WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 141: Black Rabbit Society 2
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“Demonic Cult?”
When Yuri told him what he had learned through Transcendent Sight, Estor’s eyes flashed, just as expected.
“Those wicked Demonic Cult bastards are plotting something again!”
Knowing Estor would blow up the moment he heard it, Yuri had brought him out of the Black Rabbit Society and into an empty clearing to tell him. Even so, Estor’s reaction was more intense than Yuri had expected.
Before anyone could stop him, he drew his sword and spun toward the Black Rabbit Society.
“My sword will punish them!”
“Calm down, dumbass...!”
Yuri grabbed Estor by the shoulder in alarm, but Estor kept trying to charge at the Black Rabbit Society like a boar with its tail on fire.
In the end, Haryeong stepped in and chopped Estor across the neck with the edge of her hand. In movies, one chop like that knocked everyone unconscious. Reality was different.
“Agh!”
It had apparently hurt, at least. Estor let out a shriek and glared at Haryeong with wide eyes.
But Haryeong did not flinch before that beastly glare. She raised her hand again.
“Please do not hit me.”
“Then do not do things that deserve it.”
“Hey, put your sword away first. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Their incomprehensible exchange only made Estor feel more miserable. Lately, he had not been able to swing his sword to his heart’s content.
At Red Wolf Stronghold, he had only fought weaklings and monsters that were no fun to cut down. A few days ago, when they encountered Salmun, he alone had not been allowed to fight.
He had drawn his sword and shouted several times for anyone willing to fight to come forward, yet not a single person had answered.
And now, just when he thought he finally had a chance to use his sword, his so-called friends were panicking and stopping him. One had even hit him in the neck.
Anyone would feel wronged after being treated that way.
“The Demonic Cult are wicked bastards.”
“They say the Black Rabbit Society has been in Gangyu doing this for years, and they have never done anything wicked.”
“They could have been doing wicked things in secret without getting caught. They might even be plotting something wicked.”
“Let’s think together about what wicked scheme they could prepare by spending years exploring Rifts on their own, making maps, and taking care of injured people.”
“What is there to think about? We could just go in, hold a sword to their throats, and ask. We’d get our answer easily enough.”
Listening to him, Yuri found that Estor had a point. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment.
“Let’s go to Nakseong Cliff first.”
The Black Rabbit Society was likely connected to Myou-hee. They should first follow their original plan and search for traces of Myou-hee at Nakseong Cliff. If they found nothing, it would not be too late to turn the Black Rabbit Society upside down and question the Black Rabbit Society Leader.
“Promise me.”
Estor sheathed his sword and spoke firmly.
“When we attack the Black Rabbit Society, I’ll lead the charge. No, Yuri and Lady Haryeong, don’t get involved at all.”
“Why?”
“I’ll cut every last one of them down with my sword.”
The Demonic Cult was hated in many places, but Estor’s reaction was far more vicious than Yuri had expected.
He had not been this bad even when they saw the Young Cult Leader and Sword Shadow, one of the Seven Evils, in Panteleon. Yuri could not understand why Estor was acting like this.
“Hmm... Fine. Just don’t kill them.”
Estor was so eager that Yuri could not bring himself to say no again. Nodding, Yuri unfolded the map in his hands.
It had been rather expensive, but Sang I-hwan had said it was worth the price. The Black Rabbit Society had been in Gangyu for three years, and there had never been a problem with the maps they made and sold.
On the contrary, their accurate maps had greatly reduced the casualties suffered by adventurers active in Gangyu’s Rifts.
That made the Black Rabbit Society’s true intentions even harder to guess.
As Estor said, Yuri could not ignore the possibility that they were plotting some wicked scheme. But what scheme could they possibly carry out through maps like these...? Yuri stood there for a long time, staring at the map to see whether it concealed suspicious magic.
“Though the Demonic Cult is hated, isn’t the belief that they must be killed without exception rather outdated? Even I, an Easterner, think so. Why are you, Lord Estor, a Westerner, making such a fuss? The Righteous Heavenly Alliance has spent decades doing nothing but call for the destruction of the Demonic Cult. They don’t even go near the Demon Subjugation Palace. The Black Dragon Society is the same.”
“Do people avoid shit because they’re afraid of it, or because it’s filthy?”
His desire to put on a fine sword dance aside, Estor meant it sincerely.
“The Demon Subjugation Palace is like a shit pit too huge to clean up. But does that mean we have no reason to clean up the shit that spills out of it? They may have behaved themselves for decades, but the Demonic Cult is inherently a group of wicked scum.”
“Tang Mu-seok, the Dang Family’s elite assassin known as the Pursuing-Kill Flying Guest, turned over a new leaf and became the great hero Tang Mu-seok of One Good Deed a Day. What if the people here in the Black Rabbit Society also turned over a new leaf and left the Demonic Cult?”
“We do not yet know whether they and the Black Rabbit Society Leader truly turned over a new leaf and came here to sell maps, or whether they are plotting another wicked scheme. We can make them kneel and ask later.”
While the two talked, Yuri focused on the map.
For now, there was no magic hidden in it that could harm someone. There was no tracking magic either.
‘...’
Yuri stared at the map with narrowed eyes. It was large enough to spread open with both hands. As he moved his thumb, the location shown on the map changed in quick succession.
After flipping through it several times, Nakseong Cliff appeared.
“...”
It was huge. Yuri had thought, How big could a cliff possibly be? But Nakseong Cliff was larger and taller than he had imagined.
Could they really find traces of Myou-hee, who had fallen from this cliff six years ago?
If she had fallen to her death, would her body even remain? If she survived, then what? Could Myou-hee, having survived by sheer luck, have left behind some trace for someone who might come looking for her someday?
Only then did Yuri realize how careless his idea had been. He had come here abruptly, planning to search for traces of Myou-hee.
Nakseong Cliff, which he could see on the map, was a cliff on a rugged mountain that could not be compared to some hill behind a village. Finding traces of someone who had fallen there six years ago, not merely days ago, was impossible.
‘Is that why the Black Rabbit Society exists?’
Had Myou-hee, after surviving, left behind such an obvious organization as the Black Rabbit Society for someone who might one day follow her trail and come looking for her?
The Black Rabbit Society man Yuri had seen earlier was a Demonic Cultist concealing his demonic qi with a Veil of Deception. Myou-hee was probably a Demonic Cultist herself.
If Myou-hee truly was a Demonic Cultist, it made sense that she had avoided meeting Chuk-sin-doo, who openly revealed himself.
‘At the time, Moonlit Reveller was not yet the Martial Apex Venerable, but he had already made quite a name for himself... Myou-hee said she would not meet him until she reached the same level as Moonlit Reveller...’
That was what the Pointing Flame had said. Chuk-sin-doo had built up public support by killing Demonic Cultists even before he became the Martial Apex Venerable. As a Demonic Cultist, Myou-hee would have had no choice but to avoid meeting Chuk-sin-doo in those days.
Yuri knew that after Myou-hee’s subjects betrayed her, they slaughtered one another, and only the Pointing Flame escaped alive.
But Myou-hee could not have known that from her own perspective.
Could she have expected the subjects who revolted and fled to spread news of her death, then left behind the Black Rabbit Society for someone who might come looking after refusing to believe it?
‘Someone?’
No. Not someone. Look at Chuk-sin-doo. That crazy older friend had changed his name in this world to Chuk-sin-doo for the friends he had known on Earth, then acted like a madman to reveal himself.
Could Myou-hee be the same? Just as Chuk-sin-doo became Chuk-sin-doo to overcome his Inner Demon and homesickness, perhaps Myou-hee created the Black Rabbit Society for the same reason...
“How long are you going to stare at that map?”
“Let’s hurry to Nakseong Cliff. We will find traces of Myou-hee there, then go to the Black Rabbit Society...”
“No.”
Yuri did not listen further. He folded the map and tucked it into his clothes.
“We are going to the Black Rabbit Society.”
“?”
Haryeong’s eyes widened at his firm answer. Estor’s expression was not much different.
“Why did you suddenly change your damn mind again?”
Haryeong snapped at him in disbelief, but Estor immediately broke into a broad smile and shouted cheerfully.
“Let’s go!”
It was clear that Estor would not ask further, trusting that Yuri had reached this conclusion after sufficient thought. Haryeong did not press him either, merely shooting him a look thick with displeasure.
Creak.
“Welcome... Hm?”
The man who had slipped a finger beneath his mask to scratch his nose awkwardly rose from his seat and stared at the open door.
“Customers? Did you leave something behind? We have not found any lost property.”
The man straightened his mask as he spoke. Creeeak... The door through which the three had entered slowly closed.
Not sensing anything especially strange, the man adjusted his crooked mask.
“Or have you come back because you need to hear how to use the map again?”
Yuri stood before the closed door and lowered the latch. Haryeong naturally moved to the side and blocked the window. By then, the man had no choice but to flinch and step back.
“W-What is this? Why all of a sudden...?”
As the man stammered, Estor took a long stride forward. The sword that came free with his step gleamed ominously.
“I know what you are.”
“What nonsense is this...?”
“Demonic Cult scum!”
At the thunderous shout, the man’s face turned pale behind his mask.
“W-What do you mean by that? Do you have proof?”
“The fact that you ask whether I have proof proves it!”
“What kind of twisted logic is that?!”
“You are asking for proof because you have something to hide!”
“Do not talk nonsense!”
“Yes, you shameless Demonic Cult bastard. The proof you seek is right here. That bracelet on your wrist! Is that not the Veil of Deception used by Demonic Cultists to suppress their demonic qi?”
“T-That is different! I...”
“There is no need to say more!”
Estor bellowed and rushed at the man. Yuri had warned him in advance, so Estor had no intention of killing him. Still, the sword he swung was sharp enough to split bone with the slightest touch.
“You lunatic!”
Startled, the man sprang backward and swung both palms. It was resistance meant to push Estor away, but it was useless.
The glowing Light Sword easily cut through the man’s defense. A little deeper and it would have cleanly severed his palms, but Estor’s precise slash only skimmed his skin.
“Where are your companions?!”
Whoosh! Estor’s sword moved again. He had been told to hold back and not kill him, so the man narrowly avoided the blade again.
Despite his muscular bulk, he moved quickly, leaping up again and grabbing a ceiling beam.
“Stop, stop this!”
Hanging from the beam by his long arms, the man resembled a muscular monkey. Yet his face was still hidden behind a rabbit mask.
“I think you have misunderstood something. I...”
“Shut up, Demonic Cult bastard! Are you saying it is a misunderstanding that you belong to the Demonic Cult?”
“No... That is...”
Judging by his inability to continue, he could not deny being part of the Demonic Cult. That alone was enough reason to swing a sword.
Estor’s eyes gleamed as he pointed his sword at the man hanging from the ceiling.
“What sinister plot are you carrying out in this land?”
“A sinister... A sinister plot...?!”
“Do not make excuses!”
“I, no, the Black Rabbit Society has done nothing evil here in Gangyu!”
The man’s cry was full of injustice. Indeed, in the three years since the Black Rabbit Society had settled in Gangyu, no act that could be called evil had ever been reported.
Had they simply not been caught?
The Orsia Family managed the Rift of Ranalsa, one of the most dangerous Rifts of all.
Estor knew well that Rifts were places where nothing would be surprising. Places where a few people disappearing would be perfectly natural.
“Murder to silence the witnesses!”
The dead told no tales. If they killed everyone caught up in their scheme, then of course the Black Rabbit Society’s evil deeds would be buried in the fog. It was the sort of thing the Demonic Cult could do as easily as eating.
“Where is the Black Rabbit Society Leader?!”
The Black Rabbit Society Leader. Yuri did not yet know whether that mysterious person truly was someone he knew, but the Black Rabbit Society Leader was at the end of every thread in this matter.
What if the Black Rabbit Society Leader really was Yuri’s acquaintance and a demonic fiend of the Demonic Cult? It would not be too late to think about that when the time came. For now, Estor simply wanted to swing his hungry sword.
“I cannot tell you anything about the Society Leader! I will not...! First, please put away that sword so we can talk...”
“Shut up!”
Why did they keep trying to talk things out? If they belonged to the Demonic Cult, they should act like it, unleash their killing intent, and attack. Feeling frustrated, Estor swung his sword.
Crack! At the last possible moment before the slash reached him, the man released the beam and thrust out his arms.
His long arms shot toward Estor with the movement of whips. Strangely, they looked as though they had stretched even farther.
“So you use evil arts!”
Stretching and retracting his arms like rubber bands. Such bizarre martial arts were rare even among Unorthodox Sects. Estor smiled at the prospect of facing such martial arts.
Slash! The passing blade cut through the man’s sleeve, and blood sprayed from his forearm.
His exposed forearm was taut as though someone had truly grabbed and stretched it. Thick black hair covered it, making it look less like a human arm and more like a beast’s.
“Grrr...!”
Whether from the pain in his cut forearm or from exposing that hairy arm, the thick beard beneath his mask trembled.
The front door and window were blocked. He could not break through the front, so should he escape through the back door?
“Come!”
Naturally, Estor had no intention of letting him escape. He bellowed and rushed into the man’s reach.
The hurriedly flailing arms were meant to disorient him, but such movements could not deceive Estor’s eyes.
He could bisect the man if he swung his sword now, but he could not kill him.
Despite all his roaring, Estor’s mind was as cold as ice. He reversed the blade and dismissed Light Sword. Thud! The flat of his sword slammed into the man’s side.
“Grrrk!”
Unable to endure the blow, the man flew back and rolled loudly across the floor. Crash! As he smashed through a table and tumbled across the ground, his rabbit mask fell off.
“Where is the Black Rabbit Society Lea...?”
Estor stiffened mid-step as he strode forward. He had properly seen the man’s face beneath the rabbit mask.
“An ape-man?”
The man’s face was covered in thick hair. The beard that Estor had thought was limited to his chin actually covered his entire face.
It was not only the hair. His flattened nose was turned upward, and his overall features resembled a monkey or gorilla more than a human.
“Good heavens, good heavens. Lord Yuri, please look at that. Ah, it is a Demihuman.”
Goblin and orc demihuman monsters were familiar enough, but where in the world was there a monster that used martial arts? That was not a demihuman monster, but a true Demihuman.
There were stories of long-eared people and short dwarves living somewhere on distant islands in the Central Sea, but no one had heard that such Demihumans had crossed to the continent and lived in hiding.
“This is the discovery of the century. We are seeing a Demihuman from stories that may as well be legends.”
Haryeong seized Yuri’s arm and shook it excitedly. Estor could not move any farther forward either. He simply stood there awkwardly with his sword in hand.
“I-I am not a Demihuman...!”
The man’s entire body trembled at the conversation around him. Twisting his gorilla-like face, he spat out the words.
“I am human!”
“Uh... If you are human... do you simply have a condition that makes you especially hairy?”
Yuri asked because he was confused. The man glared at him with furious eyes.
“This appearance is because of that mad demonic fiend, the Three-Eyed Monster!”
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