Episode 329
The moment the village came into view, I stopped using the Heavenly Thousand Suns Path and approached my destination at a somewhat reduced speed. Instead of going into the village, I leaned against a huge tree with snow on it and gathered my thoughts.
Based on what I heard before my regression, there was a high probability that Kayan was wandering somewhere in the north. If I found the collector first, I could probably reach the main house around three days earlier, but I had no intention of doing such a thing. For some reason, I didn't think it was a good idea.
In any case, all my siblings were already gathered at the main house. Assad and most of the Council of Elders were also present, so it wouldn't be easy to move freely.
Of course, the more decisive reason was that Kayan's current location was unknown. Finding him in this absurdly wide snowfield was practically looking for a needle in sand. In the end, the fastest way to get home would be to wait for Kayan to come to Frostwolf Village.
I decided I would return to the main house at the same time as last time, three days later. Now I needed to focus on my original purpose, which was finding Verita. I had raised my level over my hundred days of training, but I still wasn't sure if I could defeat or overwhelm her. However, I had confidence that I wouldn't be easily defeated.
Above all, the decisive reason for why dealing with Verita was no longer so troublesome was the Dark Sky Moonward Peak. Thanks to this mind method, I could respond to even the worst-case scenario, which was Verita recklessly exposing my identity as a priest. Now I could dismiss such a thing as complete nonsense. Even if the Seventy-Two Churches captured me and examined every part of my body, I could conceal the Dark Qi without leaving a trace.
However, is it really okay to be this certain? I wondered. I was confident that I could deceive the eyes of most masters, but it would likely be a bit difficult if the one examining me was a bishop of the Seventy-Two Churches or an archmage like Assad.
For some reason, however, I didn't think that Verita would expose my true identity.
It wasn't that I now trusted her because of what happened on the snowfield, though. Verita was just avoiding me now, and I figured the reason had to do with the battle between Senior Brother He Lou, the Iron-Blooded Lord, and its outcome.
Then again, the reason wasn't very important. If that heartless fanatic, whose thoughts were impossible to read, was now avoiding me, it meant she was reluctant to meet me. Being reluctant to meet me meant she was aware of my reactions.
I figured that meant Verita was finally developing a sense of shame. That was enough for now; my philosophy was that if someone knew enough to feel shame, I could reason with them.
After thinking about it, I got up and went around Frostwolf Village. Paradoxically, it was small yet big. It was around the size of a mere village, but it was a place where giants lived. That meant the few buildings that were present were enormous.
It was a good thing for me. The buildings were so large that there were few places to hide, so it didn't take that long to look around. From that, it was just as easy to reach the conclusion that she wasn't in the village.
The reason I hadn't entered the village and asked people like Mir was that Verita would probably openly vanish if I revealed myself. Based on my current ability, I could avoid Verita's energy detection, but it would be impossible to find her if she made up her mind to hide herself. That meant I needed to move as stealthily as possible.
Of course, I had no intention of always searching alone. Fortunately, I knew someone who could know Verita's whereabouts, and it was someone I could more or less trust.
Before long, I arrived at a winter hill with a slight ridge. The building there was enclosed by a fence. I saw a hero dozing off against the entrance, but she wasn't completely off guard. The moment I let some of my presence slip, her eyes opened quickly.
"Who is it?" she shouted confidently as she raised her weapon. I seemed to recall her name was Annie.
In any case, I kindly introduced myself. "I am Luan."
"T-the Golden Fairy?" Annie exclaimed.
Somehow, I was starting to get used to this damn nickname. I let out a soft sigh. Then I explained the situation to Annie and asked where Verita was.
Annie stopped nodding frantically and responded obediently, "Ah! Sister Razbet is away for a while today. She said she had some urgent business."
"Urgent business?"
"I'm not really sure what it is."
"Then do you know where she went?" I asked without much hope.
However, Annie replied, "Yes! I saw her heading toward Ymir's remains! I am certain!"
"His remains?" I asked.
"I think it was probably to remove the miasma and clean up the church members, but I don't know the details. Currently, the area near Ymir's corpse is managed by the Seventy-Two Churches. If we don't have permission, heroes can't get access to it."
"I see. That was helpful."
"Gasp! In that case, can you sign this for me?"
I carved my signature on Annie's shield as I had before. Then I instructed her not to mention me if she ran into Verita.
"I will absolutely keep it a secret!" Annie replied with a smile.
Then, I headed toward Ymir's corpse. It was farther away than it seemed, but now I was a god of light footwork. Well, it wasn't really to that extent, but I was definitely a master. I would be able to get there in no time if I ran at full speed.
Regrettably, I didn't know Verita's precise location, so I decided to refrain from using my internal energy as much as possible. I sprinted across the white snowfield using only my physical strength. Due to that, it took quite a lot of time getting to my destination. By the time I finally reached Ymir's feet, the sun was setting.
I once again gazed at the largest corpse in the world. I couldn't help thinking about the time when I rolled around like a dog inside this corpse.
The frozen giant's body had no doubt endured countless years and accumulated layers of snow atop it every year. Those snow layers would have been tempered by the cold and piercing winds. Maybe that was why up close, Ymir looked more like a huge ice statue than a corpse.
Its surface was almost like ice, yet the moment it caught the light of the setting sun, the whole body seemed to be ablaze. It looked more like a flame giant than a frost giant, as if it had burned to death rather than frozen. It was quite spectacular, but I didn't look at it for long. Simply put, it was too dazzling.
In any case, quite some time had passed since the incident in the north. Ymir's corpse, which had contained an immense amount of Dark Qi, now seemed peaceful as if the disaster had been forgotten.
At least, that was how it seemed on the surface.
I soon realized I had no idea where the entrance was. I looked around Ymir's feet and shook my head, muttering to myself, "Where is it? Here? Where is it? Here? Seriously, where is it?"
I ran around like a maniac for around ten minute. It wasn't until the sun completely set that I realized something. Thinking about it, there was only one place that could be called the entrance to Ymir's corpse.
It was the anus of the world's largest frost giant... No, not really. It was the mouth.
I climbed up Ymir's body almost as if I were climbing a mountain. I thought about using the power of Crowtaker, but refrained from doing so, as there was a risk that Verita could sense the spirit. At least climbing Ymir was an easy task.
Then I reached Ymir's mouth. His enormous jaws gaped wide open, emitting an inexplicable chill as well as a foul smell. However, it wasn't the breath of Ymir that had condensed over thousands or tens of thousands of years. It was the lingering trace of Dark Qi.
Verita could be lurking somewhere inside this gaping hole.
I felt uneasy about entering recklessly. Perhaps it was because I had once wandered inside it for a very long time and gone through all sorts of things. Of course, Ymir's body wasn't as dangerous as it had been back then.
I thought about it for a while, but I suddenly sensed a presence and instinctively crouched down. I initially thought it was Verita, but it wasn't the case. The presence was sloppy and messy. More importantly, there were several of them.
Moments later, there was a clattering sound and a number of people appeared. There were over ten people holding pickaxes, sacks, and lamps. They looked like miners.
Of course, there was no way miners could be in a place like this. Judging from their skin color and features, they didn't seem to be from the snowy plains.
"Gasp, gasp..."
"Shit!"
They looked panicked as if they were being chased. Some were even covered in blood. I wondered if they were demons, or if they'd been attacked by remnant church members.
That seemed unlikely, though. The Hero Society had spent a month removing the lingering Dark Qi and were very thorough in eliminating any remaining church members. Of course, it was such a large place that it was hard to be sure that every one of them had been killed.
"Gasp, gasp... W-we've made it this far, so we should be fine, right?"
"W-we won't be able to get outside. It is definitely the work of a demon. There is so much miasma inside that we could've moved as we wanted, but that isn't the case outside—"
"Fuck!"
The one who cursed was a man who gave off a rather vicious impression. Judging from the attitude of the others, he was probably the leader.
He continued, "Hey, you bastard! Do we really have to risk our lives every time we enter here? In the first place, are there even any relics left? Hasn't the Hero Society already swept this place clean?"
"Huh? B-but Boss, you were the one who said that Ymir's body is so big that it is impossible to clean out everything..." a sly-looking individual began.
"Shut up!" the boss snapped, and the sly guy shut his mouth.
I finally understood the situation. Based on their appearance, the equipment they wore, and above all, the way they talked to each other, they had to be grave robbers.
I was dumbfounded. The area around Ymir's corpse was supposed to be heavily monitored by the empire, as well as the Hero Society and the Seventy-Two Churches. How were these lowlifes running wild here?
As a hero, it would have been right to step forward and deal with them. The problem was that I was moving in secret right now. If I made a fuss here, Verita would find out about my presence.
As I was thinking about what to do, something unexpected happened.
"Hey, you guys over there! What are you doing? Hey!"
Suddenly, a boy appeared from the opposite direction, calling out timidly. His appearance was very sudden, but the behavior he showed was even more absurd. He scanned the other people with a frightened expression and trembling eyes, then shouted in a faltering voice. His tone even cracked at the final Hey!
"Are you grave robbers? How dare you think of breaking into Ymir's corpse? Put down those sacks and get out of here immediately!" he cried out. It wasn't just his voice, but his entire body that was trembling.
The pitiful display caused the grave robbers to forget about the argument between themselves.
"What? Who is this kid?"
"Brother, I don't think this is an ordinary child. Look at the emblem on his clothes."
The sly guy subtly pointed at the boy's clothes, causing the boss to nod in acknowledgment.
"Is he from Frozen Hunt?"
The ice and arrow pattern engraved on the hem of the boy's clothes was Frozen Hunt's unique mark. They were the most famous hunting tribe in the north.
A cunning look flashed in the boss' eyes as he said, "I've heard that the Frozen Hunt's leather clothes are expensive. Their clothes are woven with magic patterns that can keep them warm even in a blizzard, and the material is lighter than down. It's a shame that this kid is so small."
The sly guy remarked, "Look at it another way. It can sell for a higher price if you tell the money-hungry nobles that it's a gift for their child."
"Oh. I see. Kukukuk. Life really isn't fair." The leader slowly drew the sword at his waist.
The boy seemed to have felt the killing intent. His face was pale as he shouted, "S-stop! I-I'm an honorable hunter of the north! I don't want to fight anyone!"
"This isn't a fight, kid," the leader said.
"U-uhhh...!"
The trembling boy seemed to be scared, but he made up his mind and drew his dagger. It was a strangely small blade, and didn't look like a weapon that could harm someone. The size and design resembled a tool for skinning the corpses of killed animals.
Naturally, the grave robbers burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"Kid, what is that? Is it a nail clipper?"
"The blade is barely the size of a pinky finger!"
Suddenly, there was a noise and their voices were abruptly cut off.
I blinked. If I hadn't trained my eye technique, I likely would have completely missed the kid's movement.
The boy, who had been at least dozens of meters away, suddenly narrowed the distance and clung to the back of the leader. The dagger held in his small hand plunged precisely into the man's throat. Judging from its position, it had accurately pierced the carotid artery.
Gurgle...!
The leader collapsed, gurgling with blood.
"L-leader?"
"Dammit!"
The grave robbers finally came to their senses and rushed forward.
"Uwah... Please don't do this..."
The only thing trembling was the boy's voice. In reality, the little hunter slaughtered the grave robbers in an instant with his skillful actions.
I didn't want to use a bloody term like slaughter, but I couldn't think of a more appropriate word. It had taken less than ten seconds for the robbers to collapse in pools of blood.
I thought the boy was at least on par with the Hero Society's A-class hunters, or maybe even stronger. I wondered if all the members of Frozen Hunt were such monsters.
No. That wasn't it.
I quietly placed a hand over my heart. As I watched the kid move, I had started feeling an unusually tight sensation in my heart. To be precise, the Dark Qi there stirred slightly. It meant he had just used Dark Qi.
He's a Dark Church member, I realized.
That wasn't all. I knew of only one kind of church member who could conceal Dark Qi so close to perfectly: a Colorless believer.
I narrowed my eyes.