Episode 34 This is a crazy place. (2)
As dinner was served and night approached, the atmosphere in the forest became increasingly eerie.
Despite being exhausted from the daily battles, the mercenaries had difficulty falling asleep.
This was because the occasional ominous screams heard from afar were gnawing at my nerves.
The group was finally able to fall asleep after lighting a bonfire and hanging lamps to illuminate the surroundings.
But Giselle did not lie down, but just sat quietly in front of the campfire.
“Your Majesty, aren’t you sleeping?”
“I have something to check.”
“What?”
“Monster.”
“yes?”
When Belinda asked with a frown, Giselle answered quietly.
“Monsters that used to appear randomly during the day don’t appear at night. There must be a reason, right?”
“no way…….”
Belinda quickly understood what Giselle meant.
Just two days ago, monsters would attack regardless of day or night.
However, during these two days, there were no monsters attacking at night.
“They say there’s a monster in this area that’s only active at night.”
“Yeah, that’s why other monsters don’t move because they’re afraid of them.”
The mercenaries nearby swallowed their saliva as they heard the conversation between the two.
If it had been the first day, I would have laughed it off and ignored it, saying, “What does a nobleman know?”
But the abilities that Jiselle showed in just five days were extraordinary.
When he said that, I felt a strong sense of persuasion.
Wheww.
As time passed and the surroundings became completely dark, an ominous sound of wind was heard.
As Giselle stood up, Gillian, Kaor, and Belinda also stood up with hardened expressions.
[They were watching us in the dark.]
“Confucius.”
When Gillian called, Giselle nodded.
There was something around here.
Those with sensitive senses could sense those suffocating gazes.
Several mercenaries also stood up from their seats with anxious expressions and looked around.
I couldn’t see very well beyond the range of the lamp, but I could tell that there was something in the darkness surrounding me.
The threads of mana released by Giselle spread out in all directions.
Jiselle wiggled her eyebrows as she checked the number of things watching around her.
‘That’s unexpected.’
[There were about two hundred of them… … and they doggedly followed us until we were exhausted. The enraged Count Balzac chased them alone, but could only kill about a dozen of them.]
The number that Jiselle confirmed was roughly over three hundred.
Since the times were different, it was inevitable that the information would not match perfectly.
“Everyone, stay still.”
The mercenaries looked around with anxious eyes, their weapons in hand.
WHEEK!
Something like a whip flew in and snatched one of the hanging lamps away.
The lamp was sucked into the darkness and soon lost its light.
But in that brief moment, a human-like figure appeared.
[They started stealing our light and sight.]
WHEEK! WHEEK!
Again the whips came flying and snatched away several lamps.
[I later found out that they have the ability to assimilate into darkness and are extremely averse to light.]
As the lamp dimmed, the surroundings darkened in an instant.
Kaor tried to run away with the Cerberus mercenaries in tow with a grim expression.
Because the feeling of being hunted stimulated his fierce instincts.
But Giselle reached out and stopped him, and just stared blankly into the darkness.
Kaor said with a growl.
“What? They’re just hiding and watching, so their fighting ability won’t be much. Just go and take them down so they don’t bother you again.”
“That’s it for today.”
“Up to here? What do you mean?”
The ominous atmosphere that had surrounded the area for a moment began to slowly fade.
Krrrrrr… … .
Leaving behind a strange laughter, they soon disappeared completely.
[They came and watched us every night. The soldiers could not rest comfortably even for a moment, and we gradually lost our light.]
The mercenaries felt something unidentified retreat and tried to take out the lamp again.
Jiselle shook her head.
“Keep the lamp as is.”
“Why? The brighter it is, the better, right?”
[We regretted it. We should have definitely taken care of it and moved when we first felt them in the lake. But when we realized it, it was already too late. We had lost both day and night. There was no time to rest. We were in too deep and had lost our bearings.]
Jiselle spoke to the mercenaries in a firm voice.
“That’s how it has to be done if we want to deal with them here.”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
The mercenaries looked dumbfounded.
Are you saying you know what it is and how to deal with it?
“What is that?”
In response to the mercenaries’ questions, Giselle quietly muttered a word.
“Follow.”
[They lost their brilliant civilization and intelligence and became monsters, living in this forest as ‘hunters of darkness’. They are descendants of the ‘Palor’, one of the ancient ancestor races… ]
* * *
The party did not make any further progress or move forward.
He simply cut down a tree a little way from the lake, created an empty lot, and rested there.
While the mercenaries rested in their respective positions, Gillian stayed next to Giselle and asked.
“Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?”
“I plan to deal with them and move on. Otherwise, they’ll keep following me.”
“How can we catch those who just watch in the dark? Even if we try to attack them, they will run away.”
“Let’s check tonight. Have the mercenaries prepare bows and arrows.”
“Uhm, okay.”
Gillian nodded.
If the enemies were just watching while surrounding them, it might be a good idea to just shower them with arrows.
Night came again and everyone was tense.
Whether it was luck or the followers, the monsters didn’t attack during the day.
The mercenaries, who had rested enough and recovered their stamina, gazed into the darkness with their bows in hand.
Krrrrrr… … .
I felt ominous gazes filling the surroundings.
In the midst of the suffocating standoff, Giselle cried out.
“Shoot!”
Peeing!
In an instant, more than a hundred arrows were shot out in all directions.
The mercenaries, standing in a circle facing outside, each fired arrows without sparing any effort towards the front.
but.
Krrrrrr… … .
All that came back was a strange, almost mocking sound.
The mercenaries were confused.
“What, what is it!”
“None of them were correct? That’s ridiculous!”
It was clear that there was something everywhere, just hidden in the darkness and out of sight.
They were deliberately hostile. Even the most dull of people could sense it.
There were so many monsters that it felt like they were surrounded, but not a single arrow hit the target and just flew away in vain.
“W, what kind of monster is it… … .”
“Not a single one of these arrows hit you?”
The mercenaries retreated in fear.
Gillian licked her lips and raised her mana, perhaps not liking the atmosphere.
The intention was to fill the arrow with mana and shoot it more powerfully.
Then Giselle grabbed Gillian’s hand and stopped her.
“No. You can’t use mana yet.”
“Confucius?”
“Then things will get even more tiring. Mana must be thoroughly hidden.”
“What is that… … .”
“I’ll explain soon. As expected, my attacks aren’t working.”
[The Palors, who had been assimilated into darkness, were able to pass through all physical attacks. Therefore, there was no way to hit the Palors except for Count Balzac and the knights who could use mana. This was both a blessing and a curse for them as an ancient race… … .]
Whee!
Again, the lamps began to disappear one by one.
As each light disappeared, the surroundings grew darker, and the mercenaries huddled together in fear.
Giselle didn’t move any longer and just watched as the lamp disappeared.
[The followers first try to eliminate the surrounding light. However, what they overlook is that weapons imbued with mana can emit light on their own.]
When you wrap mana around a weapon, it emits light.
You could have prevented it from coming out at all, but no one would bother to hide it like that.
To hit the followers, you had to use mana to attack.
In the dark, they are easily able to dodge attacks, but when the light shines and their form is revealed, they are no longer invincible.
If those who can use mana right now chase the followers, they will be able to deal some damage.
But Jiselle shook her head inwardly.
‘Then it will only make things more difficult.’
[Count Balzac was clearly a powerful warrior like no other in the kingdom, but he was overconfident in his power. The Palors, unable to deal with Count Balzac, began to kidnap soldiers.]
More than half of the lamps that were on on the first day have gone out.
The mercenaries left in the dark space were at a loss.
Krrrrrr… … .
The followers laughed in satisfaction and then disappeared.
Their hunting style was to gradually apply pressure in this way to discourage and frighten their prey.
“Everyone gather around. I’ll explain.”
After the followers disappeared, Giselle gathered the mercenaries and explained what she knew.
After hearing the explanation, everyone in the group opened their mouths in shock.
I’ve never even heard of a monster that can’t be attacked without light.
But after actually shooting the arrow, I couldn’t help but believe it, even though I didn’t want to.
“Then, wouldn’t we have to install more lamps and make torches and surround it with a lot of them?”
“It’ll just buy you some time, but eventually you’ll lose all your fire.”
“Then how about this?”
As Belinda picked up one of the daggers, a blue glow began to form on it.
If you can sense their presence, you can kill them even if you can’t see them properly.
Because the moment the weapon gets close, at least some part of the body will be illuminated.
“As expected, Belinda is smart.”
When Giselle praised her, Belinda puffed up her arrogance and showed off.
“I’m a graduate of the Royal Academy.”
“I told you that you’re good at lying. Anyway, you shouldn’t use mana.”
“How did you know it was a lie? Why can’t I use Mana?”
“Then they’ll change their hunting style.”
[We found traces of the captured soldiers. They looked like they had been eaten alive. The enraged Count Balzac blew away dozens of meters of the surrounding area when the Palors appeared. However, the Palors, who already knew the power, moved far away and hid in the darkness before they were exposed to the light. Eventually, at some point, we ended up just watching the soldiers being taken away.]
If the followers avoid fighting and pursue them, kidnapping them one by one, they will quickly wither away and die.
With only a few people who can use mana and not many in number, with the current power, we could only be annihilated.
As Jiselle continued her explanation, the faces of the group gradually turned pale.
As you go deeper into the forest, stronger monsters appear and the damage increases.
But, just imagining those guys chasing me and trying to kidnap me every night made me dizzy.
“Then what should we do? Aren’t they already preying on us? Shouldn’t we go back now?”
When a mercenary asked with an anxious mind, Giselle shook her head firmly.
“We have to fight here.”
[With this number of people, there was no way. It was clearly an opponent we could win if we fought them, but they had no intention of fighting us… … . In the end, we failed again, and it was only after the arrival of the royal wizard Sir Alois and his wizards that we were able to eradicate them.]
Even the advance party from the previous life, which was stronger than the current mercenaries, failed to conquer the Demon Forest several times.
It’s not because they lacked ability, it’s because they had no information.
Additionally, the problem was that the followers were smart for monsters.
But Giselle is different from them.
‘Kill them all here before they notice.’
The information is sufficient and the preparation is thorough.
Everything was going as he expected.
