Chapter 58 | Sixth Sense

Hadavy had been running for hours. His last rest had been twelve hours ago. His peak third-rate physique could handle it, but definitely wasn’t fond of it.

It won’t mean anything if I don’t make it in time. What if someone else reports it? Or the potions are stolen beforehand…

Considering the possibilities, he could only increase his speed despite his body’s objections. His consciousness wavered somewhere between disappearing completely and teetering right at the edge.

Fortunately, before he lost the last touches of energy left in him, he spotted The Eviscerator’s camp from a distance. Trees and shrubbery formed a thick wall of green, blocking sight into what was essentially the headquarters of the bandittide.

Carefully parting the shrubbery as he walked, Hadavy managed to cross to the other side. The image that greeted him was one that he had heard about only in rumors. The path had led him into a ravine that led right into the Dragon’s Rest.

Although it was barely a crack in the massive mountain range, it was still several kilometers deep and long. There were scattered many huts, make-shift buildings, and scout towers. The further one got into the ravine, the higher quality the buildings became.

And right at the end was a mansion visible even from this distance, it was practically the size of a medium-sized palace. This was normal, however. Master-rate warriors were an incredible rarity in the south and could lead their own major forces if they wanted.

Before long, some guards approached, dressed in classic bandit-wear with bandanas and rugged clothes. They checked Hadavy and let him pass. The restrictions weren’t very strict. Those who knew of this place were generally bandits with relations in the upper echelons of their gangs.

And even if someone wasn’t actually a bandit, there wasn’t much to do in there. It wasn’t easy to assassinate a master-rate, and what happened to the other bandits wasn’t really cared about that much.

Walking through the ravine while looking around nervously, Hadavy stuck out like a sore thumb. Most people here were second-rates, not to mention, he didn’t have the callous personality of a bandit.

“Hey you…” Someone spoke to him. “I sense you to be a reliable man. Wanna join me?”

“What? Uh- No…” Hadavy didn’t even look at the source of the voice as he muttered.

“I feel as if something bad will happen to you today. We will meet again,” the voice said, causing Hadavy to increase his speed and break out into a dash.

With the fear of the interaction still in his mind, he ran the last few kilometers and approached The Eviscerator’s mansion covered in sweat. Fortunately, sweaty and dirty people weren’t quite a rare sight here.

It was much harder to get past the guards this time, having to explain in detail his identity, the people who knew him, where he was, and what his goal was. He also had to make sure he didn’t outright give out the information. Or the guard would probably dispose of him and report the information himself for rapport.

After barely managing to weasel his way in, Hadavy found himself waiting in a luxurious room adorned in golden colors and several different species of exotic plants with several other bandits. None of them talked to each other, all waiting worriedly.

Hadavy looked around the room and spotted a chair before sitting down. He joined his hands in his lap and waited patiently. Shortly after, someone came out and called over one of the waiting people. The man got up and walked through a door, following the guard.

He came out about fifteen minutes later, a tired smile on his face. He was muttering something to himself while leaving the room.

Something similar repeated several times, but then the pattern changed. One of the people who went in didn’t come back. This caused people’s faces to sour. Someone else was called in shortly after and went in with an anxious expression.

It was finally Hadavy’s turn when he heard his name being called. He wiped the sweat off his palms and followed the guard. He passed through some twisting and turning corridors before finding himself in a reception room.

The reception room had a clean decoration, with a leather couch on one end with a red rug with golden edges leading up to it. There were marble pillars on each side, lined up neatly. The Eviscerator seemed to be a person who quite liked grandeur, as the place was designed like the reception room of a monarch.

After walking forward, the guard kicked the back of his knee and made Hadavy bend down.

Slightly lifting his head, Hadavy took a look at the person sitting on the leather couch.

Is this The Eviscerator..?

The man was actually pretty thin. He seemed to disappear into his leather couch, quite a bit shorter than the average man. He had a pretty face and short brown hair. There was a gentle smile on his face. His green eyes, however, seemed strange. They were off. It was like looking at an animal and noticing the lack of thought in their eyes.

Hadavy lowered back his head and gulped.

“Speak,” The Eviscerator’s boyish voice was heard. Hadavy took deep breaths and decided it was a smart decision to start with some pleasantries.

“Your Excellency Eviscerator, congratulations on the ongoing success of The Bandittide. Our forces are going strong and taking down those self-righteous bastards.”

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“Hmm…” The Eviscerator hummed to himself for a moment. Hadavy could hear him shift in his chair for a moment. “One.”

Hadavy was speechless.

One? What does that mean?

“Umm…” he was about to speak, but he smelled iron for a moment. He followed the scent and looked in its direction. Then he gasped and scrambled away from the wall.

The wall to his left was covered in crimson red blood, pieces of organs, and a perfectly intact skeleton still wet. He hadn’t noticed them because of the pillars before, but the sight was horrifying.

“Two,” The Eviscerator said. “Those are two times you annoyed me. When it reaches three…”

“I have an important piece of intel!” Hadavy quickly pulled himself together. Even terrified, his strong sense of survival pushed him toward action. If he didn’t want to annoy The Eviscerator, he had to get to the point.

“Speak,” The Eviscerator repeated, tapping on the armrest of his couch.

“Right at the Crossroads Trade Route, there suddenly settled an outpost of unknown mercenary forces. They weren’t there one day, and a pretty well-reinforced mini-fortress appeared the next day,” he rapid-fired an explanation.

“Might just be mages from the Brown Tower,” The Eviscerator estimated. If that was the only piece of intel Hadavy came up with, he would have probably been… Eviscerated on the spot.

“Yes, but that’s not the point. I managed to disguise myself as a deserter knight and sneaked into the fortress. I’m sure Your Excellency has heard of those potions that were used in the recent clash?”

“Hm..?” The Eviscerator hummed in half acknowledgement and half curiosity; it seemed Hadavy was starting to pique his interest.

“I have heard with my own ears from the guards that there were incredibly valuable potions in that outpost, and I actually got to test them. I’m a humble bandit, only third-rate. I haven’t had a chance to taste high-quality potions before, and those that I have were nowhere near as effective as the potion they gave me. Not to mention, they were casually distributing it to everyone in need! There was even a reinforced bunker of sorts. I’m sure they have much more of the stuff in there.” By the time Hadavy finished, he had been left gasping for air.

But his gambit had paid off. When he lifted his gaze to meet that of The Eviscerator’s, he saw curiosity and greed in there.

The frail-looking young man chuckled and clapped.