Fortunately, they were not too late.
In fact, it had not even begun yet. The revived Hyullang were nowhere to be seen.
The wooden palisade surrounding the village remained intact, and the villagers had gathered at the entrance with weapons in their hands.
Ian was hurrying toward them when Marie called out from behind him.
“Young Master.”
Ian, who had been running ahead, turned around.
“Wait a moment.”
She seemed to have something to say, so he had no choice but to stop.
“What is it?”
“Why do you not return to the main estate first?”
“…Now?”
“At first, I thought we were already too late, but that does not seem to be the case. I do not know how powerful our enemy is, but since he has not attacked us immediately, we still have time. We have horses, and there is a saddle in the carriage’s storage compartment. Riding is a basic accomplishment, so you know how to do it, correct?”
“Sorry, but I have no intention of fleeing.”
“This may be your final chance to choose. Once the Dark Mage attacks, there will be no turning back.”
“There are only two possible reasons he has not moved yet. Either he is truly as badly injured as that hunter James claimed, or he is far less formidable than we expected.”
“I am not so sure. What if it is neither of those, and he is trying to lure us out?”
Ian grinned.
“The fact that he is resorting to such a shallow trick would mean he is someone we can handle. Otherwise, he would have smashed through a palisade like this long ago.”
The palisade, built by binding together straight logs, appeared remarkably solid and sturdy from the outside, but the reality was different.
It was undoubtedly tough. However, since it had not been magically reinforced, it was nothing more than an irritating obstacle to someone above a certain level.
Even pouring oil over it and tossing a single spark would reduce it to ashes. It would take some time, but that was all.
For a Dark Mage, however, it would not take long at all. There was a reason they were shunned as threats to humanity.
Compared to ordinary mages, they were far more versatile and specialized in combat.
“Besides, how could anyone fight only the opponents they wanted? Sometimes, you have no choice but to face someone stronger.”
“And you believe this is one of those times?”
Ian nodded, and Marie let out a faint laugh.
“What if you die?”
“Then I die. But if I face someone stronger and survive, would that not allow me to grow even further?”
Marie looked at him as though she could not understand.
“If someone else had said that, it might have sounded quite convincing. But hearing it from you, Young Master… How should I put it? It loses all credibility.”
“…….”
Ian pressed his lips together.
After all, he had been the one who fell into despair after his humiliating defeat at the coming-of-age ceremony and spent a long time living like a broken man.
The words did not suit him.
The fact that he could not deny it was embarrassing. His face even grew warm.
Noticing this, Marie smiled slightly.
“I was joking.”
“…In any case, I am not underestimating him, but I still believe we have a chance. Who knows? He may be nothing impressive. And what if rumors spread that the youngest son of House Berger was so frightened of such a man that he fled while two Red Spear Knights fought in his place?”
Ian had heard more than enough insults before his regression.
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, Marie smiled faintly.
“May I be honest?”
“No. Do not.”
Marie continued as though she had not heard him.
“You are already infamous as a wastrel, Young Master. I doubt adding coward or deserter to the list would make much difference.”
“Trying to provoke my pride like that will not do you any good. Or are you begging me to remain here?”
“That is not what I am doing.”
“I will say it again. I have no intention of leaving, so do not waste time trying to persuade me.”
“…Fine. I have done what I could. I suppose having you here is better than nothing.”
“You saw me earlier, did you not? I will be useful.”
Ian raised his bow and answered confidently.
Mael apparently had no intention of trying to persuade him and merely nodded.
Then, after glancing around and checking whether anyone was watching, he stepped closer and whispered.
“I am only saying this in case the worst happens, but if either Marie or I dies before we even have a chance to react, do not look back. Run. If you charge in to avenge us, you may truly die like a dog.”
Ian was about to tell him not to worry unnecessarily when the bell rang again.
“They are coming! They are coming!”
Someone shouted urgently.
“I will go ahead, Young Master.”
“All right. Be careful.”
“Let us go, Marie.”
“Yes.”
Mael and Marie ran ahead. At that moment, the hunter who had gone to fetch arrows returned from behind them.
“My lord!”
The hunter was carrying no fewer than three quivers in his arms.
Ian wondered whether it had been necessary to bring so many, but having too many was better than not having enough.
“Carry them and follow me.”
“Y-Yes!”
Ian climbed the footholds to the top of the palisade. The man ringing the bell was startled, but Ian had no time to explain.
He readied his bow and restrung the bowstring he had loosened earlier. Then he drew an arrow and looked outside.
The two Red Spear Knights stood a fair distance from the palisade, each carrying a shield and a sword.
Beyond them, at the foot of a distant hill, the Hyullang that had already died once were moving again.
Dense purple energy flickered like heat haze around their bodies.
‘Where is the Dark Mage?’
Ian could not see him.
Either the Dark Mage had not revealed himself at all, or he was hiding somewhere.
Ian had expected to see him among the Hyullang in a dark robe.
‘He must have concealed himself with magic. It seems he truly is badly injured.’
Every Dark Mage Ian had encountered in the past had been overflowing with arrogance.
While hiding their identities, they kept their heads down and did everything possible to avoid notice. However, the moment their identities were exposed or they began acting in earnest, their attitudes changed completely.
They stepped forward without hiding.
The fact that this one had not done so meant there had to be an unavoidable reason.
‘…We may truly have a chance.’
Ian infused an arrow with the power of Evilbane. The sharp arrowhead glowed red, and he immediately released it.
The arrow flew in a curve and pierced the body of a Hyullang trudging slowly toward them, wrapped in Dark Mana.
WHOOSH!
The power within the arrowhead erupted, and crimson flames swallowed the Hyullang whole.
There was no scream. The dead no longer felt pain.
It did not even attempt to extinguish the flames. Before it had taken more than a few steps, its body began to collapse.
That did not mean the others remained still.
The remaining Hyullang lowered their bodies and began to run.
More precisely, they charged toward Mael and Marie, who stood in front of the village entrance.
Ian flinched.
Perhaps because Dark Mana had strengthened their bodies, the Hyullang were far faster than they had been while alive.
‘Even so…’
They were not moving too quickly for him to follow.
Ian opened his eyes wide and nocked another arrow.
There was no time to aim leisurely. Relying on the experience he had accumulated, he estimated the trajectory and fired.
SWISH!
The arrow tore through the air and struck the body of a Hyullang as it kicked off the ground and charged.
It pierced the creature’s thigh, but it did not matter where it hit.
The important thing was that it struck at all.
The power of Evilbane within the arrowhead would handle the rest.
And that was exactly what happened.
Ian had no leisure to admire the sight, however. The Hyullang were still rushing forward.
He had to reduce their numbers as much as possible before they reached Mael and Marie. Only then would the burden on the two knights lessen.
Ian worked without even pausing to breathe.
He drew an arrow, nocked it, infused the pointed tip with the energy of Evilbane, and fired.
The sequence repeated smoothly.
One might have expected him to make at least one mistake, but Ian’s extraordinary concentration never wavered.
That did not mean every arrow found its mark.
Despite being dead, the Hyullang moved with remarkable speed, and their movements were so erratic that they were impossible to predict. Many of his shots missed, and he emptied an entire quiver in moments.
The hunter beside him immediately understood what was needed and transferred arrows from another quiver into the empty one.
In the meantime, the revived Hyullang finally reached Mael and Marie.
Without even shouting a battle cry, the two knights swung their swords with practiced skill and split the first Hyullang in half with a single blow. Then they raised their shields and received the following creatures with firm stances.
Ian was admiring their skill and preparing to provide covering fire when he happened to notice something.
“!”
The air between them was faintly rippling.
Something was there.
The distortion was too deliberate to be an illusion.
As though sensing something instinctively, Mael turned around at the same moment.
Space twisted, and a man wearing a robe that was little more than rags appeared. A staff wreathed in purple mana swept toward Mael.
CLANG!
Mael hurriedly raised his shield and blocked the blow.
Unlike when he had stopped the Hyullang, however, his body lifted into the air and flew away like a piece of luggage.
Marie was left alone in an instant.
Hearing the impact, she turned and swung her sword at the Dark Mage.
‘That fool!’
In a situation like that, she should have retreated first.
The moment she turned her back, a Hyullang raised its claws to strike her.
She might have been wearing armor, but the risk of injury was still considerable.
Ian quickly fired.
THUD!
The arrow lodged in the Hyullang’s neck, and flames erupted.
Unlike before, however, the Hyullang did not stop even after catching fire.
Fortunately, Mael, who had been sent flying, quickly rejoined the battle and blocked it.
Ian aimed his arrowhead at the Dark Mage fighting Marie.
A knight and a mage.
In close combat, it was nearly impossible for a mage to defeat a knight.
However, their opponent was not an ordinary mage. He was a Dark Mage.
The Dark Mage was overwhelming Marie.
She was helpless against spells she had never experienced before. Her shield eventually shattered, and she was thrown backward, landing heavily on the ground.
It had all happened in an instant, but it was enough for Ian to become certain that their opponent was not a Level 6 Dark Mage.
He drew the bowstring back even farther and released it.
SWISH!
The Dark Mage turned toward him and extended his left hand.
A purple barrier appeared, but the arrow tore through it and pierced his right shoulder.
No flames erupted.
On closer inspection, purple energy had wrapped around the arrow.
It seemed to be suppressing the nature of Evilbane.
“You insignificant insect!”
The Dark Mage blinked and stared at the arrow embedded in his body. His expression twisted viciously as he seized the shaft and pulled it out.
Blood sprayed, and the arrow tumbled across the ground.
It must have been extremely painful, but the Dark Mage showed no reaction. He raised his staff and appeared to chant briefly.
Around twenty magic circles formed above his head.
HUMMM!
There was no time to act.
The Dark Mage was clearly highly skilled. The magic circles were completed in an instant, each producing a black sphere before launching it forward.
Ian frowned.
He had accumulated far too much experience to stare at them blankly like a fool.
‘I will intercept them!’
His body was already moving before the thought had fully formed.
He nocked three arrows at once and fired.
Sending three arrows precisely toward their intended targets was exceedingly difficult, but Ian accomplished it.
Without any magical assistance, every arrow struck an incoming sphere.
Compared to the Hyullang, which leaped around unpredictably, the spheres were actually easier targets.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The black spheres exploded the moment they collided with the arrows, sweeping through the surroundings like bursts of flame.
Ian struck the remaining spheres as well.
Not a single one reached the palisade.
Perhaps it was because he had exerted such intense concentration in an instant, but rather than feeling proud of what he had accomplished, Ian felt slightly dizzy.
“W-Wow…!”
James and the man who had been ringing the bell stared at him in open amazement.
Ian had no time to feel pleased with himself or show off.
He had exhausted his arrows in an instant.
The one in his hand was his last.