By Zephyria =======
Silver stopped asking and looked away. The moment the smile that always lingered on Wolf’s lips evaporated, his face became strikingly similar to Black Weasel’s. Previously, Wolf had wondered aloud if a face like Black Weasel’s actually “worked” in Stohl. It was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.
As I thought, that guy… aside from the color of his eyes, his face is ordinary…
And yet, he had bewitched Silver and Black Weasel with his “looks.” If so, the evil spirit clinging to Wolf was… Glamaugh?
Glamaugh was famous as an evil spirit that manipulated the human mind. It would bewitch the target’s eyes, deceiving them into thinking a “dazzling radiance” was emanating from the host’s face, and then subtly groomed them into a slave. In many ways, it was similar to Wolf’s spirit.
Silver steeled his resolve. While it might not be on the level of the three great seaport spirits, Glamaugh was still a formidable first-class evil spirit.
The tavern was much more pleasant than the previous night. There were no animals, and warriors were scattered here and there, snoring while hugging beer barrels. Inside the counter, a girl around his age was yawning repeatedly. Silver tapped the counter with the back of his hand.
“Two chickens. For a sacrifice.”
“Planning a ritual in broad daylight?”
“Don’t ask. Where’s the sacred site around here?”
“If it’s that… see that birch forest outside the window? Just go straight in and you’ll find it. Take any of the chickens from out front. Oh, right, no hens. The money is…”
Silver paid the fee and left the inn. He caught two black roosters wandering in front of the inn, tied their legs with twine, and slung them over his shoulder. As he headed toward the birch forest, Wolf asked.
「Why go to the forest when it’s cold?」
「I have things to do.」
「Right, I didn’t even want to drink a sip of water in that inn. Let’s grill some meat in the forest, even if it’s a bit chilly. Look, anyway, Silver. This is what I want to say. Come with us to Atania.」
「Huh?」
Silver frowned.
「What kind of nonsense is this? Why try to pull me to your side now?」
「Don’t misunderstand! I’m trying to help you!」
Wolf stepped in front of Silver, blocking his path.
「You’re only seventeen. It makes no sense for someone that age to work under a contract killer! Besides, this country is truly… do you know how horrified I was last night? Corpses hanging in clusters from trees… and right there on the streets, pro-pro-prostitution… in the tavern, men and women tangled up na-naked… I’d heard all about Stohl’s promiscuity, but th-this is really…」
Wolf’s face turned beet red as he rambled incoherently. Silver let out a loud laugh.
「Who are you treating like a snot-nosed kid? In Stohl, you’re an adult starting at sixteen. Worry about yourself, brat.」
「Silver, listen to me seriously. Someone as smart and talented as you should be in a wider world…」
「I told you to worry about yourself! You’re screwed, you idiot. Screwed! An evil spirit is clinging to you!」
「Right, my situation isn’t exactly great either. I suppose a spirit is attached… wait, what? Evil spirit?! To wh-who?」
Wolf flinched and looked up, asking back. It looked as if his eyes were about to pop out like snails.
「To you, you. And not just any spirit, but Glamaugh! You were completely clueless, but the Ice Armor Warrior and I recognized it. Anyway, this idiot is just squawking away, oblivious to everything…」
Silver poked Wolf in the chest with his finger.
「Do you get it now? I was on my way to perform an exorcism ritual. Wake up, man! If you keep going like this, you’ll eventually forget your own name.」
「…….」
「Don’t get the wrong idea; I’m not doing this because I like you. More importantly, the Ice Armor Warrior is the bigger problem. It’s actually not easy to meet someone possessed by an evil spirit. They’re as rare as shooting stars, even in Stohl. The Ice Armor Warrior seemed to be plotting something, probably because he found it fascinating.」
「…Plotting? What?」
「What would a contract killer plot? Basic murder, minimum torture. This isn’t just my guess! The Ice Armor Warrior blabbed everything last night while smoking hallucination herbs. He said things like he’d cut off your limbs to give them as a gift to his murderer Grandma friend, or that he’d drain your blood. That’s what he said.」
「…Um. Silver.」
Wolf squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.
「Th-that, cutting off my limbs, gi-gift, blood, that was… something Uncle said while hallucinating, right? The credibility is low…」
「Unfortunately, it’s not nonsense. The Ice Armor Warrior is a guy who lies as easily as he breathes, but he’s the exception when he’s on hallucination herbs. Believe me, I’ve spent eleven years with that man.」
「Eleven years?」
The color of Wolf’s face shifted instantly. Silver gestured with his hand, saying, 「I’ll tell you as we go,」 and started walking. Wolf hurriedly followed behind him.
「You’ve lived with Uncle since you were six?」
「If I were sixteen back then, my head would’ve been split open by the Ice Armor Warrior’s axe. He considers people children up until fifteen, so he lets them slide. Are you getting nervous now? Just pray that my exorcism ritual succeeds.」
「But tell me… how did you recognize the evil spirit clinging to me? Do I smell like rotting corpses, or do you hear the sound of a skeleton clattering its jaw in your ears?」
Wolf stole a glance at him. It was a gaze like a pawnshop owner meticulously inspecting an old coat for moth-eaten holes.
This brat doesn’t believe a word I say.
Silver racked his brain. He recalled the time the Prince and the Attendant had insulted the long-snouted frog god. When Silver had jumped up in anger, they had excused themselves by saying that “atheism is a huge trend among peers in Atania.” Would a guy who denies his own god just to follow a trend believe in another country’s evil spirits? If so…
「How did I recognize it? You’re curious about that?」
Silver stopped talking and shut his mouth. For a duration long enough for two inches of a candle to burn down, he stared intensely at Wolf with focused eyes, then lowered his voice.
「I saw it. Clearly, with my own eyes. The evil spirit clinging to you.」
「…….」
Wolf looked as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He stared at Silver for a long time without moving, then his lips parted.
「With your eyes…」
「You said it yourself, didn’t you? That Stohl has many strange things. The Ice Armor Warrior and I fall into that category. He and I can see evil spirits.」
「You can… see them?」
「Yes, I can. That’s why I believe it!」
Silver overlaid his face with the sharp gaze and the delinquent smile—lifting only one corner of the mouth—that Black Weasel used when threatening people. His voice rose steadily, like climbing a ladder.
「However, I only see them when my mind is perfectly clear. I can’t see them when I’m drunk, smoking hallucination herbs, distracted by random thoughts, or in a bad mood. Oh, and when I’m fighting or killing people too! If I saw evil spirits all the time, I would have gone crazy long ago!」
Silver’s mind was usually like an abandoned empty house, but occasionally, he would dust himself off and spring into action. Specifically when it came to teasing Black Weasel, he transformed into an acrobat capable of leaping over a ring of fire. Now was one of those times. Only the target had changed from Black Weasel to Wolf.
「The reason the Ice Armor Warrior and I stared at you strangely at the cave hot spring was actually because that was the first time I saw the spirit. I kept my mouth shut because I knew you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you the truth. If the Ice Armor Warrior hadn’t said things about chopping you into pieces, I would’ve kept quiet until the end! I know, you’re dying to mock me and say, ‘You’re the one who seems possessed, Silver,’ aren’t you?」
「No, no! Mocking you, I wouldn’t…」
「You’re an Atanian! You’re one of those who doesn’t even believe in your own god!」
「That’s true, but… you said you can see evil spirits? Then I have to believe it. In a place like Stohl where there are even men who get pregnant, I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be someone who sees evil spirits. Oh, dear… if evil spirits exist, then gods must exist too… I believed there was no god and mocked and cursed blindly… what should I do…」
Silver’s deception succeeded. Wolf was completely dazed, swaying like an old sick man leaning against a wall to walk.
「What do I really do? My school teachers said if you don’t believe in god, you’ll go to hell. Am I going to be tortured forever?」
「What are you worrying about? Just convert. Didn’t you say your god did nothing when our ancestors chewed up and swallowed Atania like beef jerky? You can’t even compete in numbers. Your side is one, but our side is thousands, tens of thousands.」
「Convert! There was a way!」
While they chatted, the sacred site appeared nearby. An altar stone, surrounded by several small stones in a circle, glowed in the morning sunlight. Around the altar stone, which had various symbols engraved on its flat surface, were scattered countless feathers, animal bones, human bones, and bloodstains.
Upon seeing the human bones, Wolf seemed horrified. His complexion turned pale in an instant, like a snot-nosed kid whose mother had discovered nude drawings of women hidden in his desk drawer.
33 – Hell Execution Order