Chapter 38: Necromancer and Undead Dog

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Necromancer and Undead Dog

The proprietress impatiently blew a smoke ring. "The kind of room you’d find in any normal town. One Silver Scale a night. Wanna bathe? The public bath is on the first floor. Ten Copper Nails per wash."

Although Annis looked utterly disgusted, she knew there were no better options at the moment.

She counted out coins from her money bag. "Alright then. Three rooms, and two people bathing... that comes to a total of three Silver Scales and twenty Copper Nails, right?"

Unlike the pampered Annis, Hesia actually thought the conditions were pretty good.

After all, on his journey, he had mostly stayed in places with communal straw mats for 20 to 30 Copper Nails a night.

"All out," the proprietress cut Annis off. "Only one room left. There’s the storeroom in the back, though. One person could sleep there. I’ll give it to you cheap—one Silver Scale."

"Miss, I can take the storeroom."

The coachman, Fred, was quick on the uptake. He immediately tossed down a Silver Scale, grabbed the key, and bolted, as if afraid of getting caught up in the awkward situation to come.

At the counter, only Hesia and Annis were left, staring at each other.

’Only... one room left?’

Hesia’s heart skipped a beat.

’This... could it be?’

...

A few hours later, Hesia was lying on the soft seat of the carriage, letting out a comfortable sigh.

’A hot bath feels so good. I feel refreshed all over.’

In Annis’s own words: "I’ll just put up with it for now. We can sort things out when we get to Rose Town tomorrow. I don’t care where you two sleep, but you must bathe. I refuse to travel while smelling two stinky, sweaty men. That would severely affect my mood."

He closed his eyes, but his mind was racing.

He repeatedly ran through his plans in his mind:

’Once I get to Rose Town, the first thing is to register as an Adventurer. Then, I need to find a way to take on some high-paying quests... The Assessment Skill and Labeling Skill cost a fortune—five Golden Shields—but I have to find a way to learn them first. Maybe I can ask around if anyone is recruiting Mage Apprentices. I could learn a lot of basic Magic from others. I don’t know what Annis is doing in Rose Town, but maybe I can ride her coattails for a bit longer?’

Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Bruce, who had been feigning sleep at his feet, suddenly lifted his head without any warning.

It looked warily toward the carriage door, its ears twitching slightly.

Seeing this, Hesia snapped out of his thoughts and immediately strained his ears to listen.

A few seconds later, the distinct sounds of two sets of deliberately lightened footsteps and a hushed conversation came from outside the carriage.

They seemed to have no idea there was anyone in the carriage.

"Dimi! Are you crazy?! Are you really going to steal this carriage?" a nervous, hesitant voice said.

"SHH! Dammit! Don’t shout my name!" the other voice replied. "That bastard Rupert won all my money! This carriage looks like it’s worth a lot, and that black horse... it’s stronger than a Minotaur!

It’s probably got some Demon blood in it. If we sell them, we’ll be set for a good long while."

"But... but... if we get caught..."

"What’s there to be afraid of! The people from the carriage are definitely dead to the world in the inn! Who knows what that pampered little miss and that pretty boy are getting up to right now!

They’re not gonna notice anything out here! Let’s move fast, lead the horse away with the carriage, find a place to sell it, and no one will be the wiser..."

Hesia quietly moved to the carriage window, using a finger to part the curtain just a crack and peek outside.

In the moonlight, he saw two of the guys who had been playing cards in the inn earlier. They were sneaking around Dark Night, and the one called Dimi was already reaching for the reins!

He pulled his gaze back, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

He then gently patted Bruce, gave him a meaningful look, pointed outside the door, and mouthed the word "talk."

Bruce gave him a look that said, *I get it.* A low rumble emanated from his throat as he eerily chanted toward the carriage door:

"What... has awakened... the slumbering souls of the dead..."

The sudden voice made the two men outside tremble from head to toe.

"Who’s there?! Who’s playing tricks?! Get the hell out here!"

Dimi whipped the dagger from his waist, but his trembling wrist betrayed his fear.

Hesia, hiding in a blind spot by the window, saw his chance and violently shoved the carriage door open!

BANG!

The two men outside yelped in fright, jumped back a step, and instinctively looked up—

In the moonlight, the doorway was empty.

Then, their gazes drifted downward.

Suddenly, a white light flashed, and they saw a sight that would be seared into their memories for the rest of their lives.

Beneath a ball of faint white light was a ghastly white dog’s face.

Its deep-set eyes now glowed with an eerie green light.

"A t-talking dog?! Who... who’s putting on this act?" Dimi’s companion’s voice cracked.

Bruce spoke again, intentionally drawing out his words:

"Greedy... thieves... Your footsteps... have desecrated... this place of rest..."

"An... an Undead Dog! I’ve... I’ve heard about them in stories!" Dimi was so scared he could barely hold his dagger, his teeth chattering. "I swear I saw a pretty girl and a pretty boy... How can there be an Undead Dog?!"

"Idiot!" his companion shrieked, terrified out of his own wits. "The coachman! The coachman who never said a word! He must be a Necromancer! The girl and that beggar are his servants in disguise!

I’ve heard Necromancers love to play these kinds of tricks! This dog is the guardian Undead he summoned!"

This explanation seemed to make everything fall into place.

"Spare us, Lord Undead Dog! We were wrong! We didn’t know this was the ride of His Excellency the Necromancer!"

Bruce spoke again:

"Leave... your... offering... of atonement... and then... get lost!"

Dimi was the first to react. He fumbled to unfasten the dagger at his waist and threw it on the ground with a CLANG.

The other man was even more direct, throwing his entire money bag over with a crisp JINGLE.

"An offering! This is all the money I have! Please, let me go!"

Bruce tilted his head, his gaze under the ball of light growing even colder. "Not... enough... Your filthy... bodies... have also... defiled... this place... Leave... everything... and then... get lost!"

Everything?!

Dimi and his companion froze for a moment, then looked at each other in terror.

"T-take off... our clothes?!"

"Hurry up and strip! Do you want the Necromancer to catch you and turn you into a skeleton?!"

The two of them couldn’t care about anything else. They frantically started unbuckling their belts and buttons, messily stripping off their jackets, pants, boots... even their underwear.

In the dark of night, two dejected figures, clutching their private parts, disappeared from beside the roadside inn.

Only then did Hesia slip out from behind the carriage door and pick up the dagger and the money bag from the ground.

He weighed the heavy money bag in his hand, but something about the contents felt off.

He opened it to take a look.

’Just as I thought. It’s all Copper Nails.’

’Oh well, every little bit helps.’