Ch 13.4

The two orc sisters, Puru and Dem, continued down the Pavilion hallway, searching for Chloe. Smoke drifted through the corridors, and the occasional tremor from the battles outside made dust fall from the ceiling. Somewhere above them, flames still crackled through the damaged tower, but neither sister paid much attention to it.

Dem glanced at Puru as they hurried past another damaged section of the hallway. “Puru, why are you even here? I told you to stay near the basement entrance.”

“Well, excuse me for worrying,” Puru huffed. “Two pairs of eyes are better than one.”

Dem clicked her tongue. “And what if Chloe returned while we were both gone?”

“I already told the others to keep watch. Besides, we should split up if we want to find her faster.”

“Fine~”

Dem suddenly stopped.

Puru nearly walked into her back. “What?”

Dem raised a hand, silently telling her to stay quiet.

Further down the hallway, several unfamiliar figures were moving cautiously through the Pavilion. An ape beastman stood among two armed men, speaking quietly while gesturing toward different corridors. After a brief exchange, the two men split up and disappeared in opposite directions. The ape remained behind, slowly scanning the hallway.

Dem's eyes narrowed.

Puru followed her gaze and immediately understood.

Neither sister said a word.

Puru's eyes quickly swept across the hallway. Near a decorative table stood a large ceramic vase. She reached for it, wrapping both hands around its thick body and lifting it with a grunt.

Dem glanced around for something suitable herself. Her eyes landed on a brass oil lamp resting on a nearby side table. She grabbed its handle and ripped it free, causing the chain attached to its base to rattle against the table.

Puru raised the vase over her shoulder.
Dem tightened her grip around the lamp.

The two sisters exchanged one final glance. Then they attacked.

Puru charged first, swinging the heavy vase downward with both hands, while Dem rushed from the opposite side and whipped the brass lamp toward the ape beastman's head.

The ape reacted instantly.

He ducked backward, causing the vase to smash against the wall behind him. Ceramic fragments exploded across the hallway, while Dem's lamp missed his skull and slammed into a marble pillar with a deafening clang.

“Damn it, he's quick!” Dem growled, pulling the bent lamp back into her hands. “Stay alert.”

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down!” the ape beastman shouted, immediately raising both hands. “I'm from the city guard!”

Puru blinked, still clutching the broken remains of the vase, “…Really?”

Dem immediately stepped in front of her, holding the dented lamp defensively.
“Don't believe him so easily,” she warned. “We're not stupid enough to fall for tricks.”

“Uh… right,” Puru added, raising the broken vase again.

The ape beastman stared at the two sisters, then slowly lowered his hands with an exhausted sigh.

“I’m serious. City Guard. Rescue Division.”
He pointed toward himself, “Bolio Jekel. Unit B7. Officer ID 45177.”

He then gestured toward the lower halls.
“You girls shouldn't be wandering around out here. It's dangerous.”

Puru and Dem exchanged another uncertain look. The detailed introduction sounded genuine enough.

Puru slowly lowered the remains of her vase.
“Actually…” she began hesitantly. “We're searching for a friend.”

Bolio nodded. “Missing?”

“She’s human,” Dem added immediately, her voice losing some of its hostility. “Not strong like us. And she's… kind of stupidly brave.”

Puru nodded rapidly. “She runs into trouble a lot.”

“Please save her,” Dem said quietly.

Bolio looked briefly surprised. “A human girl?”
Recognition suddenly crossed his face. “Oh. Wait… her.”

Both sisters immediately straightened.
“You know where she is?!” they shouted together.

Bolio nodded.
“She’s already outside near the courtyard. Agatha’s treating her injuries right now.”

Silence fell. Puru's grip loosened around the broken vase.
“…Injuries?” she repeated weakly.

Dem's expression hardened. The two sisters looked at each other. No words were needed.

Bolio immediately noticed the change in their expressions.
“Wait~hold on. You girls should head someplace sa-”

Too late.

Puru dropped what remained of the vase and bolted down the hallway. Dem tossed the bent lamp aside and immediately followed after her.

“Hey!” Bolio shouted after them.

The two orcs were already disappearing around the corner.

Bolio stared after them, then glanced at the broken vase and dented lamp scattered across the hallway.

“…It’s dangerous~uh, I am coming as well.” The ape followed suit.

-------------------------x--------------------

Meanwhile, deep beneath the Pavilion, inside a damp cellar, the ground trembled violently. Loose stones cracked free from the ceiling and crashed onto the floor, while lizards clinging to the walls darted into narrow crevices to escape the chaos above.

“What the hell is happening up there?” Benjamin shouted, glaring at the ceiling as though he could see through the layers of stone. Sweat rolled down his face, and frustration showed in every twitch of his expression.

The wolfman seated across from him stared upward in silence, his brows furrowed thoughtfully. One claw scratched against his chin.

“Hm. We didn’t get breakfast,” Kraven Dumbskull muttered. “And now lunch has already passed, yet nobody’s come down here.”

Benjamin shot him an incredulous look.

“Can you think about something other than your stomach for once?” he snapped. “You can feel those mana residues above us, right? Powerful people are fighting up there. Don’t you sense it?”

Kraven gave a slow nod.

“Certainly. Two strong mana users have been clashing for a while now.” His lips curled slightly, exposing a hint of fang. “But another one just appeared… and that one’s a monster for sure. Makes me want to join the fight.”

Benjamin stepped forward, spreading his arms as excitement gleamed in his eyes.

“If the Pavilion is under attack…” A grin slowly stretched across his face. “Then isn’t this the perfect chance to break out?”

Kraven let out a rough snort and leaned back against the cold stone wall. Dust trickled from above and settled across his fur, but he barely reacted.

“Whoever’s attacking this place must either be fearless…” he muttered, “…or incredibly stupid.”

Another tremor shook the cellar. The chains hanging from the ceiling rattled loudly, and a few more stones broke loose from the walls.

Kraven closed his eyes for a moment, listening carefully to the distant sounds of battle. His ears twitched as another powerful impact reverberated through the stone.

“Still, waiting might be smarter. Chaos creates openings eventually.” His yellow eyes slid toward Benjamin. “There’s no point barging out only to end up hunted by the BRAVE Coalition afterward.”

Benjamin scoffed and kicked a loose rock across the floor.
“Our mission is to protect the girl.” He folded his arms. “If some BRAVE adventurers get in the way, we deal with them.”

Kraven's lips peeled back slightly, exposing his sharp fangs.
“Well, I have no problem running across the wilderness of the Isle continent while being hunted. It’s not like this would be the first time I’ve been hunted.”

A low growl rumbled from his chest as mana began seeping from his body, making the air around him feel noticeably heavier.

“The only ones worth worrying about are the high-ranking BRAVE adventurers…”

He paused, his expression becoming more serious.
“…or the Divine Heavenly Virtues.”

His claws dug into the stone beneath him with a sharp crunch.
“As for the rest?”

A savage grin spread across his face. “I could fold them into the ground if need be.”

Benjamin stared at him, disbelief twisting across his face. “Then why the hell are we sitting in a cellar willingly imprisoned?” he shot back. “Isn’t this the perfect time to head up and escape?”

The wolfman sat upright. Even in the cramped cellar, his massive frame seemed to make the room feel smaller. Dust slid from his shoulders as another tremor shook the ceiling.

“That’s what I used to think. But after the last time I was hunted, it certainly changed my mind.” Kraven let out a sigh. “What I’m saying is that I’d rather avoid unnecessary headaches.”

“Ugh, what the heck are you talking about?” Benjamin asked, folding his arms.

Kraven clicked his tongue. “The BRAVE Coalition recently created a special unit made up of some of the most unholy bastards you could imagine. They call them the Rot Legion.”

His expression darkened. For the first time since Benjamin had met him, Kraven’s grin completely disappeared.

“The Rot Legion used to be nothing more than a bunch of cursed people wandering the forests of the Isle continent. Cursed adventurers plagued by sickness and immortality. They cannot die, no matter how badly their bodies decay. They suffer eternally, and anyone branded with the curse becomes part of the Rot Legion.”

Benjamin's brows rose. “Cursed with immortality?”

“Yes. They never die.” Kraven's tone became grim. “Somehow, the BRAVE managed to get them working for the coalition. Now they serve as a special unit tasked with hunting down particularly dangerous criminal adventurers and dark guilds. They’re basically the BRAVE’s punishment unit.”

Benjamin noticed a slight twitch in Kraven’s claws.
“Once they’re on your trail…” Kraven muttered, “…they don’t stop.”

A distant explosion echoed faintly from above. Kraven leaned back against the wall and exhaled heavily. “Just remembering those bastards pisses me off.”

Benjamin blinked. “They’re that strong?”

Kraven barked out a dry laugh.
“Strong? No.” He shook his head. “Tenacious, yes.”

Benjamin frowned. “Then what’s the problem?”

Kraven stared directly at him. “You can rip them apart.”
He raised one clawed hand. “Crush their skulls.”
Another claw lifted. “Cut them into pieces.”

A third followed.
“And then they stand back up.”

Silence settled over the cellar. Benjamin's grin slowly faded.

“Those people have already lost their humanity,” Kraven continued, his voice dropping lower. “Their only objective now is to find the demigod who placed this curse upon them and somehow free themselves from it.”

Benjamin swallowed. “A demigod…”

“I don’t know how the BRAVE manages to keep them under control, but I swear you don’t want those bastards on your trail.”

Kraven grunted, his ears flattening as he recalled something he clearly wished he could forget.
“The last time they hunted me down, I fought them for three days and three nights. Eventually, I stopped trying to kill them and ran. I ran for weeks.”

His claws curled into fists. “I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t rest. Even when I took a shit, those bastards somehow appeared.”

Benjamin stared at him.
“Every time I killed one, another corpse would crawl back up and keep chasing me. It didn't matter how many times I tore them apart. They just kept coming.”

Benjamin could almost picture it: rotting warriors dragging broken bodies across the wilderness, pulling themselves upright with shattered limbs and continuing the hunt as though death itself meant nothing.

Kraven let out a tired breath.
“In the end, I was so exhausted that I surrendered just so I could finally sleep. Thankfully, the BRAVE had ordered them to capture me alive, so I was able to live long enough to tell the tale.”

Benjamin stared at him in disbelief.
“People like that actually exist…”

Kraven snorted.

“The world is a lot bigger than you think, and there are plenty of things a person should never meddle with. I certainly don't intend to.” He pointed a claw toward Benjamin. “So if some stranger ever comes to you offering a recipe for immortality, just run.”

“It might be the demigod Umuyak.” Kraven's expression hardened. “And if that bastard is involved, the next thing you know, you'll be cursed and recruited into the Rot Legion.”

“Umuyak?” Benjamin muttered.

Just then, another violent tremor shook the cellar. Pebbles scattered across the floor, and dust rained from the ceiling.

Kraven tilted his head toward the ceiling, his expression hardening once again.
“So I’d rather take my chances and wait. This time, they definitely won’t spare me.”

His tail flicked irritably behind him.
“Whatever’s happening up there better not ruin my plans…”

A deep rumble echoed through the stone above them.

Kraven glanced toward Benjamin.
“…because if it does, we may be trapped in this hole for a very long time.”