Chapter 82: The Forest Worms' Burrow
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82: The Forest Worms' Burrow
In the past, Murderer Clans entered the forest near Legius, and I naturally hadn't heard the news that the Saint Knights Order's Righteous Knight Jeong Ui-young had briefly left for Legius to capture them. It could be that security was extremely tight, or perhaps the future had changed.
The latter was slightly more probable. Defeating a Murderer Clan is usually a way to promote a clan or guild, so if such an event had occurred in the past, I should certainly have known about it.
The reason for the changed future would also be simple. Since the current Legius was more prosperous than the Legius of the past, it seemed likely that the Murderer Clans had also migrated in search of prey.
Some of the more famous ones I remembered were the Spider Clan. The members of this small clan were all powerhouses, each one an anomaly. Every member was probably on par with Black Spear or even stronger. Almost all of them had been hunted down by the Queen of the North, but this clan definitely persisted until my death.
Then there was the Hunting Dog Clan. These guys were also stronger than typical Murderers. If the Spider Clan members were an elite few, these were a group of competent individuals.
Of course, there would be others I didn't know or whose identities hadn't yet been revealed, but if I assumed Righteous Knight Jeong Ui-young was pursuing one of these two clans, it was more likely to be the Hunting Dog Clan. Their base was in the West, and more importantly, I didn't think the current Righteous Knight Jeong Ui-young could handle the Spider Clan.
If the Saint Knights Order wasn't foolish, they wouldn't send Righteous Knight Jeong Ui-young against the Spider Clan.
He was a powerhouse who would later achieve continent-wide fame as the Sword Saint's right-hand man: Righteous Knight Jeong Ui-young, Knight of Resonant Justice. I held no personal grudge against him, but if I had the chance to eliminate him, I would be very pleased.
I had already dealt with several beginners who could have risen to become powerhouses in the Western cities. Not just me, but Choi Seulgi would have done the same before moving to the North.
I had also completely crushed the Red Cross Clan, which had the potential for growth. If I could capture Righteous Knight Jeong Ui-young during these three years of protection, I could, without exaggeration, cut more than half of the Saint Knights Order's strength as I knew it. Of course, I hadn't failed to consider the possibility of a weakened Saint Knights Order bowing down to the Queen of the North, but...
The Sword Saint I knew, even if she pretended to be good, was never one to bend the knee. More importantly, even if a war didn't break out, I was certain Choi Seulgi would light the fuse. Her objective was the same as mine, after all.
As I was roughly organizing my thoughts, I heard a presence outside. It was probably Mev. I said, “Come in,” and as expected, Mev began to enter the tent.
Her expression was a bit ambiguous. It felt like things hadn't gone smoothly.
“Did you find it?”
“No, I'm not sure if I should say I found it or didn't find it... First, I searched near the spot Hakajin pointed out, and second, I tracked the humans' traces in the city.”
“Mm-hm.”
“Actually, I couldn't find any traces of humans in the city at all... but I did find a place where humans might be hiding, you could say... Of course, I haven't confirmed it precisely, but the possibility is high.”
Mev's inability to find traces of the Saint Knights Order meant that their skill level was high. Although Mev hadn't yet awakened her unique ability, she was clearly very skilled at reading traces. Even before she truly soared, the Saint Knights Order was indeed the Saint Knights Order. I bit my lip, then spoke to Mev.
“Where is the suspected location?”
“The Forest Worms' Burrow, quite far from here.”
“It was underground?”
“That's not certain either. It felt too risky to go deep underground, so I only scouted the surroundings.”
I nodded at Mev's words. It was a much better choice than incurring damage.
“It definitely looked like a Forest Worms' Burrow, but we couldn't find any traces of Forest Worms there... or rather, to be precise, their traces had completely disappeared several months ago. Other locations weren't entirely beyond suspicion, but the probability of them being here is the highest. That's the conclusion we reached.”
Naturally, it was a credible deduction. A very highly probable one, at that. Assuming typical Murderers would settle in monster lairs, dungeons, or even abandoned monster settlements, choosing a monster lair or dungeon was the obvious choice over Hakajin's or Ragia's already known settlements.
Among those, the Forest Worms' Burrow was perfect for them to settle. Forest Worms, as they burrow through the ground, create paths that are not small. These burrows, intertwined like a maze, are excellent for hiding and also quite good for responding when enemies enter.
In other words, it's easy to set traps. It can accommodate a considerable number of people. And it's even very good for erasing traces.
While the poor visibility might be considered a disadvantage, for our monster clan, it was actually a wonderful advantage. Noticing my improving expression, Mev looked at me and smiled brightly. I stroked Mev's head once, then continued speaking.
“Well done. This will be a great help.”
“Mm!”
Mev flapped her wings, clearly pleased. As always, Mev didn't disappoint me. Having such a capable archer in the clan was truly a great blessing. However, her constantly looking up at me with such an expectant expression was a bit burdensome. It pained me a little to betray Mev's expectations, but I had no choice but to speak to her.
“Gather the executives. We need to start a meeting right away.”
“U-understood! Chieftain!”
Given how cautiously the Saint Knights Order was moving, we also had a lot to prepare on our end. It was an awkward situation to ambush the Saint Knights Order from behind, like we did in the dungeon last time. The Saint Knights Order would undoubtedly move only after being perfectly prepared.
In other words, unlike the last time we met them, this wouldn't be a head-on clash, but a proper expedition to subjugate them. The scale of their forces would be large, and there would be many skilled individuals. We had to use everything at our disposal.
Soon, the clan executives Mev had summoned began to appear one after another.
They swiftly placed their hands on their chests and sat in their designated spots. Everyone was waiting for me to speak.
“It's not precise yet, but Mev has brought back information on their location. It's the Forest Worms' Burrow, she says. In my opinion, the possibility of them hiding there is the highest. No, it would be more accurate to say it's almost certain.”
As I explained the various reasons for their likely presence there, Hakajin and Ragia were the first to nod vigorously, and the loyal Five Goblin Siblings, watching their cues, also nodded.
“Indeed, a Forest Worms' Burrow would be a safe place to hide. It's intertwined like a maze, making it an excellent location to evade someone. Although not in the West, I've heard that some flagless Green Skins in other regions also live in burrows abandoned by Forest Worms.”
Following Hakajin, Jung Hayeon cautiously spoke up.
“Is there... no chance of the ground weakening or collapsing? Or perhaps... a possibility of collapsing it ourselves?”
“Due to the special fluid Forest Worms secrete when they move, it wouldn't be easy to collapse, but... it's probably possible. However, it's not a method I'd particularly recommend.”
Hakajin was right. The special fluid Forest Worms secrete when they move hardens the paths they've passed through. It was probably intended for them to reuse paths they'd already created, but I hadn't really looked into monster ecology much, so I didn't know for sure.
If it were truly possible to completely collapse the burrow, I figured the Saint Knights Order would have simply deployed and blasted the ground with magic from the start. If the main force of the Saint Knights Order arrived, they might be able to pour magic over a vast area of the ground, but it was certainly impossible for Righteous Knight Jeong Ui-young's unit as it stood.
If they concentrated their firepower, they could certainly collapse a portion of it.
However, from the Saint Knights Order's perspective, and ours, this wasn't a recommended method. There was a chance the Murderers might escape through other exits. Hakajin seemed to share my thoughts, as he began to roughly explain to everyone why it couldn't be collapsed, and everyone nodded.
I then spoke to them.
“Our opponents are strong. Therefore, this is a battle we can only win with thorough preparation.”
“In that case... how about digging a burrow from another direction to enter?”
It was Ragia who spoke.
“They are only preparing for a fight against humans. They won't even consider that we might enter. We'll need to devise a more detailed plan, but digging a new burrow from an entirely different direction and entering beforehand could be one method.”
“That was a method I was also considering. Ragia's words certainly make sense. We need to prepare to receive them. It would be right to reduce their strength as much as possible before the battle begins, then enter. The problem is our waiting point. The distance between our settlement and that location is further than expected. First, we need to secure a place where we can safely hide. It certainly doesn't sound bad.”
In other words, it meant we would also wait underground. To create a new burrow that could connect to the Forest Worms' existing burrow and wait there.
“It's a good idea. The problem is time.”
Since the exact expedition date hasn't been set, they could depart as early as tomorrow. Baek Ahyeon in the city might be able to delay the expedition a little, but if we can't meet the deadline, the act of digging the burrow itself could become meaningless.
Either way, waiting was the same.
Since Hakajin, Ragia, and even Jung Hayeon and Mev seemed to think it was a good method, I slowly looked around the assembled group and spoke.
“We depart now.”
With no time to spare, once a decision was made, we had to move immediately.
“We obey your command.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
“Let's go! Kkirik! We'll make a new hiding place!”
“Begin preparations for departure immediately, and we leave as soon as you're ready. Gark and Hark, gather the equipment. Hakajin and the Goblin Three Sisters, prepare food supplies for the time it takes to connect to their burrow. Mev and Ragia, find the archers at once, then locate a suitable vantage point and wait there.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
“Everyone will move to that location, except for the pregnant women. You've all worked hard enduring until now. The battle we've been waiting for begins.”