Chapter 14

Raphael wiped the sweat from his brow and thought about how much time had passed.

The giant tree monster had launched a surprise attack on the royal army's formation, splitting it with a wedge strategy that worked perfectly, plunging the royal army into chaos.

As a result, the divided royal army scattered, breaking into squad and platoon sizes, making it impossible to maintain a coordinated military movement.

To make matters worse, the orcs, who had been lying in wait, launched concentrated attacks, leaving the troops at a disadvantage and forcing them to retreat repeatedly.

Among the disadvantaged units, one of the best-performing was the unit led by Raphael.

Boasting the highest level of skill in the kingdom, they withstood multiple orc attacks and repelled the enemy.

However, with continuous battles, one by one they fell, and the group Raphael led was now down to fewer than a hundred.

Each of them was stained with orc and their own blood, and their fatigue was evident.

While potions and the healers' recovery magic could treat injuries, they could not replenish lost blood or fully recover from the accumulated fatigue caused by repeated bleeding and exhaustion.

If this continued, total annihilation was only a matter of time.

The only way out was to join forces with other units and escape this crisis.

However, it was not that simple.

(Why do the orcs always seem to anticipate our movements and get ahead of us!)

In an attempt to join other units, they advanced through the forest, but the orcs had set up multiple defensive lines and launched relentless attacks.

It was as if their every move was read, and they could not achieve the reunion with their allies.

(I remember the survivors from the village that was attacked by orcs said they were ambushed in the same way.)

Raphael recalled this and clenched his teeth.

Perhaps the tree monster was still watching them, and he wondered how the orcs were receiving the information, but it was clear that their movements were known.

The current situation was entirely in the enemy's favor.

However, he could not give up here.

He would take responsibility for this defeat and step down from his position as the commander of the knights.

But for now, he was still the commander.

He was the leader of an army responsible for over two thousand lives.

He had to minimize the sacrifice of his allies and gather as much information as possible for the next battle.

An explosion echoed through the forest.

It must have been the mages fighting.

His allies had not given up either.

Raphael decided to attempt to join and escape with his allies once more.

He saw a place where sunlight was shining brightly and thought they had reached the edge of the forest, but it turned out to be a clearing in the middle of the forest.

Instead of escaping, they had wandered deeper into the forest.

In the center of the clearing stood an ancient tree, much larger than the tree monster they had encountered earlier.

Raphael and his men approached cautiously, suspecting it might be another monster.

"Well done, strong human."

A low, elderly voice echoed.

Raphael's eyes widened.

Upon closer inspection, the trunk had large indentations that formed eyes and a mouth, resembling a face.

Intelligent monsters can speak, which is not particularly surprising, but the presence of the tree monster earlier increased his caution.

"Who are you!"

Raphael pointed his sword and demanded an answer.

The other soldiers surrounded the ancient tree, ready to fight at any moment.

"One of Lord Moussdeus' subordinates. An Elder Treant."

Moussdeus—Raphael recognized the name.

"You! A servant of the evil god!"

"He is not an evil god. Lord Moussdeus is a noble deity to us, the monsters."

Raphael's statement seemed to displease the Elder Treant, and its presence became more oppressive.

"Very well. Strong human, boast of your strength. Offer your prowess to Lord Moussdeus, who has defeated my subordinates multiple times."

"My sword is dedicated to the kingdom. I have nothing to offer to an evil god! I will only tear apart those who harm the people and threaten the kingdom!"

"Ha, try if you can."

"Shut up! Mages, archers, fire at it!"

At Raphael's command, the mages and archers moved to attack.

However, before they could launch their assault, the ground began to shake.

The sudden earthquake threw the soldiers off balance.

The earth rose, and the Elder Treant's roots attacked the soldiers mercilessly.

"Hahaha, how pitiful. You humans are more fragile than I thought. A single shake of my roots and you fall."

The Elder Treant laughed.

"Let me tell you something. These roots do more than just shake the ground. Plants connected to the roots are under my control and become my minions. While they need human nutrients to transform into monsters like the treants, eventually these roots will spread across the entire land, increasing my minions."

"…So, the village attack was to achieve this goal!"

"Yes. The incompetent orcs who settled here while I was sealed were not enough to provide the necessary force."

This creature is dangerous—Raphael shuddered at the information he had never imagined.

Summarizing the information, the Elder Treant, a servant of the evil god Moussdeus, was planning an invasion of the kingdom.

He had heard that minions could share vision and communicate over long distances, though this was a dubious tale about vampires.

If this were true, it would explain the mysterious situation they had been facing.

The information was being leaked through the plants, which were minions.

If the plants around the kingdom became minions and the tree monsters—treants—formed a group, the kingdom would surely collapse.

As a knight, he must stop this at all costs.

If the Elder Treant's words were true, the roots had not yet spread across the entire kingdom.

First, he must eliminate the Elder Treant to minimize the damage.

"Soldiers, it is dangerous to leave this monster alive! It has roots and cannot move like the other tree monsters! Treat it as a stationary target and begin your attack!"

The soldiers prepared to attack again.

"Indeed, I cannot move. However—"

The surrounding trees began to move.

"I can still summon my minions."

Thirty enemies surrounded Raphael and his men.

"Do not waste time on the minions. We must defeat that monster at all costs!"

"Commander, we will handle the minions. You focus on that monster!"

His deputy spoke, and Raphael boosted his strength with mana.

The army was retreating, and the hand of the evil god was reaching out.

In this unprecedented crisis for the kingdom, Raphael faced the Elder Treant with the resolve to defeat it, even if it meant his own death.

Several treants blocked his path.

Some enemies attacked, while others were held back by the soldiers, clearing the way for Raphael.

The soldiers also defended against treants attacking from the sides and rear.

Seeing the soldiers charge with determination, Raphael felt a surge of strength.

They were all battered and bruised, but they were still fighting for the kingdom, and he silently thanked them for their dedication.

However, he could not dwell on this. They had bought him time with their lives, and he could not waste a second.

He must defeat the Elder Treant at all costs, or he would have no face to show his soldiers.

Despite his fatigue, his legs moved powerfully, kicking the ground.

He closed the distance with the Elder Treant.

The Elder Treant tried to interfere by raising new roots, which lashed out like whips.

Raphael dodged the root attacks and continued to close the distance.

When he was in range, Raphael instinctively channeled mana into his sword, planted his front foot, and rotated his hips, channeling all his centrifugal force into the sword.

He unleashed his ultimate strike.

The high-speed attack produced a loud whistling sound as it struck the Elder Treant's trunk.

The impact was so strong that the ground kicked up a cloud of dust.

He felt the impact. His hand was slightly numb from the shock.

But, this—.

"Quite a blow, strong human. But that is not enough to defeat me."

The Elder Treant's trunk had a deep gash, but it was not even halfway through.

Raphael cursed, kicked the trunk to free his sword, and backed away.

The Elder Treant's body was unexpectedly hard. If one strike wouldn't do it, he would have to swing his sword multiple times—Raphael closed the distance again.

He deflected a branch attack from a treant that the soldiers had missed, using the flat of his sword to redirect and cut it.

Taking advantage of the opening, an Elder Treant root caught his shoulder.

The impact hit his shoulder plate, and he winced, but he bent his body to minimize the damage.

He then cut the root that tried to grab his arm.

Raphael was not the only one attacking the Elder Treant.

The rear archers fired flaming arrows, and the mages cast "Fire Arrow," scorching the Elder Treant.

The Elder Treant skillfully used its roots to cover itself with soil and extinguish the flames.

It seemed to dislike fire, as the treants did, and it grimaced.

Distracted by the rear soldiers, it tried to direct its roots toward them.

Raphael seized the opportunity.

He dodged the roots, closed the distance, and launched a rapid series of strikes.

He literally carved away the Elder Treant's body, sending wood chips flying.

Each strike was lighter than the previous one, but he repeatedly cut and widened the wounds he had inflicted earlier.

He paid attention to the root movements and received steady support from his allies, steadily dealing damage to the Elder Treant.

Wanting to end the battle quickly for the sake of his allies, Raphael maintained his composure and continued the methodical task of whittling down the Elder Treant.

The situation was expected to turn into a prolonged battle—everyone predicted this.

"Commander, get back!"

One of the soldiers, who had a better view of the overall situation, noticed something amiss and shouted.

However, due to the Elder Treant's massive size and his close proximity, Raphael's field of vision was extremely limited, and he could not react in time to the unexpected movement.

The Elder Treant's massive arm grabbed Raphael.

Caught off guard by the attack from an unexpected direction, Raphael spat blood.

"Finally caught you, strong human."

The Elder Treant smiled smugly.

"You are too strong to kill. I will incorporate you like the orcs. Follow me and serve Lord Moussdeus."

As it spoke, green insects began to crawl from the Elder Treant's arm toward Raphael.

He recognized these insects.

They were used by a captured alchemist who practiced forbidden arts.

These insects entered the target's ear, parasitized the brain, and controlled the target according to the caster's will.

Finally, he understood.

Why the unintelligent orcs were under the Elder Treant's control.

They were being manipulated by the Elder Treant.

The orcs, acting like puppets, were controlled based on information gathered by the minions.

If he did not escape, he would become one of them.

A chill of fear ran through him as he struggled to break free, but the hand holding him did not budge.

"Save the commander!"

His deputy shouted desperately, but the treants that arrived to block them prevented them from reaching Raphael.

He could do nothing.

A sense of powerlessness washed over him.

Raphael bit his lip in frustration.

Is this the end?

Will I be corrupted by this abomination and turn my sword against the kingdom?

Images of his wife and newborn child flashed through his mind.

Someone… anyone…

…save us from this crisis…

An explosion echoed.

A scream, unlike anything in this world, reverberated through the area.

The grip on Raphael suddenly loosened, and he fell to the ground, coughing.

The insect that had almost entered his ear fell and was crushed under his body.

What happened?

Raphael, in pain, tried to assess the situation.

The Elder Treant was writhing in agony, staring in a particular direction.

There, a young man with black hair and black eyes stood, holding a staff.