KYDC chapter 37

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What’s this? Did someone else arrive?

Even though this place is secluded, it’s known to many people, so it’s not like I didn’t expect anyone to come by.

That’s why Hernan still had his pants on, even if he had taken off his shirt.

I turned around at the sound that caught my attention—was it just the wind?—but there was nothing there.

To be precise, there was no living creature.

The sound had come from the direction of a forest thick with dead trees and an eerie atmosphere.

‘It’s there.’

If there was some dark, creepy presence around here, it had to be in that direction.

I hadn’t considered that side earlier, being preoccupied with checking out the water and the sauna.

Once I became aware of it, the sinister and gloomy aura was impossible to ignore.

Even someone like me, with zero spiritual abilities, could sense that there was something there.

I flinched and looked toward the overgrown brush, and Ryuudene fluttered his wings and asked:

[Want me to show you?]

It was a short question, but there was no way I was going to answer “yes” to that. I immediately shook my head.

“No, I’m fine.”

Am I crazy?

I don’t even want to see it if I could.

Despite being in hot water, I suddenly felt a cold chill on my face.

Then the dragon let out a small laugh, releasing a bit of frost.

[You should see it at least once to understand what you’re dealing with.]

And then, with a quick shake of his wings, my vision flashed for a moment.

Wait a second! If you were going to show me anyway, why did you even ask?

I reflexively closed my eyes, but when I opened them again, I was plunged into darkness with a splash.

“That’s excessive. I don’t need to see it.”

Hernan, who had leaped into the water as soon as Ryuudene flapped his wings, covered my eyes with his large hand.

What’s this? Weren’t you just saying it was too hot to get in earlier?

Before I could even be surprised, I noticed a black aura creeping out from behind the area covered by Hernan’s hand.

“…”

If just seeing the outskirts of it is this intense… I probably would have fainted if I had seen the whole thing.

While I hesitated, Ryuudene checked the empty bottle and flapped his wings to come out of the water.

[Always so protective. Take a good look. You’ll pay the price for dragging me along.]

With those words, Ryuudene took a deep breath.

What was he going to do?

Before I could figure it out, the dragon unleashed a tremendous roar that felt like it would tear my eardrums apart, followed by a breath attack. It was as loud as thunder.

My ears ached, and I covered them with my hands, waiting for the frost scattered in the air like snow to settle.

‘So this is how it’s done…’

It was like driving out a horde of ghouls with a lantern.

I half-expected it, but I didn’t realize he would use his breath like that, and I felt like I was witnessing some amazing phenomenon of nature.

Anyway, is it over now?

As I looked at the forest now covered entirely in frost, I heard it.

“Kiii… Kiiii…”

A sound like nails scratching a chalkboard came from behind a tree, and a black mass wriggled into view.

“Eek…!”

Can I even call that a mass? It looked more like hair or fibers… or at best, some tangled vines… as something grotesque stumbled its way toward us.

“Kiiik… Kiiiiiiii…”

What is that? Is it okay to just let it come?

A chill ran down my spine, but ‘it’ wasn’t heading toward me—it was moving toward another direction.

[Hoo….]

What’s that supposed to mean?

Why does it look like you understand what’s going on?

It was absurd that a dragon could even have a readable expression, but figuring out what was happening was more important.

“What is it saying?”

I asked, frustrated, and the dragon, acting as if my words didn’t matter, floated into the air and approached the creature.

“Kiii… Kiiii… Kikik…”

When the dragon gestured that it understood, the creature squirmed, as if bowing, and continued speaking.

I’m not even sure if I should call it speaking, honestly.

[Hmm… Is that so.]

“Kiiiit… Kiiit… Kiiiiii…”

[So, what is it you want?]

“Kiiiit… Kiik… Kiiit…”

They exchanged some more incomprehensible words before the dragon gave a light snort.

[It seems these creatures are somehow connected to what you were investigating yesterday.]

My ears perked up at the unexpected statement.

“What?”

If it’s related to what we were looking into yesterday…

There are too many possibilities; I need more specific information. Before I could speak, Hernan quickly asked.

“Could you explain what you mean by that?”

[Hmph, I was going to do that anyway. These creatures weren’t originally living here.]

“What?”

[They usually wander around this area, occasionally moving their homes, but once they find a place they like, they typically stay for at least 300 years. They were originally living in a graveyard about 30 minutes from here, but when the graveyard was demolished, the noise became too much for them, so some of them moved here.]

Well, if they prefer quiet, eerie places, they’d like this secluded forest more than a disturbed graveyard.

Wait a second.

So if we hadn’t used the dragon’s power, we could’ve just cleared the area, built something loud and bright, and driven them out?

I was starting to feel a bit regretful when Ryuudene cut in, as if reading my mind.

[You little… Think about it. There are still some left over there. Even if just a few banshees remain, the place will still be uninhabitable.]

I’d heard last night that one of the reasons the villagers were cursing the new lord was that despite all the hard work they did to build the annex, it’s rarely visited, and strange things keep happening, so the servants don’t even want to maintain the building.

“Hmm….”

So what do we do now?

If we drive the banshees out, they’ll find somewhere else to live, but now that I know the situation, it doesn’t feel right to just chase them away as long as they stay off our land.

I hesitated with a conflicted expression, and the creature began to plead with Ryuudene again.

“Kiiiit… Kiii… Kiit…”

I shrugged and asked.

“What’s it saying?”

Ryuudene, now forced into the role of interpreter, flicked his tail in annoyance.

[It says that if we can clear out the place they used to live, they’ll leave here and move back.]

So this creature… It was trying to negotiate with us as the representative of its group.

It wasn’t human, and it was trying to negotiate with a dragon.

The way it trembled while summoning the courage to speak to a being that could freeze it with a single breath was pitiful, even if it was repulsive.

‘How could I just tell them to leave and be done with it…?’

I sighed and ran my hand through my dry hair before clicking my tongue.

“So, if we clear the villa and make sure no one’s there, they’ll move back?”

I asked to clarify their conditions, and Ryuudene snorted before relaying the message.

[So, if we drive out the noisy lot, will that be enough for you?]

You really stripped away all the niceties there.

I mean, it’s similar, but I didn’t say it that rudely. Before I could even protest, the creature nodded vigorously.

“Kiit, Kiiii!”

I didn’t need a translation to understand that it meant “yes.”

So now we know what to do.

Having confirmed that the water quality, temperature, and other conditions were perfect, all that was left was to solve the problem in one go.

“Anyway, now that I know the lord is the source of all evil.”

I slowly rose from the water, wrapping myself tightly in a blanket designed to keep me warm even when wet.

“Well then, we know what we need to do next. We don’t have much time, so let’s get moving.”

I left my wet clothes to dry in the sauna and headed to our next destination.

Of course, ‘we’ included Hernan, despite my reluctance.

*

Returning to the inn and organizing the luggage I had left in the guest room, I naturally headed towards the lord’s residence.

As expected, our original identities wouldn’t allow us entry.

We needed to gather testimonies from the people working inside.

It was clear that if we questioned them like dispatched investigators, they would be too afraid of retaliation from the lord to speak freely.

So, like yesterday when I blended in with the locals, I needed to find someone who could talk comfortably to confirm the situation.

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