Chapter 19: Must I Spare the Enemy (1)
“Aren’t we the only party patrolling the northern ditches at this ti?”
When Artier asked, Derr showed a friendly smile.
“You must not have heard. After casualties in the ditches yesterday, the rules changed. All patrol teams must consist of at least two parties.”
He hadn’t heard.
Reading Artier’s puzzled expression, Gerard stepped forward and said.
“Can you show the request form?”
“Of course.”
The man pulled out a parchnt from his bosom and handed it to Gerard. After checking, Gerard widened his eyes briefly and returned it to Derr.
“It seems decided while we were resting.”
Gerard turned to Artier.
But he couldn’t shake the suspicious feeling.
“Let’s go in for now. Any later, and we’ll miss the shift ti.”
Artier said that and took the lead into the ditch.
The party, suddenly increased to nine, lined up and quietly began walking through the ditches.
“I heard Artier defeated that massive monster last ti, is that true?”
Derr approached Artier’s side and asked in an ingratiating tone.
“Yes.”
“Really? But the mana I sense seems ordinary.”
Derr’s gaze scanning from head to toe was felt.
Like testing, as if saying this isn’t all, right?
‘What?’
Feeling oddly unpleasant, Artier hardened his expression.
At that mont, Bow right behind said in a cold tone.
“Does your rcenary corps lack manners?”
“……What?”
Cracks were visible in Derr’s smile.
But Bow’s voice was even colder and sharper.
“Am I wrong? Don’t you know who’s right in front of you?”
When large rcenary corps barely handled siege soldiers, Artier did it with individual power.
Of course, not all top-rank rcenaries from each corps stepped up. But it was already known to all that Artier had power comparable to top-rank.
“That’s…….”
Derr’s face hardened as he grasped the situation.
To face a top-rank rcenary, a high-rank needs about five. If Artier decided, killing Derr wouldn’t be hard.
“You’re lucky. Our party leader hates making things big.”
Bow whispered as he passed Derr.
Derr couldn’t say anything.
“I’ll go ahead and check the path.”
“Will you be okay?”
“You know my skill? Can’t ambush here, not elsewhere.”
As Bow went ahead, Derr returned to his original position.
His face hardened so stiffly that it was doubtful if he was the sa Derr who had been ingratiating earlier.
Seeing that, Collie whispered in a small voice.
“I’m uneasy. Mages are always full of sches…….”
Shortly after, Bow at the front hurriedly returned.
“Found it.”
“Monster traces?”
“Yeah, not human footprints.”
“Let’s go right away.”
Everyone including Artier hurried their steps.
After advancing a bit, as if an unusual situation had occurred, the expressions of Collie and the Magica rcenary Corps party mbers hardened.
“The air is trembling.”
“Where is this concentration of mana coming from?”
“It’s like large-scale magic was used.”
As testimonies flowed from various places, Gerard asked with a serious expression.
“How many tis have mages been in ditch patrols?”
“We’re probably the first.”
“But there are traces of large-scale magic cast in the ditches? Who exactly?”
However, there was no ti to find answers.
Suddenly, two Hellmorphs sprang out from the fork ahead.
“Danger!”
Clang!
Artier imdiately drew his sword and deflected the attack, but Gerard couldn’t.
Crash!
“Keuk!”
Gerard quickly cast Shield, but it shattered futilely when the Hellmorph ramd with its head horn.
Then, bitten on the arm by sharp saw-like teeth, Gerard fell with the Hellmorph.
“Captain!”
The mont Jeina raised her axe to charge, sothing flew faster.
“Fire Ball!”
It was the fireball Derr fired.
Swirling flas gathered at his staff and erupted, striking the Hellmorph on Gerard.
“Kieek!”
Having failed the ambush, the Hellmorphs soon beca corpses under the rcenaries’ quick counterattacks.
“Gerard, your arm!”
“Arm?”
Rising, Gerard checked his forearm at Jeina’s cry.
The armor he wore was gone, and the exposed left arm was stained dark brown.
“Show the wound.”
Collie grabbed the arm and cast regeneration magic, but the wound didn’t heal.
“The burn is too severe. Recovery will take a long ti like this.”
Burn?
As soon as Collie’s words ended, everyone’s gaze focused on Derr.
“Don’t you usually avoid fire magic to prevent friendly fire?”
When Bow asked suspiciously, Derr rebutted as if incredulous.
“It was the only magic that ca to mind urgently. If delayed even a bit, Gerard’s arm would have been severed.”
Gerard nodded while grimacing in pain.
“Thanks. Let’s keep going.”
“But treatnt isn’t done yet…….”
“I’m not a close-combat mber, so no need for imdiate recovery. Besides, with monsters appearing, we need to find the source too.”
Too many suspicious things.
Why hadn’t the shifted party discovered anything when Hellmorphs appeared so openly.
“Collie, can you track the mana flow?”
“That’s not hard. It’s felt hugely right ahead.”
“Let’s go now.”
At Gerard’s words, everyone started advancing.
And soon, they could discover sothing.
“What is that?!”
Jeina shouted. Probably everyone was thinking the sa.
A large crack like space torn open was in the air, and a few Hellmorphs were guarding it.
“Why is a teleport gate here?”
Pat!
At that mont, sothing sprang from the crack.
Exactly the sa as the Hellmorphs they just killed, over ten.
“Impossible……. Can those guys open teleport gates?!”
“Whatever, let’s fight first!”
“No!”
Collie imdiately grabbed Jeina who was about to charge.
“If that’s a real gate, fighting here has no chance of winning!”
A gate ant enemy forces could be continuously replenished.
The party mbers would dry up before destroying the gate.
“We have to retreat! And request support…….”
Boom!
But suddenly, a massive explosion occurred from the passage behind where they had co.
“What?!”
Everyone’s gaze turned back.
Countless rocks blocked the passage they had walked.
“Everyone okay?”
Gerard looked around. The Magica rcenary Corps mbers were nowhere to be seen.
“Separated?”
The ditch between them and Artier’s party had collapsed.
Gerard imdiately placed his finger to his ear, but.
Spark!
“Keuk!”
Suddenly, sparks flew from his ear.
“Gerard!”
“Sothing’s blocking communications, what the hell.”
“…….”
Artier looked up at the collapsed ceiling.
Black smoke rising, and no sound from beyond.
[Using skill]
Detection (Basic Magic): Identifies heterogeneous elents within the mana-touched range.
Clang!
[Skill use canceled.]
[Detection Blocking Magic is applied.]
Even the detection he tried just in case was no help.
‘As expected…….’
But confirming the status window, Artier could be certain.
‘There’s no detection blocking magic installed in the ditches.’
Sa for communication blocking. There was no reason for such magic in the ditches to begin with.
Then, only one possibility.
‘The Magica rcenary Corps…….’
Betrayal made his teeth grind.
He didn’t know why, but the only ones who could plot this were the Magica rcenary Corps who entered with them.
‘Be careful. Those guys definitely won’t stay quiet.’
Trophin’s words from last night belatedly echoed in his mind.
Had he anticipated this situation?
“Everyone, focus.”
Artier drew his sword and approached the Hellmorphs.
By then, their numbers had grown to about twenty.
“You know, but head-on fight has no chance.”
Bow said. Artier agreed to so extent.
‘Jeina still has internal injuries, and Gerard injured his left arm.’
Artier rolled his eyes around.
Fortunately, old wooden doors were on the left and right of the gate.
“While I block the monsters, run to the right passage.”
Everyone nodded at Artier’s words.
At the sa ti, Artier charged at the Hellmorphs.
“Kieeeek!”
Then, the watchful Hellmorphs imdiately pounced on him.
Artier deftly mixed Perfect Counter and parrying to push back the Hellmorphs.
Pit!
But with over twenty Hellmorphs charging from all sides simultaneously, defense was breached, and wounds started appearing here and there.
Crunch!
“Artier, this way!”
Jeina smashed the wooden door with her axe, and the last remaining Gerard called Artier.
As Artier deflected the charging one with parrying and entered the passage, Gerard used Shield to block the entrance.
“Run!”
Not long after Gerard and Artier started running, the barrier shattered.
But using that ti, Artier and Gerard could escape the passage.
As Artier ca out, Jeina swung her axe with all her might at the chain supporting the pulley.
Thud!
Then, a heavy iron grate descended from the ceiling, completely blocking the passage.
“Hoo…….”
Seeing the Hellmorphs roaring outside the grate, the party sighed in relief.
At least for a while, they were safe from them.
“What the hell is this? Why did it suddenly beco like this?”
“It’s mid-level explosion magic.”
Collie said with a sullen expression. As if saying he knew it.
“A very large mana trace was felt from the ceiling. Only the Magica rcenary Corps can cast magic of that level.”
With Collie’s words ending, others seed to roughly grasp how the situation was unfolding.
“Those bastards! Doing this to allies?”
“Insane. If this gets out, permanent expulsion from the rcenary world.”
“No, they were perfectly sane.”
Gerard said while touching his arm.
“Setting up to disable detection and communication, and even changing patrols to two-party teams at dawn. Thoroughly prepared.”
No witnesses an assassination.
No testimony ans no investigation.
“They probably disabled the city center gate too.”
“Is that possible? The teleport gate is surely…….”
“Mages control it. And most mages in the city now are from the Magica rcenary Corps. Temporarily disabling it saying there’s an issue isn’t hard.”
“…….”
“No search, communication, or return, so they’re determined to kill. Smart heads.”
At Bow’s words, everyone’s expressions turned grave.
At that mont, Artier, who had been staring at the passage alone, said.
“It’s okay. We can get out.”
Artier took out Gerard’s sword from inventory.
And handed it to its original owner.
“This is……?”
Gerard looked at him puzzled.
“We’ll use all the cards we have.”
“…….”
The mont the sword entered Gerard’s eyes, light returned to his pupils.
But shortly after, he sighed and shook his head.
“My arm isn’t healed yet. Probably can’t swing the sword long even if I hold it.”
“It’s fine. Just swing it once when needed.”
Artier had no intention of putting Gerard in front anyway.
“Use it only for self-defense when dangerous.”
“……Understood.”
As Gerard nodded, Artier looked at everyone.
“Probably all ditches leading to the exit are blocked.”
“Right.”
“We have no one who can break through collapsed ditches. But there’s exactly one passage left connected to the outside.”
“Passage? What do you an? You said all ditches would be blocked?”
“N-no way…….”
While everyone showed puzzled expressions, Collie, realizing sothing, began sweating coldly.
“I believe that doesn’t an using the monsters’ gate.”
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