Chapter 199

“Ha, ha, ha.”
Maximilian paused to catch his breath. His footprints were clearly imprinted on the trail, and he looked down at his furry boots, which were covered in snow.
‘I wouldn’t even look at it back home.’
I paid a fortune for them, and they were secondhand. Every time I put them on, I would think of the face of the vendor and get annoyed, but over time, they became one of my favorite possessions.
It probably means I’ve adjusted to life on the road.
“It’s always hard to make ends meet.”
I muttered a habitual mantra to myself and started walking again. His pockets were empty, having had the luxury of a drink last night. I had to grab something to keep from starving.
It’s a snowy mountain, and there’s nothing but snow all around. The only sound you can hear is your own footsteps in the silence.
It may be quiet, but don’t let your guard down. Anything could be lurking behind the snow-covered spruce. Monsters are monsters, but Maximilian was always wary of people.
“You’re a bunch of barbaric racists.”
The Pekatum, who kick your tongue as you pass, are friendly. Not everyone is so kind, however, and there are those who will try to play tricks on you.
Even if you try to be nice, it’s easy to cross the line. People in the countryside are also very communicative, so if someone goes missing, they’ll know right away, and they’ll have no choice but to move.
“Hopefully today will go peacefully.”
Maximilian had a small hope.
Unable to imagine what was to come for him.
The first sign was the smell.
“Bloody?
He smelled the scent of blood from far away. His years as a hunter had sensitized his senses. Until now, he hadn’t felt any sense of danger.
“Let’s go.
If you’re fighting for territory, the Fishermen’s Village is worth targeting. Just don’t loot the carcasses of already-devoured monsters, and you’ll still get a royal reward for your efforts.
Maximilian crouched low and ran through the snow. The smell of blood on his nostrils grew stronger. Soon, Maximilian could see over the hill and down the slope.
And then I shut up.
“Huh…!”
The corpse of a man, not a monster. Blood pooling in the snow. His coat is torn to shreds, as if he’d been slashed with something sharp.
None of their faces were exposed. Their heads were covered with snow. It was terribly artificial and unnatural in places, but Maximilian didn’t notice.
It just looks like a grotesque murder scene.
What’s more, I wasn’t given time to calm down.
Someone walked out of the spruce forest. A creature in a thick coat and furry hood. It was impossible to recognize its gender. Only the fact that it was the one who had caused the carnage was clear.
Blood stains all over your body.
And then there was more conclusive evidence.
-Yeeeeeah!
The chainsaw blade, held in both hands, spun at high speed, sending red stuff and droplets of blood flying everywhere. The grotesque sight made Maximilian stumble backward.
Sabak.
I heard footsteps.
“De, did you hear that?
I quickly ducked down the hill to hide. Maybe it was drowned out by the sound of the engine, but it would be more dangerous to run. I poked my head out and stared at the creature.
A rusted iron mask peeked out from under the hood.
The monster was looking exactly up the hill.
“Oh, shit!”
Maximilian is a hunter and a Minoan, and he is skilled enough to survive as one. More than once he has tried to overpower a Pecatum that has ambushed him.
But things are very different now. Survival and horror are different genres, and the learned fear of movies and other media has removed the option of combat.
Yay!
As you run, the sound doesn’t get farther away. In fact, it gets closer. I glance behind me and sure enough, the monster is chasing me like crazy with a chainsaw.
“Whew, whew!”
Your breath rattles your skull. Before I know it, my hood is off and the wind is slapping me in the face. The helplessness of running away suddenly reminded me of fleeing my home country.
I want to live.
I want to be myself, even if I have to roll in the mud. I’ve given up wealth, status, and honor for that alone. I can’t end my life in vain like this.
“Ugh, ouch!”
I stumbled and rolled downhill. He pushed himself upright, throbbing, and quickened his pace. The distance between him and the creature narrowed by the second, until at last he was only ten meters away.
It was a moment that brought water to the corners of my eyes.
Boom!
You hear the sound of a car driving nearby.
“Tea?
There’s not much traffic on the outskirts of Bastiterra. I thought it was strange, but my body honestly followed the sound.
Right behind you, the chainsaw emits an eerie shriek. The other man must be in desperate pursuit, realizing this is his last chance. Maximilian stretches out his legs, ready to die.
Soon the car started to come into view.
“Help, help, Hook! Help me! There’s a murderer! There’s a murderer after me!”
The chainsaw’s engine finally stopped roaring as the car drove straight toward him, as if he’d heard her plea or spotted her through the window. I glanced behind me and the creature had stopped, as if it had given up the chase.
I thought I heard a tongue-lashing sound.
A mid-size car with winter tires stopped in front of Maximilian. The door opened and three men and women stepped out. Two were Pekatum, but to Maximilian’s surprise, one was Minos.
One of them, a Minoan man, spoke up.
“Are you okay?”
“Hmph, hmph. Whatever.”
“Can I hear what’s going on?”
“It was, I don’t know, I don’t know. There was a dead body, whoops!”
“Let’s take it slow, so you can calm down first.”
The man handed over the bucket of water and looked in the direction of the monster. Maximilian gulped down the water and followed the man’s gaze. By now, the creature was far away.
The chainsaw left a trail of frozen blood.
* * *
Maximilian descended the mountain in the comfort of a heated car. It was the most comfortable he had felt in a long time. For a moment, he had doubts, but they quickly melted away.
They weren’t criminals, but they were identifiable.
“Excuse me, you must be from the royal family.”
“My name is Carmen Mobile, and I’m here to check on you because of the recent reports of anomalies. Normally, I’d take care of Ainoa-sama, but she’s a bit of a hardass.”
Carmen’s smile had an aristocratic quality to it. She introduced the group.
“These two are Hyun and Asterike from Dustborn Corporation.”
“Dustborne Corporation, the?”
A mercenary company that gained widespread fame after the Cataclysm. Maximilian had heard of them before coming to Bastitera, having traveled from place to place.
“We must have gotten famous.”
“I don’t know how you realize it, but we have close ties to the royal family of Bastitera, and we help each other out in times of need. I’m glad you’re okay, for now.”
“It’s because you guys came. I can only describe it as a stroke of luck.”
“You didn’t give up until the end, so heaven help you.”
Maximilian was awestruck. In his eyes, Kim Yi Hyun was a young man. Even though he was a self-made man at a young age, his character was very good.
As an outsider, he had no idea.
Kim Yi Hyun just dropped a bomb on Xuran.
Little did I know that he had plans to upend even the imperial palace.
“I’ll have the guards investigate for now, and I’m sure a bounty will get the hunters moving. If there’s a bit of a ruckus, it’ll be short-lived.”
After exchanging glances with Carmen, Kim spoke up.
“Apparently you’re not from around here.”
“Oh, yes.”
“I’m sorry you’ve had such a hard time, there’s still a lot of discrimination in the rural areas.”
“It’s unbecoming of a member of the royal family.”
“Haha…….”
I couldn’t even say no out of politeness. He had been ostracized before. If Minos was hungry, they would kick him rather than give him a crumb of bread.
So I couldn’t resist the offer that followed.
“If you don’t have any plans, would you like to come to the capital?”
“Me, you mean?”
“They say the outside world is full of minos, but not here. It’s hard to leave them alone, or should I say, tolerate them. I apologize if I’ve been unnecessarily intrusive.”
“Uh, no. I appreciate it, but I’m not sure if that’s okay….”
“There’s another reason, too.”
Kim stared at Maximilian in disbelief.
Catch and red eyes. A typical Xilanese characteristic.
“I’ve been informed that we’ve recently had a mole from Shiran come in. I’m not saying I suspect you, I’m just saying that you’re open to suspicion. You might be in trouble if word gets out soon.”
“Shh, in Shiran?”
His red eyes are wide open. He was visibly uneasy. Kim stifled a laugh at the simplicity of her attempt to put pressure on him.
It’s important to release him here, so that he doesn’t think a spy is coming to drag him back to his home country. If you do, they’ll likely disappear.
“I don’t like to talk about conspiracy theories, but Shiran wants to know everything. He’s had moles everywhere, and now he’s interested in Bastitera.”
“…….”
Despite the insult to his country, Maximilian remained silent. It was a sign of affirmation: as a member of the imperial family, he knew the darker side of Xuran, the side that was not visible to the outside world.
That was the cause of the flight.
“…… water, is it safe?”
His tone was weary, as if his wandering life had been hard.
“Easy.
Roasting the emperor was as simple as that.
* * *
The sun has now completely set. After a spectacular day, Maximilian had long since passed out at the hostel. When it was clear of traffic, Kim climbed the mountain again.
A car was parked at the pre-designated spot. As I approached, a woman came out of the car as if she had been waiting for me. It was Rosetta, who gave me a realistic performance.
“There you go, you son of a bitch.”
“Wow. That was good, huh?”
“He sucks at it. Don’t ever ask me to do it again.”
There were still bloodstains everywhere, as if I hadn’t cleaned it with water and a towel. I used the fake blood I had brought with me, but it was unpleasant, and I could see the irritation on her face.
“You didn’t even realize you were enjoying it. You just ran after him in excitement.”
“So what. It was fresh and fun, wasn’t it?”
Rosetta giggled, remembering the chase.
“Woohoo. I never thought I’d ring a bell in my life.”
“You have a life achievement. Well done, you too.”
“Mr. Hyun had a hard time, too. I feel bad for him, but it was surprisingly fun.”
The actors who played the corpses were great.
This allowed us to secure the prince without any losses.
“But how did he know the prince was here?”
“Your team found it.”
“That’s not what I meant, is it?”
Rosetta sent me a pointed glare. This time, it was a bit too much of a joke to pass off as a joke; she needed to play it cool.
“I was in contact with a Legion mole on Shiran, and that’s when I heard the news of the Emperor’s disappearance. At some point, the First Prince actually stopped appearing in public, and the rest is history.”
“How is that supposed to be in Bastitera?”
“Ahhhhh. That’s very Hyun of you….”
Even if it’s considered suspicious, it’s new. Not revealing secrets won’t turn them into enemies overnight. For now, you need to focus on the task at hand.
“There will come a time when I’ll relax.
When the catastrophe is over and the main episode is over.
The rest is a matter of getting to know each other.
Not too far in the future.
“By the way, boss. Where do we go from here?”
“Do what?”
“There’s a prince. Do I have to keep pretending I don’t know him?”
“Yeah. Isn’t it a little unfair to say that you knew all along and saved the day?”
That’s a valid point.
This is a completely different situation from Ainoa. It may even be discovered that the whole thing was a hoax. All the goodwill we’ve built up will be shattered.
But I’m not too worried.
“I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
A good man is a good man.
Surviving Mangem as a 1-Star – Chapter 200 (of 223)