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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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While Kerry was caring for the White Witch, Lina and her party were busy investigating their next destination.
Kerry pretended to participate in the investigation, but he couldn’t devote much time to it because he had to look after the White Witch.
‘At least the next destination has been decided.’
Thanks to the Magic Tower’s information support. The information they provided was as follows:
The Village Where the Dead Return.
There was a village called that.
If it were just a name, it could have been dismissed as a village with sinister rumors.
However, according to the information, there were people in that village who claimed to have seen the lion-headed monster.
Lina recalled a memory. She had definitely heard of the Village Where the Dead Return in her previous life.
‘Back then, I thought it was just a nasty rumor… Could this also be their doing?’
They hadn’t been able to confirm the presence of Huruuku, Nasen, and Barickmeteo in the abandoned mine.
However, there was a good chance they were in the Village Where the Dead Return.
After all, they wouldn’t be able to avoid Lina’s party any longer.
The abandoned mine hideout must have been a significant part of their larger plan.
Lina and her party had ruined it. It was enough to make them furious.
Lina, who was planning the next steps with her companions, paused.
“Natasha? Are you alright?”
Natasha’s face was pale. Her fingertips trembled, and her face was filled with fear.
“I-I’m okay….”
The Old woman next to her hugged Natasha and explained,
“Tsk. The Village Where the Dead Return… Something similar happened to our tribe. People we thought were dead started returning one by one.
Everyone rejoiced, saying it was Valhalla’s blessing…but it was all a lie. Natasha’s father also went missing after hearing that her mother had returned alive.”
He was later found decapitated at their altar.
Natasha, recalling that horrific memory, was terrified.
“Natasha. It’s alright. Grandma’s here….”
The Old woman hugged Natasha warmly. Natasha seemed to calm down a little, but she was still trembling.
Then, Kerry gently patted Natasha’s back. Natasha met Kerry’s eyes, and her trembling stopped as if by magic.
The grandmother stared blankly at the scene and muttered,
“Raising a granddaughter…it’s all for naught…”
Lina was worried when she saw Natasha. Natasha had only heard the story, yet her reaction was this severe.
If they went there chasing their enemies, there was no telling what Natasha might do.
‘But I can’t tell Natasha to stay here.’
Even if Lina told her to stay, she wouldn’t.
Then, Kerry and Lina’s eyes met.
Lina nodded as if relieved.
He was reliable. Yes, if Kerry was there, he could somehow take care of Natasha.
“We’ve rested enough. Let’s depart for the Village Where the Dead Return immediately.”
“I agree. We can’t stand by and watch those bastards harm innocent people again.”
“Revenge…We must avenge our tribe!”
The party began their travel preparations.
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It was time to leave the beloved Magic City. The Sage, upon hearing that his brother, Kerry, was leaving, came to the city gates to see him off.
“Farewell, my brother! I await the day we meet again!”
“Heroes! Thank you for saving the Magic City!”
“Kerry! You’re handsome! Please visit us again!”
Natasha and Victoria glared at the legion of women who had come to see Kerry off. Then, they hurriedly ushered him into the carriage as if hiding him.
Since the Magic Tower had prepared everything for this trip, it was quite comfortable. But the atmosphere inside the carriage was anything but.
Natasha and Victoria, with Kerry between them, were engaged in a cold war.
“The seat next to Husband is my designated spot!”
“There’s no such thing! You’ve sat next to Kerry often, so I’ll sit next to him today.”
“No! It’s my seat!”
Lina and the old woman shook their heads at the sight.
Lina stood up and said,
“If you sit here, the three of you can sit together. Elder and I will sit over there.”
“That’s a good idea. Such childishness. Tsk tsk.”
Now, Victoria and Natasha were sitting on either side of Kerry.
For Kerry, it was like sitting on pins and needles. He was caught in the middle of the two women’s power struggle.
Originally, Victoria always yielded to Natasha, but for some reason, she wasn’t backing down today.
Was Victoria also feeling sexually frustrated lately?
Being with the group, there hadn’t been much opportunity to satisfy Victoria’s needs.
‘Even so…Victoria is also young. To show it so openly just because she’s a little pent up.’
Although Victoria acted haughty due to her noble upbringing, she would be just a university student if she were born in Korea.
Thanks to Victoria and Natasha, there was no peace and quiet inside the carriage.
The carriage traveled along a rough dirt road, and after several days of camping, Lina and her party finally arrived at the village.
The Village Where the Dead Return.
The carriage slowly entered the village. Lina and her party looked out the window. It seemed ordinary.
“My ladies. We have arrived. This village has a bad reputation, so please be careful.”
As if agreeing with the coachman’s words, the horses whinnied and bucked.
“Why are you so restless today? Whoa- Calm down.”
The coachman, after dropping off Lina and her party, sped away from the village as if it were on fire.
They wondered if it was really that frightening, but the atmosphere of the village was certainly unusual.
Despite it being broad daylight, there wasn’t a single person around.
All the windows and doors were tightly shut, and a thick fog hung over the village, creating an eerie feeling.
Kerry shivered slightly.
“It certainly doesn’t have an ordinary atmosphere.”
“Yes. It seems we were right.”
Lina held out the Goddess’s Ring. The ring glowed, indicating the presence of magic in this place.
“What is that ring?”
Victoria, who didn’t know about the Goddess’s Ring, asked.
“It’s a ring Lina received from the Goddess. It glows when there’s magic nearby.”
“Oh. That’s a handy item.”
Then, an anxious voice was heard. Kerry wasn’t the only one who felt a sense of foreboding.
Rather, the person who felt the strongest sense of foreboding was right next to him.
It was Natasha.
Natasha trembled and began to mutter as if seeing something.
“Everyone…is dead…Mom…Dad…No….Don’t follow them….I’m sorry…I’m sorry…..It’s my fault…I did wrong….”
A dangerous red haze emanated from Natasha’s body. This felt dangerous.
Was she going into a frenzy just by arriving at the village?
“Natasha. Snap out of it.”
“Husband….”
Kerry tried to hold Natasha, but it was too late. The focus in her eyes began to fade.
And when the focus returned, Natasha’s rationality was gone.
“Grrr.”
However, Natasha didn’t lash out. It was thanks to Kerry being right in front of her.
“Natasha. Are you alright?”
“?”
Lick-
As if nothing had happened, Natasha licked Kerry’s face.
There wasn’t a major problem. He wasn’t surprised by Natasha’s frenzy anymore.
“I was worried, but this happened as expected.”
“I apologize, Lina. Natasha’s trauma runs deep.”
“I understand. And it’s alright since Kerry is here.”
Lina gave Kerry a look full of trust. It was a very burdensome look every time he saw it.
“Yes, Grandmother. There won’t be any problems if I take care of Natasha.”
Victoria, who had been quietly observing, grumbled, which was rare for her.
“I don’t like this. If Natasha changes like that, I can’t even go near Kerry.”
“Grrr-”
She was right.
They had tried to train Natasha not to be wary of others, but it was impossible to prevent her from being wary of beautiful women like Lina and Victoria.
Perhaps she instinctively remembered them as rivals. That was his guess, anyway.
“Victoria. It can’t be helped. Be the ‘adult’ and endure it.”
“….Alright. I suppose the more considerate one has to endure it. Unlike that simpleton.”
Victoria was surprisingly easy to handle.
“Then, we should find a place to stay since we’ll be here for a while.”
Lina and her party searched for an inn in the village. However, there wasn’t a single person around to ask for directions.
They wondered if there even was an inn here.
Why was the atmosphere in the village like this? If the sinister rumor about the dead returning was true, then this might be understandable.
After wandering around for a while, Lina and her party finally found an inn with a crude sign.
“We found the inn…but it’s not open.”
“….”
“This isn’t a very large village, so we don’t even know if there are other inns…”
“Let’s knock first.”
Kerry had to step up in situations like this.
If he left it to Lina, she might give up if the innkeeper simply said they weren’t open for business.
Please. Let there be someone inside.
“Is anyone there?”
Kerry knocked on the door. There was no response. He knocked again.
“Is anyone there?”
Finally, they heard the creaking of floorboards and signs of movement inside.
A voice came from beyond the locked door.
“Who is it? Who’s knocking on someone else’s door?”
“….We’re passing adventurers… Are you not open for business?”
“Adventurers, you say? It’s been a long time since outsiders have come to the village…”
The innkeeper peered outside through a small window in the door, seemingly assessing Lina and her party.
Kerry confidently showed them his companions. They were, after all, quite striking in appearance.
Kerry himself also had gentle and pleasant features for a man.
They were different from the rugged, bandit-like men of this world.
“You are open for business, right? Please, innkeeper. We have plenty of money.”
“….You don’t seem like bad people. Come in.”
Finally, the inn door clicked open.
The inn was covered in dust, as if it hadn’t been in business for a long time.
“It’s a bit messy, isn’t it? Please understand. I haven’t been open for business for a while.
Well, I can’t run a business if there are no customers. Please wait a moment, and I’ll clean the rooms for you.”
“Thank you.”
The party waited in the common room until the innkeeper finished cleaning the rooms. He soon returned.
“Sir. Why is this village so quiet? There’s no one around. We had trouble finding the inn because there was no one to ask for directions.”
“You didn’t hear the rumors before coming here?”
“Rumors…you mean the one about the dead returning?”
“You know about it. That’s why the atmosphere in the village is so eerie.”
Lina showed sudden interest.
“Could you tell us more about that rumor?”
The innkeeper’s face darkened. He waved his hands dismissively.
“I’m sorry, but…if you want to hear that story, you’ll have to find another inn.”
“….”
Seeing the innkeeper’s serious face, they couldn’t ask any further. They eventually agreed to just stay the night.
Did he have some kind of trauma?
In the women’s room, Kerry spoke.
“What happened in this village?”
“I don’t know. But something serious definitely happened. The Goddess’s Ring is still reacting.”
Even during their serious discussion, the frenzied Natasha was busy nuzzling Kerry’s face and acting cute. This was arousing.
The group decided to rest for the day.
They were all exhausted from rushing here while camping.
“Then I’ll wash up and get some sleep.”
Just as Kerry was about to return to his room, Natasha followed him. Kerry pretended to dissuade her, but Natasha refused to leave him.
She even started to tear up and cling to him as if she was being abandoned.
“I think it would be best for Kerry to keep Natasha with him.”
He had been waiting for those words.
“Ahem. It can’t be helped this time either. I’ll let Natasha sleep in my room.”
Lina nodded, and just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, Victoria suddenly interrupted.
“I’ll sleep in Kerry’s room too. Even if it’s Kerry, I can’t just leave Natasha alone with him since she’s a woman. I’ll keep watch.”
Who was watching whom? This lewd noblewoman!
“…”
He was momentarily speechless. Lina nodded as if that was also fine.
The grandmother suggested that she sleep in Kerry’s room instead, but Victoria flatly refused, and the grandmother seemed unconcerned.
But Kerry could see it.
Victoria’s lustful expression. He had often seen it when they were stranded.
Above all, Victoria kept sending him that lewd sign.
The finger-in-the-hole sign!
Victoria seemed to be thinking only about having sex with him. Kerry shook his head.
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