The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 75: Night Hunter (1)

In the southwest of the Empire, in the heart of Saint Mecca, the central city of the Quovadis family, known for its neat and elegant buildings, the scene was peaceful. The streets were paved with white stones, carriages moved at a leisurely pace, and even the footsteps of pedestrians had an air of relaxation.

At the entrance to the city, knights in white armor with cloths draped over them stood guard, scrutinizing those entering and exiting.

Then, a carriage led by three horses approached the checkpoint.

The knights responsible for inspecting entry and exit blocked the carriage.

“We’ll need to inspect it briefly.”

Merchants who emerged from the carriage handed over their permits and identification to the knights.

The knights carefully examined them.

“Dortsmyl 108th Street, operated by Mr. Joseph Joestar, who runs a first-floor oil store. What’s inside the carriage?”

“…Oil, as indicated on the import permit.”

The merchant stroked his mustache and glanced back. Indeed, the carriage’s interior was filled with large iron barrels.

The knights took a closer look inside.

“May we check the interior?”

“Of course.”

With a nod from the merchant, the knights drew their swords and climbed onto the carriage.

As several heavily armed knights boarded, the carriage slightly sagged.

The knights examined the iron barrels inside the carriage meticulously. The barrels were tightly sealed with lids.

The knights slightly lifted the barrels.

…Rumble!

It felt like the barrels were filled to the brim with oil, just as stated on the import permit. All the barrels were the same.

“Do we need to open these?”

“Oh, come on. What else could be inside oil barrels?”

The knights nodded in agreement with the merchant’s words.

“Clear!”

Eventually, the carriage passed through the city gate and entered the city.

After a short time, the carriage turned into a quiet side street on the outskirts of the city, even more deserted than the rest of the area.

The merchant checked his surroundings multiple times and then opened the lid of one of the oil barrels.

…Pop! Clank!

He brought out a massive iron wrench and twisted the lid. With a loud noise, the lid of the barrel opened, revealing the oil inside.

With an anxious voice, the merchant mumbled, “Now, come out.”

Then, something extraordinary happened.

Swoosh!

The surface of the black oil split open, and someone emerged from within. It was a man wearing a black hat, suitable for a pirate captain, a doctor specializing in handling contagious diseases, or someone who wore a crow’s beak-shaped gas mask, and he had a thick fur coat.

He stepped out onto the carriage floor, covered in black oil.

The merchant began trembling with fear at this eerie sight.

Without hesitation, the man in the crow’s beak mask reached into his pocket and handed something to the merchant. It was a valuable ox bear’s fang, covered in oil.

“Th-thank you.”

In return for smuggling him through the city gate hidden in the carriage, the merchant accepted the fang and placed it in his own pocket.

Then, the man, covered in oil, began walking towards the dark alley.

The merchant, left alone, stammered as he watched the oil inside the barrels churn.

“…How can someone stay submerged in oil for over two hours?”

‘The Night’s Hunter’ returned to the dark alley, removing his coat with a whoosh.

“Puhh!”

It was Vikirr, who had been submerged in oil, taking deep breaths as he shook off the oil covering his entire body. This was the first time he had attempted such a long submersion since he swam in the Styx River for seven minutes shortly after birth.

Today, he had infiltrated the territory of the Quovadis family, the sacred city of faith, Saint Mecca.

“…Night’s Hunter.”

He had taken the alias from the title of Aquilla, the leader of the Ballak tribe, known as the “Night Fox.” However, now that he thought about it, it didn’t sound that great. But it was certainly better than being called the “Hunter of Baskerville” before his return.

Vikirr reminisced for a moment.

It had taken precisely one day to reach this point. Two days to escape the flood, one day to survey the territory of Baskerville, and another day to infiltrate the Quovadis family’s domain.

The widespread floods had been immense, but strangely, the flood had aided his escape. Rapids appeared everywhere, carrying corpses and logs, making his movement faster than ever before.

With no solid ground to walk on due to the overgrown vines and branches, he could easily cross rivers and lakes by traversing the tops of trees.

Of course, amidst this, hungry monsters had challenged him. However, to Vikirr, who had fully recovered, they were nothing more than mere obstacles.

Giant catfish, elderly crocodiles, ferocious bears, packs of starving wolves, and venomous bats with poison… They had all adapted perfectly to the ecosystem over the past two years, but to Vikirr, they were mere toys.

“No, there was one exception.”

Among them, the “Mosquitoes that Gnaw Bones” had been genuinely dangerous. Unfazed by heavy rain, they had swarmed him, forcing him to spend nearly half a day escaping their relentless pursuit.

As a result, the weak Pomeranian caught a cold and suffered greatly.

As soon as Vikirr had emerged from the flood, his first action had been to take the Pomeranian to the Chihuahua’s office. The secretary, who had been gazing at the moon in the night sky and had fainted upon seeing Vikirr suddenly appear through the window, had fainted three times in a row.

After regaining his senses, Chihuahua calmly listened to Vikirr’s account of the events with amazement and admiration.

“Of course, you’ve always been a remarkable person, my lord. Your life is a completely different genre from mine. You spent two years with those barbarians…”

“Soon, I will return completely. Prepare for that. Today’s events are to be kept secret.”

“Understood. But who is this child? She looks just like you, my lord… Oh, could she be the child of a barbarian woman you had some sort of affair with during these two years…”

“She does share my bloodline. However, it’s not what you imagine. Avoid unnecessary talk.”

Chihuahua quickly called a doctor waiting in the city hall and had Pomeranian examined. They provided medicine and food.

“I will take care of Pomeranian’s life until you return, my lord,” Chihuahua said with a determined expression.

Even though it had been two years since they last met, Chihuahua still had a loyal appearance. Vikir knew that Chihuahua was a person who always kept their promises.

Considering Chihuahua’s loyalty, Vikir handed over Ox Bear’s fur and horns to cover the cost of raising Pomeranian.

“H-Huh! Are you giving me all this?”

“Feel free to sell it at a high price.”

“Oh, this is a big guy’s leather and horns. If I can sell them properly, they’ll be worth more than my ten-year salary.”

“Make sure Pomeranian lacks nothing.”

“You must care deeply for your daughter. You’ve become a good father. I have three daughters myself, so I understand that feeling.”

Chihuahua smiled at the mention of being a dad and nodded in agreement. It seemed like there might be some misunderstanding, but Vikir didn’t bother explaining.

At that moment…

“Oh! My lord! This…!” Chihuahua suddenly remembered and quickly opened a cabinet in the corner of the office, pulling out a bundle of old documents.

Upon seeing it, Vikir’s eyes widened. It was a file containing newspaper articles on the exchange between Baskerville and Morg for the past two years, the current situation, recent issues, and more.

“I had prepared this just in case you returned,” Chihuahua scratched the back of their neck, seeming a bit embarrassed.

Even in this situation, Chihuahua remembered Vikir and showed gratitude. So, Vikir decided to help resolve some of the issues in the underworld city of Underdog, where criminals were causing trouble due to his absense.

“If it hinders your work, you can contact Sindywendy Sen Rose. She owes me a favor,” Vikir discreetly instructed Chihuahua.

Chihuahua widened their eyes. Sindiwendy was a criminal Vikir had released through a judicial deal two years ago.

“How do I find her?” Chihuahua asked.

“Do you remember the girl I gave 10 billion to when I was the Chief Secretary?”

“Of course, her name was Judy.”

“She probably went to find that girl. Earning 10 billion is difficult, but keeping it is even harder. With no place to go and no support, it’s easy to approach her.”

Chihuahua nodded quietly. If she had just been released from prison and had no money, finding investors would be her top priority. Sindywendy sen Rose had once become an investment advisor to the impoverished Marquis Gambino, who used to be a local lord.

“But… Even if we find Sindywendy, will she help me consistently? She probably has strong resentment against the local government.”

“I’ll arrange a good business for her,” Vikir replied kindly.

“What kind of business is that…?”

In response to Chihuahua’s question, Vikir explained, “She can monopolize trade with the barbarians. After the conflict with the merchants of the Bourgeois family two years ago, the barbarians haven’t engaged in any trade with the Empire. If the current hero of Ballak steps in, she may be able to resume that trade, and the merchants involved will gain immense wealth.”

Chihuahua nodded in agreement. Additionally, having her advice as a person from the back alleys would be of great help in resolving the various problems and chronic issues in Underdog City, which was experiencing an increase in crime rates.

As Chihuahua quietly admired how Vikir was already showing clues to solving the problems that had plagued them for the past two years…

Swoosh!

Vikir flew out the window frame once again.

“My lord! Where are you going?” Chihuahua cried out with desperation, but Vikir headed straight for the place where they could quickly treat the ‘Red Death.’

“It’s something easily done with just one drop of holy water from that family over there,” which was one of the seven imperial families, the ‘Quovadis’ family of the Faithful.