Chapter 224

Chapter 224: When Words Don’t Work

As soon as I entered Archie’s tent, I returned to human form.

Even at my sudden visit, Archie showed no sign of surprise.

I was the one who spoke first to the bastard who looked relaxed.

“Were you eavesdropping again today too, gloomily listening to sounds from below?”

When I asked probing the bastard seated on the hide, Archie tapped the hide-covered floor with his hand, his face unmoved.

“I merely left them to talk as they pleased.”

“Don’t spout sophistry. You held your breath and eavesdropped on what the humans were doing down below.”

While staying in the village, he had mysteriously not come out of his tent.

I had thought it was because his body had grown weak, but I did not know he had been enjoying such a gloomy hobby.

“So, was it fun eavesdropping on what the humans had noticed and what they were plotting?”

“Not particularly. Most of them only knew how to whine over pointless matters. It was not as if they did anything special.”

I did not ask why he had sat quietly listening to such pathetic creatures whine.

It was obvious that no proper answer would come back anyway, and it did not seem like there was any need to ask.

If the exchange would only walk in place, I would pass now too.

“Mona is going to betray you.”

When I began with a notice instead of a question, I felt strength enter Archie’s body as he sat there powerlessly.

I thought he might be trying to rise, but the bastard only adjusted his posture. He did not particularly seem to intend to approach me.

“Did you come back here to tell me that?”

“You don’t seem very grateful. Is it because you already knew everything?”

This time too, Archie only stared at me with a somewhat indifferent face.

“What can small fry do by gathering together?”

“Even if they use your son?”

I continued speaking without taking my eyes off Archie’s unshaken face.

“It seems Mona is thinking of using Adol to bring you down. A child born between a human and a monster must be something special. Maybe Mona found the ‘use’ you failed to find.”

Not even a small ripple appeared on Archie’s face.

The bastard opened his mouth with an emotionless face.

“It would not matter. As you said, I do not have much lifespan left. My time is already short, and I am not generous enough to quietly leave alone even the bastards who interfere with me.”

“You mean you’re going to kill them all?”

“Yes.”

It was a short answer.

Listening to that composed voice, I could know two facts for certain.

Archie had noticed Mona’s betrayal long ago, and he still had no intention of being honest.

When I stayed silent for a while, perhaps judging that my questioning was over, Archie rose.

“Is that all? You seem to have many words, so babble as much as you want for the last time.”

The bastard approached me threateningly.

It seemed he had no intention of leaving me alone when I knew so much.

Giving me consideration to finish my final will in the middle of that, the bastard’s generosity was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

I stepped back and gave him one final question to repay that goodwill.

“Do you regret killing Amy?”

For an instant, Archie’s eyes seemed to flash.

“No. That woman fulfilled her role as well.”

As I repeated the word roll that had come from the bastard’s mouth again, I took one more step back.

Perhaps thinking I was trying to run, Archie approached one more step with a stride larger than the distance I had retreated.

The bastard glared at me like a beast waiting only for its prey to show an opening, but what was needed to seal the bastard’s movements was not a large motion.

“I will end the contract with Sierra Abalan with my own hands.”

The moment my words ended, Archie lost focus in his eyes and, like a broken machine, did not know how to move from the spot.

I grabbed the neck of the bastard who had lost consciousness.

After feeling his pulse, which was faster than a human’s, for a moment, I turned my body without hesitation and left the bastard’s nest.

I had obtained what I wanted, so I should do what I had to do.

***

With Archie affirming the man’s question of whether he would kill them all as the last sound, no more sounds came from above.

Alec, who had been holding his breath and listening to the conversation between the two men, carefully raised himself.

He had to go outside and tell everyone this fact.

Alec, who barely put strength into his trembling legs, slowly groped his way along the path.

Even while he moved his legs, the fear did not vanish.

Is that man dead?

What kind of stupid thought am I having? Of course Archie killed him.

He was moving his legs frantically, but in truth, it was not as if he had any particular sharp move.

Even if he went outside and gathered the people, what would change?

Even if all the humans in the village were gathered, there was no way they could face that many Werewolves.

If we can at least stop Mona, we can buy time......!

Alec’s difficult steps had somehow turned into a run.

What stopped Alec, who was running while consumed by fear and confusion, was the faint light that appeared in the darkness.

To be precise, saying it collided with the running Alec would be more accurate.

Unable to control his legs, Alec collided with the light that appeared from the darkness and sat down with a dull sound.

His chest, which had run while holding even his breath to silence any sound, heaved greatly.

A scream surged up to Adam's apple, but thanks to his two hands covering his mouth, he barely managed to swallow it back down.

“Did you find the place where the sound came from above?”

At the familiar voice, Alec removed his trembling hands from his face.

The man he had thought was surely dead stood there, holding a candle in one hand.

His expression revealed by the faint light was far too calm.

***

Alec, who had looked up at me as if I were a walking corpse, fortunately came to his senses quickly.

He shot up and grabbed my arm.

“Ho-how, how, how......!”

Looking again, it seemed he had not come to his senses, but lost his mind.

As I was worrying about his mental state, Alec suddenly covered his own mouth.

I did not know what he was doing, but I felt I should answer for now, so I nodded.

“Yes, somehow, I came back alive just fine.”

When I roughly answered the question he had failed to finish, Alec hurriedly tried to cover my mouth.

Only then did I realize this bizarre action had come from fear that our conversation might be heard above.

“It’s fine. There’s no one above to listen now.”

Saying that he was not in a state to listen would have been more appropriate, but there was no need to explain.

I moved my feet while still in the state of being held by Alec.

Alec, who had been following me blankly, only put strength into the hand holding my arm when he noticed that the direction I was walking was deeper into the cave he had come back from.

It seemed he tried to pull me back, but there was not much effect.

“Where are you going right now? We have to go outside and tell the people.”

When I ignored him and quickened my steps, Alec spoke as if whispering.

“There is something we must confirm before that. Where exactly was the place you heard the sound from earlier?”

“What do you mean, before that......?”

Perhaps shocked by my expression, Alec looked at me without any thought of moving.

At his frustrating reaction, I swallowed a sigh and turned around.

“If Mona wants to execute his plan, the sun has to rise and set once. Until then, are you going to roam the whole village and meet the humans?”

“Then what are we supposed to do? First, we need to tell the people and either flee or attack, don’t we? We have to go outside and save Naria.”

“There is no need to worry about Naria.”

Because she only ran into Jing and Ria.

“What does that mean? Did you hear news about Naria outside?”

When I mentioned Naria, Alec, who had been standing as if nailed down, moved his legs.

“Yes, well, I know Naria is safe right now. If you want to safely meet Naria, follow me quietly.”

Only after I spat it out did I realize it sounded similar to a kidnapper’s way of speaking, but at any rate, the effect was good.

Because after letting out a pained groan, he began obediently following me.

“Why, why did a sound like that come from inside? I have never heard Archie’s voice even once.”

“Did you know that this path matches the path to Archie’s tent aboveground?”

When I spoke while pointing at the ceiling, Alec’s gaze followed my finger upward.

His eyes, which had been following the path connected to the ceiling with a frown, turned back toward me.

“What does that matter?”

“I do not know what the bastard who first made this space was thinking, but it means they made it so sounds connect between Archie’s territory and down here.”

As I swiftly turned the corner, I added an explanation.

“I thought it was strange. The sound of kicking the floor at the entrance being heard all the way here makes no sense. Other sounds are not heard well either. Yet only at that exact location, one can hear the sound of someone striking the floor from above. So I made the assumption that sounds made at a specific point were connected to some area inside.”

Perhaps freshly chilled by the fact that the place where he had always offered prayers was beneath Archie’s feet, Alec trembled.

“Then how did you know it was connected to Archie’s tent?”

Perhaps fear and curiosity were separate things, because Alec continued asking questions.

Of course, it was something I knew by referencing the original work.

Because the one who discovered this space while sprawled on the floor was Ratel in the original.

Though he was disgusted after learning that down here was a space humans had dug out to secretly worship god.

Of course, there were other suspicious points I could use as excuses for Alec too.

“Because there was a hide spread out.”

“You’re going to peel off my hide?”

Perhaps tension had caused some abnormality in his hearing, because Alec asked back in shock.

How do you mishear it to hear that?

Reading the faint contempt in my eyes, Alec closed his mouth.

“Calm down. You saw it above earlier. Hide was spread out on the floor. There was a large bearskin spread out in Archie’s tent too. I wondered why he had it on the floor when he could use it as clothing.”

“Well...... that is not so strange either, is it? It can also be used as decoration.”

“That is how humans use it. Why would monsters need something like that? They have no reason to decorate their own nest by following humans.”

“It could block the chill of the floor if laid over it......”

Perhaps thinking that was a function useless to Werewolves, Alec trailed off.

“Is it not similar to wearing two layers of fur clothing? Even if you wear one layer, it is not cold, but if you wear two layers, you can stay warmer.”

After thinking briefly, Alec listed a somewhat plausible opinion.

“That makes even less sense. If Naria knew it could be used for that, she would have torn it up immediately.”

They were bastards who did not even know that it was dangerous for a young human to sleep on a cold bare floor.

There was no way bastards who lacked understanding of human durability could think of laying carpets for warmth.

Behind me, I heard the sound of Alec, who had been silent for a moment, swallowing dryly.

“Why did Archie go through this trouble to hear us speak? To find out if we were thinking useless thoughts?”

It did not feel entirely unlike him changing the subject, but I did not bother pointing that out.

“It is true that he eavesdropped on your conversations, but that probably was not the original purpose of this cave.”

“The original purpose?”

It was the moment I opened my mouth to say something to Alec, who asked back.

I felt something catch on my foot and roll.

When I lowered the candle, the ridiculous carving of Sierra rolling on the ground entered my eyes.

Looking at that lump, which did not even particularly resemble the person himself, I could only keenly feel that the existence called god was merely a futile illusion.

When that god bastard himself was nothing more than an unknowable squirrel who had lived hidden for a thousand years and now had only just begun to try to destroy his own clan.

“Be careful!”

Alec, who had been following behind me, passed by me and carefully lifted the wooden carving rolling on the ground as he scolded me.

Feeling no value in responding, I ignored his words and slowly moved forward.

Roughly, this should be around beneath Archie’s tent.

“Is this the place where you heard the sound?”

When I pointed down and asked Alec, startled by the sudden question, he looked up and down from ceiling to floor, then nodded.

“Yes. Around there.”

I lowered the candle to the floor and looked it over, then straightened my back again and held the candle out to Alec.

“But are you really not going to tell me what you are doing right now...... ow!”

Alec, who took the candle without thinking and demanded an answer from me, cried out briefly.

The wick was almost completely burned down, and it seemed candle wax had fallen onto the hand holding the candlestick.

Now Alec had to return through the underground passage alone and go outside.

I could not know whether the remaining candle would hold out until he reached the outside.

It seems it will get very dark from now on.

Alec, who had been quietly waiting while I thought, eventually could not endure it and opened his mouth again.

“You have been extremely unkind since earlier. What do you intend to do in a place where there is nothing? Are you doing this because you want to eavesdrop on Archie’s words again?”

“No. Now that he knows sounds from below can be heard, why would that bastard have an important conversation?”

“Then what on earth......”

“Is it correct that all the humans in the village know about this underground passage?”

When I cut him off and made the first move before he could begin another barrage of questions, Alec nodded with a dissatisfied face.

“Yes, that is right.”

“Then what will happen to people if this place disappears?”

“Th-that would......”

“Does it not matter because they will flee anyway? Or will they gather like moths to a flame?”

“That would......”

Even Alec, who had been about to answer my question faithfully by reflex, seemed to sense the future, because anxiety appeared in his eyes.

“Will they be unable to endure it any longer and start a riot?”

When I spoke the imagination that had surfaced in his head for him, Alec’s face hardened.

“That will not happen. Everyone is not so lacking in discernment.”

The word discernment was too distant from humans who were already sunk in a pseudo-religion, so I chose my words to soften it.

“Gathering here without even knowing you are being eavesdropped on does not seem like a particularly discerning action.”

“Wh-what are you trying to do? I do not know, but stop. Why on earth are you doing this?”

I stretched out my hand toward Alec, who was stepping backward.

Perhaps he had suddenly become afraid of me, because he squeezed his eyes shut.

But I had no intention of harming him.

I pulled out the carving of Sierra he had tucked under his arm.

When no shock came to him, Alec opened his eyes narrowly again and looked at me in confusion.

His eyes followed the movement of my hand, and a small candle flame was reflected in them.

The candle flame, which had been swaying precariously, soon met new fuel and grew in size.

Alec’s eyes, which held the flame, grew in size as well.

“What are you doing right now!!!”

His voice was the same.

It seemed he did not like the new firewood.

But it could not be helped.

What could be done about a fire that had already been caught?

Along with the carving of Sierra Abalan whose head had caught fire, I offered a small piece of advice.

“Carry it carefully. If you run out, you should still be able to save the body.”