Chapter 171
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The Traitor’s Truth
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“Form the barricades!”
“Sector 26 has been breached!”
“Hold them back! Retreat to the barricade at Sector 25!”
The city of the dwarves had no walls. There was simply no need for them.
But the dwarves were not optimists. Though they had no walls, they had designed their city to be defensible in the event of an invasion.
The city was divided into sectors, with buildings designed to naturally form barricades when needed.
*Grrrind—*
Mechanical contraptions whirred to life with a deafening roar. Buildings slowly shifted, forming a defensive wall.
—!
Immediately after, dozens of Zikriks slammed their massive bodies against the newly formed barricade.
With a crash, a portion of the wall crumbled, and the dwarves screamed. Envifes swarmed in right after them.
“Dammit!”
“Don’t let them break through!”
A chaotic battlefield. Amidst the pandemonium, the mayor and the council members appeared.
With them were hundreds of warriors who, moments ago, had been ordinary citizens but had now taken up arms.
“Reinforcements are here!”
“Hoorah!”
There is a saying that most dwarves are warriors. The council members were living proof of that adage.
They were old and frail, but their experience had not faded. They expertly knocked down the Envifes trying to scale the barricade.
They hacked at the heads of the Zikriks that broke through the wall, beating them into a bloody pulp.
But the most exceptional of them all was the mayor.
“You think I’ll let our city fall!”
───!
The Turhel, which had been charging in a straight line, destroying everything in its path, came to a halt for the first time.
The mayor’s muscles bulged as if they would burst. A brown aura surged around him.
The startled Turhel poked its head out from its shell, and the mayor’s battle-axe did not miss the opportunity.
The Turhel shrieked under the storm of axe blows.
*Waaaaaah!*
*All hail the mayor!*
As the demonic beast that had shattered their barricade fell, the dwarves roared in triumph. The battle was far from over, but their morale soared.
“It’s even more of a mess in person.”
“Should we join them right away?”
“We have to. But before that…”
The dwarves were by no means an easy foe.
The initial damage from the surprise attack had been severe, but now that the mayor and council members had joined the fray, they would eventually repel the invasion.
“We can’t just leave Adgvife be.”
But if they couldn't capture Adgvife, it would all be for naught. There was no telling when he might target the city again.
“Wooden.”
- Gwing?
I felt like I was relying too much on Wooden, but I didn't care. It would be more foolish not to use what I had created.
“Find Adgvife and the other dwarves among those demonic beasts. This time, you’ll do the opposite. Instead of looking for demonic energy, find the ones without it amidst all the demonic energy.”
- Koong?
*Me alone?*
“Yes, you alone. You can do it, right?”
- Gwing, ging?
“For now, just find them and watch. You and I are connected, so I’ll give you new orders as the situation develops.”
Wooden nodded. Detaching from the necklace, Wooden slipped away from everyone’s sight and disappeared into the battlefield.
He’d played the spy a few times now, so he’d do a fine job without getting caught.
“Well then, let’s go, Sunbaenim. The more we minimize the damage to the city and the more dwarves we save, the more they’ll be in our debt.”
“I’m confident, as long as it’s not a Turhel. Those Entvil things are disgusting, I hate them…”
“They’re Envife, Sunbaenim.”
“They look like giant ants, not beef!”
Pernyan ignored Gismond’s whining and headed toward the battlefield.
“Wait for me! Don’t leave me behind!”
Hyde and Gismond followed after him.
* * *
- Gwing.
Wooden solemnly crept into the ruins.
Lately, he had developed a taste for tailing and spying on others, but this time was different.
The nauseating demonic energy pulsed from all directions.
This place was overflowing with things that should not exist in this world.
As a forest spirit and an inheritor of the World Tree's energy, Wooden found the overwhelming sense of revulsion unbearable.
- Gwing. Koong.
*Demonic beasts. Kill.*
*Demonic energy. Erase.*
He darted between the ruins, staying out of sight. By suppressing his presence as much as possible, even the demonic beasts failed to notice him.
- Gweeeing.
*Found it. The entrance.*
It was at the eastern edge of the city, where the demonic beasts had begun their advance.
- Gweeee?
*What did the shorties call it? Sector 30?*
The wall was completely shattered, and the messy ruins were the only evidence that a city had stood here just moments before.
Wooden squeezed his body into one of the dozens of pits dug by the Zikriks.
There were no signs of life in the area, as all the demonic beasts had moved out.
Wooden dug a little deeper into the earth, covered himself with soil, and began to extend his roots.
- Koongkoong.
*Many life forms. Many demonic beasts.*
He sensed the energies of life forms and demonic beasts in the distance, but they were in the direction of the city, so he ignored them.
His roots gradually crept deeper into the tunnels dug by the Zikriks.
And before long, he found what he was looking for.
- Koong?
*Wow. This way?*
There was no need to search. A single, precarious life form was slowly making its way toward the city.
- Koooo?
*What, how?*
Wooden sent his thoughts to his master.
‘Over thirty went missing, but there’s only one. Approach without being seen for now.’
At the immediate command, he rose from the pile of dirt.
“Huff, huff…!”
The life form he found was indeed the one his master was looking for.
‘Yes, that’s Adgvife. But his condition…’
A dwarf covered in wounds, clutching a massive axe, panting for breath.
Despite being a dwarf, his nearly beardless face was quite striking.
- Gwing.
*Dying. Soon.*
Holes punctured his body, his shoulder was half-dislocated, and he was drenched in his own blood. It was a miracle he had made it this far; he was barely alive.
Wooden thought no one could save him now.
- Gung?
*What do?*
‘Wait a moment.’
Suddenly, his master’s thoughts flooded in.
‘I thought Adgvife was the one behind this, but is there something I don't know?’
‘Or could it be that Adgvife isn't actually a Vile Breed?’
‘If he was cooperating with the Vile Breeds like Adolph, it doesn't explain why they would suddenly attack him.’
‘Something I don’t know…’
- Kking! Kking!
*Stop! It hurts!*
- Gweee!
*Master, you dummy?*
Wooden clutched his head. The incessant flood of thoughts gave him a headache.
‘Ah, sorry.’
His master’s thoughts finally ceased. Wooden shook his head once to clear the lingering pain.
‘For now…’
Just then, he sensed another presence. This one was distinctly different from Adgvife. It was a demonic beast.
“So this is as far as you go, you foolish little dwarf.”
*Thump, thump.* The sound of footsteps echoed.
Its form was humanoid, but its pale skin and billowing demonic energy made it clear that it was no human.
‘A Rank 2 demonic beast, a Nasgrim?’
‘Why is a Nasgrim here? They’re known for being exceptionally intelligent among demonic beasts, often used by demons as middle managers…’
‘Did the Vile Breeds summon it and put it in charge of the demonic beasts? That would make sense. No matter how adept the Vile Breeds are, they couldn't manage demonic beasts better than one of their own.’
‘Or maybe there’s a demon already summoned, like Kimaris…’
- Koong!
*Again!*
‘Ah, sorry. Just watch for now. I’m on my way!’
Wooden ignored his master’s urgent voice and moved closer, staying just out of sight.
“Why did you have to defy the Count? All you had to do was keep bringing him dwarves like before.”
“Did you really think I’d be foolish enough to do that, knowing you were targeting the city?”
“Well, I’d say you were plenty foolish the moment you sacrificed hundreds of your own,” the Nasgrim sneered at Adgvife. Adgvife bit his lip.
“You will become a sacrifice for the summoning of a great demon. Unlike the other dwarves.”
“You will never bring down this city…!”
“You talk big for a half-dead man, hehe.”
The Nasgrim flicked a finger. More than ten Envifes scurried out from the darkness.
“Is your brain as small as your body? If you had just obeyed the Count’s command, you could have lived in the glory of the great ones.”
“Shut your mouth, you piece of trash.”
*Ptui.* Adgvife spat out a mouthful of dark blood.
“I am only ashamed of myself for not preparing more thoroughly, even when I anticipated your vile intentions, and for letting those who trusted and followed me die.”
“Hmph, defiant to the end. The city will fall. Because of you. Because of your arrogance.”
“Keep dreaming. Though this disaster is my fault, you won’t be able to destroy the city with just a few hundred demonic beasts.”
*Of course, the damage will be great. But it won’t fall.*
Adgvife’s breathing grew shallower.
“Well now, are you so sure about that?”
The Nasgrim poked one of Adgvife’s wounds with its finger. Adgvife swallowed a groan.
“The Envifes will collect the corpses of all the dwarves killed in the invasion. And with them, we will summon more demonic beasts.”
And then, they would attack the city with those demonic beasts again. And collect the corpses from that attack.
And repeat the process over and over.
“Are you still so confident the city will remain standing then?”
“…If you do that, you won’t be able to summon the demon.”
“Everything is already ruined. The Count is quite displeased. He’s thinking of simply devouring the entire city and creating an army of demonic beasts instead of a demon.”
At those words, Adgvife’s face turned pale.
“Now that’s a more fitting expression. Well, farewell, you foolish dwarf. To think you didn't even understand what it meant to make a deal with us. Did you really believe you could use us?”
The Nasgrim raised its hand. Its hand transformed into the shape of a giant scythe.
‘No! Wooden! Stall for time, somehow!’
- Koong?
*Time? How?*
Pondering, Wooden kicked a loose stone at his feet.
*Tuk, trrrr.*
The stone rolled with a small clatter.
“…Hm?”
*Krrrr.*
But it was enough to draw the attention of the Nasgrim and the Envifes.
“…Who’s there.”
There was no answer. With no particular presence to be felt, the Nasgrim gestured to the Envifes with its head.
The Envifes slowly approached the spot where Wooden was.
*Kill them?*
*Hide?*
*But master said not to reveal my true form unless absolutely necessary.*
- Koong.
Wooden had no choice but to dig into the ground and hide. The Envifes stepped on the spot where he had just been, but found nothing.
*Kirik?*
“No one there? Strange. Was it the wind?”
The Envifes returned to their original positions. The next moment, Wooden threw another stone.
“…No, there’s something there. Find it!”
The Nasgrim’s eyes widened as it, too, began to approach.
Wooden gulped, though he had no saliva to swallow.
And just then.
*Thump-thump-thump—*
The sound of heavy footsteps approached.
“Swift Sword is!”
A voice now quite familiar to Wooden.
“Explosion!”
A flash of aura.
An Envife’s head flew off. Its headless body collapsed to the ground.
And a moment later.
*Ruuuumble—*
The earth rose, separating the Nasgrim from Adgvife.
“Guard Captain Adgvife.”
*Thump, thump.* A red-eyed nobleman walked out of the darkness.
“There’s a saying in the Fallenberg family. Don’t let someone who owes you money escape, even to the afterlife.”
Where do you think you’re running after betraying your own people?
“The Mayor is eagerly awaiting your return.”
“…That’s terrifying.”
Adgvife managed a bitter smile, his face pale.