24 Hearts

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Requiem, the boss of the black wolf

Serenia Castle – in front of the East Gate

The day of the subjugation had finally arrived. Before this day, Judah met Jeanne, explained the change of plans, and asked her to join. He was willing to do so, visiting Judah once she had repaired her equipment. Tia was glad to see Jeanne’s return but looked a little uncomfortable, especially after hearing that she would join Judah in his quest away from Serenia Castle.

However, that gaze didn’t last that long. Tia recognized how jealousy served them no purpose, so instead, he expressed her support for Judah and his future endeavors. They woke up early in the morning and waited for someone to come from Serenia Castle, ready to participate in the subjugation war. At about half-past six, a rider came. It was knight Charles, the captain of the alumni guard. As usual, he greeted them with grace before leading them to the caravan.

Outside the gate, the promised 400 soldiers and ten knights prepared for battle. On the other side, porters carried on their backs their food and cooking utensils. To bring a wagon was ideal, but due to the forest’s nature, there was no way to do it other than manual manpower.

Judah studied the soldiers’ armors, many of which seemed to be of the same material as his. It seemed that the castle had purchased many of the black wolf skins sold in the market and clothing stores. Knights, of course, wore their signature plate armor.

It was a sight to see the soldiers brief in an orderly manner. Of course, the parties may see their disposition as quaint, but this was gratifying for a bystander.

And many residents came up to see them off. Among them were the families of soldiers, and there were also lovers. Perhaps because Judah slaughtered the black wolves for two years, the castle’s inhabitants were quite optimistic about the black wolf’s subjugation. The trained soldiers laughed and reveled at the mention of coming home soon as if they were off to a mere picnic.

‘Hmm. They’re armed enough. I think we won’t suffer much damage.’

Judah thought, moving behind the soldiers, guided by Charles. Kaseun himself told him that the training given to these soldiers was of high standards. And looking at the shields and long swords given to each individual there, it seemed that they wouldn’t falter easily. The Lord came upon a small platform in front of the gate and gave a speech for morale.

The speaker was no mere school principal; this was a Lord with a voice full of strength and cause that can ignite a fire inside anybody who listened. But the speech was like any other.

‘There’s Kain and Riel.’

Beyond Judah’s party stood a group of armed forces separated from his cluster of soldiers, and peering through them, stood Kain’s party. He didn’t make eye contact with them, and instead, he watched the Lord on the podium, pretending to be impressed by his speech.

‘I can’t use my spear.’

Judah, who was using his spear, would alarm them if they recognized it to belong to the Flying Fighter. He could say that he had picked it up, but they were unlikely to believe it after they just tried killing each other. He switched to his Bastard Sword instead to avoid suspicion.

“-Over. Good night.”

It seemed that the speech was over. The knights watched the Lord as he descended off the stage, following after him while the soldiers cheered and thumped their feet. Judah stood among them, cringing at the noise.

There were 400 soldiers, 40 were divided into ten groups. As expected, Kaseun left with Kain and his party. On the other hand, the ten remaining groups entered the forest at regular intervals. While they stood there watching everyone proceed, Guard Captain Charles approached and told them to follow.

“Judah, you’re with us.”

The familiar forty soldiers he met were alumni guards. They welcomed them gladly, but Judah had no time to express his greetings as they entered the forest shortly. Charles took the lead as they proceeded.

Their caravan entered the forest in a crescent formation, with Charles’Charles’s leading at the very curve. To Judah’s left, another fleet ventured within a certain distance.

Because of Kaseun Sabnak’s presence within them, the soldiers advancing through the forest strolled comfortably. They were still within the gate entrance, so they have yet to encounter their enemy until several hours down the line. But in no time, a shriek had already rung out into the air at a distance.

By the time the sound ceased, Judah had spotted a black wolf running away, covered in blood. Its eyes scanned the area until his eyes met Judah’s. He watched the wolf gallop away, flinching and stopping on his way, then running off again.

‘I don’t think it should be spared.’

However, the wolf was already far away and impossible to hit with his daggers. Some of their archers tried to get it, only for their arrows to miss. The black wolf eventually disappeared, hiding from the pouring arrows between trees and bushes.

When three more hours passed, they decided to take a break. The porters prepared simple meals, nothing delicious or exquisite, just enough for a hungry belly.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Jeanne whispered to him.

Judah laughed and nodded his head, taking a liking to her bluntness reminiscent of Tia. If it weren’t for the eyes around them, he would be able to take out ingredients from -Bag- and cook better and nutritious dishes than the regrettable porridge in their hand. After eating, the caravan moved onward once again.

They believed that the wolf that escaped had told its kin about their arrival, but to their surprise, not a single wolf was still in sight. By the time the sun began to set, the assembly had started building their camp. Since there was no decent vacant space for all ten groups to gather in one place, they had to build their camps separately. And as the soldiers cut down the bushes and lit a fire…

“Wolf! A wolf has appeared!”

A cry rang from ahead. Soldiers on standby drew out their weapons as those deep in their dishes jumped to do the same. Judah heard a bang, followed by another, both familiar like Riel’s magic. He didn’t have to worry about it anyway, as there were Kaseun and Kain and everybody else over there. Their concern was their group. Tia quickly climbed a tree to scan the area. Jeanne, sitting on a makeshift chair cut from a tree trunk, glanced around warily.

“The enemy is here.”

As she spoke, in the woods where the darkness began to settle down, red eyes flashed and attacked in a blink.

Khaaang!

The galloping of several wolves echoed through the woods, their howls and cries coming from all directions. The subjugation groups began to call out for each other, throwing instructions to every soldier and porter.

“Make a group of 4 people! Porters, hide inside the clusters for protection!”

Charles quickly commanded the troops. Following his orders, each individual wielded their shields for protection, ready for any signs of an attack. All were armed, and looking at it now, they might finish this ambush with little to no damages.

The moment Jeanne saw a wolf running, she conjured her armor and weapons ready for combat. A few soldiers couldn’t help but stare as silver particles flashed out of nowhere, turning into Jeanne’s full body armor. Jeanne paid them no mind, only brandishing her shield at the pouncing wolf ahead.

Kuuung!

The wolf collided with her shield head-on, rolling back in a daze as it shook its head in confusion. That was the end of the wolf. Judah behind the Lancer grabbed his bastard sword with both hands and swung it with all his strength to cut the wolf. After the first wolf, countless black wolves came at them like a tsunami.

‘Wait, how many are these?’

Judah sneered, throwing dagger after dagger at the wolves. His blades shot straight at their brows, their paws going into a seizure as they fell to the ground.

Clang!

“Oh my God?”

His next target hit the dagger. His hand froze from pulling another one, ceasing with his attacks completely. Throwing another one wasn’t the best idea.

“Huddle closer! Prepare your shields!”

At the order of Charles, the soldiers of four heaved their shield. The black wolf, jumping over a bush and running straight at them, looked at it and revealed his gums as if he was smiling. It bent its knees, and in a blink, it jumped on the air with a tremendous leap toward a soldier.

Judah didn’t stand still. He spurred the ground and moved in front of the black wolf before it could land. The moment his eyes met the snickering wolf, Judah checked his body to see if his -Black Wolf Slayer- effect was applied. His moment missed him the perfect time to attack, but he managed to swing his bastard sword with all his strength. One of the wolf’s forefoot flew right on a newly-sharpened blade that proceeded to cut its chest, splattering its blood everywhere.

“Judah! Good job!”

One of the soldiers shouted. However, there was no time to react. Incoming wolves charged at the soldiers and struck their heads against the shields.

Bang!

The wolves bounced off with a blunt sound, and the soldiers with shields retreated a few steps back. The wolves left them no time to attack; when one of them bounced away, the next wolf charged and rammed at them. The soldiers were being pushed back. As they were cornered, a soldier lost his balance and fell backward when his foot caught a stone beak. A wolf missed no chance to pounce at him.

‘Not good.’

Judah dashed, swinging his sword at it, cutting its head clean off. He quickly turned around, leaving behind the soldier praising him. There were more wolves than he expected. As he moved to help the other soldiers, a ghastly energy swept through the woods.

Kwakakakakak───!

At a distance of about 10m, an intense wind pressure whipped through them, slicing the trees, bushes, and everything in place.

“What was that?”

Was it Kaseun’s doing? Nothing could explain this phenomenon except for his power, the Wielder of the Spirit Sword. Judah wasn’t the only one who gawked before this great power. Even the black wolves, relentlessly ramming the soldier, stopped in their tracks. And soon after, a long howl came from inside the forest.

Awoo!

Hearing the sound, the black wolves stepped back and retreated without looking back.

The wolves outnumbered them, and if they continued their offense, they would have suffered considerable damage, but seeing such a threatening attack made them retreat in fear. As they did, another group of soldiers came to Judah’s group to support. They all sighed in relief to watch the enemies disappear into the darkness.

The attack may have taken them by surprise, but it lasted for not too long, and they sustained no damages thanks to Judah, Tia, and Jeanne. A few soldiers were scratched, but nothing so severe. Judah sheathed his sword down and brought up the quest window.

「 Lord’s Request 2」

[Black Wolf Boss-Requiem 0/1]

[Black Wolf Leader 1/80]

[Black Wolf 38/800]

Looking around, there were only eight wolves killed on their side. However, looking at the quest window, it seems 30 wolves were swept away by the blow a while ago, including a leader wolf. When Judah saw the soldiers stashing away the corpses to prepare for camp again, he went to the core of the ghastly blow from before. Guard Captain Charles and several other soldiers were among the crowd. Jeanne saw him approach, and with excitement written all over her face, she grabbed Judah’s hand and led him.

“Look. Judah, isn’t it amazing? This is the power of the Wielder of the Spirit Sword. I didn’t know that I would witness this sight with my very eyes. I think my connection with you is a blessing by the skies!”

For someone indebted to the sword like Jeanne, seeing the blows of the Wielder of the Sword was a great honor. Judah was amazed just like her, but he showed little emotion.

“Oh, I see.” His gaze turned to Tia. Tia, who followed after him, saw their interaction and avoided Judah’s eye as her face soured.

Judah spoke again, “Did I mention Tia was in the corps of Lord Kaseun? You must envy her. She would have been able to witness this incredible power often.”

“No, not that often. Sometimes.” Tia answered briefly.

“What was the case then? If it’s okay with you, would you tell me your story?” Jeanne perked toward Tia.

“Well…” Tia glanced over to Judah as if asking for help on how to deal with the Lancer. Judah replied with a frown, unable to help her.

As Judah listened to their conversation, he looked down at the crater below them. He doubted whether this was caused simply by the Wielder of the Sword. Shadow Swordsmanship and Justice had the potential to become as powerful as this, maybe even beyond it. However, being the Wielder of the Sword seemed to be much more powerful than he thought. Those brandishing the power of Fragments will have this power.

‘I don’t know if it will be easy to collect the fragments.’ Judah sighed.