The Field Frog and the Black Demon

As time progressed, the company continued its advance, systematically clearing the remaining ghouls from the village. Their objective for the day was gradually being fulfilled.

“The village is mostly cleared. We’re preparing to leave,” the Captain commanded. “Everyone, form up in ten minutes. We’re heading straight back to the border outpost.”

“Understood! Time to go home!” someone exclaimed, only to be promptly swatted on the head by an older veteran.

“Haven’t you caused enough trouble with those ghouls already? Why are you still shouting? Just do your job, don’t make yourself look like an idiot!”

“Honestly, with how loud this one is, I think we should stop calling you Erwen and just call you… Field Frog. You sound just like the field frogs back in my village.”

“Wow, now that you mention it, he really does sound like one! We have those back home too. They croak so loudly in the summer. Skewered and roasted over a fire, they’re quite—”

“Hold it, hold it!” The soldier dubbed Field Frog immediately made to strike them. “I suspect you’ve all been infected by ghouls, haven’t you? Are you planning to feast on me?”

Laughter erupted throughout the company. The Captain, too, felt a smile tugging at his lips, but he stifled it, maintaining his composure as an officer. The operation had been a resounding success. The granary still held ample uncorrupted food; besides wheat, there was also dried meat curing in the cellar. All had been inspected and confirmed free of contamination, making them the perfect provisions for the northern border.

****

The wagons were swiftly loaded, supplies hoisted aboard one after another. Seeing the abundance of resources, Anto’s expression softened.

“After this incident, I’m sure this village will recover quickly, won’t it?”

“That depends on how well we can protect it,” the Volunteer Corps’ Master Craftsman replied. “The fields here are excellent, clearly tended with great care. If not for this invasion, we’d be nestled in the village hall before the winter solstice, enjoying the year’s new potato wine and celebrating with a ball. These dried meats and fine spirits were likely prepared for that very occasion. But now… they can be used for festivals in the military camp, which isn’t so bad either.”

Anto listened, gazing at the man. He crouched on the ground, the desolate wheat fields stretching behind him. He lay in this abandoned village, yet his thoughts drifted to another, non-existent place.

A place that she was determined to reclaim.

Such musings didn’t last long. Soon, she rose and rejoined her company, the village at her back, her homeland before her.

****

The company set off on the road back to the watchtower, advancing steadily in their customary formation. They soon reached a familiar path when suddenly—

A signal flare burst across the sky.

The company immediately noticed the signal.

“That direction, roughly five hundred meters from us,” the Captain announced. “It’s a distress signal. We can reach them. Ten men, take the wagons back. The rest of us will provide reinforcement!”

“Field Frog, you and your squad take the vehicles and medics. We’ll go this way.”

“Forget that! Old Man can take some people to push the cart. This is a five-hundred-meter mountain ambush; we need the fast ones,” the soldier retorted, unburdening himself of his gear and placing it in the wagon. “We Northwood Hunters are better suited for this.”

“Then follow me! No dawdling. Everyone, put your gear in the wagons. We need to push through quickly, rapidly! Everyone, move! Our allies are in trouble; we cannot remain still as mountains! Maintain formation! Be ready for enemy incursions at any moment!”

“Understood!” With the Captain leading them, all the soldiers advanced into the forest. Anto followed closely behind the Captain.

“Sister, you should withdraw,” the Captain said. “The situation is unclear, and we cannot let you face such danger.”

“Captain, my colleagues are over there too. A crisis like this calls even more for a rescuer.”

“…Your legs are quite nimble, Sister.”

“Of course,” Sister Anto replied with a smile. “I was once a shepherd in the Northwood.” Knight Ilivy kept close to Anto, constantly guarding the nun’s surroundings.

****

Upon reaching the scene, the ground was already littered with bodies—ghouls, undead, and border soldiers alike. They had truly stepped into yet another battlefield, where the front lines had been torn asunder. Only a few individuals stubbornly resisted the surging tide of undead.

“Breach the area! Clear the remaining enemies!” The Captain issued the order without delay. As the battle erupted for a second time, the undead clearly failed to notice the sharp blades piercing them from behind, one after another. With a relentless assault, the wave of undead was quelled. With Holy Light wielders present to provide protection, the initial charge of the troops proved maximally effective.

“Thank the gods,” a survivor declared after the enemy’s attack receded. “…You arrived just in time, Captain Vincent.”

“We were just nearby,” the Captain said, addressing the man before him. “O’Rourke, are the casualties severe?”

“…Somewhat.” Gazing at the devastation on the ground, Captain O’Rourke’s face twisted with a mix of anger and frustration. “We encountered a monster. That thing tore through our formation. We found a group of refugees in the river valley… they came from the west, driven here by a tide of corpses. After a quick inspection, we brought them along, but then…”

“Someone was infected; it was a little girl,” someone nearby interjected. “Her mother had been holding her the whole time, so we didn’t pay much attention until…”

“Until she bit off half her mother’s face,” O’Rourke finished. “The transformation of one person attracted the surrounding ghouls, and with the public panicking and fleeing chaotically, we were instantly trapped. And then, at that moment, that thing appeared…”

“What appeared?” the Captain asked. O’Rourke looked up.

“A black demon.”

“A demon?”

“He was commanding the ghouls. We don’t know what it was, but the ghouls around him were incredibly strong. He seemed to be their leader and even wielded a sword. Five of my warriors were cut in half by him,” O’Rourke explained. “Truth be told, I don’t think we would have held out until you arrived, if not for the Sister…”

“The Sister?” Anto suddenly turned her head. “Which Sister from your company are you referring to?”

“…Sister Lu Wei.” When O’Rourke spoke that name, Anto froze. For a moment, it felt as if a stone had shattered in her heart.

“Sister Lu Wei used Holy Light to draw it away when that thing continued to push through our lines,” O’Rourke said, pointing towards the trampled mountain forest. “It’s over there.”