SWNOVELXO Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Time to Stock Up!
"Lucien sir?" Viscount Braun rubbed his hands together, forcing a nervous smile. "I apologize for disturbing you, but I need your assistance with something."
Viscount Braun's words seemed to fall on deaf ears. The black-robed mage, Lucien, remained hunched over, staring intently at the Magic Book in his hands as if in a trance.
"Lucien sir? Lucien sir?" Viscount Braun repeated twice more before the mage abruptly looked up, his milky white eyes devoid of pupils locking onto the viscount. After a pause, he finally spoke, "Oh, it's you... When did you arrive?"
Several stitch-like scars crisscrossed Lucien's face, and his skin had darkened to the color of dried-out jerky. Even though Viscount Braun knew what to expect, the sight sent cold sweat trickling down his brow. Wiping his forehead, he repeated his earlier plea: "Lucien sir, I need your help."
Viscount Braun had come to Lucien not because of the Phantom Thief Cat, but because of the Black Knight.
Earlier that day, Pieck Braun had left Stone Pine City on business. That afternoon, a severed finger and a letter from the Black Knight arrived at the Viscount's Manor.
The Black Knight demanded a ransom of ten thousand Gold Dragons from Viscount Braun by noon the following day, to be delivered to a specified location. If he failed to comply, she threatened to kill Pieck immediately.
Viscount Braun's heart turned to ice when he read the letter. Pieck was his favorite and most capable eldest son, his designated heir to the viscountcy. He couldn't afford to lose him!
However, a ransom of ten thousand Gold Dragons was an outrageous demand. Even if Viscount Braun could afford it, he absolutely refused to pay.
He would rather spend every last coin hiring every adventurer in the Adventurer's Guild to hunt down the Black Knight than hand over a single Gold Dragon to the criminal. Fortunately, the Black Knight had specified a meeting place. Viscount Braun planned to use this opportunity to ambush and eliminate the greedy villain herself!
However, Viscount Braun then remembered that a legendary thief had set his sights on his vault. If he spent all his money—or even just a portion of it—wouldn't the thief suspect he was deliberately transferring assets? What if that angered the thief and led to reckless actions?
Hiring adventurers was out of the question. Could he then order his guards to ambush the Black Knight? Viscount Braun remained uneasy. Finally, he thought of Lucien, his "partner."
As a necromancer, why had Lucien managed to remain hidden for so long, with no one aware of his existence? It was because he didn't need to actively kill people to gather materials. Thanks to Viscount Braun's increased taxes and the recent years of poor harvests, the number of starving commoners had skyrocketed. Lucien simply had to scavenge corpses.
In fact, so many people were starving to death that Lucien couldn't even collect all the bodies. With an endless supply of corpses, wasn't this far more efficient than personally killing people?
Viscount Braun briefly explained the situation with the Black Knight, then anxiously said, "I've provided you with so many corpses. I recall you promised to do me a favor, didn't you?"
"This... of course," Lucien stammered. "Just some masked coward... Tell me the time and place, and I'll take care of him."
"Phew—" Viscount Braun exhaled in relief. After providing the details, he added, "If possible, please eliminate him before he harms my son. If you can bring Pieck back safely, I'll reward you handsomely!"
Lucien nodded. "That's... simple. Just a matter of magic."
He wasn't exaggerating. To ordinary people, a knight in full plate armor might seem nearly invincible, but for a Mage, dispatching one was trivial—provided the knight was ordinary.
With Lucien's assurance, Viscount Braun returned to Stone Pine City.
-
Meanwhile, back at the Adventurer's Guild inn, Feidric finally presented two options: "Either we leave Stone Pine City tomorrow and get as far away as possible, or we act immediately to eliminate the Necromancer before the Death Array activates."
Franklin's diary contained the exact location of the Death Array, along with detailed instructions on how to dismantle it. Perhaps the deceased Mage had hoped that someone would one day discover his journal and stop his wayward apprentice.
Aria, without hesitation, chose the second option. "We're the Hero Party! How can we stand idly by when something this serious is happening? Saving Stone Pine City and the surrounding towns and villages is the first step in our quest to save the world!"
Douglas smiled and said, "I'll follow your lead. If you decide to fight, I'm with you. A Priest of the God of War never shies away from battle."
Feidric hesitated, a rare occurrence for someone who usually cared little for strangers. He had decisively sided with Cipher after learning she had stolen from Viscount Braun, and advised ignoring the conflict between the Black Knight and the Viscount.
But now, he found himself wavering. Not for personal reasons, but because he understood all too well the catastrophic consequences if the Death Array were successfully activated. Would it claim ten thousand lives? Twenty thousand? Fifty thousand? He couldn't say for sure, but he knew that the entire region surrounding Stone Pine City would be decimated.
Cipher, observing his indecision, cut straight to the point. "If you want to save people, then go and do it boldly. What's holding you back?"
Feidric remained reluctant. As a Mage himself, he fully grasped the terrifying power of a Necromancer at the Gold-Rank adventurer level. "But..."
Cipher interrupted him. "No buts. I'm voting yes too. That's three against one. You're going whether you like it or not."
She patted Feidric on the shoulder and added softly, "Alright, it's settled. We'll leave at noon tomorrow. But before we officially move out, I'll scout ahead and check out the situation. Sound good?"
Cipher's words seemed straightforward enough. To Aria and Douglas, it simply meant she'd be going ahead to scout, just like she had during their escort quests when she rode ahead of the caravan.
But Feidric knew Cipher's "track record." Breaking into Viscount Braun's manor was child's play for her. He could tell she meant far more than simply scouting ahead. This Catgirl probably wants to take a leisurely stroll through the Necromancer's house beforehand.
More importantly, Feidric glanced at his companions. Even Aria, usually so oblivious, looked serious, recognizing the gravity of their mission. Douglas wore a similar expression. But Cipher? Not a trace of fear or worry crossed her face. She was far too confident!
It was as if they were embarking on a casual trip, not facing a formidable foe.
Confidence, it seemed, was contagious. Feidric opened his mouth to speak... then sneezed. "Achoo!"
After sneezing, Feidric turned to Cipher and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
Cipher replied instantly, "Of course~!"
With their plan settled, Aria and Cipher returned to their rooms to rest for the night. The next morning, the four of them rose early and set off directly for the location of the Death Array, as described in Franklin's diary.
The diary indicated that the Death Array was located on a low mountain north of Stone Pine City. However, since the diary was five years old, the terrain had likely changed somewhat. The group quickly reached the mountain, but they found pinpointing the exact location surprisingly difficult.
Feidric said, "According to the diary, the Death Array is inside a cave. The entrance is concealed by a permanent Illusion Magic spell, disguised as a massive boulder. We just need to pass through it to reach our destination."
Despite these instructions, the description of the location felt overly vague. Cipher watched Aria and Douglas scout ahead. Aria, armed with the Sword in the Stone, cautiously took each step, testing the ground with each footfall. Douglas, wielding his Great Axe, struck every boulder they encountered.
After all, they couldn't just charge straight at every large stone without testing it first, could they? They'd probably knock themselves unconscious.
Cipher greeted the trio, told them she was going ahead, and with a light leap, landed nimbly on the treetop of a nearby tree.
The slender branch swayed wildly under her weight, threatening to throw anyone else off balance. But with a gentle flick of her tail, Cipher effortlessly adjusted her center of gravity, gradually stabilizing both herself and the shaking branch.
From her elevated perch, she scanned the surroundings for conspicuous large stones. When she found none, she leaped to another tree, repeating this pattern of searching and leaping. Before long, she had covered several kilometers.
Unlike Aria and Douglas, Cipher didn't need to climb down and tap potential stones by hand. Instead, she pulled out a handful of small pebbles she had casually gathered earlier and tossed them at each target. If the pebble bounced back, it was a real stone; if it didn't, she knew she had found what she was looking for.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Cipher tossed small stones one after another. Even from a distance, a twitch of her cat ears allowed her to clearly hear the clatter of the stones colliding.
Clink!
Another stone bounced away. Just as Cipher was about to leave, she suddenly spotted several massive "footprints" on the ground.
Cipher wasn't even sure if they were footprints. Each oval-shaped depression was roughly a meter in diameter, resembling the imprints left by a heavy cylinder smashing into the earth. The odd thing was that these depressions were spaced at regular intervals, which led her to suspect they were indeed footprints.
"A bear? No, even a bear wouldn't make prints like this. Could it be some unknown beast unique to this world?" Cipher wondered, leaping down from the treetop for a closer look.
As soon as she landed, she noticed something peculiar: the footprints began at a massive boulder directly ahead. Her cat ears twitched. She slowly approached, extending her right hand to gently touch the stone. Then, something utterly bizarre happened.
In her vision, Cipher's right hand hovered over the rock's surface, even making slow, stroking motions. Yet, she felt nothing—the rock was fake, an illusion!
Cipher instantly understood. The pebble she had just thrown had passed right through the rock, but to her eyes, it had bounced back and landed on the ground. She had even heard the distinct clatter of stone on stone.
This Illusion Magic was far more potent than she had imagined. It wasn't just a simple rock projection; it could automatically react to external interactions!
Undoubtedly, this greatly enhanced the area's concealment. Without close inspection, it would be impossible to detect anything amiss.
While pondering this, Cipher took another step forward. The moment her entire body passed through the "rock," it vanished from her sight, replaced by the entrance to a cave.
Without the slightest hesitation, Cipher activated Divine Speed. After all, her opponent was rumored to be a formidable Necromancer, and she needed to proceed with caution.
After circling the cave, Cipher discovered it was completely empty. Recalling the massive footprint at the entrance, she surmised that the Necromancer had likely just stepped out—perhaps, possibly, maybe—and wasn't currently home.
A mischievous grin spread across Cipher's face, revealing a cute little fang. Rubbing her hands together, she chuckled, "Hehe~ In that case, I won't hold back!"
She stood at the deepest part of the cave, where strange mushrooms emitted a blue luminescence, serving as natural torches. In the center stood a stone table and chairs, covered with books and scrolls—clearly the Necromancer's workbench.
Without a second thought, Cipher bent down, scooped up the entire stack of books and scrolls, and scurried outside to place them on the ground. She immediately darted back inside, her gaze fixed on the four cabinets beside the stone table.