Balrotan was a county located in the north of Esrin.
It was the third-largest territory in the northern region, with a large population and fertile lands.
It also served as a trade route with the northern kingdoms, so the flow of people was constant.
Naturally, the roads to Valrotan were well maintained.
However, Aint’s group’s situation did not allow them to use them.
“We must move discreetly. Though I’ll try to shield us from Tulwin’s eyes as much as possible, there are no absolute guarantees. We must remain cautious.”
If it was discovered that Aint had mobilized mercenaries, the third prince would respond accordingly.
To avoid falling into a trap or returning empty-handed, the first prince asked them to use little-traveled mountain paths.
“I know the way. I’ve worked a lot as a mercenary even here in Esrin.”
And their guide was none other than Roderick.
Somehow, the first prince trusted him and did not send any other guide.
‘Hypnosis?
— It’s possible.’
Though it was just as likely it wasn’t.
Roderick had earned fame in Frazia killing demons more than anyone else, even alongside Aint.
For those who didn’t know the truth, thinking of him as a corrupt was absurd.
Even Aint would never have suspected him if not for Fernan.
‘I feel like a pig being led to the slaughter.’
‘This doesn’t look good.’
Aria and Verian whispered anxiously, but they had no other choice.
If they had planned to escape, they shouldn’t have answered the first prince’s call to begin with.
‘If we’re not there, it’s obvious the third prince and the corrupts will take over Esrin, right?’
— Highly likely.
‘Then we must stop them at all costs.’
That didn’t mean Aint was someone who risked his life without a plan.
The letter he had sent to Fernan, and the reply he received, were the foundation of his confidence.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to me.”
In response to Aint’s acceptance, Roderick smiled maliciously.
‘I’ll guide you well.’
Roderick’s role had three objectives.
First, to lead Aint into the trap.
Second, to wear him down as much as possible along the way.
And third, to fight alongside him at the designated location.
Having completed the first, now he had to move to the second.
‘I must wear down Aint Armian as much as possible.’
After repeated failures, they had learned something—no matter how much preparation was done, it was never enough.
The confidence of thinking “this will be enough” only led to defeat.
Fernan Pellenberg’s obsessive caution had taught them that lesson.
So, to face someone like that, they had to become just as meticulous.
Even though they had prepared a deadly trap, that alone wasn’t enough.
To eliminate all possibilities, they needed Aint to arrive tired and exhausted.
Fortunately, the first prince himself had provided an excuse for that exhaustion, so Roderick didn’t need to invent anything.
“The road is a bit rough.”
“That’s because I chose less patrolled paths; it means crossing more mountains. If you prefer, I can find a more comfortable route.”
“No, it’s fine. We must be thorough.”
‘Let’s see how long that confidence lasts.’
While feigning calm, Roderick led the group toward a monster nest.
With the demonic power he wielded, finding them was easy.
It wasn’t long before a large tribe of orcs living in the mountain noticed their prey and launched an attack.
“Orcs!”
“Prepare for battle!”
“They’re blocking the path, what do we do?”
“Would going around take too long?”
“Yes, at least twice as long.”
“Then let’s force our way through.”
The battle was tough, but the orcs ended up as cold corpses.
Aint, Aria, and Verian came out unscathed, though Roderick wasn’t disappointed.
This was only the beginning.
Kobolds, gnolls, werewolves, even a cockatrice, a subspecies of basilisk…
Monsters in unusual numbers met them with ferocity, unleashing relentless battles.
“Damn it, why are there so many monsters?!”
“Even for mountain areas with little traffic, isn’t this too strange?”
Even Verian and Aria noticed, and in the end, everyone was injured to some extent.
Roderick thought that the accumulation of those injuries would take its toll.
“What’s that?”
“Top-grade potion.”
But Aint applied costly top-level potions without hesitation, even on the smallest scratches.
One could expect someone to carry one or two as vital resources, but he kept pulling out more and more without end.
“…He’s got quite a few potions, huh?”
“I brought a few extras.”
Roderick then understood that the potions wouldn’t run out; the monsters would be exterminated first.
‘Fernan?’
No, he didn’t even need to think.
‘Definitely Fernan.’
That overflowing dimensional bag could only have come from him.
‘He couldn’t come, but he sure loaded Aint with supplies.’
Fine. Even so, everything has a limit.
Seeing that the monsters weren’t wearing him down, Roderick changed plans.
The next day, while passing a path alongside a cliff, he used his power and caused the rocks to give way.
“The path…!”
“It’s collapsing!”
Some mercenaries nearly fell but managed to hold on; however, almost all the luggage was lost in the fall.
“Everyone okay?”
“Yes, no one fell, but the provisions. I’m sorry.”
With the tents, food, and essentials lost, morale plummeted.
‘Let’s see if they can endure now.’
Eating and sleeping were critical.
A bed was not the same as a tent, and even less so sleeping out in the open.
In a few days, fatigue would inevitably accumulate.
“It’s fine. I have supplies.”
“Huh?”
“I brought food too in my dimensional bag.”
Then Aint pulled out luxury dried meats and magically frozen meals that looked freshly cooked when heated.
“Why didn’t you say that earlier…?”
“I was saving them for emergencies. It’s not much.”
“…Ah.”
But from that “little” he kept pulling out astonishing amounts.
‘What the hell? Did he bring an entire restaurant?’
Had he already foreseen this situation?
Knowing Fernan, obsessive as he was, it was possible.
But the worst was yet to come.
“…What’s this?”
“A spare tent, just in case.”
“That fits in your bag?”
“They say it’s top-notch.”
The tent was more comfortable than the previous one and even had the emblem of the Golden Turtle engraved, which made Roderick boil with rage.
‘Fernan, damn bastard!’
Potions, food, and now a luxury tent. What’s next, a whole house?
And to top it off, the tent had enchantments that eased fatigue during sleep.
Roderick had no choice but to abandon his plans.
‘All that’s left is to hope Daniel set the trap well.’
At last, after stretching the journey as much as possible, three days later they arrived at their destination.
***
Most of Balrotan County was plains crossed by good roads, but the northeast was different.
At the far northeastern edge stretched the foothills of the Great Befalecio Mountain Range, plagued with monsters, and thus considered a forbidden zone by the county’s inhabitants.
It was there that a group set foot—Aint and his companions, along with Roderick and the mercenary company of the Blue Wolves.
“This place definitely looks made for monsters or demonic creatures.”
The dense forest barely let any light through. In that gloomy atmosphere, Aria clicked her tongue.
“Shhh.”
Roderick, who was leading the way, stopped.
“Do you see that cave?”
“We see it.”
“That’s the site described in the request. Do you sense the demonic magic?”
“…A little.”
A faint flow of magic emanated from inside the cave. It wasn’t much, but its mere presence was unnatural.
“What do we do?”
“Go in and hunt the corrupt.”
They had come to capture them, so that’s what they would do.
At Aint’s calm response, Roderick could barely hold back a laugh.
“We’ll check if there’s anything nearby first.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
The mercenaries inspected the surroundings, but found nothing outside the cave.
That only made everything even more suspicious.
“Let’s go in.”
Even so, Aint moved forward without much hesitation.
‘He’s blinded by the thought of the corrupt and the creatures. Heh.’
Roderick had no reason to object.
Darkness greeted them. Though the entrance seemed small, the interior was spacious.
The passage was wide enough for ten people to walk side by side.
“So quiet.”
“I feel it too. It’s definitely demonic magic.”
“It’s always repulsive.”
Aria and Verian whispered.
And as if to contradict their words, just as the light from the entrance vanished, multiple presences began to be felt.
“This is…”
“They’re demonic creatures.”
A chilling magic, feral breaths. Nothing human.
Eyes gleamed in the darkness.
Everyone went on alert. The mercenaries swallowed hard, tense.
“Sir Aint, looks like there are a lot of them.”
“Yes, at a glance there are dozens.”
Dozens of black-furred quadruped beasts, and among them, massive monsters shaped like bears.
— They’re Tradens and Urs. Rank 7 and 5 respectively.
— Tradens hunt in coordinated packs.
Aint reviewed the information Gardner whispered to him.
“I’ll go up front. Let’s advance and eliminate them calmly.”
“Yes, understood.”
Roderick nodded.
At that moment—
Groooaar!
The creatures let out a roar and charged violently.
─!
One of the huge claws of an Urs struck Aint. He raised his sword and blocked it, though the force was crushing.
Right after, a sword that should’ve been directed at the monsters forgot its purpose.
The blade veered and aimed straight for Aint’s exposed back.
────!
“…What…?”
Roderick blinked, stunned.
It was the perfect opportunity—Aint trusted him, had his back turned while fighting monsters, and was completely defenseless.
The strike had been a flawless surprise attack.
So why was it blocked?
It wasn’t Aint’s sword, nor Aria’s or Verian’s.
It was a thin barrier—a magic shield.
Only then did Roderick notice the glow of the necklace on Aint’s neck.
“…An artifact?”
“Senior Fernan gave it to me.”
Aint parried the Urs’s claw and spun around. A flash of light cut through the monster in a single slash.
His face remained calm, as if he had foreseen it.
“How is that possible? A simple artifact barrier blocking my attack…?”
“It’s top quality. He said it could withstand almost any hit.”
The price was that it only worked once, but that was enough.
Aint tore off the now-spent necklace and threw it to the ground.
Aria and Verian immediately moved to his back, covering each other.
“I was wondering when you’d try a surprise attack. Finally showing your true face.”
“What…? You knew I was corrupt?”
“Yes. We knew.”
“Since when?”
“From the beginning, of course. You were always dancing in the palm of our hands.”
Aria looked at him with mockery.
“Wasn’t it Fernan who found out?”
“Verian, please, have a little intuition.”
“…From the start?”
As they spoke, Aint added,
“But that doesn’t matter, does it? After all, you’ll be dead soon.”
“…How dare you mock me?”
“If I were you, I’d use that time to run with my tail between my legs.”
Aint’s sword shone with even more intense aura, lighting up the darkness.
The monsters howled in pain just from sensing it.
“…Fine, fine. That damned Fernan, with his sick paranoia, saved you… But don’t think this is over.”
The fact that you’ll die here today won’t change.
─!
Roderick struck the ground hard.
Rumble—
The ground opened beneath their feet. The abyss’s darkness tried to swallow Aint and the others.
“Hehehe…”
But his laughter froze instantly.
“…What the hell is that?”
Aint, Aria, and Verian were falling, yes—but was that even falling?
More like they were gliding gently, like birds.
Their bracelets glowed with a faint radiance.
“What did he say? They’re enchanted with gliding and flight magic. As you can guess, senior Fernan gave them to us too.”
Aint smiled.
“So far, everything he predicted has come true.”
“Is there more? I’m curious how far he’ll be right.”
“Is Fernan a god? He said the corrupt always try to collapse the ground, and he was right again.”
“He’s simply a smart man who knows how to foresee.”
The calm banter and mocking broke something in Roderick’s mind.
“Damn insects, mocking me!”
He too jumped into the abyss, unleashing a torrent of demonic magic aimed at Aint, Aria, and Verian.
____
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