Chapter 323 A Messenger from the Past
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The night the mansion was raided, the dining hall-usually a rowdy den of chaos-was louder than ever. The topic, of course, was the afternoon’s skirmish. Those who had spent the day hunting away from the frontier settlement were just now hearing the news, fueling their booze-soaked speculation with wild theories.
–SLAM!!
The dining hall doors flew open with a violence that cut through the cacophony. Every head turned. “Whoa! Harmon? Hell of an entrance, man. You’re back later than-“
”Is it true?” Harmon snarled. He didn’t stop moving. He stormed toward the man, grabbed a fistful of his tunic, and hauled him upward. “Did the mansion really get hit?”
”H-Hey, take it easy!”
”Did anyone get hurt? Talk!”
”I told you, calm down!”
”I am calm! Now tell me what happened!” Harmon was vibrating with enough fury to look like he was shaking the man down for blood money.
Just as the victim began to wilt, Kilk-who had trailed in a few paces behind-sighed and clapped a hand on Harmon’s shoulder. “If this is you calm, I’d hate to see you worked up. Take a breath. If you don’t settle your head, you won’t hear a word he says anyway.”
Harmon stiffened. “…I know. Fine. My bad.” He released the man and offered a stiff, apologetic nod to both him and Kilk.
”Sorry about him,” Kilk said, inclining his head. “He’s been like this since we hit the settlement gates. He doesn’t mean anything by it.”
”Yeah, yeah, I get it,” the man muttered, straightening his clothes. “I’ve scrapped with this idiot enough times to know he’s just a hothead. Getting manhandled by Harmon is basically a greeting at this point.” Despite his easy words, he didn’t miss the chance to dig a sharp knuckle into Harmon’s ribs. Harmon took the hit without a flinch.
”Ugh… so? Give it to me straight,” Harmon said.
”Seems legit. Some guy with too much time on his hands snuck around to the back. Said the windows were absolutely pulverized.”
”What did it look like inside?”
”Curtains were drawn tight. Couldn’t see a thing. But he said it didn’t look like someone threw a rock through ’em. It looked like someone-or something-burst through from the outside. Not a single shard of glass on the ground out back, either.”
”No official word from the house?” Harmon asked.
”Dead silence. Not that they owe us an explanation, really.”
Kilk narrowed his eyes. (Something’s off. With a rumor this big, they should have put out a statement to kill the panic, even if it was a lie. Are they afraid of what they’d have to reveal?)
But while Kilk brooded, the rest of the room was content to let their imaginations run wild. “So, that’s where we’re at,” the man continued. “The frontrunner for ‘Most Likely Theory’ is that the Prodigy of Atmiras was targeted by a master assassin. Word is, he’s gone missing.”
Since no one outside that inner circle knew the attacker was actually Lycus, and because whispers of a killer-for-hire had already been floating around, the “Assassin Theory” had taken root.
”A ‘master assassin’? Give me a break,” Harmon scoffed.
”Hey, rumors grow legs the more people they run through,” Dominic said from a nearby table.
”Haa… so basically, we don’t know a damn thing unless we hear it from the source.” Harmon slumped into a chair at an empty table, his energy spent.
”But seriously, Harmon, why the sudden heart for the aristocracy?” one of the guys teased. “Got a favorite girl working the service staff you’re worried about?”
”Oh, for sure! Come on, Harmon, tell us who’s your favorite at Color Street!”
Harmon didn’t snap back with a joke or a threat to break their teeth. He just clicked his tongue, his face darkening into a mask of genuine irritation. The silence that followed was awkward; the fun had officially been sucked out of the room. Sensing the mood, Jott decided to pivot the conversation.
”Speaking of master assassins… who’s actually at the top of the food chain these days? There are plenty of names, but who’s the strongest?”
”In the Kingdom, everyone fears Sinox, the Twilight Echo,” Dominic offered. “But I haven’t heard much out of the Empire lately.”
A man at the next table leaned over. “That’s ’cause you aren’t paying attention. The most hated name in the Empire right now is the Ghost of Ruracard.”
”Oh, I’ve heard of him,” someone replied. “The noble brat who lost his house to a frame-up and started hunting down every blue-blood involved in the coup?”
”That’s the one. But it’s worse than that. Word is he approaches other nobles with a deal: ‘I’ll kill your rivals if you help me rebuild House Ruracard.’ If they say no, he decides they’re an obstacle to his family’s restoration and guts ’em. They say he’s put twenty Imperial nobles in the dirt over the last eight years.”
”At least he’s a madman… but if he’s killed that many and hasn’t been swung from a gallows yet, he’s the real deal.”
”An assassin who only bites nobles,” Dominic mused. “Suspicious. Anyone else come to mind?”
While the table went quiet, Harmon spoke a name that felt like it carried the weight of a tombstone. “Somnil. The Dream of the Eternal End.”
”The what? Sounds like a fairy tale.”
”It’s a myth from twenty years ago,” Harmon said.
”So it’s like the Republic’s Bigfoot or the Kingdom’s Upside-Down Woman? Just a ghost story?”
”Close. Except for the part where dozens of nobles actually died. Twenty years ago, Imperial lords started falling into a sleep they never woke up from. They just… withered away. That’s where the name came from.”
”A curse? Some kind of dark magic?”
”Maybe,” Harmon replied. “People thought it was poison, or maybe a disease that only hit the rich because of their lifestyle. No one ever proved a thing.”
”Wait…” Victor, usually as silent as a grave himself, looked up. “I remember that. From when I was a kid.”
”And…?” Jott prodded. “Don’t just leave us hanging, man! Talk!”
Victor sighed, looking exhausted by the mere act of forming sentences. “…Memory is thin. But they said Duke Olbranche’s house was behind it.”
”Never heard of ’em,” Jott said. “Harmon, you’re the historian tonight. Keep going.”
”It’s not surprising you haven’t heard of them,” Harmon said, leaning back. “The Olbranche line was wiped out twenty years ago. The Duke and his heir committed suicide.”
”Both of them? Why?”
”The suicide note just said: House Olbranche sleeps with the endless dream. After that, people started connecting the dots. Every victim of Somnil was an enemy of the Duke. There were a few outliers-people who had nothing to do with him-but the theory was he killed them to throw off the scent. Once the Duke was dead, the deaths stopped.”
Harmon shoved the remaining food into his mouth, washed it down with a bitter swallow of ale, and stood up. “I’m heading back to the inn.”
”Already? You haven’t even finished your drink! I thought we were hitting the town tonight!”
”Not tonight. I’m not in the mood.”
He walked out into the cool night air. The anxiety was a dark tide, rising to drown him. If someone died because of his advice about the Dhru Wheat¹… he wouldn’t be able to live with it.
”Excuse me.”
The voice was like a cold needle. Harmon stopped dead. The person was standing directly in front of him-close enough to touch-yet he hadn’t sensed them until they spoke. The figure was draped in a hooded cloak, their face lost in shadow.
(How? I was looking right at the road… how did I not see them?)
”…What do you want?” Harmon’s hand drifted toward the hilt of his blade. “Who the hell are you?”
The woman tilted her head. “Please consider the me standing here as a remnant of the past. A ghost, if you will.”
”A ghost?” Harmon’s mind flashed back to the tavern talk. “Are you the Ghost of Ruracard?”
The woman seemed momentarily taken aback, then gave a small, graceful shake of her head. “Hardly. Do I truly look like a man to you?”
”No. Then… whose ghost are you?”
”Does the answer truly matter? The past is gone, and unlike that boy, I have no desire to rebuild a house that has already crumbled to dust. But… if it is the price of your cooperation, I shall answer.” The woman pinched the hem of her travel-worn cloak and performed a flawless, haunting curtsey. “I am the one the world once called Somnil. But if you require a title… you may call me the Ghost of Olbranche.”
Harmon felt the blood drain from his face. “You’re… The Dream of the Eternal End?”
”I have given you my name,” the ghost whispered. “Now it is your turn, Harmon… or should I say…”
The woman stepped forward, her voice dropping into a chilling register. “Harmond Pelant. It is time for your turn.”
—
Summary:
Harmon returns from hunting to a tavern buzzing with rumors of an attack on the mansion. After a tense exchange, he encounters a mysterious woman on the road who claims to be the legendary assassin ‘Somnil’. She reveals Harmon’s true identity as Harmond Pelant, shattering his facade.
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Trivia:
- Harmon is the one who introduced Dhru Wheat to the settlement.
- Dhru Wheat was previously a Pelant family monopoly.
- The ‘Dream of the Eternal End’ (Somnil) involved victims dying of weakness in their sleep.
- House Olbranche was extinguished twenty years ago via suicide.
- The windows of the mansion were smashed from the outside-in, with no glass fragments found outside
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Character Insight:
Harmon’s guilt stems from his believe that his knowledge of Dhru Wheat brought the Viscount’s wrath upon the innocent settlement. His reaction to the name ‘Harmond Pelant’ confirms he is a noble in hiding.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The introduction of the ‘Ghost of Olbranche’ serves as a parallel to the ‘Ghost of Ruracard,’ suggesting a wider theme of ‘ghosts’ of dead houses seeking reckoning.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Harmon – An experienced hunter and guard who came to the settlement and stayed. He is part of a hunting group with Demar, Dominic, Jott, Victor and Kilk. He knows Nick and Lewya, and discusses business ideas with Nick. He first appears in Chapter 220.
• Kilk – A man from the northernmost part of the Republic, where the climate is extremely cold. Due to his upbringing, he has a strong sense of individualism and prefers to work alone. He initially refused to join Harmon’s group but eventually chose to fight to protect the frontier settlement. He is practical, efficient, and values safety. Kilk first appears in Chapter 229.
• Dominic – Dominic is a calm and collected man from the kingdom who is exceptional at considering others and acts as a negotiator among the group. Despite his calm demeanor, he becomes reckless when he lets his guard down, similar to Harmon and the others. He is a member of Harmon’s group and first appears in Chapter 229.
• Jott – A versatile member of Harmon’s group, often handling reconnaissance and communication thanks to his sharp senses from his Lycus blood. He contributes to combat and defense with his decent fighting skills and limited magic abilities. Jott first appears in Chapter 221.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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