Chapter 147: Small Change (9)

Orland and the vigilantes had to live day by day in nerve-wracking tension that dried up their blood. On this white land where the horizon and sky were indistinguishable, stars and the glinting eyes of beastmen shone with equal brilliance. The vigilantes built the wooden barricade, praying that the countless lights they faced were not the eyes of monsters.

They fought against the fear of the approaching beastmen and the cold. They lined up bows and torches, and feeling like they were freezing to death, stood at the end of the fence, gazing endlessly into the empty space. Incomprehensibly, the beastmen moved passively.

As if only trying to gauge their position, the sentries’ glinting eyes would flash like mirages in the snow and disappear. The stiff movements that had summoned the vigilantes filled with tension were, as time went on, engulfed in confusion and anger.

It was around that time that the subjugation force dispatched from the capital arrived at this village. Seeing the distant torches and the imposing military might, the people breathed sighs of relief and finally burst into smiles. The commander of the army was someone Orland knew well.

The captain of the vigilantes greeted the commander formally.

‘Thank you for coming like this. Right now, this place is…….’

‘Orland!’

And the commander, ignoring the captain of the vigilantes, approached Orland. Orland and the commander were quite close. The person currently commanding the army was a knight of considerable renown among those from the Heroic family. Orland had heard rumors about him, and Orland’s parents had even said this to him:

‘We don’t even expect you to become like a Hero. At the very least, try to be like that kid who became a knight this time.’

Orland found himself caught in a peculiar mood as he shook hands with ‘that kid who became a knight.’ The family label that had once made him proud and allowed him to rationalize his wicked deeds was now scattering an unfamiliar feeling in this very spot.

‘Hey, Orland. Why are you letting some country bumpkin play captain here instead of you?’

The commander trampled on the people who had strived to protect the village right in front of them. The vigilante captain, who had been smiling, stiffened, and sighs could be heard from various places. They trembled with anxiety, but upon seeing the crest of the high priest behind the commander and the luxurious priest’s robes, they felt reassured once more.

The old Orland would have somehow laughed and played along with the commander’s crude joke. His goal was to rise to a high position, and he had a hobby of bullying the weak.

‘….He’s a good person. Don’t talk like that.’

But Orland didn’t want to do that, not this time. The flimsy wooden barricade and shabby weaponry that the commander scorned were the desperate struggles for survival in this north. The remark mocking the ‘home’ they had built by pooling scarce resources and the strength of a few people did not instill any pleasant feelings in Orland.

The commander smirked and patted Orland on the shoulder.

‘Damn, looks like you’ve grown quite attached. Anyway, you worked hard. Now we’ll wipe them all out, so don’t worry. This wooden barricade will be useful if we reinforce it a bit.’

The wooden barricade, initially built simply under the pretext of protecting the villagers, had somehow become the frontline of the northern front. This old wooden barricade served as the dividing line between the lands of humans and beastmen. Orland wondered why the beastmen weren’t trying to cross this clumsy fence.

‘Alright! We worked hard today, so let’s rest! We’ll start preparing for the operation in earnest tomorrow!’

With the commander’s shout, the soldiers pitched tents. The commander pointed to a luxurious and thick tent and said to Orland.

‘Orland! I thought you were dead. After you went crazy over women and headed north, you just disappeared. Come on in. Let’s have some drinks for old times’ sake. Those Imp bastards are nothing, right?’

Orland’s body twitched at the mention of alcohol. But he didn’t take a step. Beside where the commander gestured, there were already men casting lewd glances, as if intending to harass women. Orland knew who they were.

He also saw some absurd individuals who, under the guise of being priests, lay sprawled on the ground, ordering other priests around for errands. Orland knew who they were too.

‘Orland! Aren’t you coming in?’

And right before his eyes stood the incompetent commander, who, upon arriving at the front lines, instead of comforting the vigilantes for their hard work, trampled on their authority and only emphasized his own status. Orland knew who that person was. There was a time when he had acted exactly like that commander. Orland found those aspects he knew about himself felt unfamiliar.

So he shook his head and said.

‘Forget it. I’ll rest at home.’

‘Home?’

The commander smirked, and Orland turned towards home.

A dilapidated hut. The commander clicked his tongue, watching Orland’s retreating back. Thinking the kid must have gone crazy from living in the north for so long, he moved to drink.

The next day. The commander, hungover and disheveled, scratched his messy hair. Every time the cold wind blew, his temples throbbed, and every time he shook his head, he felt nauseous. The captain of the vigilantes, obligated to provide information to the subjugation force, and Orland sat in a corner of the tent, observing the meeting room.

More than worrying about how to capture the imps, the commander’s face clearly showed he wanted a way to get rid of his hangover. He tapped the map and asked Orland.

‘So, Orland. We heard the leader is an imp, have you seen that imp?’

‘I have.’

Orland was the only one present who had survived returning from the beastmen’s stronghold. When he described what he had seen in the beastmen’s valley, even the high priest wore an expression of disbelief.

‘Isn’t that some kind of mistake? Imps cannot be that strong. The imps that have appeared in our scriptures or history books so far were, at most, human-sized. An Imp the size of a building? I’ve never heard of such a thing.’

‘But he said the Imp was his kin, and that he would avenge his kin. It was a truly horrific creature. Its skin was blood-red, and its whole body was like living armor. And its horns were like something ripped from a battering ram…….’

The commander, listening to the story, turned and cut off Orland’s words. Seeing his adjutants’ faces turn deathly pale, the judgment he made was to turn away from reality. An Imp couldn’t be like that. He came here lightheartedly; there’s no way such a monster would be roaming the human world instead of the demon realm.

‘Now, now! Let’s stop that story there. Orland. Isn’t it possible you were enchanted by some magic? Imps are good at magic, you know. Even the smaller ones learn some magic before coming to the human world.’

The commander’s words were surprisingly plausible. Couldn’t it be possible that, though their actual abilities didn’t match, they used magic to create an illusion to inflate their strength? Orland couldn’t refute that statement. He wasn’t a mage, nor did he have the eyes to see through magic.

As Orland couldn’t answer, the adjutants chimed in, dismissing Orland’s eyewitness account as an illusion. The high priest also nodded and said.

‘Leading a troop of imps, and the appearance you described, Mr. Orland, is common among imps who have gained some power, differing only in size. It’s possible a smaller Imp used illusion magic to inflate its strength.’

The commander said with a serious expression.

‘To think they can use illusion magic, what a terrifying foe. But we aren’t fools either. We brought plenty of Dispel Scrolls and Magic Shield Scrolls from the Mobius Magic Tower, prepared for the magic bombardment of demons. On top of that, we’ve brought three Mana Cannons developed by the tower.’

The commander was incompetent, but not a fool. He possessed the common sense that one shouldn’t prepare lightly when facing demons. This was also something Alexander and Mobius had repeatedly emphasized to him, fearing he might make a mistake. They stressed not to let their guard down even against imps, so the commander had made thorough preparations that wouldn’t be shattered unless a branch-chief level demon popped out from somewhere.

The high priest said.

‘We priests have also brought a good amount of holy water. If the enemy is confident in their illusion magic, they will surely reveal themselves first and attack. Then, Commander, you can mobilize the magic scrolls and mages to dispel their magic, and we will pour holy water on them.’

‘Excellent! Perfect! If the plan goes as intended! That guy is already as good as dead!’

‘We just need to search the surroundings and find out his location! Great!’

The vigilantes and Orland exchanged glances. As their eyes met, a sense of unease and anxiety flowed like a rapid current within their pupils. But they had no words to refute. Because, perhaps, the commander might actually be right. However, Orland couldn’t shake off a persistent feeling of anxiety tightening in his chest.

And a few days passed.

The subjugation force, while searching the area to pinpoint the demons’ stronghold, succeeded in capturing a beastman guard. Orland flinched in surprise upon seeing the face of the captured guard captain, but the beastman guard captain showed no sign of recognizing Orland. The commander looked up at the sky with a satisfied expression and said.

‘The heavens are helping us! As expected! The gods look favorably upon our Brother Wolf! May eternal blessings be upon the Heroic family!’

‘Kuaaaah!’

The beastman gnashed his teeth and glared at the commander. The commander frowned, looking at the beastman’s white fur and fierce eyes.

‘I know your kind well. A Snow Leopard beastman. I can tell by your eyes. I see pride in you. A very strong spirit that doesn’t yield to torture. But don’t worry! We have prepared tortures far beyond anything you’ve experienced before……!’

‘If you guarantee my safety, I’ll tell you anything!’

Orland let out a hollow laugh. Laughter erupted from all around. The commander, seemingly incredulous, faced the Snow Leopard and asked.

‘You have no pride?’

‘Survival is my pride! Save me! I’ll tell you anything!’