The 163,417,413th Soulslike Hero 21

Chapter 21 – The Owner of the Sewer(2)

As soon as I entered the right waterway, I raised my voice and shouted.

The opposite side was quiet. No goblin sounds could be heard. I continued moving and shouting.

“Ms. Leila! Where are you! Please come out if you can hear me!!”

Where could she be? She’s definitely in the right waterway. I smirked and continued calling her name.

Of course. From the central intersection, the left and back waterways are extremely short. And the right and front waterways are very long.

It’s easy to imagine them as two crossed swords.

“Ms. Leilaaaa! Take off your maskkkk!! Reveal your identityyyy!!”

Even if it were a mindless hunting rat, goblins would never live in the left waterway.

It’s so short that there’s barely any space to hide, and goblin corpses are piled up there. Even in my previous life, I never saw a single living goblin in the left waterway.

Therefore, Leila, who hunts goblins, can only be in the right waterway.

“Ms. Leilaaaa! Ogenki desukaaa!”[TL/N: Ogeni Desuka is a japanese phrase for ‘How are you’ .]

I desperately searched for her, mixing in an outdated parody.

As if a god was impressed by my despicable efforts, finally a response came from the opposite side.

“…Because of you, all the goblins have fled. Who are you? How do you know my name?”

Kirik. Kirik.

With the familiar cart sound, a maid with brown hair and green eyes, Leila, appeared.

When our eyes met, I involuntarily stiffened, but soon took a deep breath and chuckled.

I made a sales smile that didn’t suit me, and it felt like my face was cramping.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Leila. I’m Park Jeong-yong, hired by the lord of Halcenberg Castle.”

I reached out to shake hands first, and she stared blankly at my extended hand.

Yes. I’m taking the initiative.

The biggest variable caused by Leila finding me first. Her suspicion about me.

To eliminate that, I came to find her myself.

‘Alright. Now the real thing begins.’

I confidently exhaled and swallowed a dry gulp.

My head started spinning again.

* * *

“You were hired? By the master?”

Leila approached cautiously, tilting her head repeatedly. Her eyes never left me, clearly showing suspicion.

“… Hmm.”

Leila fidgeted with the broom placed next to the cart. Knowing its true nature, I felt a chill down my spine.

Oh, that.

Don’t touch it. Seriously.

“Yes. I was sent down by him, but I can’t understand what’s going on.”

I answered while sweating, trying not to show it. Leila made a nasal sound.

What could it mean? I can definitely tell it’s not friendly.

“Without any explanation, you were suddenly sent here?”

“Yes. He told me to go find a maid named Leila. He said she would explain everything.”

“… Well, I am indeed Leila.”

Leila mumbled her words. Suddenly, her gaze toward me sharpened.

A subtle victorious smile appeared on her lips.

“Understood. You must have spoken to the Chamberlain, right?”

There it is.

She’s testing me with the same line again. Damn murderous maid.

Sorry, but I’m not falling for it twice. I immediately made a surprised expression and acted confused.

“The, the Chamberlain? Was there such a person?”

“………”

“From what I heard from Lord Halcenberg, there was only one servant, Leila… I’m sorry. Where can I meet the Chamberlain? I’ll go get permission right away!”As I pretended to hurriedly pack my things, the suspicion in Leila’s eyes gradually dissipated.

She soon shook her head.

“… No, there’s no such person. I was just testing you.”

“Oh, I see! That’s a relief.”

“Sorry for doubting you.”

“Not at all! I would have done the same in your position!”

I laughed confidently and moved on.

I know from living as a pushover. When you laugh and gloss over things like this, the other person quickly feels at ease. Then that ease mixes with guilt and often develops into goodwill.

Of course, there are countless times when you’re just taken advantage of, so I don’t recommend it.

Just follow the law.

“… Hehe. Thanks for saying that.”

As expected, Leila believed me without suspicion.

Of course. Knowing the internal circumstances of the castle without a Chamberlain, it would be hard to think it’s a lie.

I’ve passed one urgent hurdle. I secretly clenched my fist.

“Then, once again, please take care of me. I’m Leila, the maid serving Lord Halcenberg of the border.”

“Likewise. I’m mercenary Park Jeong-yong.”

“Bark… Janyong? An unusual name. It’s hard to pronounce.”

Leila tilted her head and repeatedly mumbled my name. I shrugged and replied.

“Just call me however you want. The name doesn’t matter.”

“Then… I’ll call you junior. I’ve always wanted to try being a senior to someone.”

“Yes, senior.”

“Haha.”

Leila smiled softly at my light joke.

It wasn’t a smile hidden with some gloomy atmosphere. It was the first time she showed a clear laugh. Like a wild flower by the roadside, modest but charming.

 She knows how to smile like that. I shivered at the difference in the image I had of her in my head.

“Let’s go. Since it’s your first day, I’ll introduce you to the general work.” “Oh, yes.”

“And drop the honorifics. You seem older than me.”

“Shall we…? No, should we?”

“Let’s do it.”

 As soon as Layla confirmed I was the real servant, she began showing me around the waterways. Just like in my previous life, she explained the characteristics of the monsters living here.  There were some things I had heard before, but there were also many new details this time. Last time, she knew I was hiding something, so she must have been doing things more casually then.

‘Status check.’

[Character Information]

[Name: Leila]

[Title: Clumsy Maid, Halcenberg Sewer Manager, Gwyn’s Lover]

[LV. ???]

[Health: ??? Magic: ??? Physical Condition: ???]

[Strength: ??? Agility: ??? Intelligence: ???]

I scanned her status window again this time, but as expected, everything except the name and Title were in question marks.

 It seemed to be one of two things.

‘Either my skill level is insufficient, or my level is lower than this woman’s, making confirmation impossible.

‘Or possibly both. Either way, the fact that I cannot solve this immediately remains unchanged’. 

While clicking my tongue internally, Leila’s conversation topic suddenly changed from one-sided explanation to addressing me directly.

“So how did you end up finding this fortress?”

“Oh, yes?”

“You must have heard about it. The rumors of Halcenberg. How is it now that you’ve seen it directly?”

‘……’

Leila’s eyes drooped low. Because her basic expression was strongly neutral, I didn’t know before, but looking at her now, she was a woman whose emotions were more visible than expected. 

Right now, she is sad.

And somehow, that sadness seeped into me as well. How could I have heard about it? I haven’t even escaped from this sewer because of you. Damn it.

I desperately tried to recall the words she had spoken in my previous life, along with her gloomy expression. A few keywords finally emerged in my mind. ‘… Abandoned fortress. That’s what she called it.’ In other words, an abandoned fortress.

 In my previous life, she had definitely referred to Halcenberg, which was above this sewer, as an ‘abandoned fortress’.

I wracked my brain to create the most natural-sounding words. Vague, yet speaking as if I had seen it directly. 

“Actually, I came here desperately needing money, so I came without knowing the details. I haven’t heard the proper circumstances. The fortress looked terrible. What exactly happened?”

“Oh my. I see,” Leila let out a low exclamation after hearing my story. 

She smiled slightly as if sympathetic, saying something like, “You must have felt scammed when you arrived”.

This was completely different from her cold-hearted self who used to ruthlessly eliminate me for being summoned as a hero. Is this the true appearance of this murderous maid? Or was the version she showed me as the hero the real one? Perhaps neither, or perhaps both.

In any case, Leila spoke with a face tinged with melancholy. It was quite a lengthy explanation. “The master is the border margrave who guards the northernmost part of Mittelland. Do you know? The remnants of witches are still swarming in the northern part of Mittelland, hiding in the cold. Halcenberg confronted them on the front lines whenever they tried to encroach on human territories. And then….”

While she chattered on about the world-building, here’s a summary: Mittelland, which I had seen on the Viel test realm map. This is the Halcenberg border duke’s territory, located in the northernmost part. This fortress,

built to counter the waves of ancient tribes coming from the north, is barren and harsh due to cold and frequent wars, making people reluctant to approach.

However, with the death of the previous leader and the new border duke, Halcenberg had been managing relatively well in recent years due to good governance and the loyalty of the territory’s inhabitants. “margrave of Halcenberg is truly a good person. A good person… he was.”

The border duke of this fortress, Halcenberg, was a complete person both in military prowess and character. He always stood on the front lines in battle, possessed immense personal strength, and was said to have strategies so divine that powerful ancient tribes couldn’t do anything and were crushed. Moreover, during years of famine in the northern cold, he would bring inhabitants into the fortress and share emergency rations, truly embodying an ideal ruler.

“But there were limits. After all, this was never a land meant for humans to live.” Despite persevering, the food situation continued to worsen, and the attacks from ancient tribes only intensified. Soldiers and civilians were

dying in droves, and lamentation continuously swept through the Halcenberg territory. The border duke requested support from the central government whenever he could, but most were ignored.

―Stop exaggerating.

―The central government is also struggling with national affairs.

―Are you making excuses because it’s too far to reach?

―Why do you keep complaining when we’ll support you eventually?

In short, such letters were flying back and forth daily. Having experienced military life, I know those are truly terrible.

To make matters worse, the undead army and its leader Eldritch, notorious even among ancient tribes, launched an attack. Halcenberg had to confront this chaos both internally and externally.

“After that, a curse fell upon this fortress….” 

That’s right. Eldritch prevented the dead from even finding eternal rest. A curse of immortality had supposedly seeped into this land.”

That doesn’t mean they’re looping through time like I am.Rather, they’re caught in a curse where they simply don’t die—
In other words, they’ve become undead.

Living people had to experience the tragedy of stabbing knives into the chests of those who were their colleagues just yesterday. They had to suffer the horror of being torn apart and eaten by loved neighbors, family, and lovers.

“The master ultimately had to make a choice.”

The Margrave had an intuition. The fortress’s downfall was a predetermined situation. It was only a matter of how much longer they could endure.

Eventually, The Margrave issued an evacuation order to all soldiers and commoners. And he decided to remain alone in this Halcenberg fortress. Only his wife, who decided to stay by his side until the end, and the white-robed corps who did not betray their loyalty remained here with him.

“And upon reflection… the master’s choice was truly excellent.”

The remaining corps were all seasoned veterans with proven skills, and with fewer mouths to feed, the food situation also improved. Additionally, there were few casualties after battles, which meant they did not meaninglessly increase the enemy’s forces.

Although it was a foregone conclusion that they would ultimately be defeated, whether from depleted food supplies or exhaustion from battles. In front of this tight-knit corps in this frigid land, hope seemed to sprout once again.

“If only those damn trash didn’t exist. This land, the master, and Gwyn would not have ended up like this.”

Precisely from that moment.

Heroes began to be summoned to this Halcenberg fortress.

Leila said this was the beginning of all tragedies.

Leila’s expression, as she mentioned the word ‘hero’, was colder than ever. The hand gripping the cart was tense and turned white.

For me, who had been repeatedly dipped into her hand like kimchi preparation, this was a chilling situation.

“…From here on, this is no longer an area i should discuss.”

Leila stopped speaking there. Just when it was getting interesting, she knows how to do business. Should I pay to hear the rest next?

I clicked my tongue, and she smiled wearily.

“The rest, you should hear directly from the master. If you gain the master’s trust… he might tell you. Someday.”

And Leila, as before, closed her mouth silently and began pulling the cart.

Watching her drooping shoulders and back, I made a bitter resolution.

‘…Until I leave here, I will not even mention the word “hero” at all.’

What the hell did I do to these people that I’m suffering like this? Damn senior hero bastards.

Only meaningless resentment continued to swirl in my mind.

Footnotes:

1] The term Border Duke(변경백) does not mean his rank. It just means he is at least of margrave rank.