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Chapter 11: The Witch
THE Accursed Land Reconnaissance Team had made the long trek from the Holy Kingdom of Qualia to their destination, despite Barbarian attacks along the way.
“You can see it now—the Cursed Sea of Trees that keeps anything alive from gettin’ into the Accursed Lands. Let’s start investigating this area, since it’s the closest to Qualia.”
“That’s the start of the Accursed Lands, eh?”
A dark, menacing forest suddenly came into view just as Captain Bargo pointed it out.
According to the map Lonius had checked, the vast forest making up this part of the Accursed Lands was too large for them to investigate in a timely manner with limited manpower. But they could run a simple preliminary survey. Then, if they spotted anything out of the ordinary, they could come back with a bigger team.
W.е bń о v̊ ėl̄ Ё nǔ m̀а̇
That’s what the Paladins were dispatched for and how Lonius interpreted their mission.
It should’ve been easy enough to complete.
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But something felt off…
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a huge forest, but it gave the impression that it contained hordes of spine-chilling monsters.
Lonius stared into the fathomless depths of the forest as a creeping sensation stirred in his gut.
◇◇◇
W̆е̂bǹo̊v ё l̈ Е̌ n ǔm а̇
“HALT!”
The reconnaissance team stopped at Paladin Verdel’s command. The Cursed Sea of Trees was right before their eyes, and they were in the process of discussing when and where to begin their investigation. Everyone who’d been searching for the best entry point turned their attention toward Verdel.
Was something there?
As soon as they realized Verdel’s gaze was fixed on something in the forest, the rest looked in the same direction.
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Then they saw a figure quietly heading their way.
“What?”
Wеb n̄ о̌ v̇ еl̄ Е̃ǹů m̀a
It was a teenage girl. She had eerily white skin and wavy, ashen hair. She wore tattered linen clothes. Her crimson eyes were strikingly inhuman, which only added to the otherworldly impression she gave off, coming from the cursed forest.
Anyone living in Mynoghra would’ve immediately identified her as the King of Ruin Takuto Ira’s confidant and the strongest Hero, Atou.
Naturally, no one here knew of her.
“What do you think she is, Lonius?”
“Likely one of the Dark Elves you conjectured would be here, Sir Verdel. I’m surprised a girl like her was able to traverse the harsh Dark Continent, but she must’ve been one of the lucky survivors.”
“Hmph. Lucky survivor…my ass,” Verdel cursed, eyeing her with palpable suspicion.
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Verdel was in charge of this mission. Lonius and the mercenary corps decided to leave everything to him, since they didn’t know what to do.
Verdel closely assessed the girl with his arms crossed. He waited until she had come closer to finally question her in a loud voice.
“You there! Girl! Who the hell are you? We’ve got business with this forest. What’re you doing coming out of the Accursed Lands?!”
“…Oh. I see you are Paladins from Qualia. I am one of the Dark Elves who fled to this forest. What brings you all the way out here?”
Her response was normal by all accounts. Her lyrical voice was more charming than the impression her appearance gave, and that discrepancy roused further suspicion in Verdel.
“I can’t answer that—it’s classified. Answer my question, girl. Why did you come out of that forest?”
Еn ů m̀ а
Verdel calmly repeated his question. His word choice was the same as usual, but his typical lazy rudeness took a backseat to the razor-sharp aura he let off now.
“…We had nowhere left to go after we were chased from our homeland. This land may be cursed, but it is the last place we can live in peace as no one comes here.”
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“Deliberately choosing to live in a cursed land is creepy, to say the least… Well, not that it matters. As you said, we’re Paladins hailing from Qualia. We’ve got business with this forest. May we come in?”
“You mustn’t. Please do not set foot in this forest, Sir Paladin.”
“We are here on a mission from God, girl. I can’t approve of you refusing—”
“Hey, I’m doing the talking! Keep quiet, Lonius!”
Е̂ ń u̇m̀ а
“…Forgive me, Sir Verdel.”
Lonius gasped and jumped at Verdel’s stern rebuke.
I am indeed guilty of interrupting their conversation, but did he really need to reprimand me that harshly?
Lonius decided to watch how things played out between the two, while secretly vowing to report the other man’s every unholy act in detail to Central later.
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The girl glanced at Lonius, then the mercenaries. Crimson eyes scanned their faces with an eldritch gaze.
Was she really a Dark Elf?
Wе́ b̄ n̈_о v е̃ l Е nũ m̆a
She remained silent as everyone under her gaze doubted her race. After a long pause with Lonius saying nothing, the girl returned her gaze to Verdel and continued the conversation dispassionatly.
“You will frighten the other Dark Elves who escaped with me. We’ve only recently gained a place to rest in peace after a long and painful journey. Please, I beg you to grant us this mercy…”
“We’ve got a job to do. I’d love to turn around and leave, but I can’t without orders from above…”
“I ask that you please make an exception and refrain from entering this forest.”
The girl was polite and paid them every courtesy. If you turned a blind eye to the various oddities, her entreaty was normal enough.
But every foot of this cursed forest belonged to the Accursed Lands, and the girl in front of them clearly didn’t belong there. It wouldn’t be wrong to assume something was hidden where she refused to let them go.
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Something to do with the apocalypse-bringer Saint Soalina prophesized about.
“What’s in that forest?”
“Nothing but peace and quiet. Nothing here is a threat to you. Why are you so obsessed with this tiny, gloomy forest?”
“Tch! We’ve received a prophecy that an apocalypse-bringer will come from here. We can’t just go home empty-handed…”
“S-Sir Verdel! This is a top-secret mission! Why did you tell this Dark Elf of the prophecy?!”
“Shut up! I told you to stay bloody quiet, Lonius! Sometimes you just have to divulge a secret!”
W е_b̆ nо̊ v еľ E ǹ ũm̆_а
Lonius held his tongue after being yelled at yet again.
Verdel had just disclosed one of the kingdom’s confidential secrets to an unauthorized individual. And not just any individual, but a Dark Elf suspected of starting an evil cult.
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That was a crime worthy of being tried for treason under normal circumstances, and yet he’d divulged that information in hopes of breaking the negotiation deadlock.
In fact, surprise showed for the first time on the girl’s cold features, and she held her hand to her mouth.
“A prophecy…you say? You’re concerned about that potential apocalypse-bringer coming from here, yes? Please rest assured no one in this land wishes your people any harm, Sir Paladin.”
“How can you prove that to me?”
Ẃе b̂ n̊ ōv̆ёl̈ Ĕ n ů ḿ ӓ
“I’m afraid you will have to take my word for it.”
“Can you let us into the forest? Just a bit? That’ll convince us.”
“Please stay out here.”
“Is there a chance this apocalypse-bringer will bring disaster to our kingdom or its people?”
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“None whatsoever. Rather, it’s we who are afraid of you.”
“You’re a smooth talker for a kid. You’re used to negotiating and sound awfully confident.”
W е̊ bn̂ оv ѐl Еn̊ú m ӑ
“I repeat: we wish you no harm.”
They were going in circles.
She entreated them to leave for the sake of peace without revealing her identity. Everyone present already figured out she was no ordinary Dark Elf girl. No. They’d realized she wasn’t even a Dark Elf.
The more they talked, the more uneasy they felt about her. And they couldn’t ignore the ominous evil presence in the air.
They had no way of knowing why this girl, who exuded the aura of a devil in the flesh, refused them entry. She obviously wasn’t going to tell them either.
So Verdel decided to ask the final question that’d put an end to this unholy encounter.
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“Do you swear to God?”
“I swear to…our God.”
The nonhuman girl swore to God.
Verdel had no way of knowing if that was to the God he believed in or to a different entity altogether, but after a moment of silence, he opened his eyes and gave the order.
“We’re going home.”
“Wha—?!”
Wе b̈n̆о̀ v е̃l Ёǹ ùḿа̇
Lonius whipped his head toward Verdel—that was the last thing he expected to hear.
They were obviously dealing with an evil being. It was hard to imagine a Paladin—especially a High Paladin—would consider retreating from God’s enemy.
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How was this any different from succumbing to evil and retreating like a coward?
Even Lonius, who had a reputation for being pious and level-headed, couldn’t keep his temper in check.
“What in blazes are you thinking, Sir Verdel?! That thing is shrouded in a terrifying aura! How can a Paladin such as yourself not sense the evil from it?!”
“Nothin’ evil here. I’m goin’ home. I accept her desire to live in peace. That’s the end of it. Damn, I’m sleepy. And hungry.”
E nu mа̄
Verdel seemed to have already made up his mind as he lazily stretched to loosen his back with the same languid demeanor he’d had before reaching the forest. Obviously, Lonius and the baffled mercenaries weren’t convinced.
“Are you letting an evil monster roam free?!” Lonius cried, not letting it drop.
“There’s no evil monster. Our investigation has concluded—there’s nothing here.”
“What if it’s pulling the wool over our eyes?! How will you take responsibility if they bring calamity to our kingdom?!”
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“Don’t let fear cloud your judgment, Lonius. Our doctrine starts with having faith. Reread the scriptures, you pessimist.”
Lonius couldn’t persuade him. Verdel stood firm in his decision. Lonius had had the displeasure of getting to know his personality during this mission, and he realized he couldn’t change his mind with words alone. So, he whipped out the secret weapon he had kept up his sleeve just in case.
Ѐ nūm̊ а̇
“…You have been accused of kidnapping an innocent girl and fornicating with her. Perhaps that evil girl corrupted you?”
Creases formed in Verdel’s brow, instantly revealing his anger.
“Are you serious? What kind of a bloody idiot are you? That’s clearly a baseless rumor with no evidence. And why bring it up now, of all times? Don’t make wild accusations just to make things go your way! I’ll pound you into the ground if you keep this shit up!”
Verdel was suspected of committing a crime. Convinced he was guilty by his unholy conduct, crass remarks, and most of all, by how he cowered before evil, Lonius let his own sense of justice guide him to pass judgment on the other man.
“High Paladin Verdel, I regrettably must remove you from this mission for having abandoned your duties. I, Paladin Lonius, shall assume command of the investigation.”
“Huh? Quit screwin’ around! Is this really the place to lecture someone about gossip and politics? Is this seriously the time to be preachin’ about your iron sense of justice? Are you truly incapable of making the simple decision of what you should and shouldn’t be doing right now? Don’t make a fatal mistake!”
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Panic showed on Verdel’s face for the first time. His aloof gruffness and air of confidence had been replaced by genuine edginess over the present danger. That change in his attitude only fueled Lonius’s poor judgment.
“Paladin Lonius, please don’t be so hasty. Conflict produces nothing. We can use our words. Please heed the advice of your superior.”
Even the girl watching the power struggle joined Verdel in telling Lonius to stop, adding more fuel to the fire. It was more than enough to ignite the Paladin’s wrath and self-righteousness.
“Silence, evil wench!”
Lonius drew his sword and pointed it at her.
The atmosphere instantly became toxic.
Е ṅ um̀ ӓ. і ď
The fallout between Verdel and Lonius became real, and the problem that was about to end exploded.
“Hey! Bargo! Mercenaries! Help me stop him!”
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“I’m really sorry ’bout this, Pal Verdel. We were hired by Pal Lonius, you see. We can’t obey your orders, even if you’re higher-ranked.”
“Dammit!”
Verdel was paying the price for leaving the hiring of the mercenaries to Lonius. Feeling wise, Bargo probably felt even stronger about wanting to leave than Verdel.
But mercenaries valued client trust over everything else. Going against their employer would put an end to future work. So Bargo couldn’t follow Verdel’s orders.
Е̃ n̆ ů.mа̌
There was no one left who agreed with him. Well, the girl did, but there wasn’t much she could do when she was the source of their discord.
“We will deal with Paladin Verdel later. You come first, wench. You’re going to tell us every last detail about that ominous aura of yours and why you came out of this cursed forest! We are going to interrogate you back at the capital so you can repent before God! Men! Seize that wolf in sheep’s clothing!”
The girl quietly shook her head, expressing her refusal with a sad expression. Her wishes weren’t respected by Lonius. He had no intention of listening to what she had to say.
Captain Bargo looked to Lonius for confirmation to go ahead. His men had their swords drawn and were in position to attack. They may have been staring at what looked like a teenage girl, but it was clear from her aura that she wasn’t human.
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Resistance would lead to a fight.
Fifty mercenaries against a single girl.
Ẽñum̆ a . і̇ d̃
They overwhelmingly had the upper hand. But they were up against an evil being—there was no telling what would happen.
“Go ahead. Do it! Get rough if she resists. Watch yourselves!”
“Hey! STOP! Don’t attack someone who isn’t resisting!” Verdel thundered.
But there was no one left to follow the man who’d been deprived of his authority by Lonius, and his plea echoed fruitlessly.
The mercenaries surrounded the girl and slowly closed in around her.
And then…
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“Haah… Negotiations are a bust, then?” The girl let out a sigh.
“Tch! Damn it!!!”
“What?!”
Lonius couldn’t comprehend what just happened. He felt something hard hit him and his vision rolled backward. Only when he saw nothing but the blue sky did he realize he’d been knocked down.
“Lonius! You alive?!”
“Y-Yes…but what was that?”
W еb̌n о̄ vê l Е n̆ ǔ m а̃
“You’re seriously asking?! You’re the one who said it first! It’s that evil being you aggravated! You can tell just by freakin’ looking at it, you fool! On your feet, now!”
Lonius finally saw the sinister tentacle swishing in the air above him. It was a strange limb with a slippery-smooth surface, ending in a spearlike point.
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A single slice marred the skin of one of the tentacles whipping through the air at explosive speed.
Purple ooze dripped from the tip of Verdel’s drawn sword. Verdel had deflected the attack Lonius never even detected. Realizing he’d been saved from instant death, Lonius quickly rose to his feet.
“Everything was going so perfectly too. But life never goes the way we want it to, does it?”
The girl looked at the ground, let out another annoyed sigh, then turned her head with catlike ease to glare at them.
Ẃе̃ b n̈ о́.v̄ е̂ l E̊ n̆_um а
“Hey! Mercenaries! I don’t care who does it! Someone bring this news back home! It’s a Witch! A Witch is here!”
“S-Sorry, Pal Verdel… She got our runners.”
Bargo’s pitiful voice came from behind them.
Verdel looked over his shoulder and saw the messenger pierced straight through, alongside his horse, by a tentacle that’d erupted from the ground below them. The unnamed mercenary violently convulsed and coughed up blood then fell to the ground with a hard thud as the tentacle ripped out of him and retracted underground.
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On closer inspection, the wagon horses had suffered the same fate.
The reconnaissance team had brought only the bare minimum number of horses necessary for the trek as they didn’t want to deal with the large amounts of water and fodder they required. All of their horses had been wiped out, leaving going on foot as the only option to bring the news back home.
Е́.nū m ä .id̆
And Verdel doubted the girl would let them flee now. In fact, the tentacles that’d taken out the horses were swaying behind her, as if looking for their next prey.
“Shit! She’s got damn near perfect accuracy!”
“Come and play, boys,” the girl taunted them in her lyrical voice. “I’m the monster you were looking for. The embodiment of pure evil, you know? The dark being your god hates and you hoped to find is right here.”
“S-Sir V-Verdel…”
“Don’t wuss out on me, Lonius. We can’t get out of this now… Get in position! Don’t let your guard down for a second! Fight for your damn life!”
Verdel’s motivating speech sparked the will to fight in everyone alive. They understood that if they didn’t fight for their lives, they wouldn’t live to see tomorrow, and they prepared themselves to go all out.
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“Oh, I see you are going to face me, holy men. How can a fool who made an irreparable choice with his unnecessary snooping and warped sense of justice confront this calamity?”
Her linen outfit began to melt off like sap. Sludge bubbled up around her as stagnant malice spilled off her body until it eventually formed a new outfit.
A jet-black dress seeped in darkness itself wrapped around her. Twisted accessories that defied logic. Mousy white hair and nauseating eyes that seemed to personify hell itself. Several more tentacles grew from her back and swayed like snakes ascertaining their prey.
Her crimson eyes locked on them and she sneered.
“…Now pray.”
Ѐ n̄ u m̆а̌
“O Lord, our maker! Grant me the strength to stand against evil!”
Verdel and Lonius called their God’s miraculous powers into themselves at the same time. The mercenaries nocked arrows into their bows and took aim at her.
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A lurid smile lit up the girl’s face as she took a step forward.
Sludge Atou, Mynoghra’s Hero.
With the King of Ruin’s complete trust, she was about to let loose in this world for the first time.
The falling out that came from their sudden encounter and the transition to battle—everything from beginning to end was unexpected and unwanted.
Еǹ û m̃ а̀. і ḋ
Verdel fixed his gaze on the girl—no, the Witch—who slowly approached as he inwardly cursed the angels of fate, who seemed to hate him.
“Damn it all to hell! Things were goin’ so well too! This sucks!”
“I completely agree with you. This isn’t what I wanted eith—”
“Fire!”
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The archers loosed their arrows per Verdel’s order without waiting for the Witch to finish speaking. Over thirty arrows released from bows squeezed with the full strength of their archers flew at the girl.
The tentacles growing from her back smacked every single one out of the air. A delighted smile blossomed on her young face as she reacted to their attack with inhuman speed.
Ẅ еb ṅ о̇ v̄ ё l̄ Ě n̊ ù mа̃
“…Heh, how merciless of you. I really like people like you. I love them to death.”
“Dammit! She parried the arrows like they’re nothing!”
“S-Sir Verdel… What in the world is a Witch? Are you saying this girl is one?!”
Attacking with arrows was a waste of time. They didn’t even distract her, much less hurt her.
Verdel turned his gaze to the flustered Under Paladin, knowing in his gut that normal methods wouldn’t work against this opponent. Maybe Lonius drew the wrong conclusion that Witches were just some sort of evil cult or violent Mabeasts from his conversation with Bargo. Or maybe he categorized them as something still Human.
I should’ve shared more about my concerns and the secrets I was strictly ordered to keep about the crisis Qualia’s in. Regretting his choice, Verdel briefly explained about Witches, even though it was too late to be much good now.
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“Witches are apocalypse-bringing monsters prophesied by the Saints and acknowledged by the bigwigs. Currently, only two have been confirmed. She’s likely the third! Even you should understand how deadly they are if I told you the Northern Disturbance was caused by a single Witch, right?!”
“I-Impossible…”
“……”
Witch—that title described precisely how dangerous the girl was.
The mayhem in the Northern Province had yet to show signs of ceasing—and a single Witch was said to be its cause.
Lonius never expected the world crisis Qualia desperately hid would appear in front of him.
W е̇ b̌ n о̄v̌е̃ l̊ Еn̂ŭ ḿå
The girl watched them with her ghastly eyes, her tentacles swaying like snakes ready to strike. It was as if she were waiting for them to come at her so she could play with them.
Running wasn’t an option.
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Even a High Paladin like Verdel could barely counter her attack and the Witch had set her sights on Lonius for that one. Turning their backs to run was an instant death sentence. That much was certain.
“Let’s attack her together! Mercenaries, she’s too much for you to handle! Switch to support!” Verdel howled, and Lonius drew his sword.
Both Paladins had experience subduing Mabeasts. They undisputedly had the skills to fight against nonhuman threats. They felt no fear, because of the blessings granted by the Holy Sword Artes only Paladins could use. All they had to do was crush their opponent, with their body and soul on the line.
“You’re with me, Lonius! URAAAAAAAAH!!”
Enüm̃ а̂ .і d
A loud explosive pop went off under Verdel’s feet as he launched into a thunderous sprint. Lonius dashed after him.
The battle with the Apocalypse Witch commenced.
…The mercenaries couldn’t see what happened. The fight unfolded at a speed their eyes were incapable of following. They could only see the moment Lonius lunged at the girl, but even that occurred at a logic-defying pace.
Once someone reached the rank of High Paladin, they boasted monstrous strength, said to equal a Lesser Dragon. And when they combined forces with an Under Paladin like Lonius, it could be described as having the strength of a natural disaster.
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Yet, for all that, they were up against an anomaly beyond them.
“So slow…and weak.”
Ẁ ẽb́n̂о̊ v́ẽ l̈ Е̂ n̂ ũm̀á
Even after being on the receiving end of the Paladins’ most powerful attack, she looked unfazed. Their swords had been deflected by the girl’s tentacles, which had switched to defense mode.
Her defenses surpassed the speed of a High Paladin’s attacks, proving their combined strength was still no match for the Witch. Or so it seemed at first—
“No, we might still stand a chance!”
“…Mm?”
A tentacle rolled onto the ground, spraying purple blood everywhere. The two Paladins jumped away in a single leap, retreating to avoid being bathed in its blood.
The girl they called a Witch stared at the flailing tentacle, which seemed to be a separate living creature, and then she brought its remains in front of her face to inspect. She frowned, like this presented a concern as mild as not having the right ingredients for lunch.
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“I assume that technique uses a god’s blessing to deliver a divine strike, right? It gives you special attack and defense buffs against evil civilizations. This is why I always say good civilizations get unfair advantages.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! But I’m not gonna miss this chance!”
Verdel broke into another thunderous sprint and slashed at her again.
Two shadows moved in unison. Their timing was perfectly synced.
Blood sprayed everywhere yet again.
“Fascinating. You can sever them?”
Ě nùm̄ӑ
A second tentacle fell, and still the Paladins kept up their onslaught. Verdel slipped in under the blood spray with beastlike agility to attack from below.
The Witch tried to pierce him with two of her four remaining tentacles.
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But her attack that should’ve brought certain death was easily countered by his unique Sword Arte.
The tentacles lost their speed advantage in close combat. The girl became frustrated by the sword and the blessing imbuing each and every swing with holiness.
“How about this then—Tch!”
A shadow fell over the girl. Instantly realizing she was being attacked from above, she sent her tentacles up without even checking what was there.
W̌ ĕ b ñо̃v ël̄ Е n u̇m̀а́_
The impact and bloody pop came a second later.
Only three tentacles remained. This time, the girl jumped back to gain space.
“Now! Fire!”
“I slightly underestimated you Paladins. You put up a tough fight.”
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The girl moved her tentacles faster to knock down the arrows, since she had less to use now.
Contrary to their arguments on the way there, the two Paladins fought in perfect unison. Verdel, with his superior strength, dealt relentless strikes, and Lonius slipped in to attack where she was weakest.
Wê b̌ń о̆v е̌ ĺ Е̌_ňũ m̌а
The mercenaries stuck to long-range attacks, careful not to get in their way. Everyone believed victory was theirs if they could just destroy her remaining tentacles.
But they were up against an apocalypse-bringer—the very embodiment of bottomless evil.
“Then how about we play it this way?”
“Wha?!”
Seeing they had her at a disadvantage, the Witch changed her tactics and extended her tentacles to the left and right. It was too late by the time Verdel tried to warn the others.
“GUAGH!”
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As soon as he heard those guttural groans, the tentacles had coiled around two mercenaries and raised them above the Witch.
“I just love Humans. They are weak, fragile, and make for the perfect shield because they care so much for each other.”
“…elp…ee…”
“Shh, hush now,” the girl giggled.
“GUAAAGHHH!”
The tentacle tips stabbed through their throats. The captured mercenaries shook with the shock, but didn’t seem to be dead.
Ẃ е b̆ň.оvë l̄ Е́ n ũm̃ а
It was a clichéd yet effective tactic.
One so wicked the Paladins never saw it coming.
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Anger oozed in uncontrollable red splotches on Verdel’s face. His enemy was resorting to despicable means. Don’t let your emotions control you! he thought, restraining himself.
She was provoking them. Being blinded by rage would steal their chance at victory.
They shouldn’t expect Human ethics from an evil being. They were up against something far beyond their understanding. Case in point, the Witch was swinging the suffering mercenaries over their heads with the glee of a cat playing with a toy.
“You fiend!”
W̊е b n_о v̈ ê l̆ Еn̈ ǔ ḿа̂
“Lonius! Don’t be rash! Control your anger! We’ve worn our enemy down to the point she had to take hostages! Let’s tackle her together!”
“Oooh! You’re coming anyways? What about my meat shields? Going to kill them? A wise decision. Mercenaries have little value, after all.”
The two mercenary shields immediately died in a splatter of blood. But perhaps, Verdel should be applauded for not faltering in this situation. In fact, their attack not only took out another tentacle, but dealt a blow to her main body as if to make up for killing the hostages.
“Two left… If we chop off just two more of those damn nasty suckers, we win!”
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“I’m with you, Sir Verdel.”
They’d seen through the Witch’s tactics. The end of this fight was right around the corner, and it was about time for the forces of good to lay evil to rest.
Ẁ е b̊ n̆о́ v́е̊ l̀ E n̂ um â
A single red slice marred the beautiful white cheek that shouldn’t have belonged to something so evil.
The Apocalypse Witch could be killed.
Knowing that gave them a sliver of hope for victory.
“Here we go! Stay on guard!”
The end was nigh. Everything was about to be over.
“I forgot to mention…”
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Curiously, the Witch clapped her hands together as if she’d just remembered something. Then, with a carefree smile reminiscent of an angelic little girl, she skewered Verdel in a shower of tentacles, just before his sword could stave in her skull.
“…That simply put, I have the strength of an entire army. In terms of regular soldiers, you need about 5,000 to even put up a decent fight against me. Oh, and I have an endless supply of these.”
Countless tentacles sprouted from her back.
She’d been toying with them from the start.
Verdel regretted how naïve he was for thinking they could win. Realizing his life was at its end via the handful of tentacles jutting from his stomach, he grabbed one of the feelers in his final moments of struggle and vomited blood.
“R-Run, Lonius…”
Ẅēb̊n̊о́ v.é l̈ Е̃ ň u m а̄
“S-Sir Verdel…”
“RUNNNNNNN!”
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The girl cocked her head to one side, then impaled his skull.
The High Paladin convulsed once, then fell silent.
The body that fell to the ground with a thud was already an empty husk, emphasizing that his life had been lost for good.
W̌ е b nō v ё ĺ. Е̂ n̊ů m а
“Okay. It’s your turn now, Paladin Lonius. I killed him right away, but regrettably, you won’t get the same treatment.”
Innumerable tentacles swished around her, as if to plunge him into the despairing knowledge he was next to die. He had no way to win now.
With Verdel gone, Lonius couldn’t even cut those tentacles. Despair began to spread through the mercenaries too. They were sure to be next after Lonius was killed.
One of the men who understood that let out a deranged scream.
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“UWAAAAH! AAAGGGHHH!”
The terrified mercenary threw his bow down and ran for it—only to be effortlessly killed by a tentacle that burst out of the ground. The girl sent a cursory glance his way before returning her attention to Lonius.
Еn̆ uma . і̇d
Running meant death. Everyone lost hope.
Only Lonius thought her actions strange. Why did she let her focus turn to people who fled? Now that he thought about it, she’d targeted the runners and horses first.
Several small thoughts started coalescing. The moment he found the answer, Lonius shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Spread out in every direction! Someone survive and bring this news back home!”
“You just had to figure it out… Oh well.”
The Witch was clearly panicked, informing Lonius his guess was right.
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The girl swung down her arm as if sending some kind of signal, and dozens of tentacles pursued the bolters, as he’d feared.
THUD-THUD-KERTHUD!
Tentacles thrust into the ground with the same sharpness and power of an iron spear.
Death cries rose from every direction as the mercenaries ran and got skewered.
Lonius now bet everything on this one moment.
“O Lord our maker! Grant me the strength to stand against evil!”
Enu̇ m̊а. і̀d̀
He brought God’s power into himself once more and made another last-ditch run at the Witch.
The girl was so preoccupied finishing off the mercenaries, her guard was down. Lonius managed to deflect the flurry of tentacles that came to intercept him and dove close to her.
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It all happened in a heartbeat and the God of victory was on his side.
The remaining tentacles couldn’t intercept him in time.
Determined to end it with this single strike and avenge Verdel, Lonius swung his blade.
CLANG!
Е n ũ mа . і̂ d̀
Metal clashed with metal.
Trembling, Lonius readjusted his grip on the sword he nearly dropped.
“H-How?!”
“You got the drop on me. My compliments.”
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“How the hell did you—”
“…Did I use a Paladin’s sword blessed by god, you ask?”
Wе̌ b̊ n õ v е l Е́ nu mа
The Apocalypse Witch had all her tentacles preoccupied and the enemy close enough to fell her—but she’d picked up Verdel’s sword and parried Lonius’s attack.
Evil beings couldn’t use Paladin weapons blessed by God. That was an unchanging fact believed by all in the Holy Kingdom of Qualia.
But Verdel’s Paladin sword sat comfortably in the girl’s hand, as if mocking his people’s beliefs.
Cackling like she enjoyed every moment, the Witch spun the sword in a circle and entered a fighting stance. Her every move perfectly mimicked Paladin Verdel’s.
“I took it for myself—that fallen Paladin’s Artes. When I killed him, the techniques he honed through tireless practice and training became mine.”
Impossible! Lonius was consumed by that thought. Stealing your opponent’s abilities was absurd in and of itself, but to even rob them of their Holy Artes?
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An evil being was imitating and exploiting their skills. What in the world was just if the power of their one and only God could be so easily defiled?
Lonius could only tremble. He realized the more this Witch killed them, the greater her power became.
“Paladin Verdel was a mighty warrior worthy of being an elite unit. Perhaps he was destined to do great things. Too bad he died due to your imprudence.”
Lonius heard the death cries of the mercenaries who failed to escape in time. It was obvious why she left him standing there in a daze while she took care of them.
She was defiling his pride—spreading mud on all his honor as a Paladin.
“His thoughts came to me alongside his Holy Sword Artes. ‘What will happen to Lonius if I die here? What’ll happen to his family? His wife Marsha? His daughter Mina? Some of the mercenaries have families too. What will happen to them? I can’t die. I definitely can’t die! Not when there are people waiting for me to come home too!!’ He was a very valiant and noble man, wasn’t he?”
Èn_úṁа
“Lies! How can you know that?!” Lonius howled, losing all calm.
Those were definitely the names of his beloved wife and daughter. He’d only mentioned them to Verdel once. Just how noble and caring of a man was Verdel? Verdel, who he’d secretly mocked for being too gruff and crude to be a Paladin?
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Lonius screamed, half in tears, as he lamented how that valiant man’s soul, memories, and noble pride had been robbed and played with by the wicked being smirking in front of him.
“What’re you thinking right now? What can you possibly be thinking about the man who had the talent, heart, and nobility to be a High Paladin, when you’re so puny and worthless in comparison?”
“Th-The mercenaries who escaped will inform our kingdom of this and bring back the holy forces that will obliterate you… His will shall not perish here!”
Lonius’s strategy had half-succeeded. The Witch’s tentacles went after the more than thirty mercenaries who fled in every direction, but they couldn’t kill them all. He didn’t know how many had made it out alive, but some had definitely escaped her reach.
Ӗ ñum̌ а̊ .іd
He was convinced they would bring back news of this nightmare.
“Ahh, you mean them? Hey, everyone! How’re things on your end?”
“…Huh?”
Her overly cheerful voice caused Lonius’s jaw to drop as he sensed he was being surrounded. Over twenty sharp gazes burrowed into him.
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Silver hair and distinctly pointed, long ears.
Lonius knew exactly who was watching him with unbridled hatred and rancor.
Ŵ е̂ b ñо̀v̂ е l Е̇ ǹum̀а̊
“D-Dark Elves…” he muttered, dumbfounded.
Atou tilted her head, finding his shock curious. “Oh dear. Did I ever say I was alone? I didn’t, did I?” The cackling girl’s sadistic eyes took pleasure in the Paladin’s shattered morale. “Ah, right! I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce you to my friends. Meet the peace-loving Dark Elves.”
A man who looked to be the strongest among the Dark Elves tossed something at Lonius’s feet—something that rolled in front of his boot.
“Bargo…”
The moment his eyes fell on that decapitated head, Lonius realized his strategy had completely failed. The Dark Elf warrior walked over to the girl, kneeled, and quietly spoke to her, as if showing the ultimate respect and decorum reserved for an overwhelmingly powerful being.
“We annihilated every single one, ma’am.”
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“Thank you. Good work.”
What relationship did this girl—this Witch—have with the Dark Elves? Did the Dark Elves create a new evil cult and summon the Witch with some sort of wicked ritual as Verdel feared?
With no way to confirm the truth, the fatal mistake he’d made and its consequences sank Lonius into an abyss of total hopelessness. Verdel, who’d strongly advised him to not be hasty, had died, and the mercenaries he’d entrusted with this news were wiped out.
And now the end had come for him too.
Realizing that all hope was lost, Lonius gripped his sword with quivering hands.
“I apologize for making you wait. Now have at me. I shall fend you off with the sword belonging to the man you disparaged and dismissed.”
Е n̆ u̇ m̃ á .i̊d̄
The way she spun the sword in a circle was undoubtedly Verdel’s technique.
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◇◇◇
“…LET’S talk about a possible future.”
The setting sun set the world ablaze, signaling the battle’s end in a red hue. The victor was decided, no miracle had occurred, and the obvious ending had come for Under Paladin Lonius.
“What would’ve been possible if you’d only listened to poor Paladin Verdel, who lies dead at your feet.”
Е́n̈ ů m_ӑ. і̊ d
Atou hung the fatally injured Paladin Lonius upside down with several of her tentacles and offered him these final words. He no longer had strength to resist.
Knocked around by Verdel’s Sword Artes within an inch of his life, he’d literally had the will to fight beaten from him and lost all motivation to struggle.
Atou spoke to him quietly. Despite her duty to kill him immediately, the words poured forth, as if this was a point she needed to drill home before offing him.
“If only you’d accepted, even grudgingly, you’d have returned home without incident. You would give your report as usual—well, your assessment wouldn’t have been great, but you still would’ve been on your way back to your loving family in one piece.
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“Your beloved wife and daughter would’ve welcomed you home with open arms. A warm hearth and the smell of stew waiting for you. You would hug them, whisper how much you love and missed them, and offer up thanks to your god for safely finishing your mission and protecting this tranquility.
“…Meanwhile, I would’ve gotten my own taste of tranquility. I would be relieved you people actually knew how to negotiate, and I’d fall asleep wishing this peace and quiet lasted forever.”
Éň û m ӓ. і̆d
She spoke gently, but her words contained palpable hatred. Silent rage blamed him for not listening, for letting his shortsighted pride run wild.
“Now, let us talk about the future you chose.”
Lonius was at death’s door. Hemorrhaging from his countless slashes caused his consciousness to fade in and out as he wheezed for air through his lips, his eyes barely open. His soul hadn’t departed yet.
“You will soon die. You will suffer miserably then die, leaving only failure in your wake. Since I know your family’s names, I should kill them next. I will make Marsha and Mina suffer more than you can possibly imagine before slaughtering them. Oh, your daughter’s still just a wee baby, isn’t she? Then…I ought to eat her like the monster I am.
“I’m not fond of Human flesh, but you needn’t worry about me wasting her. I’ll make do by rolling her in a vat of spices, then either grill her little body or boil it.”
Atou stared closely at Lonius’s face as she eloquently painted his family’s fate. She gradually embellished her words, sounding more thrilled by the second, like she genuinely enjoyed the agony, regret, and despair twisting his features.
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Atou enjoyed everything about this situation.
“I won’t stop there either. Your squad stayed at several Qualian villages on the border connecting the Lawful Continent to the Dark Continent, right? I’ve no reason or point in doing so, but I might as well kill everyone and raze the villages to the ground when I find them too. Oh, and rejoice! Because if I happen to find anyone with the same name as your daughter or wife, I’ll make them suffer a thousand times more.”
Lonius shook his head feebly. He squeezed out the last vestige of life in him to protest and beg for mercy.
“I was taught by someone dear to me to always kill the enemy because the moment you go soft on them, it seals your eventual doom. So, I will kill them. I will kill a few dozen, hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands if that’s what it takes. I feel sorry for them and really didn’t want it to come to this, but I will still kill. All because of your choice.”
“D-Don’t… I beg of you, please don’t!”
She purposely ignored his strangled plea. Just as he'd ignored her desire for peace, she let his entreaty fall on deaf ears as well.
E̊ n̄ u ṁ а̄
“You were probably a good person. You prayed, devoted yourself to your nation and loved your fellow citizens and your family. What a class act. This is why I despise people who blindly believe justice is always right.”
Atou was finally satisfied after imparting those final words that would haunt his very soul. Or perhaps, it was more accurate to say she grew tired of playing with him. But, whatever she thought, it wouldn’t change the fact that the life of the man who lived as Paladin Lonius would end here.
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“I bid thee farewell, Paladin Lonius. A good and kind man such as yourself will surely go to heaven by God’s grace. Please enjoy watching the brutal deaths of your loved ones from your special seat in heaven. Hahaha…ahahahaha!”
The Witch shook with laughter as if hating everything, as if cursing everything with that sound.
Lonius went insane with regret over the irrevocable mistake he made, with the absolute assurance he’d seen through to how wicked of a being this was, and most of all, with absolute and utter despair over the fate awaiting those he loved.
“AaaaAAAGGGGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”
W ěb n о̆ ve l̀ Е n̊um ā
“HaHAha! AHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!”
And thus, the entire Accursed Land Reconnaissance Team perished on the Dark Continent, due to an unforeseen calamity brought upon them by one man’s sense of justice and shortsighted pride.
Only silence and the Apocalypse Hero remained.
A refreshing breeze blew, rustling Atou’s hair.
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For a while, she looked at Paladin Verdel’s corpse, as if mourning his loss.
◇◇◇
Е_n̆ú ṁа . і̂ d́
“MAGNIFICENT work, Lady Atou… Please leave the cleanup to us,” one of the Dark Elves said.
Realizing the speaker was Warrior Captain Gia, who’d finished off the mercenaries, Atou responded without looking his way.
“I don’t want us to waste time on the dead. I’ll help, so let’s tidy this up quickly.”
There were over fifty corpses. Leaving them might expose the fact a battle had taken place there. They also needed to collect the corpses of the mercenaries slain where they’d managed to escape.
While there was nothing they could do about the blood that had absorbed into the ground, they could at least avoid the danger of the decaying flesh summoning Mabeasts and wild animals to the area.
Remaining hidden was crucial, and being able to strip the bodies of equipment would prove to be a valuable asset to their empire, which was still scarce on supplies. Therefore, corpse disposal proved essential.
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Atou summoned forth her tentacles and dexterously collected all the corpses she could see into one location. Gia instructed the Warriors, and the Dark Elves efficiently split up to recover the other bodies.
He spoke to Atou as he watched the Warrior teams run in every direction to fulfill their orders.
“That wasn’t the result we wanted, was it, Lady Atou?”
“Sadly, no. They came to investigate some anomaly occurring in this forest. There’s a good chance they’ve caught onto us.”
“No! H-How…?”
“I thought things would work out because the Paladin named Verdel was a reasonable man…”
E.ñuḿ а .і d̃
“It’s true we aren’t trying to stir up trouble with the other nations. I also expected better results given how far away our territory is from theirs…”
“Well, just goes to show we can never see eye to eye with the forces of good when it comes down to it.”
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Atou had started their initial interaction disguised as one of the fugitive Dark Elf girls. They went with that tactic to avoid leaking Mynoghra’s existence and to see what the other side’s objective was.
Takuto’s plan was to feel them out through negotiations and if they willingly left, he’d let them go. But, if they didn’t, then prioritizing stealth came first—with their lives as the price.
This was the result of opening that can of worms. Maybe there was a better way, but considering what they came for, it likely would’ve resulted in their deaths anyway.
The fact of the matter was that risking exposure wasn’t an option for Mynoghra at this point in the game. Thus, this outcome was inevitable.
Е nu m а . ǐď
Realizing they weren’t out of the woods yet, Gia instructed the Warriors closest to them to expedite their work. Then he glanced at Atou and came right out and asked about what was troubling him.
“Lady Atou, about the threat you made…do you plan to actually go through with it?”
“What threat? Oh! You mean the threat against his wife and daughter? Of course I’m not going to do that.”
Gia was flabbergasted by her admission. He’d hidden in the woods quietly listening in to Atou’s negotiations with the armed men.
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Mynoghra’s King Takuto had strictly ordered them not to move until Atou gave the word, so the Dark Elves didn’t join in the fight until they received the signal to eliminate the fleeing mercenaries.
So Gia had watched the whole scene unfold, and Atou’s comments had chilled even his evil heart. Her threat was just a bluff? And her attitude seemed to imply, “Why did you take my joke at face value?” Gia passed the point of exasperation and went straight to being dumbfounded.
W ẽ b n о́v̄ èl̃ Е́ n_ũ ṁ_а̀
“I simply said mean things because I wanted to see what kind of expression that Paladin would make. I’m a pacifist who adores peace. I could never commit such atrocities…”
Gia couldn’t help but feel chilled to the bone by the girl’s bell-like laughter. Although he was frightened by her during their first encounter, he felt some humanity from her during their interactions. She had a slight airheaded side and became depressed whenever the King scolded her, making her seem like a real teenager.
Gia suddenly and strongly recognized his impression of Atou was absolutely wrong and that the being in front of him was evil taken to a whole other dimension.
That being said, it didn’t make him sympathize with the slain Paladins. If Atou hadn’t killed them, it would have been the Dark Elves who lay dead this day.
The Holy Kingdom of Qualia’s interrogations were brutal and rumored to show evil no mercy. It didn’t take a genius to know what actions those who worshipped law and order would take if they learned of Mynoghra’s existence.
Letting down their guard to show pity to the enemy the moment they’d finally obtained a peaceful life was the height of absurdity.
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Gia hadn’t forgotten the merciless way they had treated his clan. He could determine who came first between his beloved clansmen and strangers without ever needing to put their lives on the scale.
“Okay, enough chitchat! Let’s finish this up fast. I have much to directly report to His Majesty.”
“Hm? Is something troubling you?”
Gia was baffled by Atou’s urgency when the present danger had passed. He didn’t see anything immediately worrying, but it seemed things were heading in an unexpected direction without his knowledge.
“Yes, I was able to pilfer some information when I defeated the enemy. Things are heading in a bad direction.”
Paladin Verdel’s dying wishes flowed into Atou when she killed him. The majority was useless information concerning his comrades, but the Northern Province Disturbance was enough to pique her interest.
Еn̆ ũm̊ǎ
The beings called Witches especially drew her attention.
Continent destroying power on par with the Saints who belonged to the Holy Kingdom of Qualia and the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals.
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They had fortunately yet to run into any of them, but if Atou’s hunch was right, then these Witches possessed Hero unit strength.
Mynoghra still lacked national power and military might. And the power of Hero units, their only advantage, would be less effective if their opponent had the same or superior levels of strength.
They needed to come up with countermeasures and future policies quick.
Gia also sensed the impending danger from Atou and silently nodded. Her concerns were national ones, which in turn threatened the well-being of all the citizens.
W e b̌ n̈.ó vе l̀ E̊ṅ um̀а̂
He signaled the Warriors with his hand to move faster and joined in the corpse disposal himself.
The world was about to change forever.
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