Chapter 33
“Did you hear the reason for the deployment?”
“Not really… They said we’re going into the Forest of Shadows behind the castle. Supposedly, it’s to investigate the disappearances happening in the castle area.”
The Forest of Shadows was a fairly large forest within the Burkden Domain. It was called that because the trees were so thick that sunlight rarely made it through, leaving only the shadows of trees visible inside.
“Doesn’t it feel a little… ominous? For them to suddenly push fifty mercenaries into the forest like this….”
Hob’s combat skills were questionable to the point one would wonder how he managed to make a living as a mercenary. But his natural survival instinct was formidable.
That must have been how he survived—not through skill, but through an uncanny ability to sense when to enter and when to retreat. That sense, for some reason, hadn’t activated when he first met me.
In any case, the only way to understand what they were truly after was to go through with the deployment.
Whether Viscount Julio was acting on Tarantula’s orders, or had his own agenda—it was too early to tell.
I moved to the castle and, shortly after, entered the Forest of Shadows alongside the fifty mercenaries Julio had summoned.
***
“Um… Captain, isn’t this place way too eerie?”
Paul—the second mercenary after Kirk to approach me for training—shivered as he spoke.
“Come on, don’t get spooked over nothing. As long as Karl-nim is with us, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Sure, I know we’ll be fine because he’s here, but you know as well as I do… There’s something shady about why Viscount Julio gathered these mercenaries.”
Those who had received my training had started calling me “Captain” at some point. I didn’t particularly care what they called me.
“Karl-nim, I said it before, but this whole situation feels wrong. I bet the rest of the mercs here feel the same way.”
Mercenaries had a finely tuned instinct for survival, no matter their individual skill levels. It came from a lifestyle that constantly danced on the edge between life and death. They were hard-wired to avoid danger.
Still, when the money was good enough, they’d suppress that instinct. And the terms Viscount Julio offered were too generous to refuse.
“What are you doing now, Captain?”
“Preparing for survival.”
Hob didn’t understand my brief reply. Throughout our advance, I left behind small setups and markers, even tying strange string-like lines here and there. My hands moved so fast that I didn’t even slow down our pace.
“Also, the knight leading us—he’s someone I haven’t seen before.”
As Hob pointed out, I too noticed that the knight leading us was unfamiliar. I had memorized the castle’s personnel from my training visits, even bribed handmaids for extra info, and yet this man didn’t appear in any of it.
Looking around, I didn’t see any of the Burkden Domain’s soldiers either.
Aside from the leading knight, it was just us—fifty mercenaries.
At some point, I began to feel something unpleasant. Like something sticky and sinister was watching us.
Not a good feeling at all.
“Ugh… my body feels so heavy…”
Even Hob had gone quiet. He was drenched in sweat and barely able to move.
And it wasn’t just him. The other mercenaries were in the same state.
‘That one’s just fine…’
The knight leading us—he was completely unaffected. Still walking ahead with that ghost-pale face, not a single drop of sweat on him.
“The mercenaries are exhausted. We should take a short break.”
The knight turned his head. I gestured to the mercenaries who were too worn out to continue.
“…Ten-minute break.”
His voice was cold as ice, and the mercenaries collapsed on the spot. They were soaked in either cold sweat or something else entirely.
I calmly walked up to the knight.
“Where exactly are we going? You could at least tell us what we’re here to do.”
The knight stared blankly at me. His eyes held no emotion.
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
I nodded lightly. He didn’t seem like someone who’d answer even if I pressed. I turned back and quietly made my way among the mercenaries, checking a few things during the short break.
“Moving again.”
We resumed our advance.
Soon, a bone-chilling cold froze us all in place. Despite the lack of direct sunlight, the forest usually had light filtering through the gaps in the trees during the day.
But now it was unnaturally dark. As if a veil had been drawn over the sky.
“My apostles have arrived.”
A voice as chilling as ice crawled over the mercenaries’ skin.
“Your servant has brought you the sacred dagger… and the flesh, blood, and spirit of the young.”
Even in this darkness, I could clearly see the knight kneeling and offering up a dagger.
And there, slowly approaching to accept the blade, was someone with a ghostly white face.
Humanoid in shape, but clearly not human. His entire body was pale, lips tinged slightly red.
“Viscount Julio has made his offering.”
“The promise is fulfilled. His son shall be resurrected. These shall be reborn as my servants. They will receive my blessing.”
The pale man turned his gaze toward me.
“A mongrel among them… Who do you serve? No… not a servant. Who are you?”
In an instant, the pale man was before me. My hand instinctively gripped my sword.
I swung hard at the incoming figure.
Kaang!
His claws clashed with my blade.
“Who are you.”
He asked again. I answered.
“Karl, Free Knight.”
“Kyyaaaaah!”
His face twisted in disgust as he attacked again. Each time, he screeched like something inhuman.
Even without using Qi, Léctĭo’s blade cleaved through the darkness like a radiant beam, striking at the pale man.
Boom!
He flicked his finger, creating an explosion that intercepted my sword with a black sphere.
The shockwave covered the area—but I shouted over it.
“Snap out of it! Light your torches!”
The mercenaries, prepared for the worst, had torches wrapped with oil-soaked cloth. They fumbled but managed to light them.
Still, the darkness wasn’t normal—it swallowed the torchlight unnaturally. But at least it restored some visibility.
“Form up into groups of five! Just like we trained!”
Over the past month, I had trained them as a unit, not just individuals. And that training showed.
No longer disorganized, they moved like a proper force—forming battle formations and holding their positions.
“Wretched worms… You dare to writhe before me?”
“Of course. We’re not about to die so easily.”
I grinned as the pale one fumed.
“So even with cold blood in your veins, you think you can do something… pitiful.”
His voice shifted—he’d lost interest in the sermon.
“I was going to make you my apostles, but I’ve changed my mind.”
His eyes glinted. He raised his hand.
“You’ll all be sacrificed. My servants, drain them of every last drop. Let them be an example of what happens when one defies Count Dragul Tsepeshi.”
The moment his eyes turned crimson, I sensed new presences all around.
Even as I fought, my thoughts raced faster than anyone else’s.
‘Viscount Julio wants his son resurrected.’
The Dagger of Vermon was a key for summoning demons. Dragul Tsepeshi wanted fifty mercenaries and the dagger.
Julio provided those things in exchange for his son’s revival.
The mad old woman said that if you had the right offerings and rituals, you could gain powerful authority.
The pale man before me—he was a demon.
The line had long since been crossed.
“Raise your shields and fall back slowly! I’ll lead the direction—move backward based on my position!”
I focused all my senses, guiding the unit toward the survival mechanisms I had prepared in advance.
—Piiiiiing…
A high-pitched, faint ringing grazed my ears—bells tied to strings that rang faintly in the wind.
I moved back, taking point, and the mercenaries followed me.
BOOM!
“Gaaagh!”
A scream echoed through the darkness.
Paul.
He’d been the second one to ask for my guidance, after Kirk. Diligent and earnest, he trained tirelessly even with a sluggish body. He was a good man.
But this world was cruel. Good people died first.
“Even if someone next to you falls—hold the line no matter what!”
Though shaken, the mercenaries didn’t break ranks. They were survivors of many battlefields. When they saw a path to survival, they moved with precision—even if it meant leaving a friend behind.
“Persistent pests!”
Dragul sounded frustrated. Our retreat was faster than he liked.
“I’ll sever your head myself!”
He charged at me. I focused all my senses.
Visibility was poor—one slip could be fatal.
His claw came flying—I blocked it.
BOOM!
It echoed louder than metal on metal. I blocked his follow-up attacks calmly.
“This wretch!”
I must have annoyed him. His eyes narrowed.
‘Let’s see you block this one!’
His finger flicked—and an explosion burst behind me.
BOOM!
“Kh—!”
A small blast exploded at my back. Strong enough to take down a person.
Smirk.
Dragul’s smile returned. He set off more blasts around us.
Even though I was starting to read his patterns, the wounds were stacking up, and my movements slowed.
Still, I held formation, guiding the unit and clearing a path.
“Interesting one…”
Dragul admired my unwavering resolve, even as he bled. But this was his domain—and my blade, lacking Qi, couldn’t truly harm him.
“No matter what, you’ll become my offering.”
He flicked his fingers again. This time, it wasn’t an explosion—it was a mental attack.
A system message flashed before my eyes.
[‘One Who Denied Legend’ title has been activated. Resisting mental attack.]
Thanks to the title, I resisted his spell.
Seeing me still standing, Dragul scowled—then launched a final attack.
His clawed hand aimed for my heart. He was sure it would end me.
Slice!
“…?”
His claw should’ve pierced my chest. He should be holding my heart.
But something was wrong.
He stared at me—still standing—and at something writhing on the ground.
An arm.
His arm.
It had been severed at the elbow.
Crash!
Even as his limb twitched on the forest floor, he flicked his other hand and caused a massive explosion.
It was several times stronger than before.
My body was in tatters, but I still led the unit out.
And then, the darkness lifted.
We had exited his domain.
“How amusing…”
Watching me from afar, Dragul grinned and bared his fangs. He didn’t chase us. He simply returned to the darkness.
“Haa… haa…”
Not fast, not slow—I met his gaze until the end. Outside the domain now, I gasped for breath.
And I remembered… his smile.