Chapter 69: Chapter 69

Ran was staring at the black mist drifting in the air. He didn't relax, as if the fight was not yet over.

Once again, a fierce wind arose. It was a strong gust blowing from behind the group forward. Some of the scouts nearly toppled over, pushed by the force.

"Ugh! Ragna! Come here!"

Even the powerful barbarian warrior staggered under the wind's might.

Tascar's eyes, who was holding Ragna in his arms, began to tremble more intensely.

As the giant bear beast's figure vanished, the previously blocked forward view cleared up.

An abyss, dark as if it were a realm of nothingness. Before them, only darkness laid ahead, as if a black curtain had been drawn—the passage leading into the deep layers.

'The ominous mist is being sucked into the deep layers?!'

Because of the swirling dust, it was difficult to even open his eyes properly, but Tascar didn't look away from that bizarre sight.

Only after the unseen force swallowed up all the black mist in the area did the wind finally die down.

"Haa, haa. Is everyone safe?!"

Huven checked the surroundings. He'd almost gotten into trouble by lowering his guard, thinking it was all over. Luckily, there were no incidents.

'Something feels off.'

He had vaguely seen it too—how the black mist forming the bear beast's body had been swept inward all at once. There was an odd sense of unease.

"U-uncle. That just now...?"

Ragna, cradled in Tascar's arms, mumbled. The faces of the two Northlanders were pale.

Seeing them like that, huven immediately sensed something was wrong.

"What's wrong, tascar?"

Still, tascar stared at the passage to the deep layers with his mouth agape.

He finally managed to speak, his voice uncharacteristically listless.

"The deep layers are blocked."

At those words, Ran turned his head to look at Tascar as well.

Huven's pupils filled with shock.

"Say that again. What did you say?!"

There was nothing particularly special about the deep layers. It was just a hidden shortcut directly connected to Northland—its interior was merely a normal cave.

Normally, that was true.

'Something's been off ever since the giant bear beast appeared.'

The figure of the giant bear beast dispersed into mist, and that mist was sucked into the deep layers.

Tascar was convinced.

"It's Tarok's curse."

Northlanders worship Dakir but don't deny the existence of other gods. They believe various smaller aspects of life are governed by gods weaker than Dakir.

Thus, for them, Asriel or the demon god Tarok are gods of equal stature to Dakir—gods to be shunned as evil deities.

"What the hell do you mean, tarok's curse, barbarian?!"

"You bastard! Don't insult our god!"

Several demon-born scouts snapped. The rest of the group, including them, gathered around Huven and Tascar.

"Explain properly, tascar. What do you mean?"

"Your god feared his weak descendants would be persecuted by us. So he directly blocked the road that links our land and mountains. No matter how brave Dakir's warriors are, they cannot overcome the power of a god."

Many legends tied to gods have been passed down in Northland.

Northlanders staunchly believe that all humans are creations of gods and can never escape divine authority. They grow up in a theocratic tribal society, and may personally witness a tribesman being marked by Dakir and reborn as a transcendent being.

No wonder they are sensitive to spiritual phenomena.

"So, you're saying it's blocked for good?"

"I don't know. I dare not guess and should not seek to. It's the domain of gods."

The scouts tilted their heads in confusion. These weren't the kinds of conversations to be having in the current situation.

Most of all, huven's expression darkened.

"Chief. Well, the beast cave cleanup is done, isn't it? Isn't that a good thing?"

"That's right, chief! Whether it's true or not, if what this barbarian says is right, then we saw Tarok's blessing with our own eyes."

Those in the safe zone, though they pretended otherwise on the surface, were weighed down by a strong sense of defeat. No matter how much Rev tried to dress it up with fine words, defeated soldiers were defeated soldiers.

The long-awaited victory brought renewed energy. They had confirmed even the god's blessing. Their faces were radiant with intoxicated smiles.

'Damn it. So, it was all for nothing after all.'

Huven bit his nails. What mattered most to him now was the fact that the escape route to Northland was blocked.

His eyes widened. Something flashed across his mind.

'Could it be because of that guy?'

His suspicious gaze fixed on Ran.

'A non-demon wielding a necromancy sword?' Fınd the newest release on Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

The soul-infused necromancy sword was a sacred artifact among the demons.

Though times had changed and everything was now a mishmash, traditionally only demons were allowed to wield necromancy swords.

Huven had walked the path of the sword once. As a demon swordsman, he was knowledgeable about the background.

He had not yet personally seen it, but if what was sealed in Ran's necromancy sword truly was Nachal, then the story changed. Nachal was Tarok's guardian spirit.

Huven gazed into the pitch-black darkness.

If the barbarian was right, then Tarok truly was watching over them.

Countless assumptions raced through his mind. However he pieced them together, it made sense. If a curse existed, surely a way to break it did, too.

"Everyone, fall in and form ranks. We're going to execute mercenary Ran."

The laughter and conversation stopped abruptly as everyone looked at Huven, faces stiffening in unison. No one could believe their ears.

Even Tascar had a baffled expression.

The air grew heavier and heavier.

Rev stammered and asked, "C-Chief, what are you saying all of a sudden?"

"That profane mercenary has angered Tarok. We must offer his head and sword as a sacrifice."

"Can't you see what's happened right before your eyes! This is Tarok's direct warning that this man is dangerous! Are you going to ignore divine will?!"

Ran was bewildered, but did not show it outwardly. It was absurd, as if he couldn't believe what was going on.

'But it's even more ridiculous because not everything he's saying is wrong.'

No one here knew he was a former inquisitor.

Ran recalled if there was anything that could have exposed his identity.

Suddenly, he remembered the Uru pendant in his inner pocket—the one he bought from Berulff's elderly mother.

'Wasn't Uru said to be Tarok's watchdog?'

Strictly speaking, he had two demon-related holy items on his person.

Whether this fact would prove his innocence or be seen as a blatant insult, Ran couldn't know, so he kept quiet.

Tascar looked at Huven. He, too, was perplexed. Things had turned out, incredibly, in his favor. If he could just dispose of the troublesome Ran, he was confident he could handle the rest.

"Can you handle that mercenary?"

"Are you insulting me, huven?"

"If you take down this man, I swear on our god to grant you freedom."

Tascar abruptly turned his head toward Huven. It was an unexpected offer.

While everyone was in shock, Ran casually tapped his shoulder with Nachal.

"Mind telling me what brought this on all of a sudden?"

"Do you know how I've kept the safe zone in this demon realm? Intuition. The ability to identify dangers. It's the insight granted to me by Tarok himself."

As the two spoke, tascar set Ragna aside.

Ran watched Tascar with an indifferent gaze.

Tascar finished his preparations and faced Ran.

"Barbarian. Do you really believe what that man's saying? Not that I'm trying to persuade you or anything."

"Kuk, of course not. I don't trust Huven. I trust a demon who swore upon his god."

Ran bowed his head and laughed. Tascar truly was a cunning barbarian.

He raised his head again, and Ran's cold eyes shone through the falling fringe.

The mercenary spoke in a foreign tongue.

"Curse or whatever, I know roughly what's inside there."

"You're the one flapping your tongue. Are you scared to actually fight me?"

"Don't spout nonsense. You're too useful in too many ways. It's a waste to kill you."

"Unfortunately, I feel the same. Kuk. How do you even speak the language of warriors?"

"That's not really important right now. Anyway, joining hands with me will benefit you more than messing around . Our goals aren't so different, are they?"

"Kuk. Now this is getting interesting."

Tascar grinned, glancing back.

Everyone looked dumbfounded. Especially Huven, whose eyes darted about as if trying to figure out where things went wrong.

Even Ragna, unable to comprehend the situation, simply gawked, looking from one to the other with mouth agape.

Ran and Tascar drew their swords at the same time. The tips weren't aimed at anything yet.

'Are those two plotting something right now??'

No one fully understood what was happening, not even Ran, tascar, or Huven themselves.

He lunged toward Ragna. Whatever was going on between those two, their exchanged glances were dangerous. Doing nothing would only leave him at a disadvantage.

'If I just keep Ragna, tascar is nothing!'

Huven reached his arm roughly toward Ragna's shoulder.

He didn't make it. Someone tackled him from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground. Blood streaked from his forehead where it hit the floor.

He didn't have time to ask why. In an instant, something sharp sliced his flesh and plunged into his neck.

Terrence, straddling Huven's back, cursed with rage.

Huven, clutching at the spurting blood vessel, opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. His eyes grew bloodshot, as if tears of blood might come. His desperate gaze fixed on Terrence.

"Die! Die! You bastard—!"

Terrence ruthlessly stabbed Huven's neck and face over and over. The hands that had once tenderly cared for patients now mercilessly took a life.

Terrence tossed the small blade onto the ground. Huven didn't move.

Terrence buried his face in his hands, trembling. Only his rough breaths echoed through the chamber.

Everything had happened in an instant—far too quickly for anyone to intervene. Everyone stood frozen, only blinking in disbelief.

The chamber that had been the scene of such chaos now fell eerily silent.

The scouts hadn't left yet. All were too worn out to even move.

Terrence knelt among those sitting in a broad circle.

"Once again, I apologize for causing such a disturbance."

Terrence bowed deeply. He'd just finished explaining to everyone why he had caused the incident.

Rev spoke up with difficulty.

"So you're saying Chief Huven only forced us to come here as a way to make himself a place to escape??"

"That's right. If it had truly been a plan for all of us, I might not have gone so far. But he only thought about saving his own skin. He never intended to take everyone to Northland. He'd always say the more people he brought, the more the risks increased."

Terrence glanced sidelong at Ran and Tascar, then continued.

"I acted to prevent a bigger tragedy before it could happen."

Everyone couldn't hide their confusion. Sighs sounded here and there.

"Since when was the chief like that?"

"I can't believe it..."

The scouts were the elite of the safe zone, close aides to Huven.

Not a single one condemned Terrence for rebellion, nor even shouted at him—largely for similar reasons.

"In truth, we all knew Chief had changed some time ago, right?" someone said. No one argued. Silence was a form of agreement.

Huven was no longer the idealist, the white-clad chief he once was. The passion that had lifted the weary now crumbled to ashes of lethargy, his once spirited attitude had become nothing but oppressive after he made himself the tyrant of the camp.

"We all turned a blind eye because in this situation, we couldn't afford to lose our anchor."

Even his most fervent followers nodded silently.

Terrence bowed before everyone again, even more deeply—his forehead nearly pressed to the ground.

"If you permit it, I will risk my life to lead the safe zone. Please give me a chance to atone to everyone!"

Every person has both light and darkness.

Terrence, as a doctor, had saved many, but as Huven's right hand and the camp's second-in-command, he had also tasted the sweetness of power.

Some believed he had manipulated Huven from behind the scenes.

Terrence had always been shrewd, and before meeting him, chief Huven had been a man of integrity.

"Why should we trust you to lead us?"

"What guarantee do we have that you won't follow in Huven's footsteps?"

Several voiced objections, though none brought up the fact that Terrence was not demon-born.

"I have something to take responsibility for now."

Terrence spoke quietly.

"My child is on Sigurd's ship."

At that moment, tascar's face twisted grotesquely.