Chapter 125

They were cunning, contrary to their appearance.

They began digging tunnels connecting to the nearby forest to ambush our battalion’s trench, and if we hadn’t discovered it early, we would have surely been caught.

Through the tunnel leading to our trench, they would have massacred our battalion members sleeping at midnight.

Although there was a sentry, it could easily be handled discreetly. Their detachment boasted enough skill that they could certainly accomplish such a task.

Therefore, we must kill them first.

– Tatatat! Tat!

The intense gunfire pierced the dark woods and shattered the air. In the flash of light, a heavy bullet of death flew toward someone far off who was raising a pickaxe high.

“Fire! Fire everything you’ve got!”

“What the hell! Is there anyone with extra bullets? Bullets! Hurry!”

“Here, use this!”

– Bang! Ratatatat!

In the chaotic situation, someone quickly approached through the shadows hidden in the woods. I instinctively turned to look.

“Reverend! It’s me!”

It was Lieutenant Atkinson. Amidst the torrential waves of gunfire resembling rain, his voice naturally got louder over the sound of gunshots erupting like beans frying.

“Please continue healing the wounded over here! I’ll take the right flank of the line!”

“Understood! May the Lord’s protection be with you!”

Lieutenant Atkinson vanished into the darkness with the same swift movements he had when he arrived. Every time flames erupted from the muzzles surrounding us, the strained expressions of those pulling the triggers flickered and vanished.

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Fire more! Damn it! Fire more! Third squad! What are you doing!”

“First squad! Hurry, deploy the magic barrier!”

Even in the midst of the chaos, I quietly did what I had to do. Healing the wounded hit by the enemy’s late-response fire, I would shoot at the incoming enemies if there were no wounded nearby.

– Piiing—!

Suddenly, a chilling sound brushed past my temple. The moment I sensed the trajectory of the yellow flare tearing through the air, I unconsciously thought of Helena, who would remain at the battalion command post.

“We’ve reduced their numbers significantly! Keep pushing them hard!”

“Ugh…! Hey! Second squad! Concentrate the fire! They’re pushing in because of you all!”

“Damn it! They’re coming! They’re coming!”

– Uwaaaaa—!

With a fierce roar, about half of the enemy, decimated by our ambush, began to charge in a final act of resistance. Since the distance wasn’t too far, I could clearly see what kind of appearance they had as they charged towards us.

They each held a entrenching tool, pickaxe, or the stock of a gun that had long run out of ammunition, covered in dirt and blood, moving their short legs with determination.

Tucker, who was shooting next to me, smirked while aiming his bayonet.

“Heh! Those little bastards… Do they think they can make it here safely with those short legs? Huh?!”

“Tucker! Stop talking nonsense and just shoot!”

“Wait! I’ll pierce through anyone who gets close!”

Contrary to his confident words, Tucker’s hand gripping the gun trembled slightly.

It was understandable, as they boasted extraordinary combat skills in the trench warfare that required close combat. It was only natural that Tucker was shaking like that.

“Damn it! Everyone, fix bayonets!!”

Lieutenant Atkinson’s shout echoed. At the same time, the platoon members spread around swiftly fixed their bayonets. A small number of enemy soldiers that had broken through intense fire were now close enough to engage.

Dennis and Tucker’s eyes lit up as they swung their bayonets. The enemy soldiers whose chests were slashed fell before they could even reach us. We pressed forward like that.

“Tucker! Watch your right!”

“Hey, Dennis! Keep an eye on my left! I’ll take down all of those coming this way!”

“What the hell…! Hey! Tucker! Don’t just charge ahead alone!”

In a desperate situation, we were brutally slaughtering the trapped enemies in a surprise attack. They may have fought equally or even more fiercely than us before, but this was different.

The self-indulgence born there, along with the acrid smell of blood and gunpowder in the battlefield, pounded violently in Tucker’s heart.

Due to an excessive release of adrenaline, his vision narrowed, and he fell into a state of ecstasy where sounds around him became difficult to hear.

“Over there! Dennis! Hurry up! Reverend Antenelli, come quickly!”

“Hey! Tucker! You madman! Hey!”

Even with Dennis’s call, Tucker rushed forward as if he hadn’t heard. Aiming his gun equipped with a bayonet like a spear, he steadied it and charged ahead.

And eventually, trials were bound to come for those who were recklessly brave.

I saw it: a thin, translucent thread tautly hanging at ankle height.

– Piiing—!

And it connected with the ankle of the reckless Tucker.

– Chwaack!!

Soon, blood burst forth. The thread that soared in the air tightened around Tucker’s ankle, lifting him high, and having dropped his gun, he plunged to the ground.

“Tucker!”

“Tucker! No!”

Just as he hit the ground headfirst, Tucker lost consciousness.

Blood poured from the gash that looked as if it had been torn by barbed wire, and Tucker’s ankle twitched violently.

It filled my sight completely. A memory so intense that it spread across the canvas in my mind.

Perhaps, it would be something hard to forget for a lifetime.

*

The sun blazed down, the cheerful chirping of birds surrounded me, blending with the fresh green curtain.

The elf’s grave we had discovered yesterday was still there.

Though it might seem natural, the grave of the elf, trapped in a surreal painting, felt all the more disconnected from reality.

A butterfly had landed on the tombstone. It seemed to be resting for a moment.

– Beep beep beep.

“Oh, ohhhh… It’s ringing.”

“Finally…!”

As the saying goes, “If you have a will, there’s a way,” the antenna in Vivian’s hand responded with mechanical sounds, pointing toward the grave just like yesterday. Vivian and Daniel’s faces brightened immediately.

“Daniel. Hurry up and get it out.”

“Ah… Just a moment! Wait a bit! I’ll get it out soon!”

Daniel frantically searched through his bag while Vivian aimed the antenna at the grave and donned her goggles. The bright red lenses covered Vivian’s eyes.

Meanwhile, we stepped back a little behind Daniel and Vivian, watching their actions.

“Head Priest.”

At that moment, Sub-priest Sofia approached me. I was standing a bit away from the students, watching to see if anything like what we encountered yesterday would appear.

“Sub-priest Sofia.”

“You… you said this morning that you witnessed something strange yesterday….”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

Sofia hesitated, her lips moving as if she had something to say but was unsure how to express it. I twisted my body slightly to shield her from the students’ view.

“What is it? Is it important?”

“Oh, um….”

“You can speak freely. The students likely won’t hear.”

Seeing my tone soften, Sub-priest Sofia seemed to gather her courage and nodded.

“Actually, when I discovered that grave yesterday afternoon… I also saw something strange.”

I felt my expression hardening immediately. With a stiff expression, I listened to the rest of Sub-priest Sofia’s words.

“It got dark too quickly at that time, and I was unsure about what I saw… but after hearing what you mentioned this morning, I became certain.”

“…….”

“What I saw was the same as what you witnessed, Head Priest.”

Only then did I realize why Sub-priest Sofia had hesitated to bring it up. She was concerned that discussing it carelessly might incite unnecessary anxiety and fear among the students. That’s why she wanted to talk to me separately.

– Beep beep beep.

But be that as it may, what was crucial right now was.

“Are you sure about that?”

Whether what Sub-priest Sofia had witnessed matched what I had described.

At my question, Sub-priest Sofia quietly nodded her head. She spoke.

“Yes. I felt a gaze standing next to the grave, staring over here. It was as if….”

As if it were trying to guard the grave.

– Beep! Beep! Beep!

“……!”

The moment I realized that, I instinctively turned my head toward the grave in response to Sub-priest Sofia’s words.

‘That is….’

– Beep—!

Hearing the mechanical sound of the antenna in Vivian’s hand, which was getting closer to the grave, I saw it.

‘…a thread.’

A thin, translucent thread glittering faintly in the pale sunlight. I realized it was just three steps away from where Damian and Vivian were headed.

And that this transparent thread was certainly not a spider’s web.

Recognizing this, I shouted toward Daniel and Vivian, who were approaching the grave.

“Stop—!”

Daniel’s and Vivian’s steps abruptly halted. Receiving the bewildered stares of the students looking at me, I slowly approached them.

“Professor? What’s wrong?”

“Daniel, and Vivian. Slowly… slowly come this way.”

“Um… but….”

“No more chatter, just… come this way.”

Feeling my complexion change, Daniel and Vivian’s expressions turned stiff. If this continued, it might be difficult to get close to the students.

“Slowly, very slowly….”

As the translucent thread almost grazed Daniel’s pants hem, now was not the time to neglect any safety. I focused my gaze thoroughly on Daniel and Vivian’s movements without even wetting my dry lips.

“That’s it. Slowly….”

Daniel and Vivian began to back away as I had told them. Fortunately, the thread that hadn’t completely touched Daniel’s body remained unreactive even as he slowly retreated.

“That’s it, come this way. Do not approach the grave any closer.”

“Professor Antenelli, what on earth….”

“If you come this way, I’ll explain, so just come over here.”

Daniel’s and Vivian’s expressions were quite displeased. Naturally, they must have thought it unfair to now tell them not to approach the grave after allowing them to conduct occult activities earlier. Therefore, they might view this as an inconsistency.

“Alright. Very well.”

“Professor, please tell us. Why are you suddenly acting this way?”

“Yeah, I’m curious too. Professor Antenelli doesn’t just act out of the blue.”

“…….”

As expected, Daniel and Vivian had arrived in front of me and expressed their mild disappointment. Likewise, Laura, Chloe, and Elin who had approached my side wore expressions of confusion.

I silently raised my arm to stop the students from moving forward. As I retreated, the students also began to step back with me, obstructed by my arm.

After widening the distance from the grave even more, I made the students hide behind a tree and picked up a thick piece of wood lying nearby.

“Professor?”

“What are you trying to do….”

Chloe and Laura looked at me with suspicion. There was no need to explain verbally.

– Wham—!

The piece of wood I threw forcefully collided with the thread, producing a loud snap as it wrapped around the wood and pulled it up.

While it didn’t completely shatter the wood, it left a considerable dent. Had Daniel walked over like that, he would likely have suffered a severe injury to his ankle.

And I knew perfectly well about this kind of booby trap.

A pulley intricately buried in the ground. It would tighten a transparent wire of steel at ankle height, grabbing the ankle of anyone who touched it and lifting them up.

Even if it missed by some chance, one wouldn’t be able to walk for a while. Without fellow comrades nearby, one would easily be left behind in that spot.

I had witnessed it before. While Tucker got caught in that trap, I almost fell victim myself had it not been for him.

And hence, I became more certain of my suspicions. This type of wire trap was the traditional contraption used by them.

The mysterious shadow I had witnessed. And the shadow that Sub-priest Sofia saw near the grave.

It was small enough to reach my chest, and it had thick hair around its face.

“…Dwarf.”

It had to be the work of a dwarf.