Episode 315 – Vagabond Notura (1)
We left the castle by carriage.
Karl looked out the window at the receding castle with a sowhat surprised expression.
“They sent a carriage the mont we said we were leaving. I thought they’d try to stop us.”
“I have two items listed in Dark Sales. There’s no reason to hold us back. They probably assud I’d just be staying in the outer district.”
“So basically, they’re holding collateral?”
“Let’s just say I’ve left sothing with them.”
Karl chuckled quietly, and I quickly skimd through the docunts he handed .
There was quite a lot written in the book, so it took so ti to read through it all.
“Impressive info, right?”
“Yes. The scale of the slave trading groups is larger than I thought.”
“Aintrier has been in the business of trafficking other races for a long ti. Plenty of trading companies grew rich off of it.”
“This isn’t all the information, is it?”
“Of course not. It’s only been five days—how much do you think we could gather?”
“Still, it’s pretty detailed for five days.”
“Didn’t you say we needed to save ti? We’ve got money. So I paid the information guilds to collect everything on groups that deal in slaves. What we personally investigated was the structure and scale of each company. If a group is big, you can bet a hundred out of a hundred that they’re involved in slave trading. The Ghosts are leading the Leafs now for deeper intel. We’ll have so useful reports soon.”
It was fortunate Karl was with .
He had once served under Kal, unifying the continent’s underworld.
Even though fate had changed, his knack for intelligence remained the sa.
“What about Elton?”
“He’s guarding the warehouse. I’ve gone to great lengths to conceal the area, so it should be safe. But have you decided where we’ll be staying?”
“I’ll have to think about it. We’re bound to attract attention.”
Karl nodded.
The mont we left the castle and entered the plaza, I could already feel unpleasant stares. I couldn’t tell their exact locations, but my instincts were clear.
We had tails.
“Azonne’s eyes?”
“Could be. Or scavengers. Or just soone curious about us.”
“Try not to make more enemies here. It’s going to be trouble.”
“We’re just getting started.”
“You’re a real pain, you know that?”
Karl sighed and waved his hand.
The carriage turned down a side road.
It seed we’d need to find a new place to stay away from the main streets.
The portal Samuel installed in the first-rate warehouse was still glowing blue.
Since it hadn’t yet activated, we’d have to wait until it turned red.
More than anything, we absolutely couldn’t let Azonne discover the portal’s existence.
If he sets up a spatial-distorting barrier like last ti, it’ll be trouble.
I mulled over possible lodgings.
There was no avoiding the eyes watching us.
What kind of place would be best?
“Karl, let’s head to the outskirts. Better to avoid the busy areas.”
“Sure.”
“I think we should rent an entire building.”
“The whole thing? Well, yeah—cutting off spies would be easier that way. How big are we talking?”
“About four stories.”
“Four floors? That big?”
“We’ll need the space. I expect we’ll have a lot more people staying with us soon.”
“You’re not saying... more reinforcents?”
Karl asked, looking hopeful, but I shook my head.
“Other races will be staying there.”
“Other races? You’re going to bring them in?”
“It’s about ti to prepare. We don’t have much ti.”
The information Karl brought included a list of slave companies holding other races captive.
There were at least five large-scale companies specializing in non-humans, and over thirty if you included smaller operations.
Over thirty.
Way too many.
Visiting and negotiating with each one individually would take too long—and rchants talk fast.
The mont they caught wind that I was trying to free non-humans, the others would jack up their prices.
So I had to minimize the number of negotiations—or find another way to deal with the rchants.
“How about this place?”
Karl stopped in front of a four-story wooden building.
It was outside the main streets, with a wide-open surrounding area—good for making secret surveillance difficult.
“Let’s take it.”
“Alright. Wait here a sec.”
He looked suprely confident as he clutched the money pouch I had given him, filled to the brim with gold coins.
I’d told him to spend freely, and he’d clearly been enjoying it—blowing money left and right, thoroughly indulging in the joy of spending.
While Karl went inside to handle the rental, I turned to look at Lochter sitting up front.
Since leaving the castle, he had sat silently, arms crossed and eyes closed.
I could see traces of concern on his face.
And I had a good idea what was bothering him.
“Tough, isn’t it?”
At my words, Lochter slowly opened his eyes and looked at .
“It is.”
“How many simulated battles so far?”
“Two hundred twenty-two.”
“The result?”
“Defeat. Every ti we fight head-on.”
Richard’s Invisible Sword.
Lochter had been visualizing hundreds of mock battles against Richard’s fifth sword, but every one ended with his death.
No path to victory had yet revealed itself.
There was no way to dodge that reaper’s blade slipping through the storm of the other four swords.
“To face the Invisible Sword, you need solutions to the other four first. A step-by-step approach.”
“You an I need to break each one first?”
“Exactly. Only then might you be able to respond to the Invisible Sword.”
“Has anyone ever experienced his fifth sword and lived?”
“No one.”
Lochter fell silent and stared at quietly.
We had been together long enough that I could guess what that look ant.
[But how do you know about the Invisible Sword?]
That’s what he wanted to ask—but he held back.
Maybe because he didn’t want to make uncomfortable.
I couldn’t tell him the truth, but I did have an answer to ease his suspicion.
“Divine Nas can reveal many secrets. And soone among us is closest to those secrets.”
I glanced to the side, and Lochter followed my gaze—then gave a small smile and nod.
Lily Base.
The witch most attuned to divine revelation—the one who could read divine nas better than anyone.
He likely assud she had told Richard’s secret.
“Did the reply from the castle arrive? You seed to be waiting for it.”
“I sent a letter, but haven’t received a response. Just as smug and arrogant as they look.”
“Who’d you write to?”
“Nagrok, Sub-Tower Master of the Ivory Tower.”
“You had sothing to say to Demtor?”
“More to the Ivory Tower than Demtor itself.”
When I fought Richard, I’d encountered Nagrok. Unlike the Spider Queen Azolett, he’d made it clear he had no desire to openly oppose the World Tree Union. But I wanted to know what he really thought.
This clearly wasn’t Demtor’s will—it had to be Modin’s.
I had spared Modin, the Tower Master, during the battle in Ordor Forest.
It had been a deliberate move to provoke a split within Demtor.
Now I wanted to see what kind of ripple that butterfly effect had caused.
I wanted a deeper read on Demtor’s situation...
I’d hoped to clarify a few things by eting with Nagrok, but with no reply to the letter, it seed he was still being cautious of other factions.
Or perhaps he’s still testing the World Tree Union’s strength.
Whether his intent was curiosity, a favor, an alliance, or sothing more devious, I had to et him soon and find out.
Only once I knew whether he was friend or foe could I make a firm decision when it counted.
“All right, everyone in! Ti to unpack!”
Karl’s voice rang out from outside.
Looked like the deal was done.
Lochter stood up and dusted himself off. Before heading inside, he said firmly,
“I will figure out a counter for the Invisible Sword.”
“I look forward to it.”
I smiled and watched him go inside the building.
If it’s Lochter, he just might really find a way to beat Richard.
I turned quietly to Lily and asked,
“Lily, is Lochter’s divine na still the sa?”
She stared intently at him and nodded emphatically.
“Yup.”
“...Hmm.”
His divine na hadn’t changed.
There was an unspoken rule that once determined, a divine na couldn’t change.
But I had broken that rule when I beca a Divine Na Hunter.
It ant a na could shift if a person experienced a major enough turning point in fate.
Lochter’s divine na: Knight of Betrayal.
Even after the war with Kal and severing ties with his territory, he still bore the na.
Why is “betrayal” still part of him...?
Am I the only one who’s truly special?
Since no one else had ever changed their divine na, the thought wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
That mont, a bell rang out suddenly, scattering my thoughts.
Ding—
“I’m hungry.”
Lily, who had been fiddling with a small bell, now wore a pout.
The bell was one she had brought from Azonne’s castle, and she kept it like a treasure.
It was because, back at the castle, ringing it would always bring her snacks.
“Woof!”
Hearing the bell, Keros shot up from the sofa and looked around.
He must’ve thought it was snack ti too.
Just like Pavlov’s dog—he was already drooling.
I sighed, watching Lily jingle the bell.
“Why did you bring that?”
“Because it summons snacks.”
“That only works in the castle.”
“Ugh. No dessert’s coming.”
Looking at her sulking, I took the bell from her hand.
“Co with .”
I got off the carriage and went inside the building.
The innkeeper welcod with an obsequious bow the mont he saw .
Judging by his expression, he had confird from Karl that I was the one holding the purse strings.
Good.
“Here, take this.”
“Huh?”
He blinked and took the bell from , looking up in confusion.
I glanced at Lily and said gently,
“Please give this bell to that lady. When she rings it, bring her any food she wants. Can you do that?”
“Any food...?”
“I an anything—even food you don’t make here. Go out and get it.”
“Yes, yes! Absolutely! Just say the word!”
We had rented the entire building, and for an entire month, no less.
To the innkeeper, we were custors worth clinging to at all costs. He would do whatever was asked.
As he dashed off with the bell to Lily, I headed upstairs and unpacked in one of the rooms.
A few minutes later, Karl entered.
I pulled back the curtains and looked out the second-floor window.
“Are we being followed?”
“Quite a few eyes are watching from the shadows.”
“Get rid of them.”
“Now?”
“Yes. Let’s be direct.”
“That’s a warning shot. You want them all dead?”
“Kill them all.”
“Ruthless, aren’t you?”
“We need to act decisively here. If we look weak, it’ll lead straight to death.”
This was just a temporary base—but I wasn’t planning to let anyone look down on it. This was where things would begin.
Karl nodded and scanned outside.
Even if we eliminated the current spies, more would co by tomorrow.
“This is going to get annoying. I’d better bring in so ghosts.”
“And go to the warehouse—bring Notura here.”
“Notura? That old vagrant?”
“Yes.”
Among the vagrants we recruited to pass on knowledge of Hell Gri to the Leafs, Notura stood out. That’s why I rembered his na.
Karl had told his story—how he used to run a trading company in Aintrier, only to be ruined after being falsely accused.
Now, he was just waiting to die.
If he’d once run a business in Aintrier, then he’d understand the way this city’s rchants think better than anyone.
That’s why I planned to ask for his advice.
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