Chapter 185
Chapter: 185
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 185
>Chapter Title: Penance Tree (2)
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>The campsite, just on the verge of drifting into sleep, was suddenly lit up bright as day by torches.
Before they knew it, Orden and the Wolf Knights, along with even the bard Lorang, had gathered in a circle around Sungjin's group.
"Have you identified the cause, Sir Ilma?"
"A scout just returned, Young Duke. According to the report, it seems a demon was summoned from the Milo Merchant Company."
"...A demon?"
"Yes. They saw a monster emanating black magic. It looked just like a tree, wriggling and snatching up people and horses indiscriminately. Most of the Milo Merchant Company has already been caught in it."
Orden furrowed his brow.
He had suspected ties to the Dark Church, but summoning a demon out of the blue?
"I don't think it was the Milo Company head's intention."
Sungjin spoke up, guessing what Orden was thinking.
"No matter how I look at it, there's no reason for him to do that. The one who suffers the biggest loss if the caravan fails is the head himself."
"What if he realized we were investigating him? Maybe he tried to eliminate evidence and witnesses all at once..."
What? You thought we've been secretly investigating him this whole time?
And why destroy evidence like this? It's not even certain we won't get dragged in too, so why sacrifice his own company from such an ambiguous position?
Sungjin found it absurd, but unfortunately, there was no time to rebuke him. Someone was staggering toward them from the darkness outside the campsite.
"H-Help...!"
Sungjin recognized the pallid face at once. It was a mercenary from the Milo Company, someone he'd grown familiar with over the past ten days of travel, knowingly or not.
His body was wrapped in thick, branch-like things, from which black magic was ceaselessly leaking.
"Please, save...!"
Before the mercenary could finish, he collapsed at the edge of the campsite. Edith reflexively started toward him, but Sungjin and Sir Valerie grabbed her simultaneously.
Sure enough.
Ssssh.
The wriggling mercenary's body turned pitch black in an instant, then shriveled up tight. It was corrosion by magic.
Sungjin couldn't help recalling the Collins director who had died at the logistics relay station.
'Is that guy a demon contractor too?'
[No, Yi Seongjin. That's just what happens from heavy exposure to magic.]
The Demon King answered.
[Now do you get how dangerous magic is? Ordinary humans without holy power turn into that the moment they touch it.]
No wonder Schmidt had been so shocked seeing Sungjin unscathed after opening the Devil's Ledger, which reeked of potent magic.
'I wonder if Dasha's okay?'
For now, though, what worried him most was Dasha, who had infiltrated the Milo Company.
Of course, being capable, she probably escaped in time.
But with no report from her despite this huge incident, it seemed the event had happened completely without warning.
"Young Duke, what will you do now?"
Sir Ilma asked Orden.
The Wolf Knights were seasoned beast hunters, but not holy knights, so they were naturally vulnerable to magic.
They'd never faced demonkin without battle priests' help, and the few they had were all back in the Sigismund territory.
Orden pondered briefly, but his decision was swift.
"If some evil force ambushed the caravan without warning, we can't just stand by as Delcros subjects, can we?"
Even if it was the Milo Company, suspected of colluding with the Dark Church.
Besides, this was the only route to Sigismund territory. If word spread that the caravan was wiped out by demonkin, the already remote fief might end up completely isolated.
He issued orders promptly.
"We'll split our forces a bit. Leave two knights to guard Your Highness and two to protect the non-combatants. The rest, follow Sir Ilma and me."
At his words, the entire Wolf Knights moved with crisp precision.
But despite their sharp movements, the knights' faces betrayed a heavy tension they couldn't fully hide, facing an unfavorable battle.
As they did, Orden approached Sungjin and bowed his head.
"Your Highness, please allow us to borrow the holy knights from the monster response unit."
He meant to borrow holy knights Sir Valerie and Sir Sharon instead of leaving two of his own.
"Hmm..."
Sungjin pondered.
Just two knights, but adding them to his own retainers meant a non-negligible dispersal of forces.
Above all, Sir Masain—the strongest in their group alongside Captain Ilma—would surely refuse to leave Sungjin's side.
"Why not just go together?"
Huh?
As eyes widened around him, Sungjin continued nonchalantly.
"If something happens to you all, I can't guarantee my own safety either, right? Better not to split our forces needlessly from the start."
"But Your Highness..."
"And I'm not sure if you know, but Sir Masain and I have holy relics. With priests and holy knights in short supply, we're fairly important forces right now."
It was a relatively recent discovery, but items long carried by saints gained the status of holy relics.
Not that they boosted physical power tremendously or suddenly emitted holy power.
Just that high-rank weapons could sometimes cut what ordinary ones couldn't.
Sir Masain's sword, Misra, was a prime example.
Wielded by the seventh Holy Emperor, a martial prodigy, it had been bestowed twice to holy knight captains and later officially recognized as a holy relic.
Legend said it was one of the weapons forged by melting the god's spear that sealed the primordial demon dragon.
And the Nutcracker. This sword was undeniably the ultimate holy relic.
Sure, it looked plain, but it had been carried half a lifetime by a living proxy of the god.
Above all, Sungjin had a crucial reason he couldn't voice for joining them.
'If that demon keeps spewing magic like that, I might be the only one who can get close.'
Whether because he was already dead or due to his evil spirit nature, Sungjin seemed somewhat immune to magic.
So, leading from the front would minimize unnecessary casualties.
"But above all, Your Highness's safety is paramount."
Orden said this, glancing briefly behind Sungjin.
Oddly, Sir Masain—who'd seemed most likely to object—stood silently gripping Misra behind him.
The one who actually tried to dissuade Sungjin was someone unexpected.
"Your Highness, please wait..."
Sir Sharon spoke to Sungjin with a troubled expression.
"If just for a short while, couldn't you please wait in safety?"
Then she leaned close and whispered softly.
"Th-the Rift seems to have opened in the palace at the worst time. We can't contact him right now, so please, at least hold out until His Majesty returns."
She meant they couldn't summon the Holy Emperor easily like before. His abrupt departure without much word was probably why.
Sungjin sighed.
"Sir Sharon. I appreciate the concern, but we have to handle what's in front of us ourselves. How long do you plan to rely on Father for everything?"
What do you all think he is? Does he have to oversee every little thing?
The Holy Emperor was just a busy human racing against time, not some time-transcending god.
"..."
Sir Sharon closed her mouth, looking stunned at Sungjin's words.
"If it's my safety you're worried about, rest easy. I won't do anything Father would fret over. We just don't have the luxury to split forces. I have no intention of rushing into danger recklessly."
Then Sungjin looked up and addressed the people gathered around him.
"If we can't just leave the demon be, let's face it with the best forces we can muster. If it looks hopeless, we retreat together and call for backup. I won't prioritize my safety alone, nor will I drag you into impossible tasks. We'll just do what we can."
After the mercenary's magic-corroded death, the group's tense faces softened ever so slightly with relief.
The fact they had to face a powerful demonkin hadn't changed, but the prince's words had a reassuring quality.
"Non-combatants stay here. As the Young Duke ordered, find a safe spot with two knights. The rest, come with me to the Milo Company."
Sungjin scanned the listening crowd, then said curtly.
"Alright, let's go."
As Sungjin gripped the Nutcracker and stepped forward, Sir Masain, Captain Bruno, and the others quietly followed.
Unbeknownst to him, the Wolf Knights, led by Orden, naturally fell in behind the prince as well.
"No trace of doubt in his eyes. He raises his sword and leads to the rightful path—who would dare defy?"
Lorang, left at the campsite watching them go, murmured unconsciously as he plucked a string on his lyre with a ting.
* * *
Kiiiiieeeek!
In the center of the caravan's campsite, a massive tree writhed.
At first, it seemed like a winter oak stripped of leaves.
But in the blink of an eye—gasp—the trunk thickened, split branches wriggled like snakes, devouring everything alive around it.
What looked from afar like cracked bark were actually intertwining, twisting tree trunks.
From between those twisting trunks rose ominous black magic, billowing like smoke. Those touched by it withered instantly, now strung like skewered meat along the branches, swaying limply.
'Too late!'
From a distant hill overlooking the demon tree, Giacomo Milo clicked his tongue at the massive tree already filling the campsite and reaching for the sky.
Watching the horses and wagons of the company he'd built over years shatter futilely was excruciating.
'I should have borrowed his power from the start...'
Regret came too late.
Right after the Penance Tree sprouted.
Giacomo alone had barely escaped the rapidly devouring infernal tree by borrowing Salos's power.
And that was all he could do.
[It's too late already, Giacomo.]
Salos lamented in his head.
[If you can't stop it before it sprouts, there's no way. That cursed tree absorbs not just human life, but even demonic magic as sustenance.]
Meaning, while they could fight the demon tree, even Salos couldn't avoid some loss of power.
And he had no loyalty to suffer that for a mere contracted human.
'What about that demon tree, then, Salos?'
If it kept growing unchecked, couldn't one tree swallow the continent?
[It'll stop at a reasonable point. Once it exceeds a certain size, the trunks start absorbing each other more, so it won't spread like at first. It'll grow to about the size of a city, though.]
In other words, total devastation of the area was inevitable.
[Maybe the Holy Emperor shows up before then.]
Either way, it was beyond Giacomo's control.
As he resigned himself, he spotted an armed group approaching with torches. The Wolf Knights and the prince's entourage.
'They're going to fight that monstrosity head-on?'
He knew the Wolf Knights were strong, but against regular armies or beasts in demon realms.
'How can those non-holy knights face a demon tree billowing magic like that?'
Observing them leisurely, Giacomo flinched in shock.
Prince Mores seemed to look straight up toward him for a moment.
'...!'
An illusion?
The prince turned back to the demon tree, so Giacomo tilted his head uncertainly.
[Ho?]
Then Salos spoke up, intrigued.
[Didn't expect this. They might actually have a chance.]
'A chance?'
[They have holy relics!]
At that moment, sensing the life force, the demon tree shot thick branches swiftly toward the prince's group.
And the next instant.
Shiiik!
A faint golden aura rose gracefully from the prince's group.
Kuaang!
It severed the branches entirely, exploding powerfully against the demon tree's trunk.