The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-378

Chapter 378: The Hound of Nouvellebag (2)

The dreamlike Christmas passed in the blink of an eye. And then, the usual hellish labor resumed as if nothing had changed.

…Thud! …Crash! …Thud!

The sound of prisoners breaking rocks and digging soil echoed everywhere. The tumult of sulfur gas, steam, and erupting lava filled the air.

Since the discovery of the suspicious egg in Level ten construction, the dynamics of the work had shifted slightly. Previously, guards would form Opticon-shaped formations to supervise the prisoners, but now they had shifted their positions to the perimeter rather than the center.

This was due to Major D’Ordume’s order to place the guards as far away from the explosives as possible. Additionally, there was a strategic aspect to concentrate the guards in the perimeter zones to more easily suppress any potential riots among the prisoners, who might exploit the temporary disorder.

However, it was inevitable that significant and minor errors would occur during the process of changing the existing system.

The guards’ response, which used to intervene promptly in cases of laziness or disputes among the prisoners, was now slightly delayed due to adapting to the changes in the system.

“……”

And Vikir, who had noticed such changes, was already keeping an eye on a certain individual.

“……Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it.”

Sakkuth. He had been acting strangely since the Christmas dinner yesterday.

His gaze, which usually looked down on others, now looked upward from below. The bloodshot eyes, the foam at the corners of his mouth, and the obsessive swearing and paranoia about ‘them’ made him seem like a definite madman.

And suddenly, it was lunchtime.

While all the prisoners took a 10-minute break, he, in silence, went into the canyon between the magma rocks, not fitting in with anyone, and tore at his hair.

“What’s happening? How did this happen…?”

He bit his fingers beyond the nails.

“Your Majesty, Queen, Boss, Master, what’s happening? You promised you’d come save me. Why has there been no contact for two years? You clearly instructed me to enter Nouvellebag and serve ‘him’. You assured me that you would rescue me. Of course, due to my inadequacy, I failed to meet ‘him’ in Level Nine, but surely you wouldn’t abandon me like this. Why aren’t you coming to rescue me? When can I leave here? Please, from this hellish labor…”

The first joint of his fingers was almost completely chewed off, covered in a mess of blood, yet Sakkuth’s muttering did not cease.

Meanwhile, Vikir, from a distance, was eavesdropping on Sakkuth’s continuous muttering.

‘…bro has lost his mind.’

He was always a bit odd, but not to this extent. It seemed he had infiltrated this place with some kind of purpose, like Vikir, but there was a crucial difference between them.

Vikir never relied on others for his objectives. He handled everything silently on his own. In contrast, Sakkuth found himself desperately waiting for someone else’s help to achieve his goals. This created a significant difference between them.

‘This is the difference between a predator and prey.’

Leaning against the wall, Vikir quietly observed Sakkuth. Meanwhile, Sakkuth began to show increasingly unstable symptoms.

‘It’s been quite some time without any contact, which means, they’ve abandoned me. The Boss has abandoned me. No news from outside at all. That’s it. It’s because I couldn’t make it to Level Nine. Because of that, the Boss, the Queen, everyone has abandoned me.’

Just then,

*Bwoooooo-*

The horn announcing the resumption of labor echoed.

The shouts of the guards could be heard.

“Alright, let’s get to work!”

“Hurry up, you trash, work faster!”

“Want to die!? Move now!”

These shouts only aggravated Sakkuth, who was already in a highly unstable state.

“…!”

Sakkuth, lips tightly sealed, eyes only showing a hint of bloodshot.

A guard passing by, saw Sakkuth and yelled,

“Hey! What are you doing there! Get to work now!”

And that statement struck a nerve.

“AAAAAAAAAH!”

Suddenly screaming and convulsing, Sakkuth exploded. His eyeballs bulged as if they were about to burst, he turned his head, revealing his teeth to the terrified guard.

*Thunk- Fwoosh!*

Sakkuth, with a mouthful of blood, began to spew out an immense amount of blood from his mouth.

The stench pierced their noses. The air filled with a dense red mist, tainted with the scent of disease.

“Wha…!?”

The Guard who had first shouted at Sakkuth, without even realizing what was happening, paled and took a step back in horror.

And upon seeing that, Vikir finally detached himself from the cliff.

‘It has begun’

It was time to sow the first button of Nouvellebag’s escape.

In Level Eight, a prisoner uprising was more than just a major incident.

Even the sub-officers of the mid-ranking class were finding it difficult to cope, let alone the junior officers.

However, the current situation was not favorable for the guards.

Due to Major D’Ordume’s orders, the Opticon-shaped surveillance formations had been reversed, and as a result, the guards had not fully adapted to the new system.

Therefore, most of the guards stationed around Sakkuth happened to be junior officers.

At best, there was one lieutenant and a dozen or so mid-level officers, with the rest being juniors.

“It’s Sakkuth from Level Eight! He’s causing a riot!”

“We’re outnumbered!”

“Damn it, at least we need Lieutenant Bastille to come!”

Sakkuth’s physical strength may be weak, but the plague-infested blood he spewed out was a threat in itself.

Moreover, Sakkuth’s beast-like roar, echoing in the red mist, was perfect for creating an atmosphere of terror.

“W-what do we do?”

A trembling officer with just a newly-earned lieutenant badge spoke up.

There wasn’t a single officer of higher rank here.

He realized for the first time that being of a higher rank than other guards wasn’t always a blessing.

Just then,

“We need to buy time.”

Someone stepped forward boldly.

Kirko. Mid-level officer Kirko Grimm.

Having been promoted from the ranks due to her dazzling achievements, she was now staring down her higher-ranking seniors.

“Someone needs to stay here to deal with that prisoner while the rest of us scatter and call for the officers. It’s the only way.”

“B-but who will stay here to face that monster? He looks like he’s about to go berserk any second now.”

Even though Sakkuth was in shackles, the plague-infested aura he emitted remained threatening.

No one was ready to rashly step forward to fight when they knew they could catch any major disease.

Then,

“I’ll stay.”

Kirko said firmly.

Drawing a long knife from her waist and slinging it over her shoulder, she continued,

“I’ll try to buy as much time as possible. Please bring someone capable of resolving this situation as soon as possible.”

As Kirko spoke, the other guards began to exchange glances.

“Well, if it’s Kirko…”

“She may be a mid-level lieutenant, but her skills are better than most high levels.”

“Right. In terms of skill alone, she’s as good as a senior officer.”

“Alright! Kirko, you stay. We’ll go and call for reinforcements!”

“We won’t forget your brave sacrifice! It’ll definitely be reflected in the end-of-month evaluations!”

Eventually, without anyone objecting, they all dashed out.

Kirko, alone without any juniors or subordinates, simply watched as her senior and fellow guards left.

And then, soon after,

*Huff* – *Hiss*

A rough, trembling breath of anxiety was felt from behind.

Swallowing a dry gulp, Kirko slowly turned her head.

Behind her, there would likely be a plague monster who’s gone mad.

And Kirko, with her abilities alone, couldn’t fully subdue him.

“But I have no choice.”

It was better for one person to take the risk than for everyone to die.

Among those who were cautiously eyeing each other to survive, she would rather bravely face death here than engage in collaboration.

With her decision made, Kirko finally turned back with a resolute gaze.

Soon, a blurry shadow through the red mist began to approach.

And at that moment, Kirko’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that…?”

Yes.

Trembling legs and breath heavy with anxiety.

The one who remained behind Kirko was none other than Garam Nord, commonly known as ‘Foolish Gaerum.’

“Why… why didn’t you leave?”

“How could I leave my peer behind…”

While the sentiment wasn’t bad, the voice was trembling as much as his legs, so it didn’t come off as particularly admirable.

Just as Kirko let out a heavy sigh,

*Grrrrrrrrrr…*

From somewhere, a distorted laughter echoed.

Turning their heads hastily, Kirko and Gaerum found Sakkuth standing there, tears of blood streaming from his eyes and mouth open with teeth completely bloody.

Eyes torn open too wide, mouth ripped open to both sides below the ears, and drooling filthy saliva.

“Yeah. I’ll just kill everyone, then I’ll leave. Hehehe…”

It was a sight of complete madness to anyone who saw it.