Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Trolls of the Birch Forest
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"Excellent, Munjuk. As expected, the humans known as mages possess mana of a quality and quantity leagues beyond ordinary folk."
The Troll King Attila, his condition visibly improved after devouring all the sacrifices, inspected his body with evident satisfaction.
"But it's still woefully insufficient. This much won't heal the humiliating wound inflicted by that bastard Iron Face—not even if I chewed him up and spat him out."
Swipe!
Attila placed a hand on his chest, grinding out the words.
A long scar crossed the Troll King's massive chest.
Unlike his recovering muscles, his skin regaining color...
The scar remained unchanged, even after consuming the mages.
Munjuk, the king's loyal vassal who had offered the sacrifices, bowed his head in apology at Attila's words.
How incompetent a subordinate must he be, unable to provide sacrifices capable of healing his king's wound?
"Krrk! Forgive me, my king. It's my failing that forces you to endure this humiliation even now..."
Attila waved a hand dismissively, refuting Munjuk's words.
"What nonsense is that, Munjuk? Without the miraculous elixir you procured, I would've failed to recover most of my wounds and returned to the forest soil long ago. That I still draw breath at this advanced age is entirely thanks to you."
"My king...!!"
Was he moved by the praise directly from his sovereign?
Munjuk bowed even deeper, prostrating himself.
"That aside, isn't this a dire situation? Weren't those mages just now the last of our sacrifices?"
Despite his smooth recovery, concern lingered on Attila's face.
As he said, those mages had been the final ones.
Having captured every mage entering the forest lately, humans had grown wary and stopped venturing in.
Without mages brimming with mana, healing Attila's wounds would take far longer.
"Krrrk! Worry not, my king."
Munjuk, gauging his king's concern, replied reassuringly.
"What do you mean, Munjuk? Your loyalty has eased my wounds, true, but reclaiming my full strength requires many more humans."
"Krrk! This morning, our border sentries brought intelligence."
"Intelligence?"
"They discovered a large number of fresh human footprints heading into the forest from the boundary line."
Attila's eyes gleamed at Munjuk's report.
"How many?"
"Krrk! At least fifty, by the looks of it."
Sneer!
Attila's lips curled upward in delight.
Absorbing the vitality and mana from a mere thirty mages had restored thirty percent of his strength.
He didn't know the mana levels of these newcomers, but it would surely be enough to heal more than half his body.
"Capture them, Munjuk. Every last one, without exception."
"Krrrk! As my king commands."
Munjuk, who had bowed to the king, turned toward the trolls.
Facing the assembled trolls below the dais, he bellowed.
"Krrrrok! The king's command! Seize the fools who dare trespass in our domain and offer them as sacrifices for the king!"
The horde of trolls in the cave roared in response to Munjuk's cry.
"Kraaaaaaargh!!"
"Offer them up! Offer them up!"
"For the king's revival!!"
Whoosh!
A dark, crude wave surged out of the cave and onward.
This land, the birch forest, belonged to the trolls.
They would mete out brutal punishment to the fearless intruders who set foot here, offering their flesh to become the king's blood and meat.
After long years slumbering in darkness due to the Golden Heaven Chain, the trolls finally stirred.
The path was so narrow that two people walking abreast would fill it completely.
The travelers on this already desolate, eerily quiet trail were none other than Ian and the Latent Dragon Squad.
Thud, thud.
"……."
"……."
All mouths were sealed, focused solely on advancing while staying vigilant in all directions.
Having already begun their mission, this was natural, understandable silence.
Yet one person felt uneasy in the heavy quiet, perhaps due to guilt over her own actions.
She cautiously spoke up.
"Um... Captain."
"Yeah?"
Ian, leading the way, slowly turned at the soft voice calling from behind.
"What's up, Sylvia?"
"...Sorry. My sister's a bit... eccentric. She's caused trouble for you and the squad."
Sylvia's face flushed as she apologized.
Ian gazed at her a moment, then chuckled softly.
"When you first dosed Ralph with poison and nabbed him like a rat, I thought you were some fierce warrior woman. Turns out Sylvia has a normal girl side too."
"W-what?"
Caught off guard by Ian's words?
Ian continued, leaving Sylvia flustered.
"Don't sweat it. Even if it was during a mission, up till now it's just been trekking to Megalovria. And above all... no one in our squad's thought poorly of you after seeing that."
"...Huh?"
"If you knew why these guys gathered here."
"……!!"
Sylvia grew even more flustered at Ian's words.
All Latent Dragon Squad members shared a common trait.
Exceptional skill beyond their years, yet closed off hearts that fit nowhere.
They were like stray dogs wandering their families.
People who belonged nowhere, rejected all and rejected by all.
For those craving a comfortable place to rest, seeing Sophia dote on Sylvia could only warm their hearts.
At least that scene.
It was the very thing they'd yearned for before sealing their hearts.
"...Sorry."
Sylvia bowed formally to the squad members.
Paang!
"Aaaack!"
A searing pain on her back made her yelp involuntarily as she straightened.
Rubbing her back, Sylvia spotted Ralph blowing on his pot-lid-sized hand.
"You little brat, listening quietly and then agonizing over nothing? Just act normal like always. No one's got a problem with you."
Then he cackled loudly.
"Who hits like that, you brute?!"
"Oh yeah? There's the Sylvia who straight-up poisoned me."
Ralph grinned, carrying on the banter.
Did his voice grate?
Ian suddenly hardened his expression and murmured lowly.
"Ralph, quiet."
"Huh? What's up, Captain? My laugh that annoying?"
Shing!
Ian didn't answer, slowly drawing the Twin-Headed Blood Serpent.
Realizing from Ian's demeanor this was no joke...
The squad members, who had been chuckling at Ralph and Sylvia's exchange, sensed the gravity and assumed combat stances one by one.
The strongest in the Latent Dragon Squad was, without doubt, Ian.
No one inside the squad denied it.
Through commanding at the Fire Mountain and his bold choice in the Tower of Trials...
Having bonded with Ian through those events, trust in him had taken root in their hearts.
"Dane, detection magic."
"Got it, Captain."
Wooong!
"Mana, seek out the sinister blades hidden in the forest. Search of Forest."
Blue mana rippled at Dane's incantation, scattering in all directions.
After closing his eyes briefly to focus, Dane reported to Ian.
"Captain, nothing. Probably a false alarm."
If something had triggered the detection magic, there'd have been a reaction.
Despite Dane's spell, nothing stirred around them.
"...Hmm, really? Damn, was I too on edge? Overreacted, huh..."
Ian lowered his sword quietly at Dane's words, leaning against a tree.
As he closed his eyes to relax his muscles, he suddenly snapped them open, reversing his grip on the sword and thrusting fiercely behind the tree.
Pshuk!
A heavy sensation, not empty air—but slicing through living flesh.
"...No chance!"
As if he'd known it was there all along, Ian spun, swinging both blood serpents.
Slashslashslashslash!
Had it never imagined Ian would swing?
The troll, caught defenseless in his strike, spewed blue blood and rolled its eyes back.
"Krrrk...!!"
"W-what?!"
Dane panicked at the staggering, bleeding troll dragged out, glancing between his hands and the creature.
The forest detection magic still glowed blue.
It should've turned red upon detecting enemies, yet it shone blue even with the bleeding troll right there—like a blind monk.
"H-how is this possible?"
"Stealth."
Slash!
Ian extended a blood serpent fully, severing the troll's head, and stated calmly.
"Elder Rocerto said it: Mages from the tower, moving in groups of ten, all vanished. Even if trolls resist magic well, surviving the barrage from that many mages doesn't add up."
Enough firepower to skewer even large monsters.
For them to die without resistance, all at once?
Troll magic resistance alone couldn't explain it.
Especially with escorts along.
Even in the worst case, some should've escaped by holding trolls off.
But total annihilation?
Only one answer.
Surrounded airtight, trapped inescapably, wiped out in seconds.
"Th-then! How'd you know trolls were here?"
"Simple."
Splatter!
Ian shook troll blood from his sword onto the ground and said flatly.
"Since arriving here, not a single grass insect chirp."
Grass insects are lowly, yet their senses surpass humans'.
Evolved for survival as the weak in nature.
No matter how trolls masked their scent with stealth, they couldn't fool insects.
Their potent stench coursing deep within would've been detected.
Proof: Insect sounds reached right up to their approach...
But silence fell upon arrival.
"Just that...?"
Dane stared incredulously. Then why use his magic?
Ryu An Pallkion patted Dane's shoulder.
"You saw plenty at Fire Mountain. That's all Captain needs."
Ryu An asked Ian.
"So, what's the plan? Trolls hiding here already in this narrow pass means the Heavenly Flower Squad on the wide path'll face heavier prep."
"Hmm..."
For some reason, less than a day into the fork.
Still at the birch forest entrance, yet ambushed aggressively.
Hard to chalk up to mere human grudge.
Such blind rage without control wouldn't have endured years—instead, they'd have charged Iron Face, dooming their tribe.
Thus, the situation now...
'Either we look like easy prey, or they're desperate enough to attack.'
Ian pondered deeply, then shook his head vigorously.
Overthinking wasn't his style.
"We'll ask the others why."
"Huh? Others?"
"Told you: No insect sounds since we got here."
Rustle, rustle!
Squad eyes trembled anxiously at the shaking bushes.
"One troll couldn't silence that many insects, right?"
No sooner had Ian spoken than trolls emerged, encircling the Latent Dragon Squad.
"Krrrrk...!!"
Perhaps enraged by their fallen comrade, massive killing intent poured from the previously undetectable trolls.
"Krrk, kill them!!"
"Krrk, vengeance for Bruda!!"
So the dead troll was Bruda.
"They strike first, then cry foul. Hilarious."
Ian eyed the charging trolls and shouted to his squad.
"Judging by size, these are young, immature trolls. You won't need me babysitting like at Fire Mountain, right?"
The entire squad replied in unison.
"Of course not!"
"Good, then it's settled."
Ian gripped his twin blood serpents.
"Bring 'em to their knees. Got questions—better have some intact mouths left."