Night of the Soulless Heathens – 33



#33. Black Magic Disaster 4

“hmm.”

Azadin quickly cleared away the hounds and watched what everyone else was doing. After all the hounds that were causing havoc in the formation were defeated it was time to see what the adventurers were capable of.

Indeed the adventurers easily defeated the zombies using the power of the shield.

‘As expected the adventurers are quite skilled. They brought short spears to hunt and their formation was also strong. However….’

This is the forest.

What would happen if attacks came from various angles that could not be withstood by the defense?

In fact if Tarkina Azadin had not intervened and stopped the hunting dogs this situation would have been a loss. Azadin took a step back and compared the adventurers’ skills.

*********

The short battle at the entrance to the village of the sawmill ended. This side was victorious without even a scratch. However everyone was terrified and had expended too much energy in the excitement of the battle.

The undead are so repulsive in their very existence that people become terrified or go berserk just by looking at them.

“This is different from what was promised!”

“Ah let’s go back. This is impossible!”

The merchants who had come to trade with the sawmill and the adventurers they had hired tried to turn back. Kaka Chico and the other Cell Sword Guild members were confused.

“No we were hired to repel wyverns.”

“I can’t just go back!”

“Before the Wyvern there was the Undead. That’s a different story!”

“Still it seems like all the undead have been cleaned up now.”

“No I said that from the point that the undead come out of this forest it’s a place where you don’t know what else will come out. Right now zombies are coming out but what if ghosts or phantoms come out later? Are you confident that you can handle it?”

Looking at the overall public opinion everyone including the Wyverns wanted to retreat for the time being.

Living demons are easy to hunt but undead are hard to hunt. They don’t bleed when wounded and their functions only stop when their bodies are completely severed. Above all according to the superstition of the Hybris those killed by undead become undead themselves so everyone fears them more than demons.

“But can I go back?”

Azadin asked them.

“Huh? What is that….”

“uh?”

Only then did the adventurers and merchants realize that their path of retreat had disappeared. They had clearly been walking along the forest path in a straight line but now there were thick trees growing behind them.

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‘The trees have changed positions.’

Azadin knew this would happen from the moment he saw the dark power boiling in the forest.

‘The sorcerer is watching us. It looks like he’s blocked our escape route…’

Azadin could sense the sorcerer’s hatred for these merchants.

‘They plan to kill us all.’

If these people really enslaved and exploited women just because they were of the herald clan bloodline and even passed down the children born from them as slaves…

It’s the death penalty.

No matter how kind-hearted Azadin is he doesn’t want to leave them alive. However…

‘I can’t let him die before the investigation progresses. I have to keep him alive until the investigation is over.’

Azadin thinking so looked at the merchants’ reactions.

“Eww! What happened?”

“We are all dead now!”

“The length of time has disappeared? It was definitely there.”

The merchants were terrified and ordered the adventurers to turn back the way they came. The adventurers were displeased with such a treatment as arrow-catchers but they were also curious so they all turned back and went as they were told. And soon they came back.

“The length of the machine has disappeared.”

“There is a road that is not a road but it is too narrow and dangerous.”

When a large number of people pass through a narrow path the line inevitably becomes long. If they are attacked by surprise they will be annihilated without a fight.

“First of all since this place is big let’s stay in this town for a while.”

Although Azadin said so the merchants and adventurers shook their heads.

“Oh no!”

“This is where the messenger woman was.”

“It’s that woman. It must be that woman! As expected from the cursed messenger clan. I knew it!”

The merchants were afraid and pretended not to listen to Azadin’s words.

“Let’s get out of here quickly. This town is ominous.”

“That’s right.”

“But the way back seems too dangerous.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have a compass.”

“Can’t it work out somehow?”

The merchants cried out that they should go back despite the adventurers’ opposition.

Azadin thought that these merchants deserved to die but he couldn’t let them die until things were certain. So he had no choice but to call Tarki aside.

“yes?”

“Hey you try to calm people down.”

“Yes? Me?”

“I can’t do it. You a noble have to do it. Your teeth won’t fit.”

“Oh I understand. I’ll try to do it.”

Tarki approached the merchants hesitantly.

“Come on you lowly things. Pay attention for a moment.”

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“….”

The merchants who had been terrified and panicked all shut their mouths for a moment.

“I am Tarki son of the Count of Kazel. My life is on a different level from the lives of flies like you. Why should you care about the lives of insignificant creatures like you when I am prepared to risk my life to investigate this place? Come investigate this place with us and become a living witness to the scene where I uncover the secrets of this place and gain glory as a knight. It will be a story that even lowly people like you can brag about for generations to come.”

*********

Thanks to Tarki’s encouragement(?) many of the merchants insisted on going back the way they came with the mercenaries they hired and left.

All that remained were the Kaka Chiko siblings Azadin and his party and Tarki who had now been given the mission directly by the Cell Sword Guild.

Tarki wondered why his persuasion rather drove people away.

“Why do they do that?”

“What I want to ask is why can you say that in that situation?”

Azadin was completely amazed by Tarki who was timid but unrivaled when it came to speaking the truth. When a person crosses a certain line their very existence becomes mysterious. How could he speak so foully? He felt like tearing his head off.

“Thanks to that I don’t have to be careful anymore.”

Medium laughed and made a scary sound. If their identities are revealed all they have to do is shut down Kaka and Chico. Of course in this case the rest of the humans will be killed or treated in a similar way so that they lose their ability to speak.

Kaka and Chiko unaware of the inside story sighed.

“Oh brother. Why on earth did you say that? Isn’t it dangerous if people disperse?”

“Then why don’t you go back to the merchants?”

“If there is a spell that obscures the path you came from it is more dangerous to go back.”

As Chico spoke he carefully took out an amulet from his bosom and touched it. It was a roasted lizard amulet used by the shamans of Btuma. It was a primitive amulet that could be eaten when hungry or drawn with ashes. She scraped off some of the ashes and scattered them on the floor.

Even though there was no wind the ash began to move and create waves on the ground like iron filings drawn by a magnet.

“A powerful black magic power dominates this area. It’s only natural seeing as there are undead.”

“Is that so?”

Azadin clicked his tongue and looked around the sawmill. There was a huge water saw installed there to split the trees. Around the water saw were workshops dormitories and warehouses.

however….

The warehouse door was rattling. Someone inside was knocking on the locked warehouse door from the outside. Everyone approached nervously their weapons drawn.

“Are you undead?”

“Is there anyone out there? I’m a person!”

A young woman’s voice was heard from inside the warehouse.

“Is that the undead that speaks?”

“I’m a real person! I’m a knight of the King’s Church!”

“A knight of the King’s Church?”

Azadin approached the door and removed the lock. The door swung open and a young female knight burst out. She was wearing plate armor so she seemed to be a full-fledged knight rather than a trainee and she was armed with a shield and a small mace.

She was rolling on the floor as soon as Azadin removed the lock having pushed the door open.

“Wow!”

The siblings Kaka and Chiko who were behind her jumped in surprise and avoided her. The female knight was lying on the ground looking pitiful.

“Oh my. Are you okay?”

“Yes. It’s…okay!”

She suddenly jumped up as if struck by lightning and ran towards the bushes before anyone could stop her.

“It is dangerous to act alone.”

“But this is something I have to do alone! Don’t come!”

“ah….”

Azadin realized what she was trying to do and stopped chasing her. She disappeared into the bushes and returned a moment later looking somewhat more calm.

“….”

“Oh that’s because I’ve been locked up for a while.”

“No need to explain.”

When Azadin said that the paladin blushed in embarrassment. It seemed like he needed to go to the bathroom.

“Oh I’m sorry for the late introduction. My name is Maya the parish priest of Salasma.”

If you are the chief officer of a parish you are an officer under the direct command of the bishop and are considered a considerable elite in the king’s church. Unlike other knights you work in the diocese of the bishop that is in a large city and you also receive your salary directly from the diocese so you are the object of envy among the knights.

Paladins who are unable to become officers must travel across vast territories to carry out missions given by their superiors. In the process they must earn their own food clothing equipment maintenance costs and even hay without having a fief.

Given these differences it is only natural that not just anyone would be chosen. Those with outstanding abilities or exceptionally good family backgrounds or those with outstanding appearances that could dazzle the townspeople or those with specialized skills such as tax accounting law or librarians. Only these people could become chief officers.

Azadin asked in wonder.

“How is someone of such high status here?”

“It’s a sacred mission.”

“Then why were you locked in the warehouse?”

“When I was investigating the warehouse the village was attacked by monsters. The people were confused and locked up the warehouse but this is what they had…”

She showed me her mace. It was a very small mace with elegant silver engravings more like an ornament of the upper class than a weapon.

It’s a great weapon for someone without armor but it’s worse than a poker for someone who does. The way she carries this around suggests she’s better suited to paperwork or commerce than combat.

“Of course I have my weapon but that’s on my horse… There were other knights in the village besides me so I didn’t think something like this would happen. I could use the sacred punishment spell to break down this warehouse door but that would put me in danger too. Hmm?”

As she spoke Maya suddenly looked around. Weren’t there traces of blood and slaughter everywhere in the village?