Chapter 419 – Solid Evidence

“Bwak!”

Deathly wounds and red blood coming out of the shabby wooden ceiling.

The blood that began to flow through the gaping space fell on the floor, leaving a dirty trace.

“Inhale…”

Atra covered her mouth to prevent making any noise and waited for Roman to make his next move.

A black sword that did not stain a single drop of blood even after cutting through thick flesh.

Roman lowered the weapon into a comfortable position, closed his eyes, concentrated his attention, and traced his surroundings using only his senses.

‘There is only one intruder. Are you trying to watch the rest?’

There are some things outside the inn that don’t move at some distance.

As an uninvited guest on the ceiling who took the initiative and risked his life, the other side may also want to check the response of this side.

Perhaps because the sticking time is short, the movement itself has a strong passive feel.

“Hmm.”

Roman opened his eyes and took a deep breath, putting the long sword into his inventory.

He took out his familiar dagger and his hatchet, which had been wrapped around his head with leather, and fastened it to his belt.

“Except for the uninvited guest on the ceiling, there don’t seem to be any guests. I don’t feel any magic or gaze, so it would be best to rest and move as shown.”

Atra nodded his head with a stiff expression, looking at the ceiling where blood was flowing down.

“···Brother. Is the person who infiltrated an elf?”

“The one above is not an elf, but a beastman. According to the information, it is not just the elf that is paying attention.”

It was a moment when the credibility of the information provided by Varian increased.

It is natural that high-ranking people who made a lot of money or benefited from the war would have become united after hearing the news.

Cases where elves, including saints, shared information with other races that could be of help were also within the expected range.

After checking the color of the tuft of fur sticking out between the gaping ceiling, Roman moved to the window and relayed the information to Atra.

“It has dark gray fur, even among the beastmen. It might be the one sent from there, so I’ll check its belongings.”

“Don’t worry about me, just take your time…!”

Since the person was following her, there was a strong possibility that even if they searched her pockets, they would be in vain. Even so, there is no option not to do it.

Rattling!

Roman opened the window wide to ventilate the scent of blood and clean her body.

Roman, who placed one foot on her window frame and held onto the edge of the roof, showed Atra, who was frozen, her face that had softened.

“There is no snow on the other side yet, so we will deal with it there.”

“Brother… Be careful!”

“Thank you.”

Roman, who turned his body around and climbed onto the roof without any sign of presence, bowed his waist and rolled his eyes.

The shape of the roof is not bad enough to block the view to the other side.

‘Even if you throw it away, you won’t find it right away. Looking at it, it doesn’t look like there’s anyone worth looking for.’

The reason she chose an inn located in the backwaters of the village was because of this purpose.

The front of the inn has a road leading to the back of the village, and if you look just a little, you can see a dense forest in the background.

The forest visible beyond the low wall was perfect for animals and monsters to dump meat for their daily use.

‘You came in here.’

I guess they ended up repairing the ceiling to make up for the old exterior. There is a section of the roof of the two-story inn that is clumsily covered with wooden planks.

Tdddeuk –

As the first intruder lifted the board with all the nails missing, the dark space welcomed sunlight.

Snap! Squeak -!

The rats caught by Roman’s eyes run away to a corner of the ceiling.

How many of these plump rats are forming a large family?

‘If the ceiling had been smashed, rats would have poured into the room.’

A dirty space full of dust and rat droppings.

Honoring the professionalism of the prisoner who had crawled in here and attempted to eavesdrop on the conversation, Roman put on his gloves and reached inside.

Take out the severed head and make an estimate.

‘Wolf… Right?’

Even though we don’t know about real beasts, it is not easy to distinguish between species of beastmen based on their appearance.

As someone who lived in an empire, it’s just difficult.

Since there is a highly questionable lineage, is it possible to deduce that it is a wolf and not a dog?

‘No matter what, the grade is too low. ‘Aren’t there any poisons or artifacts for suicide?’

Turn over its snout to make sure there is nothing hidden in its teeth or tongue, then throw it out into the forest.

After searching the body that had been pulled out by the ankles, what they found were a few coins, blank pieces of paper, and a pen.

I didn’t even have any great belongings.

“Atra. We can rest for a bit and then move right away.”

“Yes. I will do as you say, brother.”

Roman came down from the roof and returned to the room, saw the blood pooled on the floor, took out another gold coin and put it on the table.

–
No one came closer in the village that day.

Perhaps because the whereabouts of the prisoner who stormed into the inn disappeared as if evaporating, the distance to those who were following them increased compared to the first time.

Although I was still bothered by their gazes, I had no intention of jumping in and killing them all right away.

If you wait, you will take the bait in a good environment.

“Brother, let’s move on.”

“All right.”

In conclusion, the rumors circulating in that village were nonsense.

I wasted so much money and boarded the gate without hesitation. The two headed to a new location.

Successive failures even in new areas.

I completely lost two days.

My hands were as empty as when I left, and the date of the federal convocation order was getting closer.

“Brother. Considering the conditions, I think the possibility is very high this time.”

“Starting with the atmosphere, this is the best so far.”

I can feel that the less than 50 residents are wary of Roman and Atra, who are outsiders.

The sight of children being played inside the house is accompanied by a sharp look in their eyes.

In this town, a group of vagrants living in the alleys disappeared like smoke one day.

Even though the wanderers who openly committed crimes have disappeared, it is said that there are still frequent cases of someone going missing.

Especially the swamp in the center of the forest.

People who made a living from medicinal herbs that only grow in swamps and children who went into the forest to play disappear in hundreds.

In the surrounding area, no one was implicitly approaching.

“Let’s go straight to the swamp.”

“Yes!”

I entered a forest with few people along the path that traced past traffic.

Let’s start delving into endless quiet spaces. The number of people being followed began to decrease for the first time.

‘Are you thinking it’s an opportunity and going to send a signal?’

Generally speaking, this is not a good sign. You may be surrounded in a remote location.

However, I know that only by solving this problem will I be able to bring out the guy who is trying to use his power in a remote place.

Roman and Atra were waiting for this moment even though they knew they were being followed.

“···.”

As I got closer to the wetland, I started to smell the fishy water.

A small house visible in the landscape.

The lonely, shabby house had an energy that the two of them would not miss.

“I think it was a resting place for herbalists who used to gather herbs.”

“But now another customer has taken his place.”

“It seems highly likely that he is the culprit of the incident.”

Roman pulled out his hatchet.

Following his actions, Atra tried to put his hands together and pray in his own way, but Roman stopped him from doing so.

“The standard is not high. I do it.”

“Brother… The opponent is a warlock! It is dangerous to approach without preparation!”

“I will kill you once and for all.”

It doesn’t matter whether the opponent is Nema Natas or not.

Simply because we need evidence showing how harmful the existence of a warlock is.

Clue-

Roman grabbed the handle of the hatchet as if he were going to break it.

He then swings his shoulder towards his target.

Huh-!!!

It doesn’t get stuck in the cabin, but just penetrates, leaving a clean hole.

It felt like the warlock’s life was fading away thanks to the hatchet breaking through all the obstacles in front of him and disappearing somewhere in the forest.

“···.”

“Let’s go.”

When Roman held out his hand, Atra pursed her lips and naturally hugged him.

Roman, who lifted the white-clad saint, began to stride forward, stepping on the slippery mud with his boots.

··
··

Once inside, the warlock collapsed, his head split exactly in half.

He didn’t even set up defensive traps in his own residence. The race is beastman and the level itself is low.

Literally, in the eyes of these two people, the level is low. It is absolutely not at a level where ordinary farmers can come together and confront it.

“Let’s look for evidence.”

“I will also search.”

From the moment Roman entered, he moved to the corner he was concerned about and began to clean up the messy items one by one.

“···?!”

Atra took out the research journal that was in the study and read through it, but after only a few pages, she started to think.

At the same time, Roman discovered the stairs leading to the basement.

“Atra. Would you like to come down?”

“I think I should go too.”

Atra, who had taken her research diary, grabbed Roman’s sleeve with a stern expression.

Again. Again. Ttogak.

The basement is reached by taking the stairs and turning a corner.

The basement the two reached was not dark because the original owner had placed a torch there.

So it was clearly visible what this warlock was doing while sitting in the swamp.

“!!!”

The moment Atra sees the strange creatures trapped in a cage and giving off a rotten smell. She froze, covering her mouth.

Roman walked closer and frowned at the cage.

“It was stitched together with thread.”

Humans, beastmen, dwarves, monsters, etc.

There were widespread signs of experiments clumsily cutting and pasting various living things.

There is no professionalism at all. I have a strong feeling that I started with the vague idea of ​​just doing it.

The part that cannot be solved with insufficient black magic is the form of forcibly attaching flesh using clumsy tools such as thread.

“How could you do such a cruel thing…!”

“It seems like they were trying to create a chimera using black magic.”

Inside the cage where the results of the experiment were stored, there were many people who were presumed to be children or gatherers who had disappeared.

There was no one alive.

Malice is not proportional to the size of power.

A thief with little power may have a crueler disposition than a powerful warlock.

‘Still, it will be solid evidence.’

Thinking about it calmly, is there any evidence from the federal government that is this repulsive?

This seemed more convincing than the incomprehensible explanations that a warlock cursed someone with black magic or that he was rotting the country from its roots.

It may give the impression that the warlock insulted the sense of superiority that each race harbors.

“I will take all of this and go. I will inform the bereaved families in the village that I am asking for their understanding in order to seek revenge.”

“···I will do as you say, brother.”

After reaching an agreement, the iron cage containing the body was pulled into a barrel and taken out from the basement.

The stairs, floor, and wooden parts were all lifted and smashed, but it was none of my business.

“Atra.”

After completing the process, Roman reached into his waist and pulled out a dagger without stopping.

There were more and more happy guests around.

“I won’t disturb you.”

Atra, who had read the crowds of people, gathered her divine power and began to build an area to protect her body.

First of all, I think I shouldn’t take Roman’s attention or get in his way.

“Today, I still feel like I’m doing something worthy of an escort.”

Nodding his head in satisfaction at Atra’s judgment, Roman kicks down his dilapidated door and blows it away.

I came out into a swampy area.