novelraw Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter : 117
In order to find the ruins of the Ancient Empire where the [Cultist] bastards were hiding, we first had to chase the fleeing undead and kobolds.
Especially the kobolds, who still retained some reason; if they were continuously hunted and chased, they would surely flee to the master who gave them orders.
So, we needed to push them back and subjugate them slowly, like herding prey, opening a door for them to escape every once in a while.
“Root out the undead and the wicked monsters! Search the forest thoroughly and do not leave a single one alive.”
I immediately marched the army into the forest. Entering the dark forest was very dangerous, but it was fine.
“Here you go.”
“Come slowly, one by one. If you use this, you can repel wicked mysteries.”
Magician Agpiel and Azuela stepped up to the front entirely.
Magician Agpiel bestowed a powerful mystery of the forest's blessing on everyone participating, and Azuela, having consecrated more holy water, distributed it to the people.
It was at a level where ordinary undead wouldn't dare attack.
And that wasn't all.
“Keep pace with me. I will take the lead, so guard my flanks.”
“Ohhh-!”
“His Excellency is moving out! Everyone dismount and join this glorious battle.”
“The hill of honor and death calls us-! Let us show His Excellency no shame-!”
With me standing at the very front leading the army, morale truly pierced the sky.
Whether elf knights or the Knight Order, it didn't matter. They were the ones who had seen the Death Knight with their own eyes yesterday.
Thanks to that, the advance was unstoppable.
“Krrrk! Krrrk!”
“Kiiieeeek!”
Countless kobolds attacked as we went deeper into the forest, but it was useless.
-Thwack.
-Thud thud.
-Crunch, squelch.
Basically, they were no match for the knights.
But protected by a magician's mystery and with morale at its peak?
What more needs to be said?
It was simply a one-sided slaughter.
We crushed dozens of kobold groups in a short time. For the kobolds quietly resting in the forest, it was truly a tremendous disaster.
Of course, there weren't just kobolds in the forest.
-Grrrr! Bark bark!
-Kihihihahaha! The sweet scent of the living!
-Curse you! I will curse you forever!
As expected of an area under a powerful curse mystery, it was teeming with wild animals turned monsters and undead who had died in the forest.
Wicked existences that would have caused massive damage to an ordinary army.
The problem was that the army I led was not an ordinary army.
“God protects us!”
“Shout the hymn! Praise God.”
There was the Knight Order protecting themselves from wickedness with holy hymns.
“Uh?! The magic the magician gave us is working!”
“Die. You filthy dead. I will gift you eternal rest.”
“Kiiiyoooot. The honorable hill of death beckons. Die! Die. Die-!”
And there were the elf knights, battle machines running wild with excitement thanks to the forest's blessing bestowed by Magician Agpiel.
Normally, one should feel intimidated and run away when seeing undead reeking of death, but the elf knights were burning fiercely, like moths flying into a fire.
Thanks to that.
“Hmm, very smooth.”
“Now, do we just need to slowly chase the fleeing ones?”
“Yes. Let us wait and chase them slowly, Magician Agpiel.”
The plan went very smoothly.
The undead and kobolds infested in the forest effectively began to be annihilated.
* * *
“Kieeeeeek!”
“Kerrrrrrk!”
Overwhelmed by the sheer physical violence, all the kobolds fell into a state of panic.
Well, since everyone who went out was pulverized into lumps of meat, they couldn't possibly be in their right minds.
Even mere insects know the emotion of fear, so kobolds, who possess some reason, couldn't be without it.
“Kekek! Kerrrkek!”
“Kekek. Kikeekekek!”
Thanks to that, the chieftain and shaman leading the kobolds began to bicker. The reason was singular.
Whether to flee to their master or continue to follow the orders their master gave.
The mystery of subordination deeply embedded in their consciousness told them to keep obeying, but their instincts were not listening.
However, this dilemma was resolved very quickly in an instant.
-BOOM!
-Crash rumble crunch!
That terrible sound was heard from afar.
A sound like a giant pounding the earth and a flesh-shaking crushing noise.
Unlike other humans, when the existence making that roar appeared, it was truly hell. A casual swing of a sword sent them flying in droves!
“Kek Kerrrkek! (Monster!)”
“Kekek. Kikeeke! (A devil has appeared)!”
Thanks to that, the kobold chieftain and shaman could decide hastily.
Stop fighting and run.
To their master.
Surely, their great master would stop that devil-like monster.
Thinking so, the kobold chieftain and shaman quickly led the group and ran out.
Unaware that the monster they thought of as a devil was chasing them from behind.
* * *
“These insignificant monsters?!”
“Kekek. Kikeekekek!”
“Kekekek Kerrrkek!”
“Won't you get lost? Go out to the front and stop them right now.”
The magician shouted at the kobold group that suddenly barged in.
There was an important ritual right now, and he was interrupted because of those damn kobolds.
But unlike usual, the kobolds didn't budge, as if they had eaten something wrong.
“Ha, really? What is going on?”
“Step aside. I will check. Let's see here, you little… Keh keh, good.”
Then, an old magician wearing a black robe next to him wielded a wicked mystery and grabbed a kobold's head.
-Kekkekkekekegekrururu!
Then the kobold started foaming at the mouth and convulsing.
The pain seemed considerable. But he wasn't a magician who would care about a struggling kobold. Rather, he giggled as if enjoying it and continued to mash the inside of the kobold's head.
And a moment later.
“Hmm…?”
Having checked everything, the magician frowned.
“It seems a subjugation squad has caught up?”
“A subjugation squad? Did they notice? No. Isn't the Archbishop of Cologne's army still in the northern part of the Empire?”
“Just seems like a passing noble? Oh, looking at the crest, it seems to be the famous Margrave of Bellua.”
At that, the magician across from him flinched in surprise.
“You mean the one who performs miracles?”
“Correct. I saw a flag with his crest in the faint memories of the kobold. Keheheh.”
The miracle worker, the Margrave of Bellua.
A standard-bearer of the Holy See, widely famous recently. He was one of the figures their order considered dangerous.
“But how did he know about this place and come here!”
The magician lamented.
Of all the bad luck, this was the worst. The ritual was about to start, and their god was just about to descend into the body of a great warrior!
Then the old magician in the black robe cackled, seemingly amused instead.
“Isn't it actually a good thing? We can take this opportunity to verify the power of the order's worry.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“What do you mean what? Send a Dullahan to teach him a lesson! Kikikikik.”
“?!”
At the word ‘Dullahan,’ the magician across from him was appalled. Wasn't that the order's secret weapon, made by infusing wicked mystery and sorcery into a knight executed for evil deeds?
To send that evil monster.
“Is-isn't that too excessive?”
“Excessive? Even if he is only half as good as his reputation, the headless one cannot easily predict victory.”
“Then why…?”
“Even if we cannot kill him, if we chase him away, won't it take a long time for him to return?”
“Ohhh! Indeed.”
It made sense in its own way.
Seeing that he brought a lot of people who looked like knights, it wouldn't be easy to kill him.
But if he suffered a severe blow, he wouldn't dare try to come here again. In the meantime, they could just quickly finish the ritual.
Having made his decision, the black-robed magician gestured towards the inside.
-Thud…. Thud…. Thud….
Then, something with a massive build began to approach from the deep darkness of the cave.
An existence wrapped in a dreary and gloomy curse mystery around a giant body.
It was the ‘Dullahan,’ the headless knight.
“Kehehe…. Good! Dullahan! Show your grudge to that dirty dog of the Order!”
Seeing that heavy presence, the black-robed magician shouted happily.
Thinking that this would be enough to shake off the pursuit of that filthy Margrave of Bellua.
“Ohhh! Good. Now I can rest easy!”
And the magician across from him thought the same.
Judging by the intense presence of that undead, a mere human would not dare oppose it easily.
However.
“Cough, c-cough?!”
Not long after sending the ‘Dullahan,’ the black-robed magician suddenly began to vomit blood.
“What is happening!”
“The…. The Dullahan is dead.”
“???”
No, the Dullahan is dead? How do you kill an existence that is already dead? But soon, he had no choice but to understand the black-robed magician's words.
“Magician! The Great Sage of the Forest was next to him.”
“Ah…. If it is that magician, he could certainly lend his power to subjugate the Dullahan.”
“Kuhuhuk…. I need to send a stronger one!”
“A stronger one?”
“Yes! The Cursed Satyr! I must slaughter all these damn bastards.”
Wiping the blood from his mouth, the black-robed magician shouted with eyes full of madness.
At those words, the magician across from him was horrified. Wait, isn't the Satyr the order's ultimate guardian weapon?
“Exposing that could invite persistent pursuit from the Holy See!”
“I know! But if things continue like this, won't they come all the way here anyway?”
“Hmm….”
“And if it is the Satyr, it will kill them all without leaving a single one alive!”
The magician was worried, but the logic was sound, so he swallowed his retort.
Like their order, the Satyr was a forgotten ancient existence.
Its power was so great that according to records, it could fight against an army.
So, surely, if it was the Satyr, it would be able to horribly kill that damn dog of the Order.
Surely-!
Or so they thought….
“Kuweeeeeek! Keheooooook!”
“?!?!”
The black-robed magician vomited blood even more violently than before. The stronger the connected mystery, the stronger the backlash.
Trembling as if he were about to die right then, the black-robed magician shouted.
“Keheuhuk. The, the Satyr is dead…!”
“What does that mean?!”
“Cough. Q-quickly! Inform…. Run….”
But.
-BOOM!
The black-robed magician's words could not continue to the end.
-BOOM!
-Rumble rumble!
The firmly closed entrance of the temple was destroyed.
* * *
“Huff, huff, huff….”
I exhaled roughly.
It was because I had just fought an unbelievable battle.
I thought it was fine until the Dullahan first appeared.
Because I could easily defeat it with my own power.
But that monster that barged in just now.
‘Did they call it a Satyr?’
That was truly incredibly terrible. They said it was a god-like monster briefly worshipped in ancient times and then forgotten, and it really lived up to the name.
Plus, the curse mystery hanging all over it!
-Woooom!
If not for the blessing bestowed by the Goddess of Destiny, which was still swirling fiercely in my body, and Magician Agpiel's magic, I might have died.
“Meeeeeh! My Lord! This guy looks very terrible, mehr!”
The goat beastman Bishop Marco pointed at the Satyr as if disgusted.
That was understandable, as the Satyr was a half-man, half-beast monster. And it was a human in the form of a goat, just like Bishop Marco.
However, the difference was that the lower body was a goat and the upper body was just human.
‘Hmm, indeed, they seem to instinctively feel revulsion for each other.’
Seeing that, I had a needless thought.
At that moment, Magician Agpiel shouted quickly from the side.
“Can you move?”
“Yes, fortunately, I am not seriously injured.”
“Then we must move quickly. I found the thread of mystery connected to the Satyr! We must follow it before it disappears!”