I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 71

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#71. Counter-Pursuit (1)

 

Hasadin, a soldier of Purosange.

 

He stood in front of the fortress’s main gate with a bored expression, standing guard.

 

“Haaaam―”

 

Hasadin let out a long yawn and then closed his eyes.

 

Whether his eyes were open or closed, the scenery in front of him never changed.

 

The vast snowy field, white horizon, swirling snow flurries, gray sky.

 

Today, as always, he stood in front of the main gate thinking only about when his border duty would end.

 

‘After work, some pickled herring and a glass of that vodka I stashed away last time…’

 

Just then.

 

Whiiiiing…

 

A foul stench came with the cold wind blowing from the north.

 

The distinctive musky smell of men who hadn’t washed for days.

 

Hasadin frowned and turned his head.

 

Soon, a group of beggars appeared from beyond the white horizon.

 

Shabby figures with grimy faces covered in dried dirt and blood,

 

Hasadin raised his bow to drive the beggars away.

 

“Hey― get lost, all of you. Do you know where this is to come begging so carelessly… Huh!?”

 

But he couldn’t finish his words.

 

The face of the man standing at the front of the beggar procession was none other than.

 

“Open the gate. Quickly!”

 

Thoroughbred Purosange, the Family Head of the Purosange Family.

 

* * *

 

Crack―

 

Thoroughbred sat in front of the fireplace, grinding his teeth.

 

That bastard Featherback had killed half the horses before leaving, causing delays in their return.

 

With insufficient horses, they had to leave most of the Rangers who were their core strength in the wilderness, and it would take twice as long to go back and retrieve them.

 

To make matters worse, with the drastically reduced number of returning personnel, they even had to endure attacks from monsters.

 

However, if there was a small gain amidst all this, it was that they had successfully regenerated Grand Prince Pinin’s right hand.

 

It was worth the expensive price they paid to recruit the mage.

 

“Damn it!”

 

Thoroughbred slammed his fist down on the table.

 

Crash―Bang!

 

The heavy stone table shattered into pieces.

 

Meanwhile, Pinin was sitting in front of him.

 

“….”

 

He too was flashing bloodshot eyes through his thin, narrowed slits.

 

The way he kept clenching and unclenching his right hand suggested the newly grown hand still felt awkward.

 

Thoroughbred spoke.

 

“We must capture and kill that bastard. By any means necessary, I will repay this humiliation.”

 

“Father, he knew from the beginning. He couldn’t have acted like that without being certain we were the culprits.”

 

“That is indeed strange. How could he have known? Our Rangers’ movements should have been covert.”

 

“Father, please give me fifty Rangers and three hundred soldiers. I will definitely kill that bastard.”

 

“That won’t be enough. I will personally lead the expedition. I’ll show them the power of Purosange.”

 

Thoroughbred called for his aide.

 

An old knight with a long beard stood beside him.

 

“As you ordered, we have finished preparations for deployment. We can begin pursuit immediately upon your command.”

 

“Not yet. Her prophecy hasn’t come down yet.”

 

“By ‘her’ you mean…”

 

A flash of displeasure crossed the old knight’s expression but quickly disappeared.

 

Thoroughbred, who didn’t notice this, spoke.

 

“Shedyoldis. Has her prophecy come yet?”

 

“She hasn’t come out of her room yet.”

 

“Damn. It’s taking a long time.”

 

Shedyoldis.

 

She was a mage that Thoroughbred had invited for consultation.

 

A few days ago, Shedyoldis had performed the remarkable feat of completely regenerating the right wrist of Thoroughbred’s eldest son Pinin, and immediately became a guest of Purosange.

 

Originally serving as Thoroughbred’s advisor with her ingenious schemes and mysterious magic, she was now even acting as his spiritual mentor.

 

The old knights of Purosange didn’t seem to like this fact very much, but Thoroughbred didn’t care.

 

Thoroughbred asked the old knight.

 

“While I was away, did Shedyoldis leave any particular words?”

 

“She told us to establish a signal fire network that could maintain close contact with the other outposts.”

 

“As expected. I knew she would foresee this situation.”

 

Thoroughbred clenched both fists tightly.

 

Purosange was merely a small northern martial house.

 

But Thoroughbred had ambition.

 

To inherit Shedyoldis’s mysterious schemes and make Purosange into a great family that could wield power even in the Central Region.

 

And beyond that, his ambition to establish his own kingdom.

 

Thoroughbred turned to look at Pinin.

 

“Pinin, go to the tower where Shedyoldis is staying. Ask her when we should march out to crush that arrogant blood of House Mörsolt underfoot.”

 

“Will the Mage open the door for me?”

 

“You must knock on the door until she opens it. But you must never be rude. Mages are particularly eccentric creatures.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Pinin immediately rose from his seat.

 

And he left the room, rotating his newly grown right wrist in circles.

 

The Old Knight spoke to Thoroughbred.

 

“Family Head. Too much time has already been delayed. We alone are sufficient to capture and kill that Mörsolt brat. Must we really seek the Mage’s advice?”

 

“Don’t speak of what you don’t understand. She possesses mysterious power.”

 

“But if you follow too blindly the words of an outsider who has only recently joined Purosange…”

 

“Enough. Are you more versed in magic than she is? If not, say no more. I have decided to trust her.”

 

“…”

 

The Old Knight closed his mouth.

 

Thoroughbred also closed his mouth.

 

Crackle— Crackle— Crackle—

 

The Family Head’s Office was filled only with the sound of firewood burning in the fireplace.

 

Eventually.

 

“Father!”

 

Pinin, who had gone to the remote tower, returned.

 

Whatever he had seen and heard, his face was flushed red and a trickle of saliva was flowing from the corner of his mouth.

 

“She has granted permission for the expedition! Those Mörsolt bastards still haven’t left Purosange’s territory! I heard they’re fighting monsters right about now!”

 

“Perfect!”

 

Thoroughbred kicked back his chair and stood up.

 

He immediately went out of the office and shouted toward the corridor.

 

“We march!”

 

At the same time, shadows that had been melting into the darkness began to move.

 

* * *

 

The dark red burning sunset scatters ash across the entire white horizon.

 

Darkness was licking its way down the mountainside.

 

Swish swish swish swish swish swish—

 

Purosange’s elite Rangers move in pursuit of their prey.

 

Pinin, at the very front, gleamed his eyes through narrowed slits.

 

“I will definitely kill him.”

 

When he closed his eyes, Featherback’s face, that bastard’s face, flickered before him.

 

That moment when his wrist was cut by that bastard and he was dragged around like a dog with a leash around his neck replayed as a nightmare every night.

 

“Absolutely, I will absolutely kill him with my own hands. I’ll chop off all his limbs and put a dog leash around his neck to drag him around. I will never forgive him.”

 

Two hundred Rangers move following behind Pinin.

 

All the horses had black fur, gags in their mouths, and thick cloth wrapped around their hooves to muffle sound.

 

Swish swish swish swish swish—

 

They flew through the coniferous forest and raced across the snowy field.

 

Soon, the ice field zone where high and low hills stood in rows came into view.

 

A place that was once the sea.

 

It was terrain where rolling waves and towering surges had frozen solid, becoming hills and mountains.

 

If it were ordinary cavalry, their speed would be greatly reduced when riding through such places, but this didn’t apply to the Purosange Rangers.

 

“Found it. These are their traces!”

 

Pinin found the tracks of their prey even before the skilled scouts did.

 

He wasn’t the Grand Duke of Purosange for nothing.

 

Pinin looked at the ash heap half-buried in the snow field.

 

Perhaps the snow covering had been shallow, as half-burned firewood was sticking out of the snow pile, rolling around in the wind.

 

“Kuk kuk kuk— If they were going to erase their traces, they should have done it thoroughly, these damn bastards.”

 

Pinin followed the traces of the campfire.

 

Soon, something came into view below a low hillside.

 

It was hard to see clearly against the white snow field, but it was definitely barracks.

 

More than ten temporary barracks made of white thick cloth were set up below the hill.

 

Pinin’s pupils filled with ecstasy at the sight.

 

‘Featherback, you bastard! So you were sleeping here!’

 

Deep in the night.

 

An unguarded campsite.

 

Enemies who had collapsed from exhausting marches.

 

Where could there be easier prey than this?

 

Pinin held back his urge to shout with joy right then and there.

 

‘Be patient. Even when crossing a stone bridge, you must test it first.’

 

In his heart, he wanted to go down personally with a dagger and plunge the blade into the chest of that sleeping bastard.

 

But then there would be no point in conducting a night raid.

 

‘It’s better to be thorough about everything.’

 

Pinin decided to rain down arrows before charging.

 

After that, searching through the campsite and performing confirmation kills on any who hadn’t died yet would be sufficient.

 

“Fire.”

 

Pinin commanded.

 

The Rangers immediately raised their bows.

 

Thwip thwip thwip thwip thwip thwip thwip thwip thwip thwang!

 

Countless arrows flew and embedded themselves in the tent walls of the barracks.

 

Pinin continued commanding.

 

“Keep firing! Shoot until all the arrows are gone!”

 

Now that the night raid had begun, there was no need to keep quiet anymore.

 

The Rangers fired thick long iron arrows rapidly while advancing forward.

 

Soon, the enemy campsite bristling with arrows came into view.

 

Pinin grinned wickedly.

 

“Now search through their barracks. If there’s anyone alive, capture them. Well, I doubt anyone could survive in this rain of arrows…”

 

The Purosange Rangers moved through the field of arrows with daggers in hand.

 

At first, the Purosange Rangers had been in high spirits.

 

But soon their expressions hardened.

 

“Young Lord, the barracks are empty.”

 

“What?”

 

Pinin’s expression changed completely.

 

He wiped the smile from his face and opened the door of one of the barracks.

 

Empty barracks.

 

It was roughly erected without even laying cloth on the floor.

 

Inside were only a few thick tree branches and cloth scraps – it wasn’t even barracks built for people to stay in.

 

‘What, what is this? A trap?’

 

Pinin broke out in cold sweat.

 

But he soon regained his composure.

 

“Ridiculous. What kind of trap could a mere thirty-four people set? We have over two hundred. Whatever trap they’ve set, it’s useless…”

 

Then, Pinin discovered something.

 

The white cloth wall was moving unsteadily.

 

Rustle— Rustle— Rustle—

 

Something was thrashing violently in the innermost barracks.

 

“?”

 

Pinin approached the barracks with his dagger drawn.

 

Swoosh—

 

As he threw open the cloth door, something became visible inside.

 

[Kyaaak!]

 

A Centipede the size of a large python was bound with iron chains.

 

The handcuffs and iron chains around the Centipede’s neck were wrapped tightly around large stakes inside the barracks.

 

The Centipede’s body was riddled with arrows shot by the Purosange Rangers, and a fishy, nauseating stench emanated from the dripping blue blood.

 

“…! …! …!”

 

The Centipede writhed in pain from the arrows.

 

Seeing this, the color drained completely from the faces of Pinin and the Rangers.

 

“F, Frozen Horror…”

 

The Rangers of the Northern Region know the identity of that Centipede.

 

Frozen Horror.

 

…One of the ancient rulers that once dominated the Ancient Frozen Land.

 

…A king of the Ice Depths that lives by feeding on Yate and Sasquatch as its main diet.

 

…A massive and ferocious ancient creature that even Ice Dragons are reluctant to face when it reaches maturity.

 

The Centipede before their eyes right now is the child of such a Monster.

 

And.

 

[Kyaaaa-ooooooooo!]

 

Frozen Horrors are famous for having terrifyingly deep maternal love.

 

How deep, you ask?

 

Thud—thudthudthudthudthudthudthud!

 

Deep enough to come running at full speed from dozens of kilometers away upon hearing the cries of its suffering child.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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