Chapter 4. The Village of Madness (2)

Sura and Roland, having come out of the prison, began heading toward the ruins.

"Hey. Sura. Just a moment ago, that...."

Sura hurriedly put his index finger to his lips so only Roland could see.

Roland then covered his mouth with both hands.

Sura scanned the surroundings for a moment, confirmed no one was there, and whispered to Roland.

"It's strange, Roland. Definitely. Don't trust any of the villagers. Let's just trust each other."

When Roland nodded, Sura moved away from him.

"For now, let's go to the ruins, Roland. We might be able to find something. Since they say the place Arianne went to last was the ruins."

"Let's do that, Sura."

After walking for a while, a ruined castle came into view.

And standing in front of it was some woman.

"Hmm?"

She must have sensed Sura and Roland approaching, as she turned her head.

"Who is it?"

When Sura asked, she said:

"I'm a mercenary who came to solve the incident happening in this village. I'm a mid-level mercenary named Mistel."

She said that while showing her mercenary badge. Mistel.

"I see. Mistel. We also came to solve this problem. What are you doing here?"

"If you came here, you should know, right? This ruin is the place Arianne visited last, the day before she went mad, isn't it?"

Saying that, Mistel pointed at the ruins with her finger.

"I'm thinking of going inside there. What about you two?"

"...We were planning to do the same."

At those words, Mistel clapped her hands.

"That's great. Three is better than one. Let's go together."

Saying that, Mistel walked into the ruined castle.

Sura confirmed she had moved a bit away before speaking to Roland.

"Roland. Don't trust her either. This village. It's quite strange."

"Got it, Sura."

After having that conversation, the two followed Mistel.

As they entered the ruins, an eerie atmosphere enveloped the three.

Mistel, who was looking around for a moment, soon raised her bow.

"Let's go slowly. We don't know what might be in here."

Just as Mistel was about to say something more, Sura brought his index finger to his lips.

A moment of silence followed.

Sura brought both hands to his ears, and as if that wasn't enough, he even pressed his ear against the floor.

"...Someone is here. A significant number. But it's strange. Their footsteps are light."

"Light? Sura? What do you mean?"

"It feels like... just bones walking around. It's that light."

Mistel reacted to those words.

"Skeletons?"

"Hick! Skeletons? Does that mean there's a summoner, a necromancer?"

The situation had become serious.

The three began to move slowly with their bodies lowered.

In the order of Sura, Mistel, and Roland.

"Ugh. I'm scared a skeleton might pop out from behind."

"Be careful, Roland. If one appears, stick Durendal at it."

"Got it, Sura."

"Quiet. Skeletons are surprisingly sensitive."

The three moved like that.

A while later, they heard the sound of someone walking from afar.

"As we discussed, Mistel. You shoot an arrow to attack first.

If the skeleton reacts, I'll rush in and take care of it. Roland, keep watch in case reinforcements come."

"Got it, Sura."

"Will do."

Arriving in front of a fork in the road, Sura carefully poked his head out to check ahead.

He saw a skeleton moving with only bones, devoid of flesh.

When Sura signaled, Mistel poked her head out and drew her bowstring, aiming at the skeleton.

And soon, the arrow was fired.

Piuuuuuung!

Kwak!

The arrow stuck right into the skeleton's head, but the skeleton didn't fall.

Instead, it looked around as if angry, confirmed the party's presence, and started rushing toward them.

Sura immediately drew his sword.

The skeleton wouldn't die unless its head was completely destroyed.

Naturally dodging the sword the skeleton was holding, Sura slashed in a straight line from the top of the skeleton's head to its crotch.

Just in case, he even used Chivalry while swinging his sword.

Pasak!

The skeleton was cleanly sliced and crumbled.

"Oh. That's impressive. You? Even Chivalry?"

Mistel marveled at Sura.

"Amazing, Sura! Let's keep going like this!"

Saying that, Roland looked around.

Meanwhile, Sura recalled the sensation of swinging at the skeleton.

'It was hard. Harder than I thought.'

Perhaps because it was Hard Mode and they had received Lunance's Chivalry, the monsters seemed to be buffed.

'This. This is going to be fun.'

Sura grinned.

The party was roaming inside the castle, smashing skeletons.

The pattern was mostly Mistel shooting an arrow and Sura finishing them off.

Fortunately, the skeletons weren't in groups but roaming one by one, making them easy to deal with.

"Let's keep going like this. Even though we don't know what's inside."

"Let's."

As a result of checking the revealed map. They were already at the middle of the castle. If they went halfway more, they would be able to know the secret of this castle.

"By the way, Mistel."

"What is it?"

"What exactly is your mission content?"

"What do you think? It was also to save the mad people. Mr. Wig requested it directly."

"I mean in detail. I wanted to see if it was similar to ours."

Sura had an intuition.

That something might be different here.

"Hmm. To be precise, it's to save the mad people, but..."

"But?"

"He said there might be something in these ruins and asked me to investigate inside."

"...Roland. Did Mr. Wig tell us that?"

"...No, we definitely came based on what Mr. Gelton said...? Mr. Wig didn't say anything."

It was strange.

Wig hadn't said anything.

As if he had left the investigation freely to them.

No. As if he didn't want anything at all.

Hearing that, Mistel also felt puzzled.

"He definitely told me to investigate this place..."

"..."

Questions only kept piling up in this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠village.

"Strange guys have entered the castle. I'll deal with this later."

The man wearing a robe sighed.

"That aside, Arianne. Are you alive? Even after taking the Moon's Madman Herb."

The man held his head for a moment.

"Ugh. Since I even asked that damn Salin for help... I guess I have to hope it goes well."

Finally, they arrived at the latter part of the castle.

The party arrived in front of a huge door.

"It's been smooth so far, but we don't know about what's ahead. Let's each do some maintenance before we go."

While the two were checking their equipment, Sura checked the experience points ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he had accumulated while coming here.

'Is it level 15 if I level up everything?'

After pressing pause and entering the skill window, Sura completed the level-ups, leaving one out.

It was for a full recovery through leveling up.

It was like preparing a kind of first-aid medicine.

"Are you done? Shall we go?"

"Let's go, Sura!"

"Let's."

Sura carefully opened the door.

"Who is it!"

As soon as the door opened, someone's voice was heard.

An unidentified person wearing a black robe.

Several coffins were placed around him.

"How dare you enter my castle! You must be prepared!"

Saying that, the person wearing the robe. The necromancer deployed magic.

Someone started walking out of the coffin.

A knight walking out while holding its head in its arm. It was a Dullahan.

"Oh my god! It's a Dullahan! Four Dullahans!"

Roland gasped, and Sura immediately drew his sword.

"Roland! How many can you handle? I'll take the rest!"

"One? If I push it, I can handle two!"

"Just hold two for a moment! I'll finish this quickly! Mistel, you shoot arrows from afar!"

"Got it!"

Mistel distanced herself and started shooting arrows, and Sura and Roland each took on two.

Roland was precarious, but he was overcoming the crisis by using the Sura Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique he had been taught.

And Sura was overwhelming the two Dullahans.

"Haaaaaah!"

Deploying Chivalry, he coated his sword with dark red mana.

The power of Chivalry, which cuts even steel, attacks the Dullahan!

Taeng!

The Dullahan's sword blocks Sura's sword.

Unfortunately, the Dullahan could also use Chivalry.

Perhaps because it was a knight who had reached a considerable level in life, the Dullahan's skill was not ordinary.

But the opponent was Sura.

Sura's sword shot out in an instant. The Dullahan was busy blocking it and was instantly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cornered.

"Roland! Where should I break the Dullahan!!!"

At Sura's urgent shout, Roland answered even in the precarious moment.

"The head! The head! But it's really hard, so you have to break it well!"

As soon as he heard from Roland, Sura's sword moved.

A quick blade like a flash of lightning.

Just as the form name suggests, Sura's sword was drawn like lightning,

and that sword ended up cutting the hair the Dullahan was holding.

The Dullahan's head fell to the floor.

"Haaaaaah!"

Sura's sword, fully imbued with Chivalry, struck down at the Dullahan's head, but perhaps because the attack power was weak despite using Chivalry, the sword stopped as it entered.

"Sura! Use the sword you received from Lunance-nim! Will an iron sword work!!! The Dullahan's head is harder than most iron!"

The shout of Roland, who was swinging his sword dizzyingly.

Sura, who hadn't used Lunance's sword because it looked luxurious and he was afraid of causing trouble, and also because he thought an iron sword was enough, quickly equipped Lunance's sword.

And he struck down at the Dullahan's head once again!

"Kuaaaaaaagh!"

The Dullahan, the owner of the head, was engulfed in black smoke, and soon all that remained was the Dullahan's armor.

"Roland, wait a little!"

While Sura was approaching the remaining one, the necromancer tried to deploy some magic.

"Where do you think you're going!"

"Kuaaaagh! Don't interfere!"

Fortunately, thanks to Mistel's arrow suppression, the necromancer's magic came to nothing, and the necromancer started deploying magic that didn't require a preparation process.

"It's a Fireball! Sura! Dodge!"

As Sura turned his head, the necromancer's fireball flew toward him.

After thinking for a moment, Sura instead stared intently at the fireball.

Even though the Tusu were excited, Sura stared blankly at the fireball.

And soon, he imbued his sword with Chivalry and deflected it accurately!

The fireball hit the Dullahan precisely.

"Kuaaaagh!"

The Tusu from Elderbook. The Specters decided to hear Sura's explanation later and continued watching.

"Damn it!"

The Dullahan's movements seemed to have slowed down because it was hit by the fireball, and Sura, not missing that opportunity, succeeded in cutting off the Dullahan's head with Lunance's sword.

"Done! Roland! I'll take one Dullahan!"

"Uaaaaaagh! I'm going to die, Sura! I'm dying!"

While Sura and Roland were slicing up the remaining Dullahans, Mistel and the necromancer were fighting, exchanging attacks.

"Damn! To think all the Dullahans were defeated!"

"Die! Necromancer!"

Mistel's arrow was fired, and the necromancer deployed a shield ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spell to block it.

Meanwhile, Sura and Roland joined in, and the three completely cornered the necromancer with fierce attacks.

"Stop! Stooooop!"

"Stop what! Die!"

".... Wait a minute."

Arianne's note came to mind at that moment.

Sura's sixth sense was gradually strengthening.

Sura spread his hand to the two and instructed them to stop attacking.

"What's wrong, Sura! We're almost there!"

"Roland is right. Why are you doing this?"

"Something's strange. Why did we come here in the first place?"

"...Because Arianne came here?"

Then, the necromancer, who had been in a near-death state, suddenly raised his head.

"Arianne? What did you just say? Why is that name coming out of your mouths?"

Sura, who had stopped the two, approached the fallen necromancer.

"Hey. Do you know Arianne?"

"Of course! She is my friend!"

"She is currently locked up in the village dungeon because she went mad. Did you know about that situation?"

At those words, the necromancer opened his mouth.

"No! She didn't go mad! The villagers! The villagers are the ones who are mad!"

The case was reversed.