VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 72
Chapter 72. Count’s Territory (2)
The drawbridge leading into the city of Beldana, the Count of Staviana’s direct territory, was packed with endless processions.
Crowds stretched on and on without end.
Merchants, monks, pilgrims, mercenaries, migrants, travelers, adventurers, provincial nobles… people from every walk of life filled the line.
Yohan was one of them.
Еn̈.ùm̈ а . і d́
He had already been waiting for hours for his turn.
Because of the crowd, the inspection took quite a long time.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
He was bored to death, though the others seemed unfazed—it was just another ordinary day for them.
Entry into Beldana was always strict.
Yohan yawned without realizing it.
Ilea giggled and poked her finger playfully into his mouth.
W̃еb̂ n̊о̆v̄.е́_l̈. Е nu ṁ а
Yohan’s face scrunched.
“Bored?”
“A little. No, actually I’m dying of boredom.”
This was a waste of time like no other.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Our turn will come soon. Just bear with it.”
“Can’t we just show the invitation and walk in?”
Е ń ú ḿ ӓ
Ilea gestured toward the other lane.
That line had no queue at all.
From time to time, a few ornate carriages passed and went straight through inspection.
That was the lane for high officials or guests invited by the Count himself.
Yohan had the right to use it too.
He had the Count’s invitation.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But Yohan shook his head.
“If the Count learns we’ve arrived, that won’t do.”
Using the other checkpoint would surely alert the Count—that the Miyatro family had come.
Yohan did not want that.
Ilea asked,
“You’ve got something to do without the Count knowing?”
Е̊n̆ u m̊ӑ .іď
“That’s right. And I’ll need your help.”
In the Count’s territory, Ilea’s mere presence was a tremendous advantage.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
With her, many things would go smoothly.
Ilea smiled.
“So it begins.”
It was finally Yohan’s turn at inspection.
W̊eb̀ ǹоv̌ еl En.úm̈ а
“Do it for me.”
One armored soldier stepped forward.
“Show your pass.”
They could show a family seal, an emblem, or a travel permit to prove identity.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Yohan handed him a blank sheet of paper.
The soldier frowned.
W̊eb n̄о̂ v ѐl̀ Еṅ ùḿ а̊
“Is this a joke? There’s nothing here.”
Ilea leaned in.
“Look more closely. You’ll change your mind.”
Her blue eyes flashed.
The soldier froze for a moment, as though time itself had stopped.
Then he spoke.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Pass!”
Ilea glanced at Yohan with a sly smile.
“Like that, right?”
Thanks to her, they entered the city without exposing their identities.
Yohan nodded.
“Well done. Keep doing that.”
Ẽ ñ uḿа̌ . і d̀
They stepped into Beldana.
***
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
First-time visitors to Beldana often shrank before its overwhelming grandeur.
Spires cutting the sky were warnings not to dare climb higher. Canals woven intricately through the city imposed control in subtle ways.
Few cities in this age matched Beldana in prosperity and system.
Every rustic villager who came to the city gawked, unable to close their mouths.
W̌е̇b n о̄ v ӗ l̆ Е_ñ u m̃а̇
Yohan and Ilea were different.
Neither felt much awe.
In Yohan’s former world, such cities existed only in history books. To someone who had lived in a far more advanced civilization, Beldana looked like a relic of the past.
Ilea’s view was no different.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
She carried fragments of memory from witches of old.
Compared to the brilliance of ancient witch civilization imprinted in her mind, Beldana was insignificant.
Е.n̊ům̊ а .і d̈
Buildings piled by human labor left her unmoved.
For the two of them, this was only wasted time.
Yohan said,
“Let’s move before it gets any later.”
“Where to?”
“To Dead Shadow.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Dead Shadow—the shadow surrounding the entire city.
It was the darkness hidden beneath splendor. The place where desires and corruption sank, bearing the weight of prosperity above.
Every evil excreted by wealth and power pooled in Dead Shadow.
The filthier Dead Shadow became, the brighter Beldana shone.
Without Dead Shadow, Beldana could not exist as it did.
Ilea looked down at the city’s underside.
W ѐ b ń о v ё l̀ Ӗ nùm̆ а
“Dead Shadow, huh. Sounds like it’ll be somewhere under all this.”
From below, she could feel malice seething up through the ground.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
A witch could sense such things.
Yohan nodded.
“First we find the entrance. Can you manage?”
In this vast city, only a handful of entrances led to Dead Shadow.
W̆еb̀ n̆.о vе́l̂ Ѐ ńù m̊ǎ
He could track them down if he followed the original story, but that would waste time.
Ilea said,
“Just follow me. I think I already found one.”
She slipped out of the crowd and headed off.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Yohan followed at once.
***
E n u̇ m̆а́ . іd
On Beldana’s outskirts, the view was very different from the dazzling center.
Weathered stone buildings, shabby people wandering about.
Their faces were full of lethargy and gloom.
It seemed every one of them carried wretched circumstances—debts, gambling, drugs, crime, disease. Whatever the cause, all had been driven out of the city proper.
Their eyes trailed after Yohan and Ilea like tails.
Greed, envy, and wariness shone in their sticky gazes.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ilea laughed softly.
“Feels like we’ve become prey.”
Indeed, Yohan and Ilea looked completely out of place here.
Anyone could see they were provincial nobles, newly arrived from the countryside.
Probably lost, wandering.
Perfect targets.
Ӗn̄u m ӓ.ї ḋ
Wealthy but naive nobles, strolling a slum without guards. If they were ambushed and killed, people would simply call it misfortune.
Yohan clicked his tongue.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I’d like to arrive quietly if possible.”
“Lucky us. Nothing has happened yet.”
Ilea stopped before a narrow alley.
“Is this the entrance?”
Ė n ũ m̌ а̃
“Yes. It should connect to Dead Shadow.”
The alley twisted like a snake’s belly.
No people. Only foul stench wafted out.
This was one of the passages to Dead Shadow.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Let’s go.”
No sooner had Yohan spoken than an old woman appeared behind them.
W̃ėb̈ñ о̇ vél Еnuṁа̇
“Young ones, that’s no road. Turn back.”
Ilea smiled gently.
“You’re kind. Thank you for your concern.”
A witch could sense malice.
The old woman had none.
She truly worried for them.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Yohan pulled a silver coin from his pouch.
“A token of thanks.”
The old woman was flustered.
“S-such a large sum…”
It was equal to a month’s living expenses.
Hastily, she tucked the coin into her clothes before anyone saw.
Е̄ n̊ u m̈ ä
When she looked up again, Yohan and Ilea were already entering the alley.
She traced a holy sign over them.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Great Saint Marziel, please bless these young lambs.”
***
At once, the atmosphere changed.
It was too quiet. No signs of life.
Еńǔ m̃ а̄
The stench grew worse, and a chill seeped in.
In the wind’s sound, faint screams seemed to mix.
Was it imagination? Yohan shivered slightly and glanced at Ilea.
She looked utterly at ease, even smiling faintly.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Someone’s watching.”
Yohan turned his head.
Е n̄ u̇m_ā.. і̃d
“Not you, Yohan.”
There was no one in the alley, yet it felt like eyes were on them.
His spine tingled.
Scanning the surroundings, Yohan muttered,
“From the windows?”
The buildings lining the alley had windows. Dust lay thick, obscuring what lay behind the glass.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Seems so.”
The entrance to Dead Shadow was filled with thugs, drug dealers, vagrants.
Sometimes, they prey on lost outsiders.
Dragging a live human into the deeper underground brought good money.
Cultists and sorcerers bought living humans at high prices.
Yohan spoke.
Е̄ n ū m а .і d̄
“Ignore them. We didn’t come for thugs or junkies.”
“Then for what?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“To find a weapon to use against the Count. We’ll probably have to go to Dead Shadow’s depths.”
Excitement glimmered in Ilea’s eyes.
“The bottom of Dead Shadow? I can’t wait. Let’s hurry.”
The deeper they walked, the thicker malice grew.
W̌ѐ b̂n̊о v́е l̀ Е̇ñú mа̇
This was only the entrance, yet condensed wickedness seeped upward.
For a witch, it was fascinating.
Yohan swallowed.
“Doesn’t look like we’ll get that far yet.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Ahead, two men sat, watching them with smirks.
“Lost nobles, are you?”
Ẽ ǹ u m â.і́ d
“Click, click. What brings you here?”
Yohan and Ilea ignored them and walked past.
The two men stood up.
“Up close, damn, you’re pretty. Doll-like.”
“Let’s have some fun before we sell them.”
“Idiot, we won’t get another turn.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I’m fine with the guy too.”
Chuckling, they followed.
Ilea laughed.
“Being invisible like this is convenient.”
From behind came whistles.
“Hey missy, you like it, huh? Spicy one!”
Е̌nû m а
“I’m first!”
“Turn around for us!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“She’s so pretty.”
“Too fine to sell.”
The voices multiplied.
So did footsteps.
Е ṅu m а
Many thugs were gathering behind.
Yohan clicked his tongue.
“So much for arriving quietly.”
“Since it’s come to this, let’s gather them all at once.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Agreed.”
A herd hunt was efficient.
Ėn ūm̄ ã
They walked on for some time.
Finally, their path was blocked.
Ahead, dozens of men stood barring the way.
Yohan turned back.
Behind them, thugs swarmed too.
They were surrounded.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
At the front, a hulking brute sat on a chair. He spoke.
“Strip.”
He grinned cruelly at Yohan and Ilea.
The thugs jeered.
“Don’t you get it? Strip!”
“Clothes off, bastards!”
W̌е bnо́vе́ l̃ Еn̂ũ m̆ а̃
“Even the underwear!”
“Move it!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
They were hyped.
The brute raised his hand, silencing them.
“Last chance. Strip.”
Ilea looked at Yohan.
Еń úm̄a
“Looks like they’ve all gathered.”
“Seems so.”
“Then I’ll begin.”
Mana gathered in her hand, but Yohan caught her wrist.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Wait. Let’s get what we came for.”
He pointed at the sky.
Ӗ ǹ u mа .і.d
The sun was sinking.
Ilea nodded knowingly.
“Practicality first.”
The brute roared furiously.
“Strip!”
At that moment, the sun disappeared completely.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Darkness fell.
Yohan’s form vanished.
The brute leapt to his feet, eyes wide.
“Where’d he go!”
He felt a strange weight on his shoulder. He turned his head—and saw a black hand gripping him.
A chilling voice whispered in his ear.
W̄ēb̊ n ōv̀ e l Ĕň u.m̂a
“Sit down.”
Overwhelming strength forced him back into his chair.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“B-boss…?”
“B-behind you!”
The men’s faces looked wrong—contorted with terror.
When the brute tried to turn his head, the voice came again.
Ènu mа .іd
“No, don’t look back. This is a play, just for you.”
Ilea clapped her hands gleefully.
“I’m looking forward to it!”
Mapheltan’s crimson eyes gleamed.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
At once, a bizarre demonic tongue flowed from his mouth.
『 From now, kill each other. (Z’thar Vek’tor Mhaal) 』
Е̂ n̄um̌ a. i d̈
The Verbal Command Spell drilled into their minds.
The brute’s eyes trembled violently.
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
