Chapter 50 - Breaking Through The Front (1)

Kidnapping, confinement, brainwashing, hypnosis, and training.

It seemed like a rather stimulating story, so I thought it would be good to hear an explanation about it. I asked Siren to explain it to me in simple terms.

After a moment of hesitation, Siren told me what it was.

"It's possible to use an artificial sun to induce thoughts and consciousness."

"That sounds like brainwashing."

"Yeah. So after kidnapping and confining someone, you can conduct various experiments and train them until the brainwashing effect takes hold."

"That's interesting."

Siren seemed pleased by my praise and continued speaking in a slightly excited tone, "Yeah. So if you use the artificial sun well, you can implant false memories or even erase existing ones."

As soon as I heard those words, a question popped into my head.

The artificial sun I had imagined was merely a substitute for the sun, meant to bring warmth to the North.

But from what Siren said, it felt like this artificial sun was something entirely different.

Maybe it's because black mages are involved.

As this question arose, I realized that the black mages might be plotting something huge, and I began to ponder.

Then, I turned my gaze back to Siren and asked her a question, "So, can we use that artificial sun right away?"

"Not yet. More research is needed."

"Really? Oh, just asking, but do you need Daisy?"

At that, Siren shook her head and explained, "No. Once Pigsy spits out the mana structure crystal, there's no need to stay with me continuously."

"Myak?!"

"Pigsy Pigsy Pigsy"

"Mya mya mya myeong! Mya mya myak!"

The brawl started again due to Siren's provocation.

I left the two to their antics and looked down at the fallen black mage and Elysia.

It would be best to leave Loraine with Siren while the experiments are ongoing.

Siren's safety was the primary reason, and the second reason was that having Loraine around would slow down my growth.

Having Loraine around makes me complacent, after all.

I felt that the complacent thought of "Loraine will handle it anyway" when faced with unsolvable problems was stopping my growth.

So, thinking it would be better to stay apart until I at least reached the level of a low-grade Sword Expert, I crossed my arms.

***

The night streets were full of people who had finished their tiring work.

I moved forward, listening to the boisterous voices coming from all around.

"What's that? They say the Northern Grand Duchess something-or-other just killed a bunch of people?"

"Oh, the rift? I heard it's something humans shouldn't do."

"I don't know what kind of woman she is, but why don't they execute her soon?"

Perhaps because Dale had exposed Elisia's evil deeds at the hero appointment ceremony that had everyone's attention, even those who usually seemed indifferent to rumors were showing interest and discussing it.

As I listened to these rumors, thinking that perhaps such rumors might have reached even the closed-off North, Liana carefully called out to me, "Can we talk for a moment?"

Liana, with a somewhat serious expression unlike her usual relaxed demeanor, called me and whispered to me in a voice so low that others couldn't hear.

"We've received word that the situation with the Saintess isn't good."

I had Dale stick with her expecting this, but perhaps because the content has changed so much from the original work, it seems Dale alone couldn't change the situation.

Wanting to hear the detailed situation first, I asked about it, "They say more monsters than expected have arrived, so they're facing more difficulties than anticipated."

Considering Ruen's personality of not expressing well even when things were tough, that word "difficulties" likely meant "extreme crisis."

Thinking it would be best to head to Pernoir Cliff as quickly as possible, I opened my mouth, "You mean they need help right away?"

Liana, seemingly not expecting me to speak so directly, nodded reluctantly.

"Yes."

If that was the case, we shouldn't dawdle and should depart immediately.

Deciding to leave for the cliff right away this evening, I moved my feet quickly.

As soon as we arrived at the Saintess' hideout, when I declared I would go to Pernoir Cliff, Siren looked at me with a shocked expression and said, "...Are you abandoning me?"

"Abandoning? It's not like that..."

Perhaps because she had been trapped in the black mage's laboratory for a long time, living in isolation, she seemed to have great anxiety about separation.

I noticed her strongly grabbing my clothes and not letting go.

I tried to calm Siren down by patting her head or gently stretching her cheeks as light expressions of affection, but she showed no signs of calming down.

"I want to go, too."

At Siren's insistent words that she wanted to come along too, I was contemplating whether I had no choice but to take her when Siren, watching my reaction, hesitated for a moment and then said, shrinking back, "...No. It's okay. I don't have to go."

It seemed she stopped being stubborn after seeing that I was troubled.

Feeling rather sorry at this reaction, I was about to say she could come along, but Siren fiddled with her clothes and continued speaking to me, "It would be better if I research... that would be more helpful to Damian."

Then, as if steeling her resolve, she said to me, "Instead, when the research is done, spend that much time with me."

As that wasn't a very difficult request, I was nodding when this time, Loraine handed me a small jewel and said, "This is a summoning device. If you find yourself in a really urgent situation, please break this."

"Ah, thank you."

As long as I had this jewel, I should be able to avoid the worst situations.

Deciding to keep it as a last resort, I put the jewel in my chest.

"Then I'll depart right away."

There was no need to dawdle any further, so I got on the carriage Liana had called and headed towards Ruen.

"Myayang. Myeong!"

I fell into thought for a moment as I looked at Daisy rolling around in my arms.

I should be rising to low-grade Expert soon, but how can I achieve that?

At this point, it wasn’t that I lacked combat experience or hadn't experienced high-level battles.

Of course, there were clearly aspects that couldn't be described as perfect, but it wasn't that they were lacking, just somewhat regrettable, so I was a bit troubled.

Maybe it's because I haven't fought desperately enough.

Just as I was contemplating what I could do, trying everything possible, Liana carefully called me and recited a briefing about Pernoir Cliff, "Currently, about 2,000 monsters are launching an offensive at Pernoir Cliff."

"...2,000?"

"Yes. It's roughly a thousand, and if we include the monsters that haven't appeared yet, that number could increase significantly."

2,000 was more than the number that appeared in the original work.

While I was thinking that perhaps some kind of snowball effect had occurred due to the events in the North, though I didn't know the reason, Liana handed me a document with a somewhat serious expression.

"By the way, the majority of the monsters are undead. Most are low-level undead like skeletons... but I heard there are also undead like Dullahan."

A mid-level undead with its head separated from its body.

Unlike the low-level undead mass-produced for quantity, these were monsters said to have great individual strength.

There was a story that one of them was equivalent to a low-grade Sword Expert.

So, as in the original work, Dale couldn't defeat a Dullahan alone.

It was written that he could barely defeat it by using traps and holy water while receiving full support from the Saintess and holy knights.

As I was thinking about this, the sound of heavy rain could be heard outside the carriage.

As an eerie sense of foreboding and a coldly settled atmosphere enveloped everything, Liana shook my shoulder and said, "We've arrived."

Hearing those words and stepping outside, what I saw was a massive undead army surrounding the village on top of the cliff.

Those desperately fighting against the undead in the village where rain was pouring heavily.

As I was thinking this scene was incomparably more brutal than what was described in the novel, Liana sent the carriage back and said to me, "They said they'd send a flying vehicle that can go up if we go to the bottom of the cliff, so let's head there first."

At those words, I was about to nod, but then an interesting thought occurred to me, and I called Daisy, who was patting her bulging belly with both hands.

"Daisy, can you help me?"

"Myeong!"

"Alright. Then, can you lend me your strength?"

It had been several days since I faced the black mage at the auction house.

Judging that her power would have increased greatly since then, I grabbed my mace.

Then I turned to Liana, who was looking disgruntled beside me, and said, "I'm going to charge straight through, so follow me."

Seeing Liana looking extremely flustered, I smiled slightly and then ran forward.

***

"S-Saintess! We can't hold out any longer! Please, escape first!"

"It's alright. I can hold on a bit longer... Don't worry about me, focus on your own safety..."

"No! We can be replaced, but you can't be, Saintess!"

"What do you mean…?"

Ruen was taken aback seeing the usually gentle holy knight shouting loudly in front of her.

The situation was so dire that she couldn't even respond, when the holy knight in front pushed back the swarming undead horde and shouted loudly.

"Horn! Take the Saintess and escape as quickly as possible!"

"Y-yes!"

A knight in pure white, still looking too young to be called an adult, rushed over to take her away.

However, if she followed him, the holy knights who trusted and followed her, and the many people in the village would surely die.

So she tried to refuse and keep her position, but…

"Saintess, I'm sorry...!"

Knight Horn picked her up and started running backwards.

Seeing his actions, she begged him to put her down.

"We can die, but... you can't, Saint!"

He said these somewhat cruel words as he ran quickly backwards.

"Ah, no! Dasoon! Please stop these people!"

"Stop what? We're really going to die! Just go!"

"If I'm not here, all these people will die!"

"I'm sorry!"

Cries and screams could be heard everywhere.

Everything was reaching its worst, and an undead army of 2,000 was closing in on the cliff.

As she was despairing at this scene where anyone could see there was no hope, and screaming in despair at the church that didn't send reinforcements,

In the distance, a huge flame shot up, and an explosion so loud it hurt the ears began to erupt.