Chapter 226: The Anti-Kamel Alliance
A state of emergency spread across Beneta under Lord Dorneth’s orders.
All city gates would be sealed within two days, so those who wished to leave had to do so immediately, while those who intended to stay had to prepare for what was coming.
Unlike other territories, Beneta, as a city of non-humans, allowed freedom of movement, so some residents hurriedly packed their belongings to leave before the lockdown.
Rumors of an impending war were spreading.
Two days.
With both people trying to enter and people trying to leave, the open city gates became a chaotic bottleneck.
The gate guards struggled to maintain order, prioritizing crowd control over proper inspections.
“Move aside!”
“Hurry up and get through!”
Amid the shouting soldiers struggling to control the traffic, a line of carriages slowly made its way into the city.
On a normal day, each carriage would have been thoroughly searched, but today, they only checked the merchant leaders’ identities before letting them pass.
Soon, the merchant convoy had successfully entered Beneta.
“So that’s why we were told to enter today.”
A small window in the rearmost carriage slid open, and a man’s voice drifted out.
It was Harkman Oleve, the Iron Knight.
He glanced at his subordinates inside the carriage—each of them clad in enchanted armor, fully prepared for battle.
At first, he had been skeptical when they received orders to proceed without inspections, but now, he understood.
Total chaos.
A mess created by Kamel himself.
“This is finally getting interesting.”
He had nearly lost his patience waiting for Kamel’s message.
Surrounded by beautiful elves within arm’s reach, his restlessness was almost unbearable.
Fortunately, Kamel’s envoy had arrived before his restraint snapped.
He turned to the coachman, who subtly shifted the reins, guiding the carriage away from the convoy and into a secluded alley.
Despite the broad daylight, the alley was dimly lit and eerily deserted.
When the carriage stopped in front of a run-down building, a hooded figure emerged to greet them.
As Harkman stepped out, the figure bowed deeply.
“I serve the Nest.”
Harkman nodded.
He had already been informed about Kamel’s faction of shamans, the Nest of Sorcerers.
With his subordinates, he followed the shaman inside the building.
Once inside, the shaman handed Harkman a set of documents.
As Harkman scanned the information, his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
“Well done.”
The documents contained detailed intelligence on Sharbadin and Nella—their locations, routine movements, and guard details.
It was gathered through merchant networks, and the precise, day-to-day reports were impressive.
“Which one is my target?”
“Sharbadin, Lady of Beneta.”
“Perfect. I was interested in that elf myself.”
“However, you will likely encounter Dorneth.”
“Hah. Do you really think that dwarven runt is a match for me?”
His smirk turned sharp.
“I’ll make him understand the power of a Hell Grime Knight firsthand.”
Dropping Nella’s file, he fixated on Sharbadin’s, his eyes gleaming with greedy anticipation.
It was as if he already considered her his possession.
“…Did you bring it?”
“Oh, this?”
Harkman reached inside his cloak, retrieving a small box as if by magic.
The shaman peeked inside and swallowed hard.
A pure white orb.
The Terror Bomb, Terremor—a weapon of mass destruction that would bring Beneta to its knees.
After confirming its authenticity, the shaman handed it back to Harkman.
“The operation is in three days.”
“The location?”
“The North Gate. When the signal is given, detonate the bomb there.”
“And after that?”
“Hunt Sharbadin.”
The shaman cast a glance toward Harkman’s Red Knight, standing silently nearby, before adding:
“Our lord will handle the rest.”
***
A Small Reed Forest Beyond the Ghostly Forest
Bark!
A loud bark echoed through the reeds.
Swish, swish—
The reeds rustled, parting as a group of figures emerged.
At the front, a small, proud-looking dog sniffed the air, then dramatically flopped onto its back.
It was a signal—they had arrived.
The various reactions of those following reflected their shock and disbelief.
“This is impossible...”
“What do you mean impossible? We just walked out of the forest, clear as day.”
A smug voice approached.
Natasha.
Seeing her triumphant grin, I clenched my fists.
Dorneth had said that, even at maximum speed, it would take three days to cross the Ghostly Forest under Cordy’s guidance.
So when Natasha had boasted she could do it in one day, I had laughed in her face, calling it bullshit.
But now…
She had actually crossed the entire Ghostly Forest in just one day.
“Sentries can pass through areas infested with ghosts.”
“That applies to Ortain as well, doesn’t it?”
“Sentries and ghosts have a predator-prey relationship. Ghosts can’t overpower them.”
She grinned.
“In any case, I won the bet.”
“Damn it.”
With gritted teeth, I watched as five free sparring match tickets were added to her tab.
She chuckled, flexing her fingers.
“Should I start using them today?”
“Would you stop with the fists already? Don’t you ever get tired of brawling?”
“It’s not easy finding someone who survives a full-force hit.”
“Maybe you just need to get your ass kicked for once.”
“Oh? Wanna try?”
Her provocation made me sigh and shake my head.
Right now, I wouldn’t stand a chance against this crazy witch.
Or maybe, it wasn’t that I was hanging on—maybe my endurance was just ridiculous.
Either way, it was annoying as hell.
Keros trotted over, panting, his eyes fixed on me—waiting for his reward.
I stared at him, speechless.
“You little bastard...”
“Woof!”
“That wasn’t what I meant when I gave you meat! You were supposed to stall for time!”
With Reto still asleep under the curse of the divine name, my communication with Keros was completely out of sync.
Keros, having completely misunderstood my intention, had instead taken the absolute shortest route through the forest.
As I stretched his cheeks in frustration, Lochter patted me on the shoulder as he passed by.
“Buying time is a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Well… yeah, I guess so.”
“If we hurry, we should be able to reach the fortress by tonight. Or am I wrong?”
“No, that sounds about right.”
“Then let’s move.”
Perhaps because there were people waiting for him at Elletor Fortress, Lochter quickened his pace.
Watching him, I sighed and pulled a piece of meat from my pocket, tossing it to Keros.
Even when you hate someone, you still give them a rice cake.
I had lost the bet, but since the outcome worked in our favor, I decided to let it go.
Five sparring sessions.
I had thought leaving the forest would free me from her fists, but it looked like I’d have to endure them for a while longer.
“There it is! The fortress looks like a tiny bean!”
Looking up, I saw Lily hovering on her broomstick.
She pointed in the direction of Elletor Fortress, but considering she described it as a bean, it was still ridiculously far away.
For a normal person, it would take days to reach it.
But there were no normal people here.
As Lily waved and disappeared over the trees, we kicked off into a full sprint.
Or at least, we were about to, until we suddenly stopped at the sight of a familiar silhouette lying ahead.
“…Is that a corpse?”
“No. It’s Karl.”
“Why the hell is this bald bastard lying here?”
“He’s unconscious.”
Near the reed forest, Karl Bastain lay face down in the dirt, completely knocked out.
He looked like a mud-covered octopus, as if he had been dragged through hell.
We had just crossed the Ghostly Forest in a single day, only to find Karl had been spit out by the forest, unconscious.
A side effect of tunneling through the ground…?
Did Samuel end up like this too?
“Ugh… the darkness… it’s… pulling me in…”
Smack!
Natasha clapped his cheeks, causing gibberish to spill from his mouth.
“Carry him.”
Seeing Karl’s condition, Lochter sighed, then hoisted him onto his back and resumed running.
Natasha and I followed close behind.
The dense trees blurred past us in a whirlwind of movement.
Even while rushing forward, I found myself staring at Lochter’s waist—where two sheathed swords hung.
Suddenly, I recalled his True Name.
[Lochter Felice – The Knight of Betrayal (Void)]
Master of Swordsmanship
Fundamentals Mastery
Unyielding Will
Belin and Reyna (Indomitable)
I had previously confirmed my companions’ True Names through Lily, and Lochter’s list had changed.
Belin and Reyna.
Lochter had once told me the names of his twin swords.
And now, they were formally recorded in his True Name.
If Dorneth, a Grandmaster Blacksmith, had made such a bold statement about them, it wasn’t without reason.
The investment had paid off.
When I asked Lochter about their abilities, he had simply said:
[They are extremely sturdy.]
That was it.
Karl, on the other hand, was much easier to analyze.
[Karl Bastain – Hero’s Support (Perception)]
Instinctive Crisis Detection
Assassin’s Situational Awareness
Resonance – Linked to Lochter Felice
Ghostification, Spectral Form
I had already experienced Ghostification and Spectral Form firsthand.
In particular, Spectral Form, Karl’s unique ability, was highly specialized for combat.
A knockoff version of Spider-Man…?
His faint spiritual body was like a web, which he used for fighting.
When combined with his throwing dagger skills and movement techniques, he became a nightmare to deal with.
Natasha wasn’t wrong when she said his fighting style was downright filthy.
“Everyone’s leveled up…”
The ghosts, Lily, and even myself.
Before this major battle, we had all gained at least one new ability.
This meant our survival rate had increased—which would significantly impact the upcoming fight.
I can finally match him.
Or rather—
With Beneta’s forces added to ours, we had the upper hand.
I could feel the gap between us and Kamel closing.
By the time night fell, we had been running since noon.
Darkness spread across the landscape, but we couldn’t afford to slow down.
Then—
After a long stretch of sprinting, Lochter, leading the group, suddenly stopped.
Beyond the forest, countless torches flickered in the darkness.
“Torches.”
“What’s going on? That’s a large number of people.”
We quickly moved toward the source of the torchlight.
As we approached, the scene before us became clear.
A group of armed men had surrounded one person.
And when I saw who it was, I let out a dry laugh.
“Lily, what’s going on here?”
“I don’t know! They just saw me and told me to stay put!”
“What did they call you?”
“…A witch.”
Lily looked at me with teary eyes.
But before this standoff could escalate, Lochter stepped forward.
The moment they recognized him, the soldiers immediately lowered their swords and gathered around him.
“Sir… Lochter?!”
They bowed in respect.
Judging by their attire and discipline, they were likely scouts from the fortress.
Then—
A frantic shout rang out from behind us.
“Stop! All of you, halt!”
A man on horseback hurriedly approached.
I recognized him immediately.
The current commander of Elletor Fortress—
Heinz Bell, the Baron.
Flanked by knights, he leapt off his horse, rushing toward the scouts.
His furious expression lasted only a moment—
Because the instant he spotted Lochter, his eyes widened.
Then, he hurried forward and bowed deeply.
“Master! It is an honor to see you again!”
The leader of the Anti-Kamel Alliance—
Lochter Felice.
The hero had returned to the fortress.