Chapter 548 – The Warning and the Ghost Girl

000

Once I knew there was a pursuer or assassin, I couldn’t enjoy such a leisurely walk anymore.

Fortunately, the road from Asteris to the dungeon was not devoid of places where people lived, so Cleon decided to walk a little further and stop at a tavern attached to a small ranch in the middle to borrow a horse.

Cleon was fortunate to have brought the money from the East country in advance, but he paid the price by talking to the owner and refilling the canteen.

“Where are you going?”

When the owner, who looks like a man and has a large body, hands over a canteen filled with water and talks, Cleon accepts it and replies.

“It’s a canyon to the south from here.”

“Hmm? In a place like that, together with a girl like that?”

While saying that, the owner looked at Amelia, who was smiling while petting the dog tied up near the entrance.

For now, in case anyone sees it, she puts on a coat and uses her power to take on a slightly grown figure, but even so, the age difference seems a little too far for Cleon and the two of them to go together .

“Hmm? Are you on an adventure? I don’t know why, but you can’t enter that canyon without permission.”

If the owner added that, it seemed that Cleon and Amelia were suspicious.

“Well… It’s that kind of thing. And it’s okay to go with that permission.”

Of course, Cleon had already taken care of his worries, and the owner only shrugged his shoulders when he heard that answer.

“Then you’d better be careful enough. Recently, strange things have been happening around that gorge.”

“Strange thing?”

When Cleon asks that question, the host lowers his voice as he puts down the cup he was polishing, and gestures as if to close his ear her to him by flicking his hand her.

Then, Cleon did what he wanted even though he had a dull expression, and what he said was the following.

“You know that there are officials dispatched from the capital in the canyon. Well, they are the ones who control the entrance and exit of the canyon. Let’s say things are going on.”

“…”

Cleon listens to him and narrows his eyes for a moment, then as he removes his body her, he meets the owner’s eyes once more.

The hostess had a serious expression on her face her, but if what she said was true, there was no way that a beautiful dyer in the capital of the East would not have to say such a thing.

So, this is just a kind of rumor-

“By the way… Where did the owner get that story from?”

“That’s right, from the people involved, there’s really nothing around there, so there are officials who came up here to drink, and they talk about that when they’re drunk.”

“…Isn’t that the bragging rights of drunks?”

When Cleon sighed and talked about his story her, which was instantly unreliable, the host shook his head and spoke as if he were serious.

“I’d like to think so… But since others are saying the same thing, I have to believe it.”

If you talk that far, it must be a story with credibility.

“It’s a story I haven’t heard in Asteris, but it seems like it’s being clamped down.”

“That’s right! It’s the Five Elements system, so I don’t think such a disgraceful thing will be used until it goes to the capital. Besides,”

The owner laughed and continued the story.

“As you can see, this pub is far from town, and I’m raising horses as a hobby. So the only customers are the government officials I mentioned earlier, and it’s not an environment where rumors can spread.”

Then he pointed to his mouth her and spoke.

“If you stop this proud mouth, you won’t have to go all the way to Asteris.”

At his words her, Cleon sighed and laughed.

“Then why are you telling me now?”

“Yeah, it’s because I’m worried about young adventurers like you. You’re at that age. Of course, if you can get something in return, you can tell me more.”

At his words her, Cleon shook his head and put down an additional coin he was holding.

The price of renting the horse plus the price of buying water is almost the same as the amount paid earlier, the owner said with a satisfied face.

“Of course, it seems that the officials are also running around and investigating to solve the situation, but it seems that there is no such thing as a harvest. Besides, most of the soldiers found have lost their memories of when they disappeared.”

“But, if it’s a story of that kind, aren’t most of them stories about female monsters who seduce men?”

“Oh, you know me well. Are you more experienced adventurers than I thought?”

The owner nodded at Cleon’s words and praised him.

He crosses his arms and slowly continues the story he heard.

“As you said, there is a story that there is a monster in the shape of a beautiful lady nearby.

“Ghost…?”

“Yes. I heard that there is a ghost of a beautiful maiden? As for the story, a girl who died unfairly in the past. Or, a noble lady who threw herself into a canyon with her lover… Well, that’s the story.”

“The exact answer is that you don’t know.”

When Cleon pointed out that, the host could only scratch his head.

“What… Is it? Ah, but. All the men who disappeared are saying that they had lost their memory at the part where they walked into the gorge with a woman like that. If you see such a person, be careful. “

“…All right.”

Cleon nodded at his words and stood up as if he had finished his business.

Then, he approached Amelia, who was waiting outside.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, Cleon. Is the story over?”

“Yeah. I’ve heard things to be careful about there… But maybe Amelia will be fine.”

As Amelia rises to get away from her petting puppy, her puppy whines and whirls at Amelia’s feet her.

“Have you already become friends in the meantime?”

“Yes. This child is very calm.”

Amelia smiles embarrassedly, but she sees her dog circling around her.

“Sorry. I have to go now.”

And, if you apologize to such a puppy, the puppy will sit down on the spot while chirping as if she understood Amelia’s words her.

“You’re clever.”

Cleon smiles as he sees the puppy, then puts his hand on Amelia’s shoulder her, who can hardly get away from her puppy her.

“Let’s hear it when we return.”

To Cleon’s words her, Amelia nodded her head and responded vigorously.

“…Yes!”

001

With a whoa, the horse Cleon and Amelia were riding stopped.

After starting at the tavern, I wonder if I ran through the plains for about an hour.

Feeling the grass that had been filling the ground slowly diminishing, Cleon stopped his words as he confirmed that he was getting closer to the gorge.

It was after seeing the tents with Eastern flags and the soldiers blocking the road with fences.

They too, seeing Cleon riding towards them, crossed their spears and blocked their way.

“Stop! This is the royal order of Asteris, and no one can enter without permission!”

Seeing the soldier do his duty, Cleon asks Amelia to stay on, then dismounts alone.

And, as if they have no will to fight, they talk while raising both hands.

“I’m Cleon. I’m an adventurer who came after hearing about the dungeons in the gorge from Beauty Painter.”

“The Beauty Painter…?”

When the name of the beauty dyer comes out of Cleon’s mouth, their complexion changes and they look at each other for a while.

“…I’ll check with the upper management, so could you wait for a while?”

Then, one of the soldiers, whose attitude softened a little, said so, and ran to the largest of the tents set up next to the fence.

Of course, the remaining spearmen stand there blocking the front of the fence, still guarding it so Amelia and Cleon don’t go through the fence unintentionally.

Meanwhile, Cleon looks around and surveys the canyon landscape.

A canyon, like everywhere else, is still only an entrance, but a bleak place with dry trees and fallen rocks rolling here and there.

In addition, since the high cliffs block the sunlight, it will automatically become dark when you go inside, but the cliffs at the entrance also block the sunlight, and depending on the time of day, even though it is still early, the shadows are already creating a dark environment.

‘Indeed… In a place like this, dark magic is accumulated in the spirit veins, so it’s easy for ghosts to stir up trouble.’

Thanks to this, there was nothing very noticeable, and it is a place full of ocher and dark colors, without green.

In a place like this, Cleon’s heart is a little agitated when he recalls his hometown.

The eyes of the soldier standing in front of Cleon could not be seen very well because of the blindfold attached to the helmet, but at a glance one could tell that he was tired and shadowed heavily.

Staying in a place like this for a long time is sure to put a heavy strain on the mind.

It must have been necessary to prevent people from entering the dungeon, but I had no choice but to sympathize with them.

After waiting for a while and organizing my thoughts, the soldier who went into the tent walks out with another person.

With long navy blue hair tied in a ponytail, he looks neutral and has white skin, so he looks like a man or a woman.

However, he was taller than Cleon, slightly shorter than Cleon, and he was tall for a woman, and it would be better to judge that he was a man when he saw the armor of the Eastern powers on his body.

He followed his subordinates his and came to the front of Cleon, inspected his face his, bowed his head, and put his hands together in an oriental manner.

“Welcome, Prince Cleon. I was confirming that you were coming through a letter sent by the Beauty Painter. He said he was an adventurer with outstanding skills that even he acknowledged, but judging from his appearance, I think I know the strength of Prince Cleon.”

At his words her, Cleon bows his head slightly and greets him face-to-face.

“It’s too much praise.”

In response to Cleon’s answer his, the man spoke while slightly raising the corner of his mouth his.

“You’re humble. I’m also like this, but I’m a martial artist. I think knowing the other person’s skills, even if they don’t compete with swords, is a skill.”

And, as their eyes shine with interest, they talk while meeting Cleon’s gaze at her.

“It’s true that the beauty dyer didn’t hold back his praise.”

From him, he could understand Cleon’s strength her to some extent.

However, it was the same on Cleon’s side of her as well.

He was wearing armor, so it was hard to tell what kind of training he had been through, but there were no gaps in his eyes or movements in his.

Besides, feeling a kind of pressure similar to the kind of magic pressure felt in calm praise can be said to be the unique spirit of a strong man.

‘…Similar. Uncheck.’

Yes, Cleon, looking at him, felt that he was somehow similar to ‘Talcheck’.

Of course, their appearance and personality are completely different from gorillas.

Talchek, who had a muscular body and a fierce and macho face, and the man in front of him was the owner of an appearance that seemed to stand on opposite sides.

Tal-check, who is violent and dragging the surroundings while doing whatever he wants, and his polite and courteous personality his were the exact opposite.

However, the fighting spirit and fighting spirit honored in order to survive can be felt in that body.

The sharp fighting spirit, like that of a wild beast, made Talchek’s appearance overlap on him.

For a moment, when no words were exchanged between the two, the soldier who brought him kept his mouth shut and looked at them alternately.

“…Ah, jeez. I’m sorry. Another bad habit…”

Even then, the man who suddenly came to his senses scratches his head and smiles bitterly.

“My name is Aaron. I’m in charge of the guards in this gorge. Please take care of me. Alas, you don’t have to treat me with respect either. Prince Cleon is a close friend of Beauty Painter.”

“Then, so be it.”

When Cleon immediately loosens his guard, Aaron smiles.

Then, suddenly, he shifts his gaze to Amelia, who is looking this way while riding a horse behind Cleon.

“By the way, who’s riding on the horse in the back? From what I can see, you don’t seem to be from the East. Are you a colleague of Prince Cleon?”

“Ah. This is…”

Cleon stopped his mouth for a moment.

It’s certain that he’s a subordinate of the Beauty Painter, but there’s nothing wrong with being careful.

“That’s right. My colleague. Her name is Lia.”

At Cleon’s words, Amelia naturally lowered her head.

This had happened to Aurelia a few times before, so the sudden introduction of another name was familiar to her.

Hearing such an introduction, Aaron lightly greets Amelia, then turns his gaze to Cleon once more and talks.

“There is still time until the dungeon opens. In the meantime, please take a break in our tent.”

“Dungeon opening?”

Cleon tilts his horse’s head.

“Huh. Didn’t you hear from Beauty Painter? For some reason, the entrance to the dungeon in this gorge is only open at night when the moon rises. Although we don’t know much about magic, we don’t know why .”

There were certainly not a few dungeons with entrances only open under special conditions, but since he hadn’t heard of this dungeon being like that from Beauty Painter, Cleon had no choice but to keep his mouth shut at the unexpected situation.

If I don’t tell you that the return time is getting late, I’m sure Quon will be worried and restless.

“How would you…?”

If Cleon doesn’t answer anything, Aaron carefully asks Cleon another question.

“…Okay. Then, I’ll take care of you.”

Either he forgot to tell me about the dungeon or even he didn’t know much about this dungeon.

When Cleon responds, Aaron orders his men to stand and leads Cleon and Amelia into the unit.

The unit itself wasn’t that big, maybe a little over 10 people.

Seeing that there were also empty tents, I could see that the number of these troops was much smaller than when they were first made.

“There are a lot of tents that have been installed but have not been used. I think you can use one of them.”

“There aren’t that many people.”

“Yes. This area is extremely peaceful… Monsters rarely come out. However, since it is a bit far from the place where people live, the subordinates are also stressed. As a result, the number of people has decreased.”

Cleon nods his head as if he understands their feelings too.

“However, it does not mean that incidents do not happen at all.”

“…”

Perhaps, that meant that the soldiers would disappear and reappear the next morning.

However, as Cleon was also loyal to the owner of the bar who told him the story, he deliberately refused to answer.

“Now. Here it is.”

And the place the two were guided to was one of the highest quality among the empty tents.

I wouldn’t sleep here, but it’s a place that doesn’t lack for rest.

“If you ever need anything, let me know. Then.”

Then, while Aaron was talking like that, he turned his back on the two of them and walked away, and Cleon let out a small sigh and helped Amelia get off her horse.

“Anyway, I think I need a little more time to enter the dungeon.

“I’d love to…”

Amelia covered her mouth as she let out a small yawn.

Did the rebound that I prepared for waking up early in the morning come back?

Cleon smiled wryly at her, then took her to the side of her bed and laid her down, then he himself sat on top of the other bed.

“Are you sleeping too?”

“Last night was a little… Difficult. To do so. But… I have to contact Quon before that to say that he will be late.”

If you continue to extend the pass through the imprint of magical power, you will somehow reach the existence of Quon at the end.

[Cleon?]

[Ah. I’m glad I reached you. Sorry Quon, I just arrived at the front of the dungeon… I think it’s going to be late to go back.]

[What’s going on?]

Quon mixed with a worried voice at once.

Then, as expected, Cleon continues her words with another bitter smile.

[No, it’s not like that, the conditions for entering the dungeon are-]

While Cleon said that, he suddenly looked towards the entrance of the tent.

“…”

There, a girl was standing.

The tips of her toes—no, her entire body half-transparent—she draped her pure white garments over her body her.

As if she was not human and even felt creepy, she was quietly looking at Cleon.

Cleon could tell that it was the “Ghost” The tavern owner had talked about, but at the same time—

“…Nemea?”

Nemea, who had appeared in front of Cleon several times before.

When Cleon gets up from his seat without realizing it, seeing that figure that resembles it so much.

She disappeared in an instant and disappeared from the spot.

[Cleon? What’s the matter?]

[…Ah, no… Nothing. What were you talking about?]

Cleon put her hand to her head like that, losing her confidence in what she had just seen.

She sat down on the bed once again and continued her conversation with Quon.