Plague Lord-Chapter 54: Den of Wolves

Undoubtedly, the Fourth Floor was a far broader and more expansive worldscape than all the previous floors combined.

Because of its sheer size, each region possessed distinct geographical features and climates, forming a diverse and self-contained ecosystem.

Rolling hills blanketed the southern plains, while dense woodlands sprawled across the north, fading into a mist-shrouded swamp at their edge. To the east, a barren desert stretched endlessly, broken only by the black mountains piercing through the horizon. In contrast, a wide river meandered across the western prairie.

And scattered across each of these regions were countless species of monsters.

Lesser creatures such as Gremlins and Kobolds infested the forest’s outer rim, while larger beings like the Entomorphs, Werewolves, and Lizardmen ruled its deeper reaches. Dune Serpents slithered through the northern swamps, Sand Eaters tunneled beneath the eastern deserts along the black mountains path, and Desert Worms prowled the vast western prairies.

Compared to the other creatures, Gremlins were considered the weakest, followed by Kobolds, both merely lesser fiends. The others, however, were classified as greater fiends, who were far stronger and far more dangerous.

Nightingale wasn’t sure how much of that was true. After all, the only sources of such information were the very monsters he couldn’t even understand.

Surprisingly, Rose could speak their language.

No, perhaps "speak" wasn’t the right word.

She simply understood them somehow, even though to him, the Gremlins’ words were nothing but incoherent gibberish.

How could she possibly understand what they were saying? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Was she some kind of automatic translator scanner?

Come to think of it, that mask she wore... was it a Mystery? Maybe one that allowed her to understand all languages.

In the profession known as Climbing the Tower, Awakened often met people from countless nations, each with their own culture and language. He had never heard of anyone possessing an ability that could translate automatically, but if such a Mystery truly existed, it would make communication and cooperation far smoother.

The thought made him a little jealous. He quietly made a note to find something similar for himself someday.

Putting that thought aside, Nightingale turned his gaze to Rose, who was still interrogating the remaining Gremlins.

Only three remained. The other two had refused to cooperate, and the caster’s patience had run out, she had killed them without hesitation. Judging by her actions, it almost seemed like she wanted them to resist, just so she could punish them with fire.

"Why were you following us?"

"Grak-tuh ming-loh!"

"I see. So you weren’t following us?"

"Zee-krum phaloo!"

"...Hm."

’I just don’t understand. What the hell are they saying?’ Nightingale muttered to himself. He tried to make sense of it, but it was like listening to a language designed to be incomprehensible. He felt like the quiet kid awkwardly left out during group activities.

Finally reaching his limit, he frowned and asked aloud,

"Hey... what are they saying?"

Rose turned toward him.

"They said they went hunting, but the hunt itself was unsuccessful, so they abandoned five of their own before they ran into us."

"Ah, so that’s how it is."

"Exactly. They also mentioned that their village isn’t too far from here."

As she explained, it became clear that even fallen monsters could organize themselves into groups. Nightingale considered this carefully, and just then, one of the gremlins began to speak:

"Grak... shaloo... fen-krit!"

Rose listened intently. After a brief pause, she turned to Nightingale but he spoke before her.

"Let me guess. They’re begging for their lives, right?"

She shook her head.

"No. On the contrary, they’re begging me to kill them."

He tilted his head, and after a moment it clicked.

The caster had blinded their eyes with flames so that, if left alive, they would be marked and cast out. Even if they staggered back to their village, the others would see them as a burden, easy prey to be driven off or eaten.

This was the law of nature.

’How tragic. Their fate was sealed the moment they crossed our path.’

After a moment’s thought, Nightingale nodded and met Rose’s gaze.

"Since they want to die, who are we to refuse? Also, you’re the one who made them like this, so you should take responsibility and do the killing. But leave one of them alive."

"I already know. Do you think I was going to kill our source of information?"

The Gremlins lowered their heads, seemingly accepting their fate.

Could they understand English? he thought.

Well, it didn’t matter. Not wanting to waste any more time, Flaming Rose ignited her azure flames and finished off two of them.

There was only a brief flash of pain then nothing, their entire lives snuffed out in an instant.

Just like that, they were dead.

"Grk!"

Terrified, the remaining Gremlin let out a small squeak, trembling from head to toe. Its eyes had been reduced to useless pools of moist jelly, its sight stolen in a grotesque manner.

All it could do was hear and feel.

For that reason, and that reason alone, it trembled before the cruel monsters that had left it in such a pitiful state.

Rose glared at the last one with a look of contempt.

"You filthy mongrel, time to prove your worth."

† †

After figuring out the general direction of the Gremlin Village, the Caster swiftly dispatched the lesser fiend, and the two of them moved on.

The silence that followed was almost deafening.

Nightingale glanced at Rose, who didn’t speak, her eyes still fixed on the path ahead.

The body of the last Gremlin had been nothing more than a stain on the ground. Or rather, it had been burned so thoroughly by her azure flames that no trace of it remained. It had been reduced to cinders, a faint wisp of smoke curling upward before disappearing into the air.

’Damn. That’s really scary.’

He swallowed his dry saliva but Rose didn’t acknowledge it and simply stepped forward. Perhaps the existence of the gremlin had been truly trival.

"Let’s move before it gets dark."

"Ah, yes."

Snapping out from his stupor, Nightingale followed right behind.

Moments later, they arrived at their destination rather quickly. The village itself was located at the outskirts of the forest, laying quietly beneath the thick canopy, almost as if it were hiding from the world. Small, uneven huts made of mud and branches were scattered across the clearing with smoke curling lazily from a few chimneys.

There was a faint metallic tang of the river that ran along the village’s edge.

Cautiously, they stayed out of sight, observing from a safe distance, hidden completely from view.

Rose said quietly:

"It looks like we’ve found our informants."

Nightingale could see it in her posture. Her trembling shoulders betrayed the restraint she was trying to maintain. He already knew what she wanted: to slaughter every last one of those filthy creatures.

After a brief pause, she added, her tone almost playful in its quiet menace:

"So... how do you want to handle this?"

Nightingale didn’t answer right away. He let his gaze sweep over the gremlin village, taking in the shivering shapes pressed against the huts.

Finally, he exhaled softly and muttered, almost dismissively:

"We won’t do anything."