Episode 114

Before entering the mist-covered area, Azadine gave Scott a warning.

“There will be Naga Empire agents inside. If a battle breaks out, I need to be sure you won’t betray us.”

“I don’t betray my employers.”

“The Naga Empire hired you, but you still surrendered to me, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t the Empire that hired me—just the Nagas who were there at the time. And if surrendering counts as betrayal, isn’t that applying the term way too broadly? So, what do you want from me?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Azadine hesitated. What he really wanted was for Scott to swear his loyalty using the ‘I, Half-Orc’ pledge.

But when he thought about it, that gesture was something orcs used to mock and insult humans. If he asked for it, wouldn’t that be like spitting in his own face?

Besides, would that even guarantee Scott’s loyalty? It was a meaningless act in the end.

“No, forget it. I’ll just trust you.”

“You’re a reckless one. Shouldn’t you be more worried about that Naga woman? She’s definitely thinking about escaping at the first chance.”

“Shati? Well, there’s no real way to stop her from running.”

She was a Naga. No matter what Azadine said, her loyalty to the Naga Empire wouldn’t simply disappear.

“The only way to prevent betrayal or escape is to kill her, but I’m not ready to take the easy way out just yet.”

“…The easy way?”

Scott, an orc, seemed oddly moved by Azadine’s words.

“I’ll lead the way.”

Sir Brock pushed through the mist ahead.

“So, Sir Brock. What kind of person is your wife?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m asking so we don’t put an arrow through her the moment we see her. I’m not interested in your marital life. What does she look like?”

“She’s Vthuma, with dark skin and black hair. She’s young.”

“Hm. Understood.”

Azadine nodded at the description.

To navigate through the mist, Azadine sent Ismail ahead as the scout and placed Mediam at the rear. Other than them, no one else had the skills of a Messenger, meaning they weren’t reliable for scouting or guarding the backline.

‘They can use clairvoyance magic, after all.’

Just then, Ismail blew his whistle from the front.

“Everyone, stop.”

“What’s wrong?”

“There are spider webs.”

“Ah.”

Everyone immediately understood the implications. It was common for noblewomen to become followers of Atra. The Spider Queen Atra, a deity of the Kurt God Clan, was known to grant her female followers youth, vitality, and beauty.

Many court ladies succumbed to Atra’s temptations to extend their power and beauty. Even the Baroness of Nort, once a concubine of the Count of Salasma, had been an Atra devotee.

“If it’s spun webs of this size… It must be massive.”

Azadine clicked his tongue upon seeing a corpse wrapped in silk. The webs stretched between a roadside pillar and a nearby building, trapping a large dog inside.

The corpse belonged to a Bullmastiff, a breed nearly as large as a calf. It should have been pure muscle, but it had been drained dry, leaving only skin and bones.

“There are footprints here. Judging by the size… We’re looking at a spider larger than a bull.”

Ismail pointed out the spider’s tracks to Azadine.

“Alright. The mist is too thick, so forget the scouting formation. We need to move in a tight formation instead.”

Azadine immediately adjusted their formation.

“Scott!”

“What?”

“You need to get out of your wheelchair.”

“…What?”

“We can use your wheelchair against the spider.”

Azadine helped Scott out of the wheelchair and scavenged wood from a nearby building to craft sharp wooden pikes. He fashioned four spears, binding them together to create a movable barrier.

He then mounted the wooden pikes onto the wheelchair, making them mobile. The structure was too large and heavy for a person to wield effectively, but when attached to the wheelchair, it became maneuverable.

The spiked wheelchair was now a makeshift anti-charge barricade, capable of stopping cavalry or large monsters. Azadine also had the mountain goats tied to it, ensuring that when they moved, the pikes would move with them.

“Knights, stay behind the pikes. Archers, position yourselves in the rear.”

Azadine led the group in a defensive formation as they advanced.

Meanwhile, Scott, now forced to walk, grumbled.

“Ugh, I can feel my muscles growing with every step… I use a wheelchair specifically to avoid muscle growth, and now this? This is cruel.”

Most humans worried about muscle loss, but as an orc, Scott worried about muscle gain.

Sir Brock sighed as he readied his shield.

“So, you’re telling me my wife has turned into a spider?”

“Not necessarily your wife. It could be a lover or a mistress.”

“……”

“Sir Brock, do you have a mistress?”

Guillaumevalt asked the question outright.

“…This is shameful to admit, but no. I do have a lover, though.”

“That’s embarrassing. Becoming a cultist is a crime, but do you understand how much jealousy can ruin a person’s soul? The hatred in her heart must have left her vulnerable to corruption, and you bear some responsibility for it!”

Sir Brand scolded Brock without hesitation.

“No, look, I get it. Everyone has lovers.”

Guillaumevalt tried to defend Brock, hoping to win him over. After all, Brock controlled a crucial trade route.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Even the King’s Church advises monogamy. Do you think indulging in lust, producing too many illegitimate children, and causing inheritance disputes benefits anyone? Wars and conflicts arise from such matters, and it’s always the commoners who suffer.”

“That’s… well….”

The King’s Church recommended monogamy, but few nobles actually followed that principle. Thus, having a lover or mistress wasn’t considered a major flaw.

However, Sir Brand was furious, holding knights to the strictest standards of honor and righteousness.

‘Brand was never this confrontational toward his superiors before. He’s really changed.’

Even Sir Brock was startled by Brand’s anger and quickly apologized.

“Sir Brand, I apologize. I have no excuse. But… if even great heroes have multiple wives and concubines…”

“Did they start with three wives and four concubines before they even became heroes? How pathetic. So what’s your plan? Are you going to kill your wife and pretend none of this ever happened? Or…?”

“If possible, I’d like to restore her. But… that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never heard of a person turning into a spider larger than a bull and then turning back to normal.”

As far as Azadine knew, people who mutated that severely were beyond saving. The only possible cure would be a miracle, but even the Divine Kings of the Eight Kingdoms had to pay a massive price to perform such feats.

“In that case… I will kill her, and then I will take my own life.”

Hearing this, Shati scoffed.

“Why are you deciding life and death all on your own? What if she’s actually happy as a spider-woman?”

“……”

Since Shati was Naga, a race serving the Kurt God Clan, it made sense for her to think that way. But to humans, such a notion was nearly impossible to accept.

“More importantly, Shati. Let’s talk for a moment.”

Azadine pulled her aside and asked:

“Where is the Naga base?”

“I won’t tell you.”

“Even after we’ve come this far?”

“I’m a prisoner because I lack strength. That doesn’t mean I’ve betrayed my people.”

“But doesn’t it seem like something happened to your people? Finding the base isn’t betraying them—it’s understanding their situation.”

“What are you talking about? Do you know how many Atra’s followers we’ve defeated before?”

Shati seemed confident that Atra’s followers weren’t a real threat to the Nagas.

“Look around. Don’t you see? There are too few human casualties.”

“And?”

“You idiot. Do you think Nagas are so loyal to humans that they’d just sit around making fog until every last human had escaped? This means things aren’t going as they expected.”

“……”

“Fine. If you won’t tell me, I’ll figure it out myself. They probably disguised the base as a brothel or trading company.”

“Ugh, y-you—stop making wild guesses!”

Shati protested, but inside, she was shaken.

‘How the hell does he know? I really underestimated the Messenger Clan…’

Azadine suddenly stopped walking.

“Hah…”

He exhaled, and his breath turned white.

It was early summer. Lantarique was a warm region, meaning this shouldn’t be happening.

“This is…”

The temperature had dropped sharply, and everyone noticed. At the same time, the mist thickened.

“Be careful.”

From deep within the mist, shadows of humanoid figures began to emerge.

“Huh?”

Guillaumevalt let out a confused sigh as he lowered his guard.

“Grrr…”

Emerging from the mist were mummified soldiers, the kind commonly controlled by Naga spellcasters. However, these ones were covered in frost—their limbs frozen solid.

As they walked, their ice-covered limbs cracked with each step. Before they could even reach the spiked wheelchair barricade, their legs shattered, and they collapsed like broken dolls.

“Graaaah…”

Behind the mummies, more corpses appeared. Among them were still-living, but dying, Were-Rats, slowly freezing to death.

“Wait… why are there Were-Rats here?”

“This is Saenopi Village—my fief… But what is happening…?”

Azadine stepped forward and examined one of the still-living Were-Rats.

“You. What happened here?”

“Ghhk… Y-you… human…”

“…Bring a blanket. No—bring a mountain goat.”

Azadine brought over a Kerim Mountain Goat, draping it over the Were-Rat’s body. The goat’s fur and body heat helped ease the creature’s shivering cold.

“You bastard. Do you think this will make me talk?”

“You don’t understand. That woman over there? She’s Shati, an agent of the Naga Empire.”

“…What?”

“And that guy? He’s Scott McGreen, an orc necromancer.”

Azadine wasn’t technically lying, but the way he phrased it made it incredibly misleading.

“Don’t trust what you see at first glance. Servant of Mezerry, tell us what happened.”

“Ugh… During our council meeting, a Netherworld Beast appeared. It was summoned by a human witch.”

“A human witch?”

“Yes… Ghh… It’s… so cold…”

Even with the mountain goat’s warmth, the Were-Rat continued to tremble. His teeth chattered violently, and then—his front teeth snapped, sending blood flying. But even his blood froze solid as soon as it hit the air.

“What did this witch look like?”

“She… she was the Lord’s wife…”

At that moment, Sir Brock stiffened in shock.

“My wife… is a witch?!”

And it wasn’t just anyone calling her that—it was a Servant of Mezerry, a creature bound to truth and secrecy.

“She was jealous of her husband’s mistress and cursed her. She abducted her and turned her into one of Atra’s followers.”

“She turned her into one of Atra’s followers?”

“Yes. But after turning into Atra’s kin, the mistress attacked her. They fought, and in desperation, the witch summoned a Netherworld Beast… But she failed to control it!”

“……”

“They wanted to summon a Netherworld Beast to weaken the Light of the Crown and destroy the human world. But… they failed. This is beyond our control now.”

Even as he spoke, the cold seeped into his bones. Eventually, the ice reached his marrow, and the Were-Rat died, completely frozen.

“…They tried to summon a Netherworld Beast to destroy human civilization?”