New Threat.
There wasn't an abundance of pork, but there was enough for each gnoll to have a taste.
The problem with food, however, is that having just a single teasing bite can be far more dangerous than never tasting it at all. After sampling the meat, the gnolls smacked their lips repeatedly, clearly dissatisfied with the small portions.
Watching them, Woojin fell into thought.
'Should I at least give them some jerky?'
But if he handed out even the preserved rations, the delegation itself would run short on supplies. They would have to promise more in the future. Just as Woojin was about to settle on that conclusion—
Swish.
Cecilia scattered seeds across the ground. Then she tilted a watering can and poured holy water over the soil where the seeds had fallen.
Shaaah—
A green aura shimmered across the ground. The seeds split open, and tender sprouts pushed upward. Like frost spreading across a winter window, green leaves broke through and rapidly expanded.
Branches stretched out, blossoms bloomed and fell, and fruit began to form—as though the entire growth process of a plant had been sped up dozens of times.
Before long, five raspberry bushes and five blackberry bushes stood fully grown.
—I've prepared a small snack.
Cecilia gestured shyly to convey her meaning. With so many eyes upon her, she seemed embarrassed. Standing nearby, Krnartash examined the bushes with curious eyes.
"What is this plant with such a strange color?"
The gnoll queen asked.
Come to think of it, this was likely the first time the gnoll tribe had ever seen plants bearing green leaves. They were beings born and raised entirely within the demonic realm.
"You pluck the fruit and eat it. Don't damage the leaves or branches."
"Simple enough."
Krnartash grinned confidently and reached out. Her fingers closed around a berry.
Squish.
The raspberry burst instantly. The gnoll queen's grip was simply too strong.
Woojin let out a quiet chuckle.
"So much for simple."
"…It's more fragile than I expected."
Krnartash muttered, sounding slightly sheepish. She sniffed the juice smeared on her fingers, then gave them a tentative lick.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
The fruit, sanctified by the saint's divine power, was sweet enough to make her tongue tingle.
"This fruit is remarkable as well. Is the land beyond the horizon filled with such things?"
"You see them fairly often."
"A bountiful land… It almost makes me regret that it lies in the opposite direction of where our tribe must go."
The tribes of the demonic realm avoided heading south.
The farther south one traveled, the weaker the monsters became. If a tribe grew accustomed to hunting only such feeble prey, their strength would decline with each generation.
As proof, most tribes that attempted to migrate south had perished before long. The complacency that arose from dwelling in safe lands was more dangerous than anything else.
"In that case… we must reclaim our land as soon as possible."
Krnartash muttered while chewing the fruit. She seemed to feel a deep responsibility for having yielded the territory passed down from her ancestors.
Woojin had something to say about that.
"We should get moving. At this rate, the sun will set on us."
They had intended to head to the northern front to inspect the situation, but distributing food to the gnolls had nearly made him forget.
Krnartash rose without hesitation and gave an order to her subordinate.
"Bring the rhinoceroses."
It seemed she intended to provide mounts.
—
Three rhinoceros monsters charged northward. On their backs rode gnoll warriors, Krnartash, Roland, and the holy knights.
As for Woojin, he rode atop the red wolf as usual, while four wolf monsters ran alongside the rhinoceroses.
Cecilia had wanted to come as well, but—
If the saint left, the berry bushes would stop bearing fruit. The gnolls gazed at her with longing eyes, and unable to ignore them, Cecilia remained in the city, busy infusing the plants with divine power.
'What an enviable ability…'
Producing food so effortlessly was an invaluable gift. Woojin coveted it, but he had heard that even within the Clerical Alliance, individuals capable of such high-level power were rare.
Even if he tried to imitate a priest now, he would never gain such an ability. Accepting that, Woojin quickly set the thought aside and focused on the mission.
"How much farther to our destination?"
"We're almost there."
True to Krnartash's words, a stone wall soon came into view in the distance. It was far larger and more imposing than the southern gate of the gnolls.
Though not as tall as the Alliance's wall built by humans, it was high enough to secure a significant tactical advantage.
As they approached the wall, a gnoll commander responsible for the site stepped forward, having watched the rhinoceroses' approach.
The face was familiar.
"Braknark."
The great gnoll warrior who had once crushed humanity's Second Expeditionary Force. He approached and bowed respectfully.
"I greet the chieftain and the Guardian."
"You've worked hard."
Krnartash commended the warrior's efforts, then glanced around as if searching for someone.
"Where is Ulzog?"
"He is resting due to an injury. It is minor and should heal quickly."
"That is good to hear."
Ulzog was the third-ranked great warrior. With him recovering from a minor wound, Braknark had taken command in his stead.
Krnartash stated the purpose of their visit.
"We intend to share the current battle situation with our allies."
"That is welcome news."
Braknark nodded with relief. The successful alliance between humans and the gnoll tribe clearly eased his mind.
To observe the battlefield, they needed to ascend the wall. At Braknark's shout, several thick ropes were lowered from above.
Grasping two ropes in his hands, Braknark tugged them twice as a signal. Immediately, those above pulled, and his massive body was hauled upward.
Roland watched in admiration.
"Impressive. Those ropes are sturdy enough to bear his weight."
"They are made with sinew from monster beasts."
Though the gnoll tribe's civilization lagged behind humanity's, some items crafted from monster byproducts surpassed human-made equipment.
Woojin, Roland, and the holy knights grabbed the ropes as well. Letting their bodies hang, they were quickly pulled to the top of the wall.
Krnartash did not use a rope.
Thud—!!
The gnoll queen stomped both feet against the ground. Like a compressed spring released, her massive body launched skyward in a powerful leap.
Boom!
She landed effortlessly atop the wall. The knights who witnessed it could not hide their awe.
"…She truly is a monster."
"She is the chieftain of an entire tribe, after all."
Just as there are prodigies among humans, there are also beings within the demonic realm born with extraordinary gifts.
Gnoll Queen Krnartash was a mutant born with extraordinary strength. A warrior powerful enough to stand against the Old Ones. To subdue her, even the Clerical Alliance would have to brace for heavy losses.
'And yet… despite possessing such power, the gnoll queen failed to defend her territory.'
Why?
To assess the situation, Woojin looked down beyond the wall. As he surveyed the area carefully, several grotesque lifeforms came into view.
Creatures shaped from sagging lumps of flesh. Their eyeballs had rotted away, and black blood mixed with pus streamed down like tears.
Abominations.
They were not uncommon in the demonic realm. Monsters Woojin had slaughtered time and again. Ordinarily, the sight of them no longer surprised him.
But these were different.
In the distance, a massive abomination crawled on four legs. A long horn protruded from its head.
It resembled a stag.
'…That's not human-shaped.'
Every abomination Woojin had seen until now had been modeled after the human form. But these bore the shapes of beasts—bulls, deer, boars, bears…
Then he spotted something disturbingly familiar.
A hyena walking upright on two legs.
Woojin's eyes widened.
'A gnoll-shaped abomination?'
A bad feeling crept up his spine.
He turned a questioning gaze toward Braknark. The great gnoll warrior let out a heavy sigh before answering.
"…That one was once a warrior of our tribe."
Those abominations had originally been creatures of the demonic realm. Even Woojin, seasoned as he was, had never encountered such a case.
"How did that happen?"
"When one is consumed by an abomination, such mutations occur. This never used to happen… but at some point, the dead began turning into them."
The longer the fighting continued, the more gnolls fell. And with each fallen warrior, the enemy's numbers grew accordingly.
An unwinnable situation.
That was why the gnoll tribe had no choice but to abandon the land they had long defended and retreat south.
Why had things come to this?
There was only one clue.
"You said you smell the scent of the Old Ones on them… Are you certain?"
"Yes."
The gnolls' keen sense of smell had detected the ancient stench clinging to the abominations. A highly unusual circumstance.
Woojin crossed his arms and fell into thought.
'Where did these things come from?'
The Old Ones he had encountered before had nothing to do with abominations. Why was this happening now? He could not begin to guess.
Just then—
The abominations noticed living beings atop the wall. They turned and shrieked.
"Graaaargh—!"
Four or five of them charged forward.
There was no need to react.
Woojin glanced down.
A moat encircled the wall—deeply dug, lined with sharpened stakes and jagged bone fragments.
The charging abominations tumbled straight into the trap. Their bodies were shredded by the stakes as they writhed helplessly.
Moments later, two gnoll shamans, their bodies secured by ropes, descended below the wall.
Whoosh—!
The shamans unleashed torrents of flame, incinerating the trapped abominations. The creatures thrashed in futile resistance, but escape was impossible. Before long, they were reduced to black ash piling at the bottom of the moat.
The threat was neutralized.
Gnoll warriors atop the wall hauled the shamans back up by rope. Watching this, Woojin murmured in admiration.
"A remarkably well-constructed fortress… I didn't realize the gnolls were capable of such craftsmanship."
Krnartash gave an embarrassed smile.
"We did not design it. We merely repaired an ancient fortress abandoned long ago."
In ages past, this stronghold had been built to halt the southward advance of the demonic realm. The wall and moat were remnants of humanity's desperate struggle.
At those words, something clicked in Woojin's mind.
'…The Kingdom of Leventor.'
Duke Edwin had launched his expedition to restore that fallen kingdom.
Which meant the place where Woojin now stood was the capital wall of the Kingdom of Leventor—the final destination of the Second Expeditionary Force.
Fleeing south from their enemies, the gnoll tribe had chosen to occupy this abandoned land. That decision had sparked the conflict with the Second Expeditionary Force.
'Duke Edwin's ambition was doomed from the start.'
Even if he had defeated the gnolls, he would have faced foes far more numerous and dangerous.
At present, only four or five abominations were visible. But it was clear that a far greater number lurked nearby.
Woojin's reasoning was simple.
Grrk, graaaargh—
The distinctive cries of abominations echoed repeatedly—like frogs croaking along a lakeshore on a rainy summer day.
'…This is going to be troublesome.'
They needed a countermeasure.
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