Ch. 136 To recover his losses

To recover his losses, Bridge arranged for someone to keep watch at night. However, that very night, the night watchman was seriously injured, and after that, the situation became uncontrollable.

So, besides Bridge, there were other witnesses to the Drowned Man incident, and the creature had also harmed people.

“We’re here.” Bridge stopped in front of a warehouse. “This is the warehouse that was attacked by the Drowned Man.”

The four of them surveyed the surroundings.

“By the way,” Mia leaned toward Kay, “what exactly is a Drowned Man?”

Kay looked up at the top of the alley as he replied, “A monster transformed from a drowned person… or so the common folk believe.”

“And besides the common folk?”

“The rest is what Merlin told me. Merlin said Drowned Men are also a type of Phantasmal Species, essentially creatures completely different from humans. Although many Phantasmal Species avoid human contact, there are also types that like to find convenience through human intelligence. In this field alone, one has to trust his words,” Kay replied helplessly.

“What do they look like?”

Kay shrugged. “I haven’t seen one either. Merlin said that once you see the thing, you’ll know what it is.”

This warehouse was very close to the coast; from here, one could hear the sound of the waves rolling in the channel.

“If I’d known, I would have had Merlin come along too…” Kay also curiously leaned in, only to end up with a grimace as well.

“Let’s go in,” Mia said to Bridge.

They were already prepared.

Ready to face an even more disgusting smell inside the warehouse at any moment.

Sure enough, as soon as the door opened, the stench was enough to bring tears to one’s eyes.

Fish waiting to be salted were piled haphazardly across half the warehouse.

It’s best not to go into detail about the specific sanitary conditions.

Flies were buzzing everywhere.

In the center of the warehouse, a drainage ditch slightly lower than the ground led outside the wall.

Judging by its size, it was more than enough for a person to crawl through.

“What is this?”

“A drainage ditch leading to the sea,” Bridge replied.

Artoria leaned in for a closer look.

There were only dark red stains in the damp, foul ditch.

Bridge explained in a low voice.

“If I’d known, I would have brought Merlin along too,” Kay said in a muffled voice while pinching his nose.

The group discovered more details within the warehouse.

“There.” Melina, who hadn’t spoken the whole way, suddenly pointed to the edge of the drainage ditch.

Faint scratch marks remained on the stone bricks there.

“And the fish…” Bridge reminded them with great distress.

Most of the fish scattered on the floor had been gnawed by some creature.

The intruder had clearly crawled out from that drainage ditch, and it was definitely not a stray cat, but something larger and heavier, like a beast such as a lion or tiger.

Could it be the Drowned Man Bridge spoke of?

The answer could only be known at night.

“Can the drainage ditch be sealed off?” Mia inquired.

The way she was pinching her nose looked a bit comical.

Bridge shook his head helplessly. “It was sealed before, but it was destroyed.”

Mia nodded. “If the ‘Drowned Man’ really comes from here, then I’m confident I can seal this ditch.”

“You mean, to block it?” Bridge asked.

Mia replied, “No, to capture it.”

Bridge was taken aback. “Capture it?”

That would mean letting it enter the warehouse first, and then sealing the entrance of the drainage ditch?

“How are you going to do that?”

“I have my ways. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“…Alright then.”

The other party seemed professional and confident, so after a moment of hesitation, Bridge decided to keep his mouth shut.

“We also need to find a hidden spot,” Kay suggested.

“This way,” Bridge opened a door in a corner of the warehouse, near the street side.

It was the night watchman’s small room.

“Let’s stay here.”

It didn’t feel too crowded even with four people squeezed inside.

The only problem was that for the next few hours until nightfall, they would have to endure the unpleasant, fishy stench of the warehouse.

——

Outside the warehouse,

the bright moon hung high in the sky.

On the city streets, soldiers roamed with torches, illuminating their surroundings.

Of course, this small alley was clearly outside the soldiers’ patrol route.

Furthermore, there were no lights for illumination.

Tonight’s dinner consisted of bread and ham slices that Mia had brought in her storage space.

Approaching midnight.

“Sir Kay, Sir Kay?”

With nothing to do, Kay, who had been dozing off, was shaken awake by Bridge.

“Hmm?” Kay sat up and let out a yawn.

If he hadn’t been so bored, he wouldn’t have fallen asleep against the wall.

“For the past few days, the water ghouls have appeared around this time,” Bridge explained in a whisper.

After all, this was his property and his warehouse; he cared more than anyone. Even if the people he hired to help were dozing off, he didn’t dare to be the least bit negligent.

Melina woke the other two.

“Have they appeared?” Artoria asked eagerly as soon as she woke up.

“Not yet,” Bridge said.

But it should be soon.

Bridge went out cautiously and lit a dim oil lamp in the warehouse.

He blew out the light inside the room and opened the door a crack, facing the sewer outlet.

The warehouse remained as peaceful as ever.

The four looked at each other for a moment and reached a consensus to take turns keeping watch.

One Soldier would lean against the door crack to observe the situation at all times, while the other two remained ready.

First was Kay, and after fifteen minutes, it was Artoria.

After twenty minutes of alert waiting.

“Mia! Brother Kay!”

Artoria, staring through the door crack, called out in a low voice.

“It’s here?!”

Mia and Kay crowded over. The three of them stacked in a line, looking out through the crack in the door.

From within the sewer, a tuft of white fur poked up.

A massive feline head, with a thick mane like a lion’s, emerged from the ditch.

It was soaking wet, its fur clinging to its flesh.

Though it was quite terrifying, Mia could still tell it was a feline.

The strange cat looked around, seemingly puzzled by the light inside the building.

However, it did not discover the people hiding in the other room.

Even a beast’s sense of smell was difficult to use in such an environment.

Flies buzzed about, interfering with its hearing.

The creature leapt up lightly, its massive feline body fully revealing itself to their eyes.

Standing inside the warehouse, the white strange cat suddenly shook itself dry and then walked toward the mountain-like piles of fish.

“That’s… the water ghoul?” Mia questioned as she stared at the thing.

That strange cat.

It gave her a slight sense of familiarity…

She couldn’t remember where she had seen that strange cat, but that kind of thing definitely couldn’t be a water ghoul, right?!

Even if it were a dog, it couldn’t be a water ghoul!

Not everything that comes out of the water is a water ghoul, okay!

“It looks like… a lion?” Artoria whispered.

Kay replied, “Lions don’t come in that color, do they?”

At that moment, the strange cat had already approached the fish pile, picking out food that hadn’t yet rotted.

“Don’t let it get away—” said Bridge, who couldn’t squeeze his way to the front from behind.

“I know, I know…” Mia pushed him back impatiently.

Wait a bit longer.

Wait until it starts feasting—when it’s most relaxed and least vigilant—then strike!