When Lapin died, the resisting bandits mostly surrendered.
Their faces were uniformly lifeless.
It seed they were shocked that their leader, whom they trusted and followed, had indiscriminately burned both his allies and enemies.
Thats the terrifying aspect of a weapon imbued with demonic power.
A weapon charged with a demons energy blurs the users reasoning.
It transforms them into monsters that not even their friends or family could recognize.
Dale gazed pensively at Lapins corpse, who had clutched the relic cannon tightly until his dying mont.
Suddenly, an enemy from a previous battle ca to mind.
A woman who wielded a relic staff.
Just like Lapin, she too had been obsessed with her staff which was imbued with demonic power until her last breath.
Could there be a connection between that incident and this one?
Dale thrust his gauntlet into Lapins body and started absorbing his life force. Along with his lingering soul, fragnts of Lapins mories seeped in.
The mories revealed a hunched-back figure wearing a white mask.
This hunched-back figure personally collected the sacrifices prepared by Lapin and then handed over the relic cannon to him.
A white mask?
Those who hide their faces behind masks are often up to no good, especially those who deal in demonic weapons by collecting sacrifices.
Could it be a demon worshipper?
Dale realized that these mories were relatively recent.
This ant that the demon worshipper who had provided Lapin with the weapon might still be in the vicinity.
While Dale was piecing his thoughts together,
The employees of the rchant guild were busy assessing the situation.
How bad is the damage?
There are 19 dead and 23 seriously injured.
What about the carriages? They caught fire earlier.
Three were completely destroyed by the fire, but we managed to save half of two others.
Despite the efforts of Dale and the priests, the damage was significant, with half of those involved in the supply convoy either dead or severely injured.
Even so of the carriages were burned to ashes.
The damage was enormous.
Naturally, the expressions on the faces of the employees in charge of the caravan and Rebecca were far from pleasant.
However, even so, there was much to be done at the mont.
Repairing carriages, collecting bodies, gathering equipnt dropped by both the bandits and allies, and taking rest among other tasks.
People had to move diligently.
Under normal circumstances, the most labor-intensive task would be dealing with the bodies.
Handling corpses outdoors was always a troubleso issue.
But this ti, Dale made a difference.
After the employees of the rchant guild had cleared away the bodies of their allies, Dale spread a black mist around the area.
The mist lightly enveloped the surroundings.
When the mist cleared, all that remained were dried corpses.
Its convenient that I dont have to absorb them one by one.
Life force and soul force filled his body.
The quantity was substantial. Perhaps upon returning to the temple this ti, he could look forward to greater growth.
Those who witnessed the scene wore complex expressions.
Hmm, this is sowhat
But at least he made it easier like this.
If it werent for him, we might have been the ones dead. Lets not speak badly about him.
The sight of harvesting life force and soul force from the bodies, even if they were enemies, did not sit well with many.
But regardless of what anyone said, Dale was the main contributor to this victory.
No one openly grimaced at Dale, except for a few priests.
My goodness!
By the gods.
For those deeply devout, it was a scene they found hard to accept.
A few priests approached Dale, intending to reprimand him.
Had it not been for the huge wolf passing by, the situation could have been quite troubleso.
Whoa!
Aaah!
The priests were greatly surprised by the sudden appearance of Harty.
Harty looked at the priests disapprovingly before approaching Dale with dignified strides.
The wolf nudged Dales waist with its blunt nose; its usually half-closed eyes were now sparkling.
You only act friendly when you want sothing. Do as you please.
With permission granted, Harty began to gnaw on the dried corpses.
This sight further horrified the priests.
Harty growled in annoyance under their gaze, as if to say, Stop staring while Im eating. The priests then reluctantly turned away with uncomfortable looks on their faces.
Rumors about Dale would now likely include tales of a cannibalistic wolf.
After finishing his task, Dale gathered the withered corpses together.
To prevent the spread of disease or attracting monsters, it was best to burn them cleanly.
As he was moving them alone, soone approached to help.
Let help you.
It was Esther. She rolled up her sleeves and started moving the bodies herself.
The priests who watched her from afar were not pleased with this.
Your companions dont seem too fond of this.
Esther shrugged her shoulders.
Ive said it before, havent I? Who I associate with is my choice.
You might unnecessarily draw hatred.
Esther flinched. It seed like his remark did sting a bit.
She muttered to herself with a deflated expression.
. Its okay.
Although she didnt look okay, Dale chose not to press further.
Instead, he focused on the task at hand.
He gathered the bodies of both allies and bandits, found so kindling and lit a fire.
The flas enveloped the bodies. But this ti these were normal flas, not green flas.
The priests recited prayers and started wishing for the deceaseds peace in the afterlife.
The rcenaries and the rchant guilds employees looked somber.
Yet no one cried.
In a world where life is fleeting and death is common, one must grow used to it.
To mourn every loss would eventually break ones spirit.
A death with no one to weep for it.
Wouldnt it be quite lonely for the person in question? Dead n tell no tales, after all.
No.
As Dale looked around, he noticed the faint moisture at the corners of Esthers eyes.
Dale turned his head away again.
And he thought to himself.
Perhaps it wasnt so lonely after all, with such a ddleso priest shedding tears for them.
***
After they finished with the battles aftermath, the group continued on their way.
With Gabriel dead, the most senior soldier temporarily took charge of the troop.
He felt a heavy burden with the imnse responsibility and often approached Dale for advice whenever problems arose.
Is-is it okay to do it this way?
Dale gave the guy advice a few tis but it soon beca annoying. So he spoke with a dismissive tone.
Im a rcenary. Figure it out yourself.
My, my apologies.
The caravan passed by the village of Faido. This was the place where they had originally planned to spend the night.
But now, it was no longer possible to find lodging there.
Esther remarked dryly,
Another village will disappear from the map.
In an era where nations that had lasted for thousands of years were crumbling, the loss of a single village seed minor.
The caravan moved past the village and stopped on a suitable flatland to make camp.
It was decided where they would set up for the night.
As usual, Esther, Harkin, and Harty gathered around the campfire and pot.
It was the gathering spot of the beautiful priestess who had shown remarkable feats and Dale.
There were a few other rcenaries who wished to join them, but after Harty growled once, they all backed off.
Harkin who was enjoying the envious glances from the rcenaries opened his mouth,
Phew. It wont be long before our party gains fa.
Party? What are you talking about?
Esther munched on dry bread while giving Harkin a look that seed to ask what bizarre thing he was talking about.
Harkin grinned slyly.
Well, Dale and I are practically inseparable soulmates now. And you, priestess, your skills have improved remarkably, havent they? With the three of us together, who could stand against us?
Esther set down her bread and narrowed her eyes.
Is it just , or is it obvious youre trying to hitch a ride on our coattails?
Co now, what are you talking about?
Esther was growing tired of Harkins nonsense and changed the subject.
Speaking of which, its strange that deserters are turning into bandits. The situation at the front seems to be very strange.
Harkin spoke lightly.
Well, its understandable. The 4th Legion is stationed beside the desert. Its hot, sandstorms are frequent, and its hardly a place one would want to stay for long.
Why did they desert?
Esthers question reminded Dale of Fisher, whom he had directly interrogated not long ago and the last words he spoke.
Dale asked Harkin,
Have you ever seen a demon?
Huh?
Harkin was taken aback by the sudden question and started scratching his head.
I was indeed at the front lines, but I stayed in relatively safe places. I was lucky, so Ive never actually seen a demon.
Really?
However, I have seen a few who claid they had seen demons. Those people were all broken in one way or another. So had their minds damaged, while others went mad and even sided with the demons.
Their minds were either damaged or they ended up joining the demons.
Dale was reminded of Fishers vacant stare.
Just the mory of demons was enough to tornt him with extre fear.
It seems demons are quite the fearso ones. In fact, Quill and I rushed back to Irene at the first opportunity because we didnt want to end up like that.
I see.
Its understandable that soldiers on the front lines, who have been facing such terrifying enemies for decades, might change.
The balance will break soon.
The precarious balance that was maintained now will not last much longer.
The period of relative calm will end, and the demons army will resu its advance at any ti.
The rampant bandits in the rear and the demon worshippers lurking in the shadows were evidence of that.
I need so ti still.
Dale wasnt strong enough yet. He still couldnt win against a demon if he encountered one.
He needed ti to grow.
The current precarious balance had to be maintained.
For that reason, he wanted to eliminate the demon worshippers rumored to be in the vicinity beforehand.
Not only should they not be left alone but the lucrative rewards for hunting them were also enticing.
A prey he couldnt afford to miss.
Demon worshippers, huh.
But not all demon worshippers were the sa.
The type and magnitude of power they wielded varied depending on the demon they served.
In this case
A relic cannon. A white mask. Contagious green flas.
Dale slowly recalled the clues he had gathered.
Each demon had unique traits.
Having played the ga several tis, Dale rembered most of these traits.
And by identifying the traits of the demon worshippers he had just seen, he could guess the demon they served
Surprisingly, the answer ca quickly.
However, Dale found himself unable to readily accept it.
This is a bit strange.
It was an unexpected result.
***
Following that, the caravan moved without significant issues and arrived at their destination, the Castle of Kaelum.
Situated midway between Irene and the 4th Legion, the Castle of Kaelum was a gloomy place.
Even at noon, the fog was so thick that sunlight struggled to penetrate.
As a result, the faces of the residents appeared almost unnaturally pale.
It was as if they were in a castle inhabited by vampires from ancient tales.
Moreover, the castle was eerily quiet. Not a single soul was seen moving about at the castle gates.
This sight made Rebecca furrow her brow.
Its too quiet. Unnervingly so.
Has it always been like this?
Of course not. Even on gloomy weather days, it wasnt this silent.
The caravan approached the city gates.
Several soldiers stood guard.
As the caravan neared, the soldiers commanded with grim expressions.
Halt! Identify yourselves!
Rebecca stepped forward and announced,
I am Rebecca, the head of the rchants Guild from the outer districts. I have already inford Count Kaelum of our arrival.
One of the soldiers nodded his head in acknowledgnt after verifying her docunts.
My apologies!
Thank you. I know its tough. May we enter now?
Ah Well
The soldier looked uncomfortable.
However, Rebecca who assud they would naturally be allowed entry continued to lead the caravan into the city.
But then
Soone erged from within the city and shouted.
Halt! No one may enter or leave the city without our permission!
Clad in a bright red robe over a well-toned physique, with a white band on the left sleeve and a red one on the opposite.
Recognizing the figure, Rebeccas face contorted in displeasure.
It was a heresy inquisitor from the church.
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