Book 4 Chapter 81 - Witch’s Forest (1)

Only after arguing for the entire day did Silvia finally manage to convince Tinia.

However, that was only possible with the help of Woohyuk.

Had he not said that he would lend Silvia many of his artifacts such as the Banshee’s Cloak or the Ghost Queen Star Serpent, Tinia would’ve refused her sister’s request until the very end.

Woohyuk sighed as he watched Silvia observe and touch his artifacts with amazement.

‘It’s good that they’ve come to a compromise.’

He didn’t refuse Tinia’s advances last night because he realized she needed someone to lean on.

Nevertheless, he wouldn’t have had sex with her for such a reason.

He didn’t dislike Tinia. However, should he have a lover, it would greatly disrupt his future plans and weaken his mental fortitude.

‘Silvia intervened at the perfect moment last night.’

He had kept Silvia’s presence a secret on purpose because he wanted to catch Tinia off guard.

It was heartless of him to stay silent, but he knew that Silvia was an altruistic person with a great sense of responsibility.

He believed that as soon as she learned of Tinia’s plans to sacrifice herself for her little sister, Silvia wouldn’t sit still listening and would object.

‘It’s safer to keep her by your side.’

Although it was a large citadel city, Dornen wasn’t exempted from monster attacks.

Moreover, the city’s defenses would naturally weaken when the subjugation forces composed of mercenaries and clans would set out on their mission.

Since he wasn’t aware of the events that would happen to this city, it was best to stay as vigilant as possible.

“How long will you stay here? Will you return to the Rhine kingdom once the subjugation is over?”

Tinia asked as they walked down the road, arms crossed.

She wore a nervous face as she waited for his answer.

“No, I have a few more matters to attend to here. I’ll probably stay in the Izuna kingdom for a while.”

“That’s great! Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need some help in the future. Despite my appearance, I’m quite knowledgeable about this kingdom as an active and experienced mercenary.”

Before clans were formed and grew, Tinia was a renowned person. That’s why she had connections with influential people of the Izuna Kingdom.

“First of all, tell me about the Witch’s Forest and the Eclipse Clan.”

“The Witch’s Forest has been considered an ominous place since ages ago. There are stories about it, although the contents vary from place to place.”

Tinia began to talk about her favorite legend since her childhood.

The original story was extremely long, but she kept only the important details and narrated it like a short fairytale.

“A long time ago, A young man named Sieg left on an adventure. He gained a lot of treasures as he explored and challenged countless hidden historic sites. Amongst his profits, there was a valkyrie sealed by the gods. Brynhild.”

Nibelungenlied (The Song of the Nibelungs).

It was a story Woohyuk was familiar with.

He could’ve asked her to skip the story, but he acted ignorant and listened attentively.

“Go on.”

“As she awakened from her slumber, Brynhild fell for Sieg’s heroic figure. Sieg also ended up falling in love due to Brynhild’s unmatched beauty. The two got engaged and settled down somewhere where they planned to live out their happy lives.”

“Is it a happy ending?”

“No, it’s not. Destiny ended up splitting the two lovers apart.”

To pass on proper knowledge and wisdom to their unborn child, Sieg left Brynhild’s side for a short while to specialize himself in the outside world.

However, the witch Kriemhild[1] held an unrequited love towards Sieg, and handed him a certain potion. After drinking it, Sieg lost his memories.

In the end, Sieg got married to Kriemhild and began to live with her in the forest. When Brynhild came looking for him later on, he was already a different man and was heartless towards his previous lover.

This was such a shock to Brynhild that she killed herself in front of Sieg.

The winner of the story was Kriemhild.

“The contents of the story sound a bit off.”

After Tinia finished her tale, Woohyuk made a dissatisfied expression.

The conclusion of the story was quite different from the one he had heard of.

“Huh? Oh, this is a version that only Silvia and I know of. A man who saved us in the past told us of this version, stating that it was the real story.”

“Is there a reason why you prefer this version over the other one?”

“Yeah, the message it wants to tell us is evident and clear. Don’t despair like Brynhild did and fight to regain the love you lost until the end. This message left a deep impression in me when I was younger.

“But sis, if you look at it from the other side, it can also mean that we should use any methods at hand to fight for love like Kriemhild did.”

“No, this is a story showing Brynhild as an example of what not to do…”

A small argument had ignited between the two sisters.

Woohyuk spectated for a short while, and soon after, he spoke up.

“Let’s move onto the next topic now.”

“Ah, my bad. So, about the Eclipse Clan. They made their first appearance in this area about 3 months ago. Their clan leader’s name is Steve Miller. They have 10 group leaders, and each group has around 600 clan members.”

It was a large clan with around 6 thousand members.

They had been committing evil deeds and crimes against other mercenaries within their area of activity.

They made the other mercenaries pay fines to be able to live in peace within their territory.

The Blue Hawk Mercenaries that Tinia led were obviously no exception to this.

“Where is their headquarters?”

“North of the Soveir Church. There’s a small hill in the area, so you should find it easily.”

“Alright. I’ll keep it in mind.”

He would have to handle them one day, but he currently had other matters to deal with.

Woohyuk hastened his pace as he approached the potion store.

***

Woohyuk roamed around the commercial district and bought items and materials he would need during the subjugation, using the money he got from the nobles during the rebellion in the Rhine Kingdom.

It wasn’t a burden on his funds as he would simply be supporting a group of mercenaries that barely numbered 1000 members.

Needless to say, it was a jaw-dropping sight to Tinia and Silvia who were low-born commoners.

With his preparations finished, Woohyuk and the Blue Hawk Mercenaries set out and marched towards the Witch’s Forest.

“The Eclipse Clan departed two days ago. They must be busy fighting monsters in the forest by now.”

Silvia commented next to him.

She couldn’t hide her worries since their group was late to the party.

“No need to hurry. They won’t have achieved much even by the time we arrive.”

The forest had taken a long time to get conquered in his previous life.

Since the Gray Wolf Alliance wasn’t properly formed yet, the Eclipse Clan would fail without a doubt.

Silvia stared at Woohyuk curiously as he spoke confidently.

“You look like you know something, brother-in-law. Have you been to the Witch’s Forest before?”

“No, this will be the first time.”

Silvia had called him ‘brother-in-law’.

Even though it was for formality’s sake, he was acting as Tinia’s lover. Due to that status, the Blue Hawk mercenaries ended up using formal language when talking to Woohyuk.

“But how exactly did you woo my sister? No man has ever been able to grab her attention and interest before.”

“...I don’t know.”

The cause was most likely to be their one on one battle. Tinia’s type of man was someone stronger than her.

The only reason she had no previous partner was because her sword skills were unmatched.

“In any case, please take good care of my sister. She may be a bit rough on the edges, but deep down she’s a good woman.”

“...Alright.”

“Do you always speak so little? It’s like I’m talking to a wall.”

Silvia pouted as she commented.

Woohyuk let out a small chuckle and patted her head.

“We’ll soon reach the forest. Get ready to hide yourself.”

“Tsk…”

She made a sulky expression and imbued the Banshee’s Cloak with Mana.

Before long, the forest came in sight. Tinia, who was leading the subjugation force, came to a halt.

“Prepare for battle. Carry out the plan as I explained last night.”

Though she called it a plan, there wasn’t much strategy involved.

Setting up camp in a tortoise formation, staying alert and prepared for surprise attacks and advancing only after the Eclipse Clan had gained ground in the forest.

As the mercenaries made their preparations, Tinia turned to look at Silvia.

She couldn’t help worrying about the girl she had brought unwillingly.

Woohyuk took a glance at his adventurer’s watch.

‘The cooldown should’ve ended by now.’

He broke formation and walked towards Tinia to use the Memory Pendant.

Unlike last time, he had come up with a plan to buy time while he explored her memories.

“Woohyuk? What’s the matter?”

“I want to check on you for a bit.”

“Me? I’m fine.”

“They say you should tap on a stone bridge before crossing it. Who knows what could happen?”

After coming up with a plausible excuse, Woohyuk grabbed both of Tinia’s shoulders.

Instantly, a scene started to unfold in his mind.

The red-haired man was inside today’s memory as well.

‘She’s learned sword arts from a very young age.’

Standing in front of a scarecrow, Tinia swung a wooden sword as she followed the redhead’s instructions.

Her movements were clumsy, but her eyes shone with motivation.

She swung her weapon until her delicate hands had swollen. However, not a single cry escaped from her mouth nor did she ask for a break.

“Let’s end it here for today. The sun is starting to set.”

“Rael, when can I become a mercenary?”

Tinia blurted out those words as she turned around. Seeing that sight, Rael let out a soft chuckle.

“When the right time comes.”

“And how will I know that?”

“This sword will tell you.”

Rael grabbed Tabris on his back and showed it to her.

It was an odd weapon wrapped in a turquoise sword aura.

Tinia stared at the sword and asked again.

“Does Tabris even have such a skill?”

“Yup. This sword won’t lend its powers to an unqualified wielder. Wanna try?”

Rael thrust Tabris into the ground, stepped back and crossed his arms.

Soon, the girl tried to pull Tabris out using every drop of energy and strength within her. Nevertheless, the greatsword did not budge.

“It’s too heavy…”

“You can’t bear its powers right now. But I’m certain that one day, you’ll be able to swing this sword around freely.”

Rael put Tabris away on his back and stroked Tinia’s head.

A heartwarming sight.

The memory sequence ended with young Tinia dropping her head.

‘I didn’t learn much this time either.’

Woohyuk silently sighed as he exited Tinia’s memory.

The only knowledge he had gained was the red-haired man’s name.

The reason why he had passed Tabris onto Tinia was still unknown.

“What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with my body?”

Tinia was starting to get anxious as Woohyuk had yet to let go of her.

“No, there’s nothing wrong. It’s a relief you’re healthy.”

As Tinia started noticing the gazes of the other mercenaries, she silently whispered to him.

“...You got me worried for nothing. In any case, we’ll have to depart soon, so get back in formation.”

Woohyuk turned around and was about to head back, when a desperate cry rang out.

“Sa-save me!”

A blonde man dashed out of the Witch’s Forest and was shouting for help.

Behind him was a horde of orcs. As soon as she noticed the monsters, Tinia brandished Tabris and cried out.

“Monsters! Prepare for combat!”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“They don’t number much, so deal with them swiftly!”

There were barely 30 orcs in the horde.

Tinia led the charge and the mercenaries rushed to their enemies.

“Kieeek?!”

“Krrr…”

The orcs felt overwhelmed and instantly lost interest in their prey. They all turned and ran back to the forest.

Once the blonde man reached Tinia and the others, she promptly started asking about his circumstances.

“What happened in the forest? Where is the Eclipse Clan?”

“Everyone… is dead… They were all possessed by the witch…”

The young man’s body shuddered in terror as the horrific scene played over and over in his mind.

A female enchanter approached him and used recovery on him to erase all abnormal status.

Once the young man’s panic started to subside, Tinia asked him again.

“Explain in more details. Where did the witch appear?”

“The abandoned monastery… Don’t go there… The witch is… able to do impossible things…”

The youth kept muttering incomprehensible words.

Seeing his behaviour, Woohyuk grabbed him by the collar.

“Did your clan leader also die? How long has it been since they’ve been annihilated?”

“Steven was… captured by a monster the witch summoned… He’s probably dead by now… It’s already been half a day…”

It had already been several hours since the incident had occurred.

Woohyuk and Tinia glanced at each other and turned to gaze at the Witch’s Forest.

A dark aura they hadn’t noticed before was covering the entire forest.

1. Previously translated as ‘Grimhilde’ in chapter 78. After further research about the Nibelungenlied, found out that the correct way to write it is actually “Kriemhild”.

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