5. Bread and Dagger (71)
I rummaged through the bosom of the strewn corpse.
The name of the man who died at the hands of Avian was Wolf. In the small town I lived in, no ID was required, but it didn’t seem to be a ‘headquarters’.
The bloodstained wooden plaque was stained with an eerie light.
It was an unpleasant stain any time you look at it. I tried to wipe the blood off my sleeve, but ended up pouring a canteen of water over it to wash it off.
Water droplets drip from the wooden plaque.
Moisture dispersed as frost before it even hit the ground.
The northern cold was so terrifying.
Fortunately, Avian and I were fine even in this fierce cold.
I was a warrior who had reached Expert, and Avian was wearing the snow leopard skin I had given him as a gift. There was no gap for the northern winds to penetrate.
The only trouble was the man who had already lost his life.
He was wearing a very thin suit.
I didn’t even know that I was born with a constitution that doesn’t tolerate the cold well. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the deformed attire.
It was a harsh reality.
Avian’s transformation magic was clever. Not only did it perfectly imitate the appearance of others, but it was difficult to detect even its traces.
Nonetheless, all magic has limitations.
Even if it was Avian, it was impossible to deceive even the appearance. In other words, that thin clothes should soon become Avian’s camouflage clothes.
It was a time to worry about hypothermia right away.
I asked Avian just in case.
“… … Shall we wait for the elf to come again?”
“There is no time. Also, I don’t want to take the lives of my own people any more than necessary.”
Avian’s answer was firm.
It was a good reason. I couldn’t come up with anything to refute, so I could only nod my head with a light moan.
To be honest, I was worried.
On the outside, he would take on the appearance of a sturdy man, but Avian’s body was a delicate girl. I wasn’t sure how many hours I could endure in the freezing cold.
However, his will seemed so firm.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t fathom those feelings. I drew my sword to show my will, but there was no way my mind could be calm after killing my own people.
In the end, I couldn’t dissuade Avian until the end. All that came out of my mouth were common words of concern.
“Be careful, Avian.”
“Do not worry. I’m an elf… This is where I was born and raised, how can I not survive the cold for several hours?”
And Avian even stretched out his shoulders.
He seemed to be trying to show his confidence. Even though it had the opposite effect of stimulating my sympathy, as the skinny body without a single flab was emphasized.
Recently, the amount of food has increased a lot, but this is the case.
Since there is no fat in the body, it will be more difficult to withstand the cold.
Even so, I decided to accept Avian’s bravado. It was true that there was no reason to stop it anyway.
I nodded my head with an awkward smile. Only then did Avian start to prepare.
I decided to wipe the bloody clothes well and dry them first.
It took a little time to light a bonfire, but Avian was able to enter the ‘headquarters’ within no time. It was after the appearance was completely changed to that of Wolf.
I was waiting at a place a little farther away.
However, it was not difficult to grasp the situation. It was thanks to the crow sitting on Avian’s shoulder.
This magical creature created by the Empire was very capable. In addition to saving the images seen and heard, it was also possible to share the view with the operator in real time.
Of course, there was a condition that it had to be within a certain range.
It was a story that had nothing to do with me now.
When I closed my eyes, an unfamiliar landscape surfaced. In addition, a voice that tickles the ears.
It was the eyes and ears of a crow.
“Wolf, what is this crow?”
“I don’t know? It flew in from somewhere and sat on my shoulder. Do you like me?”
Avian was just having a casual conversation with the guards.
Looking back, she was a girl with a talent for acting. If he had completed professional training, he might have become a dangerous spy who would move secretly in human society.
It was fortunate for mankind.
“yes? Something suspicious… Aren’t they dangerous animals?”
“yes? Is this crow?”
Hmmm, Avian stroked his chin. And after a moment of silence, the girl continued with her brilliant excuse.
“Hmm, maybe so… It’s a problem we don’t know anyway, right? I’d rather ask Leoric.”
“Leoric? Ahh.”
The guards who listened to Avian’s excuse seemed to think of something.
Immediately after a brief exclamation, he patted Avian on the shoulder with a hearty smile.
“Come to think of it, Master Leoric was looking for you. Wolf… You are finally recognized.”
What are you talking about all of a sudden?
Apparently, Wolf had a prior agreement with Leoric. Looking at the expression on the guard’s face, it was possible to guess that something special had happened to Wolf recently.
Although Avian and I couldn’t guess the inside story.
It could have been a crisis.
However, Avian turned the situation around with a hearty laugh. Rather than pretending to know for nothing, he chose to gloss over his words.
It wasn’t a bad strategy.
As evidence of that, the guards only burst into laughter.
There was no hint of suspicion.
“Thank you, I can’t keep Leoric waiting even for an hour… I have to go. Where is Leoric now?”
“Where you always have been.”
Avian nodded and walked away.
No one caught her, including the guards. On the contrary, some even congratulated them as if they were passing by.
Avian had a slightly nervous expression on his face.
She was a timid girl by nature. There was no reason to welcome such an unexpected variable.
However, if there is one thing that can be comforted, is it that there is no need to go through the troublesome process to meet Leoric?
Avian soon stood in front of a shabby cabin.
At first glance, it looked similar to the place where the elves in the village lived. Despite being the residence of the head of a cult, it was a simple residence with no escorts in sight.
But I and Avian also knew.
In the first place, Leoric was not a person who needed an escort.
His powers were monstrous. No matter how trained a warrior was, his body could not be strengthened that much.
It must be the ‘Forbidden Power’, the power hidden by the Dark Church.
Avian’s body stiffened for a moment ahead of his encounter with Leoric. It was because of the tension.
In addition, as the strong wind passed by, Avian’s body, which was already wearing thin clothes, trembled.
I couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
Right after Avian took a step with a determined look in his eyes.
It wasn’t long before I was able to witness the person I was looking for.
The shabby cabin was just camouflage. Leoric’s true abode was the basement.
It was a very dull room.
A stone bed and various surgical instruments came into view one after another. Leoric grunted in the midst of it, lost in thought.
“… … Leoric.”
At that low call, the ugly middle-aged man finally came to his senses.
A smile appeared on the skin that melted into a mess. It was a benevolent smile that didn’t go well with his disgusting appearance.
Leoric drew the cross on his chest as he saw Avian disguised as Wolf.
“Oh, Emmanuel! Brother Wolf, you’re here at last.”
“Sorry for the delay, Leoric. I found a strange animal for a while… … .”
Then Avian pointed to the crow on his shoulder.
Leoric’s bewildered eyes turned to me. To be precise, he was looking at the crow, but thanks to sharing that vision, it was an opportunity to take a closer look at Leoric’s face.
He was a man with deep eyes.
It was evident that he had once been a faithful priest. Only a religious person who has cultivated his mind for a long time could have such profound pupils.
So it was even more questionable.
What caused this man to go completely mad?
Leoric walked over and cautiously reached for the crow. His fingers gently stroked the crow’s head.
The crow did not resist, and Leoric smiled happily.
“What a cute animal. By the way, did crows live in coniferous forests?”
”I have seen it occasionally. But it’s the first time I’ve ever seen an object that’s so unfamiliar… … .”
“Don’t worry too much, Brother Wolf. Isn’t this also the will of the Lord? It is said that we are in the midst of tribulation, but it is not good to deny all living things.”
Avian feigned surprise and lowered his head.
That seemed to be the general attitude of the elves toward Leoric.
Anyone could see that he was serving his superiors.
“I’m sorry, my learning is short… … .”
”You don’t have to blame yourself. Sometimes I’m wrong and you’re right. Always keep a questioning attitude.”
After that, Leoric clasped their palms together.
It seemed to arouse the topic.
A kind tone came out of his mouth.
“Anyway, thank you for your hard work, Brother Wolf. Today, as promised, we have prepared a present for Brother Wolf.”
“Well, if you say it’s a gift… … ?“
“Of course it’s a ‘blessing.’”
Avian’s body stiffened slightly at that unexpected reply.