Chapter 10
Looking closely, I realized that feathers covered the massive body. From above them, a long neck protruded.
Feathers and a long neck… a monster with the form of both a bird and a snake!
The moment I recalled the appearance of the monster we were here to subjugate, a faint sound reached my ears. The sound, like metal scraping against metal, gave me goosebumps and made my body freeze. I tried to cover my ears quickly, but it was too late. My body began to move, having lost all sense of will.
My feet moved on their own, weaving into the circle of people already moving in a rhythmic loop. Those within the faint light seemed to be the villagers. They had clearly been at this for a while; they were unconscious, their bodies moving like puppets.
The metallic scraping sound soon transformed into something like a song. It sounded like an old man’s humming or perhaps a young girl’s crooning. My hands and feet moved in perfect sync with the melody.
‘Dammit! What’s wrong with my body?!’
My limbs moved entirely independent of my intent. In all my experience subjugating monsters, I had never encountered anything like this. I knew monsters came in all shapes and sizes with unknown abilities, but I never expected one capable of such high-level mental magic.
This kind of monster was never even mentioned in the novel!
Then again, monsters hardly appeared in the original novel at all. Even when they did, they just went “poof” and appeared, then went “poof” and died—there were almost no descriptions of them. It felt ridiculous to rely on the novel now, but I couldn’t help feeling a sense of unfairness that a monster with this specific ability had appeared.
The villagers, who had been moving for a long time, looked to be in agony despite being unconscious. It was torture to watch, so I tried to close my eyes, but I couldn’t even control my own eyelids.
The worst part was the movement itself. Being a mental-type monster, it certainly knew how to exploit the weakness of the human spirit. Was its goal to inflict psychological damage by forcing us into such a shameful display?
A groan I couldn’t release swirled in the back of my throat. If my subordinates came looking for me now…
The mere thought of the entire knight order facing each other while performing this bizarre dance made me want to retch. If I showed this side of myself to my men, my dignity as a Commander—no, my dignity as a human being—would plummet to the earth.
I mean, what on earth was this ridiculous movement? If it were an actual dance, it would be better. This was primitive and crude. I was acting as mischievous as a monkey, as fluid as a snake, and as creepy as a bug. Even though the villagers were out cold and no one was watching, my face burned hot with shame.
Please, let no one come… Please, let no one see this. I prayed fervently that my knights would stay away.
Eventually, this monster would get tired and stop singing. Most monsters with special abilities like this were physically vulnerable. I just had to wait for the moment the song paused, then strike and take its head. I calculated the distance between me and the creature, planning exactly where to slice once I could draw my sword.
But then, the sound of footsteps reached my ears, and a long shadow fell beside me. I held my breath. I wanted to check who it was, but my neck was forced to turn in the opposite direction. I could only sense the presence of someone moving beside me.
However, based on the shape of the shadow and the familiar scent carried on the wind, I knew exactly who it was.
‘Hell… of all people, why him…’
I wanted to faint; I absolutely did not want to make eye contact. But cursedly, my neck caught the rhythm and began to turn slowly to the right. As my head turned involuntarily, I locked eyes with the person standing next to me, who was catching the same rhythm.
Through fluttering golden hair, a pair of blue eyes trembled. In that instant, I knew he felt the same way I did.
The burning desire to kill that monster bastard immediately.
The fiery rage eventually cooled into a dull simmer as the situation dragged on. The monster was unexpectedly persistent and didn’t tire easily. Ten minutes felt like half a day in this grueling ordeal.
Ricardo had appeared first, followed by two more knights. At this point, I didn’t care about my dignity anymore; I just wanted someone to stop this freakish dancing. My only fear was the entire 3rd Knight Order arriving to “save” us, only to end up joining the dance. I couldn’t let a rumor spread that an entire legion of knights was defeated by a single monster and forced into a group dance.
I stayed alert, waiting for the song to end, but it showed no signs of stopping. It seemed the monster was waiting for us to lose consciousness entirely. I began to fear this would be a long-term battle of endurance.
As time passed, the dark night sky began to brighten. Sweat beaded on my forehead and dripped down my chin.
Please, just stop! My silent scream was swallowed whole.
Suddenly, something streaked through the gaps between the villagers.
Arrows? Three arrows flew in quick succession toward the monster’s long, snake-like neck. One bounced off, failing to penetrate, but two pierced its eyes with precision. The monster writhed in agony, thrashing its wings.
And the song stopped.
I drew my sword and charged the monster in an instant. With one clean stroke, I severed its neck. Beside me, Ricardo lunged forward and delivered a massive gash to its torso. Black blood erupted from the severed neck.
KREEEEEE! KREEE!
The monster collapsed, letting out a deafening roar as it thrashed. The shockwave was too much for the villagers and the two knights, who all collapsed. My legs felt weak, but I jammed my sword into the ground to stay upright. I saw Ricardo stagger slightly as well.
To think it was still struggling after losing its head. It had incredible tenacity. In cases like this, you had to aim for the core. Every monster has a core; once it is destroyed, the creature turns to black ash and vanishes. If cutting its head didn’t work, I had to smash the core.
However, in a monster this large, finding the core was no easy task. If the core was as small as a fingernail, I would have to dismantle the body piece by piece. It would have been easier for everyone if it had just died when I took its head.
“Tenacious bastard,” I clicked my tongue and threw my weight into a leap. Gripping my sword with both hands, I drove it straight into the monster’s torso.
Monster bone and hide are much thicker and harder than an animal’s, so I had to use every ounce of my strength. I stepped on the monster to pull the blade out, then stabbed it again. Black blood sprayed everywhere, drenching me.
Ptui. I spat out the blood that got in my mouth and repeated the stabbing motion over and over. My sweat mixed with the thick, sticky black blood. I don’t know how many times I repeated the action, but a pool of black gore had formed around me.
The monster’s body was practically reduced to pulp. When I stabbed one last time, I felt something shatter deep inside the torso.
“Whew…“
Sensing it was finally over, I slumped to the ground. Simultaneously, the monster’s body disintegrated into black ash. I tried to clear my hazy mind, but no strength returned to my body. I was particularly weak against mental-attribute magic, and it seemed the monster’s final scream had left a lingering impact.
I shook my head, forcing my eyes to stay open. Someone approached from behind and draped my arm over their shoulder. The hand gripping my waist was familiar. I didn’t even need to check who it was. I heard a grumbling voice right next to my ear.
“Seriously, how can you just keep stabbing recklessly like that? You got lucky it ended quickly, but what if you’d been hurt?“
I looked up slightly at Kiern’s face. Both his ears were tightly plugged with something. He must have realized the nature of the monster’s power. I realized then that the arrows from before were his. That was why I had been able to charge the monster blindly.
“I knew you’d come.“
Ah, he can’t hear me. I glanced at Kiern’s ears, then let go of my tension and leaned into him. I closed my tired eyes.
When I opened them again, I was in an unfamiliar room. My head was still spinning, so I pressed hard against my temples as I sat up.
“Ugh… this is why I hate dealing with mental-type monsters.“
The aftereffects of the fight left me scowling. I stretched my stiff body and looked around. The small room contained a bed and some old wooden furniture. It seemed they had borrowed a villager’s house for a while.
On the table sat a note and a change of clothes. I picked up the note.
[I’ll handle the cleanup, so please rest comfortably, Commander.]
It was Kiern’s handwriting. Having a capable subordinate really is the ultimate luxury. I massaged my shoulders and walked to the mirror to check my reflection.
“Wow, what a mess.“
I looked appalling. Someone had clearly tried to wipe me down, but my skin was still splotchy with dried monster blood. The pungent, nauseating smell gave me a headache. All I wanted was to wash my body and change clothes.
I grabbed the fresh clothes and headed out. After receiving dozens of thank-yous from the villagers I passed, I finally managed to ask for the location of the lake outside the village.
I headed straight for the water. It was an emergency; I couldn’t stand the grimy feeling. It felt like the monster’s blood was seeping into my pores. Shivering, I almost ran the rest of the way.
As I neared the spot, I could smell the water. I ran toward the rocky ledge and saw a circular lake below. Without a second thought, I kicked off my shoes and dove in.
Despite its small size, the lake was quite deep. I sank deep into the water. Fortunately, I was a confident swimmer with good lung capacity, so I could stay under for quite a while. I moved my arms and legs busily, watching the fish swim in the clear, transparent water.
After enjoying the soak for a bit, I turned to head back to the surface.
Suddenly, a loud splash echoed from above, followed by a massive burst of bubbles.
What was that? I squinted, moving closer to investigate.
Through the rising bubbles, I saw pale skin. And above that skin, firmly defined muscles…
Glub!
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. I accidentally exhaled every last bit of air remaining in my lungs.
.