Chapter 57: Plague (4)

Chapter 57: Plague (4)

Even though it was early, the sleeping village was so silent that the sound of mice could be heard.

Carlyn walked cautiously in the silence.

They werent easy opponents. They could sense something amiss, so there was no need to rush.

Safely approaching from behind the devil worshipers was the task at hand.

Having dealt with one, it was now 4 versus 4. There was no change in the plan, just the battlefield had shifted outside the village.

Carlyn actually didnt mind, as it would minimize unnecessary commotion.

Its been a while since Ive felt this excited.

It had been over half a year since he met a proper strong opponent.

Although he had sparred with Toun Zaha in practical sessions, sparring could never replace real combat.

However, Carlyn never thought they would lose. The opponents might be strong, but they hadnt been undefeated either.

They were all specialized agents.

Whether in the field or in the mind, the title specialized wasnt given lightly.

One must earn recognition within the intelligence agency.

It was not that one surpassed another and earned the title. It was that one stood out distinctly.

The Duke genuinely cared about Carlyns life.

Even though Vasco and Toby seemed inexperienced, their skills were certain.

Toun was no different. The concern for Carlyn was how to capture without killing.

Before he knew it, the devil worshipers had left the village entrance. Bending their upper bodies, they moved swiftly under the moonlight.

But soon, they straightened up.

It was because Toun Zaha was staring at them with a corpse at his feet.

Upon seeing this, the bald man among the devil worshipers muttered something low.

Damn it.

The atmosphere among the devil worshipers grew ominous. As their gazes locked, the distance between the two groups shortened.

The man at the front of the group, who seemed to be their leader, furrowed his brow.

Theyre not ordinary guys.

Toun Zaha glared at the man without saying a word. It was because Carlyns signal hadnt come yet.

He had no intention of engaging in a conversation from the beginning. The muscular bald man couldnt contain his anger and took a step forward.

What the hell are you guys doing?

Hollin, you idiot. Will they tell us?

Watching the devil worshipers muttering in this situation, Toun Zaha narrowed his eyes.

Was it confidence or arrogance?

He wasnt some kind of agent. An agent could never act like that.

Stop.

At the words of the leader, the two shut their mouths and returned to formation. Silence fell.

In contrast, their glares were fierce.

Both sides needed to prevent anyone from leaving here, so they were exploring escape routes.

Suddenly, the winds started blowing.

Toun Zaha, who knew that Carlyn had created these winds, considered them to be a natural occurrence, they were that sophisticated.

Peoples hair lightly fluttered.

Now.

Carlyn distanced himself slightly from the devil worshipers. It would take some time to narrow it down.

He pounded the ground with his expanded thigh.

Simultaneously, the winds brushing against people started to move differently.

The devil worshipers were restrained and assisted the Haisen agents movements.

What the!

When muscular bald Hollin was astonished, Toun, Toby, and Vasco had already sprinted forward within three meters.

The essence of the battle between powerhouses was more precious than anything in an instant.

The devil worshipers belatedly released the winds through their magic power.

Mystics werent all-powerful. Carlyns winds could withstand magic power of a certain level or higher.

If they were to elevate it further, they could become stronger, but for now, this was their limit.

However, buying time was sufficient for the moment.

Behind! Theyre coming!

The leader of the devil worshipers shouted, deflecting Toun Zahas sword.

Carlyn felt a twinge of regret.

He had wanted to send at least one back, but the leader was unexpectedly not someone to trifle with. Yet, Carlyn believed causing confusion was enough.

However, no one paid any attention to their rear.

Hollin!

Carlyn hurriedly tried to block with his Winds, but he was a step too late. Toun, Toby, and Vasco rushed in.

Father of the darkest place

After muttering ominously, the leader inserted the sword into his own throat. The longsword protruded from the back of his neck.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

As the Haisen agents stood there stunned, Carlyn quickly turned around. They had to keep at least one alive.

* * *

Are they really crazy bastards?

After roughly examining the bodies, these were Tobys words. I also deeply agreed.

To choose suicide as soon as the situation worsened.

Didnt people usually think of escaping first? If three of them had managed to escape, there would be a possibility.

Well, no. The leader made a good judgment.

He would have sensed my Winds from the start. He probably deduced that even if they tried to escape, they would be caught.

He didnt trust his subordinates, so he took care of it himself.

It was regrettable for us, but for the leader, it was probably the best choice.

Vasco gave Toby a jab.

Why say the obvious? Believing in devils already makes them crazy bastards. But still, wheres the one we caught?

Him? You think he knows something? That guy looks damn stupid.

Vasco closed his mouth. There wasnt really a counterargument. Even I could see that.

How much did he know about this situation?

We confirmed that those corpses were devil worshipers. They had tattoos on their bodies. Their last words also indicated that.

However, we couldnt find any documents or anything related to this incident.

Wed have to go back to the village and search the hideout, but there probably wouldnt be anything left.

Those guys wouldnt leave behind such traces.

Carlyn.

Toun came over to me.

How did you figure it out? And whats this about a healing potion? It seemed effective when I saw it from a distance.

Half of it was intuition. No matter how you look at it, the situation seemed strange.

Since I had thought up my excuses while still in the village, I answered casually.

As soon as I saw the locals fleeing the plague-infested village, I used Winds to survey the area. I saw people outside at that time and judged that there was something behind it.

Toun nodded. He probably thought that far too. They had talked about someone being outside right from the beginning.

And then, I saw someone with a strange reaction while talking and was certain that there was someone inside too.

And the one inside confirmed it with your Winds.

I nodded.

What about the healing potion?

That was partly a gamble.

What?

If there were enemies inside, naturally there should be healing potions too.

Touns expression soured. I quickly continued as if trying to cover my tracks.

Actually, there was a hint of belief

Tell me.

If theres something behind this, then the locals didnt spread it, right? It means they overcame the plague and found a difference between us and them. They drink a tea made from platinum herbs every day

I glanced at Touns reaction. I frowned, but there was no suspicious vibe.

Amazing. Truly amazing. But

Toun let out an uncomfortable sigh.

Dont do that next time. Its dangerous. You promised the Duke, you said your life is the top priority.

Yes.

It was better to show inadequacy than perfection, to avoid arousing suspicion. That was my intention, so I slightly lowered my head.

Still, it ended more easily than I thought.

If this were after the main story had started, it would have been harder. Because the devils power had begun to spread across the continent.

Dealing with rampaging devil worshipers was not an easy task.

Well, things went well for now, but how are you going to handle the rest?

Worry was evident in Touns eyes. He was concerned about the villagers and the locals.

Plague, the disciple who supposedly cured it, the sudden deaths of villagers, devil worshipers

Just the plague alone would have led to rumors spreading, and on top of that, there was the added complexity.

Whether it was devil worshipers or the kingdom this village belonged to, it was obvious they would come here.

Dont worry.

But its alright. I had a plan in mind.