Episode 1127
by CristaeHe could truly be called a spirit-plunderer.
It was one thing to squeeze things from an ordinary spirit by intimidation, but to do it to a spirit of Hwacheon General’s level?
“What?”
Lee Han called out to the hamster in a disgruntled voice.
The way the hamster was watching him was oddly annoying.
-N-no, I was just admiring your skill.
“Hmph…”
The hamster broke a cold sweat.
He’d been so impressed by the way Lee Han squeezed the spirit, he’d forgotten—this punk’s senses were getting sharper and sharper.
How was he growing so fast?
Fortunately, Lee Han seemed more interested in negotiating with Hwacheon General and didn’t probe further.
“So, will it withdraw? When is it leaving?”
It wouldn’t be that easy.
Hwacheon General replied as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
Once a dimension overlapped with the continent, the owner usually didn’t just walk away.
If you compared it to Einrogard students, it was easy to understand.
Imagine a storeroom suddenly plopping itself into your room one day—who would obediently help return it to its owner?
Even when the Frost Giant dimension invaded the school, it had taken a lot of effort to negotiate…
Their demand, I’m told, is revenge.
“Revenge?”
Lee Han and the hamster both found this a strange demand coming from a dimensional lord.
Yes. Revenge. The one with the stench said their minion was attacked.
Lee Han understood immediately.
If dimensions were overlapping, that meant crossing over was possible from this side, too.
Someone probably crossed into the other dimension nearby and attempted a counterattack.
‘…Wait, wouldn’t Professor Baegrek do something like that?’
Lee Han suddenly worried.
Though he’d only just arrived in the village, what if Professor Voladi had already tried something?
-He says “stench.” Does he mean evil cultists?
Probably?
The hamster immediately grasped Hwacheon General’s analogy. He’d been around long enough to know beings from other planes hated the cultists.
Lee Han nodded awkwardly.
“Yeah. Must be only cultists.”
-?
The hamster wondered why the boy was repeating himself nonsensically.
“…Wait, there were evil cultists here?”
Now Lee Han was a beat late to be surprised.
The empire’s territory was unimaginably huge, and considering the scale of the heat-stricken western region, not finding cultists was the odd thing.
But he’d gotten so tangled up with them of late, just hearing the name made him nervous.
What if they were lying in wait for him?
-Cultists always stick their noses into things like this, so it’s no surprise.
The hamster said indifferently.
People in chaos, unstable dimensions—these were all favorite ingredients for cultists.
‘I didn’t want to get involved…’
But Lee Han was already getting more unwanted attention than he cared for.
Instead of acting rashly, he decided to report quickly.
Heh. Mage… You can’t deny I played a part in this case, right?
Hwacheon General’s voice carried a hint of hope.
No matter how brusque a mage you were, when a spirit offered up a treasure to negotiate, you couldn’t just ignore it.
Anyone with a conscience…
“…Fine. I’ll give you credit this time—”
“Wardanaz?”
“!”
Hearing Nigisor’s voice behind him, Lee Han instantly cut off Hwacheon General and banished him to the spirit realm.
He may have faintly heard curses in the distance, but he didn’t care.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Uh… the hamster here.”
“……”
“No, it’s a magic hamster! Hey, say something.”
He shook the cage, but the hamster endured in silence. It was pride—his last shred of dignity. Lee Han gave up after nearly shaking the will out of him.
“What do you want?”
“Um… I wanted to apologize for doubting you.”
Nigisor spoke hesitantly, watching Lee Han’s reaction.
He felt guilty for not trusting a friend who’d helped him out so much.
He should’ve believed him, no matter how far-fetched the story sounded.
Looking back, Siana stuck out her head, also looking anxious. Lee Han waved a hand reassuringly.
“I’m not upset at all, so don’t worry. It was kind of an absurd story anyway.”
“…Behind you! Behind you!!”
“Still, I hope you won’t pull any childish pranks.”
Siana stamped her feet in worry at her friend’s reaction.
She never thought doubting him would come back like this.
Tijilling shouted as he arrived late, startled.
“Look behind you!”
“?”
Lee Han turned at once. What had been just a dead end twisted with a silent, eerie swirl of distortion.
From within, a group of people stepped out, dressed in utterly mismatched clothing.
“……”
“……”
Vampire Juzene’s greatest pride was his house’s deep history, among the oldest in the empire’s west.
Vampire clans in the empire typically boasted old lineage and strong exclusiveness, with a pack mentality.
But such great western vampire houses had mostly vanished.
After a catastrophe, many houses were destroyed and their members scattered.
Since then, Juzene’s second greatest pride was all that remained—to serve the Just Regent with true devotion.
“Sengiros is…”
“Mind your tongue, cur.”
Juzene glared at the madman from the Kshaksarigol cult beside him.
These ragged lunatics had no manners whatsoever.
It was one thing to drop etiquette before a ducal scion, but to utter Sengiros’s name so carelessly?
But the crazed seer paid no mind to Juzene’s snarl.
“Sorry. Does the Just Regent want the heart of a fire giant here, in their domain?”
“!”
Juzene’s face changed.
The Kshaksarigol madmen, even as fellow cultists, were impossible to underestimate.
Those with real foresight could be a real pain.
To have already guessed his objective…
The Sengiros cult had suffered terribly in the past; both the cult’s organization and Sengiros himself had taken huge damage.
They needed to rebuild both the organization and its congregation, and to make offerings to the god. For this, the best sacrifices were strong creatures from other planes.
If they collected fire giant hearts, they’d have an outstanding offering.
“…Yes, you’re right.”
Up ahead, mercenaries recruited by Juzene snickered as they plundered the remains of a fire giant.
Juzene wanted only the heart; the rest he left to the mercs as a generous bonus—a handy shield of expendables.
“Then I’ll withdraw. The fire giants are enraged.”
“……”
Juzene pondered.
He didn’t like being ordered around, but it made sense. After killing so many fire giants, of course they’d be furious.
They’d profiteered while heat waves spread and spatial rifts weakened in the west; it was probably time to leave.
If the fire giants chased them in anger, that was fine—the empire would bear the fallout.
“Just Regent! Here is the offering—look kindly upon your follower!”
Juzene lifted the blood- and fire-soaked heart of the fire giant high.
Sengiros devoured the offering and, as payment in kind, granted a boon:
A dimensional gate undetectable to even the local giants.
Mercenaries shuddered at the sight. Most tagged along for gold, but only a few genuinely followed evil gods. Belief in them tended to require a natural-born twist of soul.
“Let’s go!”
Juzene, the seer, and mercenaries slowly walked out.
And came face to face with a group of unfamiliar wizards.
“……”
“……”
Sweat ran down Juzene’s back. His mercenaries looked equally freaked out.
Killing a few wizards was no big deal, but there was no way a wizard group like this was here alone in a small village.
Chances were, other wizards, knights, or priests were nearby as well.
“We… we almost died!”
cried one of the mercs.
“Thought we’d gotten lost between dimensions!”
“Y-yeah, where are we?”
‘Impressive.’
Juzene was a little impressed.
Even rabble had their talents. Hardened mercenaries could quickly improvise a convincing excuse.
It wasn’t uncommon, wandering the empire, to be swept off in a dimensional rift—especially in these thinly-spaced, overlapping border zones.
Most made it back out where they came in, but some were lost forever.
The mercenaries were pretending to have barely escaped with their lives. That way, nine times out of ten, people wouldn’t ask questions.
“This is Hurez village.”
“Hurez village! Western Empire, right? Thank goodness, we made it!”
-…Suspicious…
The hamster squeaked just for Lee Han to hear.
Those mercenaries were acting a bit over the top.
But what was it?
Mercenaries often did a shady job or two on the side, so it might be something minor.
Like inflating their fee or pilfering goods en route…
“Mo-mo-mo-mo-mo-monster.”
“?????”
The seer suddenly started repeating “monster” like a malfunctioning artifact, shocking mercs and even Juzene.
“W-what is it, sir mage!”
“Monsterbadthingmonsterbadthing…”
“There aren’t any giants! He must mean giants. This is bad.”
The mercenaries figured the seer was traumatized by giants. It was tough to imagine any other reason.
“……”
Lee Han quietly thought. Then he took out a crystal top out of sight and fed it mana for a divination.
The top stopped at once. A warning of imminent danger.
-Damn it. Can’t tell if they’re cultists or just dodgy mercs.
The hamster frowned.
Even with Lee Han’s divination, it told them nothing certain. Mercenaries could be plenty dangerous themselves.
Circumstantially, the odds of cultists seemed high, but if they were wrong…
Whump!
Suddenly, a curtain of fire blazed through the air. With Nigisor’s support, Lee Han swung his staff and fired a barrage of Water Orb Projectiles.
Caught off guard from an unexpected angle, Juzene and the Kshaksarigol cultist took heavy wounds.
“Ambush! Damn it, we’ve been found out!”
“This is why you never work with crazies!”
‘They are cultists after all!’
The hamster’s suspicions were confirmed by the mercenaries’ words. “Crazies” usually meant evil cultists.
-How did you notice?!
“Split, Perkuntra’s…”
-…You’re not telling me…
Did this brat just attack them regardless of whether they were mercenaries or cultists?!