blood magic circle.
‘Don’t tell me…’
“And a few weeks ago, when we sent our members here, we implemented a safety measure. Nothing too complicated, just a simple life-or-death confirmation feature.”
But those members had vanished from this forest.
“It’s strange. They weren’t ordinary members. They had terrible personalities, but they weren’t weak enough to be killed by monsters. One of them was even a Regional Manager.”
That meant they’d been killed by humans, not monsters.
But who could have killed them?
Someone strong enough to kill a Regional Manager who could use Sword Qi, someone who frequented the forest…
The cult had been searching the forest for the hooded NPC, assuming that a Carrier wouldn’t be living openly in the city.
So, the conclusion was obvious.
The Carrier, concealing his appearance, was hiding in the forest.
“I didn’t expect the person we were looking for to be such a remarkable man…”
Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, a strange glint in her eyes as she assessed his face and physique.
Her expression, however, remained impassive.
Yor sighed deeply.
“Sigh…”
He’d thought he’d completely concealed his presence, but…
The moment the cult members entered the forest, it was over.
He’d been caught in a trap.
Confusion filled his mind.
What should he do now? Could he still hide?
Was it time to eliminate another high-ranking cult member?
“Don’t even think about doing anything rash. I’ve already shared information with other high-ranking members of the cult. The truth will come out, even if you kill me.”
She seemed to have a knack for reading his thoughts.
“So, I’ll offer you one more chance. Join our cult. Someone with your talent would be welcomed with open arms.”
He replied,
“No fucking way.”
“…Why?”
“I don’t want to be raped by Seere.”
“…Such vulgar language for a man.”
Sephir nodded.
“Very well. I understand.”
“Huh? You’re giving up surprisingly easily.”
“What use is a forcibly recruited member? I don’t know what others think, but I, District Manager Sephir, respect the will of others.”
Yor tilted his head.
“That’s unexpected. Wasn’t Seere searching for me to rape me?”
“Rape… Sigh, don’t worry about Seere-nim. While we serve demons, we’re not their puppets.”
She continued, and her next words surprised him.
“And to be honest… Seere-nim’s days are numbered. The Fighting King has entered the fray. He won’t stand a chance without his left arm.”
“…! Finally! That disgusting pervert is going to die!?”
“…Please refrain from using such language. Please.”
It was strange.
She was trying to recruit him, yet she was sharing sensitive information with an outsider. This kind of information should be kept secret within the cult.
“Are you sure you should be telling me this?”
“Consider it a gesture of goodwill. It shows how much the cult desires your presence.”
Sephir bowed again.
She was surprisingly polite for a high-ranking member of an evil organization.
“Then, I’ll take my leave. And don’t worry about the information about you being a Carrier spreading. Carriers are valuable to Lemegeton. We wouldn’t want you to be killed by the knights.”
That was somewhat reassuring, though the situation was still dire.
“I’ll return next week. Be warned, someone else might come instead of me.”
No, please don’t.
She turned and left the forest. He considered stopping her, but he couldn’t.
Crackle-!
Ice crystals enveloped her, and she shattered and vanished.
Was it some kind of magic? He’d never seen anything like it.
Left alone, Yor rubbed his temples.
It seemed he was in serious trouble…
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