The Banished Black Swordsman Wants a Peaceful Life with the White Saint in the Frontier ~Huh? You Want Him to Come Back with the Saint? It’s Already Too Late~ - 38

Chapter 38: Request to to Fix the Contaminated Old Well

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The old well described in the request form was located on the outskirts where the noise of the street stalls faded away. Wind passed over the open fields, and beyond a wooden fence, sheep peacefully chewed grass. After leaving the footpath between the fields, a cylindrical structure made of stacked stones stood alone. It was an old well, covered in moss and ivy. One side of the pulley for winding the rope was bent, and the wooden handle had dried into a gray color.

It was exactly an “old well.” But…It was a little too aged.

Lloyd placed his hand on the well’s stone rim and leaned forward to look inside. Warm, stagnant air rose from below, carrying a heavy stench that clung to the back of his nose. The smell of wet stone, yet not only that. Something sweet and rotten mixed in. Overall, the well carried an unpleasant odor.

Lusha asked.

“Should we go down? What do you think?”

“No, let’s first ask around the area. We might find some clues.”

“Understood!”

After that, Lloyd and the others decided to visit the houses near the well one by one to hear what they knew. He glanced at Lusha, signaling her to keep her hood pulled low and limit herself to simple nods. She nodded quietly and followed behind him.

“If it’s that well, it used to give clear, clean water.”

The first person they spoke to was an elderly woman taking in her laundry. Her wrinkled hands stopped over the basket.

“But recently, you see… When we draw water, it’s cloudy. And the smell is strange. Like something raw or like soil that’s gone bad. So we stopped using it.”

“When did you clearly start noticing that?”

“Around two weeks ago, maybe? It was also around then that we started hearing strange noises during the night. Like…Blub, blub… The sound of bubbles rising, you know? It’s like the sound of a sewage ditch, but there aren’t any rivers around here…”

“The sounds at night, huh…”

This seemed like a useful clue, and Lloyd kept it in mind. When they visited the next house, a scrawny man poked his head out from the doorway.

“What do you want?”

“We’re here to investigate the old well. We were contracted by the Barmasty Trading Company.”

“Oh, the boy merchant’s group! That’s just like Cron-san.”

Apparently, Cron was known as the “boy merchant.” Very disgraceful, but he probably had already given up correcting people. Lloyd quickly moved the discussion forward.

“Has anything unusual happened at the old well?”

“A small animal was found dead near it. A wild rabbit. Its head wasn’t cut off, and there weren’t bite marks either. It was just curled up, cold and stiff. Strange, don’t you think?”

“What did you do with the body?”

“Buried it. It was right by the well, you see. Wouldn’t want a strange sickness going around.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Lloyd thanked him and headed for another house. A dead animal, huh? It seemed unlikely that it died from drinking the well water, so what did it mean?

As they continued gathering information, the situation became clearer. The odor couldn’t be explained by simple sediment contamination or algae growth. The bubbling sound at night. The mysterious animal death. Something was definitely happening inside the well.

Lloyd and Lusha returned to the old well, crouched at the rim, and peered inside again. The wind had died, turning the well’s mouth into a cold, dark hole. The slanted evening light illuminated the slimy surface of the inner wall.

“Looks like going inside is the fastest way.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

When Lloyd said that, Lusha tilted her head. Since no one was around, speaking normally was fine.

“It’s fine. I’ve already done more than enough dangerous things.”

He had fought ogres, dragons, and all sorts of monsters. He doubted this old well was more dangerous than any of those.

“…If anything happens, please tell me right away.”

She didn’t stop him, but she spoke timidly. It seemed she was worried for him. Being worried about by someone like that was a new feeling for Lloyd. He nodded, threaded the hemp rope through the pulley, and secured it to the rim. He double-checked the knot, wrapped the rope around his torso, and looked for footholds in the stone so he would not damage the wall.

“When I give the signal, pull me up. Don’t worry, I won’t push myself.”

“Yes.”

With Lusha’s reply behind him, Lloyd grabbed the rim and slid his body down. The coldness of the stone seeped into his palms, and his toes brushed against dampness. Slowly, he shifted his weight to the rope and descended, feeling for the wall’s uneven surface with his boots. Light drifted farther behind his back, and cold air clung to him as if washing over the interior of the well. The walls were slimy with moss and mud, but also something else.

It stinks… My nose might go numb. This isn’t the smell of fermented algae. It’s heavier. Closer to miasma, maybe?

His feet sank into mud, reaching the bottom. Soft sludge swallowed his ankles. Water sloshed thickly around his shoes, cold and sticky. The stench was even stronger than above, making the back of his throat itch. He lit the small lantern at his waist. Yellow light formed a circle and grazed the stonework.

“…Huh?”

There were multiple grooves running across the wall, as if gouged out by fingertips. Claw marks. But not from a dog or cat. The stone was chipped and powdered, the gouged edges worn smooth. It looked like something had repeatedly tried to crawl up… Or rubbed its body against the wall.

He also felt something else when touching the stone.

This is… Trace of magic?

The wall wasn’t just damp. There was a faint prickling against his skin. A bitter tingling that only someone with the cursed mark like the 〈Malice Glyph〉, could feel. It was an unpleasant sensation.

So it wasn’t just contamination. A monster might’ve taken up residence here.

A dark passage continued horizontally from the bottom of the well, an old waterway carved out to guide underground spring water. Over time, flowing water had eroded it into a crawlable tunnel. From there came a faint water sound. Plip… Pop… Irregular and murky.

Lloyd tilted the lantern, shining light deeper in. At that moment, there was a whooshing sound from above. The rope creaked faintly, and Lusha’s voice fell straight down the deep shaft.

“Lloyd, be careful! Something is in the back!”

“Huh? ──Whoa.”

He reflexively dropped his hips and slid his hand along the wall. In the next moment, darkness swelled within the passage, and a lump of slime oozed out. A thick, semi-transparent body, but not clear. Its body was yellowed with grayish-black swirls churned inside it, bubbling with writhing shadows.

A slime tainted by miasma, a Poison Slime. One appeared, then two, three… Their numbers quickly increased until there were five in total, pushing aside the mud as they slithered closer. Their surfaces rippled, and with a slick, slippery sound, their tendrils latched onto the walls. A wet slapping noise echoed as they bounced toward Lloyd.

Pretty fast for slimes.

Lloyd grabbed the rope with one hand and kicked off the mud, lifting himself. He swung away from the wall, giving all his weight to the rope. A tendril stretched up from below and sliced empty air. Droplets of slime sprayed, grazing his cheek. The smell—like scorched earth mixed with rot—intensified.

“Don’t underestimate me.”

While suspended, Lloyd drew his magic sword, Rukuud.

These monsters were small fries, no need to use the power of the 〈Malice Glyph〉. He used the momentum of his swinging body and brought the blade down diagonally through the first slime’s centerline.

The resistance was surprisingly light, like tearing a stretchy water sack. But even when cut, the miasma-tainted mass writhed stubbornly. He pressed the blade deeper, searching for the core. The instant he felt something hard, he twisted his wrist and severed it. The dark core crumbled, and the slime unraveled like threads, collapsing into the mud.

He released the rope slightly and landed. The sludge swallowed his heels. Two more, then three. The remaining four slimes distorted their shapes and surged toward him, opening their toothless maws.

The scratches on the wall overlapped in his mind with the marks he saw earlier. These were not from any beast. They were strange tracks carved by repeated movements of slimes. Miasma had weakened the stone, making it easier for them to carve into it.

“Are you okay!?”

Lusha’s worried voice echoed down.

“This is nothing. I’ll finish them here. Just loosen the rope a bit.”

“Understood!”

With her reply, the rope slackened slightly. Lloyd pressed his boots into the wall’s ridges and ran sideways. One slime charged and slammed into the stone. Its surface bubbled, and the stone sizzled away like acid eating through it. When mixed with miasma, slime became corrosive. Touching it would be bad.

He kept half a body’s distance at all times. Another slime climbed up from his feet, reaching for his knee. Lloyd pulled his leg free and twisted his body using the rebound. His body arched, and the magic sword swept sideways. A shadow like a core flickered inside the slime.

The blade traced the core, slicing it. The mushy nucleus cut with a tangible resistance. Half its body collapsed into the mud, the rest trembling violently. Looking up, he saw Lusha peering down with deep concern.

“You don’t have to worry that much!”

Lloyd shouted, but kept his focus on the enemies. He wouldn’t lose, but Poison Slimes carried miasma. If they touched him, the 〈Malice Glyph〉 might react strangely, so he needed to take them out safely.

He reversed his grip on the sword and shifted his stance to avoid the splashing slime. Using a wall crevice as a foothold, he moved to a diagonal position. The second slime regenerated its missing half and advanced, while the third extended upward, spreading across the ceiling to drop down on him.

“Seriously… Using coordinated attacks even though you’re just slimes?”

He muttered bitterly and tightened his grip on the rope, pulling himself upward in one swift motion.

Just before the canopy of slime fell on him like a heavy curtain, he sliced vertically. The mass split in two and dropped to either side, splattering mud. He caught the flying droplets with his shoulder and stomped on the approximate location of the core. A wet, unpleasant squelch sounded, and black smoke-like miasma spilled out.

His nose felt like it was being burned. The miasma must have been strong. The mark on his skin ached. It’d be better for him to finish this quickly. The fourth slime bubbled, its tendril writhing like an eel as it shot toward his ankle. Lloyd dodged backward, raised his body with the rope, and thrust from a low stance. The blade tip struck something hard. He instantly twisted his wrist, shattering the core. The slime collapsed under its own weight, mixing with mud and releasing its foul stench.

Four down. One left.

Lloyd pressed his back against the scratched wall and shifted his weight forward, giving up his escape route on purpose. The final slime leapt toward him.

“Come.”

At the same moment the mass of slime lunged, Lloyd stepped in. His blade fell straight toward its center. He could definitely feel his blade hitting something. The core cracked cleanly, and the miasma dispersed. The fifth slime collapsed, losing shape on the muddy floor.

“…Phew. That’s all of them.”

Lloyd exhaled and looked toward the tunnel. There were no more signs of monsters. He seemed to have eliminated everything. At least, the source of the contamination had been removed. However, that didn’t mean the water quality itself had recovered. From here on, they needed to restore the old well to a usable condition again.

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