Chapter 80
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 080
Chapter Title: Believers and Unbelievers (1)
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‘But how can we pull this off without getting caught?’
I’d thought of an ambush, but I didn’t have a concrete plan yet.
So I racked my brain hard.
Something had to come to mind eventually.
‘If we hide sloppily, we’re bound to get spotted.’
Our opponents were knight-level experts.
They’d sense our presence from a distance.
Would they really fall for an ambush?
Of course, I was confident it could work.
Like with the werewolves before, we could use Hide and Seek magic to conceal ourselves.
Gilbert could burrow underground.
But that method carried too much risk.
‘Bear’s right—if they’re on par with knights, it’s too dangerous for just me and Gilbert.’
Ambushing them was fine, but what came after was the problem.
We had to hold out until Bear and Conal arrived.
Besides, those two would never approve of this reckless plan using me as bait.
“It’s an absurd plan. Letting a mage get close to knights is far too dangerous from the start.”
“Exactly. If they’re stronger than we expect, we can’t guarantee your safety, Heros.”
As I’d predicted, Bear and Conal shot it down.
My safety came first for them.
So we needed another approach.
‘Let’s keep brainstorming for now.’
We had a tail, but the journey proceeded smoothly.
Our pursuers seemed content to shadow us quietly for the moment.
So we acted as usual.
“Come at me.”
After setting up camp,
Bear began sparring with the squire.
The boy gripped his wooden stick with both hands instead of a sword and charged.
Naturally, Bear blocked it effortlessly.
“Remember this well. When our blades lock like this and I twist my weapon up, I can thrust the tip into your face. Now, defend against it.”
Bear preferred teaching through spars.
Conal, on the other hand, started with theory.
“Today, I’ll check how many of the ten stances you’ve memorized.”
Conal’s first lesson to the squire had been the ten basic stances for swordplay.
He was still drilling them today.
Practical Bear, theoretical Conal.
That was the vibe.
And Gilbert?
He seemed like a mix of both.
Whoosh.
The speechless Gilbert demonstrated the move he wanted to teach the squire first.
Then he repeated it through spars until the boy got the hang of it.
‘He understands even vague orders now.’
My command to Gilbert—same as yesterday—was to teach the squire swordsmanship.
He carried it out flawlessly.
He was practically indistinguishable from a human now.
‘The big three are doing great, so if I can just figure this out... Any good ideas?’
Watching the big three instruct the squire,
I let out a deep sigh.
I still hadn’t come up with anything solid.
No clue how to ambush and wipe out our stalkers.
‘Maybe review the spells I can use.’
The thought hit me.
I’d learned 29 spells so far.
One might prove useful.
‘Let’s see...’
After carefully reviewing them all,
One spell came to mind.
Windbreak, from the Zephyr Grimoire.
A transparent semicircular barrier centered on the caster, blocking surrounding winds.
‘This could mask our presence.’
I cast Windbreak.
A transparent barrier appeared, enveloping us.
By pouring in more mana, I expanded it to cover the whole group easily.
And right after,
Outside sounds grew muffled.
The noise dropped sharply.
If the barrier blocked internal noise from leaking out too, we could hide our presence for an ambush.
“One of you shout, and the other check from outside if it’s audible.”
The Evergreen youths, who’d been doing laundry,
I asked those two.
They nodded eagerly and rushed over.
One stayed inside with me, the other stepped out.
The one inside bellowed.
“Arrrghhh!”
A booming shout.
Everyone inside snapped their gaze to him.
It was that loud.
But the reaction from outside was different.
“I heard it, but very faintly.”
Very faint.
That sparked hope.
I stepped out and signaled the shouter.
He yelled again.
But incredibly,
Even watching his veins bulge as he shouted, his voice echoed faintly, like from afar.
‘This could work.’
If we predicted their path, ambushed there, and used Windbreak?
Our presence wouldn’t leak out.
As long as none of us—me or the big three—shouted like that, detection was unlikely.
Bear and Conal’s reactions fueled my optimism.
“No presence at all.”
Bear, straining from outside to sense inside,
shook his head.
Conal agreed.
“This should let us pull off the ambush, right?”
“Yes. If even we can’t sense inside, neither can they.”
Conal’s firm confirmation.
Confidence surged.
“Try it tomorrow, then?”
I glanced between Bear and Conal.
They nodded vigorously.
We dove into discussing ambush spots.
The next day.
We rose at dawn and prepared breakfast.
Needed full stomachs for the fight.
‘Hope they show soon.’
Before the ambush, we set one rule.
Withdraw if my mana dropped below half.
Windbreak would drain it that much after about twelve hours.
If no pursuers after that long, the plan failed.
Fighting low on mana was disastrous anyway.
Or if foes too strong for remaining mana.
“Ah, stuffed.”
Stew of grain flour and salt-cured meat.
Dipped hard bread to fill up.
Then I split the group.
Everyone except me and the big three would continue ahead.
They’d take our two supply wagons and our four warhorses, moving slower than usual.
We’d wait here.
Camp traces were obvious.
‘If I were tailing us, I’d check here for sure.’
Inspecting a group’s campsite was standard.
Our pursuers would too.
“Let’s scout hiding spots.”
While the group packed,
I told the big three.
Soon found a good one.
Not far from camp, behind a hill.
‘Higher ground, dense bushes—perfect cover.’
Prone here, we’d spot camp instantly.
Ideal for when trackers arrived.
“Hm...”
Conal hummed, eyeing the departing group.
Seemed worried.
I asked why.
“Sir Conal, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, just occurred to me—they could grab our gear and bolt. Sell four warhorses, live easy forever.”
“They’d get caught trying to sell them. Suspicious for commoners to have purebreds.”
“True, but...”
“The two from Evergreen, maybe. But the Rabbitfarm originals? We can trust them. They volunteered to head north with us.”
“Yes, my thinking was shortsighted.”
Conal bowed politely.
I replied,
“No, you’re not wrong, Sir Conal. Even if we don’t fully trust them, nothing we can do now. Better to assume the best and focus.”
Betrayal or not, we had to wait here.
Trust them and stay sharp.
Conal got it, nodding solemnly.
About an hour later?
No clock, but sky had brightened fully.
‘They should be here soon.’
Bear and Conal said the tail kept an hour’s distance.
Not far.
If true, they’d appear any moment.
That’s when,
Rustle.
Bushes stirred far off.
I held my breath, staring.
Bear and Conal beside me did too.
Soon, one man emerged.
Black-hooded.
‘Feels familiar.’
His attire rang a bell.
But I waited calmly.
Not time yet.
Scuff.
As I watched, he crept to camp.
Inspected traces, then gestured back.
Signaling others.
‘Comrades incoming.’
Spot on.
Five more appeared from the bushes.
All identically clad.
Black hoods.
Swords at hips—knights or equivalent, as Bear said.
‘Ah...’
Six in total.
Seeing them rang alarm bells.
I knew who they were.
I’d even met them before.
‘Didn’t expect to run into these guys here.’
Black hoods, knight-level.
Only one group fit: Eremus.
That was our pursuers’ identity.