Chapter 19: Chapter 19 – I Am Shocked

It was hell on earth.

There truly was nothing else that even came close to describing the sight that we saw when we arrived at Count Oswald’s fief.

“Horrific” didn’t even begin to cut it.

“H-How can humans be so atrocious to their own kind!?” Antenora covered her mouth, gagging as she was forced to lay eyes on the grotesquely impaled corpses stacked upon pikes.

They were all laid out in several groups that formed circles, no doubt having been used as part of a ritual.

Flies filled the air with incessant buzzing, and thanks to my [Eagle Eye] skill, I could also see a few of the corpses teeming with maggots.

This is absolutely fucked.

“Hell if I know, but I’m damn well gonna give that Oswald prick somethin’ to think about.”

To my surprise, Lucrezia had sidled up next to me and placed her hand in mine, squeezing it. She was trying her best to stay strong and turn her eyes away from the sight.

I really couldn’t blame her. If I had the choice, I wouldn’t want to see this shit either.

We continued to press on, averting our eyes as much as possible which wasn’t often.

It wasn’t until we reached the town surrounding Oswald’s castle on the hill that things became worse.

Coming to Paresica, I wasn’t sure what the level of technology was like. I mean, I knew it was a stereotypical medieval fantasy world, but I didn’t expect that there would be absolutely zero sanitation on the streets.

Even a simple cleansing spell could fix the obnoxious stench that rose from the cracked dirt beneath our feet.

Anetora and Lucrezia quickly covered their noses, and I soon followed suit.

“...Your nobles certainly don’t treat their people very well.”

“Evidently not. Also, they ain’t my nobles. I don’t want shit to do with ‘em.”

Antenora looked surprised at my statement, though I didn’t know why.

“You would abandon your leaders?”

The way she put that kind of pissed me off, but I managed to contain my emotions. I had no idea what gave her the impression that I’d allow myself to be led by people who were this fucked up. Maybe the eastern tribes just saw humans as one big tribe, which... wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

“Like I said, they ain’t my leaders. I call my own shots, woman.”

“Of course. You certainly wouldn’t be running around looking for a Yrdis Pearl which only appears once in a century if not for your own desires and your own desires alone.”

“Guh! T-That was...!” I couldn’t really think of a good retort, but Lucrezia giggled, so I guess that's alright. Honestly though, it was a pretty low blow coming from Antenora.

She wasn’t wrong in that Yrdis Pearls only appeared once in a century, but that was only if they grew naturally. As it so happens, it was possible to accelerate the growth of a pearl by pumping a large amount of mana in it.

Luckily for me, the only mana-dependent skill that I had was [Pyromancy], and that sure wasn’t seeing much use. Obtaining the Yrdis Pearl hadn’t really been that difficult, with the only real obstacles being the monsters I had to take out.

Really, walking through this section of the town was far more challenging.

“Please... Can you spare some food?” A hoarse voice croaked from one of the villagers. They looked like little more than shambling corpses.

Antenora visibly cringed in disgust, and Lucrezia averted her eyes, but I alone stared at the man.

He was the only one among the heaps of sedentary villagers who still had the strength to stand. The rest were simply lying prone on the ground or leaning against a building in a seated position.

Even on Earth, I’d never seen anything so cruel.

I reached for the supply sack, but Lucrezia stopped me, shaking her head.

“The best thing we can do is to fix this whole situation... And that means taking down who’s responsible.”

Antenora nodded in agreement.

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It was true. The reason behind the dismal state of this fief was because of the ruling count. Antenora expressed how surprised she was at the lack of responsibility that human leaders had once more as we moved on.

But even so, the problem would persist if the person they appointed afterwards was just as bad.

I wondered if the city I saw from afar on my first day here was like this. It looked pristine from atop the hill, but I wouldn’t know unless I got close.

It was pretty clear that they’d never actually seen what human society was like based on their reactions. I wish it had stayed that way.

As we approached the gate, Lucrezia and Antenora pulled their hoods further down to hide their faces and budding horns. Two armored guards stopped us at the lowered portcullis.

If they were malnourished, their voices certainly didn’t show it.

“Stand where you are! State your names and business!”

“Uh...”

Well, shit. I definitely wasn’t expecting security to be this tight after seeing the town in such a dismal shape. In retrospect, it definitely made sense, though. This was the only way the count would be able to prevent a violent uprising.

“The name’s Claudia. From, uh, Greenfield fief.” I said, stating a random fief name from the rulebook after quickly opening it.

“I’m a merchant.”

One of the guards squinted at me.

“Really now? Where’s your trade permit?”

“...I forgot to bring it.”

Naturally, the guard laughed and then proceeded to let me in with an understanding smile, laughing and offering me a drink before I talked business with the count.

—Yeah fuckin’ right.

He leveled his spear at me in the universal language of “Fuck off” and told me to get bent.

As much as I wanted to charge straight in and fuck up everything inside the castle, that wasn’t going to be an option. If our goal was merely to attack and kill the count, that’s probably what I’d do.

However, our main purpose in even coming here was to save Aurelia, Lucrezia’s sister. And rescue missions required a little more tact than just going wild with my fists.

We were already lucky enough not to get arrested at the front gate for that stunt.

Of course, I attempted to use the penetrative vision of [Eagle Eye], but based on the black dome of mana that I could see using the skill, it was probably being shielded by some caster.

As we descended the road that led away from the castle, a group of hooded figures standing at the foot of the hill caught my eye. One of them stepped away from the group to bar our way, causing me to immediately become alert.

“Pretty smooth.” The voice was surprisingly high-pitched and feminine, but it had a somewhat guttural accent that I couldn’t quite place.

“Shut up.”

“You’re trying to get inside the castle, aren’t you? Why don’t you come with us? We’ve got a plan now that you’re here.”

I spared a glance at Lucrezia and Antenora. Both of them nodded, though I noticed Antenora’s movement came a second earlier.

Fuckin’ telepaths.

“It’s worth a try.” Antenora said.

“And even if this is a trap, you can just wipe them out!” Lucrezia added with a grin.

I shrugged. If the telepath said it was fine and Lucrezia was placing such faith in me, who was I to say no?

However, one thing did kick my paranoia into high gear even as we followed the group of hooded people off the main road.

What the hell did they mean by “Now that you’re here”!?

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