East Road Quest

Chapter 65: Hostage Negotiation

“Is there someone over there dressed similarly to you, Varsh?”

Ruby pointed towards the vicinity of the hill.

A man on horseback was looking in this direction. It was still dark and quite far away, but Varsh recognized the figure.

“It seems to be Hurr.”

Varsh waved his hand grandly and shouted in the Kun language.

“Hurr, if it’s really you, send a signal.”

The figure responded by raising a bow with an arrow nocked, shouting back in Kun.

“Is that you, Varsh?”

“Yes, it is. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. What about you? And Chakan? The tyrant?”

“Both Chakan and I are fine. The tyrant is captured here.”

“The tyrant is captured? Does that make any sense?”

“It does. Come and see.”

After interpreting the conversation between the two men for Jade, Ruby turned to Varsh and asked,

“Your hand gesture just now was a bit odd. What kind of signal was that? A trick?”

“You noticed that?”

Varsh asked, carefully watching as Hurr approached on horseback.

Ruby mimicked Varsh’s hand gesture and said,

“At the end of the conversation, you joined your hands and then separated them. What kind of signal is that?”

“If I were currently captured by the enemy and lying, I wouldn’t have sent such a signal, and regardless of my assurances, Hurr would have fled.”

“That’s a good strategy. But why do you trust us so easily? I’m a more fearsome being than the tyrant here. If push comes to shove, I could kill you!”

Ruby spoke threateningly, but Varsh replied nonchalantly,

“I admire your power enough to take that risk. Please help us.”

Ruby looked back at Jade.

Jade, who didn’t understand the Kun language, was curious about what the two had been discussing.

Ruby said to Jade, annoyed,

“I just got played by this guy’s words!”

“Why? What did Varsh say?”

Jade asked.

“He’s asking for our help! I’m thinking of a way to refuse right now.”

“Why refuse? If there’s a problem, we should naturally help! Especially if it’s a demon issue!”

“Weren’t we in a hurry?”

“There’s no urgency that requires us to ignore people in distress.”

“There’s a philosophy that says for a greater cause, smaller sacrifices must be made!”

“Greater cause? Which side is that?”

“Obviously, the Holy Grail.”

“You can’t say that’s more important than the plight of the Kun nomads.”

“Fine. If you threaten me with the shackles around my neck, I’ll have no choice but to follow, but what about Saph? Does he think the same?”

Ruby pointed at Saph with a flick of his finger and said,

“Saph, what do you think? Should we waste time on the troubles of heretics and barbarians when we’re on the path to find the Holy Grail?”

Saph was momentarily speechless.

Ruby took that as an answer and said to Jade,

“See? You can’t make unilateral decisions anymore.”

“I never intended to make unilateral decisions, nor have I threatened anyone.”

Jade said.

“You were about to!”

“I didn’t.”

“Hmph!”

Finally, Saph spoke up.

“Ruby, why say things you don’t mean?”

“What are you talking about? I always speak the truth!”

“Aren’t you already considering helping them?”

Saph pointed out.

“Is that so?”

Jade asked.

Ruby was at a loss for words.

Jade frowned and asked,

“Are you testing me?”

“No.”

Ruby crossed his arms and continued with a dissatisfied face,

“I was hoping you’d try harder to persuade me. Like this, ‘Ruby, let’s go together and help these people! How can we fight this perilous battle without you? We need you.'”

“And if I say that?”

“Then I might appear as if I’m reluctantly helping.”

Saph couldn’t understand what Ruby was getting at and tilted his head in confusion.

Jade briefly turned her head to observe the reunion of Varsh and Hur. The two embraced each other, sharing a moment of joy in their brief reunion. Then, they approached Chakan, who was still sitting, leaning against a stake. Just then, Chakan rose to his feet and listened as Varsh explained the situation.

Initially, the three conversed with joy, but soon their expressions turned serious as they exchanged opinions. Ruby and Saph seemed to understand, but Jade could not. However, she did not ask the two for a translation.

After a moment, Varsh approached and said, “I will give thanks to your god, your sanctuary, and its relics.”

Varsh pointed to the Star Cross of Daniel that Jade was wearing. Jade simply nodded in response.

Varsh glanced at Hur and Chakan once more before speaking again, “I also thank you and will repay this kindness with anything but death. However, we seek your help once again.”

“Please wait a moment. We need time to persuade one among us,” Jade turned to Ruby and said, “Ruby, let’s go and help these people! How can we fight this perilous battle without you? We need you.”

Ruby shrugged and replied, “Can’t be helped. I’ll assist.”

Jade swiftly turned back to Varsh and declared, “Alright, it’s settled. Let’s go and eliminate the Goat King.”

Varsh was taken aback, and Ruby chuckled.

“Hmm, your laughter bothers me. Did I say something wrong?” Jade inquired.

“No, it’s just that you spoke so well, I couldn’t help but laugh,” Ruby giggled.

The bound tyrant sneered, “What’s all this about? Pathetic.”

As everyone’s gaze turned to the tyrant, he bellowed loudly, “Did you say Jade? I cannot stand idly by your recklessness and arrogance. You dare speak such words against the Dark Lord Gotran, the sovereign of the plains and ruler of all on earth.”

Ruby silenced the tyrant with a blow to his mouth, shattering his teeth and breaking his nose.

“Stay quiet! Just stay put!” Ruby warned, then turned to Jade and explained, “These hunters are asking us, or rather me, to help their villagers seek refuge in Gran and to rescue the ‘kidnapped children.'”

Jade glanced at Varsh and asked Ruby, “It’s not about eliminating the Goat King?”

“When a problem repeats, it tends to stray from the core issue. These hunters are too terrified of the goat to even consider eliminating it,” Ruby said, wiping the tyrant’s blood on his sleeve onto his trousers.

“So, you’re right, Jade. If the goat is the problem, then we eliminate the goat.”

Chakan and Hur seemed to understand the language of Rome as well. They smiled incredulously at Ruby’s words as if Varsh had committed some error and each added their own comment.

“Is this young man in his right mind?”

“What is this child talking about?”

Varsh extended his hand, “Leave it to me.”

He calmed the two in the language of Kun, then addressed Jade in the language of Rome, “Do not misunderstand. My two companions simply do not believe because they have not seen the boy capture the tyrant. And they are startled by the claim that we will deal with Gotran, who has terrorized us for three years, so casually. Above all, these monsters are such that even if you kill them, they cannot be killed.”

“Aha, so you need proof. Then, Varsh, choose one of the two,” Ruby stepped forward, raising his fist.

“Either you watch me turn this embodiment of fear, the horseman, into a bloody pulp with my bare hands, or you watch Jade burn him to a crisp with magic.”

The tyrant, panicked, spoke in the language of Kun, “If you kill me, I will ensure all the children of your tribe are slain!”

“That bastard!” Ruby raised his fist, ready to strike.

The tyrant quickly shut his bloodied mouth and looked away.

Jade asked Varsh, “What’s this about kidnapped children I keep hearing? Is what he says true?”

“It is true. Hur has reported back.”

Though Hur had returned, it was Varsh, more fluent in the language of Rome, who explained the situation.

After Varsh and Chakan were captured by the tyrant, Hur did not go to Parens but returned to the temporary tribal village instead. The Kun hunters would not abandon a comrade behind, and the journey to Parens was too far.

By the time Hur arrived at the village, the situation had already ended.

The Goat King’s army had launched a surprise attack, noticing the village was short on guards. The villagers could hardly resist, and the beasts easily overtook the tribe, taking only the children with them.

“Why only the children?” Jade asked.

“That, this one would know,” Ruby said, looking down at the tyrant.

“You won’t get any information from me!” the tyrant declared, and fearing another blow, he tightly shut his eyes.

“How about we use the capture phrase like we did with Krauks?”

Ruby suggested.

The tyrant’s eyes snapped open.

“What are you going to do to me…?”

“What I’m going to do,” Ruby explained kindly, “is turn you into a tiny lump of black mud. Once that happens, your soul’s complete part will fly away, leaving only memories behind. Then, you’ll spill everything, even what you dug out of your nose three years ago, in response to my questions. After that, I’ll bury your muddy self in a pit, covering you with dirt, patting it down like covering up laid dung.”

The tyrant was horrified.

“Don’t do whatever that is! Just kill me instead!”

“You seem unaware, but that state is a kind of death too. ‘Kill’ isn’t quite the right word in this case.”

Fuming, the tyrant shouted.

“If you kill me, I’ll devour all the young Kun tribe members I’ve taken hostage.”

Ruby tilted her head.

“And if I keep you alive, you won’t eat them?”

“That’s right!”

“Do you have the authority to do that?”

“I’ll ask the Emperor to negotiate. In exchange for releasing me, he’ll send the Kun children back.”

“Hostage for hostage, a fair exchange,” Jade interjected, sensing the mood was ripe for negotiation.

“Ruby, look at me.”

“Why?”

Jade whispered into Ruby’s ear.

“Are you really going to agree to that deal?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s fundamental not to make deals with devils.”

“Which scripture is that in? Too fundamental for anyone to write down?”

“If you put it that way, I have nothing more to say, but…”

“You don’t trust me.”

“It’s not about trust in this case. But if you’re going to handle it, I won’t stop you.”

“Then don’t interfere from the start.”

Ruby cleared her throat and then addressed the tyrant.

“Fine. I’ll agree to the deal.”

Ruby released the chains binding the tyrant’s four limbs. The previously listless tyrant sprang to his feet. It was clear that his pained and powerless appearance had been an act.

Jade, Saph, and the hunters quickly stepped back.

‘I knew it would come to this!’

As soon as the tyrant rose, he exhaled a white breath. But Ruby had already gagged him with the chain.

“What was that breath just now?”

Ruby asked, slowly approaching the tyrant.

The tyrant mumbled something in a low voice, barely audible.

“What? Speak up.”

“I, I breathed.”

“Really? It seemed like you were trying to cast some sort of nightmare.”

“It’s true.”

“I’ll take your word for it. But don’t do that again! Or I might just take your head with me.”

“You promised to spare me, didn’t you?”

“Even if I cut off your head, you won’t die, right?”

“But, still…”

Ruby lightly climbed onto the tyrant’s back and commanded.

“Enough chatter. Lead me to your boss!”