Free Web NovelCale headed toward the city of Midi.
He could see the demons staring blankly at him.
The Gray Tree clan demons. The territorial forces. The Demon King’s army.
Cale stopped for a moment.
SHAAAA—
Rain poured down.
And one look at the sky was enough to know that this rain would only grow heavier.
“Raon.”
—I know!
Cale opened his mouth.
WOOO—
His voice rode Raon’s magic and spread through the surroundings.
“The final part of the ritual is enjoying a festival together.”
That was right. That was what he had said.
That was why the Gray Tree clan had been preparing a festival, awkwardly though it might be. Of course, it was raining now, and the weather was bad, but they had gained joy great enough to overcome that. They could easily enjoy a festival even while being drenched by rain.
“And the ritual is not over yet.”
But the moment the demons heard Cale’s words, their expressions changed.
“I will be purifying throughout the night.”
Cale declared it.
The purification was not finished.
And he would continue purifying.
“There are many people who need to be saved.”
Because there were many demons who had to be saved.
The expressions of the demons who understood what those words meant changed.
The Demon King’s army and the territorial forces.
And the Gray Tree clan, where each adult was an accomplished archer or warrior.
A strange energy began to circulate among them.
It was quite solemn, and firm.
Cale spoke to them.
“The festival will be held after everything is over.”
So until then,
“Until then, let us do this together.”
That was enough.
The demons’ momentum changed.
Cale watched them, then glanced at General Mol.
THUD!
General Mol stomped one foot and stood in the center of the clearing.
“From this moment, the army enters wartime readiness!”
Cale listened to those words and turned away, heading toward the city of Midi.
TAP TAP TAP.
Hong moved with him.
On and Ron might be in danger.
TAP TAP TAP.
Hong’s steps were faster than ever.
“Cale—”
“Eruhaben, please go to Mika.”
“Understood.”
Eruhaben, who had been approaching, moved away.
He went in the direction Choi Han had gone.
“......”
Cale confirmed that Clopeh was following him.
“!”
“......”
And the Wanderers Cho and Ryeon, who had been following behind Clopeh, flinched when their eyes met Cale’s.
Of course, the Wanderer Cho looked somewhat dazed.
He seemed as if he were inside a dream.
Ryeon, on the other hand, immediately opened her mouth.
“The water snake. That is the third Emperor’s power.”
Ryeon, who had grasped roughly what was going on from the surrounding conversation, was desperate.
“We didn’t know! We truly didn’t know!”
At that moment, Cale spoke with an indifferent face.
“I think it would be better for you to think carefully about how you should behave from now on before you move.”
His tone was far too cold to be called advice.
Ryeon could not say anything.
Cale had already turned his back on her.
SHAAAA—
And he was moving faster, cutting through the rain and drawing farther away.
Ryeon watched him go, her lips parting soundlessly.
Then—
“Lady Ryeon.”
Clopeh spoke with a low laugh.
Yes. This man was smiling at a time like this.
The moment Ryeon registered that fact—
“Prove your usefulness.”
“!”
Ryeon’s pupils trembled.
“If you prove yourself useful enough to cover your mistakes, happiness will not leave your side.”
Just as the legend was unfolding right before his eyes.
Clopeh turned his gaze away from Ryeon, who remained silent with a complicated expression.
Then his smile deepened.
“Mr. Cho seems to have understood.”
Cho’s face was blank.
But a clear light had formed in his eyes.
SHAAAA—
In the pouring rain.
Clopeh watched Cale’s receding back, then followed after it and spoke.
“Everyone. Betraying a hunter family is not difficult.”
The smile vanished from his lips.
He spoke to Cho and Ryeon with an expressionless face.
“But betraying your own heart, your happiness, and your emotions is a painful thing.”
Ryeon could say nothing as she looked at the strange heat in Clopeh’s eyes. He was weaker than her, but what dwelled inside him seemed quite ferocious.
And Cho.
“......”
He merely let his eyes shine in silence.
“Heh.”
Clopeh smiled again and quickened his pace.
“You will need to follow Cale very diligently today. That is how you will see the memories you want.”
Clopeh led Cho and Ryeon toward Cale. Of course, even as he did, Clopeh’s nerves remained sharp.
Checking whether Cho and Ryeon tried anything foolish or not.
That was the order Cale had given him.
It was a law he could never disobey.
And Cale, who had left Cho and Ryeon to Clopeh and stopped paying attention to them, spoke to Raon.
“Video communication orb.”
“I know!”
As Cale heard the invisible Raon’s voice, a video communication orb floated up in front of him.
The video communication orb connected immediately.
—Sir Cale?
It was the Demon King’s strategist, Ed.
“Can you contact the Demon King?”
—Mm. Why do you—
Ha.
Cale let out a sigh.
This strategist truly did not understand words.
“Mr. Ed. I am not in a position where I have to explain my reasons to you right now.”
Cale’s voice was cold.
And firm.
—There has been no contact.
He only understood once someone said it outright.
“The third Emperor’s water snake has been discovered.”
—Mm!
“And that water snake headed toward the city. With pus from the corruption of chaos inside it.”
—!
Cale did not look at the video communication orb’s screen. He stared only at the distant walls of Midi.
“Step forward openly from now on.”
Ed’s eyes widened on the screen.
He understood what Cale meant.
The water snake and the third Emperor.
And the rain.
That much was enough for a mind like his to understand what had to be done from here on out.
—We will focus on finding the water snake, avoiding the rain, and locating infected people.
“Yes. I’ll leave it to you.”
Strategist Ed’s lips moved for a moment.
Cale, running through the rain.
He thought he had a rough idea what state Cale was in right now.
—I wish you victory.
With those words, the video cut off.
And soon—
WOOO—WOOO—
The city of Midi and the city of Mika.
Magic voices began to ring out through both cities.
Strategist Ed had acted immediately.
—Gray sickness, an infectious disease, is transmitted through fluids. Tonight, we earnestly ask all residents to remain indoors.
His voice began to carry through both cities.
—Please report infected people and suspected infected to the lord’s castle as quickly as possible. That is the only way we can save them.
The third Emperor.
They had already been discovered by that bastard.
They did not know how much he had learned, but judging by the way he was working tricks with the thread snake, the third Emperor was probably clashing with the Demon King right now.
The strategist had realized it.
Cale had realized it too.
That was why they changed their stance.
They dragged into the open what they had been trying to handle quietly and secretly.
Of course, Strategist Ed was worried about the residents’ backlash and the chaos within the cities that would follow.
He was also worried whether they would even listen.
“Lord Ed!”
An official quickly gave a report.
“The territorial forces and the Gray Tree clan are joining the Demon King’s army led by General Mol and moving together!”
The strategist’s expression changed.
“Furthermore, all infected people of the Gray Tree clan have been purified! They say purification will continue throughout the night!”
The ancient site of the demon god.
The Gray Tree clan, who guarded that place.
They were lending strength to the Demon King’s side.
Even if it was temporary, if they helped, the residents of Mika and Midi would not simply rebel. They would obey.
Because the priest who did not even greet the Demon King, that fearless priest and the clan she led, had joined hands with the Demon King’s side this time.
“Tonight!”
Ed raised his voice.
“Tonight, we endure no matter what! Everyone, stay sharp!”
Then he added one more thing.
“Sir Cale’s orders come first! And monitor Sir Cale’s condition and support him! Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Yes, understood!”
At that same time, General Mol also raised his voice.
He was giving slightly different orders.
“The third Emperor. An outside enemy may attack the two cities! Make absolutely thorough preparations against it!”
The Demon King was probably fighting the third Emperor.
But Mol had not forgotten the prophecy.
That water dragon appeared here in the prophecy.
In other words, the third Emperor would come.
He did not want to imagine the Demon King’s defeat, but Mol had to prepare for it.
He was a general.
So,
“Right now, Sir Cale and his companions are trying to protect the inside of the city! At the very least, we must stop the outside enemy. Understood?”
Stopping the outside enemy, the outside attack, was his job.
SHAAAA—
Inside the rain, everyone began to move swiftly.
It was night, but they could not sleep.
SHAAAA—
No, sleep would not come.
Their minds were more awake than ever.
SHAAAA—
Cale’s body stopped.
It was the city wall.
“Raon.”
WHOOOOSH—
His body shot upward.
There was no time to enter through Midi’s city gate.
He intended to enter the city of Midi over the wall.
Ron and On.
He could not see the two of them.
While the purification ritual was finishing, where would they have gone?
SHAAAA—
Because of the rain, the dark clouds, and the night, he could not properly see the city inside the wall.
Everything was dark.
I can’t feel it.
He could not particularly feel the aura of chaos either.
In truth, if Cale had been able to detect corruption of chaos, he would have found every infected person already and resolved the situation.
It was not the aura of the God of Chaos, and Cale could not sense corruption.
That was why Cale had to think.
Ron and On.
Had the two of them already entered the city?
Had they gone over the wall?
Had they gone to the gate?
Ron had led territorial forces through Midi all day and searched the surroundings.
The Midi territorial forces would have recognized Ron and let him in easily.
If Ron had moved, there should definitely be some sign—
“No.”
Cale, who had been rising upward to look inside the walls, shook his head.
There was no time to look around.
So he had to think and move immediately.
Ron and On.
The two were clever, but Ron was a little different.
He had a great deal of experience, and he knew a little more.
Right.
He knew very well how bad guys moved.
He was someone who had once pursued Dark all on his own.
Why was it that Ron, even after running to the city wall in the direction Hong had told him, could not be seen?
SHAAAA—
Rain soaked Cale’s body.
He turned his head.
“Water.”
The third Emperor.
The thread snake that bastard controlled.
That water snake had taken in chaos.
Why?
To infect.
It must have been dyed with chaos in order to spread that chaos.
Otherwise, there would be no reason.
Cale had been worried because it was raining now. What if that water snake spread chaos through the rain?
But—
“The river.”
The river that supplied all drinking water and daily-use water in Midi.
It was a very small river, but still.
What if the water snake seeped into that river?
Then the place Ron would go is decided.
Ron would go where the water was.
And Cale’s gaze turned somewhere.
The map of Midi and Mika was already recorded inside Cale’s head.
“Raon.”
Cale pointed with his hand.
“I found them!”
With Raon’s words, Cale and Hong’s bodies were swiftly moved somewhere.
The place Cale’s hand had pointed toward.
There was a stream running along the outskirts of the residential district.
It was too small to be called a river, but too deep and full of water to be called a stream.
The place responsible for the residents’ water.
Ron and On were visible there.
“It’s a snake!”
Ron ordered the soldiers.
He was not moving alone.
“Find the gray snake! Shout the moment you discover it! And absolutely do not approach!”
His voice was so loud that it could be heard clearly even through the rain.
MEEEOOOW!
On ran quickly along the riverside.
Ron and On.
The two had heard the voice broadcast from the lord’s castle, and they realized everyone would soon devote their full effort to finding the gray snake.
That was why they had hurried to search the place with the highest possibility first.
SHAAAA—
“......”
Damn it.
Ron swallowed the rough words trying to rise inside him. Contrary to what he felt, his expression remained calm.
Night and rain.
Because of the rain that grew fiercer and fiercer, reminiscent of a storm.
And because of the darkness.
It was becoming difficult to distinguish his surroundings.
How could they find that tiny water snake?
I’ve grown old.
At times like this, he felt keenly that his body had aged.
His rain-soaked body grew heavy.
And with eyes that had grown dim with age, he wondered if he would even be able to find a snake if one appeared at night.
Truly, I’ve grown old.
He had been feeling it keenly lately.
This body was aging.
In truth, Ron had told Choi Han that he had to become stronger, but he wondered whether that was really possible.
When everyone moved forward, he had to exert himself desperately just to remain where he was.
He was not in a position to say that he was old in front of Eruhaben, but a human body truly aged quickly after all.
TAP TAP TAP!
On ran ahead of him.
Ron’s expression hardened as he followed behind her.
On was faster.
Faster than Ron.
And her eyes were clear.
Just like Ron’s in his youth.
On possessed outstanding talent.
Perhaps she might even become a greater talent in this field than Ron.
SHAAAA—
The young master’s future would likely become far harsher than it was now.
On would try to follow that path.
But could Ron truly follow it?
Ron knew that his son Beacrox was desperately trying to gain new strength, and that it was not going well.
Yes. That is the kind of world this is.
When one grew old, there were times one felt very vividly that the world was not easy, and that it was cruel.
But Ron was not the type to yield to that.
The fall of the Molan family.
Ron, who had fled after that and survived.
For him, Beacrox’s survival and his own had taught him at least what it meant to live while doing his utmost.
“Over there!”
At that moment, On’s voice rang out.
“Grandpa, over there!”
Goodness.
He had definitely aged.
To think he had drifted into useless thoughts at such an important moment.
Ron immediately threw away those unnecessary thoughts.
And he looked at On.
On was pointing far ahead with her front paw.
“I see something whitish over there! It looks like a snake!”
A bridge crossed the stream.
On shouted toward that bridge.
Ron looked in the direction she indicated.
Ron possessed excellent eyesight.
But he had neither aura nor mana.
“......”
The direction On pointed.
He could see nothing.
It seemed as if there might be something faintly whitish there.
But—
I can’t see it.
Ron bit his lip.
But his expression soon became calm, and his voice was composed.
“We approach in that direction.”
“Yes!”
Strength entered On’s paws. Her eyes filled with vitality.
At last, she had done something too!
The girl’s eyes filled with tension and anticipation.
She ran toward the whitish thing she had seen. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Ron followed behind her.
“I’ll take the shortest route!”
The place where they stood now was upstream.
There were rocks along the riverside.
There were also rocks in the river.
If they leapt across those rocks, they would be able to reach the bridge very quickly.
Tension rose inside On.
If that whitish thing jumped straight into the bridge and vanished, the result would be truly terrible.
TAP!
On headed toward the riverside.
Instead of the anticipation of having done something, another emotion rose inside her.
Think of every possibility.
Ron’s advice circled in her ears.
Do not miss even the smallest piece of information.
As Ron had taught her, On thought of every possibility.
And,
If you want to help your companions, do everything you can.
She did her best, chose the best option, and acted.
TAP!
On stepped onto a rock by the riverbank and looked at the rocks protruding from the river, deciding her route.
The path she had to take was clear.
On immediately put strength into her legs.
“On!”
Then she heard a voice calling her.
“!”
Above.
The voice came from the sky.
She lifted her head.
She could see Cale, Hong, and Raon.
And she could see the urgency on Cale’s face.
“The ground!”
The moment she heard his voice, On realized.
For an instant, Ron’s advice came back to her again.
Always examine your surroundings in detail.
Had she been looking at her surroundings?
Had she not only been looking ahead?
The weaker you are, the less you can afford to miss what is around you.
Ah.
On lowered her head.
Upstream.
The rocks located at the riverside, where one could move toward the center of the river.
On felt a chill wrap around her rain-soaked body.
This was instinct.
The instinct that danger had come.
Sss—
Through the fierce rain.
Between rock and rock, a water snake broke through the ground and crawled up.
On realized that her eyes had met the snake’s.
What should she do?
In this moment, what was she supposed to do?
Should she run?
Or should she stop that water snake from entering the river?
But how?
“!”
On was startled.
The water snake.
The gray snake had discovered On.
“Ah.”
This snake might scatter and vanish just like this.
She realized it like instinct.
It might not even enter the river. It might simply melt itself into this rain.
Then what about that rainwater?
What about rainwater that soaked into the ground?
What if this snake disappeared underground again?
We can’t catch it.
On realized it. If this water snake hid now, it would become even harder to catch.
And even more dangerous.
So now—
“I have to stop it.”
On unknowingly stretched out a front paw.
Yes. She might be contaminated a little.
Yes, they could just purify her.
But On had forgotten one thing.
Even if it was a snake made of water.
The true body of this power was the third Emperor.
And the third Emperor controlled a water dragon.
This was not a snake.
SKREE—!
The moment the gray snake’s mouth opened.
“!”
On’s pupils widened.
The thread snake took in the rainwater and grew larger in an instant.
The size of that thread snake caught up to On’s cat form in the blink of an eye.
Then, baring its teeth instead, it lunged at On.
“!”
On’s eyes widened.
“Did I not tell you to always examine your surroundings in detail?”
The gray snake’s sharp teeth stopped in front of On.
Instead, those teeth were biting something else.
“Ron—!”
The moment Cale’s shout rang out.
On saw Ron hiding her behind his back.
The gray snake’s teeth were sunk into Ron’s arm.
“And you must always think of every possibility.”
Ron’s indifferent voice.
And On—
KWAAAAA—
Saw the gray snake explode as it burst while biting Ron.
Gray corruption exploded in every direction.
But it did not reach On.
Because although he said he had grown old, to On, that back was infinitely large.
Because her teacher, Ron, stood before her.
