X
With their bellies full, everyone began to succumb to sleep, one by one. Lexa Morgenstern was the first to fall. Still seated in her chair, her head lolled back, and a guttural snore rumbled from her throat. Adel chuckled mischievously, dipping her finger into the fireplace’s soot and carefully drawing fake eyes onto Lexa’s eyelids. Chen, observing from the side, seemed to enjoy the spectacle the most. With a flick of her wrist, Adel then used magic to gently transfer Lexa onto a sleeping bag spread across the living room floor. Renki was the next to succumb. After diligently helping Mrs. Ethel clear and wash the dishes, he sat down and began to nod off, eventually drifting into a deep sleep. Soon after, Adel found a spot beside Lexa and settled down to rest. Unable to sleep, Chen rummaged through a magic tome he had produced from seemingly nowhere, while Mrs. Ethel quietly sipped her tea. Hay Styles, too, found sleep elusive. Ultimately, he donned his cloak and took up his staff.
“Brother, where are you off to?”
Chen inquired.
“I thought I’d take a short stroll.”
“I’ll come along!”
Chen snapped his magic tome shut with a resounding thud. As he withdrew his hand, the book shimmered with a faint glow before vanishing into thin air.
“You wish to accompany me?”
“Yes, yes! Let’s go.”
Chen beamed, his youthful face alight with a wide smile. Hay nodded in response and set off, leading the way.
“Grandma, we’re heading out!”
“Don’t stay out too late now.”
“You should get some sleep too, Grandma!”
At Chen’s words, Mrs. Ethel chuckled softly.
****
Illuminated by torches and lanterns, the village was surprisingly bright. A few mercenaries, who had set up camp outside rather than staying in the villagers’ homes, were passing drinks back and forth amongst themselves. Occasionally, the pained groans of the injured drifted through the night air. After standing idly for a moment in front of Mrs. Ethel’s house, Hay finally began to move.
“Why are we going there?”
Hay was heading toward the village chief’s residence.
“I have a question for Mr. Ludor.”
*Knock, knock.* Upon hearing the soft rap, the village chief’s wife opened the door.
“How may I help you?”
The village chief’s wife looked haggard, her eyes heavy with exhaustion as if she hadn’t slept in days.
“Is Captain Ludor asleep?”
“He is awake.”
Kisen Ludor’s voice responded.
“Mr. Styles, is something amiss?”
“Have you reported today’s events to the lord?”
“Is that why you’ve come?”
“It simply occurred to me while I was out for a walk.”
Kisen seemed to ponder for a moment, then gently patted the village chief’s wife on the shoulder.
“Madam, please go inside and rest. You look as though you might collapse from exhaustion.”
At Kisen’s urging, the woman pulled her shawl tighter and nodded. Lord Mesht, who was also lodged at the village chief’s house, was conspicuously absent.
“Please wait a moment.”
With that, Kisen closed the door. He emerged moments later, his outer garment donned and his sword belted at his waist. In his hand, he carried a lantern.
“Where is Lord Mesht?”
“He’s asleep in the bedroom.”
‘Not even a true noble, merely a knight of low standing, yet he’s usurped the village chief and his wife’s own bedroom.’
‘In a situation akin to a state of war, the so-called commander has peacefully fallen into a deep slumber.’
Hay scoffed inwardly. Kisen, meanwhile, offered a wry smile as he spoke.
“As it happens, I was just about to patrol the palisade. Let’s go together.”
‘Is this man never tired? He could simply assign this task to those on night watch.’
As Kisen led the way, Chen, who was trailing behind, suddenly sniffed the air.
“What is it?”
Hay asked. Chen tilted his head in confusion.
“Don’t you detect a stench of decay? Could it be coming from the mountain?”
True to Chen’s words, a foul odor did indeed permeate the air. It was too soon for corpses to be decaying, and with no wind blowing, it couldn’t be the stench of monsters.
Sniffing cautiously, they began to walk along the nearest section of the palisade.
“Ah, regarding your earlier inquiry. I have reported today’s events to the lord, but a reply has yet to arrive.”
“So, are we to ascend the mountain again tomorrow?”
Hay questioned, turning to Kisen.
“I’m not entirely certain. We would certainly require reinforcements; a battle like today’s would be impossible with our current numbers. Assuming we proceed with this commission, I’ve already requested additional troops from the lord’s forces and Kranche. Our mercenary company’s vice-captain has also set out, though they bring only fifty men.”
Kisen offered another bitter smile, clearly viewing the current situation with pessimism.
After all, with over a hundred lives lost in a battle that lasted less than an hour, optimism was a luxury they could ill afford.
“Still, we owe our lives to you, Mr. Styles. A nickname has even spread among the mercenaries for you—have you heard it?”
“A nickname?”
“I know it!”
At that moment, Chen clapped his hands, eagerly interjecting.
“Troll Slayer!”
“Pardon?”
Then he burst into peals of laughter.
“Yes, Troll Slayer. Everyone’s calling him that.”
“Brother Styles just did this with his hand, and then ‘Bang!’ I don’t know what it was, but it looked incredibly cool!”
Chen mimicked Hay, forming his hand into the shape of a gun and pretending to fire a blast of water.
Watching Chen’s theatrical display, Hay felt a wave of profound embarrassment wash over him, realizing the absurdity of his own actions.
Kisen, too, couldn’t help but chuckle, clearly finding the whole thing amusing.
“What is that? Stop it.”
Hay recoiled, a look of utter distaste on his face.
“No, why? It was so cool! And Captain Ludor was amazing too. ‘I will take care of the troll.’ ‘No, stay here! I have a plan.’ ‘Understood! Protect the Spirit User!’ *Hmph*, you know what? It felt just like a scene from a Northern hero novel playing out right before my eyes!”
Chen gushed, dramatically acting out both parts of the exchange.
His acting was so remarkably terrible, it was almost painful to witness.
“So, what kind of decision do you anticipate from the lord’s side?”
“It will be one of two: either they send reinforcements, or they order a full retreat.”
With stern expressions, Hay and Kisen ignored Chen’s theatrics and quickened their pace.
“Ah! Why? I’m telling you, it was truly magnificent! It was like witnessing the first battle between Archmage Penelope and Anya, the Winter Blade… Ow!”
Chen, hurrying to catch up, crashed face-first squarely into Kisen’s back.
“Why did you suddenly stop—”
“Shh.”
Hay gestured for silence to Chen, who was still sweeping his shaggy bangs from his eyes.
Chen blinked his wide eyes, his face a picture of bewilderment.
*Thump, thump.*
Something was knocking against the palisade.
No, rather, it was crashing into it.
Kisen’s brow furrowed as he cautiously approached the palisade.
Raising his lantern high, he could discern something shambling past through the narrow gaps in the palisade.
*Thump, thump.* It repeatedly collided with the wooden barrier, moving as if utterly blind.
Kisen’s expression hardened into a grim mask. Hay’s mirrored it precisely.
“We must proceed to the watchtower.”
Kisen whispered, his voice low.
“You wish to see outside? If so, there’s no need to go all the way to the watchtower.”
Chen stated.
As they turned to him, puzzled, Chen snapped both his fingers. He then pressed his wrist against the palisade and rotated his hand in a swift semicircle.
As he curled his fingers inward, a circular portal shimmered into existence, revealing the scene beyond the palisade. It was a spell of scrying.
“Zombies?”
Gazingo through the portal, they now understood precisely the source of the foul stench.
Hay, his face grim, took an involuntary step back. Chen mirrored his reaction.
“What are ‘zombies’?”
Kisen repeated, a note of confusion in his voice.
His hand instinctively went to the hilt of the sword at his waist, poised to draw and strike at any moment.
“My goodness, those are undead!”
Chen’s voice trembled, and he began to pant, clearly in a state of panic.
“If they’re undead then—”
“It’s the work of a black mage! A-a black mage! Oh, heavens! There’s a black mage! A black mage! Wh-what do we do? We don’t even have a priest!”
Overcome with terror, Chen stomped his feet frantically.
Finding his frantic movements irritating, Hay sharply grabbed Chen’s arm.
“Calm down.”
*Thump, thump, thump, thump.*
The number of things colliding with the palisade was rapidly increasing.
Beyond the portal, some of the corpses were missing their heads entirely.
Among them, Hay noticed one bearing a familiar symbol stitched onto its chest.
“The Cambern Mercenary Company?”
Hay’s brow furrowed. Though their faces were severely decayed and difficult to discern, he was certain.
After recalling Han Tae-hyun’s previous life, his memory had become exceptionally sharp, making it impossible for him to mistake that patch.
A memory surfaced from several months ago: the Cambern Mercenary Company and the merchant caravan they were escorting had vanished on their way to Harvenia.
Despite extensive searches, none of the missing had been found, leading everyone to deem it a bizarre occurrence.
He had forgotten about it until now, never expecting to see them in this state.
“Mr. Ludor.”
Kisen turned his head at Hay’s call.
Hay snatched the lantern from Kisen’s hand and, using
*Smash!* The lantern shattered with a loud clang. The spreading kerosene ignited, and flames erupted, illuminating the surroundings.
“Well, I’ll be.”
The sight that unfolded before them was utterly bewildering.
At that very moment, as if on cue, a sound tore through the air.
It was as if the wind spirits were screaming.
Before a startled Hay could react, Kisen leaped forward.
*Clang!* In the nick of time, Kisen struck an arrow away with his sword, then grabbed Hay by the waist, pulling him back inside the palisade.
“Are you alright?”
Hay ran a hand through his disheveled hair and nodded.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“It seems there’s more than just undead outside.”
The enemies were clearly observing them, preventing them from venturing out. Their intentions were obvious.
Hay righted himself and stared at the scrying portal. The flames from the kerosene he had thrown now provided a clearer view of the situation outside.
Kisen’s expression grew grave.
“Chen, go wake everyone. Tell them to arm themselves and gather at the village entrance. Any villagers capable of fighting must take up arms. As for the elderly, women, and children, escort them to the village chief’s house and instruct a few mercenaries to guard it.”
“Huh? Captain, you’re going to fight the undead? Shouldn’t we be fleeing?!”
Chen gasped in horror at Kisen’s words.
*Thud!* One of the undead punched the palisade, causing Chen to shriek and hide behind Hay.
“I doubt we’ll be able to escape in this situation.”
Hay listened to the chirping of the wind spirits.
The village was already surrounded.
“How can we fight the undead without a priest!”
“We can still fight even without a priest. Undead are vulnerable to holy water, so we’ll start by making—”
Hay raised a hand, interrupting Kisen.
“Not holy water. Holy oil.”
“What?”
Kisen’s eyes widened as he turned to Hay.
“We need holy oil. As much as possible.”
“Not holy water?”
Kisen asked again.
“No, holy oil. We absolutely must make holy oil. Leave the holy water to me. Chen, hurry up.”
Chen looked doubtful, unsure of Hay’s intentions. But he soon nodded and bolted, rushing away.
Kisen, his face set, pulled Hay’s arm.
“Mr. Styles, do you have a plan?”
*Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—*
“Yes, I do. They’re certainly gathering in large numbers, aren’t they?”
Hay straightened his posture, glaring at the scrying portal, which, despite Chen’s departure, had not yet vanished.
As if sensing Hay’s gaze, a corpse with its head half-severed, dangling precariously, pressed itself against the palisade and gaped its mouth.
It was a mercenary from the Cambern Mercenary Company, the same one who had told Hay where ‘Angel’ was.
‘Let’s have a drink together before you leave, how about it?’
They never did get to have that drink.
“We need to devise a strategy.”
He would never get to now.
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