35. The Waxing Woman
“Is this place…”
Lee Yu-jeong, a warrior who carefully broke through the thicket, quietly glared at the outpost in front of her eyes.
Huge carved wooden fences and mana wave barriers spread throughout.
The barrier is said to have been solved by Maya, but there is no other way than that hard fence. The purpose of coming to the deepest part of the forest was clearly to ‘capture Argyle alive’. It’s impossible to deal with all the monster armies he commands.
Should I make a frontal breakthrough? Or, should we call in the enemy from our side?
“A warrior. Is this here?”
Suddenly, beside the troubled warrior, one of her faces popped out.
“This is clear. Gracie.”
“Argyle… Is in there.”
At Gracie’s strangely aggressive attitude, the hero retreated a little from the grass and said.
“Gracie… I have a chimney-like desire to catch Argyle right now and ask about the erosion of the mana core, but I don’t think going in recklessly will solve the problem. You have to approach it carefully.”
“…But, it doesn’t seem to be getting any attention. It is strangely quiet.”
“That is…”
At Gracie’s words, the hero tilted his head and slowly recalled what had happened while he was coming here.
Certainly, after entering the forest, I was able to come safely to Argyle’s outpost without any hindrance.
In the forest, where birds chirped all the time, it was as quiet as a mouse. To the point of being bizarre.
“…Maya. Is there anyone around?”
“Yes. With Adrien. I’ve looked all over the place. There was nothing.”
“Yes. Thanks… Um…”
A quiet outpost that seems uninhabited. It seemed like a golden opportunity, but she took a step back and reconsidered.
What would Austin do?
“If Austin…”
I’ve probably checked for traps and ambushes, and in case I have to retreat quickly, I’ve thought of several retreat routes.
Perhaps if it were the girls in the past, they would have scolded them for wasting time unnecessarily or for being strict about trivial matters.
A person who strives to complete his goal with minimal damage through thorough preparation.
Austen was such a man.
“I couldn’t find any ambushes or traps around here… If you find yourself in a situation where you have to retreat, let’s escape while Maya covers her eyesight with her wind magic.”
Looking at the party nodding their heads, the hero felt proud for nothing, as he seemed to have made a good decision as the leader of the party.
‘If Austin existed…’
If Austin had seen him now, how would he have reacted?
Perhaps he was surprised and praised him. Like stroking her hair…
“…hehehe.”
Looking at the laughing hero with strange eyes, they cautiously set foot inside the outpost.
“Is the door… open?”
“Be careful, hero.”
I wondered if I could hear a sound, and I lifted my heels and crept in, and I saw empty barracks and a bonfire that was still warm, as if it had been blazing just a moment ago.
“…What is it?”
“Ah… No one is there…?”
If it’s not even here, then where exactly is Argyle?
This is the last outpost found after searching every nook and cranny of Merden Forest, but the warriors and their companions who looked around the inside of the outpost where not a single ant was visible felt their entire bodies draining from a sense of collapse.
“Hmm… I don’t think it’s here either…”
Aware of the fact that the mana core was being eroded even at this moment, the hero looked around with his head pounding.
“Ummm… How is it, Isabel? Really nothing?”
“Yeah… But, it’s a little strange.”
“Strange, what is it?”
When the hero asked again, Isabel continued her words, pointing to an extinguished bonfire that was still burning.
“Look. Doesn’t it seem like someone was there just a moment ago? Even inside the barracks, unfinished weapons and sharpening stones were found.”
“Umm… That’s definitely weird…”
– Bang!
“Kyaaah?! What… what?!”
The hero and his party, startled by the loud noise behind them, slowly turned their heads and looked back.
There…
“…What is this… Beeswax?”
Like a candle, the figure of a hardened monster caught my eye with beeswax applied all over its body.
A monster that seemed to have been alive and moving just a while ago, acting as if it was running away from something, and was frozen as it was.
At the appearance of ‘it’, which is too dynamic to be dismissed as just an object, the hero and the party felt goosebumps running down their necks.
[ Are you a warrior? ]
At the words heard suddenly, as if whispered behind their back, the hero and the others trembled and hurriedly looked around.
A sweet voice whispered in my ear in the darkness of the largest of the barracks in the vicinity, located deep in the outpost, so quiet that it gave me goosebumps.
[ Warriors Lee Yujeong, Maya, Isabelle, Adrienne, Gracie. ]
“Maya… Maya! Luminous magic! Shine on the inside of that barracks!”
“Ugh… Yes!”
The tip of Maya’s staff flashed for a moment, and soon after, a round glowing object pierced the darkness of the barracks.
“…What.”
It was about time to stop, but the light bulb that illuminated the inside of the barracks did not stop and continued to penetrate the darkness.
The light-emitting sphere flew so far that it could not be seen with the naked eye, and at some point, it suddenly lost its light.
Under the strange, even bizarre situation, the warriors and their companions were just staring at the barracks with their weapons on the spot as if they were frozen.
“…You are a warrior.”
With Argyle’s words whispering in my ear again, the hero and the party were stepping into the barracks before I knew it.
“Uh… Huh?! What…!”
“We… Weren’t there until just now…?”
In front of the bewildered party, a figure suddenly began to appear in the distance.
A girl with purple hair, wearing a plain purple dress with no accessories or lace.
“…Argyle…?”
The hero immediately tried to move his hand holding the holy sword, but his whole body felt dull, like wet cotton.
Argyle took out a pen and paper from his bosom, paying no heed to the warrior struggling to wield the holy sword.
A bizarre pen made of beeswax, and a piece of paper that looked like it was spread thinly with beeswax as well.
“…Hero, Lee Yu-jeong.”
At the sound of a beautiful voice calling him, the hero raised his head and glared at Argyle.
“…Argyle…!”
Without looking at the warrior who was grinding his teeth, Argyle did not stop writing with a beeswax pen.
“She came into the forest to punish Argyle with her party companions Maya, Isabelle, Adrienne and Gracie.”
With the tip of a wax pen moving freely, the words that flowed from Argyle’s mouth were being written down without interruption.
“…What…”
“However, after entering her outpost, she pulls out her holy sword with impure intentions and unleashes her sword at Gracie.”
– KANG!
As soon as Argyle’s wax pen finished, the warrior immediately raised the holy sword and struck it at Gracie.
Hurrying up her sword to block the warrior’s holy sword, Gracie felt the trembling vibration and looked at the hero with disbelief in her eyes.
“Hero…! What are you doing now!”
“Ah… No… This is not what I did…”
Ignoring the bewildered attitude of the warrior, Argyle smiled and continued writing her words.
“The hero continues to attack Gracie.”
– Kagagak!
“Keep it off…! Yo… Champion! Wake up!”
“No! Am I insane now?! You have a good head!”
“Keuuugh…! Argyle…!”
Instantly, feeling something climbing up his arm, the hero moved his sword-holding hand with all his might and shook off the unknown object.
– Iron f*ck!
At the same time, a lump of melted wax fell from the hero’s arm.
“…Beeswax…?”
Suddenly, a wax figure in the form of a monster appeared in front of the outpost, and the hero felt goosebumps running down his spine.
“…Sorry, yes.”
Argyle just grinned and raised her pen again.
“Fifty lycanthropes turned into wax. Attack the hero and his companions.”
With a sound from somewhere, wax figures in the shape of lycanthropes popped out of the darkness.
“…Damn it…”
Puppet Argyle.
At the thought of getting her new doll, she couldn’t help but curl up.
* * *
[ Notify all citizens of Bellion. Bellion’s legitimate lord, I, Paulo Bordin, declare a general mobilization order in Bellion as of the present time, in accordance with the laws of the supreme kingdom. All non-combat personnel must immediately evacuate to shelters. This is a real situation…]
Civilians’ screams, constantly resonating amplification magic, and armed soldiers’ shouts began to light up the night of Bellion, the city of steel.
There are rock grasshoppers breaking through the sewers and digging up the bare floor, and the soldiers of the garrison confronting them.
[ Kiyi Ik!!! ]
“Aww… Why is there a rock locust! The mountain ranges to the north must be their habitat…!”
“Ah… No…! There are too many!”
“Retreat!!! Retreat!!! Dealing with them on the street!!!”
– Kagagak!!!
The solid front legs of the rock locusts and the spear knives held by the garrison soldiers enter into a contest of strength, sparking sparks.
House on fire, acrid smoke everywhere.
As I stared at such scenes, I began to be unable to distinguish whether the current situation was a dream or real life.
“…Robin. I want this to be real.”
“Bah… Bah… Rock Locust… Father Beaver…”
“…The f*ck.”
Robin saw the rockhopper and went crazy again. I’m going to go crazy and run wild.
After a moment of hesitation, I raised my palm and slapped Robin on the cheek.
Jaak-!
“Using it… It hurts?!?! Seo… Senior?!”
“Will you f*cking come to your senses? …I’m sorry for slapping you.”
“Oooh… No… Thank you.”
Take Robin, who immediately came to his senses, and we made our way through the crowd to the center of the incident where the fight was in full swing.
“Hey… Hey… Do you really want to go? Just shutting myself in a shelter…”
“Mogdan. This stupid kid You don’t have to find Princess Alexis to enter the shelter or not.”
I patted Mogdan on the shoulder and looked around, then I saw Princess Alexis running towards us from afar waving her hand.
“Heh… Heh…! Austin! Are you all right…!”
“As you can see, everything is fine.”
Like Princess Alexis, who worries about me, I also sighed in relief at the appearance of Princess Alexis, who was unharmed and unharmed.
The moment everyone was caught off guard, Pak from our left! As the soil sprang up, a rock locust lunged at us.
[ Kiyi Ik!!! ]
“Kyaaah…!”
It’s too late to react… f*cked…!
As I was about to hurriedly push and roll Princess Alexis, Roiman’s flail mace following me crackled as it hit the rock grasshopper’s carapace.
“Lo… Royman!”
Princess Alexis, pushed by Royman, stumbled and lost her balance before falling into my arms.
“Kyaaah… Ah…! Sin… I’m sorry…!”
Lavender scent… Good.
“…No, what? Than that…”
I pulled out my shortsword and looked in the direction where Roiman was, and I saw Roiman wielding his flail without hesitation while sitting on a rock grasshopper that was struggling on the ground.
“Wicked!”
– Bang!
“You dare to exist!”
– Bang!
“Know the subject, you insignificant creature!!!”
– Quaang!!!
[ Kieek… ]
…I just have nothing to say. Tell me what are you doing
I could see the gruesome appearance of a rock locust lying on the ground with its entire body shell crushed, bleeding green.
“Whoa… Brother. Beware of ambushes. They’re pretty shrewd.”
“…Uh. Huh. Yeah… Be careful. Sorry.”
Seeing Royman nodding at my answer and grabbing the head of the fallen rock grasshopper, I instinctively averted my gaze and hurriedly started walking away.
– Wood Deuk! Kwajik! Kwajajajak!
[ Kieheek…!!! ]
“He wants your head! Evil being!”
Leaving behind the rock grasshopper’s plaintive scream from behind, I shook my head,
“…Ugh. That crazy bastard really…”
Soon after, I tried to ignore Royman, who had followed with one of his heads dangling around my waist, and I opened my mouth to Princess Alexis.
“Princess. What kind of dog sh*t is this now? Aren’t you seeing the lord?”
“I… I don’t know the details either… First of all, I think we should go to the place where the Marquis of Bordain is…”
Well. I thought it would be better to run to the shelter in a hurry, but I immediately changed my mind.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
Isn’t the place where the lord hides safer than a shelter built to evacuate civilians?
So we started moving toward the castle where the lord stays, defeating the rock grasshoppers that pop up from time to time.
There is no other f*cking city like this.
Sir. As soon as the sun rises, I will leave here.