CHAPTER 147
Clop, clop.
The sound of two sets of hooves echoed quietly.
The "Forest of Spirits" in Ecol Mountain.
It had long been known as a place where unsanctified creatures from the Mythic Era hid.
Even the merchants and bandits who traversed the Ecol Mountain range kept their distance from the forest.
This was because while people had seen others enter the "Forest of Spirits," few had ever seen anyone come back out.
Except for Count Corald, the monster hunter, that is.
Count Corald and Tristini dismounted from their horses and surveyed the surroundings.
It was past midnight, and the deep night had cast a blanket of stillness over the entire forest, as if it were asleep.
Only the occasional hoot of an owl reminded them that there were still living beings in this place.
The Count’s hands skillfully pushed aside the tangled vines and branches.
When a narrow entrance finally revealed itself, the Count looked at his son.
"From here on, you must not allow fear to take hold. The spirits here feed on human fear and anxiety."
"Yes, Father..."
Tristini nodded, and Count Corald's gaze deepened as he observed him.
This was a passage that had to be crossed eventually.
The "Forest of Spirits" was the final proving ground for monster hunters.
It was something the Count had delayed, thinking Tristini wasn’t ready yet.
Although he hadn’t expected to throw him into such an urgent, real situation, it was just as well.
After all, Tristini would need to prove his abilities to inherit the family’s legacy.
Count Corald poured a thick, brown liquid all around the entrance to the forest.
Made from garlic, eucalyptus, and argan, it was one of the oils most dreaded by monsters.
The father and son moved silently into the forest, their footsteps making no sound.
For Tristini, who was entering the "Forest of Spirits" for the first time, his face was flushed with tension.
The sky was obscured by tall trees, blocking even the moonlight.
In the dense, dark forest, a small house stood alone on a low hill.
To a lost traveler, it would have appeared to be an ordinary cabin.
But it was the hideout of the witch, Vesilcia.
The two men, accustomed to the darkness, crouched low and dashed toward the back door of the cabin.
Click.
The Count used the key given to him by Vesilcia to open the back door.
The back door led to the kitchen.
The Count and Tristini passed through the kitchen and entered the living room, where they approached the fireplace.
The Count’s hand paused as it searched behind a lamp on the shelf.
Tristini’s eyes gleamed as he saw the rusty key in his father’s hand.
Exchanging glances, the father and son moved toward the rocking chair by the window.
When they lifted the rug beneath the chair...
A small door was revealed beneath the rug.
Count Corald carefully opened the door, revealing a narrow staircase descending below.
A faint light flickered up from the depths, its source unclear.
Tristini’s large blue eyes watched as his father descended the stairs without hesitation.
His eyes, filled with unease, blinked once before hardening with determination.
***
The deeper they descended, the stronger the stench became.
The smell of rotting blood from not just one, but multiple creatures.
Though he didn’t want to think about it, it wasn’t just animal blood.
Tristini struggled to hold back the urge to vomit as he followed his father down the stairs.
How long had they been walking?
Under the dim light, the ground finally came into view.
Large, razor-sharp rats, the size of a human forearm, scurried past.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, excrement, and mold, overwhelming enough to make one lose their senses.
The sounds of sobbing echoed off the walls, and the sharp cries of beasts made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.
Even the usually stoic expression of Count Corald was grim as he walked down the corridors of the witch’s dungeon.
Clang.
Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway swung open.
"We don’t have much time. Bring them out quickly!"
Several guards in uniform emerged, dragging a large, covered bundle.
The thick ankles that emerged from beneath the covering were shackled, making it difficult to walk properly.
The bundle writhed as if trying to resist, but it was subdued by clubs and fists.
"The order is to release this one and the one in Room 5 into the mountains tomorrow."
The head guard’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, dangerous light.
"Who’s there?"
As the guard reached out to light a torch, the hallway was suddenly illuminated by a chain of torches igniting one after another.
***
It was clear why Count Corald was known as the Empire’s greatest monster hunter.
Armed with a whip in one hand and a longsword in the other, he fought his way through the guards and monsters guarding the dungeon.
With precise timing, he threw monster repellent potions, gaining the upper hand.
He wrapped his leather whip around the neck of the head guard, whose size could easily be that of a giant’s descendant...
“F-Father... Urgh...!”
Tristini’s ragged breathing filled the Count’s ears.
As the Count turned his head to the side, he saw Tristini thrashing in the air, as if being strangled by an invisible force.
Clutching his neck with both hands, Tristini’s face grew paler by the second.
With the whip still around his neck, the head guard let out a raspy chuckle.
"Looks like your son has been caught by the spirit of fear, Count Corald. Ha... Ha..."
The strength drained from Count Corald’s hand as he held the whip.
"Argh...!"
His feet left the ground, and his body was slammed against the wall.
In the moment when his son’s life was in danger, the fear he had warned Tristini about took hold of Count Corald.
The unseen spirit of fear whispered into his ear as he hung against the wall.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment. Finally, you’re in my grasp. You must remember that the specter of the swamp you killed was my brother. I will repay you in kind.”
Understanding what "repaying in kind" meant, Count Corald frantically thrashed his limbs.
But his arms and legs felt as if they were bound by chains, unable to move.
As long as the spirit of fear held Tristini, there was nothing Count Corald could do.
The fear of losing his son overwhelmed him, and he was powerless against a spirit that thrived on fear.
The head guard’s tongue flicked out, long and pointed, splitting at the tip.
"Don’t worry. Witch Vesilcia has special plans for your son. She’ll turn him into a monster killer—a fate better than becoming feed for the monsters, don’t you think?"
Tristini’s eyes rolled back, showing only the whites as his head slowly slumped forward.
His limbs fell limp.
"Tristini...!"
Count Corald cried out desperately for his son, but it seemed his voice no longer reached him.
The Count's lips, too, turned blue as he struggled to draw breath.
Blurry vision caught the sight of his son's body plummeting from the ceiling.
Crash!
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed as the wall opposite them crumbled down.
A loud neighing followed.
A black horse leaped through the broken wall into the air.
Thud.
With ease, two strong arms caught Timothy, who had been falling like a piece of paper.
Maxius, carrying the Emperor and Timothy, landed lightly on the ground, snorting.
“Cough, cough.”
A coughing fit burst out from Timothy’s pale lips.
As air filled his lungs, color slowly returned to his face.
Elite knights, following the Emperor, drove their horses into the corridor without hesitation.
The dungeon was subdued in an instant, leaving it eerily silent.
The Emperor, who had placed Timothy on the horse, turned a corner of his mouth up at Count Corald.
“How much longer are you going to let yourself be trapped by something you can’t even see? Finish it quickly and come down.”
The sharp gaze of Count Corald, who had briefly glanced at his son, glistened.
He raised a hand and gripped the invisible force that was choking him.
With his other hand, he reached for his ankle and pulled out a dagger.
The Holy Dagger, a family heirloom of Count Corald's, was capable of vanquishing evil spirits.
With a single, swift thrust, he plunged it into the heart of his unseen opponent.
“Kiaaaagh…”
A chilling scream resonated throughout the dungeon.
Yellow liquid dripped and then vanished into the floor below.
Landing lightly on his feet, Count Corald bowed his head.
“Your Majesty.”
“There’s no need for such heartfelt expressions just yet. It won’t be the last moving moment before this is over.”
The Emperor's jest brought a rare smile to Count Corald's face.
Creak.
One by one, the small iron doors along the corridor began to open.
The knights who peeked into the rooms were shaken by what they saw.
These knights were part of the Emperor's elite forces, having accompanied him through countless battlefields.
They were not easily rattled.
And yet...
The sight within the cramped rooms left them speechless, enraged.
“These... they’re children…”
Those who had entered the rooms could say no more.
Even the cold red eyes of the Emperor wavered slightly.
“Just as the Empress predicted, the witch has been conducting experiments on orphans.”
Vesilia, once seeking to possess Arabelle, had become the one who had to obey her.
When Arabelle had clasped the witch’s hand, she had uncovered what was happening in the dungeon.
Vesilia had been kidnapping children no one sought and turning them into half-monsters.
Until now, her experiments had been failures, but she had finally succeeded in creating two wolf monsters.
The wolves were sold for an enormous sum to Bergen, King of Lycanor...
And they had turned the puppet show prepared by the Empire of Senfer to celebrate the Emperor and Empress’s wedding into a nightmare.
“Move the children to the tents so they can be treated.”
No sooner had the Emperor given the order than the knights began carrying the children out.
“We have found the list of kingdoms that traded with the witch.”
Antonio, the secretary, came running down to the dungeon, holding a scroll.
“There are six of them. Even a satellite state of the Empire is on the list.”
The Emperor’s gaze grew colder as he took the list from the secretary.
The scroll documented the kingdoms that had provided funds and orphans to the witch in exchange for monsters.
“What should we... do with these... children…?”
One knight pointed to the two girls brought from room five and the boy they had just rescued from the guards.
They were no longer human.
These three were the third successful outcome.
Though their bodies had already grown beastly, they were still children.
All three trembled violently in terror.
“Looks like you’re hurt badly… Let me see your arm for a moment, it’ll be alright…”
Rex, the secretary, reached out to the boy, who was bleeding from his arm.
“Kaaah!”
In an instant, the boy bared sharp teeth and claws like a wildcat.
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