Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Give Me My Head
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The fog was thick. Beneath her feet, the dark red earth, soaked in blood, appeared hazily.
The fog that blocked her vision also severed the senses of the knight exhilarated from her first expedition, swallowing her comrades one by one.
When Solla, fighting a monster, realized she was alone, there was no one around her.
Her divine power was depleted from the battle with the monster. All she had left was a bit of food and water, her weapon, armor, and a necklace-shaped holy relic.
The fog that had swallowed her comrades had equally devoured the monsters as well, for nothing appeared after the last one she killed.
A chilling wind brushed past. Yet it did not push away the dense fog.
The young holy knight of that time, Solla, did not despair and resolved to search for her comrades.
Even on barren land, plants grew. Though completely different from the vegetation near the temple where she was raised, she walked on, taking in the surrounding scenery.
One might expect something to change, but the landscape remained the same.
Along the way, she stopped and cut a vine. With the severed vine, she drew a symbol of the Lux God on the ground.
Then she walked again. How much time passed? About ten minutes by her senses. The vine she had marked on the ground appeared again.
Yes. Solla had been circling the same spot over and over. She thought she was walking in a straight line, but it wasn't.
She steeled her mind again and drew a straight line with her sword to advance. Yet the mark appeared once more.
She couldn't understand why she kept returning to the same place despite walking in a perfectly straight line without any curves.
At that moment, a strange sound echoed.
Tadak-tadak!
Something rapidly pounding the ground and moving. Solla hurriedly turned her upper body. Nothing was visible in the direction of the sound.
No, beyond the fog, a black silhouette seemed to flicker. But even that vanished immediately.
Her hand gripping the sword grew slick with sweat from tension.
Tadak-tadak!
The sound, like something nimbly tapping the ground, drew closer toward her.
Solla swallowed. She assumed a stance ready to swing her sword at any moment, staying alert.
Her divine power, recovered slightly while walking, was minimal. Just enough for one sword swing.
The sound didn't approach from the front. It circled around her, coming from all directions.
Crack, tadak-tadak! Crunch, tada-tat!
The eerie noises gradually multiplied. Solla muttered at the shadow she had glimpsed briefly.
“Spider?”
The approaching shadow looked like a spider. Though the size was that of a person, its spider-like form was undeniable.
“A spider monster?”
Crunch-crunch, tadak-tak, crack, tadak-tadak!
-Waaargh row row row ha wal wa rowm
A bizarre sound, unclear if it was a chant, joined in. A grotesque voice mingled with the wind assaulted Solla's ears, disorienting her.
Soon, its form emerged from the fog. It was an inverted human-shaped monster with limbs jointed backward and multiple heads.
Its belly faced the sky, yet its two pairs of limbs supported the body in an unnatural form.
It had no head of its own. Instead, four skulls dangled between its arms and legs.
Solla muttered blankly.
“What is that?”
In response, the monster lunged at Solla.
“Give me my head!”
***
“Give me my head!”
The moment Solla shouted, Michelli tapped Rachel's shoulder from behind. A scream burst involuntarily from Rachel's lips.
Seeing Michelli grinning mischievously, Rachel clutched her chest.
She was startled. She used to think she had a strong heart, but a sudden touch from behind with a loud noise made it race wildly.
“Startled, huh?”
“Totally got you, right?”
“Yeah. I was startled. But aren't you two enjoying this too much? So, was that story real?”
“Yes. It really happened!”
Solla replied in a slightly higher tone.
“So, what was it? A monster?”
“No. It was a revenant. One wandering in search of its own head.”
At Solla's answer, Enoch, stirring the pot, spoke up.
“Was there a black sorcerer nearby? Normal undead usually only have aggression toward the living, without purpose.”
“Even the Captain doesn't know everything! There was no black sorcerer. Though rare, revenants can awaken on their own.”
Thanks to that, Rachel lost her appetite before even eating.
‘Is it because she's a priestess? She went through something like a ghost story and isn't scared at all.’
As Rachel fell silent, Solla hurriedly added.
“You don't need to worry that much! Cases where revenants awaken on their own are rare.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The chances of a revenant rising by itself are so slim. I saw one because I went to monster territory, but normally, you'd never encounter one in a lifetime.”
It was fortunate news amid the story. Rachel nodded and tossed a dry branch into the weakening campfire.
“It feels even chillier after that scary story. I hear horror tales are for summer.”
Solla blinked as if hearing it for the first time.
Unlike Korea, in Cudas, there was no custom of telling scary stories in summer. They were more commonly shared like fairy tales before bed or at night.
“The stew is ready.”
As the group stared blankly, not understanding Rachel's words, Enoch broke the silence by lifting the ladle.
Fassie thrust out his bowl as if waiting. Solla held out hers too, adding.
“Anyway, it's rare for ordinary people to encounter such things. No need to be too scared.”
Rachel thought she hoped that was true as she took the bowl Enoch handed her first.
***
“Why? Why!”
Right now, Rachel was sprinting down the corridor in terror.
She felt gratitude toward her past self who had raised her agility points to 8.
Because behind her, an armor and a statue were chasing her.
“Why the hell is that thing chasing me!”
While fleeing, Rachel briefly recalled how this happened.
***
Rewind eight hours earlier. Rachel, Enoch, and the silver knight members arrived at the Barony of Hanie.
She hadn't expected a baron's welcome. She just hoped for warm bathwater and a proper meal upon reaching the village.
But where the village should have been, there were ashes. The black ruins of the village looked as if no cleanup had been done after the fire.
The group was stunned by the sight of weathered charcoal piles and collapsed stone heaps covered in wind-blown dirt and snow.
“Wasn't the wildfire last year?”
Michelli asked. Rachel wanted to ask the same.
The fire had been last year. Royal records stated the crown prince had visited personally to aid reconstruction.
But what was this scene? It looked as if nothing had been done after everything burned.
Honey cakes weren't the priority now. They needed to figure out what happened.
“Any survivors?”
“None.”
Enoch answered Rachel's question immediately. Not even traces of birds or small mountain beasts. Naturally, no signs of living people.
“To understand the situation, we should check there, right?”
At Rachel's words, the gazes of the group, who had been surveying the village ruins, turned upward.
Above the village site stood a single intact castle. According to the map, that was Hanie Baronet.
Everyone thought if there were survivors, they'd be there.
The winter wind was bitter, and the burned village ruins were desolate. Without camp preparations, entering a building was best to spend the night.
“Let's head there first.”
Leaving behind the eerie gray ash-covered ground blanketed in snow, the group moved toward the castle.
Upon reaching the castle after climbing higher, Rachel felt a chill.
It could be the knife-like winter wind, but she sensed something different.
Creak—
The group stood before the castle gate. As if waiting for them, the weathered gate swung open.
“Coincidence?”
No one was near the gate. It seemed the fierce wind had blown it open.
“I sense no human presence...”
Enoch shook his head. His expression wasn't bright. Before Rachel could ask what was wrong, Solla spoke.
“I feel an evil aura.”
It meant traces of black magic.
Rachel tensed.
Beyond the wooden gate lay darkness. That abyss-like shadow evoked something in Rachel.
‘Wasn't the early part of ‘Hello, Dad’ like this?’
The pitch-black darkness where you couldn't see an inch ahead, the eerie atmosphere unique to old buildings—it reminded her of the horror game she had played.
For now, everyone dismounted. Donna lit a lantern and took the lead. They tried leading the horses in, but the horses refused to enter the castle.
Neigh!
“Easy, calm down.”
Fassie soothed his horse. The others faced the same issue. Though they pulled the reins, the horses wouldn't budge, as if rooted to the spot.
“What do we do?”
Donna asked with a troubled look. It was cold outside. Leaving the horses out would freeze them.
“The horses refuse to enter instinctively sensing danger. Probably the influence of black magic.”
It's said animals see what people can't. In Korea, too, dogs and cats were said to see ghosts. Rachel clapped.
“Use divine power to calm the horses and lead them in.”
If black magic was the cause, divine power should neutralize the aura. Fortunately, Rachel's method worked.
“This guy's finally moving.”
“Black magic aura for sure. Temple horses wouldn't act like this.”
“Let's go in.”
Enoch and the others placed Rachel in the center. They crossed the gate with the horses without lowering their guard.
Thud!
As everyone entered the castle, the gate suddenly slammed shut. Fassie, at the rear, tried to open it, but the firmly closed gate wouldn't budge.
Everyone gathered at the gate and poured divine power into it, but it remained shut.
“What now?”
Donna asked Enoch.
Darkness had already fallen outside. Risky as it was, inside the castle offered shelter from snow and wind.
Enoch looked around at his comrades.
“First, find a room with a fireplace and secure a rest area. Once we've rested enough, we'll seek the source of the black magic.”
They found a room with a fireplace right away. It was presumed to be a second-floor guest room.
“Being in the mountains, it's well-prepared against cold.”
“If only it had been maintained.”
Michelli and Solla casually shared their impressions of the castle. Donna brushed away accumulated dust with her gloved hand, adding.
“Seems empty for nearly a year.”
“About a year since the fire?”
Rachel pondered the timeline, feeling puzzled. Taxes were remitted, and the crown prince promised aid—why had the baron abandoned the castle?
‘No, is it certain he left?’
A sudden thought struck Rachel, and she rummaged for the map.
“Sister?”
“Rachel?”
“What's wrong?”
The group questioned Rachel suddenly digging through her bag.
Even Rekent, who had just transferred embers to the fireplace upon entering the room, turned around.
“Bring the lantern closer.”
Rachel pulled out the map from her luggage, spread it on the floor, and requested. Donna held the lantern close to illuminate it.
Rachel immediately took the pencil from her pocket and drew a star.
After finishing the star, Rachel let out a shrill voice.
“Aah!”