Rohan and the patrolmen all thought of one kind of being.
White Revenants.
They were called corpses with intellect. Stronger than monsters, and like humans, they came in every sort, from swordsmen who used magic power to mages.
Though Amon Baltran had wiped out most of them, a small number still carried on.
In the silence, Oshan spoke first.
"If it really is the being we're thinking of, even if this is a trap, we can't not go. We have to save our comrade. If it's the one I have in mind, it won't be easy to deal with. You two wait here."
After that, the other patrolmen's faces didn't look good either. Their expressions were a mix of unease and worry for the two children.
Hatz wondered what kind of being it could be, to change men who had been so brave even before monsters like this.
Rohan, on the other hand, snorted.
"No. If we were going to run away at the sight of a White Revenant, we wouldn't have come here in the first place."
They had crossed over on Gion's orders to begin with, but he didn't bother revealing that.
Oshan looked at Rohan strangely.
"Like I said before, just because you're a Baltran doesn't mean we'll look out for you specially."
"I don't want you to either, so don't worry, and let's just get going."
Oshan snorted with laughter, then turned and walked off following the footprints. Rohan followed behind him.
Unlike his unhesitating stride, something kept snagging in Rohan's mind.
'If it really is a White Revenant, why on earth is it luring us?'
To be precise, it would be luring the patrol. The White Revenants couldn't know he had come here.
'Taking out a single patrol wouldn't gain them much.'
For the Guard, losing comrades would be a pity, but they could simply form a new patrol. And if something like that happened again, the Wall Guard might launch a large-scale purge.
'The Black Wolf Knights might even be mobilized. Either way, there's nothing in it for the White Revenants.'
As far as Rohan knew, the White Revenants' intelligence wasn't much different from humans'. Like humans, it differed from individual to individual, and its highs and lows were similar to humans' too.
While Rohan was pondering, the group followed the footprints and reached a cave. A cave made of ice.
"Was there a cave in a place like this?"
At Oshan's question, one of the patrolmen went over and examined the cave entrance.
"It seems to have been made recently. There are signs the entrance was deliberately melted open with fire. It doesn't look deep."
"Then whoever led us here is likely a mage."
This got tricky. Oshan muttered the rest under his breath.
Unlike with humans, among the White Revenants the mages were definitely the higher form. They were clearly superior in strength to the White Revenant knights.
'And smarter too.'
Rohan had seen White Revenants before as well. It had been in his weak days, when his father had dragged him out by force, so to Rohan, the White Revenants were like a nightmare.
'Back then I shook just seeing them from far away.'
Why had Gion brought his weak self out beyond the Wall back then? Rohan felt regret over a question he could never ask.
"Let's go in."
Oshan didn't hesitate even after guessing what was inside. The area around the cave entrance was narrow, so Oshan took the lead and the patrolmen filed in behind him. Rohan and Hatz followed after them.
A narrow, dark passage continued for a while. Contrary to the patrolman's prediction, the cave had been bored quite deep.
Just as grumbles were starting to come from the group, a wide cavern opened up. As the patrolmen got out of the stifling passage and started to spread out, Oshan stretched out an arm and stopped them.
"Someone's on the other side."
As he said, someone was standing at the mouth of the passage on the opposite side of the circular space.
"Give back the patrolman you took!"
Oshan skipped any introductions and got straight to the point. A voice that sounded like choking on phlegm came from the other side.
"Who'd have thought you'd actually come. You're more foolish than I thought."
"Don't we have to check to find out who's the foolish one?"
When Oshan raised his sword, the other patrolmen drew theirs at the same time. The one standing in the passage slowly walked forward.
A few strands of white hair hung limply down. The white face was so sunken you couldn't tell flesh from bone.
It really was a White Revenant.
The patrol let out low groans.
The White Revenant that had been standing in the passage stepped aside, clearing the mouth of the passage. Then something dark came walking out of it.
Thoom. Thoom.
The ice cave shook. The patrolmen looked around, worried the cave might collapse.
"How on earth did it bring that huge thing in here?"
Rohan, crouching at the back, answered for it.
"How else? It didn't come in through the entrance we used, it came in from the other side. Didn't you notice from the size of the footprints to begin with? Our side's probably the one it dug small to keep us from escaping. Go back and it'll probably be blocked."
The White Revenant turned its head toward Rohan. The blue light in its eyes shone brightly.
"So there's one whose head works a little, at least. Kekeke."
Oshan turned only his head and glared at Rohan.
"Did you know before we came in? Why didn't you say anything?"
Rohan looked indifferent, as if to ask why he'd even ask.
"You said we have to save our comrade even if it's a trap. So what does it matter if the entrance is blocked? We have to take them out anyway, don't we?"
Oshan looked dazed for a moment, then laughed loudly as if he'd been had.
"That's true. You really don't act your age. Is that what it means to be a direct-line Baltran?"
He had not been like this in his past life. Feeling a prick of conscience, Rohan didn't react.
Oshan had already turned toward the approaching monster. With three of his patrolmen, he charged the monster.
"Do we just stay put?"
At the question from Hatz, crouching beside him, Rohan kept his eyes forward and answered.
"The monster isn't the problem. The White Revenant over there is the real one."
Rohan's gaze was on the White Revenant on the other side, not the monster. Watching the blue light flicker in the darkness, Rohan studied its movements closely.
'If that White Revenant is stronger than Oshan, we have a big problem.'
The patrolmen were fighting the monster efficiently. They were one man short, but it wasn't much of a problem. The patrolmen circled the monster quickly to scatter its attention, and every time the monster attacked, Oshan stepped in to defend.
Under the patrolmen's attacks, the monster's shoulder was torn open and blood streamed from its thigh. A few more attacks and the monster would go down.
Rrrumble!
Suddenly a huge fireball came flying at the patrolmen.
Caught off guard, the patrolmen couldn't dodge properly. Two of them were swallowed by the fireball.
"Gaaaaargh!"
Screams echoed through the cavern. Rohan drew out blue mana and ran to them.
He hurriedly put out the fire with ice magic, then poured one potion into the two men's mouths, splitting it between them.
Meanwhile, Oshan charged forward and grappled with the monster at close range. At the same time, he shouted to the one unhurt patrolman.
"Take those two and fall back!"
As Oshan ordered, the patrolman took the two injured men and fell back. Rohan watched them for a moment, then looked at the White Revenant again.
It was growing a fireball between its spread hands.
'If Oshan drops out injured too, our fighting strength takes a huge hit.'
Rohan took up Sernain and charged at the White Revenant. The fireball meant for Oshan came flying at him instead.
Rohan swung Sernain.
WHOOOSH!
Sernain drank in the fireball as if absorbing it. The flames, which had shrunk for a moment, blazed up along the blade.
The blue light in the White Revenant's eyes flickered.
Rohan raised the corners of his mouth.
"Is that the sign you're flustered?"
Rohan swung the blazing sword with a confident look. He thought he'd cut right across its chest. The White Revenant's movement was unexpected. Before he knew it, it had twisted its body to the right.
The sword severed the White Revenant's left arm. As the arm came off, the White Revenant loosed a fire arrow with its right hand.
Rohan reflexively used magic and conjured an oval shield. But the mana shield, conjured in haste, was easily pierced by the fire arrow. The fire arrow, still carrying force, struck Rohan's forearm.
"Damn it!"
Blood spurted from Rohan's arm. It wasn't a serious wound. If anything, having cut off the White Revenant's arm, he'd come out well ahead. He was only frustrated that he'd thought he could kill it and couldn't.
But the White Revenant's behavior was strange. Even with Rohan right in front of it, it had placed a round stone on its right hand and was looking at it.
'What is it doing?'
Before Rohan could step in again, Hatz rushed out from behind him.
"Are you all right?"
He seemed to think Rohan was badly hurt. At the same time, Hatz swung his sword at the White Revenant.
KZING!
Hatz's sword bounced off a mana shield. The White Revenant still had its eyes fixed on the stone in its right hand. As if Hatz wasn't even worth a glance.
Hatz's pride seemed hurt too, and he swung his sword again at once. But before his sword could come down, a fire arrow came flying.
"Aagh!"
Hatz took the fire arrow in the chest and tumbled backward.
"Hatz!"
Rohan's eyes followed him, then, confirming he wasn't badly hurt, he looked back at the White Revenant.
At some point the thing had lifted its head and was watching Rohan.
"You....... Are you a Baltran?"
He didn't know how the White Revenant knew who he was, but he had no intention of hiding it.
"That's right. Rohan Baltran, youngest son of Gion Baltran."
At the grand introduction, the White Revenant's eye-light shone brightly. It was so dazzling that Rohan, meeting its eyes, had to frown for a moment.
"Then you're a pure-blooded Baltran. You'll be worth more."
What does that mean?
While Rohan tilted his head, the White Revenant came closer.
"What?"
Rohan hadn't expected a spellcasting White Revenant to come close, and let it get near.
"Hah!"
Rohan hurriedly swung his sword.
CLANG!
The sword was easily blocked by the mana shield the White Revenant conjured.
"Did you think you could face me with a mere 2nd Stage of magic power?"
Even in close combat against a mage, the gap between the magic power Rohan could produce with 2 ice rings and the White Revenant's was large.
It's dangerous. He had to show his full strength.
Rohan's hand went to his heart.
But at the White Revenant's very next words, he changed his mind.
"Come with me. There's a place where you'll be very useful."
Rohan recalled what it had said before.
'Its attitude changed once it learned I'm a pure-blooded Baltran.'
It wasn't going to kill him.
He didn't know why, but there seemed to be somewhere that could make use of Baltran blood.
'Let's get dragged along for now. Once we're away from here, I won't have to worry about prying eyes.'
Rohan calmed the pulsing fire rings. Using only ice mana, he faced it seriously.
"Your swordsmanship's not bad. If your magic power were a little stronger, close combat might have been tough."
How would the White Revenant react if it knew even this was Rohan going easy on it?
He was curious, but decided to put off finding out.
Having gotten behind Rohan at some point, the White Revenant struck the back of Rohan's neck with its wrist.
Thud. Rohan pretended to faint and slumped limply to the ground.
With a grip unusually strong for a mage, the White Revenant lifted Rohan with one hand.
Slung over the White Revenant's shoulder, Rohan cracked his eyes open. He could see Oshan fighting the monster.
Hatz was still lying on the ground, not yet conscious.
'Oshan will look after Hatz, at least.'
Rohan let the strength go out of his body and closed his eyes again.