Chapter 48: Red Wolf Row (3)

While Row was preparing for the spinning top game, the hand gesture that Elaine made to me was a signal only the Guard could recognize. It meant to deploy the inspection.

The moment I saw Elaine’s signal, I immediately broke away.

I had chosen Elaine to face Row, but Elaine had told me.

To take on Row, I would need not only her but the strength of the Guard as well.

‘Indeed… While Row may be superior in battle compared to Elaine…’

The Guard, all selected by Duke Grace of the Northern Duchy, was composed of elite soldiers with exceptional individual skills, but at their core, they were a unit.

Therefore, in battle, rather than focusing on individual combat, the advantage of teamwork should be fully utilized.

Coincidentally, Row seemed to have judged that the mages were more dangerous than the soldiers, so he focused his assault on them, minimizing the damage to the Guard, and there were knights among the combat-ready personnel as well.

While Elaine kept Row occupied, the first squad of the Guard, in coordination with the inspection, aimed for a decisive blow.

Facing Row, the boss of a single episode, in a one-on-one fight was risky, and I was worried there might be a crisis along the way. But Elaine, a master of group combat, kept engaging Row with the help of the mages.

Meanwhile, out of Row’s line of sight, the first squad of the Guard had finished assembling.

“Now!”

Just as Row seized the opportunity to strike at Elaine’s opening, we executed the inspection, attacking Row in sync with her signal. Caught from behind, Row, a seasoned assassin, immediately prepared to retaliate.

‘Not this time.’

I stepped forward from the inspection and struck Row with a powerful blow that would shake his mentality.

“Farewell, King of Crime.”

Sometimes, a single word can hurt more than a punch.

Row’s title, the “King of Crime,” was a secret name known only to his associates and those involved in the underworld.

The moment he heard it, Row’s pupils shook violently.

That was his downfall.

The perfect inspection from the Guard overwhelmed Row, landing strikes across his entire body, and Elaine’s sword, enchanted by an elder-level mage, finished him off.

Elaine, the Guard of the Northern Duke, the mages of the Snowflower Tower, and the protagonist who was possessed by a novel…

All of us combined to defeat the core villain of this world without the protagonist.

“Ugh!”

Row, who had taken a fatal blow in an instant, staggered and fell to his knees, blood staining the ground.

“You damn bugs…”

Row, bleeding on the ground, gritted his teeth so loudly that it echoed. His trembling body was soaked in blood, as though he were swallowing his defeat.

“Do not let your guard down! The opponent is a former member of the Hero Party, there may be hidden tricks!”

This wasn’t just simple concern—I knew because I had read the novel.

One of the six episode bosses wouldn’t just fall from a few sword strikes.

This was a fantasy world.

A mysterious world where you couldn’t relax even if your head was severed.

However…

Thud.

Row collapsed forward, his trembling stopped, and he became quiet.

The moment I saw that, I didn’t feel relief.

‘Madman!’

That cunning bastard.

Half of us, if not more, probably believed the victory was ours when Row collapsed, bleeding. But the fact that Row still had a trump card was knowledge I, as a reader of the novel, possessed.

That’s why I had tried to remind everyone to stay alert.

When the opponent seems dead, no matter how hard you try to remain vigilant, the human mind will inevitably relax.

Everyone was probably hoping for Row’s defeat and intoxicated by the satisfaction of striking a blow against the so-called hero.

And that led to… unavoidable carelessness.

That was Row’s trap.

Swish, swish, swish, swish.

From the spot where Row had fallen, shadows rose like thorny vines, wrapping around his body.

“Damn!”

Only then did everyone realize Row wasn’t finished, and their eyes sharpened with tension. But it was already too late.

‘Damn. I’d rather hope he tries to escape.’

If Row used his necromancy to escape, we would lose track of the terrorist’s mastermind.

But Row was destined to be hunted down by Aran in episode 3 anyway.

Moreover, even if we lost track of Row, word of today’s events would reach Grace, and if she took action, she could pressure the seven heroes, shifting the flow in our favor.

So, even if we let Row escape, I had hoped he would try to flee.

‘That prideful bastard would never run away after suffering such humiliation. If that’s the case, then that must be…’

I swallowed my saliva involuntarily.

Of the six former members of the Hero Party, all except Aran had betrayed him, each claiming one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Luna took Lust, Shira took Pride.

Among them, Row’s sin was Greed.

He was consumed by wealth and calculated everything in terms of money, a sin that suited him perfectly.

The problem was that the sins they took were none other than…

The power of demons.

Just as Luna became a succubus and Shira became a dark elf.

Row, too, had acquired the form of a demon.

And that would be the second phase of the bosses in <Brave Lord>.

{I didn’t plan on using this, nor did I need to… but Aran, that bastard, has been genuinely annoying since then. I’ll show him overwhelming fear.}

From within the shadowy thicket, a chilling voice emerged.

{Necromancy, Firefly Dance.}

The moment the death sentence was announced.

“Down!”

I quickly shouted to everyone.

As soon as I did,

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A massive shadow whip leapt from the bushes, spinning in a large circle.

Those who heard my command immediately dropped to the ground, and those who couldn’t crouch in time raised their defenses, but they were thrown far away by the force of the shadow whip.

When the shadow whip disappeared, the thorny bushes dispersed, and someone, or rather something, stepped out from within.

“Despair. Blame yourself. Regret. Then, take your own life and flee from here.”

A red werewolf, exhaling red smoke from its mouth, spoke.

At the grotesque sight, even the elite guards who had hunted all sorts of monsters with Grace, and the wizards researching the mysterious, froze in place.

“Guard! Form up!”

Holding on to their composure, Elaine urgently gave the order, but

“You’ll only die if you don’t run.”

Low, transformed into a werewolf, flicked his fingers as if to snap them.

Bang!

“Arrgh!”

“Guhk!”

He shot bullets so fast they were almost invisible to the eye, and several nearby mages and guards fell.

It didn’t stop there.

“Block it!”

“It’s the shadow tentacles!”

Countless shadows erupted from the ground, falling like volcanic bombs and bombarding the surroundings.

The mages cast defensive magic, and the guards swung their weapons to fend them off, but

“Ugh, Ughhh!”

It was impossible to block all the continuous shadow bombardments.

In the blink of an eye, 30% of our forces had been reduced.

‘W-What?’

I’d seen Low’s strength in the novel, but experiencing it firsthand didn’t even make me break a sweat.

I was only trembling, confused about what had just happened.

“Heh heh. You should’ve been more careful. You were too arrogant, and this is what happens when you mess with me. If you’d died quietly when I was toying with you, you wouldn’t have to go through this.”

Low sneered, and a mage, enraged, fired a powerful blast of cold air at him.

But it was effortlessly blocked with a snap of Low’s fingers.

“Arrgh!”

The shadow that had sprouted from beneath his feet grabbed the mage’s ankle and tossed him aside like an insect.

The overwhelming force made me instinctively bite my lip.

“Who dares…”

No, wait. He wasn’t playing anymore, so now I should fight back properly.

Low stomped his foot, and the shadows spread like waves, filling the entire 5th floor.

Shadow Magic, Territory Expansion.

The technique that turns any area he touches into his execution ground.

“The slaughter begins. You will all die here in silence, without a single disturbance.”

As the area turned into a pitch-black wasteland, fear spread in everyone’s eyes.

Then,

“Hold yourself together!”

Elaine shouted, raising her sword.

“Can we truly call ourselves Northerners if we cower in the face of an enemy? Whether we hold swords, staffs, or even just our bare fists, remember this: we Northerners are steel itself!”

Elaine stepped forward, facing Low boldly, like a general.

“If you’re too scared to fight, then take your life and stop dragging your comrades down. From now on, only true warriors are needed here. Weaklings will only be used by that cunning foe and endanger everyone… But!”

Elaine’s sword shone with magic.

Even though the enchantment given by Scott had already faded, her sword appeared even sharper and more powerful than before.

“With courage, those who wish to fight, stand up. Let us fight together! For the Winter Lion!”

At Elaine’s words, one by one, the fear began to leave their eyes, replaced by determination.

Then, everyone grabbed their weapons and stepped forward to stand by Elaine’s side, shouting.

“For the Winter Lion!”

“For the North!”

“If we’re going to die, let’s die fighting!”

“No, if we’re dying, we have to kill that bastard!”

I, too, stopped biting my lip and stood alongside my comrades.

With her saying that,

Even if I weren’t possessed by the novel, I couldn’t hesitate now.

No, even if I weren’t a possessed soul…

I am someone who lives in this world, a warrior of the North.

To defeat the enemies of the North, I cannot take a single step back here.

Even the tiniest detail of this story shall become my weapon.

“Luke.”

“???”

Elaine called my name.

“You will fight, won’t you?”

“…Of course.”

“Ha.”

Irene let out a short sigh in a voice barely audible to others.

“I have something to ask and something to command you.”

For some reason, it seemed you had information about that man. I won’t ask why, but I ask you to make use of that information actively.

“Are you asking me to use it?”

Irene is not a fool.

She must have sensed some doubt from my actions toward Lowe.

But instead of prying into it, she asked for my help in securing the victory at hand.

“What is your command?”

As Lowe began to prepare for his next attack, Irene tightened her grip on her sword and answered.

“Do not die.”

Then, she was the first to charge forward.

Watching her back as she threw herself into danger while telling me not to die, I nodded.

“I understand.”

The second battle with Lowe began.

Irene and Guard Team 1 were entrusted with the rescue of the Snowflower Tower, while Grace chased after the assassins with Guard Team 3.

“They are escaping outside the Winter Cannon.”

If they had taken the citizens hostage in the city, there would have been nothing we could do.

But their escape alone suggested something else.

“Could they be trying to lure me, or perhaps to separate me from Snowflower Tower?”

If that was the case, the Snowflower Tower might be in more danger.

But it was too late to turn back now.

Maybe this was part of their plan to keep me moving, so I had no choice but to play along.

There might be some trap ahead, but Irene was up there.

If she was with the most trusted captain of the guard, I could leave anything to her.

Thanks to the relentless pursuit of the guard, the distance between them and the assassins was closing rapidly.

While running along the forest path outside the Winter Cannon, Grace suddenly recognized the terrain and asked her companion, Rine.

“Is that ahead Calm River Village?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I thought that was a quiet rural village. Why are they heading there?”

An ominous thought suddenly crossed Grace’s mind.

“Could it be…?”

She silently hoped it wasn’t true as she unknowingly stamped her foot hard on the ground.

As feared, the assassins moved toward Calm River Village and entered the village.

“Hm?!”

The leader of Team 3, Ki, felt something was wrong and stopped.

Grace immediately stopped beside him, and Ki reported.

“Your Excellency, they have entered the village.”

“Alright, I saw.”

“It’s strange. The village is eerily quiet.”

Grace walked forward silently.

The guard followed suit and entered the village in formation.

“Stop!”

As soon as Grace sensed something was wrong, she shouted.

Suddenly,

Pah!

Countless dark projectiles came flying at them from all directions.

“Hahh!”

The barrage of projectiles fell all around them, deflected by Ki’s great sword, Grace’s sword energy, and the guard’s defense, but…

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

A relaxed sound of applause came in response.

[So, this is the famous Northern Duke. If you had come a little further in, I could have sent at least half of you back.]

A voice, unpleasant and disgusting, echoed from somewhere within the village.

“Who are you?”

[Apologies for the rudeness, but I must greet you without showing my face. I am the leader of the Black Crow Assassination Team, known as Son.]

“Orders from whom?”

[The King of Crime.]

“I see. Since you pretend to be a king, you must be a group of traitors. I shall execute you on the spot.”

[Hahaha! What a funny joke. This will be an enjoyable hunt.]

With the snap of a finger, flames erupted all around the village.

[This is a trap I have meticulously set to hunt a big game. Unfortunately, now that you have stepped in here, it will be impossible for you to leave alive.]

Grace stared at the flames and asked Son.

“What happened to the people of this village?”

[Rest assured, they have not died. They are valuable commodities, and I intend to sell them at a high price. But sadly, visits are not allowed. They have already been moved far away.]

“…Is that so?”

Hearing the response, Grace spun her sword and then…

KWA-BOOM!

The ground split open in all directions from where she stood.

Buildings on the outskirts collapsed due to the quake, preventing the fire from spreading further.

“Huh…”

A middle-aged assassin in black clothing walked out from one of the buildings.

“Shall I give you a visit first?”

Grace greeted him with a cold smile.