Episode 720

“Village chief.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the Bariel army. They’re approaching.”

The people of Landarin Village had also noticed the Bariel forces drawing near.

The chief, who had been sipping tea, carefully set down his cup and looked at the man with pale, weary eyes. A brief silence fell. Struggling, the old man rose to his feet, and those nearby supported him.

“…Bring me my staff.”

“Yes, chief.”

“And tell everyone to come outside. Hiding won’t do us any good.”

At the elder’s command, the villagers moved busily. The smoke rising from the chimney ceased, and cloth was drawn over the windows.

Led by the chief, the villagers gathered in the village square, waiting for the Bariel soldiers to arrive. Their orderly formation caused the approaching soldiers to hesitate, caught off guard.

“Welcome to Landarin Village.”

“…This is a hospitality I’ve never seen before.”

“With Bariel’s banner flying high from afar, how could we ignore your approach? I am Bakutu, chief of Landarin Village. If you ask us to step aside, we will. If you demand food, we will provide it. Just please spare our lives.”

The soldier sent to scout the village felt something off. It was obvious this small village couldn’t put up a fight. But this kind of surrender was unexpected. He had assumed they’d flee, abandoning the village.

The soldiers dismounted and looked around.

“Are these all the villagers?”

“Yes. About 400 in total—a small village.”

“Pathetic. No pride at all.”

The Bariel soldier sneered under his breath. They were on their way to capture the capital, yet here they were, groveling for mercy. Did they not care what would become of their country? Well, from their perspective, this might be for the best.

“Since it’s so small, there’s nothing more to see.”

“Chief, cut a bit of your hair. We’ll report this.”

The chief nodded at the soldiers’ orders.

“Bring me a dagger and some fine cloth.”

“Yes, chief.”

“To our guests from Bariel, please wait a moment. I will prepare the cloth with proper respect.”

The soldiers burst into louder laughter at his words. This wasn’t a noble’s surrender token—just a village chief trying to save face.

“That’s enough. How could the emperor care about your petty ceremony?”

“Ah, I see. My apologies for the arrogance.”

…This is the main force led by the emperor, the chief thought, bowing his head.

At the same time, a question arose in his mind. There were several main roads from the south that the main army could have taken. But most had been blocked by recent natural disasters, hadn’t they?

‘So they must have come through one of the southern villages. Did they get any information about us?’

“Before you leave, would you care for a drink?”

“Ah, no thanks. What do you think you’re offering?”

“If you’re going to give something, give something other than water.”

“Like jewels, perhaps.” The soldiers chuckled, and the chief bowed even lower.

“If you do that, will you speak frankly?”

“Sure. We’re clinging to life, so we’ll tell you everything. You can go on your way afterward.”

The chief wondered: did the capital know about their northward advance?

If so, they would have sent troops. Then those forces would have to come down the same roads connecting to Landarin.

“…Wait.”

The chief slowly stood and turned around. The villagers lying prone quietly lifted their heads to look at him.

His lips pressed tight, his gaze silent but commanding. They immediately understood what he wanted and nodded cautiously.

“Hurry.”

“It’s precious, so I’ll bring it from deep in the storage. Is there a deadline? If so, I can bring it later—”

“Fool! Later? Do you think it’ll end up in my hands if you bring it later? We just need to return by sunset, so move quickly!”

The chief clicked his tongue at the nonsense and sat on a bench in the square. Then he bowed deeply and stepped back slowly.

“I understand.”

Then, without warning, the neck of a soldier sitting nearby was suddenly torn open. The attack was so quiet and sudden that the soldier next to him only realized what had happened when blood splattered.

“W-what?!”

“Gah, ugh!”

Something sharp was then driven into the open mouth of the fallen soldier.

The villagers remained lying face down, still in a posture of surrender. What on earth was going on?

Meanwhile, the soldiers were being killed one by one, confused and helpless. Their horses neighed restlessly, watching the scene unfold.

“They’re all dead, chief.”

“Clean up. Wipe down the armor carefully and hide it—just in case. Dispose of the bodies without a trace.”

The chief gave his orders, staring into the empty air. Looking closely, drops of blood floated, pressed against the ground. Seeing this, the chief scolded.

“Be careful not to get blood on anything.”

“Sorry, it was urgent.”

“Be careful.”

Suddenly, from where there had been nothing, seven figures appeared. Men and women of all ages, their appearance indistinguishable from ordinary villagers.

“What shall we do now?”

“The villagers will clean up the bodies. You take the mirrors and move down the mountain, scattering the light to create confusion. The goal is to make it seem like there’s something there.”

“Understood.”

“Hold off the enemy until reinforcements arrive from the capital. If they try to pass through here, cut them down. Since the emperor is with them, this is fortunate. Once he’s dealt with, the Bariel army will have no choice but to retreat.”

“W-will that really work? They seem so numerous.”

“It has to. This is our home.”

The chief’s words steeled the villagers’ resolve. Some wiped away tears, others crushed the soldiers’ bodies in anger.

“Be careful, invisibles. Bariel has mages.”

“Yes, understood.”

The seven vanished again, leaving only faint footprints as proof they had left the village.

The chief looked at the dragged corpses and gauged the sun’s height.

“When the cleanup is done, I’ll send someone to the Bariel main force around sunset. We’ve bought ourselves five or six hours. Fabi, the fastest, will go to the capital and inform everyone that the Bariel soldiers have arrived.”

“Yes, chief. I’ll prepare.”

The chief sat down, rubbing his staff with his hands—a gesture that calmed his anxiety and impatience. His family knelt before him, concerned.

“Are you alright?”

“Of course. I’m fine.”

What value is the life of an old man? The chief steadied his breath and gently patted their shoulders.

“Spark! The invisibles are waving their mirrors.”

“…I see.”

Around the village entrance, something flickered repeatedly. The intervals were irregular, flashing here and there.

Meanwhile, the Bariel main force saw it clearly as well.

“Commander, something keeps flickering.”

“Yes, I see it.”

Twelar examined it through his telescope but found no clues.

“No sign of people. Could it be a shield?”

“Maybe. We won’t know until the scouts return.”

They would find out when the scouts came back.

But contrary to expectations, the scouts were late. As the sun dipped and the sky turned to dusk, there was still no sign of them.

‘Something’s wrong.’

Twelar furrowed his brow just then.

“Someone’s coming out of the village!”

“Scouts?”

“No, just one person.”

Twelar focused his telescope on the approaching figure. It was too dark to identify clearly, but it seemed to be a villager.

He nodded to the officer beside him, ordering him to find out what was going on.

Tap, tap, tap!

“Stop!”

“E-excuse me! I’m from Landarin Village. Is this the Bariel main force?”

The officer frowned at the unexpected question. The scouts had entered long ago—why was this man acting like he’d never seen them?

The man hesitated but kept his distance and shouted.

“The villagers are confused and afraid about why you’re lingering here. If you’re passing through to the capital, please do so. We won’t resist and will give you whatever you ask.”

“The scouts entered the village this morning.”

“W-what do you mean?”

The man looked puzzled.

“They just stayed without any word, so I came here. Did you see the scouts enter the village?”

They hadn’t seen the scouts enter the village entrance due to the terrain, but it was certain the scouts had gone in—they had orders.

The officer, confused, drew his sword on the man. The man panicked, raising both hands and trembling.

“W-why? Please spare me. The whole village is begging for mercy.”

“Are you sure you didn’t meet the scouts?”

“Yes, I swear on the heavens. Otherwise, why would I have come here?”

The officer told his men to detain the man and turned away.

Twelar frowned deeply upon hearing the situation.

“The scouts didn’t enter?”

“Yes. Maybe it’s because of that flickering earlier. Could it be a shield like the ones we saw in Burgos and Purpfato?”

Something suspicious indeed. Twelar looked up at the fully darkened sky and ordered the man brought closer.

“Bring him here.”

The man was dragged away, his arms held firmly by the soldiers. Fear gnawed at him, but he felt strangely calm. His mind echoed with the village chief’s words of caution.

“If they take you in to investigate this matter, don’t worry. It just means the wizards who study supernatural powers aren’t with the main force. Even if you’re captured, we’ll come to get you out. No problem. Understand?”

The special gift passed down through generations in their village—the power of invisibility—was his secret strength. Perhaps even now, a friend stood silently by his side.

Reassured yet determined to play his part convincingly, the man deliberately kept his body tense. The lingering fear made his act all the more natural.

Snap.

The tent flap was pulled back, and the gazes of Tweller and the officers fixed on the man from Randarin village.

“You’re from Randarin village, yes? What’s your name?”

“Ford.”

“Right, Ford. A scout from Bariel’s forces entered your village a few hours ago to make contact. Strange that you didn’t see him. Is that true?”

“Y-yes, it’s true. We were actually waiting for him. We planned to surrender and beg for our lives, so we were anxiously watching for his arrival. But as time dragged on, the chief sent me to find out what the main force intended.”

“I see. Earlier today, I noticed something shimmering around the village. Any idea what that might have been?”

“Sh-shimmering?”

Ford feigned ignorance.

“I don’t know… Ah, sometimes people come down from the capital and seem to be searching for something, inspecting the area. Maybe it was them.”

“What exactly were they looking for?”

“W-we weren’t told. It’s a secret even to us…”

“Make them lower their guard. Have them lie flat and feel safe. And plant the suspicion that the capital has set something up here for defense. It doesn’t have to be convincing. Our goal is to stall their movements, even for a moment.”

Tweller stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes.

He’s lying.

His long-honed instincts screamed the man was not telling the truth.

But everything was too vague to be certain—the circumstances, the context, the evidence. Tweller nodded to his men.

“Hold him. We’ll report to His Majesty the Emperor and seek his orders.”