Chapter 123

“It’s a nest…!”

“Really… a nest?”

“How could it get this far without us noticing?”

A few cultists descending south was completely different from them establishing a nest.

When a nest appeared, the land became tainted. The corrupted ground devoured mana and converted it into corrupted magic, which in turn further empowered demons and demonic creatures, complicating the entire situation.

‘…At least, that’s what I know.’

Was that dark purple staining the snow… corruption?

Fernan stared at the violet-stained ground and swallowed hard. The ominous magical energy was unmistakable.

— Kyuuu! Kyu!

Wooden was reacting nervously too, pounding on Fernan’s chest.

He wanted out immediately, to return to his full size and wipe out everything.

He couldn’t stand to see the land tainted.

Wooden’s unusual urgency startled Fernan—until he understood.

‘Ah… of course. Wooden was a forest spirit drawn to the World Tree branch.’

Now it made sense.

A spirit born from pure energy, who also carried a fragment of the World Tree—the purest mana source—would detect corruption easily.

‘This is an unexpected advantage…’

In the face of the looming demonic incursion, having a “detector” almost as sensitive as Aint Armian was a reassuring asset.

“We must exterminate the demonic creatures and purify the ground.”

“They’ve sent scouts in all directions. Clearly they intend to expand their territory quickly. We can’t just sit by.”

…Though first, they had to survive this situation.

‘Calm down, Wooden. Not now.’

— Kyu…

‘Don’t give me that disappointed face either.’

— Kyu!

‘That they’re your mortal enemies? Don’t be ridiculous.’

In the end, Wooden went quiet.

Meanwhile, the White Lion knights decided to face them head-on, not retreat.

“We cannot allow demonic creatures to establish a nest right at Bercheff’s doorstep.”

They didn’t know exactly how fast they could reproduce or how dangerous the corrupted land would be. But they did know that if they didn’t act, it would turn into a flood that would consume Bercheff.

And for a land only just recovered, that would be a death blow.

‘And there’s no guarantee this is all there is.’

No matter how many there were, up until now they’d only seen lesser creatures. What if there were stronger demons hidden nearby?

“Sir Fernan. We’ll protect you with everything we’ve got, but we can’t guarantee your absolute safety.”

“Don’t worry about me. In fact, as part of the patrol, I’d like to contribute as well.”

For example, ensuring that not a single one of those beasts escaped.

The captain grew interested.

“You’re a guest, Sir Fernan. But tell me—how do you plan to do that?”

“You may have heard—my specialty is earth magic.”

“We’ve heard that.”

“And what do earth mages do best?”

Fernan drew a circle in the air, pointing around the valley.

“Raise walls.”

“They’re rank 7, and there are hundreds of them. It’s not easy to contain them.”

“Didn’t Luina tell you about me?”

“What do you mean?”

Luina whispered something in the captain’s ear. Fernan didn’t catch everything, but he did hear a few words—“elixirs,” “excess mana,” “potions.”

The captain nodded, convinced, and extended his hand.

“Fernan, from this moment, you’re part of the patrol. I’m counting on you for the strategy.”

And so, Fernan was formally integrated.

***

When did knights shine brightest? Without a doubt—in battle.

Since childhood, they’d been trained to kill men, monsters, and beasts. They were living weapons.

They mainly used swords, but could wield nearly any weapon. Their versatility and ferocity were hard to describe.

And among all battles, there was one moment when knights reached the height of their glory.

The cavalry charge.

It was the flower and essence of knightly orders.

Anyone who hadn’t seen dozens or hundreds of knights charging in unison could not imagine such devastating power.

Fernan, lying beside Luina in the snow, watched the White Lions form up for the charge.

The horses began to advance slowly through the snow.

The knights lowered their lances.

It was already a spectacle—but the best part was yet to come.

Wooong—

The knights shared aura and combat techniques. They learned to synchronize.

Wooooong—

A white glow of aura began to radiate from the lances. Amid the snowstorm, it looked like a sublime vision.

The aura resonated, expanding and covering the knights, the horses, the entire formation.

Dudududu—

The horses, influenced by the energy, neighed like wild beasts and picked up speed.

Kruaaargh!

Kyaaaah!

The demonic creatures finally sensed the threat. But it was already too late.

When they bared their fangs at the White Lions, the formation was already upon them, ready to tear out their throats.

─────!

Gyaaaah!

Grooarh!

The roar shook the heavens and earth.

In an instant, dozens of creatures were destroyed, bursting into bloody chunks.

That was only the beginning.

The formation pierced through one group, and without stopping, charged into another.

The smell of blood drew even more howls and assaults.

At that moment, Fernan raised his staff and activated the prepared magic circle.

Rumble—

A massive circular wall rose around the valley, enclosing everything.

Fernan and Luina looked up at the wall growing skyward.

“Hmm…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“…The mana cost is higher than expected.”

Fernan quickly drank a potion.

He looked at the blackened earth beneath his feet.

‘Of course… one more reason to purify this.’

Magic didn’t depend only on personal mana—it also drew from the environment.

But the corrupted land had no mana—only corrupted magic.

“So the corruption blocks mana flow. We’ll have to be careful in the upcoming battles.”

Without ambient mana, any aura or magic consumed reserves much faster.

Gyaaaah!

Kraaaagh!

Meanwhile, the battle reached its climax.

The demonic creatures charged like an unending tide. The knights didn’t stop for a second.

In the midst of the darkness, the White Lions shone like absolute predators.

A spectacle that sent shivers down the spine.

“What do you think?”

“Incredible. Even if they’re rank 6 demons, I now understand why they didn’t flee… and why the White Lions are called Bercheff’s first knight order.”

The demons’ fangs and claws couldn’t pierce the resonant aura generated by the knights.

And wherever they passed, corpses were left without fail.

“The White Lions are the first knight order of the continent.”

Pride was evident in Luina’s straightened shoulders.

“……”

Watching her boast didn’t sit well with Fernan, so he threw out a dry comment.

“But you’re not them, are you?”

“…I can fight too. I stayed to protect you.”

“Even though your aura technique is different?”

“All Bercheff’s aura techniques derive from the family’s secret technique.”

“I know that.”

“…Are you mocking me?”

Fernan let out a small chuckle.

“You definitely shouldn’t be a merchant.”

“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

“For a knight, honesty is a virtue.”

“But for a merchant, it’s not.”

“Anyway, I never planned on becoming a merchant.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“…Huh?”

Luina tilted her head, feeling like she’d lost at something without understanding how.

At that moment—

“It’s over.”

Feeding mana into the stone wall no longer made sense.

All the demons had reacted to the presence of living beings and, without exception, had thrown themselves at the White Lions—only to end up as corpses.

“Is the pursuit over here?”

“For now, yes. We’ve strayed quite far from the usual patrol route, and it’s very likely this isn’t a phenomenon limited to just this area.”

It was clear they had to return as soon as possible and report to the margrave so countermeasures could be drawn up.

After all, no matter how strong the order was, just thirty knights couldn’t exterminate every demon in the vast north.

Fernan dispelled the magic. The tall walls sank back into the earth.

“Burn all the demon corpses, then we’ll head back.”

As Luina had said, even though the White Lions had found a trail leading farther north, they didn’t follow it.

“And the land tainted by dark magic? It looks like it spread even further after absorbing the demons’ blood.”

“Hmm. For now, we’ll burn it.”

They lit fires. Although the snow made it difficult to burn cleanly, even after the red flames passed, the contaminated earth remained impure.

“…There’s nothing else we can do right now. We must report to the lord and request help from the Cult of the Dragon God…”

At that moment, Fernan pulled something from his subspace and poured it on the ground.

Shhhhhh!

A thick smoke rose, and after the reaction, a portion of the blackened land returned to its original state.

“……!”

“……!”

The knights’ eyes widened.

“…Sir, what is that?”

“Holy water, produced by the Cult of the Dragon God.”

“How did you get it…?”

“Didn’t I say I came prepared?”

Of course, when Jace had given him that amount of holy water, Fernan never imagined it would be this effective and versatile.

‘They’re bastards, but their product is worth every coin…’

His opinion of the cult rose a few notches.

“I see. If you have enough of it, could you purify the land with it?”

“There’s too much area to cover everything here.”

“That’s what I thought…”

“…But if you let me keep the demon corpses, I can give it a try.”

“Take as many as you want.”

“Then it’s a deal.”

Fernan tossed dozens of glass vials filled with holy water into the air and, with a spell, made them explode into a mist.

The liquid, mixed with mana, turned almost into a fog that covered the entire contaminated area, fighting the dark resistance and gradually purifying the land.

“Whoaaa…”

“That the Cult of the Dragon God’s holy water works so well is encouraging.”

The captain of the White Lions, until just moments ago worried about the magnitude of the corruption, let out a sigh of relief.

But then—

— Kyu kyu kyu kyu!

Wooden began pounding him even harder and more frantically than before.

‘Stop! You hit a bone! What now…?!’

At that moment—

Crack—

“Huh?”

“What…?”

With no prior warning.

The very ground of the valley beneath their feet suddenly collapsed.

“Th-the ground…!”

“Watch out!”

The crack swallowed all thirty White Lions, the eldest daughter of Bercheff, and the heir of Pellenberg.

The valley fell silent.

As if nothing had ever happened.