The Forest's Iron Mask
‘What if I enhance my hunter knowledge?’
The knowledge from my hunter days was actually the most helpful by far.
The crafting blueprints and abilities were all based on that hunter knowledge too.
The problem was, it was knowledge I had accumulated, so I had no clue what enhancing it would do.
On top of that, it was legendary grade.
Enhancing something at legendary grade? No way to predict the outcome.
‘Guess I’ll find out when I try.’
So I gritted my teeth and gathered hunter points.
Just 5 left now.
I felt a bit of excitement, honestly.
But Lena seemed kinda down for some reason.
I cleared the system message and spoke to her.
“Lena, if we hadn’t killed that guy, we’d be the ones dead. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“Pardon? No, it’s not that…… I was just thinking about the old days.”
“Huh? The old days?”
Her attitude told me I’d misread the situation.
But she quickly changed the subject, like it was no big deal.
“I’ll handle the knight’s stuff…… Ah, nothing worth taking.”
Lena looked a little disappointed.
A knight might have something decent.
But everything had burned up—nothing left.
“Can’t be helped. You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”
“Of course not! I was right by your side, Theo-nim.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here now. If Viscount Haft’s army shows up, it’ll be a headache.”
I got Lena back on the black earth horse and hurried away.
But the system messages weren’t done yet.
As we left, I calmly read the messages from the soul-tracking doll.
New network configuration completed.
2 Information Collection Magic Dolls integrated into the network.
Numerous stored information detected.
[Sellevan’s conference room conversation]
[Seize’s supply depot conversation]
[Stain’s lab soliloquy]
[Frail’s conversation with soldiers]
……
Would you like to review the collected information?
Today was gonna be a long one.
The two information collection dolls I’d left at Baron Sellevan’s castle.
They’d reconnected.
Boom—
An explosion shaking the forest.
The pre-planted flame burst mines going off.
“Argh! What the hell is this?!”
“Is that…… it? Why us?!”
“Th-the Iron Mask’s coming…… Iron Mask. We all die if Iron Mask shows up—run! We gotta run!”
“I don’t wanna die! Get lost! I’m breaking the contract—send me back!”
Viscount Haft’s army fell into total chaos from a single blast.
The supply unit’s composition had changed a bit from before.
Haft’s soldiers mixed with mercenaries.
“Regroup! Anyone who runs gets their head chopped off! Don’t fall ba—gurk!”
An arrow lodged in the commander’s throat.
The soldiers froze at the sight.
Clack-clack—
The black earth horse emerging from the woods.
It looked way different from that first fight with Swicel.
Riding the black earth horse was the same, but the big change was the iron mask.
I was wearing an iron mask over my face.
No expression visible—the soldiers trembled like they’d met the grim reaper.
“P-please spare us! We were just following orders!”
“Yeah! I got kids waiting at home. Please……”
“My mom’s alone at home……”
It’d been two weeks since that first clash with Swicel.
In those two weeks, a rumor spread through Viscount Haft’s camp.
—The Reaper lives in the forest.
The forest reaper.
Black demon.
Mad bomber, and more.
Lots of nicknames, but one thing in common.
The iron mask.
And that’s me.
Two weeks of blocking supply routes and looting convoys had sparked some weird rumors.
The iron mask I wore to hide my identity only fueled them more.
Not everyone bought the rumors, though.
Especially Viscount Haft’s soldiers—they were different from the mercenaries.
“Wh-what? Just two of ’em?”
“Beat ’em! They ain’t even knights!”
“The bounty on that guy’s head means we’re set for life!”
“Reaper my ass! Let’s see if blades stick in a reaper!”
They figured two was manageable.
But.
Thung-thung-thung-thung-thung—
Sunogi arrows firing at the charging mob.
Splat-splat-splat-splat—
The sunogi bolts hammered in mercilessly.
Plus, the black earth horse’s high-speed dashes made it feel like fighting a black ghost.
Minutes into the fight, Viscount Haft’s troops were collapsing.
“W-we didn’t do anything!”
“Please, we’ll leave right now! So please……”
“Oh, God……”
Mercenaries on their knees, begging.
Some even pissed themselves.
A few Haft soldiers mixed in, but I had no intention of killing them.
War or not, I’m not slaughtering the non-resisting.
Besides.
‘They’re wearing my purification rings, right?’
Some mercenaries had my purification rings on.
Probably the ones who’d stayed at Baron Sellevan’s castle with me.
‘Don’t remember them…… but can’t kill customers.’
Unlike Jacob, their reversed grips pissed me off, but oh well.
Mercs are mercs.
No grudge, no need to kill clients.
“Go.”
Short and simple.
But that one word, and the mercenaries vanished in a flash.
“Thank you! Forest Reaper! Thank you!”
“I won’t forget this grace! I’ll pray east, west, south, north every day!”
“The purification ring really works! Talismans are real! Wearing the purification ring saves you—it’s true!”
Some spouted nonsense, but I ignored it.
No time to spare for the retreating.
“Lena!”
“Yes! I’ll gather it up!”
“Backpack’s here.”
I handed her the backpack, and she swept the cart’s goods into it in seconds.
High-end stuff first, then everything—no discrimination.
Her speed screamed experience.
‘No more knights? Viscount Haft’s army isn’t looking great.’
Two weeks of blockades already.
No extra knight support from Haft.
No mages either.
Probably ’cause I took out Swicel early.
‘Works for me.’
Seemed like Viscount Haft’s side had no Aura Practitioners or higher.
Or some other issue.
Either way, the loot from blocking supplies was massive.
Just selling what I’d gathered so far would net over 1,000 gold easy.
‘War really pays.’
Looking at the bulging backpack, I couldn’t help but smile—out of place for the situation.
“Attacked again?! Damn that iron mask bastard! Some no-name shows up outta nowhere and……”
Commander Page’s face twisted, surrounding Baron Sellevan’s castle.
His beady rat-eyes widened, skinny frame shaking with rage.
Supplies cut off for over two weeks now.
Thought the war was won, but things felt off.
“You’re sure it’s not someone from Sellevan’s side?!”
“Fr-from what we’ve checked, yes.”
“Say it definitively! Definitive!”
Commander Page was in a foul mood.
The war should’ve been wrapped up ages ago, but it dragged weirdly.
No supplies meant low morale, and some freak in the woods was a headache.
“Definite! No one on Baron Sellevan’s side has the power to block supply lines solo!”
“Then where the hell did this Iron Mask come from……? Not sent by Count Arno, right?”
“No. Timing-wise……”
Page’s face contorted like a demon.
Better if it was Arno’s man—at least he’d have an excuse for Viscount Haft.
But no.
Silence hung in the commander’s tent.
Diverting troops to hunt one Iron Mask? Risky.
No guarantee of catching him, and Sellevan’s forces might hit the weakened encirclement.
Stuck between options.
And Iron Mask was a problem, but a bigger one loomed.
“If we had Knight Swicel, Iron Mask would be nothing…… Damn it! Where the hell is Knight Swicel? Why hasn’t he arrived?!”
“Uh, about two weeks ago…… he heard an explosion and rushed out, and since then……”
“You saying Swicel fell to Iron Mask? An Aura Practitioner knight? To some nobody?”
“N-no, that’s not……”
“Shut it! You punks who’ve never seen a real Aura Practitioner know nothing…… Tch. Leading trash like this in a war……”
Page refused to consider Swicel dead.
Aura Practitioners were beyond human limits.
No way one falls to a forest bandit.
If there was a knight who could take an Aura Practitioner, the war would’ve ended already.
Wasting that level on supply raids? Insane.
‘Power beyond Aura Practitioner…… Terrifying to even think.’
Someone like that would’ve just stormed the tent and taken Page’s head.
Some resistance, sure, but at night? No defense.
Page’s mind raced.
‘Where’d it all go wrong?! What do I even report to Viscount Haft?!’
He sighed deep at the communication crystal in the tent.
Might need to request another Aura Practitioner knight from Baron Welden’s front—if they had spare.
‘Food’s running low soon…… Morale’s an issue too.’
Another week passed.
Not pitying Viscount Haft’s internals from the blockade.
Thinking about Baron Sellevan’s side now.
Info from the collection doll at his castle said so.
No changes yet—food must be critically low.
‘Time for me to move.’
Loot from blockades was huge.
Wanted to keep looting supplies, but couldn’t drag it out.
Delay more, and the whole war might turn.
Time to act.
“Lena, gonna make something new. Prep up.”
“Something new…… Potions?”
“Nah. Sunogi. A new sunogi.”
Lena’s eyes sparkled at “sunogi.”
But she followed up quick.
“Undead aside, the current sunogi’s plenty powerful, no?”
Upgrades are nice, but switching familiar gear in combat? Risky.
Especially mid-war.
She was wary, asking.
I knew that, of course.
That’s why it took so long.
Planning this new sunogi.
“Can’t guarantee results…… but it’ll tire out Viscount Haft’s main camp for sure.”
“Main camp? Theo-nim! That’s too dangerous!”
“Relax. We’ll be safe.”
Lena’s head tilted.
Striking the main camp safely? Didn’t compute.
Added for her sake.
“This one’s for ultra-long-range sniping.”
Materials? Plenty.
Haft’s supplies included siege weapon parts.
Perfect for this.
Design done.
Materials ready.
Just make it now.