Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Night Crawler 3
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A boy who still looked too young to be taken seriously openly berated them, and the soldiers flew into a rage.
“What the hell, you little shit?”
With Paladin Zebec standing right there, they didn’t dare charge in, but these were men who had already been plundering civilians. Their eyes, having tasted blood, were bloodshot and gleaming. Without Zebec, they would have pounced on Ismail by now.
Ismail scoffed at their attitude and swung the sword at his waist. It happened so fast, like a bolt of lightning, that the soldiers kept yelling at him even as they blankly watched him slice open the bottoms of their bellies.
What tumbled out from the soldiers’ guts wasn’t blood and entrails, but necklaces, rings, silver cutlery, and the like.
“……”
“Looks like you’ve got a lot of baggage, even while fleeing for your lives.”
Zebec chimed in with sarcasm of his own.
“Ah, well, this is…”
“If we just let it be, it’ll turn to stone, right? Wouldn’t want these treasures buried in the ruins like worthless rocks, so we figured we’d put them to proper use…”
Illiterate thugs always turned into silver-tongued orators when defending themselves. Zebec let out a chuckle.
“For now, let’s head back to our camp and discuss it. Bring the fish, too.”
*********
“Our outpost was attacked by undead too?”
“See? I told you. It’s because the King’s Radiance is weakening.”
Brand puffed up with pride, insisting he’d been right all along.
“No, there’s probably a specific sorcerer behind it.”
Zebec countered Brand’s opinion.
“Necromancers don’t create undead on purpose for attacks like this unless they’re highly organized.”
“But that gives too much credit to black magic. Normal spirit callers can barely manage a handful of undead—the number you could count on your fingers. Creating enough to crush an army? That was impossible when the King’s Radiance was at full strength.”
“…Fine. Let’s say the King’s Radiance is weakening.”
The soldiers listening in jumped in shock as Zebec conceded to Brand’s stubbornness. A paladin admitting the King’s Radiance was fading?
“Anyway, what do we do with these soldiers? Filthy looters.”
Ismail asked Azadin, who was tearing into a raw fish. Azadin chewed the fish bones and all with a crunch, eyeing Ismail.
“You want them dead?”
“What?!”
“You bastards! Who the hell do you think we are?!”
An outraged knight reached for his sword, but Midiam struck first. She kicked him in the gut as he tried to draw, then yanked his blade free and pressed the tip to his throat.
Before the other soldiers could move, Ismail’s curved sword and arrows were already at their throats. The arrowheads nicked their skin, drawing beads of blood.
“Enough. Don’t kill them.”
“……”
Shati, watching the scene, clicked her tongue in amazement.
“Unbelievable. True to the Heralds, ruthless even as kids. Escaping them would be impossible. Stealing that New King’s Scripture from the kid? Forget it.”
“You lot killed the people of Sarasma and looted their goods, right?”
“No, we didn’t kill or take anything ourselves…”
“We just picked up what others killed and took.”
“How much sweat did the miners and craftsmen put into forging this much gold and silver? We couldn’t bear to see their efforts go to waste…”
“Just as every grain holds the farmer’s devotion, doesn’t every ingot carry the miner’s and smelter’s heart?”
“They’d be fine if they just kept their mouths shut. How do these good-for-nothings suddenly turn eloquent when making excuses?”
Azadin sighed and delivered his verdict.
“You’re taking us to the outpost at the bridgehead.”
“What? N-no way!”
“That’s a death sentence!”
Azadin just snorted at their protests.
“Undead are swarming the rear anyway. Head back, and you’re dead.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Last night, Count Lantariq’s army got hit by undead and routed. We barely escaped.”
“……!?”
Zebec clicked his tongue watching Azadin lie as easily as breathing. The problem was, it wasn’t entirely false. He wove truth and lies just right to crush their will to resist.
“Hmm.”
“Your army already razed everything around Sarasma, right? No intact villages nearby. And if there were? Count Sarasma’s soldiers would be there, and they wouldn’t let looters like you live. So follow my lead.”
“A-alright. We’ll guide you to the bridgehead.”
“Good.”
“But, if I may ask… who are you people?”
“Doneir Ana?”
“Doneir, as in…”
“The guy who was captain of the Lantariq guard?”
“Heard he’s been handling that shady business lately.”
They clearly knew who Doneir was—not just the name, but that he was a spy doing the count’s dirty work.
“Yeah. You could say we’re above that Doneir.”
“…….”
Zebec, watching, couldn’t help but admire it. In a situation that could turn bloody any second, to improvise a bald-faced lie like that.
Of course, with overwhelming force on their side, he could afford the confidence, but fooling the soldiers showed real talent for deception.
“He’s got a sharp mind for lies. So why’s he so sincere about saving the people?”
Zebec found himself impressed with Azadin once more.
“A-alright.”
“We’ll guide you. But we’re exhausted and need some rest.”
“Fine.”
Azadin permitted the soldiers’ break and turned to Brand.
“Looks like crossing the river’s off the table. Undead are probably lurking in the water too—can’t make it with a raft of planks.”
Originally, Azadin’s group planned to rest, gather planks for a small raft, tie the horses and goats to it, and cross. The Kora River was wide and grand normally, but Sarasma’s drought had lowered the water enough for a simple raft.
But with corpses turning undead, they’d walk the riverbed and drag crossers under. A raft would just capsize.
“The bridgehead outpost should have proper boats. We’ll secure one and cross. Or we might have to take down whoever’s controlling the undead.”
*********
By the time the soldiers recovered, night had fallen.
“G-going to fight undead at night? That’s insane.”
The soldiers balked, but Azadin glanced back and frowned.
“No time. Undead are closing the net from behind too.”
“What?”
“This is actually better. It’s not just undead—they’re mixed with living sorcerers. Night’s darkness will distract them.”
Azadin figured the undead’s strategic moves meant a sorcerer was deliberately controlling them, not spontaneous.
Undead strengthened at night, but sorcerers’ sight and senses weakened, so overall, night movement favored them. But that assumption went wrong from the start.
“Azadin.”
Midiam sent out a Foresight Bird and clicked her tongue.
“There’s reconnaissance magic like the Foresight Bird up.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Dead birds are flying around.”
Dead crows circled the skies, scouting. Approaching carelessly meant instant detection.
“Not bad. A powerful necromancer, huh? Probably an orc.”
Mentioning orcs made everyone shudder.
“Those smart monsters?”
“…….”
“Wait. Can’t just let that slide.”
Naga Shati puffed out her chest proudly.
“We’re smarter.”
She claimed nagas outsmarted orcs. Not admitting her identity in front of the soldiers, though.
“Yeah, sure.”
Azadin ignored Shati, nocked an arrow.
“You’re shooting an arrow? At birds flying that far?”
The guiding soldiers freaked out. The moon was bright, but distance perception suffered. Hitting ground targets was hard enough—let alone a crow flitting in three dimensions.
But Azadin’s arrow struck, dropping the crow from the sky.
“……?”
“W-what?”
The soldiers gaped at the feat of downing such a tiny target. Azadin didn’t stop, firing shot after shot to fell every scouting bird.
“Impossible.”
“Only Heralds pull off archery like that, right?”
“…….”
Zebec gave a wry smile.
“Alright, let’s move.”
Azadin pointed ahead.
“Midiam, Ismail. Head north to that forest and wait. If the black mage comes to scout with their own eyes, you’ll spot them.”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
Ismail and Midiam moved to the ambush point Azadin designated.
“So what about us?”
“We’re the bait, obviously.”
“What?!”
“Let’s thin out some undead.”
As Azadin spoke, undead emerged from the outpost.
Recent outpost soldiers of Count Lantariq’s army, their attendants, and even worse-off locals—staggering forward.
There were a lot of them.
“Like an army from hell!”
Brand said, gripping his spear and standing by the soldiers.
“You okay, old man?”
“Don’t worry. Gotta do something.”
Brand faced the undead horde.