DAR Vol. 4 Chapter 14 Part 1

by nellstewart

Chapter 14 – Those Who Fester with Hatred

The Citadel Dungeon.

Once a fortress from a bygone era, it had now become a nest for magic beasts.

Its walls and pillars were constructed from a special enchanted material, one that no longer existed; its manufacturing method lost to time.

And yet, despite the ages, it remained unweathered; the ancient structure still stood in pristine condition.

Only the grime clinging to its surface and the moss and ivy weaving through its cracks gave any hint of its age.

The fortress was surrounded by three concentric layers of walls.

Inside each layer was vast open ground.

Long ago, those areas had housed soldiers’ barracks and towns to support them.

But now, little of that remained.

The buildings made of ordinary materials had long since crumbled, and vegetation had taken over; transforming the inner layers into forests.

The gates of the outer walls were permanently shut.

Protected by powerful defensive magic, they denied entry not just to humans, but to any of the Undead that roamed the surrounding lands.

Within the sealed fortress, beasts and animals lived freely, forming a complete ecosystem isolated from the outside world.

To the eye, it might appear peaceful; a paradise untouched by war or man.

But that was a dangerous illusion.

This was no sanctuary.

It was a feeding ground.

Or rather a ranch, maintained and controlled by the true rulers of the Citadel Dungeon, who resided at the center tower.

The animals and beasts were not free. They were bred and sustained to serve as food.

And those who reigned were winged.

They alone could come and go beyond the fortified walls.

At the top of this hierarchy were the Gryphons: sovereign predators perched high atop the central keep, governing their vast territory.

A lone Gryphon opened its eyes, its voice low as it stirred from slumber.

This was the topmost chamber of the tower; a hall once used for banquets, now repurposed into an open roost.

Its walls had been broken through to allow the massive beasts ample space to rest.

The windows were long gone, letting the wind blow freely through the chamber.

Moonlight poured through the great doors leading to the balcony, casting a silver sheen across the Gryphon’s lustrous wings.

There were five Gryphons living here, though only two were currently present.

The second Gryphon, who’d been feasting nearby, lifted its bloodied beak and turned to the other.

<No… not him. He’s come back?>

The feeding Gryphon scowled, lifting its head to scan the area and prepare a search spell but the first Gryphon swiftly restrained it with a wing.

The Shadow Parrot: a small, nocturnal beast resembling a parrot with pitch-black feathers.

It wasn’t powerful, but it excelled at staying hidden.

Perfect for reconnaissance, it had clearly delivered its warning in secret.

Their eyes gleamed.

The feeding Gryphon licked the blood from its beak, slow and deliberate.

They exchanged vicious grins, feathers bristling as a high-pitched screech echoed through the chamber.

<Kill.>

Their eyes blazed with fury.

Around one of the gryphons, pale light began to swirl.

It was the air freezing from leaking mana—glinting in the moonlight.

<We’ll strike while they sleep! At night!>

At the feet of another, shadows pooled.

They swallowed even the moonlight, casting an unnatural darkness.

<Let’s kill them.>

That declaration melted into the stillness of the night.

𑁋

At that same time, in the city of Amadan, a visitor had come to see Coralde, head of the great merchant company.

The hour was late—most people had already gone to bed—but Coralde was still holed up in his study, working through the backlog.

It was all because he’d recently traveled to the royal capital to offer the ultra-high-grade healing potion Roa had created to the king.

The work had piled up during the trip, and now he was buried in it.

The other staff at the company were helping as much as they could, but there were simply too many documents only the head of the company could handle.

“Please, wait! You can’t go in there!”

“Stop! Please!”

Shouting echoed from the hallway, followed by heavy footsteps.

Coralde stiffened. The voice sounded like one of the guards—no one should be able to approach his quarters without permission.

If someone was forcing their way through, something was definitely wrong.

He quickly stopped what he was doing and pulled a self-defense magic tool from the desk drawer.

That was when the door burst open with violent force.

“Ah—!”

Startled by the noise, Coralde dropped the magic tool. He bent to pick it up, ducking behind the desk to shield himself.

“Baldy! I know you’re in here!”

A rough voice bellowed through the room.

Coralde recognized it immediately, and grimaced as if he were staring straight into hell.

Still, he couldn’t stay hidden forever. He composed his expression and cautiously peeked out from behind the desk.

And then he regretted looking.

“…Bruno. What are you doing here at this hour?”

“What are you doing under your desk?”

I’m hiding from you, obviously… Coralde swallowed the words before they came out.

The intruder was Bruno, the blacksmith.

He was obsessed with Roa, constantly referring to him as his “disciple,” despite Roa’s clear and repeated rejections.

His smithing skills were world-class, but his behavior was that of a rampaging wild beast.

Rumor had it even the king couldn’t control him.

“Lord Coralde! I’m so sorry! We couldn’t stop him!”

A tearful shout came from the hallway.

Three guards were clinging to Bruno, their uniforms disheveled. One had lost a shoe, probably from being dragged.

Behind them, a crowd of exhausted servants had gathered at the entrance, all clearly worn out from trying to stop the blacksmith.

“…It’s fine. No one can stop Bruno.”

“But—”

“Even the knights at the royal castle can’t stop him. You did well not to attack, just like I ordered. Thank you.”

“I… understood.”

In this country, it was legal to attack intruders, even kill them.

That rule applied to Coralde’s merchant company as well. Staff were trained to defend the building, even if it meant bloodshed.

But Bruno was the one exception.

“If you had attacked him, there wouldn’t be a merchant company left.”

The image of the recently destroyed Adventurers’ Guild flashed vividly in Coralde’s mind.

It was almost certainly Uncle Gry’s doing. And if they’d made the same mistake here, this place would’ve suffered the same fate.

Bruno would absolutely do it too. He was the type of man who showed no mercy to enemies.

“Huh? I wouldn’t wreck the place. My disciple lives here.”

In other words, if Roa didn’t live here, Bruno wouldn’t hesitate.

Coralde let out a heavy sigh.

“So… what brings you here? Roa isn’t around right now.”

“I know. He’s off visiting the gryphon’s nest, right? I came to talk to you tonight.”

“I see… well then—ah, everyone, you’re dismissed. Someone bring drinks.”

“Alcohol.”

Coralde flinched slightly at the immediate request. He’d asked for drinks out of politeness, but Bruno insisted on booze.

“Tea for me. Bring Bruno something strong.”

“You drink too.”

“I still have work to do.”

“I’m done with mine.”

“Of course you are…”

Bruno was only here because he’d just finished his own work.

He didn’t move to other people’s schedules, only his own.

Coralde gestured for Bruno to sit on the receiving room’s sofa.

Despite its plain appearance, it was sturdy enough to support Bruno’s muscle-bound frame.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Once the staff had left and the maid placed the tea and wine on the table, Coralde initiated the conversation.

Bruno, of course, poured the wine into a silver goblet and started drinking without asking.

“Hmm? Obviously. I’m talking about my disciple.”

“As I thought, you mean an employee of my company.”

The two exchanged a smirking glance.

“Your hand’s shaking.”

“I must’ve strained it writing so much earlier.”

The moment Coralde said “an employee of my company,” Bruno’s presence seemed to swell to several times its size.

Of course, he hadn’t physically changed but the sheer pressure he gave off made it feel like the room had shrunk.

Nothing had happened, yet Coralde’s hand trembled, and sweat poured down his back until his shirt clung to him. He had to fight back the urge to scream and run.

Bruno was exuding pure intimidation.

With a gaze burning with silent fury, he glared at Coralde but Coralde held his ground by sheer willpower.

“I was raising him quietly while he still had the ‘Hero Party’ chain around his ankle, but the moment that was gone, you snatched him up.”

“I’m well aware that you were the one who shared your knowledge with Roa. But this situation is the result of his own choices; I only made a suggestion.”

Bruno’s glare didn’t let up, but Coralde stubbornly argued back.

Any normal man would’ve passed out from the pressure alone. Still, Coralde stared straight into Bruno’s eyes and pushed back with everything he had.

The tense standoff stretched on. Until Bruno, finally, cracked a smile.

“Eh, whatever. If I did anything to you, my disciple would yell at me.”

“I suppose I owe Roa my thanks, then.”

With those words, the suffocating presence receded.

Coralde let out a relieved breath and forced a smile as he rubbed the sweat from his shiny bald head.

“And yet… why is it that Roa always attracts the strangest people? My spirit’s about ready to break.”

“Let it break. I’ll take the kid off your hands.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. It took a lot to win him over.”

Coralde downed his tea to wet his dry throat. Bruno, in turn, drained his cup of wine.

“Keeping my disciple under your roof is gonna keep getting harder, y’know. Those last tufts of hair you’ve got will be gone in no time.”

“I’ve made my peace with that, honestly.”

Coralde scratched the few remaining wisps along the side of his head.

“Seems like he’s gotten cozy with some Nereus nobles too.”

“You mean the members of Nostalgia.”

Both of them casually dropped the secret the members of Nostalgia had been trying so hard to keep.

Neither was surprised; they’d already assumed the other knew.

Bruno might’ve looked like a rough, no-nonsense blacksmith, but he had a surprisingly deep well of information. Apparently, he had a network among warriors, knights, and adventurers; anyone who dealt in weapons.

“They’re trouble. Even if they’re harmless, that monster queen of Nereus is bound to stick her nose in once she hears about him. That woman’s beyond your control.”

“You think so too? Well… I’ll manage somehow.”

Coralde had already anticipated both Nostalgia’s background and Nereus’ potential involvement.

His smile twitched a little, but he kept up a composed expression.

“The gryphon’s no ordinary gryphon either, y’know.”

“True, but we’ve built a good relationship.”

Coralde and Uncle Gry got along well. They were both calculating, which probably helped.

Honestly, Uncle Gry was easier to handle than Roa himself.

“The twins aren’t normal either.”

“Right. They’re still young, but they can already use magic. Uncle Gry must be a good teacher.”

“What are you talking about? They’re from a species that could use magic from the start. They’re a superior breed of magic wolves, fire wolf Skoll and ice wolf Hati: offspring of Fenrir himself.”

“Excuse me?”

The unexpected information made Coralde’s voice rise involuntarily.

“You didn’t know? Well, I guess it’s only mentioned in ancient records nowadays. A merchant who’s clueless about information can’t be blamed, huh?”

“Ah, well… I mean…”

For a merchant, not knowing something like this was a painful blow.

And being one-upped by a blacksmith, of all people, was especially humiliating.

Coralde tried to save face, but it didn’t go well.

“Once they grow up, they’ll be even worse than a gryphon. They say they could melt mountains with fire and freeze the sea. You sure you can handle that? Just give up the kid already—I’ll take him in myself.”

Bruno grinned, flashing a fang-like canine from under his beard.

As he did, Coralde searched desperately for a way to deflect.

“Uh… a-anyway! It’s getting quite late. Let’s move on to the main topic, shall we?”

In the end, he ran from the conversation with a topic change.

He’d have lost that exchange outright in a negotiation but at least in this situation, that wasn’t a huge problem.

Besides, when it came to the battle over Roa, Coralde had already claimed victory. All he had to do now was hold the line.

Honestly, the number of people in this kingdom who could stand toe-to-toe with Bruno could be counted on one hand.

Even with Roa backing him, the fact that Coralde hadn’t been beaten to a pulp and was having a civil conversation was a miracle in itself.

“Yeah, good call. If I stay too long, Sofia will come kick my ass. Guess I’ll settle for seeing you flustered like that.”

Sofia was Bruno’s disciple. Well, more like an assistant.

It was hard to believe someone existed who could actually kick Bruno’s ass.

The thought alone sent a chill down Coralde’s spine.

“I’m going to reveal the identity of the person who made the High-Grade Healing Potion to the king.”

“…What?”

He understood the words, but not the intent.

Yes, he had presented the potion to the king. But he’d gone out of his way to keep the creator’s identity a secret.

Telling the king now that Roa had made it? That would be the worst move possible.

If the king learned of Roa’s ability, he might try to forcibly bring him under royal control and keep him locked up for life to produce potions.

And that… that would make Uncle Gry furious. Possibly enough to destroy the entire kingdom.

To protect Roa while still maintaining a degree of freedom, Coralde needed time—time to prepare the right narrative, the right path.

“That’s…”

“Your plan’s taking too damn long. Too many complications. So I’ll spill everything about Roa and start putting pressure on the royal family and the Adventurers’ Guild myself. You handle the Merchant Guild.”

“Sorry, what?”

Once again, he didn’t quite understand what was being said.

“I’m saying I’ll speed things up on your end by leaning on the royal family. I’ll take care of the Adventurers’ Guild through my own channels. That just leaves the Merchant Guild. Those guys don’t listen to the royal family unless they absolutely have to, right? So it’s your job to keep them in check.”

“Uh-huh…”

It was clear now; his supposedly top-secret plan had been exposed.

And apparently, Bruno was offering to back it.

“And the price for that is?”

“Nothing. It’s for my disciple. No big deal.”

If pressuring the royal family and the Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t a big deal, what was?

Coralde was dumbfounded by how casually Bruno said it, but at the same time, he had a strange certainty: if anyone could actually pull it off, it’d be Bruno.

“So all I need to worry about is the Merchant Guild? That’s… honestly, a huge relief.”

Compared to politics or guild hierarchies, handling merchants was easy. Bribe them with enough profit and they’d fall in line. That was just business as usual.

“Exactly. And make sure you tell my disciple this was thanks to me, got it?”

With that, Bruno burst into a loud laugh.

Coralde couldn’t help but laugh with him.

At long last, the issue that had been plaguing his mind might actually be resolved.

He had considered turning to Bruno as a last resort if things got desperate—but to have Bruno offer support unprompted was beyond lucky.

And for free, no less.

Nothing is scarier than a favor with no price tag, but in this case, the reason was clear: it was all for Roa. There was nothing to worry about.

“…Now if only Roa doesn’t go and pull something ridiculous on this expedition…”

Coralde muttered to himself.

“Like hell! There’s no way those guys are gonna keep it quiet. They don’t have anyone around to hold ‘em back anymore. Something crazy is definitely gonna happen!”

Bruno let out another booming laugh as he drained his cup. The ones who used to hold them back were the members of the Hero Party that Roa once belonged to. Their restrictions had kept Roa from moving freely, and the same went for Uncle Gry and the twin magic wolves, who always put Roa first.

But now, there was no one left to rein them in.

Hearing that near-prophetic remark, Coralde slumped heavily in his chair.

𑁋

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