Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: 54. The Unforgiven (1)
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Yuri's group tailed Pierre.
The effects of the mandragora were starting to wear off. Their plan was to lure Gerdt to Pierre's location once he drew near.
"Is that the Grand Library?"
"It looks like it."
Soon, a rectangular building overgrown with wild vines came into view.
It wasn't all that impressive compared to the Empire's structures, but it must have been quite a grand edifice in Adelwein.
Pierre's group built a campfire in front of the Grand Library and began preparing their meal.
"They're calmer than I expected."
Pierre had said he came to the Grand Library to uncover Adelwein's history.
Yuri had figured he'd rush straight inside the moment he laid eyes on it, but his reaction was surprisingly subdued.
"Definitely suspicious."
Yuri's group, hidden in a spot where they could observe the others, started eating as well.
They didn't light a fire, just soaked their dried jerky and hardtack biscuits in water.
And they made preparations to greet Gerdt.
They led their horses to a remote spot, fed them mandragora, and tied them up. The beasts should be fine on their own without giving anything away for a few days.
Hose sat with his eyes closed, meditating.
Yuri approached him.
"What're you doing?"
"Calming my mind and body. I have to fight a formidable enemy soon."
"You sense him coming?"
"I don't feel him yet, but my gut tells me he is."
A fierce glint flickered in his eyes.
The rest of the group prepared for battle in their own ways.
Gerdt's presence hadn't made itself felt yet, but everyone sensed that something was about to happen.
Rolang, who had been polishing his sword, stood up and spoke.
"What do we do when Gerdt shows up?"
Since Yuri's group was no longer consuming mandragora, Gerdt would target them if he appeared.
"If Gerdt shows up nearby, everyone take a bite of mandragora."
"Pardon?"
"I'll lure him to those guys."
Yuri said this while watching Pierre's group.
"We'll learn Pierre's true colors that way. If he's really just an innocent scholar, we fight alongside him. If not, we see what happens."
"Understood."
Ever since entering Adelwein, there had been no reactions at all, to the point where everyone except Yuri was starting to doubt if Gerdt even existed.
But they all fell silent soon enough.
Something was approaching from the distance.
"That's Gerdt..."
Jared muttered this as he peered at the horizon through a spyglass from their hiding spot in the brush.
"He looks terrifying."
"Everyone, eat the mandragora."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Of course."
Yuri's group each took a bite of mandragora.
Now, the only enemy Gerdt could sense was Yuri.
Gerdt's pace quickened.
Yuri let out a low groan as he watched the figure through his spyglass.
"That's Gerdt..."
A knight clad in a tattered cloak approached.
He wore full plate armor that covered his entire body. It was scratched up badly but showed no signs of rust.
His right arm's vambrace was shattered, revealing stark white bone beneath. Inside that firmly shut helmet was surely a weathered skull.
That was the form of the Death Knight who had driven Adelwein to ruin.
Unlike the Ten Strong ones Yuri had faced before, Gerdt made no effort to conceal his aura—he unleashed it fully.
Each step he took whipped up powerful gusts of wind.
"Your Highness."
"Yeah?"
"Can you handle him?"
"No idea."
Yuri's confidence plummeted.
"If it gets dicey, you'll save me, right?"
"Well, yeah..."
"It's about time those guys notice him too."
Yuri stood up.
His palms grew slick with sweat at the thought of confronting Gerdt head-on. He removed his gauntlets, wiped off the sweat roughly, put them back on, and cinched them tight. Then he slung Guilty over his shoulder.
"Cory."
"Yes."
"Cast a spell on me."
"Hmm..."
Magic could be a huge asset in an environment without Dispel.
After some deliberation, Cory spread his hands.
He'd focused on physical training lately, but he hadn't abandoned magic entirely. Under Hernando's guidance, Cory had become a proper mage.
"Wing."
Magic manifested from his hands. White light like feathers enveloped Yuri.
"What's this?"
"A speed boost spell. You'll probably need to keep running..."
"Running? It's luring him in."
"Right, luring him."
"Either way, perfect timing."
Yuri hopped in place a few times.
"Alright, everyone hide well."
"Yes."
The moment he said it, everyone except Yuri scattered.
Left alone in an instant, Yuri stared at the distant horizon and groaned.
"Hmmm..."
The dot was growing larger.
Yuri raised Guilty and waved it toward Gerdt.
If the knight had any eyesight left, he'd come running.
Sure enough, just as Yuri predicted, Gerdt picked up speed. He charged like a wild dog that had spotted prey.
Pierre's group was starting to stir, as if they'd sensed Gerdt's presence too.
Yuri curled his lips into a smirk.
The instincts of an old hunter, long buried in his subconscious, awakened.
"Hunting, huh..."
Hunting orcs wasn't all that different from handling beasts. Enemies lost to madness reacted sharply to stimuli and fell easily for bait.
Yuri glanced back.
One of the mercenaries wielded a bow. He had an arrow nocked and was watching Gerdt's approach warily.
Yuri crouched low, calculating Gerdt's speed. The chilling aura emanating from the Death Knight made his skin crawl.
Staying put would get him swept away and shredded.
Every instinct screamed to run, but Yuri overrode it, planting his feet firmly.
The Death Knight in plate armor grew clearer by the second.
He was accelerating—faster than expected.
Time to move.
Yuri yanked a leafy plant from nearby to cover himself, then kicked off the ground like a beast lunging at prey.
He channeled excessive mana, detonating it with a boom.
The tense archer released his arrow on reflex.
The shaft whistled through the air.
He was a skilled bowman who could infuse arrows with mana.
"Perfect."
Yuri veered sharply.
The arrow, losing its mark, flew past him into the distance.
Straight toward Gerdt's unchecked charge.
Yuri hurled the bundle of leaves and dove behind a nearby boulder.
"Hoo..."
He wiped sweat from his brow and peeked out.
Right then, Gerdt clashed with Pierre's group.
"Oh?"
Ivan's sword met Gerdt's.
An explosive crash rang out. Ivan didn't budge at first. The mercenaries fell back a step and began their assault.
They were stronger than expected.
"As I thought..."
These weren't mere mercenaries hired to protect a scholar.
Yuri spotted Pierre, who had retreated to the rear, making his move.
Black energy billowed from his hands.
Yuri gripped Guilty.
"Black mage?"
It was the same aura as the black mages he'd encountered before.
Pierre wasn't a scholar.
"So that's how it is."
With that much firepower, they could at least wear Gerdt down.
Yuri smirked and checked on his hidden companions.
They peeked out with just their eyes, watching like it was a show across the river.
Rolang nodded, Jared pumped his fists excitedly, Hose looked like he was barely holding back from jumping in, and Simon, Guinness, and Cory huddled together, trembling as they watched.
Yuri signaled for them to wait a bit longer.
"How long can they hold out?"
They were fighting better than anticipated. Each time Pierre cast black magic from the back, dark energy writhed around the mercenaries' bodies, strengthening them, while Gerdt's movements slowed.
Scratches marred Gerdt's plate armor here and there.
But he didn't retreat.
He swung his sword with the same ferocious momentum from his initial charge. Sword ki tore the air and gouged the earth.
One mercenary got caught in it and flew back, crashing into the ground.
Right near Yuri's hiding spot.
He was convulsing but still alive.
Yuri ignored him and assessed the battle.
Ivan led the front against Gerdt.
The gap between them was huge, but Pierre's black magic support kept them holding on.
Suddenly, Pierre shouted.
"Gerdt! Snap out of it, Gerdt!"
Yuri felt a surge of bewilderment.
Talk to Gerdt in a crisis? It seemed Pierre had been sincere about that, in his own way.
"Your role is over. Rest now, Gerdt!"
But it had no effect.
Ivan, holding the front, only struggled more.
The other mercenaries joined in, but it barely helped. Gerdt's plate armor deflected every incoming attack.
Yuri pondered.
Should he jump in now, or wait until they were worn out?
"If they drain his strength..."
Then Pierre yelled.
"Don't die by Gerdt's hand, no matter what! He'll absorb your life force and get stronger! Don't die! Hold on!"
Yuri stood up.
"I see. Since the Death Knight was born from black magic, he recovers by devouring life force."
In that case, better to fight together now.
Yuri nudged the fallen mercenary nearby with his boot.
The man, sprawled like a corpse, jolted his eyes open.
"Huh?"
"You were playing dead, you bastard?"
"N-no..."
"Your comrades are spilling blood and guts out there, and you're just spinning in place? That's your mercenary code?"
"Sorry."
As Yuri appeared, the rest of his group began emerging one by one.
Pierre, locked in combat with Gerdt, stared at Yuri in disbelief.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"What else? I started the fight."
"You don't mean... you brought Gerdt here?"
"That's right, you black mage bastard."
"Urk..."
"Scholar, my ass. I've read a few books myself, and you don't smell like one. Who're you trying to fool...?"
Yuri sneered at Pierre with contempt, as if he'd known all along, slinging Guilty over his shoulder. He kicked the dumbfounded mercenary's rear, shoving him forward.
"Fight. What're you waiting for?"
Pierre formed hand seals as he protested.
"I am a scholar, that's true. I just moonlight as a black mage. I'm a full member of the Continental Historical Society. And you, sir knight...?"
"Shut up, you scum."
Yuri glared with disgust at the black energy coiling up from Pierre's body.
Black mages stole life force from the living to fuel their power.
Usually from humans.
The fact that he wielded magic strong enough to face Gerdt meant he'd sacrificed just as many lives.
"We'll deal with Gerdt first. You're next."
"Heh heh heh, a temporary alliance, then...?"
His true colors revealed, Pierre adjusted his crooked glasses and grinned crookedly.
"Don't get in the way!"
"You neither!"
Yuri unleashed Heart-Soul Severing, using its explosive force to charge at Gerdt.
He brought Guilty down in a flash.
A thunderous boom echoed, like lightning striking.
The sheer destructive power made Ivan up close and Pierre in the rear widen their eyes.
Gerdt's helmet was half-shattered.
"Was he always that strong...?"
But it didn't seem like a critical hit.
Just exposed the Death Knight's skeletal face and the red glow in his eye sockets.
His mouth opened.
It was a grating noise that instinctively made one want to cover their ears, like bones grinding.
As Gerdt spoke, he struck at Ivan holding the front.
Then he switched targets to Yuri.
At that instant, black energy swirled into a vortex and raged like a storm.
It was a sudden attack. Yuri couldn't react properly and just raised Guilty.
His vision went black.
Sky and earth flipped.
He was airborne before he knew it. His body slammed into the ground countless times.
"Your Highness!"
Rolang's voice echoed from afar. But tinnitus drowned it out. Even that faded.
His body kept tumbling.
Yuri finally crashed into something heavy and collapsed.
Something surged up from within. He opened his mouth and vomited. Black blood soaked the ground. His mouth filled with a fishy stench.
Yuri hung his head, took deep breaths, and slowly pushed himself up.
"No... no way..."
Through his half-blurred vision, Gerdt approached.
"At least warn a guy, you son of a bitch..."
Yuri spat curses. The pain was too much to endure without them. Heart-Soul Severing's energy surged wildly through his body.
"If you're one of the Ten Strong, act like it."
Yuri twisted his face.
"Think you're hot shit in a fight?"