Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Northern Threat 1
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As soon as the wind and rain let up, the mosquitoes started swarming again with a vengeance.
Scott and Shati cast spells to drive off the approaching insects, while Azadin rode atop the Kerim mountain goat, sequentially activating the copies of the New King Battle Scriptures he carried to refine the mana within his body.
Ever since he'd begun circulating the potent white mana accumulated in the New King Battle Scripture copies to strengthen his internal mana, techniques like Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon and the Kazas Style had grown steadily more powerful.
At first, the improvement had been subtle, barely noticeable, but now it was unmistakably clear.
Still, it was hard to concentrate while on the move like this.
Arael's words lingered in Azadin's mind.
If what she said was true, then Aldis and Kazas—figures who had served as his mental pillars—were ultimately just pieces in the Elder Council's scheme.
They might be good people individually, but the Council's intentions were unmistakably wicked, so those loyal to it were dipping their toes into evil as well.
'Nagas attacking Btuma, and the Two Leaders trying to seize Btuma's royal throne... Hmm, how do I stop that? And if I end up confronting the Two Leaders, can I really thwart their ambitions? What happens if my master or Aldis sides with them? I've returned to service as the Emperor's 2nd Herald for now, but I could fall under the curse of reenlistment again...'
His thoughts grew tangled. He'd stepped forward with the resolve to save people, but truthfully, he had no sharp plan.
He was putting on a brave front because if he showed anxiety, everyone following him would tremble in fear—but in reality, Azadin was venturing into uncharted territory himself.
'The Verdant Banner Party seems to have considerable influence, so if I could leverage them for some support, that would be ideal.'
But would it really work out? If Arael's words held true, gathering a large number of Verdant Banner members could prove dangerous in its own right.
Just then, a voice snapped Azadin out of his reverie.
*********
"Uh... fine weather we're having."
A group of armed men camping by the roadside, with a bonfire lit, greeted Azadin's party. They were at the vague border between Adilof Herald and the Btuma Kingdom.
The men, clad in fairly decent armor and armed with hunting bows and arrows as they tended the fire, looked odd—not quite like hunters, given the heavy plating.
'Just a band of thieves. They're on guard because we've got numbers.'
Azadin clocked them as bandits but returned the greeting without picking a fight.
"Fine day indeed. We're headed to Btuma—any news?"
"If you're asking for news, watch your backs. Madmen turning into monsters killed some folks we knew and fled toward Btuma."
"Madmen turning into monsters? Werewolves, you mean?"
"No, not quite like that..."
"Or maybe old tree folk?"
Azadin mentioned tree folk, but they shook their heads again.
"Not that either. All we know is, they're some kind of horrific beasts. See that over there?"
"......"
Azadin spotted a tree snapped by the roadside. Something was smeared on it—bloodstains, faded by time and the recent storm. The downpour from yesterday must have washed them away.
"They ambushed our brothers... flew right into that tree and got smashed. The trunk snapped, and the man was just..."
"We tried collecting his body for burial, but we had to scrape up the pieces and bag them."
The bandits shuddered as they spoke.
"They've been showing up nonstop along the Btuma-Korasar border, slaughtering people left and right. Stay sharp."
"We're hunting for revenge too, but honestly... we're losing confidence."
"I see."
Azadin clicked his tongue at their tale.
These were clearly thieves, yet they had some code of honor. Charging into a hopeless fight over a brutally slain comrade.
'Still, their gear's solid—means they're pretty confident in their skills.'
Azadin approached the tree to check for any remnants.
He quickly spotted a bit of flesh lodged in the bark's crevices. Though long detached from its body, the chunk writhed like a leech, its glossy surface undulating.
Azadin knew this type of Nether kin well.
"Hmm... this is..."
"What is it?"
"Sir Zivek, any idea what this might be?"
"Ah, this is..."
Zivek grimaced at the worm-like flesh.
"Sir Zect?"
"Not Zect himself, no."
"Why do you think that, sir?"
"Well, from the King's Church inquisitor's perspective, the change of thrones in Korasar would be a bigger deal than coming to Btuma. And I doubt that flashy guy would ditch his gilded armor. If it were Zect, we'd hear tales of a gold-plated holy knight on the prowl. He's probably headed Korasar way himself, and these are stragglers acting separately."
"Makes sense."
Zivek nodded, impressed by Azadin's logic.
Azadin had a knack for piecing together situations from scant clues, every time.
Even Zivek, a trained holy knight, couldn't match that level of insight.
"Better prepare anyway."
Still astride the fidgeting goat, Azadin trimmed a branch into a bolt, fitted an iron tip, and readied a steel greatbow pulled from his heavy crossbow.
"W-what are you doing?"
Jiswa asked Azadin, flustered.
"Getting ready for battle. No need to worry—it's nothing major."
"R-really? Battle prep isn't 'nothing'!"
It wasn't just Jiswa; the refugees and Verdant Banner members grew uneasy too.
"What's this? You Banner boys bragging about chasing off local thieves and beasts while shaking down travelers—now you're quaking?"
"W-well..."
"We patrol, so the thieves clear the roads to avoid us."
"So no real combat experience?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
"Then you've just been bullying the weak all this time. Relax—I'll make men of you yet."
"Y-yes, sir."
"Uh, that is..."
The Verdant Banner members recalled the splintered tree, the flesh stuck in it, and the bandits' gear from the roadside camp.
Unlike their ragtag bunch, the thieves had top-notch equipment. Even battle-hardened bandits couldn't handle whatever this was—they had no desire to prove their 'manhood' against it...
But their current Banner master was Azadin. And it was too late to turn tail now.
"Funny when it's someone else's story."
Shati, dragged along by Azadin, snorted at the cowed Banner men.
*********
"Gr... grrr... Impossible. We... offspring of the Fang King... far stronger than you humans."
A bloodied ogre denied reality.
Offspring of the Fang King: vast hordes of ogres, hobgoblins, and goblins had descended the mountains.
These mountain-dwellers, who raised yaks, would form massive raiding armies whenever hunger struck, marching down the paths to plunder humans—a routine affair.
Yet now, they were being massacred by bizarre humans. No—human-shaped monsters.
"We... with Naga Empire... raid Btuma. If you're our allies... you're making huge mistake now."
"Kekeke. Do we look like Kurt Pantheon cultists to you?"
"You hear that? An ogre begging for its life!"
The human-shaped monsters who crushed the ogre horde laughed.
"Then you're just humans? Ogres eat, humans get eaten. No other way."
-Kwachik!
The man shoved his arm into the babbling ogre's mouth.
Then expanded it. Crimson-black worms writhed, surging into the ogre's body, devouring it from within.
The ogre thrashed in agony, but with its limbs already pulverized, it was futile.
"Hoo."
The man surveyed the surroundings. Over fifty goblin corpses, three ogres—all dispatched with ease.
"Incredible haul. Like something out of legend—I, of all people, pulling it off."
The speaker was Doneir, once self-proclaimed Bandit King along the Lantarik-Salasuma border.
"Yes. We're getting... stronger too..."
Doneir's men reveled in their power atop goblin corpse piles.
Victory's euphoria and omnipotence, mingled with the carnal thrill of black worms from their bodies feasting on flesh—it numbed their reason.
"With this power, I don't feel we'd lose to anyone."
"Right. Not even that inquisitor bastard."
Their 'inquisitor' was Zect, judge of the corrupted King's Church.
Transformed into monsters by Zect's hand, they now lurked at Btuma's border per his orders. The frontier, where King's Radiance shone weakest. Here, they preyed on people and beasts alike, building strength and gathering intel.
"So what now? We wouldn't lose to that inquisitor anymore. Still obey and sit tight here?"
"No, let's build power here a while longer. King's Radiance torments us, after all."
Doneir's heart grew conflicted.
He felt King's Radiance keenly now—precisely because it pained them.
The implication was clear: they were no longer human, but monsters.
Yet that ever-growing monstrous power awakened their ambitions and greed.
Even as mere humans, Doneir and his crew had reveled in tormenting and assaulting others.
The violence and torture they'd inflicted on Brand and the locals was unspeakably horrific.
Already mad with violent frenzy, they'd merely gained flesh befitting their souls. And that spelled disaster for travelers passing through.
"Hm?"
Doneir spotted a distant group approaching: some armed, some not, too ragged for merchants—refugees, by the look.
"More guests. Snag 'em and kill."
Doneir licked his lower lip.
Forgetting Zect's command for the moment, ignoring their lot as monsters hounded by King's Radiance—he just craved the thrill of violence.
Spurred by desire, Doneir and his men charged down the hillside path.