Chapter 96
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 096
Chapter Title: The Monster and the Curse (4)
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The group listened to Pergal's words.
Two among them stepped forward boldly.
It was Bear and Conal.
"Sir Bear, Sir Conal. What do you plan to do?"
I directed the question at Bear and Conal, and they answered matter-of-factly.
"He said he was looking for an enemy to kill him, didn't he? So I'm thinking of granting his wish."
"I'm planning to clear this old warrior off the bridge."
Bear and Conal.
Both were burning with competitive spirit.
Seeing them like that left me dumbfounded.
Whether it was the old man blocking the bridge while searching for someone to kill him, or these two stepping up after hearing him...
Their behavior was utterly incomprehensible to me.
Still, I could guess why Pergal was acting this way.
'He wants to go to paradise.'
Paradise.
In simple terms, it was the heaven of the barbarians.
There was only one way to get there.
Dying in battle.
Then you would heed Acovar's call and head to a warm, water-rich paradise overflowing with game.
That had to be why Pergal was doing this.
'Still, talking comes before fighting.'
With that thought, I spoke to Bear and Conal.
"Let me try talking him down first."
Bear, who had heard me, shook his head and replied.
"He doesn't look like the type to listen to reason. So it won't be too late to crush him with force, make him compliant, and then talk."
I glanced at Pergal after hearing Bear.
He did look stubborn, for sure.
But I had to give it a shot.
"I'd like to have a conversation."
I expressed my desire to talk to Pergal, but he firmly shook his head and answered.
"No."
Awkward pronunciation.
But since he was using the Empire's common tongue instead of the barbarian language, there was no trouble understanding him.
"See? I was right."
Bear spoke to me after witnessing Pergal's firm attitude.
Conal chimed in right after.
"This time, let's do as Sir Bear says. That's the surest way."
In the end, I nodded.
Bear and Conal stepped forward simultaneously.
And soon enough, they were glaring at each other.
"Sir Conal. Why are you stepping up?"
"You're not great at holding back your strength. One slip, and you might kill him. In a situation like this, I'm the better choice."
"Oh ho. I didn't know you were so considerate."
"Glad you finally caught on."
Bear and Conal's staring contest.
I hurriedly mediated.
"Sir Bear suggested it first. So let's have him take the lead this time."
Bear grinned at my words, while Conal retreated a step with clear disappointment on his face.
And finally, Bear and Pergal faced off.
"You look decently sturdy."
With that, Pergal charged at Bear.
The distance between them closed rapidly.
This level—he was about on par with newly minted knights, wasn't he?
If Bear were an ordinary knight, these two could've put on a good show.
Unfortunately, Bear was anything but ordinary.
CRUNCH!
Bear swung his sword with full force.
Pergal crossed the axes in both hands to block it.
But the outer axe shattered, and unable to withstand the power behind the weapon, he went flying back.
He tumbled across the ground and then sprawled out flat.
"He's not dead, is he?"
I muttered, and Bear hurriedly replied.
"No! Look, he's still breathing."
As Bear said, Pergal was alive.
A moment later, he struggled to lift his upper body, shaking his head to clear his mind.
And barely managed to stand.
"What kind of monster is this...?"
Pergal muttered at Bear, incredulous.
But then he grinned brightly and shouted.
"Now I can finally die!"
At that moment.
A sudden doubt hit me, and I asked Pergal.
"But won't this keep you from paradise?"
"What?"
Pergal glared at me in shock.
But I pressed on, unperturbed.
"The fight's too one-sided. I doubt Acovar would be satisfied with that."
I'd once asked Conal about Acovar.
He'd said not everyone who dies in battle receives Acovar's call.
You had to put on a battle worthy of Acovar's approval.
Pointing that out made Pergal's expression harden.
"You're right..."
Pergal said gravely after hearing me.
Then, as if struck by a good idea, he pointed at Conal beside me and yelled.
"Then I'll fight that guy this time!"
Conal, suddenly singled out.
His face darkened.
Bear snickered mockingly at him.
"Looks like that old man's eyes see you as weaker than me. He's got good judgment! Right?"
Conal ground his teeth at Bear's taunt.
He strode forward.
Pergal gripped his remaining axe with both hands and glared at Conal.
Once the distance had narrowed enough.
He charged.
And.
BOOM!
Once more, he soared through the air.
His last axe shattered too.
Pergal, knocked out by Conal's strike, finally came to after a few minutes.
The shock of consecutive losses must've hit hard—he sat there dazed.
I seized the opening to speak without hesitation.
"Pergal. Our destination is the Empire's northernmost edge. Barbarian territory. I'd like you to guide us there."
We had an excellent guide named Cedric.
But even he, a veteran mercenary hardened in the Empire's north, had never ventured into barbarian lands.
So we needed to hire an extra guide.
Plus, traveling with Pergal would let us learn the nitty-gritty of the barbarians' plight straight from him.
We had to recruit him for intel alone.
"Why should I bother with you lot?"
Pergal asked curtly.
It was the question I'd expected, so I gave my prepared answer.
"We have plenty of enemies. We'll fight plague-maddened barbarians who've lost their minds, and the black mages suspected of spreading the pestilence. Travel with us, and you'll have no shortage of battles."
Plenty of fights meant?
High odds of a warrior's death.
Exactly what Pergal wanted.
That was my pitch to sway him.
"Hmm..."
Pergal scratched the back of his head with his right hand.
He looked conflicted.
To drive the point home and help him decide.
"Fighting enemies who have no grudge against you like us is far inferior to battling foes who genuinely want you dead. You might even get a fight worthy of Acovar that way."
Persistent persuasion.
Pergal finally nodded.
"I accept your offer. I'll guide you to the Empire's northernmost point. But in return, I join every battle that comes up. No complaints?"
"Exactly what I wanted."
I'd secured free labor.
After hiring Pergal, what next?
Feed him first.
He looked starved.
"Delicious!"
Pergal shoveled down the gruel greedily.
With his tension eased, I peppered him with questions and gleaned some great info.
The biggest haul...
The plague's infection condition.
'If a monster successfully wounds a healthy barbarian, the curse transfers to the injured one too. Though it doesn't work well on those of higher caliber.'
The curse on the barbarians.
It spread the moment a monster wounded a healthy barbarian, by any means.
No wonder it spread so fast.
Barbarians had many skilled warriors.
But not all were top-tier, so the monsters multiplying was inevitable.
"Whew, good eating."
Pergal patted his belly contentedly, having scraped the pot clean.
I cautiously asked him.
"So why'd you come all the way here, Pergal?"
Pergal was valiant.
His skill was knight-level.
He didn't seem the type to flee monsters this far.
As I posed the question, he picked meat from his teeth with dirty nails and answered casually.
"My entire tribe except me fell to the plague. I chased them here to grant them all rest with my own hands."
"Mission accomplished?"
Pergal nodded at my question.
He looked resolute, yet fragile enough to shatter any moment.
So I held back further questions.
Instead, I let him savor his fullness.
As Cedric had said, we reached Stott in three days.
"That's Stott."
Cedric pointed with a finger.
A half-ruined wooden palisade came into view where his index finger aimed.
Even from afar, its poor state was obvious.
Smoke rose in thin wisps from inside the fence too—looked like fires had broken out in the village.
Not one pillar, but several.
'Already fallen?'
The thought crossed my mind.
It looked like the village was already in ruins.
But apparently not.
Woooah!
Cheers grew louder as we neared Stott.
A battle was raging inside the palisade.
"I'm going ahead."
Pergal suddenly said that and bolted.
I didn't stop him.
No point—he was beyond my control anyway.
Instead, I told the group.
"Let's pick up the pace too."
I glanced back and spotted the Chapman Mercenaries trailing at a set distance.
They'd sensed the gravity too, marching faster than before.
Made sense.
They were here for pay—if their employer died, it was all for nothing.
"Whoa, what the hell."
At the palisade, we saw barbarian corpses strewn around.
Over a hundred by rough count.
A band of thieves that size could ransack most villages easily.
And these were barbarians, no less.
I couldn't fathom how they'd held off over a hundred with my common sense.
'Surely not even more inside the village?'
With that thought, I entered the palisade.
The battlefield lay before me.
Fewer corpses near the fence, but still dozens of barbarians rampaging with weapons.
And blocking them? More barbarians.
'Fascinating.'
Barbarians defending against barbarians.
As I watched, a refugee's words resurfaced.
Stott had taken in barbarians fleeing from the north.
These must be them, holding the fort.
Impressive.
But even more standout was the middle-aged knight leading the charge.
If I was right, he was Stott's lord—the one who'd written Baylin.
'Name was Timothy?'
I pondered as I eyed the front.
'Hide that I'm a mage, or reveal it? Tough call.'
After a brief think.
I decided to reveal it.
Showing my presence would make talking to Timothy easier.
Plus, I wanted to end the fight quick before Stott took more damage.
"Everyone, hold here."
I pulled my magic staff from the saddlebag.
Unwrapped the cloth around it.
A red gem gleamed.
Holding the staff steadied my mind.
"Pergal! Get clear!"
I shouted before casting, to keep him out of it.
But Pergal didn't hear.
Too bloodlusted fighting the monsters, probably.
No helping it.
I'd have to be careful.
'Time to try the new spell.'
The spreading lightning from the Thundercloud Grimoire.
That's what I'd use.
The Chapman Mercenaries entering the village.
Chapman eyed the raging battle, eyes gleaming, aiming to rescue the lord for a reward.
But one thing nagged him.
The staff in the Oak Mercenaries' leader's hand.
The gem-studded ornate staff looked extraordinary.
Chapman easily guessed what it was.
'A magic staff?'
The moment Chapman thought that.
Cumulonimbus Grimoire: Lightning Bolt
Spreading chain lightning strikes the horde
The red gem on the staff.
Sparks flew from its tip.
A thick, sharp beam of light shot out.
The completed spell split into two streams mid-air, flying toward the left and right flanks of the monster horde.
One hit a monster squarely.
BOOM!
With an explosion, the monster's body charred black.
Dozens of lightning bolts erupted from there, rapidly spreading outward.
Like tree branches extending.
Though the branched bolts were much thinner than the initial strike.
Still plenty to kill a person.
Another monster struck by a thin bolt.
He rolled his eyes back, body convulsing.
His neighbor, then the next, met the same fate.
The issue? The lightning from the red gem wasn't just one beam.
The same happened on the opposite side.
Flashes erupted each time lightning hit a monster.
When the final light faded.
The monsters collapsed simultaneously.
All struck by the bolts.
The battlefield fell silent in an instant.
Only the acrid smell of ozone lingering in the air hinted at what had just transpired.
"O, God of the Skies..."
Chapman muttered unwittingly.