Chapter 181:

Chapter 181:

“Run! Keep running!”

“If we cross the hill, we can shake it off!”

“Damn it, what on earth is that...?”

Three Georg knights were running, panting heavily. It was a rare day when the rain had stopped, but the sky was still gray, and the mist clung to their bodies as if they were underwater. Inhaling the air that felt like they might drown, the knights ran and sometimes crawled, struggling to shake off the monster chasing them.

Since the Aldeon army started spreading its forces, the Georg knights had been taken aback by this tactic, but soon adapted. They realized that if they stuck together and attacked, they could defeat their enemies one by one.

Gathering forces in one place was a fundamental tactic. The Georg knights laughed at the stupidity of the Aldeon army and regrouped to launch their attack.

At first, they enjoyed some success by annihilating small enemy squads. But as they repeated the attacks, they began to notice something strange when their casualties increased more than expected. At the same time, strange rumors began to spread from the mouths of surviving knights.

A devil appeared in the misty rain.

“Wait, Hilton, where’s Hilton?”

“He got caught and killed! Just keep running!”

They laughed at the rumor, thinking it was a fabricated story by a knight ashamed of his defeat, but as their ranks thinned, the rumor grew. More and more knights who went on surprise attacks didn’t return, and the remaining Georg knights could only look at the misty forest with fearful eyes.

The Aldeon army was scattered as thin as the mist. In contrast, they were a well-forged sword, surely capable of cutting through like paper, yet they couldn’t bring themselves to charge into the mist.

With morale plummeting, the Georg knights had no choice but to abandon all restraint and return to the fortress of Elion.

If the enemy was a visible giant, they would grit their teeth and fight to the death.

But they couldn’t fight against mist or ghosts.

“Just a bit more...”

However, some knights couldn’t tolerate fleeing from mere mist. Those who had never encountered a devil intended to score one last feat before retreating, targeting a lone knight wandering through the mist.

And then, they encountered the devil.

“We made it! We survived! Here, we should be...”

The knight caught his breath and looked back. But behind him was nothing but pure white mist, like a blank canvas. The comrades who had been panting and running with him were nowhere to be seen. The knight realized the mist had silently swallowed his comrades one by one.

And now, it was his turn.

Footsteps. A slow silhouette appeared beyond the mist. It was the knight, looking as calm as when he was first encountered.

“They said we could survive if we got here, but there’s nothing, is there?”

***

The Georg knight gripped his sword spasmodically and swung it. It was more like a cornered rat going mad than a resolve to fight.

However, the action brought him a slight sense of peace.

Though done unconsciously, upon resolving to fight to the death, he invoked a miracle of Elil.

Isaac looked at the knight and spoke.

“I have good news and bad news.”

“G-good news?”

At Isaac’s sudden words, the knight steadied his breathing. He seemed more surprised that Isaac was someone he could communicate with, rather than the content of what Isaac had said. Upon realizing that Isaac was a rational being, his fear subsided, and he belatedly recognized that his opponent was the Holy Grail Knight.

“You’re the Holy Grail Knight, not a demon. What do you mean?” the knight asked.

“Which one would you like to hear first?” Isaac asked.

The Georg knight hesitated before speaking. “The bad news first.”

“You’re about to die,” Isaac stated.

“Excuse me, Holy Grail Knight.”

“...Yes?”

“You look tired, and so do I. How about we pretend we didn’t see each other and move on? If we fight here now, one of us has to die before the other can go back,” Lianne Georg suggested.

Isaac was momentarily taken aback by her words. Was this really coming from the ruthless rebel leader and enemy general? Isaac needed to capture Lianne to end the war, and Lianne also needed to capture Isaac, Aldeon’s only swordmaster, to gain the upper hand.

However, she seemed more concerned with immediate fatigue than anything else.

“I just killed five of your knights,” Isaac pointed out.

“That’s fewer than the number of your people I killed today. Not that I’m suggesting we compete, but that’s how war is. Fortunately, there are no witnesses, so if we agree, this negotiation will be easy,” Lianne responded calmly, without any emotional inflection.

She brushed her wet hair back and continued speaking.

“I have plenty of honor, and I’m reasonably confident in my skills. The elders want me to avenge my father, so I’m doing it, but that has nothing to do with you, Holy Grail Knight. Let’s meet again later at a more important time.”

Isaac almost nodded instinctively but managed to restrain himself.

Is this how someone avenges their father? Are all the young people these days so indifferent?

“What if I refuse?”

“If you refuse... Elil’s knights don’t shy away from battles.”

Lianne raised Lumiarde nonchalantly.

Thud, thud, thud. The sound of air freezing and cracking filled the air. The invisible force around her sword froze the mist and spread outward. The cold was so intense that without protection, one’s flesh would be torn away.

Isaac thought for a moment and nodded.

“Let’s do that. The environment isn’t in my favor.”

“Right? I thought you’d be reasonable, not being a follower of Elil.”

“What about the bodies? There are more down the hill. Will you clean them up?”

“Hmm. Just tidy them up enough to show respect. We seem to have lost this area. Oh, if it’s okay, I’d like to retreat all our soldiers to the fortress. Could you slow your advance a bit?”

“I can’t promise, but I’ll suggest it. Fighting in this mist isn’t easy on the nerves.”

“Thank you... See you next time. Goodbye.”

Lianne waved her hand and disappeared into the mist.

Isaac watched the spot where she vanished, feeling entranced, and then immediately turned and started running. He needed to inform Mors that the Georg army was planning a full retreat, and they should launch a general offensive to exploit the opportunity.

***

Unfortunately for Isaac, Lianne didn’t trust her agreement with an infidel at all.

As the Aldeon army began moving to pursue the retreating Georg forces, they encountered traps and ambushed enemies. Eventually, Mors switched to cautious scouting and searching.

Isaac ground his teeth but also admired the fact that even the straightforward-seeming conversation with him had been part of her strategy. Then, he was impressed again when reports came in that not a single Georg soldier was seen across the entire frontline within a day.

‘Would the outcome have been different if I’d used the Touch of Chaos?’

He wondered, but unless he looked with full strength to the point of unleashing tentacles, the outcome wouldn’t have changed much.

It was impossible to read a swordmaster’s mind easily, and Lianne would have been wary, thinking Isaac, a follower of the Codex of Light, had no honor or trust.

Mors was taken aback by the Georg army’s genuine retreat and quickly mobilized the troops.

Three days later, the Aldeon army reached the fortress of Elion without encountering any resistance.

–TL Notes–

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to read more than 25 advance chapters or support me, you can do it at /Akaza156