The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-400

Chapter 400 Black Tongue (2)

“Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha… What on earth are you doing now?”

A deep, thick voice resonates.

Vikir narrowed his eyes as he faced the man in front of him.

The skin visible beneath the uniform was uniformly dark, devoid of a single hair on its smooth surface.

The bulging muscles were subtly different in arrangement from those of a human.

With no eyelids, nose, or lips on his face, the sharp sockets below his pale, torn eyelids and his sharp teeth were plainly visible.

Bubbling…

The muscle fibers making up his body moved separately, bubbling like boiling tar.

Major Black Tounge

He held the lowest rank among the five pillars of Nouvellebag, but in terms of seniority, he was second only to Lieutenant Colonel Flubber.

“…D’ordume and Souare have been Majors since the old days.”

Vikir scanned Black Tongue’s entire body.

A cunning hound quickly assessed its prey.

But while he could roughly gauge the extent of his strength, he couldn’t yet determine how ruthless he was or what schemes he was concocting.

Therefore, Vikir faced Black Tongue with the most cautious and sensible approach.

“I apologize for intruding so rudely Sir. I was just so startled… My heart still feels like it’s about to burst.”

Vikir wiped away a bead of sweat, trembling with false humility.

Like a hero of a bygone era who hid his extraordinary abilities from his enemies by pretending to be startled by thunder and hiding under his desk.

Vikir’s strategy of lowering himself seemed to have some effect.

The unpleasant and ominous aura emanating from Black Tongue seemed to dissipate ever so slightly.

“Hah hah – Are you Garam, or rather, Captain Garam? You don’t seem to have as much guts as the rumors suggested.”

“Given the circumstances, receiving such high praise feels burdensome.”

“Oh, come on. Going by the rumors alone, you’re a complete monster. I actually like seeing your human side for a change, huh~”

“……”

“Oh! Sit down, anywhere comfortable. Don’t mind the leeches. They’re just discarded bits, too troublesome to raise. Apart from being soft, they have no other advantages, so I often use them as cushions, you know~”

With a displeased chuckle, Black Tongue turned away.

Every time he moved, the muscles on his back writhed, but upon closer inspection, they were all leeches.

These small, tough leeches seemed to be attached tightly to every inch of Black Tongue’s body, as if each one were a muscle fiber, forming a tight bond with his entire body.

In other words, he was covered in leeches all over his body, like a suit of armor!

“…So Major Black Tongue is human, but even as a human, he doesn’t receive human treatment. Now I understand why.”

Who would see someone covered in leeches from head to toe, every hour of every day, and still consider them human?

Considering him a humanoid was actually quite generous.

“Sure. You came sooner than expected, huh? Bastille must have been in a hurry?” Black Tongue casually belittled Bastille, who held the rank of Head Captainl.

It was only natural; in terms of capability alone, he should already be a major.

As Vikir nodded, Black Tongue smirked faintly. It was a smile without much joy, a rather unpleasant one.

“Yeah. How’s Bastille doing? Still playing the role of a pet without a master when D’ordume and Souare aren’t around?”

“It’s a difficult question to answer.”

“Hah hah hah, I suppose from a subordinate’s perspective, it might be. Bastille, that guy~ When D’Ordume and Souaré are around, he’s quick to defy my orders, but without those two, he immediately becomes submissive. It’s quite amusing. I sometimes provoke him just for the fun of it. His reactions are entertaining.”

Vikir glanced briefly at Black Tongue’s face. Although Black Tongue didn’t get along well with any of the Nouvellebag’s guardians, there seemed to be a particular animosity with D’Ordume and Souaré.

“D’Ordume dislikes Black Tongue’s interference when he embezzles Nouvellebag’s various items, while Souaré… There seems to be a deep-seated enmity between Black Tongue and Souaré from the surface. I’ve heard rumors that Black Tongue blew away half of Souaré’s face.”

Both had records of meeting as adversaries in famous battles on the surface, according to entries in Garam’s diary.

…Well, Vikir didn’t really know for sure.

Meanwhile, Black Tongue perched himself on one of the leeches in front of Vikir.

Squish!

As he sat down on the lump, it oozed a yellowish, purplish juice from its mouth. Faint sounds resembling someone groaning could be heard from within.

“……”

“……”

Vikir and Kirko fell silent as if they had made some sort of agreement. It wasn’t to conceal a secret; it was just that the atmosphere was too eerie and uncomfortable.

“Surely, there are people inside these leeches acting as cushions, right?”

“Most likely. Let’s just sit down for now. If it’s uncomfortable, sit on the floor.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Kirko sat on the lump in front of her with a determined expression, as if refusing to be intimidated.

Squish-

Once again, the lump beneath her buttocks emitted a thick, viscous juice, causing her to shiver. There were no sounds of groaning this time.

“Thank goodness.”

Kirko considered herself lucky amidst the misfortune. If she had heard groans coming from under her buttocks, she probably wouldn’t have been able to maintain her composure.

Meanwhile, upon seeing Kirko momentarily shut her eyes, Black Tongue opened his mouth with a mischievous tone.

“Cutie, did you fart~”

“……”

“Just kidding. Just kidding. I thought I’d help ease the tension~”

Though his face still didn’t show much of a smile, judging from the leeches covering his facial muscles, one could infer that he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Now, let’s start the interrogation. It’s going to be brief, so don’t freeze up too much. If your body stiffens, blood circulation worsens, and it ruins the taste.”

“……”

“Another joke. Another joke. Young folks these days are too serious. Can’t even appreciate a joke~”

Black Tongue spoke in a friendly tone, with a hint of amusement in his narrowed eyes.

“Anyway, I suppose I might be a bit intimidating~ Both in appearance and personality! After all, ordinary guards never have a reason to meet me, right? Even though I’ve worked in Nouvellebag for decades, many have never seen me.”

“……”

“The ones I see are always similar. Embezzlement, violating military regulations, moral misconduct, dereliction of duty, disrespect towards superiors… All just rotten apples, right? If you’ve lived a straight and proper life, there’s absolutely no reason to fear me. Relax.”

Black Tongue continued to lecture for a while, emphasizing that people shouldn’t judge others based on their first impressions or appearances and that people shouldn’t commit sins.

Finally, he narrowed his eyes while holding a document containing the investigation results about Garam.

“Let’s see. Garam… from the surface… born into an ordinary lower-class family… had a career slightly below average… but recently, his performance has skyrocketed. When was the turning point… Hmm, yes… After the ‘Night Hound’ prison break incident, their performance noticeably improved… Did something significant happen that led to their awakening? Hm… Since then, they’ve been steadily rising… Like a different person… Suppressing a Level 8 prisoner riot and getting promoted… Bastillet blatantly admires Garam and gave him a push? Perhaps they’re distant relatives or something like that?”

With a tongue tinged black, Black Tongue scrutinized Vikir with a gaze as venomous as a snake’s, as if intending to latch onto any tiny gap and suck out whatever was inside.

…However.

“Yes. I’m from the surface. I recently received news that both my parents and siblings died together. I heard that everyone in my hometown suffered the same fate.”

“Oh? That’s regrettable. What happened?”

“Demons appeared on the surface and turned my hometown into a sea of flames. I only know the gist of it, so I can’t provide detailed information.”

“Hmm, well, communication between here and the outside isn’t that great, right? Yeah, must be frustrating. Anyway, did that incident change you into a different person?”

“It served as a catalyst.”

Vikir, having traversed the era of destruction, possessed abilities to conceal mana and strength to anyone in the current era. Even Hugo couldn’t perceive it, so Black Tongue couldn’t see through it either.

“Hah hah hah – Really? Well, if I went through something like that, I’d probably awaken too. They said the surface has been in chaos for the past few months.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Demons or monsters were swarming, dungeons opened, gates were appearing, or something like that? Anyway, it was a real mess. That’s why Orca, D’Ordume, Souaré went up to the surface. To escort the increasing number of criminals here. Well, I’m just here, so I don’t know much about it.”

Black Tongue casually muttered and checked various things on the document.

Then, he closed the file with a thud.

“Well, interrogation’s over. Nothing unusual with you. Clean~ Tidy~ Smooth~”

“If you’re done with your business, I’ll take my leave.”

“Huh? Ah~ Even if that’s the case, I didn’t tell you to leave~ I’m a Major. You’re quite audacious, huh?”

“I have a lot of work. I apologize.”

As Vikir rose from his seat, Black Tongue opened his mouth with the same smiling face.

“Sit the fuck down.”

“……”

“Come on~ Why the scary face? Relax~ You said it yourself.”

As if urging Vikir to stay, Black Tongue waved his hand. His gaze was fixed behind Vikir.

“Hah hah hah hah. Wow~ It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this face~”

It was Kirko’s face.