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Chapter 392: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (3)

“No. We will continue to march. However, we will slow down a little. It’s already getting late. Has it been confirmed in which direction the Eberian forces moved?”

“The reconnaissance unit is checking, but it’s still in the air. There have been reports of large troops passing through Laios, but after the fog entered…”

“So, they’re really heading towards the Republic.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“What about the Castle Rock front?”

“I haven’t received any letters yet.”

“We have to wait for good news to come. How about the other units?”

“It’s the same. Currently, the retreat route and supply routes are being cut off due to the fact that the enemy’s military force and exact location are not known. There is also information about dragon sightings.”

“A dragon…”

I adjusted the sword on my waist.

‘It’s too quiet.’

The whole situation felt like it was being designed just as how I wanted it to be.

Although the ground we had to cover was wide, we managed to surround the enemy troops, and it seemed that they were actually feeling the pressure. Not only was their supply line cut, but the reinforcement forces also had no holes to enter from.

Troops deployed little by little from all over the eastern front strangled the enemy and kept their surroundings in check, so it was impossible for them to breathe.

The only thing the enemy could do was to move forward.

‘Because their retreat is blocked.’

It wasn’t because of the fog.

However, it had been so quiet that this forest, entirely covered with silence, was enough to make me feel strange anxiety.

It was convincing enough that the troops were roaming this area. No, it was obvious that it was to get rid of the soldiers that were pursuing them as much as possible.

With few traces left behind and combined with the fog, this place was the best place for them to hide.

However, that was all. It was only about buying some time when I thought about their inability to break through the tight siege.

I had the possibility of guerrilla warfare in mind, but I couldn’t even find any signs of attempting to fight or reconnaissance.

‘Strange.’

If I were to think about the hand that the enemy had, the fact that they moved like that was unfounded.

“Let’s stop for a moment.”

At that moment, a negative thought passed through my mind.

‘No. The enemy is here.’

Information was constantly coming in that traces of small forces had been discovered.

“Is there anything bothering you?”

“Where is the closest ally?”

“It is confirmed that there is a troop led by Choon-wi in the vicinity. I know they are coming from the southwest, but…”

“I think it would be nice if they join together with us. No, we better wait for them here. We will set up a camp. Let the soldiers rest. It’s just five hours.”

“Yes. I relay your orders.”

“Send reconnaissance troops around. If they see any unusual signs of activities, they are to report it right away.”

“I knew it. You’re being bothered by something…”

“Yes. I am. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but it seems that the concentration of magic here is a little too high. Is this area always infested with such a thick fog?”

“Yes, this is normal. Not as much as today, but you can think of it as normal.”

‘Strange.’

It wasn’t just my imagination—the feeling of something prickling all over my body. When I took a deep breath, thick air would come in, causing me to feel dizzy.

Unpleasantness from no apparent reason flowed. It was not because of the damp ground or air.

Looking around, I noticed the others were in a similar situation.

I thought it was just because of the tension, but my body kept sending out signals that it was uncomfortable.

‘Damn.’

“It’s annoying.”

My voice had protruded without even knowing it. I felt even more surprised after I spat it out of my mouth.

That was when a noisy sound started to come from behind. However, I didn’t really care. I was used to such a fuss now.

“What’s going on?”

“It looks like a monster has appeared.”

“Is it the eighth already?”

“Yes.”

“I know that the monsters in this area are relatively docile… Handle- no, I’ll take a look at it myself.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No. I want to check it with my own eyes.”

I moved swiftly towards the commotion.

After reaching the rear ranks, I immediately saw people surrounding the monster.

Of course, what stood out more than the group was the intermediate, fairly large-sized monster.

Its red eyes looked to be drowning in rage. Although it repeatedly screamed and resisted, it couldn’t fight a large number of humans.

It was up against no ordinary humans, after all. It was fighting a squad of elites.

It was only natural for a monster to succumb when faced with such powerful forces. Just as I was about to take out my sword, I heard a voice addressing me.

“There’s no need to do that. I will take care of it myself.”

I turned to follow the sound and saw the lieutenant approaching the commotion.

However, more crimson-colored eyes came into view. It was not just them. Little by little, everyone’s eyes were becoming bloodshot.

‘Something’s wrong.’

I could feel it.

Until now, I hadn’t been able to detect it properly, but the more I looked around, the more I saw strange occurrences. Lost in my own thoughts, the monster screamed.

“Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Investigate the monster you’ve caught. Afterward, if you see other monsters, capture them immediately as well. Investigate what kind of magic or curse they’re being affected by. Check if any soldiers are experiencing physical or mental problems. Check all the water and food supplies that we have.”

“There are no signs of magic or curse. Both water and food supplies are normal as well…”

“Alchemy. Does your unit have any wizard with alchemy knowledge? It doesn’t matter who they are. Make them analyze the monster as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll let them know immediately.”

‘Something’s not right.’

There had been some subtle body changes on the troops.

Of course, they hadn’t been greatly affected yet, but whatever it was, it wasn’t the kind that could be laughed off.

The moment I realized that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had an in-depth knowledge of alchemy, my anxiety began to amplify. I felt like we’ve walked into a trap.

It could easily be if I assumed that the enemy forces set up a trap aiming at squads that would come from the main unit. However, I couldn’t think entirely like that.

‘Is he throwing Castle Rock away to get us?’

Currently, it was safe to say that the enemies were all moving in a hurry.

The Siege of Castle Rock had already begun a long time ago, and they already knew that the main unit would head to the capital after the siege.

It was the perfect time to fight.

To keep the grounds equal, they had to deliver a blow against the Republic. It wasn’t the enemy’s main force, but it was our task to stall for time with the incoming troops.

They knew better than anyone else that the more time it took, the more disadvantageous their situation became.

The enemy’s actions in the forest seemed to wish for us to remain in it. It felt more like they were trying to hold down the Republic’s troops.

‘There are a lot of numbers to call it a bait force.’

It was quite large in scale as well.

I would only be exaggerating a little bit if I said it had the scale to affect the entire main unit.

It was even more probable to be a bait force if I were to think about the selection’s splendor.

Although the exact number had not yet been determined, it merely wasn’t profitable for their side to use such forces large enough to be used in siege warfare, to tie up several squads’ feet.

‘What the hell is your intention? Why…’

“Er… Katya.”

“Yes?”

Just as the wizard was about to continue talking, a hole was pierced into her forehead.

“Er…”

“…”

“Prepare to fight!”

“Prepare for battle!”

An arrow had been impaled into her head. A loud voice echoed across the vicinity before she could even fall to the ground.

“Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!!”

“Where did the arrows come from?!”

“From the northeast. Northeast!”

“Arm yourselves. We will check the exact location of enemy troops, where they set up the camps, and where their troops are.”

“Yes, sir.”

As I was giving out commands, a volley of arrows had flown into our location again, striking ally soldiers down.

“Damn. Let’s move quickly. Pull back the troops for now to the other side. Spread as much as possible to avoid being mass-massacred by the arrows, and don’t stop moving!”

“Retreat! Retreat!”

“Cast shield magic. Prepare for the second attack…”

“Ahhh!”

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

“D-Die! These filthy demon minions!”

“The motherfuckers!”

“I will cleanse you! Dirty demons! Unclean demons!”

‘Sh*t.’

Screams kept coming from our sides.

I couldn’t see if the enemy had come, but I felt that our formation was gradually collapsing.

‘Not good.’

No commander would ever wish to be with the enemy forces in a fog so dense we couldn’t even see an inch in front of us.

Even if with the numerical advantage, no army would ever want to be stuck in such a situation.

“Keep the line! Keep the ranks! Keep in line, and don’t let yourself get separated! Form a line with shields! Focus!”

“Gather!”

“Gather quickly!”

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

More screams echoed from the sides, followed by what sounded like bodies hitting the ground.

As I pulled out my sword, I saw the face of a man protruding from the fog surrounding me.

He sported bloody eyes, and saliva drooled from his mouth. His bizarrely distorted face looked like it came out of a horror movie.

Their appearance combined with their charge while holding daggers had involuntarily evoked a primitive fear.

“Dirty demons! Hiiiiic! Die! Die!”

“What?”

“You guys, hihihihi! You think they’ll leave you alone!? These dirty guys! G-God will not forgive you!”

“C-Crazy…”

“Diieeeeeee!”

“Son of a bitch!”

Naturally, I had begun to wield my sword, effectively beheading the zombie-like creature.

“What… what. What… is this…?”

The noises and screams that continued to reverberate all over the fog-covered battlefield slowly became exceptionally louder.

“What… is this?”

However, what stood out more than that was the appearance of a doll. It had a separated neck and body.

“Varian’s believer…”

The clothing it adorned was what the priests of the Republic wore.