Chapter 38 |
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[Translator – Clara]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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A slender crescent moon illuminated the dark street. Relying solely on that moonlight, the girl crossed the steep path.
On one side of the alley, there were abundant low roofs. The shadows created by these roofs cast darker darkness upon the dim street.
The back alley.
After arriving at the end of the alley, the heaven for Hastin’s thief girl, Rosalina, finally ceased her sprint. Her sanctuary was there—filled with scattered debris on the ground, an artificial watercourse, and a few structures. As she walked further, the vulnerable figures of people lying defenselessly on the ground became visible.
Rosalina, repeatedly catching her breath with each labored breath, finally turned carefully to look behind her.
There was no one chasing her. Only then did the tension release, and the girl took a deep breath.
“Rosalina.”
At that moment, a voice calling her echoed from the darkness.
Under the shadow, a man with a robust voice, familiar with hunger, like Rosalina, was also a resident of the back alley. Unlike Rosalina, he had spent most of his life in this back alley, and his eyes carried a certain harshness from his decade-long experience.
His intense gaze focused on Rosalina.
“Where have you been this late at night?” the man inquired.
Many other eyes in the darkness were also watching Rosalina.
“I told you not to roam around recklessly on dark nights. Especially in the current eerie atmosphere of the town, if you catch the eyes of the night guards, you know what will happen, don’t you?”
“No, no. I didn’t wander aimlessly for no reason! Listen slowly. Even this time, it’s for everyone…”
“For everyone? Is wasting your energy and making yourself even hungrier what you call ‘for everyone’?”
“No, it’s not like that. Listen…”
“…It won’t work. Your words seem like you haven’t faced reality. You’ve only been here for two weeks. If you keep acting recklessly like this…”
“Don’t push too hard.”
A sudden, authoritative voice interrupted their conversation.
Both the man scolding Rosalina and Rosalina turned their gazes simultaneously. Then, they both bowed their heads.
“…Captain, you were awake?”
A man with a bold voice spoke.
The man’s gaze, directed toward the darkness of the alley, revealed the figure of a man referred to as the captain.
Certainly, he possessed the figure worthy of being called a captain. Differentiating himself from other residents of the back alley, he had a robust physique, a shining southern face even in the dirty environment, and a gentlemanly appearance with combed-back brown hair and a neatly grown beard.
However, the lack of a proper wash made him not look as clean as he could have been. If he had maintained cleanliness and only had tidy clothes, he would have felt at ease participating in noble gatherings.
The man referred to as the captain turned his head toward Rosalina instead of responding to the man’s inquiry. Their gazes crossed, and Rosalina swallowed her words without speaking.
“You shouldn’t be afraid of the night if you’re a thief. That’s not going to do any good.”
In the firm but weighty voice, the man who had been scolding Rosalina quietly stepped back.
“Captain.”
“However, wandering around without a word is undoubtedly a mistake. Think about the possible harm you might cause to others by moving recklessly in such a grim situation, Rosalina. This place is different from the old home that used to warmly embrace you.”
Rosalina didn’t respond, just lowered her head with a tense expression.
Sweat drops fell through her disheveled pink hair.
The captain turned away, no longer reprimanding, and redirected the conversation.
“Okay, let’s continue with what we were talking about earlier. Rosalina, for everyone… didn’t you say that? What did you do?”
“Oh, yeah, Captain! Look at this.”
Only then did Rosalina relax and smiled. She untied something from her shoulder and laid it on the ground. It was a black garment used as a makeshift bag, with two white bones inside.
“Did you steal these?”
“Yes, Captain. I thought I should do my part too.”
“…Is this all of it?”
“I thought there would be a lot, too, but really, even after searching thoroughly, this is all there was. There was no food, and nothing worth any money.”
“There wouldn’t be any food in the wilderness.”
Without much interest in Rosalina’s desperate explanation, the captain, without any reaction, picked up the bones after a moment of silence. For one minute, then two, until other residents of the alley, sensing something strange, gathered one by one, the captain stared at the bones for a long time. Rosalina also watched nervously.
The captain finally asked Rosalina a question after a long time of observing the bones. Despite his normally low voice, his tone was even lower than usual, filling the alley at midnight.
“Where did you get these items?”
“Oh, that, it was from the inn, I mean… ah, ‘Rest Stop of the Sacred Tree’! I took them from a really nice-looking room! I thought it might be some artifact because it was kept so preciously in a deep drawer, and the bones were so clean, maybe something really valuable…”
“Rosalina.”
The captain’s low, murmuring voice interrupted Rosalina’s excited voice.
“Do you know what you have brought?”
“Well? Bones, right? I’m not sure what kind of bones…”
“Human ribs.”
“Huh?”
“All of these you brought are human ribs.”
The gazes of everyone changed from curiosity to astonishment in an instant.
A cold wind blew. Even in the silent situation where you could hear the sound of swallowing saliva, the hooting of an owl resonated clearly.
For a moment, time seemed to have stopped.
Startled, Rosalina took a step back. Her face turned pale. It took a few more seconds for her to utter an explanation.
“W-wait. Human bones! I didn’t know, really, I didn’t know!”
“Do you… really went to that inn?”
To the quiet question from another resident who had been silently observing, the bewildered Rosalina took another step back.
Soon, murmuring voices were heard everywhere.
Even though they were residents of the alley, living as beggars, and often engaging in stealing and plundering to survive, there were certain rules they strictly followed. Although occasionally violated in the chaotic times of the past, since the emergence of the current ‘captain,’ these rules had been rigorously adhered to. Most of them were to maintain at least a minimum level of humanity.
One of them prohibited grave robbing.
“Wait a moment! No!”
Realizing what everyone was thinking, Rosalina was horrified. Seeing her visibly distressed, the residents of the alley slowly rose to their feet. There was a shuffling sound behind her, and a few people were blocking her way.
Rosalina’s heart raced. With an expression that seemed like she might cry at any moment, the girl pleaded with her eyes towards the captain.
The captain was lost in thought. Eventually, he raised his head and glanced at Rosalina.
“Ca-Captain?”
“…It can’t be grave-robbing.”
Relieved by the captain’s words, Rosalina slumped down as if all her strength had left her.
“If it were grave-robbing, you wouldn’t have proudly shown this, and the bones wouldn’t be this clean. These might be bones used for some necromancy or dark magical purposes… perhaps even artifacts.”
“Is there a human who has a macabre hobby of collecting human ribs?”
One of the alley residents, who had been hesitatingly observing, asked. The captain, examining the ribs carefully, replied.
“In this world overflowing with trash, there are people who cut off limbs of slaves and enjoy them for divination purposes. Who knows? It might not be ‘human bones’ but rather ‘bones of someone who used to be human.'”
For example, a necromancer studying necromancy might use parts of a corpse as a catalyst for casting spells. The bones Rosalina brought were just two delicate rib bones. It’s probably more accurate to think it’s related to that.
Above all, the captain was certain. Rosalina had no reason or courage to engage in grave-robbing. Thinking rationally, it was absurd to suspect her.
“Rosalina, you said you got these items from the ‘Rest Stop of the Sacred Tree,’ right?”
“Uh, yes, Captain.”
“…In that case, I will tell everyone awake right now. Approaching the vicinity of the ‘Rest Stop of the Sacred Tree’ is prohibited for the time being. Don’t even think about it. This is not advice but an order.”
As the captain spoke, the sound of dry swallowing was heard among those who were holding their breath.
“If you see anyone acting suspicious, do not approach them under any circumstances. Someone might be wandering through our territory looking for these items. If someone asks about the whereabouts of these items, say you don’t know until the end. Never show that you know anything.”
Researching necromancy and black magic is dangerous. If the one searching for the bones is not a necromancer, it might be even more perilous.
“Rosalina, make sure not to engage in such reckless actions in the future.”
Rosalina nodded vigorously with a determined look.
The tense atmosphere dissipated in an instant. With that, everyone who had been paying attention to Rosalina and the captain returned to their respective places, and only a few remained to deal with the situation.
“We tried, but there’s no profit in it.”
“Well… Captain, sorry. Sorry, Tott.”
Tott, a robust man with a bold voice, turned his head without saying a word.
The captain picked up the black garment Rosalina had used as a bag.
“This is a reasonably useful piece of clothing. When the sun rises and everyone wakes up, give it to the person who needs it the most.”
It wasn’t a clean piece of clothing. Traces of wear and tear were visible here and there. However, it wasn’t so worn out that it couldn’t be worn. Rather, the fabric might be considered top-notch. The captain, who had an eye for valuable items in the past, could be sure of it.
‘…It’s inconspicuous.’
Judging from appearances alone, it was undoubtedly the sort of rag that beggars might wear, but in reality, the weave of the fabric was sturdy. Without feeling it in person, it was hard to tell, but there was a good chance it had been coated with magic.
Furthermore, what was suspicious was not just that. As soon as the captain picked up the clothes, he frowned. It felt substantial. It wasn’t extremely heavy, but for clothes made with special fabric, it had a weightiness.
“There’s something inside the pocket.”
The captain looked at Rosalina again. Rosalina, meeting his gaze, had a tense expression, as if not understanding the meaning of that look.
She must have been absent-minded. She probably didn’t check the inside of the pocket thoroughly. The captain, after a brief consideration, wordlessly rummaged through the pocket.
As expected, he grasped something solid, and he pulled it out of the pocket.
What came out of the pocket was neatly folded paper. Although something was written on it, it was too dark to read. The captain furrowed his brow and unfolded the paper. There was something inside the paper.
Gold coins.
Not just any gold coins, but five one-ounce coins, not even one-tael.
“…And they’re not fake.”
Uttering a whisper as if enchanted by the faintly shining gold, the captain continued, “For common people, these are ‘more valuable than necessary’ units of currency, so they’re not actually used much. It’s money that you would have to work for a whole month even if you worked your bones off. What commoner would prefer a coin more risky than convenient?”
And there were five ounces of such gold coins.
After concluding his thoughts, what came flooding in was a sense of unease. What kind of people would carry around such gold coins casually and hold human ribs?
The captain turned his head towards Rosalina, but her gaze was completely stolen by the gold coins. A girl like her probably wouldn’t know any secrets.
“Rosalina, I’ll explain the details later. It’s not common for a guest to have such items. For now, I’ll take care of the clothes, bones, and gold coins.”
“Uh? Captain?”
“Trust me.”
“…Yeah, got it.”
Rosalina nodded. While it was uneasy to entrust the gold coins found in the clothes she brought, the captain was the most trustworthy person here.
After finishing a bit more of his thoughts, the captain hastily put the gold coins into his pocket. He was just about to gather the clothes and bones as well.
At that moment, in the dark space, a single shadow was added.
“Ah, finding you was a real pain. But it seems like we’ve got the right one, Boss. Doesn’t that outfit match the Boss?”
“Aah… We found it. We survived…”
“Thank goodness. My precious and beautiful things are also there.”
A somewhat cheerful voice echoed in the dark alley. It wasn’t the voice of an alley resident, and it was a voice that no one in the alley had heard before. The size of the voice wasn’t considerate of the sleeping people scattered throughout the area, and it was quite loud.
Everyone who was awake, as well as those who woke up, raised their heads. A man in shabby attire and an armored knight, who knows when, where, and how they arrived, were standing in front of the captain and Rosalina.
“Well, everyone, pay attention. You might be curious about who we are… Well, there’s no need to say it. Oh, everyone’s expressions are a sight. Your faces are saying, ‘I, conscience, stabbed.’ Finding the culprit should be less of a hassle.”
The knight chuckled.
“Damn thieves, we’ve come to retrieve everything that was stolen.”
Phase 3
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[Translator – Clara]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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