NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
27. Village Feast
Thick, long footprints stretched out between the snow.
It was a very visible invitation.
‘There’s only one footprint.’
The company disappeared, and there was only one footprint left.
Galahad crouched down and examined the footprints closely. There was a small curve in the footprints.
‘Overlapping footprints.’
It was a trace of several people walking in a line with the same stride, as if playing a game.
I couldn’t tell exactly from the overlapping marks, but there were at least five.
‘The companies walked in a single file, keeping pace with each other?’
What kind of threat would it take to get the entire company to walk in unison?
I thought about that method, but it didn’t come to mind.
It wasn’t a threat.
I took a deep sip of the incense. The lemon scent spread and woke me up from my hazy mind.
‘It’s a disappearance because the stride is the same as the day’s.’
If it weren’t for the threats, the next possibility would have been magic.
Human magic basically added attributes, because otherwise it wouldn’t be effective.
There is a reason why attribute-less mana arrows are classified as first-tier.
It was easy to strike a human with lightning to fry him or roast him with fire, but it was quite difficult to touch his spirit.
By touching the opponent’s brain with high-density mana without any attributes, it was possible to cause momentary confusion. This was Galahad’s favorite method of persuasion.
However, it was impossible to cast mental magic on the entire company.
This is more like magic-.
‘Ah, it must be a demon.’
The corners of Galahad’s mouth went up.
A demon who interferes with the mind? – Galahad took out a notebook from his inner pocket. The torch Damian was holding pushed away the darkness.
‘It’s around here······. Ah, there it is.’
[One of the captains gave an order to charge for no apparent reason, and the axis of the front line collapsed.]
If there was a spirit-moving demon, this part could be explained.
“It seems like it’s a demon that’s disturbing your mind.”
Galahad said, putting the notebook back.
“Are you out of your mind?”
I nodded at Damien’s indifferent question.
“You can probably get two or three by intimidation, but this kind of train play is impossible. It seems like a mind-bending demon. Interesting.”
“okay.”
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m hungry.”
“It’s okay.”
Galahad laughed heartily.
There were two ways to destroy mental magic.
One of them was to completely simplify the mind. The more crude and simple the mind was, the harder it was to touch. This was because the simpler it was, the thicker its foundation was.
It’s easy to persuade someone who thinks a lot with words, but for someone who only thinks about being hungry, there was no other way than giving them food.
The other one is-.
“From now on, don’t fall. If you fall, I’ll start doubting you.”
“Yes, I’m hungry.”
“Just bear with it for a little longer.”
Galahad nodded and positioned the cigarette more comfortably so that he could take it out at any time.
“Damian. If you give me the signal, stab me in the back with your sword.”
“yes.”
“To a place that hurts terribly, but isn’t fatal.”
Damien, who nodded without hesitation, was truly trustworthy.
Galahad, having finished his preparations, followed the footsteps.
“What is your dream?”
“no.”
“Dreams are milestones. Without dreams, it’s easy to lose your way.”
“there is?”
“Yes. I hope you spend your old age in peace. Leisurely reading magic books in the warm and clean central region.”
“Even when I’m old, I’ll eat my fill of meat.”
“Isn’t that too simple?”
“I’ll eat bread too.”
“It’s getting a bit more complicated. That’s a good sign.”
Galahad continued his conversation with Damian, trying to keep his wits about him.
Damien, whose answers were short and unpredictable, was a pretty good conversationalist. Of course, most of his answers were ‘I’m hungry’ -.
After walking for a while, a village surrounded by a fence appeared.
The footprints led to the village.
It was a town that felt isolated from the world covered in white snow.
The torch on the fence was illuminating the world like a lighthouse.
——————
faqwiki.xyz
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
Following the footprints, we arrived at a village.
‘Wasn’t that the footsteps of the company?’
Whatever it was, the invitation was extended to the village.
“It looks like there’s a party going on because it’s so noisy.”
“is it so?”
I smiled slightly at Damien’s answer and headed towards the village.
As we approached the village, we could hear a loud chatter. Children’s laughter served as background music.
There were no restraints until they reached the front. At that, Galahad cleared his throat.
“Listen!”
After a moment of shouting, a face appeared above the fence. It was a middle-aged man with a beard, armed like a soldier. His face was red, as if he had been drinking.
“Who are you?”
A middle-aged man standing on a fence aimed a large crossbow at Galahad.
“I came from the 5th Battalion.”
“······5th Battalion?”
The middle-aged man asked back in a trembling voice.
“Isn’t there a company that passed by here?”
“Company? A few soldiers passed by. They were in a strange state, so they didn’t accept them!”
In response, Galahad looked down. There were too many footprints. Some of them were far away.
‘Did I come to the wrong place?’
Galahad’s eyes crinkled. He took a deep sip of his tobacco.
There were a lot of footprints. It’s possible that they went somewhere else. Is that more likely?
I raised my head and stared at the man on the fence.
“I see. It’s getting late. Can I rest and go?”
“Well, wait. I’ll call the village chief.”
After a while, an old man came up onto the fence. He was a nice-looking old man.
“Who are you?”
“This is Special Forces Captain Galahad.”
“Special Forces? What is that?”
The old man looked to the side and asked. They whispered among themselves and then shook their heads.
“Next to you?”
“You are my servant.”
I heard a small curse, calling him a bad guy who uses a boy as a servant.
“You can’t send guests away. Open it!”
Thanks to the kind-hearted old man, the fence was quickly opened.
The room was bustling. Laughter and the sound of musical instruments could be heard.
The old man was wearing a fox hat. The fox face on the crown of his head was very cute.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Chief Hadrick. Did you say Garahad?”
“It’s Galahad. Nice to meet you.”
Galahad was the first to extend his hand. The old man looked at him and shook his head.
“We don’t shake hands with people we don’t know.”
“Why?”
“There’s a ghost story that’s been passed down. It’s about a demon that possesses people.”
“Bewitching people?”
Galahad felt a deep interest. The old man coughed and averted his gaze. It was clear that he had shown his palm for no reason.
“This is the cost of accommodation and food for today.”
He flicked a silver coin over.
“This is a big deal.”
“Because the 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 was displeased.
“Would you like to finish telling me the story of the demon who bewitched people?”
“There is a demon in this forest that bewitches people. It is a story that has been passed down since ancient times. The demon approaches the target without them noticing, bewitches them, and takes them into the forest. You said you were looking for the company?”
“It did.”
“Maybe that demon took him away.”
The orange glow of the torch cast shadows on the old man’s face, deepening the shadows on his wrinkled face.
‘Is this a waste of time?’
Galahad’s brow furrowed.
“Do you know where that demon is?”
“You, you don’t know how scary the demons are.”
“Are you scared?”
The old man’s mouth stopped at Galahad’s question. Soon, the old man chuckled and shook his head.
“Of course it’s scary. Do you think we know the location of the demons? If we did, we would have contacted the unit a long time ago.”
Galahad clicked his tongue slightly. It was possible that the invitation had been sent somewhere else.
“But you don’t know our village? You haven’t been here long?”
The old man licked his lips. His face looked like he was eager to show off.
“The commander of the 5th Battalion is from our village. Also, there are quite a few people from our village in the 4th Battalion. Thanks to that, our village between the two battalions is peaceful.”
The old man’s words were quite reasonable. Galahad nodded. So that’s what happened.
“This is the town that produced such outstanding young men. You don’t know our town. Tsk tsk.”
Galahad glanced behind him. A middle-aged man with a scowl was there, fiddling with a crossbow.
“Are you a former military man?”
“There is no one in the North who is not of military origin.”
It was a crude answer.
“You’re lucky. You came on a feast day.”
The old man smiled broadly and pointed behind him. It was an empty lot in the center of the village. It was filled with firewood.
There were musicians playing instruments, women dancing beside them, and even meat smoky from the air – it was a village feast.
“Today is my daughter’s birthday.”
A warm smile appeared on the old man’s face. Soon, the old man squinted his eyes at Galahad.
“Be careful! Our daughter is very pretty. If you act rashly, there will be no soup left.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I have a fiancé.”
“Still! People are lining up to come to the village to see our daughter!”
Galahad smiled faintly at the old man’s continued warning.
“I guarantee you that my fiancé will be more beautiful, don’t worry. It’s impossible for someone to be more beautiful than my fiancé.”
“······What a truly amazing love?”
“It’s not love, it’s the ultimate truth.”
The old man waved his hands with a weary expression.
“Your wife is a very pretty young man. Don’t just sit there and help her.”
At the old man’s beating, Galahad turned to the piled firewood.
A little boy was trying to light a fire with a torch.
“Can I help you?”
“It’s going to be difficult!”
The little boy snapped back cheekily.
Galahad watched for a moment as the boy pushed a torch larger than his head into the pile of wood.
The fire was struggling to light, perhaps because the wood was soaked with snow. Sweat beaded on the little boy’s forehead.
The little boy, who had been groaning for a long time, handed the torch to Galahad.
“I’m giving it to you because I think you want to try it!”
“Thank you, it looked so fun I really wanted to do it.”
The little boy laughed brightly.
Galahad placed the torch into the firewood and snapped his fingers. The flame of the torch grew in an instant.
“Wow!”
The little boy let out a gasp. Soon the log caught fire. The fire started small and quickly grew into a fierce blaze.
“How did you do it?!”
“It’s a secret.”
“Eeeeeeeee?! This is fatal!”
The little boy’s eyes were wide open.
“The world is originally cold. If you want to know a secret, you have to give one. It’s called a secret deal.”
“······Secret deal?”
The little boy’s eyes sparkled. Both ‘secret’ and ‘deal’ were deadly words to the little boy.
The little boy, who had been observing his surroundings for a moment, opened his mouth.
“My sister is getting married soon!”
“Well, it’s not a secret.”
“It’s a secret! It’s going to be a wonderful wedding!”
Galahad muttered softly to the boy.
“Tell me quickly.”
“It’s magic.”
“Magic-!”
The little boy screamed as if he was going to be torn apart. Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet.
The middle-aged one-armed man who brought more firewood, the woman who stirred a huge pot, the old man who gave instructions as if preparing something-.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked this way.
“Nice to meet you, I am a wizard.”
Galahad waved his hand leisurely.
“There was no such thing as a wizard!”
The old man came running, panting, and raised his voice.
“Didn’t you ask?”
“Damn it! Bringing in a wizard!”
The old man reacted violently. The middle-aged man aimed his crossbow at Galahad again. Galahad raised both hands.
“Why is there such a fuss?”
“Aren’t you a servant of the Demon Tribe? The Demon Tribe will invade!”
I tried to calm him down, but it had the opposite effect.
The atmosphere instantly became tense at the old man’s shout. The middle-aged man’s finger went to the trigger of the crossbow.
At that moment, a soft voice was heard from one side.
“Everyone calm down. It’s a nice day.”
It was a voice as sweet as candy and as drowsy as a nap. When I turned my head to him, a woman in plain clothes approached me.
She had an unusually beautiful appearance.
Of course, she wasn’t as good as Adriana, but she had a strange charm that caught Galahad’s attention. The moment he saw her, his heart raced.
“Oh, yeah. Good day! Amanda!”
Galahad was amazed that such a woman could come from that old man.
“After the party, leave immediately. I’ll give you your money back.”
“How rude.”
“You brought this on yourself by hiding your identity.”
Soon the feast began. The villagers gathered around a wildly burning fire, chatting and singing.
A hearty laugh erupted. At the center of it all was a woman named Amanda. Amanda smiled kindly, chatted with people, and laughed.
I think I understand why they throw a party on birthdays.
Everything revolved around Amanda.
Damian was quietly looking up at Galahad.
At that moment, a man with only one eye played an instrument that looked like a guitar. The thumping sound made the atmosphere more and more heated.
Amanda raised both hands and clapped her hands and spun around. She was quite a dancer.
Amanda’s dancing suddenly stopped. Amanda reached out her hand to Galahad.
“I’m a sucker for dancing.”
Galahad flatly refused.
Amanda’s eyebrows rose slightly. People booed. The rumor spread.
Only after Amanda started dancing again did the commotion die down.
Amanda’s dance went on for a long time. It was hard to take my eyes off her. My feet almost slipped out of their own way several times.
As the townspeople began to dance together, Amanda slipped away.
Amanda’s eyes met Galahad’s and the corners of her lips rose.
Amanda came bouncing up and down as if she was dancing.
“I heard you’re a wizard.”
“He is a truly outstanding wizard.”
“Oh, can you show me?”
Amanda’s eyes widened into crescent moons. It was a deadly smile.
Amanda approached him stealthily. Amanda’s strange atmosphere shook Galahad strongly.
‘It’s tiring to be popular.’
Galahad clicked his tongue slightly and snapped his fingers.
The spark that started from the index finger took shape as it passed through the middle finger. Soon, a flower-shaped lightning appeared on Galahad’s palm.
“Wow, it’s really pretty-.”
Galahad then performed his magic. It was a pretty magic, but it was easy enough for Galahad.
How much magic did you have to cast like that?
Galahad felt a strange sense of foreboding.
The town was too peaceful, but not suspicious enough. In fact, the basis for this was quite valid.
Because the village was between the 4th and 5th battalions.
But something was missing.
Galahad thought deeply.
“Our village has a tradition.”
Amanda came up to me and whispered. My ears almost melted.
[In the North, adultery is punishable by death.]
I thought I could hear Gilbert nagging. Unfortunately, Gilbert wasn’t there.
“Tradition? What kind of tradition?”
“On the day you become an adult, you choose a partner and spend the night with them.”
Amanda’s red lips formed a pleasing line, the color of a handful of raspberries.
I could hear people laughing behind me. The instrument was getting faster and faster.
Knock knock knock knock-.
“What a hot tradition.”
Galahad stroked his rough neck.
What is lacking?
Knock knock knock knock-.
Amanda shook her shoulders slightly, dancing like flowers swaying in the wind.
Amanda’s red lips opened slowly.
“Today is my birthday.”
The whisper was so sweet it made my ears melt.
Excited breath and faint scent-.
It was an irresistible temptation.
‘I feel embarrassed to show this to Damien.’
Knock knock knock knock-.
“Oh, I see.”
It was only then that I realized what was missing.
Damian was staring at Galahad.
“Please.”
Damian stabbed Galahad in the shoulder with his sword without hesitation.
As expected, there was not a single moment of hesitation.
ah-.
I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. I suddenly came to my senses as if the blood that had been blocked was flowing back.
Only then did the mana return. I had forgotten the very existence of mana. Amazing.
Galahad closed his eyes in admiration.
The vision changed as if it was flashing.
A huge log was burning. The scenery illuminated by the faint blazing flames was different from before.
Those with their tops open, as if someone had bitten off their heads, were staring at Galahad with red eyes.
Their terrible shadows shimmered in the blazing flames.
‘I found the missing company.’
Unfortunately, the company’s return to life seemed difficult.
“How did know?”
Amanda asked, narrowing her eyes.
There was deep interest in his eyes.
It was certainly a plausible town setting.
Being on the border of two units, and being entangled with each other’s origins – it was a setting that left no room for doubt.
It couldn’t be helped. It was a setting planned by the possessed Galahad.
There was one thing missing.
“Damian didn’t say he was hungry.”
“You got stabbed because you didn’t say you were hungry? What if you were wrong?”
“Or you can fill it in. You have an extra shoulder. You’re petty.”
“…Small?”
Galahad answered, placing his finger on the hole in his shoulder. It was a wound that would be fine as long as it was superficially blocked.
A flame burst from his fingers. A golden smell wafted out. Galahad clicked his tongue slightly.
“Neat work. Well done, Damian.”
Damien nodded.
“Well, that’s interesting.”
The corners of Amanda’s red lips went up.
There was a drop of blood at the corner of his mouth.
“I had quite a bit of fun. This level of mental interference-. Amazing. Why did you leave the skull open? Is that easier?”
Amanda laughed out loud. It was a bat-like laugh.
“That’s interesting! He’s definitely the one who’ll find it.”
“Him?”
“It won’t be fun if I tell you in advance.”
“That’s true too.”
“Are you human?”
Instead of answering, Galahad took a deep breath.
“You’ll know when you open it.”
Amanda twirled her fingers.
Soldiers with their heads open approached. Their eyes were filled with anger and resentment. Blood flowed from their heads and ran down their eyes, looking like tears of blood.
The footsteps were heavy.
“You damn demons! How dare you kill my mother!”
“I will kill you! Even if it costs me my life!”
To them, Galahad seemed like a demon.
“You ruined my sister’s wedding!!”
An unusually small soldier shouted sharply.
The anger in my office overflowed.
My skin prickled with the sharp enemy’s point.
It was a little unfair, but it didn’t really matter.
I was used to this kind of treatment.
“Okay, Damien. It’s time to get to work.”
Galahad raised the corners of his mouth, biting into the tobacco.
“Yes, bro.”
Damien grunted and pulled out his sword.
He had a really excited face.
────────────────────────────────────
────────────────────────────────────
Fantasy, Fusion,