Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 106

Chapter 106

The place the two of them barely managed to reach was a tavern building at the entrance of the market.

It was the same place where, before going to the cedar forest, Nataek had made a drunken fool of himself.

The time he had spent there with Medeus still lingered in the market they had just slipped through.

As those memories replayed in his mind, his mouth grew unintentionally bitter.

Nataek shook his head to throw off the unnecessary thoughts.

“Think you can climb up on your own?”

Medeus was pointing to the alley beside the building.

At the top of the two-story building, two grappling hooks were latched on. Attached ropes hung down to about the height of Nataek’s chest.

“…Yes. Well, I should be able to.”

In Sununki, wall-climbing was a basic move when doing infiltration quests.

Game characters could climb walls freely as if doing parkour, even running across rooftops.

It seemed that had now been patched into something more realistic, with ropes like these put in place.

Nataek rubbed his palms together, and the still-healing wounds on his hands stung sharply at the friction.

Ah, that smarts!

Blowing gently on his palms, Nataek looked up at the roof.

So… they want me to climb up that.

Nataek was generally quick to pick up anything physical.

Pull-ups, running—events done at the training yard—he had always been far above his peers.

But rope-climbing was another story altogether.

It’s been a long time since I’ve done this…

He looked down at his own arms.

Back in modern times, he’d worked out daily, keeping his muscles in prime shape.

But after entering this ancient civilization and being worn down by survival, he hadn’t been able to keep that up.

Medeus quickly noticed the trace of worry in Nataek’s eyes.

“I’ll go up first and pull you, so wait here.”

Medeus grabbed one of the ropes and set his foot to the wall.

“No. I’m fine.”

It might be a little hard, but not enough to stop him.

Nataek grabbed the rope after Medeus and, before Medeus could try to dissuade him, started moving his body.

Thanks to stepping on the wall as he went, it wasn’t as hard as he had thought.

Medeus climbed at a pace matching Nataek’s.

When they were almost at their destination—

Ow! That stings…

The barely-healed skin had scraped against the rope, peeling away.

Already on the roof, Medeus saw Nataek’s expression and reached out both arms.

“Teresi, come here.”

He grabbed Nataek’s arm and gave a strong pull.

Neither of them could stand up for fear of alerting the guards.

As Medeus lay holding Nataek in his arms, Nataek’s cheek pressed against Medeus’s stomach.

Putting his knee down to push himself away, his knee ended up between Medeus’s spread legs.

Since they couldn’t rise, the contact area inevitably grew.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

“Let me see your hand.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Medeus caught Nataek’s lower arm as he tried to pull away.

Nataek hunched his shoulders, trying to free it, but Medeus pulled first.

“I said, let me see it.”

Medeus glared fiercely at the round patch of peeled skin, then motioned with his eyes to the bow strapped on Nataek’s back.

“Try not to use it if you can.”

…That’s not really up to me.

But there was no need to reply dutifully to something like that.

Nataek simply agreed and followed Medeus, moving low to the ground.

Uruk’s buildings were all squarely built.

The roofs, too, were flat mudbrick, making it easy to advance.

Medeus moved the rope to the opposite side and went down first, Nataek following after.

They advanced, hiding their bodies against date palm trunks.

After some time, the sound of kunga² snorting reached them.

Medeus signaled with his hand in one direction.

Their destination: the stables.

The large stable between the mansion and the temple was where only the warhorses were kept.

Before heading to the temple, a sort of “sub-quest” assigned to them was to release all the kungas.

You take the left, I’ll take the right. Okay.

Receiving Medeus’s signal, Nataek lowered his body and ran to the right.

The sudden presence startled the kungas, and one of them began stamping its hooves in agitation.

By the look of its face in the moonlight, it had a temper — and it was huge.

If the others joined in, it was only a matter of time before someone noticed.

Nataek quickly approached it.

“I’m not a bad guy, okay? Calm down, calm down.”

He held out his palm as he spoke, but the kunga shook its head vigorously.

Clearly, it was stubborn.

Damn it… I’ve never handled a kunga before.

At this rate, even if he opened the gate for it, it wouldn’t calm down.

It might tear the place apart and wake everyone.

Nataek reached out toward it in a pleading tone.

“Hey, just cut me some slack once, will you? I don’t have time to be doing this with you right now.”

Patting and stroking the kunga’s neck, he coaxed it for a while.

Then the animal rested its face over the stall door and pushed its nose toward Nataek.

The breath it blew out with a snort shook the black wisps of hair at its muzzle.

Did it work? Did it calm down?

Watching its reaction, Nataek quietly slid the latch open.

He opened the other latches in succession, then threw the stable doors wide.

Just as Nataek was about to leave, having completed the mission, something cold touched his shoulder.

“Don’t move.”

A rough voice threatened him from behind.

Nataek knew that voice.

“So that’s why there wasn’t a single peasant from the East in sight — you were up to this.”

He slowly raised both hands.

What’s he doing here?

According to the diviner’s information, Agadis³ was supposed to be in Delam today for a trade agreement.

The biggest variable both Medeus and Nataek worried about was Agadis,

because he was the only man who thought and read the flow almost exactly like Medeus.

The fact that he’d be absent from Uruk right at the time Nataek had planned — they’d thought there was no greater stroke of luck, and so they’d added the stable to their plan.

Who would have guessed they’d run into him here of all places?

“Fortunate I returned sooner than expected from the agreement.”

So his appearance here was another result of a difficulty spike?

“My returning to Uruk a day early was heaven’s blessing.”

So after all the trouble in Delam, Ariana cho⁴ had been secured…

And now even the conquest of Uruk was being affected by Delam — it had to be difficulty adjustment at work.

No wonder things had been going almost too smoothly.

“…It’s been a while,” Nataek said, pretending at composure.

“You wouldn’t have come alone. Medeus must be here too. In that case, you’re bait—”

But Agadis cut himself off mid-sentence.

Nataek, who had no idea why, stood frozen with his hands still raised, a cold sweat trickling from his temple.

“Agadis. Put the sword down.”

From behind came Medeus’s voice.

“…Lord Medeus.”

“Don’t make me say it twice. Get your filthy blade down — now.”

It was Medeus’s voice, yet not the voice Nataek knew.

Gone was the low, gentle tone he heard every day — this was laced with a lethal edge, like he might strike any moment.

That killing intent was so strong, Nataek felt it himself.

The sword slowly left Nataek’s shoulder.

Once the threat was gone, he immediately turned around.

The eyes that usually held a mild downward gaze were now sharp as frost, like a wolf baring its fangs.

“Teresi, over here.”

Nataek backed toward Medeus, keeping his front to Agadis.

Once close enough, Medeus yanked him behind his own back, his blade pressing into Agadis’s.

“That day… I didn’t let you go because I wanted to cross swords with you later,” Agadis said calmly.

Medeus’s sword bit deeper, blood running down Agadis’s neck.

“If you let me live, you must have known a day like this would come.”

“Have you come to take revenge on Uruk?”

“No.”

Medeus jerked his chin toward the corner of the stable for Nataek.

Stay back there.

As Nataek stepped back, he saw Agadis slowly shift his grip on the sword.

“Have you come to avenge yourself on the Urukians who betrayed and drove you out?”

The moment Nataek’s back touched the wall, the sound of metal scraping filled the air.

100 of Medeus’s luck points are consumed. (Remaining: 89,900)

With a loose grip, Medeus deflected Agadis’s blade and answered:

“No. The opposite.”

The clash of metal rang again and again in a fierce exchange.

200 of Medeus’s luck points are consumed. (Remaining: 89,700)

The sharp sound made the kungas begin stamping in agitation one by one.

Nataek gripped his bow.

A small circle appeared in his vision, and the target formed faintly over Agadis’s arm.

300 of Medeus’s luck points are consumed. (Remaining: 89,400)

Just as Nataek was about to loose his arrow, Medeus’s back pushed Agadis away and moved into the line of fire.

Gah!

Startled, Nataek quickly lowered his bow.

Damn… I almost shot Medeus!

The potion was showing its worth, but Medeus and Agadis’s movements were just as dazzling — he couldn’t shoot recklessly.

As Nataek steadied his breath and aimed carefully again—

“Neighhh!”

The especially stubborn kunga from earlier raised its forelegs and cried out.

The open stall door slammed against Agadis as the animal pushed it.

The kunga bolted from the stable, and the others, riled up by the sudden movement, stamped and neighed loudly.

Ah, damn. This is bad! They’re going to wake everybody!

notes:

1. Kunga — A type of ancient hybrid equid, historically bred in Mesopotamia, used for war chariots and elite transport.

2. Agadis — A key character, presented as a rival-like tactician equal to Medeus.

3. Ariana cho — Context-specific term, likely an in-universe object or reward gained after hardships in Delam (not a standard Korean phrase).