Taken (7)

Thanks to the information obtained from Nightingale, Ian was able to pinpoint the area where Rudeus Delmora was active.

The most recent sighting of him was in the city of Kartai, located in the western part of Hisperion.

It was a city managed by Ian's family, the Greysel, but since Hugo came to power, public order had collapsed and it had become a den of criminals.

'Certainly, if it's there, it's a perfect place for dark mages to trade smuggled goods like human flesh or narcotics. It's somewhere Rudeus would settle down.'

However, they had not yet figured out the exact location of his workshop.

The information Nightingale provided only included accounts of Rudeus' smuggling activities and transaction spots.

Rudeus, affiliated with the Dark Mage Association, had placed orders for human flesh and magical clay through the association, and the records in the ledgers made it possible to identify his area of activity.

The place where Rudeus's smuggled goods were delivered was an inn in the city of Kartai.

Most likely, that establishment was an inn in name only, and in reality, functioned as a gathering place for dark mages to order or receive items through the association.

'I should start investigating from there.'

Ian immediately headed for the Kartai city inn, accompanied by Javier and the Heavenly Sword knights.

Since the goods Rudeus ordered passed through there before being delivered to him, if they raided the place, they would be able to find out his workshop's address precisely.

"Hya! Hya!"

"Dagdak! Dagdak! Dagdak!"

Riding at full speed, passing through the warp gate, they arrived at Kartai city, where thick fog filled the air.

Since the city was built on swampland, even the stone walls of the buildings were covered in moss and mold.

"It's so dark..."

The area was shrouded in fog, it was night time, and the weather was overcast, making it almost oppressively dark.

At least, dim yellow lanterns hung here and there on the street, barely making the road visible.

In the glow from the lanterns, the buildings that could be glimpsed looked like ghosts clad in black robes, vagrants sprawled every few steps along the street, and there was an ominous air and a sense of killing intent in the alleys.

If Ian had been an ordinary person without aura, he wouldn't have been able to stand even five minutes in this place.

It was an extremely eerie city.

'Kartai wasn't always like this. It only turned into this cesspool after Hugo took over.'

Originally, Kartai was a lively and beautiful city, known for cultivating specialty mushrooms and various herbs in its clean wetlands, which made it a favorite among alchemists.

But once Hugo became the head of the Greysel family, the budget for public safety in Kartai was drastically cut, and the gaps were filled by criminal organizations, which took root like mold so deeply that now the city had reached a point where it was impossible to fix without cutting out the whole area.

'Where did Hugo spend the budget he siphoned from Kartai?'

Most likely, it was squandered on luxury goods and pleasures to feed his own vanity.

The citizens of Kartai ended up paying the price for his foolishness, their lives sacrificed.

"Young master Ian."

While Ian was deeply lost in thought, taking in the city, Javier called to him and came up right beside him.

"It's best not to stray from me. This place is very dangerous."

"Yes."

Kartai, turned into a cesspool by Hugo, was notorious for poor security in all of Hisperion.

A young and delicate boy like Ian wandering around alone could easily become a victim of human trafficking.

Of course, Ian was not weak, so even moving separately from Javier wouldn't really be a problem, but from now on they couldn't be too careful.

If Rudeus was here, then most of the others involved in Yuria's kidnapping would be with him.

And, if the mastermind behind this incident was Theo, the eldest son of Hisperion, there could very well be someone of Swordmaster level or higher among those with Rudeus.

Javier and the four Heavenly Sword knights were there as a precaution against this very possibility, so it would be best not to separate.

"Sir Javier. If we happen to encounter enemies of Swordmaster level while searching for the lady, I'll ask you to handle them."

At Ian's current level, he could barely handle lower-level Swordmasters, but from the middle ranks up, even with Vladiark present, he couldn't guarantee total victory.

"Of course, young master Ian. That's the reason I came with you."

Javier had reached the level of a senior Swordmaster. Not only was his martial arts honed and remarkable, but his equipment was also extraordinarily high-class, so he could easily handle most master-level opponents.

A truly reassuring escort.

"Good. Then let us hurry. Let's find Lady Yuria before dawn."

"Yes!"

"Dagdak! Dagdak!"

Ian crossed the foggy streets of Kartai with the Heavenly Sword knights.

"Dagdak! Dagdak..."

"Prrr!"

Without pause, pushing their horses onward, they made it to their destination quickly.

The inn at the center of Kartai: 'Skull Candle Inn'.

According to the information given by Nightingale, this place was highly likely to be a dark mages' congregation point.

Before entering, Ian addressed the Heavenly Sword knights.

"If we all go in, it'll attract too much attention. Only Sir Javier shall come with me. The rest of you stay outside and keep watch."

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood."

Having instructed the four Heavenly Sword knights to handle the horses and stand watch, Ian pulled his robe's hood low over his face and entered the dark mages' gathering place, 'Skull Candle Inn'.

*Creeeak...*

The sound of worn hinges echoed in place of a doorbell.

Though the night was far advanced, there were still a few customers seated at tables.

Each of them was wrapped in bandages, or so pale as to be unnatural, their eyes half-crazed—clearly not the attire or expression of ordinary townsfolk.

They were probably dark mages affiliated with the association, corrupted spellcasters.

"Welcome."

When Ian approached the bar, the middle-aged bartender greeted him brusquely.

Perhaps he was wary, as Ian and Javier were unfamiliar faces in the area.

"Looking for a meal? Or a room?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"Ah. So you're not a customer."

The bartender's expression soured.

"This is an inn, not a detective agency. If you want to ask around, go somewhere else—"

*Thud!*

When Ian placed a heavy pouch of gold coins on the table, the bartender fell silent.

"Huh?"

"Fifty gold."

Fifty gold was about two months' wages for an average city dweller.

It was a substantial sum.

"Answer a few questions and it's yours."

"T-take that away! Put it back!"

The bartender raised his voice awkwardly.

But from his glances, he was subtly signaling toward the customers sitting behind him.

Apparently, with association people watching from behind, he couldn't openly provide information to outsiders.

"I'll wait for you in the back alley then."

Ian whispered to the bartender and left the inn.

"Mm-mm!"

Within five minutes, the bartender appeared in the back alley.

"You obviously know what you're doing, so let's not play games. You know what this place really is?"

"Dark mages' meeting place."

"Right. You know. Just keep your voice down—if the people inside hear, that's trouble. Anyway, money first."

"Here."

*Clink.*

"Heh heh... it really is gold."

"Now talk. I'm looking for a man named Rudeus Delmora. He's been trading goods through here."

"Ah, so that's who you're after? Of course I know him, noisy bastard."

"I need the address of his workshop. If you help me find him, I'll give you an extra 150 gold."

"One-hundred-and-fifty gold...!?"

That was about half a year's wages for an average city dweller.

A hefty sum.

"Hmmm... I'm not the kind of man who usually sells out my customers..."

The bartender coughed awkwardly, then spoke in a low voice.

"His workshop isn't in this city. Go to Morbeng village. All the goods he orders get sent there."

"What's the exact address?"

"There's an old manor on the outskirts of Morbeng village. Address is 3rd Street, no. 12, Morbeng village. For now, everything's being delivered there. I can't say for sure it's his workshop, but the place is definitely his territory."

The bartender said cautiously.

"You'll know as soon as you go inside. They usually bring the goods to the basement..."

"It's probably a field of corpses, right? Dismembered, dried piece by piece like fish?"

"Hm. So you even know that? You're well informed. But why are you after that man?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Ah, right!"

When Ian turned to leave, the bartender grabbed him urgently.

"Keep it a secret that I told you this! You get it?"

"Don't worry. I'm terrible with faces anyway."

"Th-that's a relief!"

Though he said that, Ian would not forget the bartender's face.

Someone who could be milked for inside information with money was a very useful source.

If he needed it next time, he'd use it; even use this transaction to blackmail him if necessary.

"Our next destination is set."

Ian immediately shared the information obtained from the bartender with the Heavenly Sword knights.

"Manor at 3rd Street, no. 12, Morbeng village. That's either his storeroom or workshop. We'll move at once."

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood!"

"Dagdak! Dagdak! Dagdak!"

Leaving Kartai city, they headed for Morbeng village.

Ian, Javier, and the Heavenly Sword knights traveled without rest.

Morbeng was a village near Kartai city.

Pushing their fine horses hard, they arrived in about an hour.

"It's foggy here too."

As it was a village surrounded by marshes and lakes, it was as humid here as in Kartai.

"3rd Street, no. 12... An old manor with a basement..."

Ian's party navigated their way using signposts toward their destination.

As the bartender had said, the house at 3rd Street, no. 12 was on the outskirts of the village, but since the village was bordered on three sides by swamps and lakes, it was practically the innermost part of the village.

To reach 3rd Street, no. 12, they had to pass through the entire village.

'If there are enemies lying in wait here, it's the perfect place for an ambush.'

And, of course...

"Stop right there."

Before long, Ian and his party were surrounded by more than a dozen men.

Front, back, both sides of the alley, even atop the rooftops.

Armed men emerged, blocking all avenues of retreat.

"Oh..."

A textbook ambush.

It was a grave situation.

*Smile.*

But instead, Ian and the Heavenly Sword knights smiled.

"Seems like we've found the right place."

"Yes, it appears so."

For a small village like this to have such a well-organized group of mercenaries was as good as proof something was hidden here.

'He's stationed mercenaries to prevent anyone from getting near the manor.'

Rudeus himself probably hadn't posted these men.

If it were him, he would have used puppets instead of people.

Most likely, these were mercenaries hired by someone behind Rudeus.

'So there really is something inside the manor?'

Based on the situation, this might be Rudeus's workshop.

Yuria could be in there as well.

'Now then...'

Ian calmly assessed the mercenaries' aura.

'These guys... I don't think they'd be that hard to deal with.'

There were a few capable ones, but at best, only expert level.

Most appeared to be below aura user tier.

'But... there's no need to fight if I don't have to.'

If a commotion broke out, all their efforts tracking Rudeus here would go to waste.

If fighting broke out and caused too much noise, Rudeus might end up escaping.

'It's better to withdraw for now and try a covert approach.'

With that thought, Ian quietly raised both hands.

"What are you doing, sir? All of a sudden."

A man who'd been blocking their way stepped forward.

He was a rough-looking fellow with an eyepatch over his right eye.

"You've trespassed on private property. Remove your hoods and identify yourselves and your affiliations, now."

"We're just travelers. We'll leave right now."

"No. Once you've come in here, you can't just walk away. Take off the hoods and identify yourselves. If you refuse, we'll use force."

The man was quite forceful.

'Not letting us go so easily.'

Their demand to identify themselves was probably not to judge if they were enemies.

Rather, it was a judgment to see if it was "safe to kill" them.

If they killed someone wealthy or noble, it could bring search parties, which would cause trouble, so this was about minimizing those risks.

If Ian and company had been ordinary citizens, the moment they announced their identities, they would have been cut down.

'Look at the bloodstains on the axe.'

You could tell from the axe slung over his shoulder.

The blood was dried on—the weapon had been wiped, but only haphazardly.

Maybe thinking it would get bloodied again soon anyway, so he'd only wiped it roughly.

'He's definitely killed a few already.'

If it was just ordinary civilians, there was little chance for an investigation in an area where security was such a mess, and it was easier to kill to prevent rumors about mercenaries stationed in Morbeng from spreading.

'I wanted to approach quietly if possible.'

But with them coming out this forcefully, there was no helping it.

The only option was to kill them all and break through quickly.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

It's still stealth if you leaven no witness behind...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】