Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Arrival of the Shadow Duke
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Crack!
The neck of a demonic beast snapped.
The wolf-shaped demonic beast breathed its last, its tongue lolling out long.
Seo Woojin tossed aside the three-meter demonic beast gripped in his hand.
Thud!
It was quite heavy, kicking up sand and producing a heavy thud.
“Already over a hundred.”
It had been nearly two days since the Night Dragon appeared.
As expected, the demonic beasts had begun swarming.
Fortunately, they were still just miscellaneous rabble.
The kind he could smash barehanded without drawing ‘Rune Dea’ or using any skills.
Of course, the old Seo Woojin couldn’t have done it.
He probably would have struggled quite a bit.
But not now.
Even a Burtel-grade demonic beast wouldn’t take long, so these lesser ones were just post-dinner exercise.
“Hmm…”
Seo Woojin scanned the surroundings with ‘God Dragon Eye’.
Just in case.
“None around.”
Fortunately, there wasn’t a single demonic beast or even a monster shadow nearby.
He’d slain so many that it seemed their numbers had dried up.
“It’s good, but…”
He couldn’t let his guard down yet.
Another Night Dragon was unlikely, but who knew what other demonic beast or familiar might show up.
At the very least, he couldn’t relax until the Sword Duke and Shadow Duke arrived.
“I wonder if Rinar’s doing okay.”
It was about time they reached the vicinity of Rimartan.
He figured veterans like Mogadam and Bashir would handle it well, but he was still worried.
His biggest concern was whether they’d run into demonic beasts.
A considerable number had been drawn to the ‘decoy’ heading for the city.
He couldn’t guarantee they’d avoid them.
“Well, that kid could slip away from most situations.”
A guy who could fool even Seo Woojin’s senses.
As long as it wasn’t real monsters, escaping alone wouldn’t be hard.
He hoped they’d reach Rimartan safely.
For the people of the city, at least.
“Hm?”
Demonic energy wafted from far off.
“This one’s stronger…”
Far stronger than the one whose neck he’d just snapped.
Among those excluding the Night Dragon, it seemed the strongest.
With so many swarming, stronger ones were mixed in here and there.
‘Guess I’ll have to draw ‘Rune Dea’ this time.’
Bare hands might not cut it.
He heightened his tension slightly and started walking.
Toward the source of the demonic energy.
* * *
“Run!”
Mogadam drew his sword and shouted.
“Rinar! Over here!”
Amir galloped off on horseback with her young brother.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Bashir, already locked in combat, barely blocked the monster’s attack and groaned.
“Damn it, running into a Mogash here of all places!”
A monster called the desert hunter.
It took the form of a scorpion, but two meters in size.
Normally it hid in the sand, ambushing and devouring prey that passed by.
This time, they’d met it right in the middle of the highway.
‘Because of that magic?’
He didn’t know exactly what spell it was, but it was big enough to force the whole city to evacuate.
It was natural for the balanced local ecosystem to fall into chaos.
This Mogash must have been swept up in that chaos and come out here.
‘Rimartan’s right around the corner!’
Mogadam swung his sword to block its tail, frowning.
The force transmitted through his hand was overwhelming.
‘We can’t win this.’
Mogadam was skilled enough to rank at the top of the guard.
Bashir was no different.
But just the two of them couldn’t hunt this infamous monster.
One more person, and they might have managed.
With that thought, he shouted back.
“Go on ahead! We’ll hold it off!”
Danger was danger, but the top priority was Mohiaddin’s order.
Head to Rimartan and deliver word to the city.
Even if they died, at least one had to reach it and carry out the command.
With Bashir, they could buy a little time, enough for Rinar and Amir to escape…
“Rinar!”
That was when it happened.
Amir’s scream-like cry rang out.
Whoosh!
He whipped his head around to look back without thinking.
“You damned…”
There wasn’t just one Mogash.
Three more had appeared before Rinar and Amir.
No idea where they’d been hiding, but the two were instantly surrounded.
“Bashir! Hold here!”
No choice.
He couldn’t let Rinar die here.
“Leave this to me.”
Bashir’s resolute voice came.
A faint smile crossed the face of the man who’d been silent the whole journey.
He seemed prepared to die.
“Damn it, just hold on a bit! I’ll finish quick and be back!”
Both the one who spoke, Mogadam, and the one left behind, Bashir.
They knew it was impossible.
Their job was to create an opening for Rinar and Amir to escape.
And the price would likely be their lives.
Mogadam dashed toward Rinar.
“Get out of the way!”
He yelled at the kid swinging a small sword to protect his sister, then thrust.
Clang!
The Mogash’s shell was hard.
Even with his full power, the thrust didn’t penetrate an inch.
But he’d drawn their attention.
The Mogash’s eyes turned to Mogadam.
“Now!”
Before he could say to flee, Rinar pulled Amir and broke through the encirclement.
Their horse was already torn to shreds by the pincers.
“Go to Rimartan. Bashir and I will hold…”
Mogadam’s words trailed off mid-sentence.
He saw sand kicking up not far away.
“That’s…”
Despair filled his eyes.
The four Mogash here weren’t all.
A group of at least ten was rapidly approaching.
‘We’re done.’
If even one horse had survived, there might have been a slim chance to flee.
But all the horses were dead.
Running on foot couldn’t outpace them.
Even if he and Bashir held them off, maybe five at most.
And not for long.
Against over ten…
They couldn’t buy even a moment.
No, escaping the area was impossible from the start.
Rinar and Amir realized it too.
Their pale faces proved it.
“Rinar.”
Then, Amir bit her lip and called her brother.
She stroked his head and said,
“Run. You can do it, right?”
It wasn’t baseless faith.
Amir knew Rinar had some inexplicable ability.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t always get out unscathed.
She didn’t know exactly what it was, but it would surely help now.
‘The Hero chose Rinar for a reason.’
A being incomparable to her had trusted Rinar with the mission.
So he could do it.
Amir believed that.
But Rinar shook his head.
He’d never considered fleeing alone.
“No! Together!”
“Quiet! I’ll follow soon, so go first!”
Tears welled up.
How could he be so immature?
“If you don’t go now, the city’s people are in danger. You know that, right? That’s why we came all this way.”
The Mogash drew near.
Mogadam was blocking, but he had limits.
Blood already streamed from him as he panted.
No time to delay.
“So you have to go. You’ve got that much sense of responsibility, right? Save the city’s people. Then you can follow the Hero to the capital.”
Amir pleaded desperately.
Please, let Rinar escape.
“I’d like to hear more details on that.”
Flinch!
A chilling voice suddenly from behind.
Goosebumps erupted as they turned.
“W-what?”
He’d thought a person was there.
Since he’d heard the voice.
But no.
“…A shadow?”
Rinar muttered.
The speaker was a human-shaped shadow.
“Better to clear the surroundings first.”
The shadow, Shadow Duke Strein, rippled.
Pfft!
A tiny sound rang out.
And that was it.
The Mogash horde on the verge of shredding Mogadam and Bashir collapsed all at once.
“Hah—hah—!”
Mogadam, gasping for breath, stared in bewilderment at the sudden turn.
“…Dead?”
All he’d managed was a scratch on one shell.
Yet they all lay dead, so of course he was stunned.
Bashir was the same.
He turned to see the one he’d been fighting drop dead.
Then he looked back.
“Gasp!”
His eyes bulged.
As far as he knew, only one person in the empire wandered cloaked in shadow.
“Sh-Shadow Duke, sir!”
Bashir, with no strength left to approach, dropped to one knee right there and shouted.
“…Shadow Duke?”
Only then did Mogadam notice Strein.
“The Shadow Duke? One of the guardians?”
Rinar asked Amir, eyes wide.
“Sh-Shadow Duke, sir!”
Amir, snapping to her senses late, knelt and bowed her head.
Pulling her foolish brother down with one hand.
“That’s enough courtesy.”
Strein’s voice remained chilling.
Even under the blazing desert sun, it raised goosebumps.
“Tell me the details of what you said earlier.”
“It was…”
As Rinar hesitated, Mogadam, who’d approached, spoke quickly.
“By Hero Seo Woojin’s request, we were heading to Rimartan. He said to meet the lord there and relay word of the sword and shadow.”
Sword and shadow.
Strein realized it referred to the Sword Duke and himself.
“What message?”
Strein asked.
Mogadam answered without hesitation.
“Magic has activated, putting the city in danger. He requests immediate support…”
“Things have gone wrong?”
No expression visible, but Mogadam somehow sensed his face twisting.
“I understand. Return now.”
“Thank you!”
Mogadam wasn’t a fool.
Realizing the sword and shadow meant the empire’s two guardians wasn’t hard.
Especially after meeting Strein.
As he rose after bowing, Mogadam made an ‘Ah!’ face and cautiously spoke.
“Um…”
“More to say?”
A cold gaze.
Mogadam swallowed dryly and replied.
“We saw a dragon resembling the Night Dragon near the city.”
Strein’s shadow shook violently.