Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: How a Shaman Influences a War (3)
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“Hmm...”
The souls were even more out of it than I'd thought.
Among them, the one who seemed the most compos mentis.
Rather than intact condition, it was hard to find one with a steadfast spirit.
“For now, this one seems the best...”
Even in their dazed state, piercing eyes remained.
It was a soul with a wound that looked like it had pierced straight through from the back to the front.
Both hands clutched at the empty air as if grasping something, while it walked forward.
Souls taking such peculiar poses were those who had harbored strong obsessions about it in life.
For this one...
“Even in death, this one's still trying to fight.”
A considerably elderly gentleman.
I carefully approached him and raised my rattle.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I brushed the soul's shoulder with the stick adorned with the rattle.
Its pupils shook, and its head whipped around.
- ......
“Your son?”
The gaze that had been scanning the ramparts halted in front of a young soldier.
Nod.
“A son with a fine soul.”
The elder's head scanned the other souls shuffling along.
“They're all heading somewhere. Do you know where?”
- .....
As if realizing its voice wouldn't reach me, the elder pointed to one spot instead of speaking.
It was the mountain peak where the necromancers were.
“Why are they going there?”
Shake of the head.
“Hmm...”
There were no traces of magic, as expected.
Nor were there any signs of curses.
Soon, the elder moved its mouth as if trying to explain something.
“....Peace?”
Nod.
“Going there brings peace...?”
What could instill such a perception in a soul...
“No way...”
I did know of one thing similar in nature.
Something that wasn't magic but could have a similar effect on souls.
“Shamanism?”
Did shamanism exist in this place too?
Serena and Aluerd were staring at me intently.
They peered curiously at the empty space where my gaze rested, but they wouldn't be able to see it.
“Is there anything that isn't magic but wields similar power? Like making someone fall in love, for example?”
“...No.”
“Elves don't have anything like that either.”
It seemed they were clueless about such powers too.
“This...?”
One being that perfectly fit with shamanism came to mind.
The one I'd been thinking of since earlier.
Gullak, who was said to be a descendant of the orc shaman.
He had definitely mentioned following the soul of a great ancestor.
“What a strange connection.”
I never imagined I'd hear news about him here of all places.
If this phenomenon was truly caused by shamanism, that would be a problem.
“I don't know anything about shamanism, though...?”
Talismans and such could be considered similar to shamanism, but it was a slightly different field from mine.
Witches might actually be closer to this sort of thing.
There were people in other countries who specialized in shamanism, but I'd only seen them a few times.
It was all unfamiliar territory to me.
And the lingering traces felt entirely new, unlike anything I'd seen before.
“This is a problem in its own way. Even if I figure it out, I wouldn't know what to do about it.”
I didn't know how to dispel shamanism, so if this happened again, there'd be nothing I could do.
I could probably force it if I tried, but I couldn't go roaming the entire continent.
Necromancers would pop up everywhere.
At that moment, the elder who had been watching me began gesturing to convey something.
- ....
“...Huh?”
Its finger traced a square shape in the air.
Then it mimed grabbing and turning something over.
“...A book?”
Nod.
Its mouth moved again, trying to communicate something.
“You saw a book? Not directly? It just popped into your head.”
Nod.
Whoosh—
Swoosh—
This time, its hands rippled through the air.
The undulating motion was like...
“...Fire?”
- .....
“Blue fire?”
Nod.
“Blue fire on the mountain peak?”
A blue flame...
It was a phenomenon I'd never heard of.
“Old Man, do you know anything about blue fire?”
“Never heard of it. I'll ask Rosel later.”
“Hmm...”
The Old Man stroked his beard and spoke up.
“Can't you divine the mountain peak with qi?”
“Strangely, no qi comes down from the upper part.”
It had been the same when I'd first gone to the mountain.
That upper section stayed pitch black no matter what I tried, with no qi descending.
One thing was certain: the entire mountain was connected to fire.
Suddenly, the visible mountain peak grew even darker.
“This is driving me nuts. Old Man, looks like something happened up there.”
Just as the Old Man was about to reply...
Aluerd pulled a crystal orb from his bosom.
- Is this Lord Aluerd?
The voice sounded quite urgent.
Naturally, everyone's attention focused on it.
“Yes. What is it?”
- Protocol demands reporting to His Holiness first, but Klein instructed us to contact you here.
“Klein did? Why not contact directly...”
- Lord Klein is currently unconscious after clashing with the necromancers.
Flinch.
My body and everyone else's froze stiff.
Why was the Old Man, who should have arrived safely at the church, collapsed?
The explanation continued from the crystal orb.
- We were attacked while escorting the traitors. Two 7th Circle necromancers and one 6th Circle.
“A necromancer attack?”
Aluerd's face grew utterly rigid.
If necromancers had attacked, the traitors' backers would depend on what came next.
- We only managed to escape with Berte. We interrogated him, but...
“Were they connected to the necromancers?”
- We suspect Berte had some link. However, even he seemed puzzled. He struggled and was dragged off too.
“......”
- Lord Klein succeeded in slaying one 7th Circle necromancer. But while protecting the priests from a pincer attack...
For some reason, I felt apologetic.
He had returned to his proper role, but the result was injury.
I could've sworn he'd been given time to rest.
Parmon, looking worried too, stared intently at the crystal orb.
- This is unusual. We'll contact His Holiness immediately.
“Please do.”
The light from the crystal orb faded, and communications cut off.
Then Aluerd looked at me.
“I believe contacting us here first was to relay to you, Chris.”
“....”
Before the contact, the mountain peak had darkened further.
The two survivors probably joined the peak.
That must've thickened the calamity.
Parmon stepped forward as if he'd guessed as much.
“Seems high-ranking necromancers have joined them. Will it affect the battle?”
“Probably. Tell the soldiers to prepare 5 coppers each.”
“Understood.”
It looked like I'd have to divine them one by one.
It was already on my to-do list, so I'd just hurry it up a bit.
And the thing that had been nagging at me since earlier.
“I need the orcs' whereabouts. Specifically, where the orc named Gullak is.”
I sensed reluctance from the Old Man.
“I'll try, but pinpointing by an orc's name is next to impossible.”
It made sense.
Unlike with humans, they wouldn't have collected orc names.
“That's weird... He wasn't some filthy monster...”
On the contrary, his fate was one of accumulating merit.
It was tremendous qi too, not the sort fated to get tangled in this.
“Might have to go to the mountain...”
But the soldiers' divinations came first.
There'd probably be common threads to infer from.
Not certain, though...
“Have to do divinations amid war.”
“How about checking the mountain? We have enough forces.”
I shook my head.
We had to wait until the elves arrived.
“Let's wait a bit longer before going. For now, I need to weed out the ones who'll die.”
I wondered if even that was possible.
People dying in war was just how it was.
All I could do was try to minimize it.
I subtly gauged the Old Man's reaction.
My words were one thing, but whether he listened was his call.
He might even find my interference in tactics uncomfortable.
Smile—
“If it saves even one more life, I should be the one begging for your help.”
The Old Man left those words as he walked toward the gate.
“When will the elves arrive?”
“Tomorrow, probably.”
“Preparations are mostly done already, so it should be feasible.”
For now, it was time to tackle the toughest task first.
“Gonna blind some eyes again.”
I had to divine the priests first—they'd be the biggest boost to our forces.
Conveniently, they were gathered in one spot, so I could do it quickly.
“Gonna need some help. Hey, Aluerd.”
“Yes?”
“Bring my tightrope.”
“....Tightrope?”
“The holy sword.”