Chapter 111
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Moonlit Howling Night (2)
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After the gates of Copet Village swung open, the people hurried inside, steering clear of the Bartan's corpse.
The injured gathered at a makeshift clinic near the entrance. Considering nearly ten Bartans had appeared, the damage wasn't too severe.
I gazed at the Bartan corpse nearby.
Black blood oozed from its massive maw lined with razor-sharp teeth. Even in death, it radiated menace.
As I examined the corpses, something odd caught my eye.
Dark mana lingered on their coarse hides.
Activating Visible Mana made the traces even clearer—like something had burned pitch-black and left scorch marks behind.
It resembled the residue from Kaela's magic that I'd seen before.
A bad premonition stirred, so I checked the other bodies.
The mana traces were heaviest on the largest Bartan, fading with size. They were growing fainter over time, but their presence alone felt ominous.
The Gatra corpses from before hadn't shown anything like this.
"Push harder! Pull from there!"
Cries of exertion echoed one after another.
Three soldiers were clinging to the largest Bartan corpse, trying to drag it away.
No matter how they pushed and pulled the ropes, it wouldn't budge.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Max suddenly appeared behind the sweating soldiers.
He towered a full head above them, and the intimidated soldiers faltered back in surprise.
Max gripped the nape of the Bartan that even three men couldn't shift, hoisted it up with a grunt, and began dragging it off.
The soldiers gaped, speechless in astonishment.
"Th-thank you. Incredible strength."
One managed a grateful nod, but Max just gave a low "Mm" and hauled the corpse away in silence.
A true Bear Loran. His power dwarfed that of any Denan soldier.
I followed to see how they'd dispose of the bodies and whether the mana traces would vanish properly.
The corpses were piled in a clearing not far from the barricade.
The foul stench wafting from them assaulted my nose anew.
Once Max set down the final one, a waiting soldier drew an ignition tool to incinerate them.
It was a magic device made of two rods, designed to spark magical flames.
Just clashing them together ignited a fire—perfect for starting blazes with scant fuel or in windy conditions.
"Wh-what's wrong with this?"
But for some reason, no flame took hold. Sparks flew with each clack, clack, but that was it.
The flustered soldier struck them repeatedly, to no avail.
I sighed inwardly as I watched.
Invisible to others, my eyes clearly saw the mana leaping from the rods getting smothered by the aura emanating from the Bartan corpses.
At this rate, properly disposing of the magical beast remains would be impossible.
I timed it perfectly, adding a touch of my own mana as the soldier clashed the rods.
No finger movements, no mana circle at my feet—but it worked.
"Oh! There we go."
The dying spark flared bright, igniting the Bartan corpse.
The mana-infused flames rapidly consumed the bodies, sweeping away the lingering black smoke-like traces.
Relief washed over me. Incineration seemed to handle it normally.
That's when I sensed Max's gaze.
He looked at me briefly before turning and heading toward the village entrance—likely toward the Echo Inn, our rendezvous point.
"Ah, let's go together...!"
I called out to halt him, then beckoned Ash, who was still batting around his little ball.
Ash waddled over with the ball in his mouth and dropped it onto my palm.
'Just a bit more and I could've shredded it.'
"Looks like you won't get the chance."
The ball was scratched up but perfectly intact.
I tucked it into my bag and hurried to Max's side with Ash in tow.
Max had paused at the entrance, waiting silently for me.
"Heading to the Echo Inn... right?"
I asked cautiously, in case he had other business, but he merely nodded.
As he started walking, the crowd parted for him naturally. Walking beside him was surprisingly comfortable.
Copet's streets were narrow and raucous.
Soldiers, merchants, and villagers shouted and bustled every which way.
We passed the clinic at the entrance, but Wedin was nowhere in sight.
He must've already gone to the inn.
"The horse."
"Pardon?"
I glanced up at Max, realizing I'd reacted too quickly.
Max repeated himself in his slow drawl.
"Left the horse at the public stable. Best to grab your luggage later."
"Ah, thank you. I'll do that."
Max nodded with another "Mm." Few words, but thoughtful and kind.
"You're a Bear Loran, right, Mr. Max?"
I asked, recalling the friendly Black Guard Knight I'd met before.
"Yeah."
"It's my first time seeing one in Lesion Kingdom. Actually, I haven't seen many non-Denans at all."
"Frontier here."
Frontier...
His curt reply ended the exchange, leaving me to mull it over.
Come to think of it, this little frontier village of Copet had an unusual number of non-Denans standing out.
The Luar couple selling vegetables, the Arbat artisan sharpening weapons.
Short Loran merchants with ears and tails swarmed about, yet the villagers paid them no mind.
Had these other races, squeezed out of big cities like Elgrace, been driven to the fringes?
"Max! Liberic! Over here!"
Makina's voice rang from overhead.
Looking up, I saw her waving from the inn's second-floor terrace.
The Silver Guard Knight and Shuren had already arrived and secured a table, waiting for us.
The Echo Inn was a three-story inn-cum-restaurant built midway up the slope.
Its post-mounted lantern flickered fadedly, and the walls looked ready to crumble at a touch.
Yet it was Copet's largest inn and most popular eatery.
Even before the dinner rush, the first-floor hall buzzed with patrons.
"Food's already ordered. Add more if you want."
Makina called out the moment we stepped onto the second-floor terrace.
Unlike the chaos below, the terrace was tranquil.
Copet's ruddy evening sky served as the ceiling, the street's clamor as lively music.
The table where the group sat already held several glasses, a grain salad, and a bread basket.
Max carefully tested a chair before sitting to Makina's right.
Shuren pulled out the seat beside him for me.
"Ash behave?"
"Yeah, just startled some folks."
Ash, who'd followed me right inside, curled up under the chair. Exhausted from ball-chasing, his long tail drooped limply.
"Wedin?"
"Not yet. No holy mage in town. Injuries are light, but it'll take time."
The Silver Guard Knight answered for Shuren.
"No holy mage? In a village hit by magical beasts?"
It was shocking. Even the tiniest hamlets usually had at least one or two.
"Not the only issue."
Makina filled two empty glasses with a red-tinged beverage.
A chilled pre-meal drink to stimulate the appetite—Lesion folk drank it like water.
"Soldiers short-staffed, no workers for repairs. No funds to hire help, no kingdom aid, just beasts overflowing."
Glasses of the drink appeared before Max and me.
I murmured thanks and took a cautious sip. Bitter, whatever the ingredients were.
"Kingdom knights too swamped to bother with us."
Makina grumbled, downing hers in one go.
"They have good reason to be busy."
The Silver Guard Knight replied evenly.
The "big deal" was the dragon in the capital and Kaela's jailbreak.
The knights had been in total disarray since. No bandwidth for a fringe village like this.
"Even so, dragging off the holy mage? Beasts are coming down from the mountains."
"Those Bartans came from the mountains, huh?"
Shuren's eyes gleamed as he asked.
"Way too big. Bartans are common, but not that size."
"Right. They never come this far down usually. Not this often, not growing that huge."
"Pardon us—your orders."
Two servers approached with trays heaped with food.
Makina's dour expression brightened instantly.
"Perfect. Eat first, talk later!"
The dishes Makina had ordered began crowding the table.
Grilled pork and chicken from the brazier, roasted mushrooms and vegetables, spicy meat stir-fry, chicken soup, and more.
Over ten varieties. She'd ordered the whole menu, no doubt.
As I scooped bread and veggies onto an empty plate, Wedin arrived belatedly.
Visibly worn in the short time apart, he trudged over and yanked the empty chair between me and Max.
"Tough work, Wedin."
The Silver Guard Knight passed him a glass of pre-meal tea.
"Thanks." Wedin drank it down and dove into his meal.
I slid some bread from his share onto his plate.
"Lots of injured?"
"Nah. Everyone's fine."
He stuffed food in, swallowed, then answered.
"But then grandpas with backaches and workers with scrapes started showing up."
"Ah, yeah—no holy mage here."
"Mm. Insane, right? The apothecaries saved me from an all-nighter. Pass the chicken."
I portioned chicken onto his plate. Starving, he inhaled it.
Not just him—Shuren, the Silver Guard Knight, Makina, all hearty eaters. Max went without saying.
They demolished the plates at a frightening pace. The "excessive" spread vanished quickly.
"But seriously unexpected. Silver Moon Knights members so young? Both fifteen?"
Makina eyed Wedin and me with wonder.
"Exceptional circumstances."
The Silver Guard Knight replied coolly between slow bites.
"Makes me curious about the story, but classified, I bet?"
"Yes. Impossible."
Her response was utterly straightforward. Makina chuckled, as if used to it.
"Anyway, back to earlier. The Bartans came from the mountains."
"Yeah."
"So the mountains are crawling with ones like that now?"
Shuren, who'd been listening raptly to the Silver Guard Knight and Makina, cut in.
"Bartans would be lucky. You three—and the one downstairs—are this your first crossing the Quint Range?"
Shuren and I nodded, a touch tense. Meanwhile, Wedin focused on his food.
"Squad Leader Makina, a brief explanation, please."
"Gotcha."
At the Silver Guard Knight's request, Makina took a sip of water and cleared her throat with a hem.
She dialed back her playful expression, fixing us with a serious look.