Chapter 179: You’re Not Going Off Alone Again (3)
“But, but if that’s the case, the Grand priest should be able to travel on his own with no problem too. I should be going with mother…”
“No, Abel.” I shook my head. “That man right there is truly useless at the moment. I have sealed away his ability just in case he tries anything funny.”
“Aha!” Michael grinned. “I see now. You’ve done something cheeky like that.”
He trembled with a grinning face.
“But still, mother… the Grand priest told me just now that the humans of Mundus from Orcus were all souls that had committed a horrible crime during their lifetime. Bad souls. When there are many people like this here…”
“I know that too. But Abel, we really have no time to lose. When that thing called the reincarnation gate opens, what are we to do if His Grace goes off on his own? We must find the trace of His Grace as fast as possible, and we must find a way to reach the reincarnation gate too. You saw mom doing creative economy back there, right?”
“Ah…”
“Let’s return before the sun sets. Let’s regroup here. Azar, I’ll leave it up to you.”
“Alright.”
I eyed Azar. He hoisted up Deborah. Michael led away Abel, who had his eyes glued to me.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Abel’s worries for me, but it was definitely a waste of human resources for all of us to be going around as one big group when we didn’t have any time.
Like as Michael said, as ironic as it might seem, it would be absurd for me to be protected by Abel, when I was the most powerful among us all.
In case Abel clings on to me even more, I squeezed his hand once and put on a worn out robe, slipping in among the people of Mundus.
* * *
The most accessible place and also the place where the most information is shared, would be a tavern, where people would become light-mouthed due to all the drinking.
Recalling my tearful memories of wandering around to find the sword of Sanctcria before, I stepped into the biggest looking tavern in the main street.
As expected, there were people gathered in groups of three to five, already drunk at noon, chatting loudly.
The moment I entered, a man with a big build stumbled towards me and muttered as he leaned over.
“Hm? What would a cute girl like you doing in a place like …”
‘Get lost at once.’
“Hmb!”
It was obvious there would be those kinds of gatherings to make some obvious flirt, but there was no problem.
Walking through numerous drunkards, I sat down at the bar and asked for a glass of beer.
“Ugh, just my luck!”
“Keheh… You are in a mess. Never seen you getting beaten up this much, Greg.”
I could hear bits and pieces of conversation mixed with roaring laughter ringing at my ear.
I peeped to the side, there sat two burly men facing each other.
‘My.’ I almost exclaimed out loud.
The big burly man called Greg, had his face beaten up almost into a pulp.
Blood had pooled by his mouth, still not dry, and both his eyelids were swollen. Even his eyes that he managed to slit open were all bloodshot with all the blood vessels in his eyes bursting.
Indeed, this was befitting to be the place where souls that had done bad deeds in their lifetime.
Still, those who have entered Mundus should be the kind that at least faked a change of mind, yet they were fighting and wandering around this early.
Tsk tsk-
The man called Greg was trembling from rage due to being beaten up. He snatched the glass of beer by his side and gulped it down.
On his mustache which curled up in an unsightly manner due to being burned or something, were drops of beer he didn’t manage to swallow.
“How would I stand a chance against a man who entered hell alive? He has to be quite something to make it here alive. It’s not because I’m weak.”
“Kekheh… excuses.”
“I said it’s not!”
I was listening quietly after taking my eyes off them, but was startled by their conversation, which sounded oddly familiar.
The eyes of the two men turned to me as I shot up from the seat in an instant.
“…What?”
I walked around to them, hurriedly sitting down next to the man named Greg.
When I slightly took off the hood that was hiding my face, Greg looked surprised by an unexpected face.
He must have thought that it was odd for a woman to be here where drunkards gathered in broad daylight.
“What do you want?”
“A human who entered hell alive? Could you tell me more in detail? And why are you beaten up like this?”
“B-beaten up? Look, who do you think you are?”
‘Just answer my question.’
Greg froze solid for about a second due to brainwashing, then opened his mouth.
“There is a human who entered Mundus about a month ago. A real madman, I must say. He was shouting in the middle of the street out of nowhere.”
“That was mad funny. Attention~!” The man sitting beside Greg butted in excitedly, even though he wasn’t even brainwashed.
“Oh right. Attention~! he went, making a ruckus, saying he would reward anyone who lets him know where the lizard is.”
“Reward?”
“What kind of reward would there be here? I thought he may have some money, but he was just some madman. He said he would hire the person as a knight of his house if it’s a guy, and a kitchen maid if a woman.”
“Crazy punk he was. A crazy punk.”
“Aha…”
“Anyways, what he said was weird for starters. It made no sense. And I was wondering what in the world he could mean by a lizard, well…”
Greg trembled recalling the situation back then. The man beside him shook his head, finishing his words.
“What kind of human on Mundus dares to call Lord Gaionia that way? He is too ballsy for his own good.”
“I’d say. He really is too ballsy for his own good. So what happened then?”
“Nobody dared to associate with him, he was a madman. After that, well, it seemed that he was wandering around on his own investigating the reincarnation gate.”
“But you said he is a living man? Is that something you can even tell?”
“What? Where did you come from, outer space?”
Greg suddenly stared at me with suspicion in his eyes.
“No I… just got here.”
As I mumbled, Greg clicked his tongue and added, “How would I have known, if not for the fact he could still use the abilities of Gaionia. There have been few madlads creeping in here alive before.”
“And the one that got in this time is a crazy one that would go down in history.”
“That’s right. Look at my beard here. This is what that madman did to me!” Greg shouted in rage, pointing at his beard with burnt tips.
‘Ah… I get it now.’
So, it seemed that humans of Mundus could not use their abilities, unlike when they were alive.
‘Then I should not use my powers recklessly to lay low. I’m fine with that, but I am a bit worried for Abel and Azar.’
They could use their abilities without much thought and raise a ruckus unexpectedly.
Panicking, I gave my last question thinking I should wrap this up in a hurry.
I wanted a bit more information on the reincarnation gate, but more than that…
“About that madman, he didn’t pass the reincarnation gate… yet, did he?”
“What are you talking about? It’s the new moon tomorrow. That madman has been going around stirring up the place with all kinds of things, only waiting for the new moon! He would be going off to croak tomorrow, Glad to know I won’t need to see him anymore after tomorrow!”
Reincarnation gate. The new moon. One month.
It seemed that the reincarnation gate opened once a month, not at irregular intervals, and the opening was on the night of the new moon on the first day of the month.
I secretly thanked Greg, for saying all that I wanted to hear as if he was the information guide prepared for me here.
After gathering the information I needed in a hurry, I urged Greg.
“He is still here, right? Do you know where that madman went?”
“What, why are you looking for that madman? Did he do something to you too?”
“Not really. Tell me if you know where he is.”
Though Greg showed suspicion, he opened his mouth since he was in a brainwashed state.
“But really, are you from outer space or what? How do you not know of that crazy guy even if you haven’t been here for long? The whole Mundus is terrified of that madman. Everyone shrinks when they pass the fronts of ‘Jo’s Inn.’”
That madman also seemed to be staying in an inn until the new moon.
I nodded and continued my question.
“So he stays in Jo’s inn. Sorry to ask but where is that…”
It seemed Jo’s inn was also a quite famous spot in Mundus as well. Greg’s eyes gained more suspicion looking at me who seemed to know nothing at all.
Thankfully, a fully drunk man sitting beside Greg cut in with excitement in his voice as Greg was about to open his mouth.
“Why are you being so harsh on the newbie, it’s all understandable. There is an inn made of red bricks if you walk straight up this tavern street!”
“…Huh?” I was a little caught off guard.
The man bothered to add unnecessary words of concern with a quite gentle tone.
“Well perhaps that madman did something to a friend of yours? Still, don’t go taking him on for no reason and end up being burnt to a crisp. Just hold it in for a day. He is a guy who will walk into his own grave by tomorrow anyway.”
Oh, my days.
I couldn’t hear too well of the man’s concerned words, but my mouth was opened wide in surprise.
Of all places to be…
The place that ‘madman’ was staying in was none other than the inn we were staying in.