Chapter 496
The mud at the bottom of the pond rose up into the air, clumping together in thick lumps, and soon formed the shape of a face.
'...No way.'
But it wasn't a human face, it was the head of a dog.
Simon immediately recognized who it was.
"The Plague Beast, Kal!"
Crack—
The dog's head made of mud moved, staring at Simon, Kajan, and Feer.
Beneath the dripping flesh, bones peeked through—the image of an undead was unmistakable.
[Well, well~ How long has it been, Feer!]
It even spoke.
[Hahaha! Long time no see, Kal!]
The real Kal?
Had they found him so easily?
Simon gave Feer a baffled look.
[Of course not, boy! This is only a clone. It's the same type as that skull badge you carry around!]
Glancing at his badge, Simon immediately understood.
[But Feer, what's with the kid? Still having fun raising little humans like you did back in the day?]
Feer chuckled.
[He's Richard's son, Simon Follentia. Currently, he's succeeded his father as the Commander of the 7th Legion!]
[That guy's son?]
Kal's gaze turned to Simon.
[I see, yes! You look just like that bastard Richard! The 'blood' of humans is truly terrifying... I can feel that man's temperament oozing inside you.]
Kal's eyes glistened.
[Hmph. Still, looks like the colt raised his foal well. The boy's got an outer shell. A very sturdy and solid one. But what if we peel back that shell? Will you become the same as Richard? Or—]
"Sorry, Kal."
Simon grinned.
"That kind of talk can wait. We're here to bring you back. We've secured half of your body, but where's the other half?"
[I've no idea!]
Kal's clone barked with laughter, sounding exactly like a dog.
[The last I remember, my body was being carried away on a wagon, headed somewhere in 'Tarados'. My true body used its last strength to create clones that slipped out through cracks in the wagon! We crawled along the ground, hiding in nearby swamps and ponds to preserve ourselves. Since then, I've lost contact with the real me.]
Kal turned his head, staring at Simon from up close.
[And from there, I've been waiting for you to come! My true body gave the clones a directive—to sense when someone with Legion power was near!]
Simon smiled inwardly.
As expected, Kal's true body was in Tarados. They had come to the right place.
[Kal! Then where are the other clones?]
Feer asked next, and Kal shook his head.
[I don't know either. Not only with the true body, but clones can't communicate with one another. They're probably hiding somewhere damp, begging for help.]
[...Hmm.]
[In any case, hurry! Those bastards are conducting all sorts of horrific experiments on my real body! If this continues, my body will be destroyed beyond recovery!]
At that moment, Simon stepped forward.
"All right, Kal. But you have to promise me something. If we rescue you, you and your forces must join the 7th Legion under my command."
[Uh, uhm! Of course, that could... be... possible...?]
Kal's clone trailed off, his eyes rolling side to side.
[Let's put that aside for now! Isn't freeing me the priority? Only if we join forces can we wipe out those vile people! Take my hand!]
Simon suddenly turned his back.
"Let's head back to Keyzen. Feer, Kajan."
[Wait! Wait! Wait!]
Kal's clone panicked.
[You said you came to rescue me!]
"To be precise, we came to reinstate you into the Legion. If you refuse to return, then we have no reason to fight those people."
For a moment, Kal's face went blank.
[Y-You ungrateful human brat! Do you know how much I helped your father? I was Richard's benefactor, and now you'd abandon me like this?]
Without a word, Kajan spread out a map.
"The next teleportation circle back to Keyzen is fifteen minutes from here."
"Yes, let's go."
[Wait! Wait! Wait!]
Kal stuck out his tongue, panting like a dog.
[Fine! Fine, I'll return to the Legion, all right!?]
"Good. Negotiation successful."
Simon smiled brightly.
[Grghhh...!]
And Kal realized.
That smiling face—it was the exact same smile Richard had worn when he barged into someone else's dungeon and demanded they become his subordinate.
[Humans and their damn greed...!!]
Simon ignored the complaint and pressed further.
"Other than knowing your body's in Tarados, do you know anything else?"
[I'm only a clone, so I don't know the exact location. But I can sense the true body! Even now, I can feel it's not too far away! Take me with you. The closer we get, the stronger my reaction will be.]
Kal's clone was essentially a living detector for his body.
"Simon, use this."
Kajan pulled a socketed necklace from his bag and handed it to Simon. Kal's clone quickly slipped into the socket.
[Ooh! This place is nice. No drying out here.]
The necklace swung like a pendulum.
[Then let's go! Quickly! Find my real body!]
"Got it, now be quiet."
Simon snapped the socket shut and hung it around his neck.
"Thanks. I'll return this once we're back at school, Kajan."
"Sure. First, let's find a village."
* * *
At the same time.
In the swamps near Tarados.
[I am Kal's clone! Waiting for the one who bears the power of the Legion!]
Once again, mud at the swamp bottom gathered together, forming another clone of Kal. The same conversation Simon had earlier began to flow.
[As expected. Just as the intel said.]
A man cloaked in a robe appeared in the swamp.
His name was Alaze.
An Ancient Undead under Magnus, Commander of the 5th Legion.
[Even with the main base lost... Ancient Undead secured. Commander Magnus—radical move.]
Muttering to himself, Alaze stood surrounded by guards: undead cloaked in large robes.
Beneath their cloaks, stitched-together patches of flesh were held by thread, while foul saliva dripped from their mouths. Their pupils were swirling black whirlpools, like a child's scribbles.
Kal's clone was more wary of those undead than Alaze himself.
[Question.]
Alaze's voice was clipped, disjointed.
[Cooperation possible. Condition: if we extract your true body, you must serve under Magnus' 5th Legion.]
At the mention of another Legion, Kal's clone recoiled.
The 7th Legion had barely been disbanded, and now he'd be forced into another?
[T-That's...]
[No room for negotiation otherwise.]
Alaze was right, Kal had no other choice.
It had been years since someone with Legion power had appeared.
[...Fine. As long as you free me from those bastards!]
Alaze's lips curled into a smile.
[Kal and the 5th Legion, contract established. All who interfere... will be eliminated.]
* * *
Tarados, the Jewel of Freedom
Once, this land was a "Gold Mine Dungeon", brimming with rare ore monsters, a miracle that brought prosperity.
Treasure hunters and adventurers chasing dreams of instant riches swarmed here in droves. The territory's cities glowed with lights from dawn until deep into the night.
The locals welcomed outsiders without discrimination. Adventurers—regardless of region, nation, or race—clinked glasses, sang songs, and laughed together.
A new culture was born, one that transcended race and nationality.
The oppressed who had come together and lived side by side made Tarados grow into a new symbol of freedom.
But as the ore monsters within the Gold Mine Dungeon began to die out, outsiders' visits gradually dwindled. Then, when a new lord arrived in Tarados, everything changed.
Corpses began to float down the rivers.
People of Tarados transformed into grotesque chimeras, raiding neighboring farms beyond the mountains.
Ominous rumors spread endlessly, until no one dared set foot there anymore.
And the tales of Tarados had long since reached here as well, in the neighboring fiefdom of Eplun.
"You want to go to Tarados?"
The two had safely arrived in a nearby village.
At Simon and Kajan's request, the coachman stared at them in disbelief. Simon nodded firmly.
"Yes, we'd like to go right away."
"Pah! Have you young fellows been drinking since noon? Tarados is hell itself right now!"
The coachman waved his hand as if swatting a fly.
It was already the fourth refusal. The coachmen who had rejected them earlier leaned back against their wagons, chuckling.
"Who in their right mind would go to Tarados in times like this?"
"If you want to kill yourselves, there's a poison swamp in the ruins back there, why not use that instead?"
"Hahaha!"
Simon ignored their laughter and pressed on.
"What exactly is happening in Tarados?"
"Well... hrm."
The coachman cleared his throat, glancing around nervously.
"It's not the sort of tale I'd idly tell an outsider. I'd like to sleep peacefully at night."
Still, compared to the others who outright dismissed them, this one at least gave a semblance of a reply.
Simon slipped out a pouch of coins from his robe's pocket and held it up.
"I can pay you as much as you'd like."
Gulp—
The coachman swallowed involuntarily, but quickly flinched and waved his hands.
"Not for all the gold in the world! Money's nice, but my life's worth more!"
"So Tarados really is that dangerous?"
"Damn right!"
"But..."
Simon pointed with his finger.
"Those people seem to be heading to Tarados."
A group of freight wagons was preparing to depart in that direction. Men with grim expressions and drawn swords shouted loudly.
"...Careful. Don't even meet their eyes."
The coachman lowered his voice. Villagers were avoiding them, walking the other way or shutting windows tight.
"Who are they?"
"Ganes Guild. Name's just for show—they're nothing but bandits. Their base is in Tarados, and they're dangerous as hell... Hey!"
But before the coachman could finish, Simon was already striding toward the Ganes Guild's wagons.
The bandits scowled, raising weapons at him.
"Hey, who the hell are you?"
"Got a death wish?"
The atmosphere turned murderous, as if blades might clash at any moment. The coachman frantically gestured for Simon to come back, but Simon only smiled softly and looked at the bandits.
"You're heading to Tarados, right? What's in these crates?"
He pointed innocently at the boxes loaded on the wagon.
At that, the man who seemed to be their leader jumped down from the wagon.
"You little bastard, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
His voice was thick with killing intent.
Simon rummaged in his robes and produced his Keyzen 2nd-Year student ID.
"I'm from Keyzen."
The Ganes Guild members froze. The leader's face paled as he bit his lip.
"I'd like your cooperation in an investigation."
Simon tucked the ID back into his robe, pointing again at the crates.
"Let me ask again: what exactly are you transporting into Tarados?"
The leader let out a long sigh, then pulled a cigarette from his belt and lit it.
Fwooo—
The smoke spread like fog, clouding the air.
"Well, well. Learned young man, I see."
The leader chuckled awkwardly.
But the sight of the Keyzen ID had softened his tone, much gentler than before.
"You see, I've got a son about your age. Poor boy can't even afford Core Unleashing, just holed up somewhere making clothes..."
"This is an investigation. Please answer the question."
"If you're from Keyzen, you've only seen the good side of life, heard the good things, and you'll grow up to be one of those high folks running the country. So why go stirring a hornet's nest and risk getting stung?"
He blew out smoke and stepped closer.
"Those of us down here, we have our own way of living. It's filthy, it's ugly, but that's life. Poking your nose in only gets you hurt. I'm telling you this because you remind me of my son."
"If you keep refusing to cooperate..."
The air grew taut with suffocating tension as Simon lightly rested his hand on one of the crates.
"I'll just open it."
Srrk! Srrk! Shh!
Clang! Chhk!
The instant his hand touched the crate, every bandit drew swords and aimed at him.
"Hey now, don't do that~"
The bandit leader also pressed his blade against Simon's neck.
"Kid. I may be uneducated, but I know one thing for sure."
He pulled a pouch heavy with gold from his coat and pushed it toward Simon.
"If you just walk away, nothing—nothing—will happen to your life! Not a scratch! I mean really, why's a highborn student sticking his nose in where the commoners live? This is what you wanted, isn't it? Hah?"
Simon lowered his gaze, still resting his hand on the crate.
Past the leader's sword against his neck, he peered into the small gap of the crate.
And from that tiny slit—
"!"
—he saw a human eyeball rolling inside.
"L-Look, sir, so—"
"Hey."
Simon's eyes twisted into a devilish snarl.
"Doesn't look like something you can just talk your way out of."