Chapter 46
“Oh, I can see it.”
Kalisia and Ian, sitting side by side at the desk, furrowed their brows as they stared at the magical video device. On the fairly vivid screen, over a dozen orcs were walking out against the backdrop of dense green forests.
“Wait.”
Ian, projecting a serious air, raised his hand and paused the video.
“Tell me about the habits of orcs.”
“Unlike ogres, orcs are quite rigid, closed-off, and collective… ugh.”
Swept up by his serious expression, Kalisia unknowingly began reciting the basics one by one. This was a moment where the efforts of the northern knights truly shone.
“Looks like someone’s been studying. Correct.”
Raising his eyebrows in apparent surprise, Ian then played the video again.
-…Hah, ugh! Huff! Shoot! Shoot!
-Gwaaah!
-Y, here! Here!
The following footage was a literal blood-soaked melee. Orcs swung clubs and axes relentlessly, while the knights looked somewhat bewildered. Even Kalisia, unfamiliar with monster hunting, noticed something odd.
“As you can see, their combat style is very different from ordinary orcs. Contrary to the prejudice that they are dumb and barbaric, they are actually quite intelligent. They know how to use tactics.”
Ian rewound the footage to the appearance of the orcs.
-Gwaaaah!
The large green creatures roared as they charged from afar. They paid no attention to colliding with trees—or even with each other.
“No wild beast exposes its position before hunting. And creatures with the intelligence of orcs, even more so. And here…”
Ian fast-forwarded the video. This time, an orc with half its neck severed swung its axe toward the knights.
“Orcs have a very strong sense of pride and revere combat. It’s not unusual for them to charge recklessly. But that doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain.”
Ian pointed at the orcs on the screen. Despite their injuries, large and small, none hesitated even a little.
“Exactly. With injuries like that, their movements should slow or at least make them flinch, but they don’t.”
“Their attack power is also abnormal. Even compared to higher-tier ogres, they demonstrate overwhelming strength.”
This was the reason the northern forces had mobilized all the way to the west: the sudden frenzy of monsters.
“It started in the northern snowfields.”
Ian explained that a giant monster, a yeti, had descended to a village one day and attacked people. It was strange—yeti rarely emerged from the snowy mountains where they lived year-round. The northern dukes immediately sent a skilled hunting squad, but the outcome was total annihilation. The yetis’ combat power far exceeded expectations.
“The dukes investigated, but found nothing. Only that the eyes of the frenzied monsters turned blood-red.”
Coincidentally, similar incidents had occurred in the west, prompting an investigation in Balus.
“It’s because of the Sharyeong.”
Kalisia, still studying the video, leaned back in her chair. She hadn’t seen it directly, but the footage clearly showed the presence of spiritual energy.
“Sharyeong?”
“Sharyeong is the mass of negative energy, like people’s murderous intent and desires, all gathered together. Like when fire releases gas in a confined space, it’s similar.”
The problem was that it was extremely rare for so many Sharyeong to move in groups. She hadn’t seen anything like it even after over ten years of practice.
“But it seems someone deliberately controlled the Sharyeong to attach it to the monsters.”
“They intentionally drove the monsters into a frenzy?”
“Yes. So, really, do you have to do this? Your constitution, born with the Gui Gate Killer trait, is extremely incompatible with this task. It’s the worst possible match.”
Kalisia expressed concern, saying Ian would get attached to the Sharyeong on the monsters, just like before.
“And you’re only fourteen. This is something adults handle.”
“I am the young duke of the north. I cannot avoid the responsibility I must bear just because I am young.”
Ian shook his head firmly. Though young, he was the top combatant of the hunting squad. He could not shirk his duty under the excuse of danger.
“Can’t we use salt?”
Ian recalled that when the youngest knight sprinkled salt, the spirit briefly regained composure, giving him hope.
“If that worked, I would have cut off my hand. Unless it’s red beans, salt alone cannot drive away Sharyeong.”
Traditionally, one method of exorcism involved red beans. Salt mainly served to purify or ward off misfortune, while red beans actively attacked and expelled evil spirits.
“Red beans?”
“Remember the day we fled from the mugwort field in Ho-hwan village? That evening, we ate porridge made from red beans. I made you eat it quietly, remember?”
“…I remember.”
Ian recalled Kalisia hurriedly shoving the porridge into her cheeks until they puffed out.
“What’s with that disgusted expression?”
“I wasn’t making any expression. Someone else probably assumed it for me.”
Ian relaxed his previously furrowed brows.
“So, think of salt as a shield and red beans as a sword.”
“Is there really no other way? The hunting squads are struggling because of these frenzied monsters.”
“You’re not asking how to protect yourself, are you? You mean how to remove Sharyeong from the monsters. Hey, who’s worrying about whom? Focus on yourself! And now, how to get red beans here…”
[Method]
At that moment, something sparkled in midair—a presence. Round letters. It was the Huagyeong that had been seen before being pulled into Ho-hwan village.
“What! General!”
Kalisia tilted her eyes skyward.
“He didn’t show his face before! But he can come again!”
Shivering with betrayal, she gestured angrily at the sky.
“General! Our house! How do we get home! Home!”
Kalisia rattled off words quickly, afraid the Huagyeong might disappear. It seemed there were conditions or a cycle for the general’s arrival.
[Red Beans]
Along with the Huagyeong, an old book appeared bathed in light.
“Red beans? I said home! Home!”
Agui-jeon (Hungry Ghost Chronicles)
Kalisia’s desperate cry was drowned out by the sound of pages turning.
“Home…! Ugh, fine. Fine. Spirits are really the problem. Completely uncooperative.”
She clicked her tongue at the blue vortex that had just begun to form.
“Do we really need this performance? Couldn’t it just be handed over normally? Might as well be gentle with the Mambo… Ah, ugh!”
Before she could finish speaking, the violent vortex swallowed Kalisia whole.
Thud!
Through the chaotic blur, Kalisia managed to reach out her arm. She caught a thin sleeve between her fingers. It was Ian. Fully engulfed by the vortex, she let out a satisfied laugh. She wouldn’t have to struggle alone this time.
“Ugh! Could you at least put me down gently? Why do you have to drop me from the sky!”
Landing roughly on her backside, Kalisia scooped a handful of sand and tossed it into the air. If this continued, her precious tailbone would not survive.
“Another mountain, huh.”
Ian landed gracefully using a rolling fall and surveyed the surroundings. The forest was unusually dense and lush, the green so vivid it seemed to carry a refreshing scent. Ian reached out to touch dewy leaves and soft soil. He appeared confident, as though he had been here before.
“Unlike the mountain in Ho-hwan village, this one is full of life. Such fertile land is rare.”
A sense of strangeness struck Ian. Even in the east, reputed to have the empire’s most fertile lands, places like this were uncommon.
“The mountain spirit here must be strong.”
Kalisia stood, hands on her waist, inhaling the fresh mountain air.
“It’s been a while since I’ve felt this kind of vitality. Soon, even the trees might walk. Maybe a dragon spirit has taken residence.”
She wandered nearby, marveling at everything.
“Balus.”
Ian called out to Kalisia, who was wandering through the greenery.
“Why?”
“That thing with the red beans. How about using them as ammunition instead of scattering?”
“Ammo?”
Kalisia frowned, puzzled by the suggestion while enjoying the smell of the grass.
“I mean a bean-shooting gun. Shooting is more efficient than scattering.”
“What are you talking about? Hey! Concern yourself, not me!”
Even now, Ian only thought of the hunt, which made Kalisia furious.
“The regular hunting squads stationed across northern regions aren’t as skilled as the ducal squads. If you could use beans to subdue the monsters’ frenzy, it would be a great help.”
“That’s for Duke Rakies to do, not you. You’re a young duke, not the main duke. Know your rank.”
Kalisia spoke with a clear tone of displeasure, warning Ian that what he intended was mere recklessness. Ian remained firm in his stance.
“Shh! Quiet! There! Keep it down!”
At that moment, a small, anxious voice flew toward them.
