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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 17
Quite a bit of time had passed since I had disappeared with the wolves.
Enough time that the expedition should’ve heard something about it by now.
As I was preparing to return, I saw soldiers searching the mountain, clearly looking for me.
‘I thought they might’ve just abandoned me… This is kind of touching.’
I moved while avoiding the soldiers, and I spotted the knight I had saved earlier searching for me as well.
He seemed to be quite a loyal man after all.
I approached him, still riding the wolf.
The moment he spotted us, he drew his sword in shock but then hesitated.
“Gravekeeper?”
“Yes.”
“What… happened?”
It must’ve been hard to understand, considering I had lured the wolves away and now returned riding one.
“Well, I can actually understand a bit of the wolves' language. Haha…”
I didn’t really have a good explanation.
I mean, it was true that I understood their language, so I wasn’t technically lying.
Just… twisting the order of events a bit.
“That’s incredible. A human who can speak the language of wolves. Either way, we were worried. Thanks to you, we all made it out alive.”
The knight's name was Reuben.
He had an open-minded and hearty personality.
I gave him a half-truth, half-lie version of what happened, and Reuben didn’t doubt me for a second.
Which wasn’t surprising — after all, he saw me communicating with the wolves with his own eyes.
“Grruk! Karggrruk!”
Every time we encountered new soldiers on our way back, the wolf barked like that.
“What’s he saying? Is that a greeting or something? Hahaha!”
Reuben asked out of curiosity, probably because the wolf kept repeating the same growl.
“Ah… Haha, yeah. Something like that.”
I couldn’t tell him the truth.
The actual meaning, if I put it very politely in human terms, would be something like, “So, how are your mother and father doing?”
I had no idea why these guys kept blurting that out to strangers…
They didn’t care if the person understood or not — they just spat out parental insults by default.
“It means something like, ‘Nice to meet you.’ Haha.”
“Hooh… They look so rough and savage, but turns out they’re kind of cute, huh?”
“Yeah, well…”
I trailed off to avoid saying more.
If I kept talking, guilt might’ve made me confess the truth.
When we returned to the expedition, the mercenaries and others welcomed me back.
Word quickly spread that I could speak the wolves’ language, and for a while, people kept pestering me to demonstrate it.
Then Petra came up to me, forcing herself to speak.
“Um… Tha—thank… you.”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“Th-thank you!”
“What are you saying? You sound like a mouse.”
“You son of a—! I said THANK YOU!”
Petra finally burst out, face bright red, then turned and stormed off.
The mercenaries who saw it burst into laughter, teasing him.
“That guy’s kinda cute.”
And yeah, I was laughing too.
* * *
We arrived at the desert region.
As soon as the expedition reached the destination, we unpacked and went to meet the desert tribes and the knights of the Baran Empire, who had arrived earlier.
For people like me and the mercenaries, there wasn’t much to do other than wander around curiously until someone gave us orders.
“Are you the gravekeeper?”
One of the desert tribe members walked up and asked me.
He was barely dressed, just enough to cover the essentials, with deep red skin and a fierce face.
Though they didn’t look bulky, their bodies were solid and sturdy.
Naturally so — most desert tribespeople were survivors of a harsh land, so they were bound to be physically capable.
[Alvai]
-Skill: Black Axe Tribe Hunting Technique (Intermediate)
-Strength: 16.7
-Agility: 13.6
-Stamina: 18.1
-Sense: 10.7
-Vital Energy: 6.2
‘Wow… impressive.’
With stats like this, he could crush most regular knights.
Not quite on par with elite ones, but still.
I didn’t think the Black Axe Tribe was this powerful.
“I told him you’re the gravekeeper he was looking for,”
Reuben appeared next to me.
“He’s the chieftain of the Black Axe Tribe.”
Ah… no wonder he’s this strong.
“I’m Len Arzen.”
“Follow me.”
Alvai pointed at me and turned around to lead the way.
‘The Black Axe Tribe, huh…’
There were five tribes allied with Brillant, the Holy Kingdom, and the Baran Empire.
They couldn’t cover the entire vast desert, so they negotiated with tribes living near strategic points leading to the central continent.
This was the territory of the Black Axe Tribe and the Blue Scorpion Tribe.
The Baran Empire and Brillant Kingdom regularly dispatched soldiers to this region to monitor the south and protect the tribes.
“This is where our tribe members rest.”
A large stone wall stretched wide, with a ceiling above to shield it from sunlight.
“So no sunlight reaches in here?”
“So they can rest in the shade, even in death.”
The graves were roughly covered with sand, and there weren’t even headstones.
Considering their situation, you couldn’t blame them for not having fancy graves.
“I heard you’re an exceptional gravekeeper who can even communicate with beasts.”
Not beasts, just wolves.
And that doesn’t make me an exceptional gravekeeper.
I wasn’t sure how the rumors got so blown out of proportion again, but I wasn’t going to correct him.
“Can you see our fallen tribe members?”
I could.
Not all of them, but a considerable number of spirits were visible to me.
“I can’t see them, but I can feel them.”
I couldn’t reveal that I actually could see them.
“Can you tell what they’re doing?”
I was going to say no.
But then I looked into his eyes — filled with longing — and I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“……”
I’ve seen that look countless times.
In this line of work, many people desperately seek answers about those who’ve passed.
Back then, I couldn’t see a thing — but sometimes I’d say I could, just to give them peace.
And I think they knew the truth.
But even a lie like that could be a comfort, so they let it go.
“They’re watching you.”
I told him the truth this time.
“They’ve placed a clenched fist over their chests, looking at you, Chieftain.”
As I spoke, his eyes glistened red.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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He clenched his jaw, turned his head, and walked away.
“Well? What are you waiting for?”
He said to me as he was leaving, and I hurriedly followed him.
He walked silently, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Thanks. You’re a true gravekeeper.”
He casually dropped the words to me and then began walking again.
I didn’t even have time to respond.
‘I let it slip that I could see things without even realizing it.’
Well… I guess it’s fine, he doesn’t seem like the type to go blabbing.
Even if he did, I could just deny it.
Who’d believe someone can see spirits?
While I was lost in thought, a reward message popped up.
[Quest – Deliver the villagers’ hearts to the chieftain: Complete.]
[You’ve gained: Sense +0.2, Spiritual Power +0.1]
I smiled in satisfaction at the reward and kept walking.
* * *
When I arrived at the village center, knights in armor bearing the crest of the Brillant Kingdom were standing off against those wearing the emblem of the Baran Empire.
‘What’s going on here?’
As I approached, it became clear that a dispute had broken out.
“There you are.”
Lloyd, the vice-captain of the mercenaries, motioned for me to come over to his side.
“What’s happening?”
“Looks like those knights from the Baran Empire disrespected the Brillant Kingdom’s knights. That’s what started all this.”
It wasn’t unexpected.
The knights of the Baran Empire and the Brillant Kingdom don’t get along.
Baran treats Brillant with open disdain.
‘To be fair, there is a noticeable difference in their level.’
The Baran Empire is arguably the strongest force on the continent, while the Brillant Kingdom is in decline.
It’s almost natural in that sense.
Still, getting disrespected stings no matter what.
‘Even Reuben is getting involved in the scuffle.’
That cheerful, unbiased Reuben was standing among the knights, facing off against the others.
That’s how much pride matters to knights.
They’d rather die than live with dishonor.
“All right! Let’s settle this with a bet. How about a game of ‘Dung Beetle’—a traditional game of the desert tribes?”
Dung Beetle was a sort of street game in the desert tribes.
You’d roll desert-dwelling dung beetles in your hands and guess how many ended up in each hand.
What made it tricky was that the beetles could move on their own.
“This isn’t just a game. It’s a test of one’s eye. On the battlefield, people die from blind arrows and unseen swords. This way, we can resolve things peacefully. What do you say?”
It was a proposal to avoid drawing swords over this petty quarrel.
“...Fine. The loser has to bow their head, apologize, and crawl between the victor’s legs.”
I gaped at the fiery challenge from the Brillant knight.
What if they lose?
“Are you confident?”
“What, are you scared?”
“Ha! Fine then!”
Their pride had ignited into a full-on ego battle, and the losing side would undoubtedly regret it deeply.
Each side would send out three participants.
They were given 30 minutes to practice before the match.
The Brillant side hadn’t chosen their players yet.
I watched the knights from Brillant practicing and could see they were struggling more than expected.
‘Tsk tsk... brute strength without brains. The other side was in the desert before us, and they still agreed to this game?’
The knight from Baran was a sly fox.
He probably knew that the Brillant side wouldn’t back down while emotions were running high.
Both sides were new to the desert, so they assumed the game would be fair—but knowing the game already gave Baran the upper hand.
Who’s to say they haven’t been secretly practicing?
‘Tsk...’
Watching Reuben struggle at practicing irked me.
I’d grown fond of the guy, and imagining him bowing and crawling in front of those Baran knights annoyed me.
I returned to the desert tribe's graveyard I had visited earlier.
Ordinarily, it’s not a place one could freely enter, but none of the tribesmen stopped me.
‘I saw it around here earlier...’
A spirit was floating in midair, playing a weird game of gestures with another tribesman.
I called out to him.
—What do you want?
“You asked earlier if you could play, right?”
I recalled the suggestion he’d made to me before.
—Just one solid win in a gamble! It’s so fun messing with the other guy!
I’d brushed him off earlier, thinking it was just gambling nonsense, but not this time.
[Subquest – Win Big and Humiliate Your Opponent!]
[Any form of gambling, games, or bets is acceptable. Win and make your opponent taste defeat.]
[Reward – Agility +0.3, Stamina +0.1]
Now was the perfect time to complete this quest.
[Necromancy – Ignite]
A new gambler possessed my body.
“Now this should be fun!”
I went back out and briefly explained the situation to Reuben.
He accepted my suggestion without hesitation.
A true kindred spirit.
The dung beetle game began.
Three knights from Baran stepped forward, and from Brillant, two knights and I stepped up.
“What’s this? He doesn’t even look like a knight.”
“He’s the gravekeeper for our expedition,”
Reuben explained.
“Haha! Are you so scared of losing you’re sending out a gravekeeper?”
“No, no. Quite the opposite. We’re saying there’s no need for us to step in—Ren can handle it all. Why waste our energy?”
Reuben taunted them with a sly grin.
The opposing knight seemed uneasy and glanced at me, then shook his head.
“This should be between knights.”
“When did we ever say it was a knights-only contest? You said it was about keen eyesight. This is a fair match.”
“...Even so—”
“What? Afraid you’ll lose to a gravekeeper? Scared? If so, we’ll accept someone else. Or how about just us two, without the gravekeeper?”
Reuben taunted them like a snake wrapped in honey.
Didn’t expect that side of him.
“...Fine.”
“Let’s say the winner stays on. If you lose, the next person takes over.”
“Fine. I’ll make sure you regret showing up.”
The opposing knight ground his teeth and stepped back.
“Ren, are you sure you can win?”
Reuben asked quietly, his tone low with worry.
He’d backed my idea but clearly had his doubts.
“Don’t worry. You won’t even have to take your turn.”
I flashed the knights a confident smile and stepped forward.
Thanks to the previous Black Wolf incident, they seemed to trust me more now.
“You’ll regret coming here.”
The knight who had argued earlier was my opponent.
“Go ahead. Start the game.”
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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