Chapter 88 : Chapter 88

Chapter 088 A Lie Greater Than Truth (6)

Kendrick’s lips parted slightly.

A chill ran down his spine.

“This… this isn’t what we agreed on…!”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“You said the target was Bihen Benkou. That all we had to do was trap him in Sylphiroa, and you’d surround and capture him all at once.”

Kendrick’s clenched fists trembled.

Watching him, Yeats lazily picked at his ear.

“So what?”

“You never mentioned using Demonic Beasts! If this happens, the people of Sylphiroa will get caught in the danger…”

Kendrick froze mid-sentence.

His wide-eyed face was filled with tension.

It wasn’t just him.

Amid the gasps of his subordinates, eerie howls spread ominously.

There wasn’t just one or two.

Grrrrrrrr…

One mercenary turned his head and collapsed onto the ground.

Before they knew it, a horde of grotesque Demonic Beasts had surrounded them, black as night.

It felt like they were trapped in flickering dark flames.

“Keke… Oh, this is fun. So fun.”

Yeats lightly waved his hand.

Yellowed papers slipped from his grip, fluttering like fallen leaves before settling on the ground.

The five sheets arranged themselves precisely at the points of a pentagram around Yeats.

Wooong—

The red letters on the papers began to glow intensely with each stroke.

‘That…!’

The mercenaries’ faces grew paler.

Some recalled the magic circle formations they’d seen before.

‘…No. It looks similar to a magic circle, but it’s different.’

As Kendrick belatedly closed his gaping mouth, Yeats dusted off his hands and said,“You’ve done all sorts of vile things to survive, and now you’re worried about the villagers? Ugh, disgusting bastards. Maybe I should just kill you all.”

Thud.

Yeats tossed a hefty bundle at Kendrick’s feet.

It was about the size of a human head, quite thick.

“Take it and get lost before I change my mind.”

“…”

Kendrick picked up the bundle.

He stood there for a long moment before turning away.

The Demonic Beasts blocking the mercenaries parted as if obeying their master, clearing a path.

“Hey, you mercenary scum.”

Most flinched and turned, but Kendrick stood still, unmoving.

Yeats spoke to his back.

“Watch yourselves. Don’t ever come near Conwell again. Got it?”

“…”

“No answer, you filthy rats?”

A few mercenaries nodded as if they understood.

Only then did Yeats wave his hand dismissively, as if annoyed.

---

The Black Rose Mercenaries walked through the forest in silence.

Only the sound of wind rustling through leaves echoed hollowly.

Each had their own reason for staying quiet.

Some were too shocked to speak, others shivered with guilt as the faces of Sylphiroa’s people flashed in their minds.

Most clenched their teeth to shake off the memories, while a few were already scheming how to spend the reward Yeats had given them.

“Why Sylphiroa…?”

The silence was broken by the youngest member.

As if by agreement, the mercenaries all stopped in their tracks.

Kendrick, leading the way, was no exception.

“Don’t you guys think it’s weird? If they wanted to lure Bihen Benkou, it didn’t have to be Sylphiroa.”

“What’s the point of saying that now?”

“Maybe Yeats was targeting us from the start. Thinking we’d be easy to betray…”

The youngest lowered his head.

A nearby mercenary grabbed him by the collar.

“Stop spouting nonsense! Betray? Who betrayed who? Are we Bihen Benkou’s lackeys or something?”

“…”

“Cut the crap! Can’t you see? It’s because of the Spirit Tree. Threaten the Spirit Tree, and you can hold Sylphiroa’s people hostage. That’s how they get Bihen Benkou…”

“So what? It doesn’t change anything.”

“What?”

These were seasoned mercenaries who’d survived countless battlefields.

Beyond mere martial prowess, their experience from dancing on the edge of life and death kept them standingTall.

Archduke Callence’s Four Wings, Sword Master Yeats.

When he came alone to their hideout with a bold proposal, they all realized once again, up close, that he was not someone they could ever oppose.

“It’s our fault. We’re the ones who killed them. The people of Sylphiroa.”

“…”

“Be honest. You all thought selling out Bihen Benkou was a small price to pay, didn’t you? Am I wrong? Justifying it with your pathetic pride and compromising…”

“You bastard!”

Thwack!

The youngest crumpled to the ground.

The mercenary who knocked him down climbed on top, raising his fist again.

“Enough!”

It was Kendrick, who had been silent until now.

He strode over, forcibly pulled the mercenary off the youngest, and shoved the bundle of money into his chest.

The mercenary stumbled back, catching the bundle instinctively, while everyone stared at Kendrick in shock.

“Captain?”

“What’s wrong with you, Captain?”

Kendrick turned away.

Over the confused gazes of his men, the words of the sage Roland echoed in his mind.

—Everyone has their own path. There’s no right or wrong path. Just different ones.

“…Hah, fine.”

Kendrick let out a long sigh, as if expelling a heavy burden.

With a lighter expression, he spoke.

“Who am I to you?”

The mercenaries frowned, puzzled by the sudden question.

“What are you talking about? You’re the Captain, who else?”

“Man, what’s up with the Captain? Still out of it, huh?”

Amid their grumbling, another voice overlapped. Roland’s again.

—Kendrick, leader of the Black Rose Mercenaries. That’s you. A free-spirited man.

It was as if he was confirming it for Kendrick.

Kendrick touched his forehead, letting out a puff of air.

His weak chuckle gradually turned into wild laughter.

“Hahahahaha…”

The more he laughed, the stiffer his men’s faces became.

They started to wonder if their captain had finally lost it.

Then the laughter stopped abruptly.

“Yeah, that’s true too.”

A path doesn’t always have to be straight and true.

There are winding paths, broken paths that reconnect, thorny paths, and paths you think are just loops but turn out to be shortcuts.

Through twists, turns, and breaks, people find their way.

“But I am Knight Kendrick.”

He turned his back on his blinking subordinates.

Whether a mercenary captain or a knight, he was human, and humans are bound to waver.

His farewell was brief.

“It’s been fun, you bastards.”

---

“Huff, huff, huff…!”

Kendrick ran toward Sylphiroa.

Having traveled the paths so often, he didn’t lose his way even in the dead of night.

‘Damn it! Idiot! Stupid bastard!’

Rage boiled inside him, though he wasn’t sure why.

Maybe it was just the shortness of breath making him angry. He chose to believe that.

“Oh, Captain Kendrick?”

In the midst of his frantic run, a familiar face appeared.

It was one of Sylphiroa’s administrative officials.

He’d arrived without realizing it.

His legs gave out, and Kendrick barely propped himself up on his knees, panting heavily.

“Kendrick gasps. ‘Haa, haa!’”

“Captain Kendrick…? What’s wrong? Did something happen in the forest?”

The young official asked.

Sylphiroa’s officials, like elders in other villages, managed the village’s affairs.

He’d been on his way to formally propose a reward for the Black Rose Mercenaries’ night patrol.

“Bihen, Bihen Benkou, where is he? Huff, huff.”

“You mean Sir Bihen…?”

“Haa, no, run! Hurry!”

The young official frowned, confused by the abrupt urgency.

“Speak slowly, Captain. What happened in the Blue Mist Forest?”

“Damn it, I said run!”

“Captain?”

“Goddamn it, are you deaf? Sylphiroa’s in danger! Get everyone out and evacuate now!”

It was the middle of the night, so no one else was around. Kendrick’s shout rang out loudly.

As he gasped, retching from exertion, and the official stared at him in bewilderment, a voice cut through.

“Why so noisy?”

Bihen Benkou approached with slow steps.

---

Kendrick, doubled–

System: over and retching, snapped his head up. His eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost, staring at me. Drool dripped from his chin.

I was already in a foul mood, having just been woken up.

“…What’s this, Kendrick?”

Kendrick stared at me wordlessly, his throat visibly working.

Before I could ask again, he stumbled to his feet, and a bad feeling started to creep in.

“Bihen Benkou.”

“Speak.”

“…Danger. Sylphiroa’s in danger.”

He said it with a straight face.

Was he too frantic to explain properly?

It didn’t seem like that.

One thing was clear: this guy wasn’t just spouting nonsense.

“The Archduke’s forces?”

He subtly avoided my gaze at the question.

Did he see something in the Blue Mist Forest?

I considered giving him a slap to snap him out of it, raising my hand slightly.

“They’re targeting you… and the Spirit Tree. The whole village will get caught up.”

“Who?”“.

“…Yeats.”

The official beside me seemed more shocked, staggering in place.

He must know how ruthless Yeats is.

‘Should’ve finished him off that day.’

He’s coming for my head now.

No use dwelling on what’s done.

Kendrick’s right.

If it’s Yeats, he’ll stop at nothing to kill me.

He wouldn’t blink if the village got razed or innocent lives were lost in the process, just like in Ludglen and Easton.

‘…’

I turned to look at the Spirit Tree.

“Hah.”

A scoff escaped me.

It hit me that there’s no better place than Sylphiroa for him to take me down.

“Gather everyone in the village and start evacuating now,” I told the official.

He moved hurriedly without argument, his face frantic, picking up on the urgency.

As soon as he was gone, I turned to Kendrick.

“Where’s Yeats now?”

“I-I don’t know that much.”

To be honest, Kendrick’s got more than a few suspicious points.

From the moment he arrived in Sylphiroa, the Black Rose Mercenaries fell off, volunteering for night patrols and now this—it doesn’t look like mere coincidence.

Tracing back, it started when we met again.

Right after my fight with Kana and Iroen, he showed up at the perfect moment, like he knew my movements.

‘Now’s not the time to dig into that.’

It’s obvious what they’re targeting and I know exactly where the villagers will head first in a crisis.

‘The Spirit Tree.’

As I turned, Kendrick grabbed me.

“What about you? Don’t you need to get out too?”

“Why would I?”

“…What?”

I shook off his hand gripping my cloak.

“Do you think Sylphiroa’s people would leave this place easily?”

“If they don’t, they’ll die!”

“They’d rather die than abandon the Spirit Tree. They couldn’t live with that.”

Kendrick’s face twisted in disbelief.

He hesitated a few times before forcing out words.

“That… damn it! That damn tree’s more important than their lives? It’s just…”

Thump!

I quickly clamped his mouth shut.

“Shut up, Kendrick.”

“...!”

“Whatever you know… just keep your mouth shut.”

Our height difference made me loom over him menacingly.

He nodded as if he understood, and I let go…

A chilling sensation hit me.

Beyond the wooden palisades encircling the village, in the Blue Mist Forest.

My gaze instinctively snapped there, where a pair of blood-red eyes glowed.

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