Chapter 66
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 066
Chapter Title: The Best Path
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Even the most grueling and tedious tasks become routine after repeating them enough times.
"Ambush—!"
The sentries shouted at the top of their lungs. The familiar tolling of bells assaulted their ears. Soldiers sleeping in their tents crawled out, spewing curses.
A night shrouded in deep shadows. Just like always, the hyenas drove a herd of beasts forward.
"Bulls again today."
"Damn it... Guess we got enough sleep."
The soldiers formed tight ranks, chatting idly as they gripped their spear tips, which gleamed coldly in the dark.
Silver arrows were off-limits.
There were still some left, but he had to save them for later. Running out during a clash with a powerful beast would spell disaster.
"Javelins!!"
The knight's command rang out. In response, the soldiers hurled their javelins with all their might.
Thud-thud-thunk—!
Several spearheads embedded into the bull's body. They weren't deeply lodged, but the damage was significant. The bulls' charge noticeably slowed.
The knights then advanced, slashing at the bulls. In the cover of night, blades infused with mana traced brilliant arcs through the air.
It was a perilous yet beautiful display of swordsmanship.
But there was no particular thrill anymore. At some point, this had simply become daily life. Like a farmer harvesting barley stalks during the harvest season.
Thud!
One massive bull collapsed. The knight who felled it let out a faint sigh.
'Maybe I should go hunt another one.'
He brushed past the bull's corpse.
Crunch!
"...Wha-what?"
The knight's body tilted forward. He toppled face-first onto the dirt. In a panic, he looked down at his leg.
His ankle had been torn clean off.
'Why?'
Confusion hit before the pain. The fallen knight flapped his mouth like a fish pulled from water, then shifted his gaze to the bull he'd just killed.
...And their eyes met.
A hyena clung to the bull's underbelly, looking just like a thief hiding under a bed. It stared mockingly as it chewed and swallowed the knight's severed ankle.
The cunning beasts had infiltrated the camp by sticking to the bulls' undersides. The night's thick shadows had delayed the army's detection.
"Gaaahhh!!"
"Aaaack, aaah—!"
Screams erupted from all directions. The hyenas bit through knights' ankles as they passed, then shoved aside the bull carcasses and rose.
About forty hyenas in total. Far fewer than the expeditionary force. But each one rampaged like a general from ancient tales, tearing through opposing soldiers in seconds.
The hyenas burrowed deep into the formation. Their targets were clear.
"Protect the priests!!"
Cornelius shouted urgently. A nearby knight charged at a hyena. His mana-infused blade swung toward the enemy's neck.
Crunch!
The hyena chomped through the oncoming blade. The knight's eyes widened in disbelief.
"This can't be— urk!"
The hyena's claws raked across the knight's body. His armor shredded, and crimson blood sprayed out. The hyena then kicked off the ground with explosive force, twisting mid-air and lashing its tail.
Whoosh-crack!!
Dozens of black spines shot from its tail, sharp as spear tips. Fleeing priests were struck and toppled in heaps.
Just as exceptional humans exist among mankind, so too did among the hyenas. This vanguard leader was a monster no ordinary knight could challenge.
Cornelius drew the sword he'd been saving.
"Boemont. Slaughter those beasts."
The giant knight Boemont stepped forward.
A man over three meters tall with a massive build. Each step he took closed the distance to the enemy dramatically.
The hyena vanguard narrowed its eyes.
A human towering enough to look up at. A worthy foe that stirred its fighting spirit. But dueling such a powerhouse wasn't the vanguard's mission.
Leap!
The hyena vanguard dodged Boemont and slipped away. Its target was the priests. It evaded threats, selectively hunting down the frail humans like a picky eater.
But it couldn't flee forever. Boemont and the high knights were already closing in.
Vwoom—!
A ferocious wind howled. Boemont swung his two-handed hammer. The iron head, as wide as a grown man's torso, targeted the hyena vanguard.
The vanguard hurled itself sideways.
Booom!!
The hammer pulverized the ground amid a deafening blast. As if on signal, the high knights charged their foes. The hyena vanguard and knights tangled in a chaotic melee.
The high knights' skills were exceptional. Their precise swordwork pressed the hyenas. Screams from the hyenas rang out nonstop.
They could subdue them soon.
...But the vanguard had already completed its mission.
Dong! Dong! Doong!
War drums echoed. Followed by someone's agonized wail piercing the ears.
"Rhinos!!"
Seven massive rhino beasts. They charged, trampling everything in sight.
This called for silver arrows and priests' holy spells, but the hyena vanguard had shredded the formation, preventing a timely response.
"Uwaaaah—!"
"Everyone, run!!"
Terror-stricken soldiers scattered like frightened sheep. There was no way to control them. The knights and officers who should issue orders were half out of their minds.
Combat rhinos.
Incredibly, these beasts were domesticated livestock tamed by the hyenas. Hyenas mounted on the rhinos laughed as they hurled bone javelins, picking off fleeing humans one by one.
As the rhinos plowed through, hyena strike teams exploited the breaches. It was like a red-hot knife slicing through butter.
"Counterattack!! Are you just going to stand there?!"
Cornelius bellowed at full volume. But the commander's leadership couldn't salvage this. The expeditionary force's formation had completely collapsed.
"...Damn it all!"
Cornelius belatedly started fleeing. His breath quickly rose to his throat.
Footsteps approached from behind—multiple sets.
"Keeek!"
"Kikikikeek—!"
The hyenas' laughter followed. They pursued the old knight. Desperation mounting, Cornelius yelled at those nearby.
"Block them!! Hurry—!"
Young knights stepped up to shield the aged commander. But the hyenas ignored them, fixated on Cornelius. They seemed to sense he was the highest-ranking figure.
Cornelius gasped for air. His creaking knees. He gritted his teeth and ran, but soon the old knight was captured.
"Commander!"
A young knight screamed. He raised his crossbow. The hyena grinned, shoving Cornelius forward as a shield.
The supreme commander was taken hostage. No one dared shoot. As the young knight hesitated, Cornelius barked at him.
"What are you waiting for?!"
"H-how do we..."
"Do your duty! Now!!"
Cornelius roared. His bloodshot eyes bored into his subordinate. The young knight snapped to attention.
Back during the first ambush...
Soldiers had been taken hostage by monkey beasts, and the young knight had frozen the army in panic. What to do in such cases?
Cornelius had taught him the answer himself.
'...No negotiations with hostages.'
Once captured by beasts, it was as good as death. Better to end it quickly and spare them suffering.
Click.
The knight aimed his crossbow without hesitation. Seeing this, Cornelius laughed and shouted.
"That's it! Save me quick— urk!"
The bolt pierced Cornelius's forehead. The old knight slumped, unable to finish his words. The young knight blinked in inner turmoil.
'Was that wrong?'
He'd followed the commander's instructions to the letter, yet the final words nagged at him.
The young knight looked to the hyena as if seeking answers. The hyena met his gaze, baffled by the situation... then bared its fangs.
"Uwaaack!!"
The young knight flung his crossbow to the ground and bolted. As the hyena moved to pursue, a recent memory flashed through its mind.
'I hope we don't treat them too harshly. Most are just ordinary folk dragged into this.'
Words from the man at the gate. Their meaning finally dawned on it.
'...How boring.'
Rogar let the fleeing coward go. It sought a strong opponent worthy of a fight.
The other hyenas scanned for prey too. One sniffed the air. Soon, its nose locked onto nearby humans.
Targets spotted in the distance. A huddled group of terrified humans. As the hyenas charged to hunt them...
"Planning to break the deal?"
Woojin stepped in front of the hyenas and asked. They faltered momentarily, then belatedly noticed the necklaces around the nuns' necks.
Failing to check the deal's mark was a grave error. The hyenas bowed their heads hastily.
"We apologize. A deal is sacred."
"This isn't something I can just overlook."
Woojin jerked his chin, visibly displeased.
"Take me to the Great Warrior. We need to talk about this."
"We can't..."
"Is this just empty words?"
Without his intervention, the choir's lives would have been in jeopardy. The hyenas had effectively violated the deal. They had to take responsibility.
Pressed like this, the dejected hyenas nodded in agreement.
"...We'll guide you to the Great Warrior."
"Good."
The hyenas led the way. Woojin turned and beckoned his group.
"Follow them now."
"What are you planning?"
Rolland asked.
The expeditionary force was utterly shattered. Thousands of soldiers facing meaningless deaths. It was impossible to even gauge how to turn this around.
Woojin answered without much thought.
"We negotiate."
The hyenas had their own on-site commander, commonly called the Great Warrior. They needed to approach him and propose a truce.
"They fell for it, making this easier."
Woojin had asked the nuns to play bait, and the naive hyenas bit without hesitation.
Breaking a deal was taboo.
It wasn't just an individual's mistake—it threatened the tribe's honor. They could leverage this for smoother negotiations.
"If we handle this right, we might save a few more lives from the expeditionary force."
"So that's why you've been avoiding combat all along."
"Yes. Exactly."
Truce negotiations had been the goal from the start, so Woojin had maintained friendly relations with the hyenas.
Had he and Rolland fought alongside the expeditionary force, they might have repelled a few ambushes. But that would only bring larger hyena armies.
Even a master like Woojin had only one body. Escalating tensions meant more casualties.
'This is the best way.'
The path that saved the most people.
The expedition had already failed. A successful truce might at least minimize the losses.