Chapter 34 – Carpeng Subjugation (1)

The bone-chilling winter that once pierced my very being. The biting cold that felt like it was tearing through my skin. Those sorrowful memories that haunted me. The past that dragged me down into the depths of despair. The nightmare that ripped apart my spring.

Carpeng, the beast that destroyed everything I had, has awakened.

I had once sworn to exact revenge. I vowed that it had to be me. That only I could take its head. To achieve this, I cast aside my emotions, discarded my dreams, and let go of my past. If I could have, I would’ve sold my soul.

I lived consumed by hatred. All to overcome my past. To break free from the nightmare. To honor my dead sister.

But why?

Why is this cursed body of mine trembling in fear now? Why am I frozen in place, unable to move?

“L-Luchi…” The trembling voice of the priestess reached my ears.

“What is this…?” The priestess, soaked in sweat, looked southward with fearful eyes. “Why… why has Carpeng awakened? The barrier was definitely…”

I looked around. Just as the priestess said, the barrier was intact. That means someone intentionally woke Carpeng. And that someone is likely the one who distorted the memories of Hablon. The one who spread false rumors. The one who killed all the survivors.

The Pope of Erden.

Alstein of St. Erdenscht.

“Luchi.” Heinzel’s serious voice shook me out of my thoughts. His voice and expression carried a weight of meaning.

I surveyed the scene around us. The village of Roholon had fallen into chaos, all because of Carpeng’s roar. People had collapsed to the ground. Some were foaming at the mouth, convulsing. Others were coughing up blood and falling. Some had gone completely blank, as if their souls had left their bodies.

That sight. The sight that mirrored Hablon from the past. It was unfolding before my eyes once again.

If we abandon Roholon now and flee… The four of us will survive. We would certainly live. But this village will end up just like Hablon from the past. The beautiful structures will crumble into rubble, and the fertile lands will dry up completely. Every living being, from livestock to humans, will perish. Nothing will remain. A land overrun by monsters. Another Hablon, lost to the world. Forgotten by people’s memories. Erased from maps. Only twisted rumors left behind.

On the other hand… We can live to fight another day. We can survive and look forward to tomorrow. We can wake up every morning. Eat, train, and continue our peaceful lives as adventurers.

So… At this moment…

“We should retreat—” I began, but Heinzel cut me off.

“Luchi, is that truly what you want?”

Heinzel’s deep eyes pierced through me, as if he was trying to read my soul.

“Is that truly what I want…” I muttered.

Carpeng still terrifies me. Chills run up my spine. My teeth chatter. My clenched fists are drenched in sweat. My whole body trembles. Memories of the past flood back, making it hard to think straight.

I want to run away. I don’t want to die.

But…

I want to kill it. I want to fight it. I don’t want to repeat the past. I want to overcome the nightmare.

I want to block that axe. Counter its fists. Rip its hide. Gouge out its eyes. Tear into its guts. Break its bones.

And in the end… I want to cut off its head.

That’s been my life’s goal. That’s how I can finally honor my sister, Lux.

A hollow laugh escaped me. The idea of Heinzel comforting me, of taking advice from him—it felt absurd.

“Heinzel, our bet isn’t over yet, is it?”

“Kahahahahaha! Of course!” Heinzel bellowed. “We both lost track of the count halfway through. The kid’s in first place, so we still need to settle who’s last, don’t we?”

Heinzel’s boisterous laughter echoed through Roholon. It shook my heart.

“Khuh… Yeah, you’re right,” I replied. “We need to settle this. Let’s see whose weapon is shabbier—your brute force halberd or my sword.”

I clenched my fists and slammed my stiff legs down. I slapped my own face, trying to knock out the fear etched on it. Then, I drew my nearly broken sword.

“Looks like the stone-plate steak’s off the table. How about we wager a meal at Ursphere Village in Karahan instead?”

“Hmm, sounds good.” Heinzel gripped his halberd tightly.

“W-what are you doing…?” the priestess stammered.

“Miss, you’d better take the kid and help the villagers evacuate,” I said, turning to her. “I’m not sure if you’ll make it to Ursphere, but you need to keep your heads attached if you want any chance at all.”

I looked at the priestess more closely. Even though her body was wrapped in divine power, it was clear she was struggling to even stand.

“It’s probably best. Keep that protective barrier around yourself. If you hear that beast’s roar again, you might pass out.”

Then I turned back south. Far in the distance… A beast with a coat of red fur, darker than blood. Savage fangs. Claws that extended like spears. And a gaping maw, ready to devour everything in its path. It was charging toward us.

“Just in case, let me say this—don’t let Noah come here, even if she wakes up.”

“Kahahaha! Right. If that kid joins the fight, we won’t be able to settle who’s last,” Heinzel laughed.

“You’re… you’re going to die… You’re going to die for sure, so why… why do this…?” the priestess pleaded from behind us.

I ignored her words. I slowly steadied my breath. I loosened my stiffened body. I wrapped my sharpened magic around myself.

“During the manticore hunt, we’ll see who contributed more. Let’s settle this, you muscle-headed bald man,” I taunted Heinzel.

“Better protect that last remaining eye of yours. If you lose it to that beast, you’ll die with regret,” he shot back.

“Shut up.”

Heinzel’s muscles bulged. My magic grew sharper.

And then…

[GRAAAAAAAAA-!]

Carpeng’s roar reverberated through the sky.

This was the moment to end a long nightmare. The time to break free from the seemingly endless, bitter winter. To shatter the past that haunted me.

Step by step, I walked forward.

***

Even with divine power layered over me, Carpeng’s roar made my entire body tremble. It made me numb. I felt like I might collapse at any moment.

“Haa… haa…” I panted, lifting my head to look toward the direction Luchi and Heinzel were heading.

There, I saw the Red Wolf of the East—Carpeng. Its massive frame stood at least three times the height of a human. The sinister malice oozing from its body was palpable. Bloodlust seeped from its claws. Evil dripped from its fangs.

It made me want to flee. It made me want to give up.

But… At the same time… I saw people standing firm.

Humans, whose frail bodies seemed insignificant in comparison to the monster. Wearing battered armor. Wielding broken weapons. Yet still fighting.

I saw them.

“You… foolish girl.” I gently laid Noah down.

I forced myself to stand. I bit my tongue, driving out the fear. I wet my dry throat with blood. I focused my mind and spread my divine power.

So that the villagers could stand. So they could overcome their fear. So they could regain their composure.

I remembered Noah’s warm smile when she told me she’d protect me forever. I spread a protective barrier over the entirety of Roholon.

Small sounds began to stir. The sound of people standing up. The sound of measured breaths. Crying. Lamentations. Despair. Fear. They filled Roholon.

I infused my voice with divine power. I spread it far and wide.

“People of Roholon.”

I wore a gentle smile on my face. A smile that had become second nature to me over the years. With a firm voice, I continued.

“At this very moment, the Goddess of the Sun, Lilith, watches over us. So there is no need to fear.”

I steadied my trembling voice. I spoke with more strength.

“There has been no meaningless death. No effort was in vain. All of this is simply following the will of the Goddess Lilith.”

And then. The words I’d repeated over and over for the past five years. Words I didn’t even want to say. Lies that sickened me. This time, I meant them.

“All for the sake of Erden.”

The quiet murmurs turned into a louder noise. The sound of people standing became the sound of footsteps. The once shaky breaths turned into excited voices. Tears turned into laughter. Lamentations became admiration. Despair turned into hope. Fear became courage.

My teeth ground together. My stomach churned. I felt nausea rise. My hands trembled. It felt like I might cry blood at any moment.

These were the same people who once despised us. Who had scorned us. Who cursed us. Who directed their fury toward us. But those people. Those very same people. We’re protecting them now. We’re standing here, fighting for them.

And as they watched us, they laughed. They admired. They found hope. They found courage. They said, of course, this is how it should be. That we should stake our lives to protect them. That it’s our duty to stand up and take responsibility.

All of it felt repulsive.

The same villagers who once despised us. The same ones who hurled curses and insults. The ones who expressed their fury toward us for years. Now, they were looking to us for protection, admiring us for doing the very thing they expected us to do.

They looked at us like we were their salvation. But they didn’t care about the cost, about what we would sacrifice. Just as they didn’t care about the people who sacrificed for them in the past.

It was sickening.

But it wasn’t just them. The memories of Hablon, my home, came flooding back. The town had fallen to ruin, just like this one could. Everything I knew had crumbled to dust. And I, too, had crumbled along with it.

But now… they had survived. We were holding the line. We were keeping this village safe.

But even then, even with all we were doing for them, would they remember us? Would they thank us? Would they even acknowledge what we did to keep them alive? Would they offer a kind word, or even a simple thank you?

They wouldn’t. Just like before, no one would say anything. There would be no thanks, no gratitude. Just more expectations, more demands. It was always the same.

“Yeah… that’s how it always goes…” I muttered under my breath, trying to suppress the bitter thoughts gnawing at me. The memories of Hablon, of the people we couldn’t save, clawed their way to the surface of my mind. But I couldn’t let them overwhelm me now.

This wasn’t Hablon. This was Roholan. We could still save it. But that only made the bitter taste worse.

I gritted my teeth, forcing the nausea back down as I held Noah tighter in my arms. Her unconscious form felt so small, so fragile in this moment. She had fought so hard to protect these people, and here I was, struggling to keep myself from despising them.

I had to hold on, for her sake. I needed to stay focused. Because right now, I was all that was keeping this village from falling apart.

“People of Roholon,” I said again, this time louder, my voice steady even as my heart churned with disgust. “The Goddess Lilith watches over us. Have faith. We will protect you.”

The words tasted like ash in my mouth, but I forced them out. The villagers needed to believe, even if I didn’t. For now, that was enough.

“Now, please…” I continued, still cradling Noah carefully as I rose to my feet. “Help us protect this village. Help each other. Keep your faith strong.”

As I spoke, I started walking toward the village center. The villagers, some still trembling in fear, some beginning to stand up straighter with renewed courage, parted to let me pass.

Their eyes were full of hope. How disgusting. But I had to keep moving. I couldn’t afford to stop, not now.

“Lead me to your village chief,” I called to one of the nearby women. She flinched at my voice, her hands still shaking, but she nodded and turned, starting to walk ahead of me. “I’ll come to him.”

“Y-Yes, right this way!” The woman kept her head low as she walked, guiding me toward the village chief.

Behind us, the villagers stirred, whispering amongst themselves. I felt their eyes on my back, their whispers crawling up my skin like insects. But I ignored it. I had more important things to focus on.

As we moved through the village, I glanced back at Heinzel and Luchi, who were preparing to face Carpeng head-on.

Just as I turned to look—blood erupted from Heinzel’s body.

His seemingly unbreakable halberd shattered into pieces.

His right arm was torn apart, flung through the air as if it was nothing.

The mighty adventurer, who had always stood tall and proud, was now crawling helplessly on the ground.