Chapter 88

Chapter 88: A blood-drinking sword (2)

Serati’s suggestion was simple.

All other conditions would remain the same, except for one change.

“You’re suggesting we completely erase the presence of Lephan?”

“Yes, Captain Jiken. Can you make it so that the cursed sword can’t find him at all?”

“It might be possible.”

How exactly did the cursed sword Mareda track its targets?

One thing was certain: it didn’t rely on the host’s line of sight.

The girl had found Lephan, who was hiding deep within the mansion and out of sight, and had run straight toward him.

“It’s likely through smell, or maybe by sensing the soul’s wavelength.”

That was a typical method used by undead creatures or demons summoned through necromancy to locate their targets.

And a 7th-circle spell existed to block both of those methods with a detection interference barrier.

“Then I’ll cast a magic circle and place Lephan inside.”

“Please do.”

Of course, it only made Lephan feel even more confined.

Sitting in the middle of the magic circle drawn in the center of the bedroom, Lephan let out a series of deep sighs.

“Ugh, at this point, it really feels like I’m in prison.”

***

A day and a half passed.

Just as the morning sun was rising at dawn, Pross, from the 7th Battalion, was in the middle of breakfast when he found himself in a completely unexpected situation.

Boom!

As he sat in the dining hall, tearing bread to dip into his stew, one of the walls suddenly came crashing down.

At the same time, a small girl—by now a familiar sight, having appeared so often—revealed herself.

“The cursed sword Mareda!”

“She’s here now?”

The soldiers of the 7th Battalion, who had been eating, quickly scrambled into battle positions.

The girl moved at once.

“Kyahahaha!”

The cursed sword’s target was clear.

Ignoring the other soldiers, she charged directly at Pross alone.

Pross, now running for his life, shouted in frustration.

“What the hell? Why is it me this time?”

***

Thanks to the swift response of Jiken, Trib, and the other leaders, the cursed sword Mareda once again fled without causing significant damage.

Pross was safe, but new questions arose.

“The 7th Battalion again?”

“Yes.”

“First it was Wallace and Beric, and now it’s Lephan and Pross...”

Jiken pressed his fingers against his temples. It was a habitual gesture whenever a headache loomed.

“Even the smallest detail will do. Do you have any guesses, Lord Karnak?”

At first, the cursed sword screamed and fled at the sight of the 7th Battalion’s captain. Now, it was relentlessly targeting members of the 7th Battalion.

“This cannot be a coincidence.”

“I agree. But honestly, I have no idea.”

Karnak, frowning, continued.

“I can’t even begin to guess. There isn’t the slightest clue. What possible connection could there be between the cursed sword and our 7th Battalion?”

“That’s true...”

A silence fell.

Not just Jiken and Karnak, but all the other aura users present also kept quiet. No one could figure it out.

It was then that Pross, sensing the tension, cautiously spoke up.

“Um, would it be alright if I offered a rather absurd suggestion?”

Jiken and Karnak turned to him, their curiosity piqued.

“Hm?”

“Do you have an idea?”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a guess...”

Pross looked uncertain.

“Honestly, it’s a really ridiculous guess. It seems like pure coincidence, no matter how I look at it...”

“Right now, we don’t even have that ridiculous guess.”

Jiken gave his approval.

Feeling more at ease, Pross pointed to himself and Karnak.

“Well, it seems like it’s based on the order of who was standing closest to Lord Karnak, doesn’t it?”

“Closest in order?”

Baros was puzzled.

“What do you mean? If we’re talking about being close to the captain, it should be me and Dame Serati. Why Wallace and Beric?”

Of course, everyone knew that Karnak’s closest aides were Baros and Serati.

“Whatever happens, we must deal with her this time.”

As Trib inspected the traps, he encouraged the troops.

“By any means necessary, let’s end this!”

The soldiers working with him asked, “By any means necessary...?”

“Does that mean we’re willing to kill the host?”

They were asking whether it would be acceptable to sacrifice the innocent girl possessed by the cursed sword.

Karnak, overhearing this, flinched in surprise.

‘Are they seriously suggesting we just kill the girl? That’s not an option.’

He was about to intervene, but Trib answered first.

“It’s a life-or-death situation. I’m not saying we must save her at all costs.”

He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“But killing her outright isn’t the solution either, is it? After all, we’re acting under the king’s decree. And even without that, as someone who serves the Seven Goddesses, we should save a life if we can.”

“Of course, Lord vice-captain, what you’re saying is morally correct, but...”

One of the younger soldiers seemed unconvinced.

“The more the cursed sword runs wild, the more blood will be spilled. Wouldn’t it be better to decisively sacrifice the girl and prevent further casualties?”

Trib, a man in his forties, looked at the young soldier in his twenties and smiled.

“That’s exactly what I thought at your age.”

“Is that wrong?”

“Logically, your reasoning is sound.”

Sacrificing one person to prevent greater damage? In theory, it makes perfect sense.

“But reality doesn’t work that way.”

The problem is always people.

“People who think that way often end up failing to save either the individual or the many. They just end up with both the sacrifice and a lot of casualties.”

If you can save a life, you should do everything in your power to save it.

That mindset, ironically, is what minimizes the damage and saves the most people. It’s not about numbers or statistics.

The soldiers wore ambiguous expressions.

“Is that so?”

Trib gave a bitter smile.

He understood that it was hard to grasp, as he himself had only come to realize it vaguely at this age.

“I’m sorry, but as a mere swordsman, I can’t explain it any better.”

“No, sir!”

“We’ll take your words to heart!”

Meanwhile, Karnak and Baros were silently impressed.

[Oh, so that’s how you’re supposed to live like a proper person, young master.]

[Impressive. I never thought about it that way.]

[You were planning to save the host anyway, weren’t you, young master?]

[Yeah.]

All life is equal, and every life is precious?

It wasn’t some kind of noble or admirable sentiment like that.

[If we kill her carelessly, she might come back stronger as an undead.]

When it comes to necromancy, killing someone often causes more problems than leaving them alive.

It wasn’t about morality, but practicality—keeping her alive was the smarter choice.

[So that’s how you say the same thing without making people mad.]

[We should learn from him.]

[Indeed. Is speaking eloquently a talent? I’m jealous.]

Listening nearby, Serati was puzzled.

[Is that really so impressive?]

What Trib said was similar to the sermons many clerics gave.

But wasn’t it strange that these guys, who had lived for over a hundred years, didn’t know that?

Karnak and Baros nodded in agreement, as if to say it made sense.

[It’s because I never really listened back then.]

[Whenever we encountered a cleric before, we’d just kill them and make them dance as skeletons.]

[Ah, I see... You terrible people.]

[Huh?]

[Oh, nothing.]

The nearby 7th Battalion soldiers looked at the three of them with peculiar expressions.

Their faces seemed to say, “There they go again, silently staring each other down.”

Realizing this, Baros quickly changed the topic.

“So, are we just going to stay here for now?”

“We have to.”

“When do you think the cursed sword will show up?”

“We don’t know, so we’ll have to keep camping until it does.”

Looking around the camp, Karnak smiled softly.

“It won’t take long. She’s been attacking us relentlessly every day.”