Back Alley Nights
Silfier's workshop, which doubled as her dormitory.
"I-Is this really the Thorn Carpenter's blood…?"
Silfier asked, staring at the black liquid contained within the transparent bottle.
"Yes, it is. Do you think you can analyze it?"
"I-I'll try…"
"Thank you. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
He believed she was capable of unraveling the mystery of the Thorn Carpenter's existence.
With a faint smile and a nod, Rudell left her room and stepped into the hallway.
"How did it go?"
"Good. We should have the results in a few days."
Rudell nodded in response to Kurt's question, waiting around the corner, and continued down the hall.
"So? What's the plan now?"
"They seem to want to meet me. I suppose I should oblige them."
The creation of a monster that killed people in a similar fashion to himself… Rudell viewed it as a challenge from the Cult.
A message implying, 'Show yourself if you don't want to see more people die.'
"It's only natural to accept a fight when it comes to you."
He had to settle things with them eventually anyway.
The Cult's activities wouldn't end with just this.
While he didn't know exactly what they were plotting, one thing was certain: leaving them unchecked would undoubtedly lead to disaster.
In the worst-case scenario, the 'City Devouring' from the original story might actually occur.
He had to prevent the horrific ritual of sacrificing every life within the city to Thanatos, no matter the cost.
As Rudell walked on, contemplating his next move…
"Rudell. I have something to tell you about that monster."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Since Kurt rarely spoke unless necessary, Rudell tilted his head curiously.
It wasn't often that he initiated a conversation.
"That monster… it had a familiar scent."
He had kept it a secret from the others, but Kurt had also been present last night.
Kurt from the original story would have been immediately discovered by Fernand, but this Kurt had one key difference: he had been trained by Kyle, the world's greatest assassin.
Thanks to that training, while not quite on par with Kyle, Kurt had become adept at concealing his presence.
"What do you mean? A familiar scent?"
"It wasn't a scent I've encountered here. It was… something familiar, like the scent of home."
"Huh? Your home is…"
The Plain of Eternal Winter.
Why would the scent of that place, days away from the Royal Capital, emanate from the Thorn Carpenter?
"Hmm…"
The Thorn Carpenter, something akin to Shadow magic, and the Plain of Eternal Winter.
Rudell pondered the mismatched words with a low groan, but no clear conclusion emerged.
"Wait… a scent?"
"…?"
A thought flashed through Rudell's mind, and he looked at Kurt.
Kurt responded with a puzzled expression.
With a hopeful thought, Rudell asked, "How far can you track that scent?"
"It's hard to tell with so many scents mixed here. I could probably track that specific scent up to a hundred meters."
"A hundred meters!?"
"That's a conservative estimate. Back home, I could track scents much farther."
"That's… incredible…"
Perhaps it was due to their hunter heritage.
His sense of smell was so acute, it was almost animalistic.
This might eliminate the need to scour the entire Back Alley for the Thorn Carpenter.
"Alright, then let's move together tonight."
"Let's do that."
* * *
As the sun set, night returned once more.
"Haa…"
Rudell let out a short sigh, taking in the chilly night air.
Below him stretched an area significantly darker than the other districts of the Royal Capital.
The Third Residential District.
While officially called the Old Royal Palace District, most residents of the Royal Capital knew it as the slums or the Back Alley.
It was a gathering place for those who had failed in the constant competition of life in the Royal Capital: vagrants, the impoverished, and the defeated.
And, as such, it was the perfect breeding ground for the Death Eater Cult.
The despair, anger, and regret that clung to its inhabitants were emotions the Cult could easily exploit.
For those whose lives were already hell, what reason was there to refuse a helping hand from the abyss?
"Found anything?"
"I can't pick up the scent here. We'll have to move."
Kurt shook his head, raising his lowered mask, in response to Rudell's question.
They had thoroughly searched the slums but hadn't found any significant traces.
"Strange…"
Normally, by now, they should have encountered at least a couple of low-level members or informants.
But tonight, they were conspicuously absent.
"Could they be lying low all of a sudden…?"
Given Rudell's persistent hunting of Cult members, it wasn't unreasonable to assume their forces had dwindled.
But to send a challenge and then go into hiding like this?
Rudell found it difficult to comprehend.
"Let's go deeper inside."
"Alright."
As Rudell and Kurt leaped across rooftops, venturing further into the Back Alley, Kurt suddenly stopped.
"…?"
"What is it?"
Rudell asked, puzzled by Kurt's abrupt halt.
"I smell it… coming from that direction."
"That direction?"
Following Kurt's gaze, Rudell turned his head.
His eyes landed on an area so devoid of light that it resembled a gaping hole, even within the dimly lit slums.
"That's…"
The darkest part of the Back Alley, a place practically abandoned by the Kingdom.
Unlike the outer areas, where law and order, however tenuously, still functioned, within lay a true lawless zone.
A place where criminals and gangs clashed daily and the intricate sewer system was rumored to be a monster-infested dungeon.
This was the heart of the Back Alley, infamously known as the Black Spot.
"Are we going?"
"Of course."
There was no turning back now.
Now that they knew the Cult was plotting something here, they had to see it through to the end.
"Let's go."
Kurt sniffed the air, then leaped across the rooftops.
Rudell followed, steadily approaching the Black Spot.
Moments later…
"The scent is strong, coming from that building."
Kurt stopped on a rooftop, pointing to a large structure below.
It was a rather grand building, built in an antiquated style that seemed out of place in the slums.
Of course, due to years of neglect, its exterior was decrepit and ominous.
"That's…"
If Rudell's memory served him correctly, that building was the Old Royal Palace.
It had served as the royal residence during the Kingdom's founding, back when the slums were the heart of the Royal Capital.
Compared to the current palace, it was like comparing a luxurious mansion to a shantytown, a testament to the Kingdom's precarious state in its early days.
"Are you sure it's there?"
"Yes."
Kurt nodded in confirmation.
"Hmm…"
A low groan escaped Rudell's lips as he observed the scene.
The unsettling silence of the surroundings, the absence of any passersby… it all screamed 'trap.'
*'I wonder what awaits us there…'*
The events had already diverged significantly from the original story.
Rudell couldn't easily predict what would happen next.
"Haa…"
Taking a deep breath, Rudell jumped down from the rooftop and approached the abandoned Old Royal Palace.
The wind whistled through the alleyways, causing the broken door frame to creak ominously.
The darkness beyond the half-shattered door resembled the gaping maw of a monstrous beast.
"Ready?"
Rudell asked Kurt, after observing the scene for a moment.
"Always."
"Good. Let's go."
Kurt nodded.
With another deep breath, Rudell stepped towards the derelict Old Royal Palace.
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