27. Town Festival
A thick footprint stretched long between the gazes.
It was a very conspicuous invitation.
‘But there’s only one footprint.’
The unit had disappeared, but there was only one footprint.
Galahad crouched down and examined it closely. There was a slight indentation in the footprint.
‘It’s an overlapping footprint.’
It was a trace of several people walking in a line, as if they were playing, with the same stride.
It was not possible to determine the exact number from the overlapping footprints, but there were at least five of them.
‘The unit walked in a line, matching their steps?’
What kind of threat would make the entire unit walk in a line, matching their steps?
He tried to figure out the method, but he couldn’t come up with it.
It wasn’t a threat.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette. The lemon scent spread, awakening his hazy mind.
From noble mtl dot com
‘They disappeared in a line, matching their steps.’
If it wasn’t a threat, the next possibility was magic.
Human magic basically added attributes. Otherwise, it would not be effective.
It was not for nothing that the mana arrow without attributes was classified as 1st rank.
It was easy to strike down a human with lightning or burn them with fire, but it was quite difficult to touch their mind.
If you touched the opponent’s brain with dense mana without attributes, you could momentarily cause confusion. It was Galahad’s favorite persuasion method.
However, it was impossible to cast a mental spell on the entire unit.
This is more like magic than-.
‘Ah, it must be a demon.’
The corners of Galahad’s mouth turned up.
A demon that deals with the mind-. Galahad took out a notebook from his inner pocket. Damien’s torch pushed away the darkness.
‘It’s around here······. Ah, here it is.’
[A captain gave an inexplicable charge order, and the front line collapsed.]
If there was a demon that controlled minds, this part could be explained.
“I think it’s a demon that affects the mind.”
Galahad said, putting the notebook back in.
“The mind?”
He nodded at Damien’s indifferent question.
“Intimidation may work for two or three, but this kind of train play is impossible. I think it’s a demon that affects the mind. Interesting.”
“I see.”
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m hungry.”
“That’s fine.”
Galahad chuckled.
There were two ways to break the mental magic.
One of them was to simplify the mind. The simpler and cruder the mind, the harder it was to touch. This was because the simpler it was, the thicker its foundation.
It was easy to persuade someone with a lot of thoughts with various words, but there was no way to deal with someone who only thought about being hungry other than giving them food.
The other one was-.
“Don’t fall from now on. If you fall, I’ll suspect you.”
“Yes, I’m hungry.”
“Bear with it a little.”
Galahad nodded and repositioned the cigarette so that he could take it out at any time.
“Damian. When I give you the signal, stab me with your sword.”
“Yes.”
“Somewhere that hurts like hell, but isn’t fatal.”
Nodding without hesitation, Damian was truly reliable.
Galahad, who had finished preparing, followed the footsteps.
“What’s your dream?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Dreams are milestones. It’s easy to lose your way if you don’t have a dream.”
“Do you have one?”
“Yes. To live a peaceful old age. Reading magic books at my leisure in the warm and clean Midlands.”
“When I get old, I’ll eat meat to my heart’s content.”
“Isn’t that too simple?”
“I’ll eat bread too.”
“It’s getting complicated. That’s a good sign.”
Galahad continued his conversation with Damian. It was to keep his mind occupied.
Damian, whose answers were short and unpredictable, was quite a good conversation partner. Of course, most of the answers were ‘I’m hungry’.
After walking for a long time, a village surrounded by a fence appeared.
The footsteps led to the village.
It was a village that felt isolated from the world covered in white snow.
The torches on the fence lit up the world like a lighthouse.
The place we arrived at following the footsteps was the village.
‘Wasn’t it the footsteps of the company?’
Whatever it was, the invitation led to the village.
“It looks lively. Are they having a feast?”
“Really?”
Smiling faintly at Damian’s answer, he headed towards the village.
As he approached the village, he could hear the hustle and bustle of voices. The laughter of children played like background music.
There were no sanctions until we arrived at the front. Then Galahad cleared his throat.
“Hello!”
A little after shouting, a face appeared over the fence. He was a middle-aged, stocky man armed like a soldier. His face was red, as if he had been drinking.
“Who are you?”
The middle-aged man on the fence aimed a large slingshot at Galahad.
“I’m from the 5th Battalion.”
“······5th Battalion?”
The middle-aged man asked back in a trembling voice.
“Any companies passed by here?”
“A unit? There were some soldiers passing by, yes. But I didn’t let them in because their condition was a little strange!”
Galahad glanced down at the ground at that response. There were too many footprints. Some of them were far apart.
‘Did they come the wrong way?’
Galahad’s eyes narrowed. He took a deep drag of his cigarette.
There were a lot of footprints. It was possible that they had been led elsewhere. Was that more likely?
He raised his head and stared at the man on the fence.
“I see. It’s getting late, but can I rest here before I go?”
“Well, wait a moment. I’ll go get the village chief.”
A moment later, an old man climbed over the fence. He had a kind face.
“Who are you?”
“I am Galahad, the captain of the Special Forces.”
“Special Forces? What’s that?”
The old man asked while looking to the side. They muttered to each other before shaking their heads.
“And who’s that next to you?”
“He is my aid.”
Someone quietly cursed at him for using a boy as his aid.
“We can’t let guests in. Open it!”
Thanks to the good-natured old man, the gate was opened right away.
The inside was bustling. There were sounds of laughter and musical instruments.
The old man was wearing a hat made of fox fur. The fox face located at the top of it was quite cute.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chief Hedrick. Did you say your name was Garahad?”
“It is Galahad. Nice to meet you.”
Galahad extended his hand first. The old man looked at him before shaking his head.
“We don’t shake hands with strangers.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s an old wives’ tale. A bewitching devil…”
“Bewitching?”
Galahad felt a strong interest. The old man coughed and quickly averted his gaze. His intention to show his palm was clear.
“This is for your lodging and food today.”
He flicked a silver coin over.
“You’re very generous.”
“My child eats a lot.”
“How much can a child eat?”
Galahad laughed out loud at the old man’s words. The old man frowned as if he didn’t like it.
“Will you finish telling me the story about the bewitching devil?”
“There’s a bewitching devil in this forest. It’s a story that’s been passed down from a long time ago. The devil approaches its victims without noticing and bewitches them, taking them into the forest. You were looking for a unit, yes?”
“Yes.”
“The devil probably took them.”
The orange light from the torch cast shadows on the old man’s face. Deep shadows formed in his many wrinkles.
‘Nonsense.’
Galahad’s brows furrowed.
“Do you know where that monster is?”
“You don’t know how frightening monsters are.”
“Frightening?”
The old man’s mouth stopped at Galahad’s question. The old man shook his head, chuckling.
“Of course they’re frightening. How would we know the monster’s location? If we knew, we would have contacted the unit already.”
Galahad clicked his tongue slightly. There was a chance that the invitation led to a different place.
“But you don’t know our village. You must not have been here long?”
The old man’s lips quivered. His face was eager to brag.
“The captain of the 5th Battalion is from our village. Moreover, quite a few people from our village entered the 4th Battalion. Thanks to that, our village, which is located between the two battalions, is peaceful.”
The old man’s words were quite reasonable. Galahad nodded. So that’s how it was.
“It’s a village that has produced such outstanding young men – this. You don’t know our village. Tsk, tsk.”
Galahad checked behind him discreetly. The middle-aged, homely man was fiddling with a slingshot.
“Are you a veteran?”
“There’s no one in the north who isn’t a veteran.”
It was a blunt answer.
“You’re lucky. You came on a feast day.”
The old man laughed heartily and pointed behind him. It was the open space in the center of the village. It was filled with firewood.
People playing musical instruments and women dancing next to them, meat smoking – it was a village feast.
“Today is my daughter’s birthday.”
A warm smile spread across the old man’s face. The old man then squinted at Galahad.
“Be careful! Our daughter is very beautiful. If you mess with her, you’ll be sorry.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I have a fiancée.”
“Even so! There are lines of people visiting our village just to see our daughter!”
Galahad chuckled at the old man’s continued warnings.
“I guarantee that my fiancée is more beautiful, so don’t worry. It’s impossible for anyone to be more beautiful than my fiancée.”
“······That’s quite the love?”
“It’s not love, it’s a blatant fact.”
The old man waved his hand with a trembling expression.
“A young man with a very beautiful wife, don’t just stand there and help out.”
At the old man’s urging, Galahad headed towards the pile of firewood.
A small child was trying to light the fire with a torch.
“Can I help?”
“It’ll be hard!”
The child retorted abruptly.
Galahad watched for a moment. The child pushed the torch, which was bigger than his head, into the pile of firewood.
The firewood must have been damp because it wouldn’t light. Sweat dripped down the child’s forehead.
After struggling for a while, the child handed the torch to Galahad.
“I’m giving it to you because I feel like you want to do it!”
“Thank you, it looks really fun, I definitely wanted to do it.”
The little one laughed merrily.
Galahad put the torch into the firewood and flicked his fingers. The torch’s fire grew bigger in an instant.
“Wow!”
The little one burst out in exclamation. Soon, the firewood caught fire. The fire that started small, blazed fiercely in an instant.
“How did you do that?!”
“It’s a secret.”
“Eeeek! That’s so mean!”
The little one’s eyes were wide open.
“The world is originally cold. If you want to know the secret, you have to give me one too. It’s a secret trade.”
“·······Secret trade?”
The little one’s eyes sparkled. Both ‘secret’ and ‘trade’ were fatal words to the little one.
The little one, who had been looking around, opened his mouth.
“My older sister is getting married soon!”
“Hmm, that’s not a secret.”
“It’s a secret! It’s going to be a splendid wedding!”
Galahad mumbled the little one’s words softly.
“Tell me quickly.”
“It’s magic.”
“Mag-gic-!”
The little one screamed as if he was tearing apart. His surroundings became quiet in an instant.
The middle-aged, one-armed man who was bringing more firewood, the woman who was stirring a huge pot, the old man who was giving orders as if preparing for something-.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked this way.
“Nice to meet you, magician.”
Galahad waved his hand leisurely.
“I never said I was a magician!”
The old man ran over, out of breath, and raised his voice.
“I didn’t ask.”
“Damn it! To call me a magician!”
The old man burst out in a violent reaction. The middle-aged man’s slingshot was aimed at Galahad again. Galahad raised both his hands.
“Why is everyone making such a fuss?”
“Aren’t you a servant of the mazoku! The mazoku will invade!”
He tried to calm them down, but it backfired.
At the old man’s cry, the atmosphere turned fierce in an instant. The middle-aged man’s finger went into the slingshot’s trigger.
At that moment, a soft voice was heard from one side.
“Everyone, calm down. It’s a good day.”
It was a voice as sweet as candy and as lazy as a nap. He turned his head and saw a woman in plain clothes approaching.
She was unusually beautiful.
Of course, she wasn’t as good as Adrianna, but she had a strange charm that caught the eye. The moment he saw her, Galahad’s heart fluttered.
“Oh, right. It’s a good day! Amanda!”
Galahad was amazed that such a woman could come out of that old man.
“As soon as the feast is over, leave immediately. I’ll return the money.”
“How rude.”
“You brought this upon yourself by hiding your identity.”
Soon, the feast began. The villagers gathered around the fiercely burning fire, chatting and singing.
Warm laughter erupted. In the midst of it all was a woman named Amanda. Amanda laughed affectionately, sharing stories and jokes with the people.
It seemed obvious why they held a feast on her birthday.
Everything revolved around Amanda.
Damian quietly gazed up at Galahad.
Just then, a one-eyed man played a guitar-like instrument. The thumping sounds gradually increased the excitement.
Amanda raised both hands and spun around, clapping. Her dancing was quite skillful.
Amanda’s dance came to an abrupt stop. She reached out her hand to Galahad.
“I’m terrible at dancing.”
Galahad firmly declined.
The corners of Amanda’s eyes lifted slightly. The villagers jeered, spreading rumors of a broken heart.
Only after Amanda started dancing again did the commotion subside.
Amanda’s dance continued for a long time. It was hard to take your eyes off her performance. Several times, Galahad almost moved his feet without thinking.
Soon, as the villagers danced in a circle, Amanda quietly slipped away.
Amanda’s eyes met Galahad’s, and she lifted the corners of her red lips.
She approached, bouncing as if she were dancing.
“I heard you’re a magician.”
“A very talented magician.”
“Oh, can you show me?”
Amanda’s eyes curved into crescents. It was a fatal smile.
Amanda moved closer. The strange aura she exuded shook Galahad to the core.
‘It must be tiring to be so popular.’
Galahad clicked his tongue softly and flicked his fingers.
Starting from his index finger, sparks flew and traveled over his middle finger, taking shape. Soon, a lightning bolt in the form of a flower floated above Galahad’s palm.
“Wow, it’s so pretty.”
Galahad then performed more magic tricks. Simple magic tricks were a piece of cake for him.
How long had he been performing?
Galahad felt a strange sense of unease.
The village was overly peaceful, but not to the point of being suspicious. In fact, the reason for this was quite plausible.
The village was located between the fourth and fifth generations.
But something was missing.
Galahad pondered deeply.
“We have a tradition in our village.”
Amanda, who had approached him without him noticing, whispered. His ears felt like they were melting.
[In the North, adultery is punishable by death.]
He could almost hear Gilbert’s nagging. Unfortunately, Gilbert wasn’t here.
“A tradition? What kind of tradition?”
“On the day you come of age, you choose a partner and spend the night together.”
Amanda’s red lips drew an alluring curve, as if she had just eaten a handful of raspberries.
From noble mtl dot com
Laughter rose from the people behind them, and the beat of the instruments grew faster.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
“What a spicy tradition.”
Galahad rubbed his scruffy neck.
What was missing—?
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Amanda swayed her shoulders slightly, a dance as graceful as flowers swaying in the breeze.
Amanda’s red lips slowly parted.
“Today is my birthday.”
Her whisper was sweet enough to make his ears melt.
Excited breaths and a faint fragrance—
It was an irresistible temptation.
‘I’d be embarrassed to show this to Damian.’
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
“Ah, I see.”
Only then did he realize what was missing.
Damian was staring fixedly at Galahad.
“Please.”
Without hesitation, Damian stabbed Galahad’s shoulder with his sword.
As if he had been waiting, there was not a moment’s hesitation.
Ah—
He felt a burning pain in his shoulder, and his mind cleared as if blood that had been blocked was now flowing.
Only then did his mana return. He had completely forgotten about the existence of mana—how amazing.
Galahad closed and opened his eyes in admiration.
His vision flickered and changed.
A huge bonfire was burning, and the scenery illuminated by the flickering flames was different from before.
Creatures whose heads had been bitten off, as if by someone, stared at Galahad with their red eyes.
Their gruesome shadows danced in the flickering flames.
‘I’ve found the lost company.’
Unfortunately, it seemed unlikely that the company would survive.
“How did you know?”
Amanda asked, narrowing her eyes.
Her eyes held a keen interest.
It was certainly a plausible village setting.
The fact that it was on the border of the two territories, and that it was entangled with each of their origins—it was a setting with no room for doubt.
It could not be otherwise, for it was a setting woven by the possessed Galahad.
There was just one thing missing.
“I don’t think Damian has said that he’s hungry.”
“You didn’t get stabbed because you said you’re hungry, did you? What if you were wrong?”
“If that’s the case, then just fill it up. You have another shoulder. You’re so fragile.”
“…Fragile?”
Galahad poked his finger through the hole in his shoulder and replied. It was a wound that would be fine as long as the surface was covered.
A flame erupted from his finger. A putrid smell wafted through the air. Galahad clicked his tongue.
Clean work. Good job, Damian.”
Damian nodded.
“Hmm, this is interesting.”
Amanda’s red lips curled up.
A drop of blood hung from the corner of her mouth.
“I had some fun too. To think you could interfere with my mind to this extent-. You’re amazing. Why did you leave your skull open? Is it easier that way?”
Amanda laughed aloud. It sounded just like a bat’s laughter.
“How fun! He would definitely find you interesting.”
“He?”
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you beforehand.”
“I suppose so.”
“Are you even human?”
Galahad exhaled deeply instead of answering.
“I guess we’ll find out when we open you up.”
Amanda twisted her finger.
Soldiers approached them with their heads split open. Their eyes were filled with anger and resentment. The blood flowing from their heads ran down their faces like tears of blood.
Their footsteps were heavy.
“Damn demons! How dare you kill our mother!”
“We’ll kill you! Even if it costs us our lives!”
It seemed that they saw Galahad as a demon.
“How dare you ruin our sister’s wedding!!”
An unusually small soldier shouted sharply.
Uncontrollable anger spilled out.
His skin prickled from their sharp hostility.
It was a little unfair, but he didn’t really care.
He was used to this kind of treatment.
“Now, Damian. It’s time to work.”
Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and grinned.
“Yes, hyung.”
Damian pulled out his sword with a clang.
His face was filled with excitement.
