Chapter 60

Chapter 60
## Chapter: 60

### Chapter Title: Sons of the Wilderness (3)

—

The quiet between them was stubborn. Kadim kept his mouth shut, offering nothing. Tundal released a heavy, weary breath before speaking again.

“Are you familiar with the one who previously held the title ‘Great Warrior of Atala’?”

“…….”

“It seems you aren’t. Let me give you the brief history.”

Tundal cleared his throat, his voice taking on a storytelling cadence.

“This goes back to an ancient era. Long before the current empires and alliances claimed these lands, there was a time of unending slaughter between kingdoms. It was a dark age where the wilderness and the demonic territories were shrouded in shadows. The people lived in constant torment, praying for a savior to end the bloodshed. It is said a god of war, moved by their suffering, sent a proxy to enact his judgment. That figure was the first ‘Great Warrior of Atala’.”

“…….”

“Regrettably, the details of his deeds have mostly faded. The wilderness shrine maidens, who were the keepers of his legacy, disappeared entirely, and the oral histories died with them. Only fragments remain. He supposedly rescued the world from a cataclysmic threat through immense struggle, vanished without a word to parts unknown, and… he possessed the power to sanctify weapons by granting them names.”

“…….”

“Identifying a weapon touched by his hand is simple. Much like a paladin’s consecrated blade or a relic of old, it possesses unique properties, and its name is etched into the metal in an archaic tongue.”

“…….”

“…Precisely like the gear you carry now.”

Tundal’s gaze remained locked onto the weapons, Mosquito and Salmon.

Kadim stared back at the warrior, his mind momentarily blank. It was painfully clear who this legend was describing. He struggled to find an appropriate reaction, eventually settling on a mask of complete indifference.

Tundal took this silence for a scowl of annoyance. He shifted his weight forward, his tone becoming more demanding.

“I will ask you once more. Where did you come across these hallowed tools? And how did you manage to acquire two of them?”

Kadim barely heard the question. He was too busy wondering how much information this man actually possessed. If the shrine maidens were gone, where was this coming from?

“…Where did you learn of this history?”

“The ‘Great Warrior of Atala’? Our commander told us. He claims it is a chronicle passed down through his bloodline for generations.”

“…And what is the name of this commander?”

“I will provide his name once you provide your answers. It is your turn. This is your final opportunity: tell me the origin of those weapons.”

Kadim could have easily said he forged them himself.

However, that would lead to immediate skepticism, eventually forcing him to admit his true identity. If he proved he was the Great Warrior, these people would never leave him in peace.

Instead, Kadim opted for a partial truth.

“The blade was taken from the corpse of a foe. The axe was recovered from the bowels of a fortress within the empire.”

“…….”

“Now, answer me. Who is this leader of yours? A high-ranking council official?”

Tundal didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he let out a disappointed sigh, looking at Kadim with something akin to pity.

“…Objects of such power have a proper destiny. Specifically, the relics of the ‘Great Warrior of Atala’. To have scavenged them in such a way… You are a formidable fighter, I see that, but you are not the rightful master of those holy instruments.”

“…….”

“Do not take offense, comrade. I say this only because I know of a man far more suited to wield them. Your pride might be stung now, but once you stand before him, you will realize I am right.”

“…….”

“As you have likely surmised, I speak of our leader. Once this demon hunt is concluded, come with us. He is a man of great influence and renown, but I will use my personal standing to secure you an audience.”

Tundal’s voice took on a feverish quality. The strangest part was that he wasn’t being condescending or cruel; he genuinely believed he was doing Kadim a favor by suggesting he surrender his property.

The intent behind the words was irrelevant to Kadim. His eyes darkened like a gathering storm.

“…So your suggestion is that I simply walk over and hand my steel to him?”

“Precisely. Even if you are hesitant now, the moment you meet him, you will feel the urge to—”

The storm in Kadim’s eyes broke.

**CRACK! THWACK!**

The axe blade whistled through the air, burying itself in the ground between Tundal’s legs and shearing the tail off his mount.

Tundal’s eyes widened in shock. Kadim walked forward and pulled Salmon from the earth with a calm deliberation.

**Whoosh, thud!**

“I decline. If you want these weapons so badly, there is only one path open to you.”

“…….”

“Follow the code of the wilderness: challenge me to a formal duel and take them from my dead body.”

It was an unmistakable death threat.

Tundal tightened his grip on his spear, forcing himself to breathe. He had witnessed Kadim’s skill and knew a real fight would likely end in his own demise. Duels in their culture were rarely non-lethal. Fear flickered across his face, his mouth twitching.

But Kadim saw something else beneath the fear.

Tundal’s eyes were lit with a disturbing excitement.

*’Madmen… every last one of them.’*

The threat hadn’t deterred them; it had sparked their bloodlust. If he killed their leader, the rest would likely view it as a holy challenge. Kadim felt the onset of a massive headache.

Fortunately, Tundal didn’t strike. He suppressed his urges with a strained smile and shook his head.

“No. He gave strict orders to avoid internal strife, and I will not break his command. Our steel is reserved for the demons during this hunt, not for each other.”

“…….”

“I apologize. I spoke without thinking of your honor. A warrior’s weapon is his soul, and asking you to part with it so casually was an insult. I would be just as enraged.”

“…….”

“Discard what I said. You have done well today. We will set the watch, so get some sleep. We move for Borden at first light.”

The apology felt hollow, a formal script delivered by a subordinate rather than a sincere change of heart.

Kadim watched him with a deep frown. Tundal offered a rigid, awkward smile and stood up, his scarred face looking twisted in the moonlight. He dusted off his gear and turned to leave.

He left one last remark over his shoulder.

“However, if you ever decide you want to find the true purpose for those weapons, or if you simply get curious about our leader, you know where to find me.”

“…….”

Kadim was left alone in the silence of the woods.

He gripped the handle of his axe. He considered that meeting this leader might actually be necessary. The Great Warrior of Atala made a silent vow: if this man spoke such nonsense to his face, he would take his head and be done with it.

—

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The arrival at Borden yielded nothing of value.

The village was a scene of stagnant horror. Insects swarmed in the harsh light, hovering over soldiers whose armor couldn’t contain their rotting flesh. Villagers lay scattered, their bodies torn open to reveal dark, ruined organs.

Rat-like monsters were hunched over the remains, their snouts buried deep in the gore.

* *Squeak, squee…*

**Splat! Smash!**

* *Squeak!*

The hunting party moved through the village like a scythe. Kadim and the other warriors added more blood to the grisly landscape.

The search was brief. There were no survivors to rescue and no high-ranking demons to slay—only the smell of decay and minor beasts. Heavy tracks leading away from the village suggested a forced exodus toward another location.

Tundal rubbed his jaw, his expression grim.

“They bypassed us. While we moved along the main road, the demons took their hoard through the outskirts. They are likely heading for the ninth gate’s defenses or perhaps Galentana.”

“What is the plan, Tundal?”

“…….”

Retreating to help the defense line wouldn’t stop the source of the problem. They had to maintain their focus on the primary objective: killing the ‘core demon.’

“…We continue to the next target: ‘Rodem’.”

The trek to Rodem was strangely quiet. They encountered fewer enemies than they had on the way to Borden, seeing only a handful of monsters throughout the entire day.

While the easy travel was a relief, it made the council soldiers nervous. A quiet countryside meant the enemy forces were concentrating elsewhere—likely where their allies were fighting for their lives.

Kadim shared the unease. He had left his guides and his resources back at the main camp.

*’I have to trust Duncan can look after himself.’*

Driven by anxiety, the group pushed their pace. With no enemies to slow them down, they reached the borders of Rodem before the sun had fully set.

However, as they reached the edge of the settlement, both Kadim and Tundal stopped dead.

“Wait—hold position.”

Tundal signaled for a halt, and the column stopped instantly. Those in the back strained to see what was happening. As the sky turned a bruised purple and the shadows grew long, Tundal glanced at Kadim.

“…Did you sense that?”

“…….”

Kadim didn’t bother answering; he simply nodded toward the village, indicating he was going in to scout. Tundal hesitated for a moment, then gripped his weapon.

“I’m coming with you. I won’t have you facing an unknown threat alone.”

“…….”

*Do what you want.* Kadim gave a short nod.

The main force stayed behind as the two men crept toward the village. They moved in total silence, suppressing their breathing and ignoring the thick, cloying stench of demonic energy that hung in the air.

The sight that greeted them in Rodem was nightmarish.

“Gods of Atala… what is this nightmare…?”

“…….”

As the sun dipped lower, it cast long, flickering shadows over a forest of grotesque, human-shaped trees that filled the village.

But it wasn’t just the shapes that bothered Tundal.

The very texture of the world had changed. There was no soil, no stone, no grass. Every surface—the walls of the houses, the bottoms of the wells, the shattered pottery on the ground—shared a single, uniform appearance.

It was the sight of dry, gray, peeling bark.

Kadim’s gaze turned icy as he touched the wooden surface of a nearby fence. He recognized this phenomenon. He had encountered a creature before that could rewrite the environment in its own image.

The Wood Demon.

There was no doubt that the creature had claimed this place.

“…….”

Knowing the nature of the Wood Demon, Kadim didn’t wait. He drew Salmon and hurled it at the nearest humanoid tree.

**CRACK-CRUNCH!**

The wooden torso shattered into splinters. Tundal jumped, looking at Kadim in confusion.

“What are you doing? Why attack the trees…?”

“Stop talking and start smashing. Do it now, or we’re going to be surrounded.”

The explanation became unnecessary a second later.

*Creaaak, creeeak…*

A sound like grinding wood filled the air. The tree-like figures began to twitch. Their thorny limbs shifted, and their roots pulled free from the ground to act as legs. Hollow knots in their ‘faces’ began to glow with a malevolent red light, radiating a mindless hunger for living things.

*Creaaak, creeeak, creaaak…*

Hundreds of them began to shuffle toward the two warriors. If one ignored the bark and the branches, their movements were identical to a mob of angry villagers. One man knew the truth, and the other was beginning to realize it.

These weren’t just monsters shaped like men.

These were the people of the village, twisted and transformed by the demon’s power.

“…Darkness take it all.”

Tundal wavered, his spear trembling as he looked at the transformed crowd.

**CRACK-CRUNCH!**

But Kadim didn’t hesitate. He threw his axe again, cutting through the forest of flesh and wood.