ALL NOVEL Chapter 88
88. Intruder [SIDE – Forest People]
While the Heroic Tournament was taking place, the forest people were living their usual lives. One of them, Ilza, was on her usual patrol in the forest.
“You’re tired. Shall I take over?”
Standing on a tree, looking around, William approached Ilza.
It had been about two weeks since Raucheisen disappeared. By now, they were used to such tasks.
Ilza took the flask from William, opened the lid, and drank deeply.
“Alright, it’s all yours now.”
“Thanks. Going to take a nap now?”
“No, I’ll train.”
Since meeting Arx, Ilza had started to change.
Originally, she was second only to Raucheisen in the forest, but her encounter with Arx had sharpened her hunger.
After her patrol, she always trained. This was her routine.
However—her routine suddenly came to an end.
“Ilza! Look at that!”
William shouted sharply. Ilza immediately went on alert, heightening her senses.
“…What is that?”
William pointed. There were people. Not just one or two, but a ‘squad’ pulling a carriage.
“An expedition? No, there are too many of them…”
Unpleasant memories resurfaced from when Raucheisen was the forest’s guardian.
The Ortesse family freely cut down the trees, which was a major issue.
Of course, they couldn’t let outsiders know about the village. But the forest people had been too lenient with intruders until now.
“Let’s go!”
Ilza and William kicked off the tree branches towards the squad. When they confronted them, the men at the front stopped abruptly.
“Who are you?! Move aside!”
“That’s not going to happen. What are you doing here?”
William raised his voice against the tough-looking soldiers. Then, a man stepped out from the carriage.
“Such noise… Being late is ‘evil.’ Are you ‘villains’?”
A middle-aged man dressed like a noble emerged.
His black hair, reaching his shoulders, swayed. He had a blue beard around his mouth and seemed to be in his late 30s.
His way of speaking was distinctive. He used polite language with his subordinates, and his hips swayed as he walked.
“Are you the leader?”
“Indeed. I am Matthew Thunberg, the lord of Thunberg territory.”
“Explain why you’re here!”
“We’re not interested in you. We’re just passing through to Ortia.”
Suspicious. They felt it.
The Thunberg territory was on the other side of the forest. Why would armed soldiers need to pass through here to Ortia?
“We can’t let you pass. Leave.”
“…Are you ‘villains’?”
At that moment, the soldiers’ faces twitched. Matthew’s words froze the atmosphere.
“Villains…? What are you talking about?”
“In this world, there are only ‘good people’ and ‘villains.’ We’re just passing through, and stopping us is ‘evil,’ right?”
Matthew sighed deeply as he spoke.
“This is troublesome… If we don’t activate the ‘Invisible Wall’ in time, what will we do? It seems we have no choice but to eliminate villains.”
Matthew clapped his hands twice. In an instant, another man appeared from the carriage.
A youth about 16 or 17 years old, but his appearance was far from childlike. His crimson hair was unkempt like the trees in a haunted house.
He walked without energy, and his blue eyes glowed like a hungry wolf.
His clothing was so shabby that even Ilza and William felt pity, like a stray dog.
The boy glanced at Matthew and stood next to him.
“Now, Golem. Dispose of the villains as usual.”
Matthew patted the boy’s shoulder and stepped back, while the soldiers turned and fled.
In the next moment, white steam rose from the boy’s shoulders. Ilza and William held their breath.
“
“Ilza, dodge!”
The moment the boy slammed his arms into the ground, a fierce shockwave like a lightning bolt struck the two.
William pushed Ilza out of the way. The shockwave hit them, causing an explosion—!
“Uwaaahhh!!”
Their bodies flew through the air for a few seconds before crashing to the forest floor.
Thanks to William’s quick decision, Ilza suffered minimal damage and could stand up.
—However.
“…William!”
William, who took the full impact, was clutching his twisted arm, grimacing in pain.
In just a moment. The shockwave, unleashed at blinding speed, had dealt significant damage to the two skilled warriors.
“Ilza! Run!”
“No. I’ll fight too.”
“Impossible! Did you see that?! This guy isn’t ordinary!”
It was clear to anyone. Ilza was moved by William’s desperate plea.
“…Alright. I’ll call for help!”
Ilza turned and ran. With Raucheisen absent, there was only one way to counter this strong enemy.
That was to request Arx for support. He was the only one stronger than herself who could turn the tide.