The Promise
The axe grazed Horve's shoulder and embedded itself in the ground. It was fortunate that it hadn't hit the head, but the intense pain in his shoulder was unbearable.
While Horve staggered, Auk, who had chased the light and come running, leaped and kicked him in the back with his foot.
“Gek!”
The impact sent Horve rolling across the ground.
Auk leaped over the fallen Horve.
“You bastard!”
As Horve fell, his light extinguished, and the cave instantly plunged into darkness.
In the pitch-black cave, the two men tangled together.
Horve desperately swung his arms.
But with his thin, emaciated arms, it was nearly impossible to push away a trained soldier.
“Thud!”
Instead, Auk's fist struck Horve's face.
Since he was already being held, Horve had no choice but to be beaten.
“Kyaaak!”
He screamed and struggled desperately.
“Stop it already!”
Auk gritted his teeth and swung his fists.
He was filled with self-loathing and rage.
The anger at seeing the villagers he had been close to die right in front of him.
The self-loathing for not being able to do anything.
These two emotions swallowed the fear he had towards the mysterious shaman.
“Thud!”
“Thud!”
“Thud!”
After being struck several times, Horve grabbed Auk's arm and bit it.
Then he bit the pinky finger.
“Grit!”
Thanks to his desperate survival instinct, even though he was exhausted to the limit, he could still grab and bite.
The flesh of Auk's pinky finger was torn and crushed, spurting blood.
“Uwaaaak!!”
Auk's scream echoed in the cave.
“Back, back off!”
When Auk pulled back, Horve desperately struggled and pushed him away.
Horve crawled on the ground again.
“Ah, it's not over yet... It's not over yet.”
Muttering desperately with a smashed face.
Tears streamed down his eyes filled with pain and injustice.
He groped the ground for artifacts.
“Uuuuh... You bastard!”
Auk cursed and waved his arms wildly.
But due to the darkness, he couldn't reach Horve.
Soon, Horve found the pile of artifacts.
He groped and found one that was somewhat intact.
Now, if he infused mana into it, he could summon the beast again.
Though control would be impossible as it was a failed product, it was much better than nothing.
A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Then.
“There it is!”
Something flew from the direction of the cave's exit.
A small orb faintly glowing.
His gaze turned to the orb.
And thanks to that, a moment of light shone on Horve's face.
His face half black and melted.
“Fire!”
The voice of the mage who had killed the troll.
Horve reflexively raised his arm forward.
The mage had strong resistance to magic.
Unconsciously recalling and trying to block.
But what flew at him wasn't magic.
“Thud─!”
An axe flying straight in the darkness.
Direct hit to his face.
“...!”
He couldn't even scream.
Horve's face split like firewood, blood and fluids flying, thrown back.
The fallen one flailed his arms in the air, then stopped moving.
“What, what...?”
Auk, groaning in pain, lifted his head.
Above his head, a faint glowing orb floated.
Soon, footsteps were heard, and the small light orb illuminated the surroundings.
It was Jiren, who had disappeared, and Auk, followed by Ogier, and Joseph on Ogier's back.
Joseph, who had processed the troll with Ogier's help, followed the private soldiers.
Then found Jiren who lagged behind and followed to the cave.
Since no mana remained to cast magic, he had to leave it to Jiren.
“Well done...”
Joseph looked at Auk, bleeding from his hand, and said.
Auk smiled at the words, then lost consciousness and collapsed with a thud.
“First, we should check the shaman.”
At Ogier's words, Joseph came down from his back.
He moved the small mana orb to check the fallen shaman.
The one with the axe stuck in his face was dead.
A futile end for a monster like the troll.
“This guy...”
Joseph's eyes widened as he examined the face.
Upon closer look, more than half of the guy's face and body was pitch black as if burned by fire.
Moreover, the skin was melted in places and flowing, not normal.
“What kind of thing...”
Joseph shook his head at Ogier's words from behind.
This was the first time he had seen such a person.
'Is it related to demonic beasts?'
Joseph thought and brought the mana orb to the guy's face.
“!!”
Siiiiik-
Then white smoke rose from the guy's face.
'It's magi...'
Magi was flowing from the shaman's body.
Like a dead monster.
“...This is a human, but it's magi? Unsettling.”
Ogier frowned and muttered.
Joseph's gaze went to the pendant on the ground.
Similar to the artifacts Ogier had picked up earlier.
'To control the beast with that pendant, do I need magi?'
He couldn't know.
What was certain now was that no matter what the shaman's purpose was, it was meaningless now.
Joseph and Ogier returned to the hill first.
Because they had found the shaman's hiding place after killing him, but there were still problems.
“More damage than I thought.”
Ogier looked around with a bitter face.
The hill was a mess beyond imagination.
Dead monsters and soldiers' corpses mixed everywhere, and surviving ones groaned in pain.
Half the carriage was destroyed, and the horses couldn't be seen fleeing anywhere.
Only six conscript soldiers remained alive.
Moreover, five of Ogier's private soldiers died, and two of the castle soldiers died.
The repeated training so far was meaningless in front of overwhelming monsters.
And that fact affected the remaining soldiers too.
The conscript soldiers were particularly in bad mood.
The monsters and troll they imagined and faced here were too different.
The promise of silver as compensation meant nothing if the monster's fangs tore at the neck.
“How is it?”
At that time, Refn, who had luckily not collided with the troll in the chaotic situation, approached.
No noticeable wounds.
“The shaman is dead. We should burn the body later.”
“That’s good. It was almost over.”
Refn sighed and looked to one side.
There, the castle soldiers except him lay in a row.
One of them had his arm torn off, and didn't look like it would last long.
“...Now we need to handle the aftermath.”
Ogier stared silently for a moment then spoke.
The troll and shaman were dead, all exhausted, but it wasn't over.
As the leader and noble, Ogier had to carry the total, lead the exhausted ones, and handle the cleanup.
“Can you move?!”
He instructed the surviving soldiers to move the patients.
The heavily fatigued conscript soldiers showed reluctance but eventually moved.
Ogier decided to pile the patients into empty houses.
Malešov was literally an empty village.
Since the owners were gone, use it.
Of course, since no one could be treated specifically, this was all he could do.
After emergency treatment, the rest had to rely on their own recovery.
Bodies were to be gathered and burned together.
Regardless of human or monster, gathered in one place.
Some showed bitter expressions at mixing human and monster corpses, but due to fatigue, it was quickly handled.
Only one soldier who was a friend to the deceased shed a few tears.
However, the shaman's body was to be burned separately.
Because of the magi filled in his body from whatever he did.
It was said that magi would scatter from dead monster corpses, but it wasn't reassuring to leave it with human corpses.
“...How are you?”
While gathering bodies, asked Jiren who was checking Derek.
Auk had regained consciousness, bandaging his hand and sitting in the corner.
“Derek is still alive.”
Jiren answered with somewhat uncertain voice.
He wasn't a doctor, and didn't know when they would recover.
“As long as they're alive, it's fine.”
Joseph let out a small sigh.
If only the life was preserved, he thought to seek help from priests later.
He was a private soldier recruited to be a meat shield instead of himself, but now that he was injured protecting him, it was uneasy.
'One day I have to learn healing magic.'
Joseph thought looking at the fallen two soldiers.
Of course, just like magic requires feeling mana to cast, perhaps divine magic requires feeling divinity.
But Joseph was an unusual mage with divinity seeping into magic, so it was worth trying.
“Lord Joseph...”
At that time, Arke approached and spoke.
He was wrapped in cloth all over his body like a mummy.
“No, heavens. Are you okay?”
“Yes... It's not a big wound.”
He was the strongest among Ogier's private soldiers.
He fought at the front against monsters and got wounds everywhere, but no fatal ones.
“Rather, there...”
Arke pointed behind.
There stood Manir, wrapped in cloth all over like Arke.
He was breathing roughly, perhaps because several bones were broken.
It was amazing he was standing.
When Joseph approached, he glanced at Joseph.
“...The shaman?”
“I killed him thanks to you.”
“I see.”
He nodded plainly.
Joseph stared at him for a moment and asked.
“Do you think this matter has nothing to do with Count Poner?”
“...Yes.”
He seemed to think the shaman was sent by his vassal without permission from Count Poner.
“Rather, if the Count knew, he would definitely punish him.”
Even in war, controlling monsters was a big violation of humanity.
He was confident that Count Poner wouldn't let it slide easily.
“The problem is that Count Valois also knows.”
“...”
Manir closed his mouth at those words.
He understood what Joseph's words meant.
Even if it was the vassal's arbitrary act, once Count Valois knew, he wouldn't just let it go.
Justification was important in war.
Especially for those like Valois and Poner who had been at war for a long time.
Whatever the result, it wouldn't be good for Poner.
“That is not a problem for me to judge.”
He said that and shook his head.
His duty was only to retrieve the artifact Joseph brought and deliver it to Count Poner.
Other political issues, he couldn't do anything about.
No matter how much he had sworn with Count Poner, that was all he could do.
“So... Now hand over the promised artifact.”
Joseph stared at the hand he extended and spoke.
“Fine, I'll hand it over.”