Chapter 5 - Coerced Abduction (2)

It was still too early for the sun to set, and there was no problem with the carriage road crossing the prairie.

But the coachman stopped the carriage.

"Beyond this point leads to uncharted territory. I've heard plenty of stories about coachmen who tried to cross this only to be met with misfortune. This is as far as I'll go. I won't go even if you offer more money. No matter how old and worthless I may be, I know the value of life."

I packed my things and got out of the carriage.

"This is enough. Take care on your way back."

"Are you planning to continue?"

I nodded.

"I don't know what sad story you have at such a young age, but I'll pray for the Goddess Akates' protection for you."

"Thank you."

"There are many ghouls in the uncharted territory ahead, so hide yourself at night. Don't blindly follow if you see a blue light at night. Luminous ghouls emit light from their backs to lure people. That's all the advice I can give you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

I lightly bowed to the coachman and walked along the stretching carriage road.

As I progressed, the carriage road became increasingly rough, and weeds grew, making it difficult to step forward.

I was entering the land of barbarians in earnest.

Near the carriage road, I occasionally encountered shattered wagon wheels and rotting horse carcasses. As if there had been an explosion, rotten flesh was caught here and there on wooden planks and wagon wheels.

I covered my nose because of the floating flies and the stench.

I left the carriage road that had become half a part of nature and turned towards the densely wooded forest area. I had to find shelter to hide before sunset.

I moved along the boundary between the forest and the prairie. While doing so, I found an old tree with exposed roots. When I dug into the root gap right below the tree trunk, a space large enough for one person to fit came out. It seemed sufficient to hide.

I had a simple dinner nearby. Then, I erased the traces of my meal and went under the roots. I blocked the entrance with soil and spent the night.

At dawn, I heard the dull and noisy footsteps of some four-legged beast. It seemed like not just one but about a dozen were moving around in a group. I could feel it more clearly due to being underground.

The cry of that four-legged beast was not that of any wild animal in my memory. It was the most hideous and chilling cry I had ever heard in my life.

As dawn broke, I dug out the soil and came to the surface. Then, as usual, I had breakfast with dry bread and jerky.

I wondered where I got the guts to voluntarily enter this uncharted territory full of ghouls and corpses from a city with warm-blooded people walking on two legs and warm stew.

Maybe I lost my fear after having my stomach pierced.

I once again moved towards the northwestern uncharted territory where the star had flown.

***

“Ghouls are, in a way, mysterious beings.”

The children looked shocked at the priest's words standing at the podium. The children knew what ghouls were. Their expressions said, “Mysterious? Those ghouls?” To the children, mystery was a word used in the world of dreams and innocence.

“Ghouls were originally people. Even a person who lived an utterly ordinary life becomes a completely different entity when they die and transform into a ghoul. With the same body, spikes grow on their backs, and their muscle strength becomes four or five times stronger than when they were alive. Thick fangs grow from their gums. All human instincts and memories disappear, and they become monsters that feel a strong appetite for living creatures.”

One child raised their hand high.

As the priest gestured for them to speak, the child hurriedly asked their question, “Why is that?”

“Well... ghouls are relatively common magic creatures in a way, but we still don't know the reason. Some scholars say death is an evolutionary process, while others say it's a curse that robs rest, opinions are divided.”

Hearing this, one child shouted, "I don't want to become a ghoul!"

Then the priest smiled and said, "Then you should die by burning."

I took a deep breath.

"Huh!"

It was a dream.

A dream that left an unpleasant aftertaste. The memory of taking classes at Loreil Hall when I was young appeared exactly the way it did in the dream. However, the horrifying words about dying by burning were not in my memory.

It had been nearly four days since I started camping in the uncharted territory. Perhaps due to the ominous atmosphere, the frequency of strange dreams increased. I took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

I carefully removed the leaves covering my upper body with my hands.

Dawn was just breaking. Just in case, I held my breath and listened for any signs around me.

After about 5 minutes, confirming there were no signs, I finished removing the leaves and got up. I tidied up the surroundings and packed my things.

There were many traces of ghouls around where I had slept. I swallowed hard. If I had talked in my sleep when the ghouls passed by, I would have been dead on the spot.

It seemed I needed to be more careful about where I slept.

I started moving again.

After passing through the forest area, a vast wilderness spread out. It wasn't good. I had to cross this place, but it was too open, making it difficult to hide when camping. There was no suitable place to draw water either.

There was no other way. I had to speed up.

I kept walking until noon.

I checked my water bottle. About half of the water remained, but I didn't know how much further I had to walk.

As the sun heated the ground and heat haze rose, I rested briefly in the shade beside a rock.

After noon passed and a couple of hours went by, clouds gradually started to form. If it rained, there was no suitable place to take shelter. I hurried my steps.

Because of the clouds blocking the sunlight, it gradually darkened, and raindrops began to fall one by one.

Something seemed to be moving in the distance. I rubbed my eyes and stared at that place.

It was ghouls. As the sunlight disappeared, ghouls started crawling out of their burrows. I had thought ghouls only moved at night, but that was purely my misconception. Ghouls crawled out little by little as there was no sunlight.

Judging by the movement of the clouds, this wasn't just a simple shower.

I ran as fast as I could. I intended to disappear from the ghouls' sight by crossing the small hill in front of me.

However, I heard the cries of ghouls from another direction as well. It seemed there wasn't just one ghoul burrow. Moreover, it was quite close this time.

The ghoul cried out loudly again. And then it started chasing me.

I ran towards the hilltop. Soon after, I saw a small hut below. There was nowhere else to hide. I ran towards the hut at full speed.

Behind me, about a dozen ghouls were chasing at a ferocious speed.

I entered the hut and latched the door shut. The ghouls that followed me started headbutting the door. I looked around the inside of the hut. It was used as a storage room.

But the stored items were a bit strange. Torches soaked in oil, coal, gunpowder, and oil cans were neatly arranged in abundance.

A ghoul's hand broke through the door. The ghouls, craving my body, were tearing down the door with terrifying force.

"Damn it, damn it."

It was then. A scene from my dream flashed through my mind.

Then you should die by burning.

I immediately took out my flint. And I grabbed a torch and lit it.

The door was completely torn off, and ghouls rushed into the hut.

I held up the blazing torch to threaten the ghouls.

It was effective. The ghouls saw the fire and retreated, screaming horribly.

I stepped towards the door, swinging the torch.

Damn it.

Dozens of ghouls had instantly surrounded the hut. The ghouls were drooling, watching me from a distance of three or four steps.

The rain that had been falling in one or two drops gradually increased.

"No... No!"

The torch didn't go out immediately, but it was gradually losing strength. I hurriedly lit another torch. To make matters worse, it seemed the hut hadn't been maintained for a long time, as rainwater was slowly soaking the torches and coal through the roof.

In this state, I could never make it through the night.

The ghouls were either swinging their hands to knock down my torch or stomping in place, watching for an opportunity to pounce on me.

I tucked a bundle of torches under one arm, shielding them from the rain with my cloak to keep them dry. Then I rushed out of the hut. The ghouls were already destroying the back of the hut where the torchlight didn't reach.

"Damn it."

There seemed to be no way out.

That was when it happened.

Boom!

A dull shockwave sounded from beyond the northwestern hill. Soon after, a pillar of white light shot up into the sky from where the sound came. The ghouls were agitated at the sight of this.

I didn't know what that light was, but I had no other choice. I ran straight towards the pillar of light.

The ghouls didn't pounce on me because of the torch, but they followed me, continuously maintaining their encirclement. The ghouls' running speed was incomparably faster than mine, so it was impossible to escape.

I climbed up the ridge of the hill and looked at the source of the light on the other side.

"What is that?"

Beyond that was a huge crater. And in the center, a massive meteorite was half-buried.

"...!"

And there was a sword emitting white light stuck in that rock. An intense pillar of light surrounding the sword stretched towards the sky.

"...There's a sword?"

I ran with all my might towards the center of the crater.

The ghouls couldn't chase me as closely as before. They seemed wary of the light emanating from the sword.

At some point, the dozens of ghouls had swelled to hundreds amidst the commotion. The ghouls moved somewhat cautiously inside the crater. Like predators lowering their bodies and quieting their movements while eyeing their prey, the ghouls slowly closed in around me with sluggish steps.

Ghouls filled the interior of the crater from all directions.

My heart felt like it was about to burst.

I reached the center of the crater. As I approached the sword, the pillar of light fluctuated even more.

I narrowed the distance until I was close enough to touch the sword with an outstretched hand.

I had no other option.

I swallowed hard and reached my hand into the pillar of light. Then I grasped the sword's handle and pulled it out.

There was no characteristic heaviness of metal. The shape was similar to a thin longsword. However, it had no weight at all. It seemed like it should be held with both hands due to its length, but there was no problem holding it with one hand.

I held the sword and examined it. I couldn't believe it. This sword was made entirely of light, from the blade to the handle.

As I grasped the sword, the pillar of light that had stretched to the sky gradually subsided.

Some of the ghouls surrounding me roared strongly. Then, like wolves, the ghouls followed suit, roaring simultaneously.

As the pillar of light disappeared, the ghouls gradually tightened their encirclement. There was no time to be entranced by the sword's mysterious appearance. I gritted my teeth and took a defensive stance. The standoff with the ghouls continued for a while.

Soon after, one in the front that had been drooling lunged to pounce on me.

I reflexively swung the sword at the ghoul's body.

Splat!

With the sound of flesh splitting, the ghoul's upper body was cleanly cut vertically in half and fell face-first to the ground.

"What is this..."

I felt no resistance when cutting the ghoul. It felt like I had just swung through the air, but the ghoul's hard bones and flesh were split in two. It was an astonishing cutting power.

Another one leaped at me. I swung the sword in a large arc.

Whoosh!

A white shockwave of light flew along the trajectory of my sword swing. That shockwave swept away not only the ghoul pouncing on me but all the ghouls in its path.

"What, how did I do that?"

I heard the sound of a ghoul springing from the ground behind me.

I immediately turned around and swung the sword in another direction.

Once again, the shockwave swept away everything in its path.

It was a jaw-dropping power. However, releasing the shockwave instantly drained my energy.

The frequency of ghouls throwing themselves at me gradually increased. Probably wary of the light, they mainly targeted my back, where the sword was less visible.

"Damn it."

I swung the sword, relying solely on my reflexes, but this was far from enough to fend off this many ghouls.

There was another problem.

The longer I held the sword, the blurrier my vision became, and I felt dizzy.

This sword was consuming my mental energy. I could be sure of this as I gradually adapted to the sword.

After cutting down another ghoul that was opening its mouth at me, I staggered greatly.

"...Damn it."

Seizing the opportunity, three ghouls simultaneously threw themselves at me. I took a step back, avoiding one while simultaneously beheading two ghouls.

Then, I regained my posture and thrust the sword into the back of the remaining one.

Rotten blood burst from the ghoul's back.

Even small movements consumed an enormous amount of energy. I felt dizzy as if all the blood had drained from my head. The mental energy consumption was so severe that I felt like vomiting. I shook my head violently in an attempt to regain my senses.

The light emanating from the sword was gradually fading. It seemed to be reacting to my mental energy. It hadn't even been five minutes since I grasped the sword, but I was on the verge of passing out.

"Just hold on a little longer. Just a little..."

Taking advantage of my lack of focus, one ghoul sprang out and slashed my side with its claws.

A terrible pain came as if the flesh on my side had been randomly torn off.

I gritted my teeth and thrust the sword into the mouth of the ghoul that had attacked me.

I clutched my side with my left hand. Blood was steadily leaking out.

Due to the effects of blood loss, I felt like I would pass out at any moment.

That was when it happened.

Bang!

An explosion sounded from one corner of the crater. I was startled and reflexively crouched down. My ears were deafened by the impact of the explosion.

All the ghouls' attention turned to the explosion.

I turned my body towards the direction of the explosion.

Where the explosion had occurred, bright red flames and black smoke were rising, as big as a house. Around it, ghouls had been shattered by the impact of the explosion.

And in those flames, a human silhouette flickered.

Am I seeing things?

I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again. It wasn't an illusion. As the flames gradually subsided, the silhouette became clearer. The figure slowly walked forward from the smoke.

As the wind blew and the smoke cleared, a woman's figure was revealed.

A tall woman with a large conical hat with dark red hair reaching down to her waist. She wore a black dress that exposed one of her thighs.

A small sphere of flame was floating above the woman's hand.

The woman tossed the sphere to the side as if skipping stones.

Where that sphere fell, a strong wind arose, and instantly, a bright red flame vortex surged up.

She slowly walked forward, swinging her hand.

Then, a huge vortex of flames crossed the crater, sweeping away the ghouls with a roar.

The swarm of ghouls that had been crawling like ants instantly turned into a scene of carnage.

It was an overwhelming sight, like a natural disaster, that I had never encountered in my life. It was hard to believe that this transcendent power came from just one person.

Although I didn't know what was going on, I had survived for now.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed on the spot. The sword in my hand was gradually losing its light and fading. I could no longer maintain consciousness.

I lost consciousness as my head hit the dirt ground.