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Chapter 54: Pavane For A Dead Dwarf (7)

***Once the battle ended, the mercenary group regrouped at once.Fortunately, no one died. In particular, the Superhumans who had jumped out of the truck at the beginning were almost unharmed.Five mercenaries were injured by stray bullets, but the Saintess who could use healing blessings was accompanying them.And although it was a near perfect victory for them, the mercenary group couldn’t bring themselves to speak of it.“...So it was all just a ploy.”Captain Kwon Mongjoo gnashed his teeth as he looked at the remains of the truck.He blamed himself for the orders he had given, but the mercenaries thought differently. The enemy had done something that was far outside the norm.Not only did they use a large force to cover the rear, but they also had a Superhuman attack the truck from the sky.Amidst the gloomy feelings, Tian Lin, who had stayed behind in the truck, spoke up.“All those who stayed back at the truck are severely injured. However, there are no fatalities.”He was sitting with his broken legs propped up against a supply box, and most of the mercenaries who had been guarding the truck were in similar conditions.The driver had his arms broken, and the other mercenaries were unable to move properly after being hit by mana-infused fists.“...They were meticulous. They didn’t kill anyone but they broke everyone’s limbs one by one and then left.”As soon as Tian Lin finished his explanation, Captain Kwon Mongjoo clenched his fists.It was obvious why the enemy, who had the strength to smash the truck with their bare hands, had not killed the mercenaries.They were led to waste time and energy treating the wounded.And the likely reason for buying time in a situation like this was...“...They are also after the Royal Seal.”“Yes. Logically speaking, if that wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t have carried out such an attack.”“There must have been a leak somewhere. Considering how well-planned the assault was, they must have been preparing for quite some time…”Just as Captain Kwon trailed off, the dwarf suddenly opened his eyes and coughed violently.He kept vomiting while struggling to collect his senses. After a long struggle, the dwarf finally spoke.“We need to stop them.”Everyone’s eyes were focused intently on the dwarf. Their gazes were serious.“Darulma, it’s likely that the enemy is after the Royal Seal. What exactly—”“We’ve been betrayed. We’ve been betrayed! I was their target right from the start!”The dwarf struck the ground with a tearful expression.“...What are you talking about? Darulma, please give us a clear explanation.”“The location of the Royal Seal in my head, that was the main goal of this attack from the start!”Captain Kwon frowned as he listened to the dwarf’s outburst.The violet liquid infused with mana—the name of a potion came to mind.“...Truth Potion?”A magic potion that forced the drinker to only speak the truth. The problem was the ingredients of the potion.Eyeballs and organs of a living human.There was no need for any further explanation. Brewed by a wicked Necromancer, the concoction was strictly banned under international law.“Yeomyeong, did you encounter any Necromancers among the enemies you fought?”Captain Kwon asked Yeomyeong, who was sitting at the back. It wasn’t to satisfy his curiosity, but to confirm his speculation.Yeomyeong nodded.“Yes, there were zombie-like creatures in the enemies’ truck.”“...I see.”Captain Kwon pondered for a moment before speaking to Darulma.“Darulma, we need to ask the government and military for assistance.”“...What? How can you say that? Do you even know how much money I have invested in you!”The dwarf shouted in disbelief.“If the military and government get involved, do you think they will simply return the Royal Seal to the dwarves? No! They’ll demand a stake and make us pay them off!”“...”“The Royal Seal is ours, the dwarves\'! OUR BLOOD! OUR LIFELONG DREAM! As long as I live, I absolutely cannot allow even a fraction of the Royal Seal to be handed over to Earthians!”He screamed desperately, almost as if he would vomit blood if he continued. However, Captain Kwon did not even bat an eyelid when he responded.“If that’s the case, then isn’t it even more important to prevent it from falling into the hands of these unidentified Necromancers?”“That’s…”“Think rationally. The mission is already a failure. And now that we no longer have the truck, it\'s impossible for us to reach Manchuria and retrieve the treasure before the enemy.”His words were an irrefutable truth. The truth pierced the dwarf like a sharp arrow, and he shed tears instead of blood.“No, there must be a way... There must be a way.”“It’s not possible.”As Captain Kwon concluded the conversation coldly, the dwarf glanced around with a rather pitiful expression.“S-Saintess.”The trembling dwarf fixed his gaze on the Saintess.“It might be possible with your help. Didn’t you defeat the Skeletal Dragon with Yeomyeong?”Seeming embarrassed by the attention, the Saintess, who was treating the injured, hunched her shoulders.“I…”“We still have some of the motorcycles we seized. If the Saintess and a few Superhumans ride them, we can surely recover the treasure!”At the dwarf\'s outcry, Captain Kwon intervened again.“...There are only three motorcycles, Darulma. And the fuel is insufficient.”“Only three? If we split up into pairs, six people can go! Captain Kwon, I beg you. I-If you agree, I will increase the investment by fivefold, no, twentyfold!”“...Darulma.”“Please, no matter what, the government and military must never get involved. I’d rather see Manchuria burn to the ground than allow that!”Hearing the dwarf speak about destruction, Tian Lin muttered a curse, but most of the mercenaries remained silent.As the silence prolonged for a while, the Saintess cautiously raised her hand.“Um... Darulma-ssi? I can help.”“O Five Gods! I believe—”Just as Darulma was about to kneel and offer his praise, the Saintess thrust her hand forward, interrupting him.“But I can’t risk my life.”“...”“If I judge that the situation is beyond help, I will escape. Is that okay?”That last statement was not directed at Darulma but rather a means to persuade the mercenaries. The Saintess looked at them, as if asking if this condition was acceptable.Fortunately, a few of the mercenaries nodded.As if resigned to the situation, Captain Kwon also nodded on seeing that.“If that’s the case, I’ll do my best.”Only then did Darulma let out a sigh of relief. He wiped his nose and spoke to the mercenaries.“Mercenaries who are willing to follow me, raise your hands. Even if we fail, I will compensate you out of my own pocket.”The first to raise his hand was Kim Mansoo. He burned with determination as he looked at his companions with broken limbs.With both the Captain and the Vice Captain volunteering, the other mercenaries began raising their hands.Soon after, all the mercenaries, except for one person, raised their hands.“...Cheon Yeomyeong-gun?”“Yes.”“You, are you...”“I won’t go.”Darulma’s expression twisted. He spoke with a trembling voice, as if in disbelief.“How can you say that? Do you even know how valuable the elixir you consumed is?!”Yeomyeong tilted his head and replied.“Was that elixir the payment for the commission though? I received it as a token of apology. Right?”“I mean, that’s…”“And I already fought against unidentified enemies not mentioned in the contract and saved you from the hostile Superhuman. Isn’t that beyond what the original contract stipulated?”Hearing Yeomyeong respond coldly, the Saintess, unable to stand it any longer, tried to intervene.“Hey, even so, you should…”However, Yeomyeong raised his finger to silence her and gave a subtle wink that no one else could see.It was a signal to inform her that this was all an act, and she should pretend not to notice it.However, seemingly misunderstanding his wink, the Saintess looked away, as if she had seen something she wasn’t supposed to.Anyway, once Yeomyeong confirmed that the Saintess had shut her mouth, he turned back to Darulma.“So, I will not set new terms for the extension of the contract.”“...Terms”Darulma looked at Captain Kwon with a pleading expression, but he simply shrugged his shoulders with his arms crossed.This meant that he considered Yeomyeong’s demands to be reasonable. Darulma, having no other no choice, nodded.“Alright. Let’s hear the conditions.”“First, you must immediately request help from the military.”“What? Haven’t you heard when I said that the military...”“You don’t have to mention the Royal Seal.”“...”“If we fail, the military will block them. If we succeed? It will just end as a minor incident.”“...A minor incident? Does the military’s involvement seem like a joke? The military will never just let it go.”“So what if they don’t let it go? They’ll probably demand that we compensate them with the bones. And with all the resources Dungan Heavy Industries has access to, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”Hearing Yeomyeong’s response, Darulma paused to think for a moment.Leaving aside the fact that they needed the help of Earth’s military, Yeomyeong’s argument was pretty reasonable.In their current situation, the worst-case scenario was losing the Royal Seal to the unidentified assailants, which included Necromancers.If they could mobilize the military, it would reduce the chances of the worst-case scenario occurring.And even if the military somehow managed to recover the Royal Seal, if they didn’t recognize its value...?Realizing that it was something he hadn’t taken into consideration due to his natural disgust for Earth’s military, Darulma readily admitted his mistake.“...Alright. If those are the conditions, I will gladly comply. So, what’s your next condition?“My second condition is the right to use the Dwarven workshop.”This request was unexpected. Hadn’t they already agreed to forge the dragon bones?The demand for workshop use implied he wanted something more than just that…“...If we can recover the Royal Seal, I will give you whatever you desire. In fact, I will personally persuade the craftsmen.”Darulma decided not to ponder over it for long. It was clear who had the upper hand in their current situation.“Are these all the conditions?”“No, there’s one last one.”As soon as they heard the word ‘last’, the mercenaries watching the scene began drawing lots.There were just three motorcycles. Even if they were divided into pairs, only two spots would remain after countingthe Saintess, Yeomyeong, the Captain, and the Vice Captain.Regardless of the commotion, Darulma focused on what Yeomyeong was about to say.“My last condition is…”The moment Yeomyeong told him his last condition, the dwarf’s brows furrowed deeply.They were unable to comprehend why Earthians called the two distant mountain ranges by the same name.The Khingan Range.The relatively larger western mountain range is called the Greater Khingan, while the northeastern one is the Lesser Khingan, right? Both are pretty decent mountains.Although they fell short when compared to the mountains of their hometown, both mountain ranges were passable by Earth’s standards.That’s right; strange fated¹ treasures should be found in mountains such as these.With that brief thought, Mara began to descend.With each step they took, the sky split open, and the cold winds of Manchuria swirled around them.Whoosh—After descending for quite some time, almost at the speed of a free fall, they stopped just above the deep valley of the Lesser Khingan.Now that they had arrived at their destination, it was time to awaken the meat shield. They shook the creature they were carrying on their shoulder awake.“Cough, cough.”The horse-headed Mage woke up, spewing forth a disgusting mix of mana and blood.“Are you awake?”The man glanced around with half-dead eyes, and on seeing the mountain beneath his feet, he trembled in fright.“Have you found… the location…?”“This is the location mentioned by the dwarf who took the Truth Potion. I’ve confirmed the coordinates as well.”“Then… finally…!”The horse-headed man trembled as Mara landed on the ground. The ground that had been denied human footsteps for so long expelled clouds of dust.Standing on a sharp cliff with barely any room to spare, Mara and the horse-headed man simultaneously gazed down into the deep valley below.“Ah, I can truly feel it. The scent of ancient mana mixed with that of the earth…”Just as the horse-headed man said, Mara also sensed the mana.Deep within the valley below, the writhing mana… and the mana of a massive spiritual being.A dragon—this will truly be a satisfying hunt.As Mara licked their lips, the horse-headed man pulled out a magic item from his pocket—a sinister magic item made from the skull of a dead bird.“First… I will call for reinforcements.”“Reinforcements? You still have forces left even after losing that many?”Although Mara made a rather scathing remark, the horse-headed man simply shook his head.“Those expendables aren’t worth being called a force.”“...Ah, so only monsters like you are counted as part of the force? What a remarkable nation you come from.”The horse-headed man ignored Mara\'s mocking remarks. He didn’t need to explain the meaning of patriotism and love for one’s country to a damn criminal bastard who could be bought with money.The next moment, he gathered mana in his hand and activated the magic item.Crackle! The bird’s skull shattered, sending the coordinates of his location to the support troops waiting in North Manchuria.Soon, South Korea would acquire the treasure and the corpse of a dragon they had dreamed of for so long.Just as the horse-headed man was growing more and more certain of this, Mara spoke up again.“Hey, that guy who managed to wipe out your troops earlier. I think his name was Cheon Yeomyeong or something.”“…”“What’s that guy’s true identity?”The horse-headed recalled the sight of Yeomyeong charging at him while covered in blood.The mysterious regenerative ability that surpassed even that of ordinary Superhumans and those golden eyes filled with killing intent.An unexpected formidable foe. A Superhuman who somehow withstood the combined forces of five trucks and Corpse Explosion.“…His exact identity is unknown.”“Exact identity? So, you have some rough information about him?”The horse-headed man clutched the empty space where his right arm had been as he responded. The spot where it was severed throbbed with pain.“All we know is that he\'s a new mercenary who has just become active. We never expected him to be this strong… We had no idea.”“Haven’t you heard the saying ‘good wine needs no bush’? There’s no way someone like him wouldn’t be known.”“There are rumors that he was the one who managed to cut the rib bones of Kahal Magdu.”“…Rib bones?”“But it wasn’t a solo act. It’s said that the Saintess, the Vice Captain of the mercenary group, and that person achieved it together, as a collective effort…“As the horse-headed man trailed off, Mara recalled the Skeletal Dragon that had returned to Siberia with its ribs missing.He said he had come across a good connection.Is this what you call a good connection? Damn, you pain in the ass Skeleton bastard.Struggling to suppress a smile and Mara continued probing the horse-headed man.“So, it’s certain that he’s no ordinary person? What do you guys… or rather, what do you think?”“…I can’t be sure, but I have a hunch about his true identity.”“Oh?”Mara’s eyebrows twitched."If you trace his past actions, he’s always been involved with the Saintess.”“The Saintess?”“It’s simple. He ‘coincidentally’ arrived in Manchuria at the same time as the Saintess, and he’s always present wherever the Saintess fights. It’s obvious who he is…”“Hey, hey. Just get to the point. Quickly.”“…A secret guard of the Saintess or a future Holy Sword trained secretly by the Holy Knight.”Was it a… plausible story? Mara, who knew nothing about the Saintess, stroked their chin and asked.“So, can I kill him? Isn’t it said that the Saintess must never be killed?”“…Unlike the Saintess, no one will care if a sword that has never been revealed to the world is broken.”The horse-headed man answered with a voice full of conviction. The fact that he was this certain meant there was a high probability that his conjecture was true.Mara nodded and stood behind the man.“Thanks for the information. Thanks to you, I’m now certain of what to do.”“It’s just a guess, so—”The next moment, thud— Mara’s foot struck the horse-headed man’s back.The sudden betrayal came without any forewarning or signal.The horse-headed man couldn’t even utter a scream as he flailed his remaining left arm and plunged into the valley below.Shortly afterward, the sound of something exploding echoed throughout the valley.Calmly looking down at the ground, Mara left a brief remark.“As expected, I’ll have to take these ‘strange fated treasures’ for myself.”

1. The raw uses 기연 (Giyeon) whose literal translation is strange fate. It refers to the concept of a strange fate, which is a common trope found mainly in martial arts novels. It usually signifies a turning point which helps the protagonist\'s martial arts skills improve dramatically. It could refer to a person or object, like a master who will teach the protagonist or elixirs or secret manuals, etc. In this part, it refers to the "treasures" the group keeps talking about.