"Hmm."
Azadin swiftly dealt with the hunting hounds and observed how everyone else was faring. With the hounds that had disrupted the formation taken care of, it was now time to see how well the adventurers handled the rest.
Sure enough, the adventurers easily repelled the zombies by utilizing the strength of the formation.
'They're quite well-trained. They brought spears for hunting, and their formation is solid. But…'
This was a forest.
What if an attack came from angles the formation couldn't handle?
In reality, even in this situation, if Tarkiev Azadin hadn't stepped in to stop the hounds, there would have been casualties. Taking a step back, Azadin assessed the adventurers' skills.
***
The short battle at the entrance of the lumber village had ended. It was a complete victory, not even a scratch on their side. Yet, everyone was terrified and had exhausted themselves in the excitement of battle.
The undead, by their very existence, were repulsive—just looking at them made people either cower in fear or go berserk.
"This… this isn't what we agreed on!"
"Let's go back! This is too much!"
The merchants who had come to trade with the lumber village, along with the adventurers they had hired, tried to turn back. Kaka, Chico, and the other members of the Cell Sword Guild were taken aback.
"But we were hired to subdue a wyvern."
"We can't just leave like this!"
"There's undead before the wyvern! This isn't what we signed up for!"
"But, well, the undead all seem to be taken care of now…"
"No, don't you get it? If undead are appearing in this forest, who knows what else might come out? Right now, it's zombies, but what if ghosts or wraiths start appearing later? Can you handle that?"
The general sentiment was clear—wyvern or not, they all wanted to retreat.
Living demonic beasts were easier to hunt, but the undead were difficult to deal with. Even if wounded, they didn't bleed, and their bodies had to be completely severed to stop their function. More than anything, Hubris people had a superstition that those killed by the undead would also become undead. That fear made them dread the undead more than demonic beasts.
"But… can you go back?"
Azadin asked them.
"Huh? What do you mean…?"
"Huh?"
Only then did the adventurers and merchants realize that their retreat had vanished. They had walked in a straight line along the forest path, but now, towering trees had grown in the path behind them.
'The trees shifted positions.'
Azadin had known this would happen from the moment he felt the dark force rising from the forest.
'The caster is watching us. Since they've blocked our retreat…'
Azadin could feel the caster's hatred toward these merchants.
'They intend to kill them all.'
If these people had truly enslaved a woman just because she bore the blood of the Herald Clan, exploited her, and then passed down the enslavement to the children born from it…
It was a crime worthy of death.
Even Azadin, as kind as he was, had no desire to let them live. However…
'Not until the investigation progresses. I have to keep them alive until I can confirm everything.'
With that in mind, Azadin observed the merchants' reactions.
"Ugh! What's going on?"
"We're all going to die!"
"The path disappeared? It was definitely there before!"
Terrified, the merchants ordered the adventurers to retrace their steps and find the path. The adventurers were displeased with being treated like expendable pawns, but curiosity drove them to comply. Soon, they returned.
"The p-path is gone."
"There is… something resembling a path, but it's too narrow and dangerous."
If a large group moved through a narrow path, the formation would inevitably stretch out. If they were ambushed, they'd be completely annihilated.
"For now, since it's open here, let's stay in the village for a while."
Azadin suggested, but the merchants and adventurers shook their heads violently.
"N-no way!"
"This is where that Herald Clan woman lived."
"T-that woman. It has to be her! That cursed the Herald Clan! I knew it!"
The merchants didn't even pretend to listen to Azadin and instead trembled in fear.
"Let's leave quickly. This village is ominous."
"Yes, yes, let's."
"But the road back looks too dangerous."
"That doesn't matter. We have a compass."
"We'll figure something out."
The merchants clamored to leave, even ignoring the adventurers' objections.
Azadin thought these merchants deserved to die, but he couldn't let them perish until things were certain. Left with no choice, he called Tarkiev over.
"Yes?"
"Hey, calm these people down."
"M-me?"
"I can't do it, can I? You're the noble. They'll listen to you."
"A-ah, I understand. I'll try my best…"
Hesitantly, Tarkiev stepped forward toward the merchants.
"Now, now, you lowly creatures. Pay attention."
"..."
Even in their panic, the merchants instantly fell silent.
"I am Tarkiev, son of Margrave Kazel. My life is of a different caliber than that of insignificant flies like you. And yet, I am willing to risk my life to investigate this place. So why are you, mere insects, hesitating over your worthless lives? Join us in investigating this place, witness me uncover its secrets, and see me attain the glory of a knight. Even for lowly beings like you, this will be a story worth boasting about for generations."
***
Perhaps thanks to Tarkiev's… encouragement(?), a significant number of merchants, along with the mercenaries they had hired, insisted on retracing their steps and left.
Now, the only ones remaining were Kaka and Chico, the siblings who had received the mission directly from the Cell Sword Guild, Azadin's group, and Tarkiev.
Tarkiev was perplexed as to why his persuasion had driven people away instead.
"Why are they acting like that?"
"That's what I want to ask. How could you say something like that in that situation?"
Azadin found himself amazed by Tarkiev, who was as cowardly as they came but also unmatched when it came to causing trouble. If someone crossed a certain threshold, their very existence became a marvel in itself. He wondered how one person could have such an incredibly foul way with words—he had half a mind to crack open Tarkiev's skull just to take a look inside.
"Well, thanks to him, we don't have to be too cautious anymore."
Midiam smiled as she made a chilling remark. If their identities were ever exposed, they only needed to ensure Kaka and Chico kept their mouths shut. As for the others, they would either be killed or dealt with in a way that rendered them incapable of speaking.
Unaware of these thoughts, Kaka and Chico simply sighed.
"Hyung-nim, why in the world did you say that? Splitting up is dangerous."
"Then why didn't you two leave with the merchants?"
"If there's a spell distorting the path, retracing our steps is even more dangerous."
Chico said this while cautiously pulling out a charm from her pocket. It was a dried lizard talisman, used by the shamans of Bruma. It could be eaten in times of hunger or turned into ashes to inscribe talismans—it was a primitive tool. She scraped a bit of the ash and sprinkled it on the ground.
Despite the stillness of the air, the ashes moved, forming waves on the ground as if iron filings were being pulled by a magnetic force.
"A powerful black magic power is dominating this area. Given the presence of the undead, it's only natural."
"I see."
Azadin clicked his tongue and looked around the lumber village. A massive water-powered saw, used for cutting timber, was installed in the center. Around it were workshops, lodgings, and storage buildings.
But then…
The door of one of the storage buildings was rattling.
Someone inside was pounding on the door, which had been barred from the outside. Everyone tensed up, gripping their weapons as they cautiously approached.
"An undead?"
"Is there someone out there? I'm a human!"
A young woman's voice came from inside the storage.
"An undead that speaks like a human?"
"No, I'm really human! I'm, um… I am a holy knight of the King's Church!"
"A holy knight of the King's Church?"
Azadin stepped forward and removed the bar from the door. As soon as he did, the door swung open, and a young female knight tumbled out. Judging by her full plate armor, she wasn't a trainee knight but a fully ordained one. She was armed with a shield and a small mace.
It seemed she had been leaning against the door, as the moment Azadin removed the bar, she stumbled and fell flat on the ground.
"Wah!"
Kaka and Chico, startled, leaped back to avoid colliding with her. The knight remained sprawled on the ground in a rather unseemly manner.
"Oh dear, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm… not alright!"
Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, she shot to her feet and bolted toward the bushes before anyone could stop her.
"You shouldn't wander off alone. It's dangerous."
"But this is something I must do alone! Don't follow me!"
"Ah…"
Azadin realized what she was about to do and stopped pursuing her.
A short while later, she returned from the bushes, looking noticeably calmer.
"..."
"Ah, well, I was locked up for quite some time, so…"
"There's no need to explain."
Azadin cut her off, and the knight's face turned red with embarrassment. It seemed she had been in urgent need of a restroom.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Meiya, executive knight of the Salasma parish."
An executive knight of a parish was an officer under a bishop's direct command—an elite within the King's Church. Unlike most holy knights, who roamed vast territories on missions, those in the bishopric served in major cities, receiving salaries directly from the parish. It was a coveted position among holy knights.
Those who failed to become executive knights had to wander immense regions, carrying out assignments from their superiors while lacking land or titles. They had to earn their own food, clothing, maintenance costs, and even fodder for their horses.
Given this stark contrast, the position was not given to just anyone. Only those with exceptional skills, prestigious lineage, outstanding looks to captivate city folk, or specialized skills in taxation, accounting, law, or archiving could become executive knights.
Azadin found it curious and asked,
"How did someone of your status end up here?"
"It was for a sacred mission, of course."
"Then why were you locked in a storage room?"
"When I was investigating the storage, monsters attacked the village. People panicked and locked me in here. And, well… with the kind of equipment I have…"
She lifted her mace. It was a finely decorated weapon with elegant silver engravings, more akin to an aristocratic accessory than a tool for combat.
While it might work well against an unarmed opponent, it was practically useless against someone in full armor. Seeing what she carried, it was clear she was more suited to paperwork and commerce than combat.
"O-of course, I do have other weapons, but they were with my horse… There were other holy knights in the village, so I never imagined things would turn out this way. I could have used a divine smiting spell to break down the door, but that would have put me in danger as well. Hm?"
Meiya paused and scanned her surroundings.
The village was littered with the aftermath of bloodshed and carnage.