LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 33 - Blood Rose
✦ Chapter 33 — Blood Rose ✦
「Translator – Creator」
᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃
“Huh?”
Shauren, flustered, glanced at Isaac with an expression that clearly asked what she should do.
But there wasn’t enough time to ponder a solution.
Because black smoke began seeping from the pile of corpses, twisting and transforming into something otherworldly.
If one had to compare, it resembled shadows—shadows rising as if they had lost their master. One by one, they began to move, letting out bloodcurdling screams.
“Aaaahhhhhhhh!”
The horrific cries echoed in unison, a macabre symphony. Amidst the cacophony stood one shadow larger than the rest, its disjointed neck still lolling. It was the only figure among them with visible eyes and fingers.
The moment its finger pointed directly at Isaac, the shadows surged forward like a relentless tide.
“Everyone!”
Anna, already preparing to flee, galloped over with the horses. Without wasting a moment, the group mounted their respective steeds and fled the village.
“What the hell are those things?!”
Silverna shouted, but Isaac couldn’t provide an answer.
Even in his past life, he had witnessed countless bizarre phenomena, but the sorcery of Transcendent beings was a rarity.
Behind them, the towering shadow led its grotesque horde as they spilled out of the village.
“They’re… not as fast as I thought,” Meldick said, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
He was right.
The shadows, while menacing, moved sluggishly, stumbling as they pursued. And yet their advance tainted the land around them, transforming it into a swamp-like mire of corruption, exuding an oppressive dread.
“Escaping seems simple enough, but—”
Isaac let his words trail off.
If they returned directly to the Malideen Wall, nearby villages would surely fall prey to the shadow horde. Worse, the creatures might multiply further, escalating the catastrophe.
“We have to stop them.”
Silverna finally halted her horse.
“We can’t let anyone else suffer because of this.”
“I agree, but…” Isaac hesitated, trying to stay pragmatic.
“Jonathan isn’t in good shape.”
“I-I’m fine!” Jonathan insisted, though sweat drenched his face.
His pupils had returned to their natural color, and the dark patterns on his skin were gradually fading, but he still looked far from recovered.
Silverna, who had once lost her composure during the Pollux incident, knew better now. And that was why even in the midst of the searing rage and sorrow of the Andes Village Massacre, her voice remained cool and resolute as she issued orders.
“Meldick, take Jonathan to the Malideen Wall and request reinforcements.”
“Understood.”
“But I—!”
“Jonathan, that’s an order. We don’t have time to argue.”
Her unwavering authority left Jonathan no choice but to nod, biting back further protests.
“Anna, head to the nearby villages and evacuate the residents. They’ll listen to you quickly since we’re familiar faces.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Without hesitation, Anna spurred her horse toward the villages, urgency clear in her every movement. Time was of the essence, and every second counted.
“Let’s draw them in – you, Shauren, and I. We need to buy as much time as we can.”
The air now grew thick with tension as three figures remained, the others departing under Silverna’s orders.
“Huff! Huff!”
Meanwhile, Shauren gripped her greatsword tightly, her deep breaths betraying her tension.
“Isaac, do you have any thoughts?”
Silverna turned to Isaac, candidly seeking his advice.
Watching the shadow thralls closing in, Isaac nodded as he recalled the earlier events.
“Sorcery resembles magic in its way. It follows its own rules of cause and effect.”
Where mages wielded mana, their magic circles and incantations offering glimpses into their intentions, sorcery followed similar principles.
“The shadows must be the villagers. The largest one, with the dangling head, would be Nortemus.”
“The way its head hangs loose – the sorcery must have activated just before death?”
Isaac nodded in agreement, adding a crucial detail, “The corpses had their eyes and fingers mutilated.”
Even now, only Nortemus’s shadow had glowing eyes and functioning fingers, pointing directly at Isaac.
Without eyes, they could not see.
Without fingers, they could not point.
They were simply a mutilated army, capable only of following.
“So we just need to deal with Nortemus?”
“Exactly. If we handle him, they won’t be able to attack with intent anymore.”
Isaac’s words carried weight, yet simultaneously raised questions in Silverna’s mind.
“You seem to know more about the Transcendent than you let on last time.”
Isaac had briefly explained the Transcendent beings during the earlier attack by Beom Baek. But now it was clear his knowledge ran much deeper than he had initially admitted, which left Silverna visibly annoyed.
“…I’ll explain later.”
Isaac’s smile carried a hint of bitterness.
Now wasn’t the time for lengthy explanations.
Shauren, who had been glancing between them with wide eyes, cautiously pointed at the shadow thralls.
“But can we even cut these things?”
They understood why the shadows pursued them, but they couldn’t simply lead them around like a flock of sheep indefinitely.
“…………….”
“…………….”
The question met with silence from both Isaac and Silverna’s uncertain expressions.
“Let me try something.”
Raising her spear once more, Silverna hurled it with all her might toward Nortemus’s shadow; though it was harder to generate force while mounted, the spear flew true, aiming directly at the shadow.
It passed through as if piercing mist, failing to leave even the slightest impact.
“………….”
“………….”
“………….”
The three of them fell silent simultaneously.
An enemy that couldn’t be struck was advancing upon them relentlessly, corrupting everything in its wake.
Though the shadows’ pace was sluggish, an enemy that couldn’t be stopped would inevitably lead to defeat.
“Perhaps we will need a mage.”
As Silverna summoned her aura to retrieve her spear—
*Crack!*
The shadow thralls caught in her aura-wrapped spear’s path dissipated, their forms dissolving into nothingness.
“Huh?!”
A surprised exclamation escaped Silverna’s lips as she caught her spear.
If they could be destroyed with aura. Perhaps victory wasn’t beyond reach after all.
Just as she was about to announce this—
“Hey, Isaac…”
Shauren glanced hesitantly at him, her words careful.
“Can you use Red Descent?”
Though unintentional, Silverna found her gaze drawn to Isaac as well.
“Sniff…“
With no proper answer to give,
A simple sniffle against the cold wind somehow made him feel peculiarly forlorn.
“Want me to teach you Red Descent later?”
“Aura isn’t everything, though.”
The strange attempt to comfort him from the two left Isaac feeling more awkward than reassured.
[Aura?]
The question suddenly brought back a conversation he’d had with his Grand Master.
[You don’t need such a thing for anything to work properly.]
‘But surely, there must be times when it’s necessary?’
There weren’t any.]
‘…You’re not just saying that because you can’t use it, right?’
[How would you feel if I asked if your legs didn’t work?]
‘…………….’
[…Get lost.]
Aura was undeniably important.
Most knights could wield it, and certain noble families even had their own signature aura techniques.
Like Helmund’s Red Descent, for instance.
“Maybe I should’ve sent Isaac with Jonathan after all.”
As frustrating as the remark was, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Meldick, after all, could use aura.
“But, you know…”
Shauren spoke up again, pointing tentatively at Nortemus’s shadow.
“Isn’t that thing pointing at Isaac?”
She referred to the hand stretched out, its finger unmistakably directed at him. Curious, Isaac spurred his horse sideways. And sure enough, Nortemus’s shadow shifted its finger, following his movement.
“……………”
And so Isaac had officially become a living bait to lure the shadow.
🎕
“My lady?”
At the Malideen Wall,
Kelsei, Shauren’s handmaiden, gently called out to Rianna who stood gazing at the sky.
“Your expression seems troubled.”
“You can see my expression?”
Rianna asked with genuine curiosity, her face thoroughly concealed behind a mask and headband.
However, Kelsei offered a gentle smile in response.
“I’ve watched over you as long as I have Lady Shauren.”
“…I see.”
Rianna didn’t seem particularly moved by the comment.
Instead, she continued staring at the pale sky and murmured,
“Something foul is riding on the wind.”
“Pardon? But the air feels nothing but crisp to me.”
Kelsei drew in a long breath through her nose, as if to confirm.
But Rianna replied with calm certainty—
“Something… feels ominous.”
Kelsei, however, familiar with Helmund’s unique physical traits, couldn’t help but feel unsettled by Rianna’s words.
“Lady Shauren is only on a simple rear guard duty today. Surely there’s no danger?”
“One would hope.”
Though her words suggested agreement, Rianna’s gaze remained fixed on the rear Wall,
For that was the direction from which the wind blew.
And just then.
Commotion erupted from the direction of that very rear Wall.
Soldiers moved with urgent haste, their footsteps echoing jarringly from all directions.
“Some-something seems wrong…”
Kelsei’s anxiety grew, perhaps fueled by Rianna’s earlier comment.
She began to worry if Shauren might be in trouble.
Meanwhile, Rianna suddenly grabbed the wrist of a soldier rushing past them, clearly on his way to report.
“Agh!”
Startled by her tremendous grip, the soldier turned to face Rianna.
“W-what is it?!”
“Why such commotion? What’s happening?”
Despite her maid-like attire, the soldier was overwhelmed by Rianna’s commanding presence; the vice-like grip on his wrist and her sharp demeanor compelled him to answer instinctively.
“A-a scouting unit has engaged an unknown beast in combat. One village has been annihilated, and some of the unit returned severely wounded.”
“…………..!”
Rianna’s gaze swept toward the Wall.
Her crimson eyes caught sight of Jonathan being urgently escorted within.
“L-let go!”
At his protest, Rianna released his wrist with a hollow expression. The soldier quickly ran off to report, leaving her standing there.
Then, Rianna ripped off her mask and headband in a single, fluid motion.
The scent of roses crystallized in the northern wind.
As her crimson hair unfurled and fluttered in the breeze, everyone nearby paused, mesmerized as if spellbound.
The Blood Rose of Helmund.
At that moment, Rianna Helmund had descended upon the Malideen Wall.
END of CHAPTER
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