Chapter Twenty-Two: Stalking (Part One)
What on earth are they talking about…
The Third Knights Order… staging a coup? They couldn’t resist the temptations of a demon?
Those iron-blooded warriors who survived the battlefield were all beheaded last year…
You gotta be kidding me.
With my head spinning and doubts niggling at my mind about what I had just overheard, I reasoned that this was just two strangers gossiping at the tavern—nothing to take seriously. After all, most rumors in this world are as reliable as a coin toss. Maybe it was all just hearsay that escalated into the worst version possible…
But honestly, even I wasn’t fully convinced by that line of thinking. So, while pondering this, I creeped over to the wall, pressed my ear against the weathered old surface, and started straining to listen.
“What’s the deal…”
Someone asked, sounding like the man who’d come up the stairs afterward, while another replied, “Grab people.”
“Grab people?”
“Yep, it doesn’t matter alive or dead; as long as you get a head, you’re good!”
“You must be joking…”
“One head, ten coins.”
“……”
The moment that statement hung in the air, the neighboring room suddenly went silent for a while.
I could hear a glass clinking against a cabinet, thump, thump, thump… and then, after a few moments, the guy continued speaking.
“Surprised and excited, right? That’s the price they’re offering—a deal crazy enough to drive the entire city wild! Thankfully, they don’t plan on letting too many people in on this.”
“They… are?”
The man’s voice held a hint of confusion, yet you could sense some understanding creeping in. It was like he was figuring things out as he spoke.
The other guy didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pivoted, “Those members of the Third Knights Order seduced by the demon? They were beheaded last year and their bodies buried, heads and all, in a ravine in the southern outskirts of the city.”
“I know that part…”
“It’s not just you. Everyone in the city knows—nobility in the castle down to rats in the sewer. But what they don’t know is that not all of the Third Knights are dead; a few managed to escape in the chaos last year… Apparently, that news wasn’t released out of fear it would cause a panic.”
“Those church knights seduced by the demon, who turned into rebel villains… some of them fled to Lin City but were quickly caught. Others ran into the wild, deep into the Pevensy Gorge; those are trickier to find, and rumor has it that a few are still on the run…”
“As of this year, it seems the Holy City issued a k*ll order, requiring all of them to be found by August, to be tortured… The orders reportedly went directly to the Second Knights Order, but those guys aren’t exactly eager to take on such thankless work… You know, those folks know how to enjoy life better than we do…”
“Where did you hear all this…”
“…Of course, I bought it! Just hang on and listen. They later released a bounty… but it’s not publicly announced; some things just can’t see the light of day. I said, Westerlo, have you heard of a grassroots organization called the ‘Knowledge Association’?”
“…Heard of it.”
“At the end of 87, what was called the ‘Knowledge Association’ was just a bunch of… lazy refugees claiming to oppose the Williams Family’s shady dealings… mostly refugees, a pretty disreputable lot. After the Williams Family finally fell, I thought that organization would dissolve in no time—guess what? I got news from the black market that it’s this very crowd that spread the word… gulp… gulp… Ah! This wine is smooth…”
The speaker paused, and I heard the sound of him putting down his glass.
“I’m telling you, a certain noble in the Second Knights Order handed the bounty task over to the ‘Knowledge Association’. Then, they just spread the news in the black market… you know, those places that do under-the-table jobs. You might not be too familiar with that, but you know it’s where the filthiest rats hang out…”
“What are rats best at? Following scents straight to the food hidden in the sewers… I know some familiar folks in that scene, listen up—I bought this news straight from one of them.”
“What news…”
“Things are a bit complicated… If you’re interested, I’ll tell you on the way. In short… cough cough.”
The man cleared his throat, sounding quite excited, “Those who fled to Pevensy Gorge—we’ll leave them out for now since we have other targets tonight. I’m telling you, Westerlo, you and I, we’re going to meet two friends. One of them joined the Knowledge Association later, and he’s an old buddy of mine; that’s where I got the news. Afterward, we agreed to team up to capture a few hiding in the city… if you nod, tonight’s the night!”
“…What?”
The man called Westerlo seemed utterly shocked. After a brief silence, he finally responded, “Wait, I don’t quite understand… you mean tonight? As in—”
“Haha! You guessed it, Westerlo!”
The other guy jumped in, trying really hard to lower his voice, but his excitement was unmistakable: “Let me tell you, there are still people hiding in the city—nobody’s found them, like all year! No one noticed, no one noticed… But not long ago, an old friend of mine caught wind of it, sold me the info, and now I’m telling you, outside of us, nobody knows this…”
“Do you get what I mean? That’s three people! Three! Thirty coins! If it weren’t for that, my friend wouldn’t have sold me the info! Just take action under the night cover and you can take the heads back and collect your bounty!”
“Shh! Can you keep your d*mn voice down…”
“Westerlo, Westerlo! I’ve shared the news, and my old friend is waiting for us outside the city. He’s all set to go, so how about it? If you’re in, let’s grab our stuff and head out. The word on the black market spreads fast—we can’t let someone beat us to it…”
With a crash and a clatter, Westerlo seemed to hesitate: “Wait, hold on… let me think about it…”
“What is there to think about? That’s thirty coins! A full thirty! Westerlo, have you ever seen that much money?”
“……”
“I know what you’re worried about, but please think about your wife, your daughter—think about what kind of life they’re leading!”
“Here we are, members of the Warhammer Army, guarding this city that looks all glamorous but is really filthy beneath the surface, living off scraps, barely touching enough alcohol! Gulp… gulp… d*mn it, I’m not good with numbers, but I know what thirty coins can mean!”
Crash—
It sounded like a glass got smashed on the floor.
“…Are you sure we can get the money?”
“Of course! As long as we successfully bring back those three heads… I’ve already hashed out a deal with my two friends. We’ll handle the dirty work, and after the job’s done, we give them ten coins, keep twenty for ourselves. You get ten, I get ten… Just think about how many days we can live like kings! Come on—”
They started toward the door, footsteps hurried: “Go grab a change of clothes, take your sword… we’re about to make a big score.”
“You… wait…”
After a complicated sigh, there was a loud bang as the door next door was roughly shoved open. The two guys raced off, and within seconds, they dashed through the outer corridor and began heading downstairs.
They’re leaving…
I immediately sprang into action, securing my bag around my waist, tightening my cloak, and waiting a moment in my now-quiet room until I heard their footsteps fade away. I didn’t rush downstairs but instead turned to lean against the shadowy edge of the window, peeking outside.
Before long, I spotted two burly men hurrying out of the tavern and onto the street.
…That’s them.
With a bound, I jumped onto the window frame, quickly scaling up onto the roof, keeping my eyes glued to the retreating backs of those two men, crouching slightly as I silently followed.
