webnovel Chapter 267: [267] Bring Your Head To Work Day
Chapter 267: [267] Bring Your Head To Work Day
Everyone stared at the head that had been placed neatly in front of them. It took a second for the realisation to hit them.
"A Dullahan??!" The Grand Marshal jumped to his feet, his hands already on his blade.
A dullahan was by no means a weak creature, among the undead, they were a powerful force to recon with, capable of ripping down knights like wheat in harvest.
Zora walked up to the head and stared down at it. It was like a rotten humanoid head encased in a steel helm.
"Hehehe..." she cackled. "The mighty Dullahan looked so stupid."
"Zora, didn’t you say the word ’stupid’ was improper to use?" Feyre tilted her head slightly.
Zora glanced up, still smiling. "It depends, baby girl, when it comes to idiots like this, you can use as many crass words as you like!"
Alya stroked her chin as she watched her, her brows furrowed, while Alex walked to him, his eyes alternating between the Dullahan and Eliron, his face twisted with disgust.
"Have you... have you been carrying this thing with you... all this time? Inside your cloak?!"
Eliron nodded. "Of course. Should I have left it?"
Alex gave him a long look, and for a second, he reminded him of the time he was in his dragon form.
He just shook his head and returned to his seat, at a loss for words.
Eliron felt someone tugging on his shirt. He turned around to see Yen poking him, a blank expression on her face.
It seemed bonds and spirits alike had a thing for her, because Hade was now somehow on her back, while Tsukiko was still nestled on her head.
She casually glanced at the Dullahan, a strange glint in her eyes. "Dullanhan’s are foul undead from hell. It is only right that I exorcise it for the safety of all those present."
Yen tried to keep a straight face, but Eliron could see the ghost of a smile tugging at her cheeks.
It was the same situation with Satoru...
Was there some sort of merit system in Celestial that rewarded them for vanquishing evil?
It seemed killing things seemed evil filled with some sort of odd joy.
Eliron held her shoulders and pushed her back a step. "The Dullahan is part of work, I already told you guys the plan..."
"I cannot condone you associating yourself with vile creatures. We’ll. Find. Another. Way—" she said, her voice strained as she tried to bypass Eliron.
"Yen, stay away from my head! If you want a head of your own go out and find it yourself!"
While they were bickering, Indra’s voice cut through the chatter. "There is something wrong with the undead."
Everyone turned their attention to him.
"What do you mean?" One of the oracles asked, an old man who had introduced himself as Denkei.
Indra glanced at the man. "Dullahan’s are usually chatty, this one hasn’t said a single word since it was brought here."
Everyone turned to Eliron who was still trying to keep a Yennefer at bay.
"Lord Eliron, you said you had the spy issue sorted out?" Tiosa asked, her clear grey eyes narrowing on the head. "Does it have anything to do with... this?"
Eliron held Yen’s hand to make sure she would stay put. She struggled, trying to break free, but it felt like pushing against a mountain.
Then he walked towards Artie, and pulled a woman from behind her.
"Heh? W-what is going on?" She squealed as everyone’s attention was placed on her.
Ariel had been quiet throughout their meeting, and the moment she saw Feyre, she tried to become even more inconspicuous... Shyness, mixed up with her inherent fear of high elves.
She would need to shake it off if she wanted to remain in their party.
"You’re the one who found the Dullahan." He said as he pulled her up with one hand, staring down at the petite girl.
She had scouted the forest over the camp, and reported the positions of every single undead to him, making his job several times much easier.
"Explain the situation to them."
"H-heh? But—"
"Be quick." Eliron said bluntly.
She stared at Artie, looking for help, but Artie simply prompted her to begin.
Ariel took a step forward, her eyes darting around those gathered.
She swallowed when she caught Feyre’s stare.
"It was obvious that there was someone leaking information to the undead." Eliron spoke from where he sat, warming up the atmosphere for her.
He and Alexander had discussed it a number of times during the trip, but they had not been able to pinpoint who the traitor truly was.
The camp was too chaotic, with the thousands of men present, it would be impossible to keep track of everyone.
"The traitor needed a way to communicate with the undead, meaning they had to have some sort of contact..."
Eliron glanced at Ariel.
"W-we are not yet at Kastle casket, and yet there are already groups of undead making it this far, don’t you find that odd?"
She was staring at Eliron as she spoke, even though he already knew everything.
"The undead are under the strict command of the second apostle, there should be no stranglers, unless..."
"Unless they are not really stranglers." Alex smirked. "A distraction perhaps? Yes, a distraction so that the main group in charge passing information could use them as cover."
He stroked his chin, the gears in his head turning as he unwound the plans, stealing Ariel’s words before she could utter them.
"Uhum—" Ariel squeaked, trying to get back into the conversation, but Alex continued rambling.
"Ariel was set on scouting duty, using her ability to mark out the positions. While all this time... all this time Eliron has been in the forest, he has been clearing out the undead group by group!"
He stood up, his eyes going wide with realisation. "And that time I found you in the forest, it was the day you completed your mission!"
Silence...
Eliron got up and pointed an accusing finger at him. "How dare you spill all my plans just like that? I was going to say the last part, now you ruined the whole vibe!!"
"Well it’s your fault for not telling me all this while!"
"You should have figured it out yourself since you’re apparently such a smarty pants!"
"Forgive my rude interruption." Feyre raised a hand. "But this does not explain why you have the Dullahan’s head.
Alex was about to speak when Eliron clamped his mouth shut. "The Dullahan is the messenger, he knows who the traitor is."
"But how do you plan on making him talk?" Melody, the dwarf asked, juggling the Dullahan head like a ball.
"Dullahan’s are tenacious creatures." Warren added from the side, it will not give to torture.
Eliron glanced at him, his fingers still clasped around the prince’s lips. It was a sight the oracles would never get used to.
"There are other ways of gathering information, Lord Warren. Better ways."
Tension crackled in the air, a chill spreading through their camp. Better ways?
If it was another person who had said it, they would assume he just meant there were ways besides torture.
But considering his reputation, and the tone at which he had said it, their minds wandered.
’Better ways?’ Warren’s thought. ’Has he created something that superceedees torture?’
But before he could dwell on those thoughts, the Dullahan’s eyes glowed crimson.
"Huh?" Instead of dropping the head like a regular person, Melody raised the head to her gaze and stared into its eyes.
"M-my... reverend Lord!"
The dullahan’s eyes shook with fear.
"F-F-Forgive my failures, show mercy upon this humble fool!"
Melody blinked. "No, no, no. I am no lord, just a humble commoner."
"It is not talking to you you dunce!" Zora sighed, then glanced at Eliron. "What did you do to it? It looks like it is in some sort of... trance?"
"The dullahan seems to be seeing something none of us can." Indra walked up to get a closer look.
"It is seeing what I want it to see." Eliron replied plainly. "Funny isn’t it? Torture wouldn’t get a peep out of him, he fears his lord far too much for that.
"But with a little manipulation, just a little stirring, and you can get all the information you need."
Zora frowned. "Those illusions..." she had been on the other end of it once, so she knew how troublesome they could be.
"It was a wood elf, my lord! A laggard!"
Eliron frowned. So even undead saw them as lesser creatures?
"A leaf sniffing, tree eating monkey!"
"Now that is just going too far..." he snorted, glaring at the head.
Melody snickered, but she swallowed the laugh when Eliron glanced at her.
Somehow, the Dullahan’s fear increased, its horror growing so much that everyone could sense it.
Its red eyes shook, and there was a clatter in its teeth as it spoke.
"But he possessed powers beyond his years. He laid waste to the entire contingent, and ground our comrades to dust with evil magic..."
The undead continued to plead, and give information to its invisible master, and then after a few minutes, Eliron had successfully steered the Dullahan to the exact spot he wanted him.
"No my lord, I was not able to meet with him..."
There was a short pause.
"Lord Baldwin’s letter never met me."
The silence in the camp grew thicker, varying expressions appearing on the faces of those present.
The rest of the Dullahan words blurred into the background, as Eliron recited the name like it was a curse.
"Baldwin... So?" He glanced at the group. "Who is Baldwin?"
The grand Marshall ran his hand over his forehead, wiping off the sweat that had formed.
"Nine hells! A person we don’t want to piss off, that is who Baldwin is..."