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A place where the energy of death seeps into the earth, causing life to rot and wraiths to be born endlessly.
Although it was named “the land teeming with wraiths” because of this, the battles that took place here were not as horrific as its terrible reputation suggested.
Wraiths were beings without reason. They craved all living things and grew by feeding on negative emotions, but they lacked the intelligence to support this.
The recent injuries were caused by a sudden increase in the number of wraiths, but the number of injured quickly decreased soon after. This meant that most wraiths could be dealt with without much difficulty.
This was considered a natural premise among the priests. Rohan and Arpel thought so too.
“…This is.”
That was until they witnessed a scene that would overturn this common sense.
While patrolling their assigned area, a flare went off in the sky of the neighboring sector. Red. The vivid color staining the gray sky above meant only one thing.
‘Request for rescue.’
As soon as he noticed this, Rohan immediately moved. Thanks to being nearby, he was able to arrive first at the location where the flare had gone off.
And what he faced was hell itself.
“Here! There are injured!”
“Argh!”
“Damn it! It’s been endless since earlier…!”
The injured were gathered on one side. But there were far too many. Priests who weren’t injured, or those who were injured but still able to move, surrounded them protectively.
In front of them, a dark blue wave rushed in.
<Rohan!>
“I know!”
At Arpel’s cry, Rohan immediately leapt forward. Soon, a sword strike pierced the center of the dark blue wave like a flash of light. Kieek! The enormous magical power that rose from the sword swallowed dozens of wraiths in an instant.
“Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!”
“Rohan is here!”
“Ah, finally…!”
The storm of magical power that occurred in the middle of the battlefield caught the attention of many. Soon, news of Rohan’s arrival spread rapidly, and his mere presence brought relief to many.
The precarious atmosphere stabilized in an instant, but that didn’t mean the hellish scene had completely disappeared.
Dozens of priests were injured. Were there really no deaths among them? Rohan, his expression hardened with concern, approached a nearby priest.
“What on earth happened here?”
“That… I’ll explain later, later. Look ahead!”
However, their conversation didn’t progress. It was because of the wraiths rushing in from all directions again.
Rohan gritted his teeth and swung his sword, checking if there were any priests using holy power nearby. After a while, he realized that the situation was unfolding strangely.
<Did you notice?>
“…Yes.”
This was the same for Arpel, who had been using his power occasionally to match Rohan. Rohan, looking around sharply, answered.
“These guys are moving in an organized manner.”
It was the moment when what they believed to be common sense was shattered.
***
The situation was resolved faster than expected. With Rohan’s joining, the now calm group began to move systematically, and other priests who saw the flare also joined to help them.
But the situation was still not good. To be honest, it was the worst. With forty injured and ten dead, it ranked among the worst in terms of damage from a single investigation.
“Good work.”
“No, you worked harder. Arpel, you worked hard too.”
Among those injured and moved to the headquarters were some with severe injuries, but thanks to Leriana, who returned immediately upon hearing the news, everyone was able to survive. However, her expression after returning from the treatment was subtle.
Arpel easily guessed the reason. It must be because of the ten people who died.
She had saved everyone, but paradoxically, she couldn’t save everyone. Leriana, who had the power of “healing,” didn’t have the power to revive those who had already died.
Casia patted Leriana’s back. It was a clumsy consolation. She smiled bitterly.
“By the way, is that true?”
Casia opened a new topic as if to fill the gap in the conversation. Although it was an abrupt question, everyone present understood its meaning.
“Yes. Not only did they launch a surprise attack, but they also targeted the injured first. That’s probably why there were casualties. Even when I joined… they kept avoiding my side.”
“Have the wraiths become smart, perhaps?”
“I don’t know about that either.”
Rohan frowned as he nodded and answered. Between his furrowed brows, displeasure was clearly visible. The stories he had heard from the injured, as well as what he had witnessed right after joining, were all equally unsettling.
It was all because of this that he had judged them to be ‘organized.’ If he was on the right, they targeted the left, and if he was on the left, they targeted the right. Their movements were so blatant that it was impossible not to notice.
“They were cunning.”
Arpel also added in a calm voice. Leriana’s face immediately turned serious. If even Arpel was saying this…
Leaving her behind, Arpel looked around. The atmosphere was unsettled. However, as the injured had been somewhat sorted out, Daniel would soon call the priests together to start a meeting. Rohan would probably be included in that.
He had to tell them before that. He quietly grabbed Rohan’s sleeve.
“Arpel?”
“I have something to say.”
Not only Rohan’s, but also Leriana’s and Casia’s gazes focused on Arpel. After briefly looking at the three of them, he continued.
“They probably don’t have intelligence.”
“…How do you know that?”
“Because if they had intelligence, they would naturally have emotions.”
I can’t feel any emotions from them. Arpel’s answer to Leriana’s question contained such certainty.
If wraiths were to have emotions, they would have to be primitive. If that were the case, Arpel, who had the same power, would surely have noticed.
But he couldn’t feel anything from them. They were still empty.
“Then, there might be a being controlling the wraiths.”
All three were people who knew Arpel’s circumstances. That’s why they didn’t ask more questions. Casia also exercised her own consideration by suggesting another possibility.
“That sounds good.”
Rohan grinned. And so, Casia’s statement would become a main agenda item in the meeting a few minutes later.
***
The next day, the faces of the exploration team leaving the tent were full of tension. Wraiths moving in an organized manner, and the new entity first revealed in the meeting. The suddenly changed situation caused confusion in many ways.
Some priests argued that the ‘being controlling the wraiths’ was absurd, but most considered it a plausible story. The fact that the wraiths moved and attacked in an organized manner was already a phenomenon that shattered common sense.
And here, Priest A was part of the exploration team led by Rohan.
“Huu…”
He joined the investigation team with a rather solemn face. The news of ten deaths was by no means light. Everyone realized that this was a battlefield where life could be lost at any moment, and he was no exception.
…But to be honest, Priest A was a little more at ease. After all, it was ‘Rohan’!
Not only blessed by the Demon God, but also known as the natural enemy of the Salvation Church. This man, who had been destroying every branch of the Salvation Church since his young age and even dealt with two executives, was nothing short of a heroic legend to him.
After the exploration began, Rohan’s figure, glimpsed from afar, was exactly like what Priest A had dreamed of and admired.
“Wow…”
“Look at that magical power. How much does he have?”
“He could probably do it all by himself.”
Exclamations of admiration burst out here and there. Priest A’s voice was probably mixed in there somewhere. Of course, not wanting to look bad in front of the person he admired, he diligently moved his magical power and dealt with the few wraiths that rushed at him.
The exploration was smooth. They didn’t find the ‘being controlling the wraiths’ they had heard about, but it continued on without anyone getting hurt.
In the midst of this, Priest A suddenly felt suspicious.
‘…Where’s that priest?’
The black-haired priest who was always by Rohan’s side whenever he saw him. He couldn’t remember the name exactly, but he remembered the presence because they seemed very close. But it seemed he hadn’t seen his face since the exploration began.
Priest A tilted his head. Why isn’t he here?
As he looked around, his concentration naturally wavered, and other things caught his eye. Being part of the rear of the group, he happened to notice a spider web stretched out on a rotten tree.
“…A spider web?”
Priest A brightened up. This was a useful discovery.
In the land of wraiths, there are no living things or traces of living things. Yet, a spider web in a place like this? The thought that he might receive praise from the person he admired immediately lifted his spirits.
Grinning, he lightly touched the spider web with his hand. The slightly shaken web snapped.
“Weaker than I thought.”
It broke even though he didn’t apply much force. Well, the strength doesn’t really matter.
Priest A turned his head, not thinking much of it. By now, the group had moved far ahead. He thought he should remember the location, rejoin the group, and then report it.
“…Mmph!”
Suddenly, something wrapped around his ankle. Before he could even cry out, it had climbed up his body and covered his mouth.
Looking down with trembling eyes, Priest A realized that what was tightly wrapping his body was white thread.
…Spider web. It was a spider web.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
