“I’d rather not fight someone I plan to party up with.”
The curly-haired man said with a carefree expression.
“I never said I’d join your party.”
“Didn’t following me here mean you accepted?”
“I only came out because I couldn’t cause a scene at the tavern.”
He openly admitted to tailing me and then made a dangerous proposal.
Only a fool would go along with that so easily.
On top of that, this guy moved like a warrior.
He might’ve looked laid-back at a glance, but he never once left an opening for an ambush.
“Fufu, as expected of someone who used to be in a Hero’s party. So considerate.”
The curly-haired man sheathed his sword.
“What, you knew?”
“You’re Theo, right? I saw you during the appointment ceremony at the royal castle.”
The appointment ceremony.
That’s the ritual where the king grants someone the title of Hero.
Since it’s held in front of many people, it’s not strange that he’d been there.
Well, damn.
There was no need to guess whether I was a thief or not.
“You should’ve told me that earlier.”
“Using information at the right time and place. That’s a key skill for a peddler.”
“You’re not cut out to be a peddler. I almost sliced you in half.”
“Haha, you’ve got a knack for jokes!”
I wasn’t joking.
He was laughing cheerfully, completely unaware that he had nearly died.
“How much of what you said was true? Being a peddler. That’s a lie too, isn’t it?”
“Oh, that part’s real. I really do have a carriage, and I really was going to take you there. Wanna see it?”
“Forget that. Just answer one thing.”
I pointed at the box he had thrown to the ground to block my sword.
“Show me what’s inside that.”
It was an old but sturdy-looking wooden box.
The guy gave a low whistle and said, “Sharp eye you’ve got there,” as he picked it up.
“I was planning to show you once we got to the carriage… but hey, don’t be too shocked.”
He undid the lock.
With a loud creak, the lid opened, and inside was—
“……!”
I involuntarily held my breath.
“I warned you not to fool around too much. You almost lost your life.”
The voice came from the being inside the box.
It was the severed head of a person.
“Well? Surprised? Judging by that face, I’d say you are.”
Chuckling, the curly-haired man lifted the box up to the height of his own head.
“It doesn’t seem like you used magic… Are you a Dullahan?”
“Oh! You’re the first one to guess it right on the first try!”
So it was the correct answer.
…Or so it seemed, but he was wearing a helmet.
A dark, high-quality-looking helmet on a severed head.
At a glance, it was clearly the undead-type monster known as a Dullahan.
He had probably shown that thing to countless people by now, but most wouldn’t stick around long enough to guess what it was. They’d run away first.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. From your days as a Hero to your more recent exploits. I hold your abilities in high regard.”
The Dullahan had no body.
It continued speaking while resting inside the wooden box.
“This isn’t the best place for a conversation. I’m sorry to repeat myself, but I’d like you to follow us to where the carriage is.”
They said manners make the man.
When someone asked so politely, even I found it hard to refuse.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
***
The carriage was parked in the most secluded area of the city.
It was late into the night, and not a single soul passed by.
“What’s your relationship with the Dullahan?”
When I asked belatedly, the curly-haired man gestured as he climbed into the cargo hold.
“Come inside. I’ll answer you there.”
I did as he said, and he softly chanted a spell.
As the magic activated, an invisible barrier formed around the tented cargo space.
“I thought you were a swordsman, but you can use magic too, huh?”
“That was just a soundproofing spell. I can only manage basic stuff like this.”
I figured it was about mid-tier, but fine, I let that slide.
The curly-haired man opened the lid of the box once more.
“I’m Rox, and this here is my Master Crowin whom I serve. In short, I’m his servant.”
So it was just as he had said earlier.
What I had actually wanted to hear about was why a human would serve a Dullahan.
“You’re not someone who can’t tell the difference between people and the undead. Are you some kind of zombie yourself?”
“What? There’s no way a zombie could be this good-looking!”
Rox leaned in as if to show off his face.
He was decently handsome, sure, but not exactly worthy of that much self-praise…
“If word gets out that you serve a master like that, you’ll be in trouble. So why risk everything just to recruit me? And why are you even heading to the City of the Dead?”
“I’ll answer that one.”
Dullahan Crowin opened his mouth to speak.
“I was betrayed by my subordinate, an Elder Lich, who stole my body. After years of tracking him down, I discovered he was hiding in the City of the Dead. But we didn’t have the strength to face him on our own. That’s why my servant, who knew of your skills, approached you.”
So the reason he was just a head was because his body had been stolen.
That had been bothering me anyway.
“An Elder Lich is supposed to be a lower-ranked undead than you, isn’t it?”
“He had clearly been preparing for this for a long time. I walked right into his trap.”
“To stab his master in the back just to take his body… What’s he planning to do with it?”
“To open the Gate of the Underworld.”
I’d heard of it before.
A place where the souls of the dead gather.
Normally, it’s a realm sealed off from the world of the living, but under the right conditions, a passage connecting the two could be created.
According to Crowin, the requirement for that was a sacrifice.
Specifically, the body of a Dullahan, one of the highest-ranking undead.
A body that exists on the border between life and death. With that, it could be done.
“What happens if the gate is opened?”
“His era will begin. He’ll mass-produce minions like zombies and skeletons endlessly… and begin his invasion of the human world.”
There had indeed been a future where that ambition came true.
Since I hadn’t known the full story, I’d just assumed a powerful lich had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gone on a rampage…
Who would’ve thought it all started with stealing a Dullahan’s body?
But there was something that needed to be said.
“The City of the Dead doesn’t exist. Isn’t that just wrong information?”
I didn’t pretend to know everything, but this sounded like a rumor on the same level as Atlantis.
That was why I’d been suspicious of Rox.
Among high-ranking adventurers, there had only been whispers and rumors that a lich might be ruling over it.
But there wasn’t a single shred of solid evidence.
“No, it’s real. It’s not a massive city like the rumors say, but for convenience, we just call it that.”
“Where is it?”
“I can’t tell you that yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I haven’t secured your cooperation. If you agree to help me, I’ll hand over all the treasure in that place. The decision is yours.”
According to legend, the City of the Dead was filled with incredible magical artifacts.
Trying to tempt me with rare items…how sneaky.
“What will you do?”
Rox pressed me for an answer while cradling Crowin’s head in his arms.
It wasn’t something I could decide on so easily.
“Help the Dullahan and hunt the lich, huh…”
In the end, it would be an act of protecting peace, but it wasn’t something I could go around bragging about.
After all, both of them were still enemies of humanity.
In the worst-case scenario, I could end up being thrown in prison.
“Even if I regain my strength, I have no intention of becoming hostile to humanity. I’ll make sure you’re well compensated, too.”
As if he had read my mind, Crowin emphasized that it was safe.
A high-risk, high-return kind of job, huh?
A proper, by-the-book adventurer would most likely walk away.
But I’m no coward.
“Guess I’ll give it a shot.”
At my response, Rox beamed with a bright smile.
“Ooh! Then we’ve got ourselves a party, huh?”
“It’s only temporary. I’m leaving once this is over.”
“Aw, don’t be like that~. Well, since we’re comrades now, let’s have a drink.”
Rox fetched a bottle and some cups from a corner of the luggage compartment.
He filled two cups and handed one to me.
One sniff told me it was cheap booze.
“It’s not poisoned.”
“Seems like it.”
“Wait, you actually checked!?”
After being poisoned a few times, you start to do it without thinking.
“Cheers!”
We clinked glasses and downed our drinks.
***
Rox said I could sleep in the carriage with them, but I had already booked a room.
After spending the night there, I headed to the auction house, where he was already waiting outside.
“Where’s Crowin?”
“Left him in the carriage.”
“Is that okay?”
“There are some well-known adventurers at the auction house. If someone recognizes him, it’ll be a real headache.”
We walked side by side, continuing our conversation.
“You said you needed something, so why are you buying it at an auction of all places?”
Rox asked, sounding curious.
“It’s something you can’t easily find in regular stores. I just happened to spot it listed in the catalog.”
There were several auction houses in this city.
Among them, the one we were heading to dealt exclusively in magic-related items.
It was the same place we had dropped by yesterday just to look around.
“Wow… they really put a lot of effort into this.”
Rox looked up at the large stone building before us.
Its grand scale and the statues placed throughout the area drew the eye.
At the entrance, a carpet embroidered with ornate patterns was laid out, and well-dressed staff were greeting guests.
Once inside, a diverse crowd had gathered. Nobles, adventurers, and merchants alike.
Everyone seemed to be either exchanging information or making small talk.
“Come on, tell me what we’re here to buy already. I’m dying of curiosity~.”
Rox grumbled, sounding frustrated.
Remembering the prank he had played yesterday, I had deliberately kept quiet as a little payback.
All I had told him was that it was something we needed for tackling the Elder Lich.
“Holy water.”
I handed him the catalog and gave a brief answer.
“Holy water!? You mean that sacred stuff made by saints?”
“Yeah, that water.”
It was a clumsy explanation, but not exactly wrong.
“That stuff’s insanely expensive! What if we don’t have enough funds…?”
“If it’s for your master, shouldn’t you spare no expense?”
We walked down the red-carpeted hallway and arrived at our seats on the second floor.
They were private booths with partitions.
The overall structure resembled a miniature opera house.
“Let’s spend every coin we saved by scraping and saving. Let’s get it.”
The auction had begun.
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