Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Whispering Marsh
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(95) Whispering Marsh
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the world around them filled with gray. The sky was overcast and dreary to boot, so night fell quickly.
Ruby had thought they’d reach their destination by that night, but thanks to Jade’s unintentional dawdling, they ended up camping in the middle of the marshlands.
The area was filled with puddles and bogs that came up to their calves in places, making it humid and chilly even without the drop in temperature as night came on.
Finding a dry spot to build a fire was tough, and with no dry firewood around, even Merald—experienced as he was—took a while to get a proper blaze going.
Lighting a campfire in what was essentially enemy territory was incredibly risky, but Merald prioritized Jade’s health. He even built two of them.
Ruby, though, was worried about the cold damp rising from the soggy ground.
*Wizards’ magic power can depend on their physical condition. Saf might be fine, but if Jade catches a cold, his spells will definitely weaken.*
Ruby recalled a girl who had died after catching a cold, one she couldn’t curse out for it. She couldn’t even remember when it had happened. A few years ago? Centuries?
Countless people in Ruby’s memories had died from colds. Who knew if they’d truly been colds? Poor folks who coughed and died just got labeled with “a cold”—that was it.
Ruby had often wished colds were visible monsters you could fight.
*Should I scrounge up more firewood? Since we’re lighting fires anyway, three would be better than two.*
She considered it, then gave up. If it were possible, Merald would’ve done it already.
Merald stood watch, as always, a short distance from the campfire.
Ruby crouched on a dry branch like an owl, peering in the direction Merald wasn’t watching. If the current fire died out, she planned to chop down one of the rooted trees for fuel.
*It’s still alive, so Merald would object. How should I counter? Agree that lopping off a few branches won’t kill it?*
Saf had dozed off, leaning lightly against a small rock.
Jade tried leaning against a rock like her a few times to sleep but failed and ended up crouching by the fire instead. He pulled out his book of light magic.
He conjured bursts of obliterating light in the names of various demons, turning them on and off repeatedly. After about ten minutes, he thrust his palm vigorously toward the darkness. Light poured forward.
Ruby found his persistent practice amusing and leaped down from the tree, landing right in front of him.
Just then, Jade extended his palm forward, brimming with light magic. The glow poured straight at Ruby.
“Ugh!”
Ruby’s eyes stung, and she turned her head aside.
Jade startled and quickly clenched his fist, snuffing it out.
“Oh, Ruby? You okay?”
“Even without demons, that’d make a great way to startle someone.”
Ruby rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Sorry. Didn’t expect you to come down.”
“If I came down without warning, of course you wouldn’t. No need to apologize. If you’re going to, apologize for not sleeping and pulling this stunt instead. You were just preaching to Merald about conserving your strength.”
Jade scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“I was practicing.”
“Magic doesn’t get stronger or faster just from practice.”
“Then call it experimentation.”
Jade lowered his voice so as not to wake Saf.
“Saf used that light to block Buffalo Lord. I thought it’d be great if I could do the same. Even against Hel dra, if I could’ve thrown that light, we wouldn’t have had to get so close—it could’ve been less dangerous.”
“Isn’t your light different from Saf’s?”
“Like the same metal forged into a spear or shield, it’s the same light, but hers becomes a shield while mine’s a spear. So couldn’t this spear become an arrow?”
“Don’t interpret magic so poetically.”
“Is that bad?”
Jade gave a self-deprecating laugh.
A faint splashing reached Ruby’s ears, like something stepping through water. Not the sound of swamp fish surfacing.
Ruby instinctively glanced toward Merald.
He snatched up his bow in a flash.
*Am I watching that guy for cues, or using his reactions to gauge threats?*
Ruby drew the sword strapped to her back.
Jade’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What’s that sword?”
“Oh, this? Kept it hidden so you wouldn’t freak out.”
Ruby showed him the blade as long as she was tall.
“Hidden? How?”
“It’s Buffalo Lord’s sword.”
Ruby said it casually, but guilt followed.
*Lord, I’ve been rubbing off on Saf. I didn’t even do anything wrong, but I feel like explaining myself!*
Jade asked,
“Buffalo Lord’s sword? Since when have you had that?”
“Since we set out. Hold still. Something’s circling us.”
She’d only stated the facts, but it felt like dodging the question.
Ruby eyed a spot about ten paces away where the bog bubbled.
She’d seen similar spots along the way—no big deal—so she hadn’t paid it much mind while chatting with Jade.
Something burst out from there. Faster than Ruby could swing, Merald loosed an arrow.
It got pinned mid-escape and splashed back into the bog. The thud woke Saf with a start.
Merald issued calm orders.
“Both of you, stay by Ruby.”
Jade beckoned to the bleary-eyed Saf as she rose.
“Saf, over here.”
At that instant, something else leaped from a puddle on the opposite side, aiming for the half-awake Saf.
Merald nocked an arrow that way instantly, but Ruby slashed first. The bisected corpse flew off into the dark.
“There’s a lot of them.”
Merald said as he approached Ruby. He slung his bow over his shoulder and drew a dagger instead.
*Buffalo Lord’s soul is in that sword.*
Ruby’s memory blurred on when Merald had taken it. Had she picked up the sword by Buffalo Lord’s vanished corpse first, or had Jade mentioned the soul fusing into the weapon?
*Does it matter?*
A pale-armed monstrosity leaped from the bog into the firelight.
It stood about chest-high to Ruby, but not because it was hunched—its build was just small.
Similar creatures emerged from bogs all around. One splashed toward them through the water.
“To boldly enter the ruins without permission! Whose leave do you have?”
Ruby asked politely.
“Oh, didn’t realize we needed permission. Whose should we get?”
It bellowed loud enough to ripple the bog.
“This is the Whispering Marsh, designated my domain by the Water Contra himself, ruler of swamp and water! To pass, you need permission from both him and me. Praise him. Sing his glory.”
It burst into song.
“Over great mountains, across vast seas, beyond hell’s gates came Kauking, bearing the will of the gods to this land. Bearing the will of the gods to this land.
Kauking descended, making this demons’ soil; with bodies he gave us, we repay in lifelong pain; for graces bestowed by Kauking, we repay in lifelong death.”
Ruby nodded.
“Better than Rhinod’s singing.”
“Rhinod? Never heard of him.”
“And who might you be, saying that?”
Ruby asked, extending a chain from one arm.
It cleared its throat and replied.
“I am the creator of night’s hours here, master of the dark air. With gills and fins, hands and feet—I possess the strengths of both man and fish…”
Ruby whipped the chain around its neck. It tried to resist but got yanked like a hooked fish.
A shrill scream pierced the dark as a man-sized fish with human-like limbs flew toward her. It clutched a crude spear.
Even dragged forward, it thrust the spear at Ruby’s face. She sidestepped easily and severed its neck with her sword.
Ruby looked down at the twitching halves.
“Hah, you’re hilarious-looking. You yapped so grandly, I expected another Buffalo Lord. Just a fish-head? Should’ve let you finish—might’ve been entertaining.”
The severed fish head glared and shrieked.
“No reason to answer your insolence. Lads, kill these—!”
It stopped mid-sentence without Ruby interrupting and went limp.
“Hm? Dead? Was the neck its weak spot?”
Ruby tilted her head.
“Anyway… hmm. This is weird.”
Despite it dying before giving orders, the surrounding minions charged all at once.
Splashes closed in noisily from all sides as Ruby grew confused.
“Am I replaying a memory right now, or actually fighting?”
“What nonsense? I’ll take this half—you take that.”
Merald directed her like sharing snacks.
“I already feel like this fight’s over. You and I are standing in the middle of the marsh, and the swords we’re holding wiped them all out.”
Ruby spoke of the fight in past tense, though it hadn’t happened yet.
Merald looked baffled.
“Are you sleepy? Drunk? Step back. I’ll handle it alone.”
Merald stabbed the first fish minion with his dagger.
“Told you. We fought together!”
Ruby swung wide, cleaving two at once.
Splashed water doused the fires, plunging the area into darkness.
Ruby’s eyes glowed red.
“I could probably recall how many you killed. But I can’t count them. Because right now, I don’t know how many I’ve killed, so I can’t predict it.”
“Snap out of it, Ruby! Don’t forget we have two people to protect!”
“I know. We’ll be fine. At this point, Saf’s probably about to use her shielding…”
Before Ruby finished, Saf’s voice rang out.
“Priestess, get down. I’m using shielding light.”
Saf pressed Jade down over his back like covering him with her chest.
Jade flattened himself, hands and chest to the cold bog. Saf pinned him with one hand and raised the other. Light exploded from her palm, brighter than the campfires by far.
…light.”
Ruby finished as if she’d known, shrugging.
The other minions looked much the same. What she’d thought were human arms resembled frog feet more closely now; their bulging eyes darted like a lizard’s, unlike fish eyes.
Their spears were just wood tipped with metal scraps—poor weapons. But their strength was immense; slamming one down sent mud and water flying meters. At least as strong as two burly elves.
Ruby dispatched the minions calmly. Saf hadn’t needed to shield after all. None got near the pair.
Instead, Ruby’s kicks sprayed mud and water, drenching Jade and Saf like rain from the sky.
Saf’s light blocked demonic power, not natural elements.
Otherwise, things ended just as Ruby had “remembered.” The survivors fled without closing in.
“No chasing. Too dangerous in the dark.”
Merald yanked a bullfrog-shaped minion off his dagger and tossed it aside. He raised his blade for another strike but paused.
The bullfrog lay dead.
“Hm. Dead.”
Merald said.
“What’s surprising? They can die.”
Ruby pointed to the leader she’d beheaded first.
“This one croaked before ordering its minions, too.”
“Yeah. Happens sometimes. Some die from a head crush after neck slice; some survive body hacks but drop from a tail chop… Guess its head was the weak point. So the frog I just killed—belly?”
Merald nudged the bullfrog with his foot.
Ruby, eyes fixed on the leader’s corpse, said,
“Since the others kept moving after it died, it wasn’t managing the whole area like it claimed. When Goat King or Buffalo Lord died, all their monsters dropped—but not this time.”
“By that logic, this Water Contra it mentioned is probably the real boss of the marsh. Won’t be rid of all Comora till he’s dead.”
Merald gripped his dagger again.
Ruby raised her sword.
“Saf, keep the shielding light up. Half a body might still crawl.”
Saf nodded, maintaining the glow. Inside it, Jade pulled out his light spellbook. His obliteration magic was the surest bet.
The four waited for survivors to regroup or stragglers to attack anew. But the neck-slashed and bisected Comora didn’t regenerate.
Ruby tilted her head, then fished a Comora head from the bog. It reeked enough to numb her nose, but the mouth and bulging eyes stayed still.
She squeezed lightly; it squished like rotten tomato.
“Something’s off. Can’t put my finger on it…”
Merald pointed.
“Look over there.”
In a dark, distant corner of the marsh, barely visible, a fish Comora stirred.
Likely a survivor from the fight.
It struggled to reattach its dagger-severed lower half, but it kept falling off. Exhausted, it slumped motionless.
“What’s going on? Sounds weird, but…”
Merald turned to Ruby, puzzled.
“…didn’t they just die normally?”
Ruby remembered someone who could sort out her thoughts.
“Saf!”
Saf replied from within the light.
“Yeah?”
“It’s over. You can drop it.”
Saf stood, covered in mud. She’d taken the hits meant for Jade.
“You said something back in the Ku Plains, right? You saw threads in demons, and when they snapped, they died.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you see any threads in that fight?”
Merald eyed Ruby curiously, demanding explanation, but she held off sharing unconfirmed info.
Saf answered bluntly.
“My light was too bright; couldn’t see faint glows well.”
“Got it. That’s fine.”
Ruby didn’t blame or snap.
Saf’s job was protecting Jade full-tilt, not spotting Comora weak points. Yelling now might distract her from that.
Saf added,
“But on that last frog Merald killed, I saw a bit.”
“Oh? What?”
Ruby asked.
“It wasn’t a single thread—more a tiny glowing clump wriggling near the neck. When Merald stabbed the belly, black mist flowed up from the body to the neck… and devoured the glow.”
Saf explained calmly, but her trembling hands showed fear or shock.
“Interesting. We killed it without hitting the weak spot.”
Ruby grinned.
Jade clearly didn’t share his amusement.
“What’s fun about this?”
“I’ve got a weapon that can kill demons now.”
Ruby shouldered her sword.
“Not fun for you, huh? No more spells needed.”
Ruby blocked a rising memory of fighting Kauking.
In it, she’d had no sword. But now she did—one that could kill him.
*See? Not prophecy or memory—just fear-spun delusion.*