Chapter 357: Barbara
Chapter 357: Barbara
Flashback
The deep night had long since passed, and a hazy dawn fog now blanketed the barracks.
Inside one of the tents shrouded in the pale mist, a woman sat keeping watch. A hint of fatigue touched her face, visible even in the dense fog. But her open eyes and the troubled look in them revealed she had not slept a wink.
“Hoo.”
The woman let out a deep sigh.
She was none other than the Tarot Card Magician, Seon Yul. She had remained in this spot ever since Kim Soohyun had left last night.
Her eyes ached from the sleepless night, and she gently pressed her eyelids. Then, her gaze shot back down to the table.
Nothing had changed since dawn. Fifteen cards lay scattered across the table—some face up, others still face down.
“…”
How much time had passed as she stared at the cards in silence?
“Alright. Let’s see.”
Perhaps the words were born from the countless worries that had plagued her all night. A grim light flashed in Seon Yul’s eyes, and she began to speak as if purging something caught in her chest. After glaring at the innocent cards for a long while, she slowly reached out her hand.
Her hand reached its destination and began flipping the cards without hesitation. One, two, three, four…
With that, a total of twelve cards were now face up.
Her hand paused as it was about to flip the thirteenth card. The way her fingers trembled at its edge made it clear she was deeply conflicted. But she soon pulled her hand back, seemingly not yet ready to make a final decision.
As she laid out the new cards, her throat bobbed as she swallowed. She then turned her attention to the first four, her eyes darting about.
“…”
But once again, a clear interpretation eluded her. Seon Yul immediately furrowed her brow.
The first card depicted a king holding a shining sword.
The second card depicted a hideous demon.
The third card depicted a fallen queen with hair that shone like gold.
The fourth card depicted a crossroads.
The problem lay with the second and third cards.
The hideous demon on the second card usually signified danger or a crisis approaching the subject. However, the demon on the card before her was in a rather pathetic state. Its body was covered in wounds, blood streamed from its entire form, and it was prostrated as if begging for its life.
The queen on the third card was even more of a spectacle. Not only was she completely naked, but her legs were spread wide, shamelessly exposing her vulva. The image of her lying on the floor, drooling blankly, was a stark contrast to the dignified queens she had seen before.
And the king on the first card was looking down at them with a cold smile. Was it a coincidence that the shining sword in his hand was aimed to the right?
“A danger of some kind is coming for the demon and the human? And the king is the aggressor…? What is this…?”
Seon Yul would have understood if the positions of the king and demon cards were swapped, as that wouldn't have drastically changed their conventional meanings. But the continuous appearance of cards that defied common sense was throwing her mind into chaos.
She stared intently at the two cards for a while before letting out another long sigh. Shaking her head, she seemed to give up on fully understanding them.
In the end, the only card she could grasp even a little was the fourth one. Seon Yul tasted a bitter flavor in her mouth.
“A crossroads…”
The crossroads on the fourth card metaphorically signified a situation where a choice had to be made.
But that was as far as she got. It was no different from not having interpreted it at all. A single meaning was formed only by fully understanding all four cards and connecting them, but she had failed to comprehend any of them except for one.
A moment later, Seon Yul’s gaze shifted to the three cards that remained face down. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, but she eventually began to flip them over, one by one.
She turned over the thirteenth card. It depicted a man, bound and kneeling.
Next, she turned over the fourteenth card. Once again, it was a card depicting a crossroads.
“…”
Now, only the last one remained. With a faintly trembling hand, Seon Yul placed her fingers on the final card at the very end. She began to turn it over slowly, very slowly.
The card was about halfway flipped.
“!”
The moment she saw a part of the image revealed on the card, Seon Yul’s perpetually narrowed eyes flew wide open.
*
It was the time of day just before afternoon turned to evening, and the plains of Barbara were bathed in a faint twilight.
Of course, that wasn't a problem. For Users, who had the highly efficient tool of magic, a little dimness was hardly an obstacle to their vision.
Why can’t I see anyone?
But even with my vision enhanced by magic, I couldn't see a single person. I scanned the walls of Barbara one more time before tilting my head in confusion.
The announcement about arriving in five minutes had been calculated based on the distance to the surrounding terrain, not the city gate itself. From that perspective, the East had already arrived at Barbara.
To be precise, the East had halted its march about four to five hundred meters from the city. We had detected an anomaly in the vicinity of Barbara.
The primary plan had been for each unit to secure a position near their designated gate upon arrival and set up an advance base. However, due to the yet-unidentified anomaly, the plan had been changed to an unconditional standby.
I stood idly in the center of the formation for a while before slowly starting to walk forward.
Ahead, the 2nd Squad, composed of archer Users, and the 3rd Squad, composed of mage Users, were moving about busily. Passing them, I made my way to the very front line, where I saw the squad commanders, including the Goryeo Lord. Judging by their serious expressions, they were undoubtedly discussing the anomaly.
That anomaly was…
“What’s the progress on analyzing the magic circle?”
“The archer Users with vision abilities are running around, but… it seems it will take some time.”
…a single, massive magic circle drawn around the city. It showed no magical reaction yet, but its sheer size, encompassing the entire city, meant that analysis would inevitably take time.
『Ancient Magic Formation: Large-Scale Protective Magic Power Nullification Formation』
Of course, I had already identified it with my Third Eye. I considered just telling them, but I immediately dismissed the thought. Third Eye was one of my last resorts; nothing good would come from revealing such an ability.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“What? Do you see something?”
“Yeah, yeah. I think they’re coming up now?”
Murmur. Murmur.
Just then, as I was using my status as a special team member to survey the battlefield, I felt the presence of the surrounding Users grow more restless. I turned my head to see why, and I saw them, one by one, looking up at the city walls.
A thought flashed through my mind. I quickly enhanced my vision with magic and looked at the walls again. Scanning from the left, I could see a group of people appearing one after another atop the ramparts. The Western Continent and the Vagabonds were finally showing themselves.
The number of Users who appeared wasn't as large as the East's forces, but there were enough of them to line a good portion of Barbara's walls.
“Relay this to all units. Cease all work immediately and assume defensive positions!”
With the Western Continent and the Vagabonds openly revealing themselves, the Goryeo Lord’s response was swift. We were already within a range where either side could inflict damage if they chose to. Any Users who moved out on their own now were highly likely to become targets for preemptive arrows or spells.
About ten minutes passed like that.
Wooooong…!
Suddenly, I felt a massive flow of mana from the front.
“A mana flow has been detected!”
“Defense! Prepare defensive magic!”
“—. —. —.”
“And the 2nd Squad, be ready to fire immediately after the 3rd and 4th Squads raise their defenses!”
At once, the sound of chanting began to flow from the Users of the 3rd and 4th Squads. The sound of thousands of Users chanting in unison was so magnificent it could only be described as a spectacle.
It was then.
Wooooong…. Fwoosh!
(Ah. Ah. Voice amplification test. Translation test. Users of the Northern Continent. Can you hear me well?)
The massive surge of mana instantly spread out wide. At the same time, a clear voice echoed across the plains.
(Aha. I’m being told it’s coming through clearly. Haha. My name is Simon Grimes, a User from the Western Continent. It is an honor to meet all of you from the Northern Continent like this.)
The voice from the walls caused the simultaneous chanting to cease all at once.
“Jo Seongho. What’s the source of the Sound Amplification Magic?”
“The center, sir. But he seems to be mixed in with the crowd, so I can’t get a clear visual…”
“Forget the visual. Tell each squad commander to calm the troops and not to lower their guard. And we will prepare our own Sound Amplification Magic and translation magic immediately.”
“Understood.”
The sudden attempt at conversation seemed to spread a bit of bewilderment, but it was clear the Goryeo Lord was no pushover. While he wasn't quite up to my standards (if I were the commander, I would have postponed the chat and rained down arrows and spells first), he was living up to his name as the lord of the Northern Continent's top clan.
(Hmm. There’s no response… Still, could someone please answer? I have an official proposal to make.)
(Let’s hear it.)
The Goryeo Lord must have activated his own magic, as his deep voice immediately countered Simon’s.
(Oh. I heard that clearly. But just a moment. Before I begin, may I know the name of the person I am speaking with?)
(You don’t need to know. Just get on with your proposal.)
(Koreans are so impatient. You have no composure, none at all. Hehe.)
A faint laugh followed.
But it wasn't particularly grating. It was too clear and gentle a laugh to be considered offensive.
(Then, as you wish, I will state my proposal. Ah, it’s nothing much. Since you all from the Northern Continent have just arrived, how about you just take today to rest?)
(What do you mean by that?)
(I just thought you must be exhausted from your long journey. It’s getting late anyway… What do you say?)
(Bullshit.)
The Goryeo Lord curtly dismissed Simon’s proposal. But as if expecting this reaction, a relaxed voice answered right away.
(Haha. That’s harsh. I was showing you some goodwill. To be honest, it doesn’t really matter to us. We’ve already finished all our preparations, and we achieved a… blood-less-en-try… hoo… into Barbara, after all.)
Bloodless entry. The implications of those words were significant. It suddenly occurred to me that Simon might have been aiming for this very moment. The reason he had used a language he was unfamiliar with for that part, I suspected, was to affect our morale.
However, there was one thing Simon had overlooked: the East already knew about it, thanks to the Vagabonds who had tried to infiltrate us a short while ago.
Is there no cooperation between the Western Continent Users and the Vagabonds?
Of course, there was something about this that didn't quite add up, but it would make sense if the Vagabonds had acted on their own.
The Goryeo Lord’s voice soon reached my ears.
(What happened to the people who surrendered?)
(Ah? Yes, yes. Well. They’re doing fine. Both the men and the women. They’ve been keeping us from getting bored while we waited for you.)
(Hmm. Is that so.)
(Hm…?)
Judging by the slight upward inflection at the end of his word, I imagined Simon might be tilting his head at the East’s calm demeanor.
The Goryeo Lord nodded a few times, as if for show, and spoke in his usual composed voice.
(I see. Alright. In any case, I’ve heard your proposal.)
(Oh. Does that mean you accept?)
(Fine. We gratefully accept. Then let’s both rest well tonight and see each other tomorrow morning.)
With those words, the Goryeo Lord turned his head and spoke to the User who had cast the magic.
“Cut the Sound Amplification Magic now.”
“Ah, understood. But Lord, are you really going to accept that Simon fellow’s proposal?”
“Of course not. I heard the Western Continent bastards were crazy, and they really are. Resume the analysis, and while you’re at it, tell the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Squads. Prepare for a surprise attack tonight.”
Good. That’s more like the Goryeo Lord.
(Ah, just a moment. A wanderer here has something to say to you. I’ll be stepping aside for him.)
They must not have cut the Sound Amplification Magic yet, because Simon’s voice caught us again. At his words, I focused my vision even more intently, hoping to catch any sign of important figures moving on the walls.
(We’re not here to exchange pleasantries, so I’ll ask one simple question. Users.)
But before I could get a good look, a low, rough voice followed. It wasn't the slightly dissonant, translated tone from before; it was a language that sounded familiar.
A brief silence followed, and then the low voice spoke again.
(Is the User, the Mercenary Lord, here among you?)