The Puppet's Whisper and the Machine Duke
“The commotion from the back is quite loud. When I looked back, it seems you’ve collected a whole bunch of toys you wanted to play with?”
A curly-haired woman licked her upper lip and clicked her tongue.
“Before that, it was useless for anything. What does that mean?”
“Huh? That’s exactly what it means. This kid right now is nothing but a doll that listens only to my words.”
“You… what sorcery are you using on Junior?”
“Hmm… that’s my… control.”
“Enough.”
At that moment, a man who appeared to be from the same party interrupted the woman and stepped forward.
“What exactly are you trying to do with your ability against the enemy?”
Junior had attacked Teraden because he was being controlled by this woman.
“Hah… no matter how you look at it, it’s all because of this person that Junior became like that. Control, you say. What kind of twisted ability is that?”
Teraden, who had been applying pressure to his wound, let out a deep sigh and let loose a string of curses.
“Control… you call it control? Then those people… maybe…?”
As Karvin repeated the word control, he suddenly recalled their true identities and his eyes widened in shock.
“Those who use the ability of control… I’ve heard of it. If what I know is correct, they are the notorious figures from the southeast of the continent, the witches who freely make puppets out of people and use them as their servants!”
“Saying it so openly makes me feel uneasy.”
Making puppets out of people? No way…
“Then are the freaks scattered everywhere here also your doing?”
At my question, the woman tilted her head to one side.
“Freaks? What are those? Ah, those crazy things that look half human and half beast? No, that wasn’t me.”
“It’s no time for this leisurely talk! Even if only half the rumors are true, their prowess isn’t something to be taken lightly! Retreat immediately…!”
“Hmph! Hey, uncle. Stop with the nonsense and snap out of it. Every path is already blocked. Where exactly are you supposed to run to?”
Teraden, who had finished emergency treatment, reminded Karvin of something he had forgotten.
“Ugh…!”
At this, Karvin let out a soft groan, and Vurin, to give him strength, said it was nothing.
“Leader! No matter how strong they are, there are only two of them to fight. What is there to worry about? Numerically we have the advantage, so we can just coordinate and finish them off.”
“Haha! Ahahaha!”
“What’s so funny about this!”
“It’s fun watching you lose yourself in fantasies.”
There was no choice.
They were overlooking one very important thing. That being that the woman’s ability was none other than control.
With that ability, she could not possibly have only controlled Junior up to now.
Tap tap.
As expected, after Vurin’s words, the woman who had been laughing with her belly clutched suddenly clapped her hands twice, and behind her with a wicked grin appeared no fewer than dozens of figures.
Men and women dressed in bright, colorful clothes and the scarecrows that had stubbornly been chasing us earlier.
And… even the freaks, all lined up behind the witch with dead eyes just like Junior.
“This… what is this!”
Soon the revealed figures stood with heads bowed and hands dangling limply, filling the space in front of the man, the woman, and Junior.
“We’ve brainwashed all the usable ones and brought them along. Their numbers are now roughly even with ours?”
“No more useless chatter. They seem to be the last ones, so quickly finish them off and take only the valuable ones with us.”
“Don’t kill them. I want to take them.”
The woman raised one hand and pointed alternately at me and Teraden.
“The ones that look handsome and cute are exactly my type, so I must take them. Ah, the cool-looking handsome boy over there too.”
“No, that’s not happening.”
“Eh? Why not again?”
From the moment he revealed himself, the man had been narrowing his eyes at us, and now he quietly pointed at Teraden.
“Didn’t you notice? The ability that idiot used to stop the bleeding. If we capture him and hand him over to them, it would be a small price, but we can’t let them turn him into their private toy.”
“Tsk… fine. Instead, the cute one over there—no matter what, I’ll take him. Got it?”
“…Do as you please. By the way, the ability of light, huh. This is like a gourd vine rolling in. I’ve heard the rumors, but is this generation’s descendant of Arirang?”
“If you know, then why not just disappear?”
“What interesting words. This place is sealed so tightly that not even light reaches it. Even if something happens here, who would ever find out?”
It seems they have no intention of releasing us willingly.
Well, to save Junior and escape this place, we inevitably had to clash with them, so in a way it was inevitable.
For now, briefly summarizing the current situation: the retreat is blocked and we cannot avoid fighting the enemies in front of us.
The enemies’ numbers seem similar to ours or slightly larger, but the brainwashed ones did not seem particularly threatening.
I do not know how strong they were before, but at least now they are moving only on the woman’s command without consciousness, so they probably cannot use their abilities.
Seeing the fellow-looking man send an untrustworthy gaze, it seems the woman’s own combat power is not particularly strong.
None of her body parts show signs of long-term training, and the aura she emits proves it clearly.
The problem lies with the man.
No matter how low we estimate his strength, he appears at least as strong as Hyeondo during the Night of Protection.
And…
“Junior, do you recognize me?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
“….”
Since I do not yet know how to undo Junior’s brainwashing, it is not wise to act rashly toward him.
“Teraden, how is your injury?”
“Aah, ugh. It’s fine. The vital point dodged and the wound isn’t deep. Emergency treatment is done, so just rest a little.”
That was fortunate—Teraden’s wound wasn’t serious.
Still, we had to avoid fighting the enemies right away, so we needed a bit of time…
“There’s no point in delaying. Let’s start. Don’t do anything stupid and stay quiet.”
“Hey, Oban. No matter what, I’m an Arirang clan descendant. You think a bunch of kids can defeat me? Look after yourself.”
At Oban’s warning, the woman flared up once, but Oban pressed the warning again.
“You don’t have to worry about the others, but with the Arirang clan, it’s better to be cautious. Give your dolls my command and stay silent as I say.”
“All of them? The son of the Machine Duke too?”
“Yes.”
“You always say to treat your precious body carefully.”
“Those kids look like ordinary little brats, but their eyes and the aura they emit are no joke. And since they came to rescue the son of the Machine Duke, even if we use them as a shield, they won’t cause much harm.”
The man had seen straight through me.
It would have been better if he had simply charged, but…
Oban was clearly showing that he had earned his notoriety by using our advantages to the fullest.
This would be a difficult fight.
“Teraden, you rest for a bit. Blanser, suppress Junior.”
“I’ll join right away, so don’t overdo it. That guy really looks like he can handle it.”
“Yes, Sir! I’ll take care of that bastard!”
“Junior is currently unconscious, so don’t act too aggressively.”
“Understood, Sir!”
“Please, Mr. Karvin, stop the brainwashed ones along with our group. If we ignore the situation, there’s nothing we can do, but please try not to cause unnecessary deaths.”
“I understand. You too be careful.”
“Finally, Maru, please catch the woman. Maru’s role is the most important.”
At the word most important, Maru clenched both fists and showed her enthusiastic side.
“Leave it to me! Oppa!”
“Hmph, you all seem to have one misunderstanding. You think I’ll just sit back and watch?”
“I’ll block you so that you have no choice.”
“….”
“That we are the last ones means we will bring you down and then be able to leave here, right?”
Swoosh.
“Well, I doubt that will happen. Come on, dolls. Kill every single one of them, without exception. Ah, except for these two kids.”
At the woman’s light gesture, the brainwashed ones immediately corrected their posture and began to move.
“Now… this is the end! The sun is almost here, so hold on just a little longer!”
Under Karvin’s command, his group formed battle formation and clashed with the charging figures.
Clang! Thud.
“Just because I got caught by brainwashing, I’m harming my seniors. For a madman, pain is a medicine. Let me snap you out of it.”
Blanser, who had instantly taken down one of the charging scarecrows, gritted his teeth and strode toward Junior.
“Maru’s ready for a spanking, huh?”
“Fufu… not funny at all. This girl.”
Maru, her usual innocent and pure eyes replaced by long, narrowed, sarcastic ones, provocatively teased the woman in a cute way.
“Ucha!”
Whoosh—!
The massive hammer on Maru’s back fell to the ground with a heavy sound.
Maru swung the hammer larger and heavier than her body without much effort, hitting the ground hard.
Boom!
And I blocked the path of Oban, who was about to rush at Maru, without hesitation.
“Didn’t I say I would block you? While my comrades defeat yours, you should focus on me.”
“What a bold fellow. Very well. I’ll kill you first.”
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
“The northeast is weak! Snap out of it and move quickly!”
As dawn began to break on Sudansan Mountain, bustling movement continued in the basin.
It had already been half a day since Haru’s group had entered the ruins of Gyeong-gi, and a new day had just begun.
As Haru had expected, numerous reinforcements had already arrived here and were thoroughly blocking the access of adventurers who wanted to follow in.
The adventurers who had gathered again since early morning had attempted entry with the same strength as before, but they had not broken through the defense of this place.
Meanwhile, the level of the adventurers who had come late after hearing the rumors was far lower.
On the other hand, the newly recruited troops were both numerous and high-quality elite soldiers, so it was impossible for riffraff to break through them.
Moreover, the elite soldiers here were currently suppressing their fury after the catastrophe from half a day ago.
“Let us in! Let us in!”
“You can’t back down! If you cross this line, I’ll cut you down without mercy!”
“This…!”
Cwoong! Cwoong—!
In this chaotic situation, one giant man started slowly climbing Sudansan Mountain, shaking the ground with each step.
“Hmm, yes. Somewhere down here is my beloved son.”
Not long after, the man reached the summit, stopped for a moment, stroked his beard, and scanned the basin with a cold, expressionless gaze.
“If I could, I’d wipe them all out, but trusting them, I’ll wait just a little longer.”
Cwoong! Cwoong—!
The giant man, Amerk the Machine Duke, moved slowly toward the center of the basin again with a loud sound.