I’m Hunting My Enemy - Chapter 12

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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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12. Ghost of the Swamp (2)

“There are set paths to enter the swamp.”

Glem drew rough sketches on the ground with his sword tip.

“The swampland looks vast, but there aren’t many parts with proper ground. Most of it is all water.”

“Do we have to avoid all those puddles to get to the center of the swamp?”

“That’s right.”

“Having many people wouldn’t be much of an advantage either, Miss. It’s so narrow here. We’d be finished the moment we’re ambushed.”

“There isn’t much land suitable for ambushes either. Unless they use bows or guns.”

“It’s like a snake.”

Ryuie also touched the ground in the same way. Of course, unlike Glem, she didn’t carelessly handle her precious gun but used a different tree branch instead.

“Winding through the grass in twists and turns.”

“There are no snakes living here.”

Glem replied bluntly.

“But there are many types of monsters instead. When you reach the swamp, there will be places solid enough to step on, but that’s exactly why monsters inhabit those areas too. They target careless people.”

“That’s no problem.”

Ryuie looked rather pleased instead.

“I should take the lead.”

“That’s exactly why I’m explaining all this in detail right now.”

Glem casually bent his knees and sat down. He struck his pathetic ground drawing with his scabbard like hammering stakes.

“I’ll be at the very front. Just put a few useful knights behind me.”

“I’m the most useful one here.”

“Useful knights!”

Glem shouted while completely ignoring Ryuie. Ryuie also stood up while equally ignoring Glem. Then she charged straight toward the swamp.

‘This is really driving me crazy.’

Getting angry at himself for not being able to just let it slide, Glem grabbed his scabbard and swung it.

Thwack!

“Ow?”

Ryuie’s eyebrows shot up as her ankle got hit. Glem said curtly.

“The ground!”

Ryuie, who ended up with one leg folded like a flamingo, looked down.

When Glem triumphantly swept away the long grass with his hand, a bubbling black puddle appeared.

Ryuie, who still had one leg resting on Glem’s scabbard, stomped down hard on that spot with her other foot. This caused Glem’s center of gravity to shift forward abruptly, and he ended up face-first in the mud.

“Pfft!”

“Ahaha, how stupid!”

“This is really!”

Glem, who almost reflexively grabbed Ryuie’s ankle, trembled and stopped. Ryuie was extending her calf slightly with an utterly excited expression.

That expression would definitely trigger the engagement vow even without any ill intent on Glem’s part.

‘I’m really going insane.’

With a thoroughly crumpled face, Glem pulled his hand away.

“Do you really have to test me like that?”

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“Fine. I won’t turn back even if you don’t follow me now.”

Glem finally gave up on persuading Ryuie and stepped boldly into the swamp. Naturally, Ryuie quickly followed and traced his footsteps. The rest of the party did the same.

“Wait a moment, Miss! What about me!”

“You follow from behind.”

“Even if you want to go together, there’s a limit. It’s dangerous.”

Mos, who was trying to follow urgently, got pushed way back in the order.

Ryuie had her gun and all the knights and mages were chasing after her just to protect her, so what did position matter? But Mos’s situation was different. He couldn’t fight at all.

Only Mos, who stood at the very end until all of Ryuie’s party entered, followed with a tearful expression.

The swamp was a complete maze where front, back, and sides couldn’t be distinguished due to the tall grass.

It was impossible to understand how Glem could step accurately only on solid ground without getting his feet stuck in mud even once.

Rather, the people following had already made mistakes several times, stepping on other places and getting their toes wet.

‘Is it some kind of magic?’

Since he already possessed a holy relic, she wouldn’t be too surprised if he had one more magical tool. But as they got closer to the swamp, Glem spoke less and less until he finally stopped talking altogether.

If she hadn’t gotten him muddy outside earlier, she might not have recognized him as the same person.

Ryuie looked at the very faint mud stain remaining on Glem’s cheek.

‘I thought he was a mercenary who didn’t know much about me, but earlier he stopped his actions at almost the same speed as people from the capital.’

There were plenty of people who knew intellectually but forgot they shouldn’t touch Ryuie when excited, only to get burned. Whether Glem’s reflexes were that good, or…

‘Is he fearless?’

Ryuie looked at the back of Glem’s head with interest, letting her imagination run wild. With such a wild appearance, there probably wasn’t a person who wouldn’t fall for him if he seriously tried to seduce married women, which made her even more curious.

He surely had stories he couldn’t tell others. She wanted to hear them.

“This is the place.”

Glem stopped without having any idea what Ryuie was imagining.

The Black Marsh they arrived at was almost as large as a lake.

Ryuie’s party approached with murmurs.

“It really looks eerie enough for ghosts to appear.”

“What is that thing?”

“How did it get stuck like that?”

Ryuie muttered.

A carriage stuck upside down was visible in the center of the swamp.

When a carriage that took the wrong path normally sinks, it goes sideways with the wheels submerged in the swamp. But that one was tilted diagonally as if someone had stuck it upside down, with the rear wheels raised toward the sky.

As if a giant had picked up the carriage and slammed it down.

The broken rear wheel of the carriage creaked and moved slowly when the wind blew.

“The wheel is turning.”

“What did you say, Miss?”

“Wait! Look over there!”

A shadow appeared above the carriage where there had definitely been nothing.

The translucent shadow gradually took solid form and transformed into the shape of an adult man.

Ryuie’s eyes, accustomed to sniping, accurately identified the target.

Black hair and green eyes.

A beautiful nobleman of noble birth looked back at Ryuie’s party with sad eyes.

Ryuie’s throat constricted for a moment.

“Joshua?”

“Fall back!”

Whoosh!

Massive tentacles shot up from the swamp.

Glem, who had been watching the swamp rather than the carriage, moved one step faster.

Slash!

A blade that arrived at the perfect timing grazed and cut the tentacle.

The tentacles that emerged from the swamp were almost as thick as trees and extremely aggressive.

Purple tentacles covered in thorns swung wildly toward the nearby humans.

The knights also immediately drew their weapons and rushed out. Glem warned.

“Don’t clash with them! They’ll steal your weapons!”

“Oh!”

“Be careful!”

The tentacles wrapped around spears and swords as if they had intelligence, stealing them away. It was grotesque enough to snap Ryuie, who had been captivated by Joshua’s apparition, back to her senses.

“So that’s how it works!”

Ryuie, realizing how the carriage had been slammed down, exclaimed in admiration and then jumped backward to avoid a tentacle trying to coil around her.

“Catsy!”

“Yes!”

Catsy, who was already running, nimbly threw the gun.

Ryuie leisurely caught the gun as if she had calculated the time it would take to arrive even while watching.

It took less than a second for the pre-loaded gun to fire.

Bang!

The tentacle, which had only been dealing with close-range weapons, trembled as if confused.

Disgusting foam burst out from the tentacle hit by the bullet.

“!”

“You fool, that won’t even come close!”

Glem shouted.

Far from falling, the tentacles instead swarmed toward Ryuie.

Glem and the knights all rushed in, blocking the way one after another like human shields. Catsy dodged the tentacles and people with unbelievable agility, delivering guns. Thanks to this, Ryuie could focus solely on shooting without wavering.

Bang! Bang bang!

Even though she was shooting while using everyone as bait, the tentacles’ momentum didn’t subside.

Joshua’s phantom also remained floating without disappearing.

As if he was controlling the tentacles.

‘How annoying.’

Ryuie, who had frowned, suddenly lowered her gun barrel.

She aimed not at the tentacles but at Joshua’s phantom.

“What are you doing!”

Whoosh!

The bullet missed and grazed the carriage ceiling instead of the phantom, but that was enough.

The giant tentacles, writhing as if their heart had been pierced, instantly crawled back into the swamp.

As if trying to protect the carriage.

When all the tentacles that had emerged disappeared, Joshua’s phantom vanished along with them.

“…Haa.”

Ryuie lowered her arms. Catsy and Bendam ran over, jumping over the empty guns scattered on the ground.

“Miss! Are you hurt anywhere!”

“I’m fine.”

“Is everyone safe?”

Fortunately, no humans had been captured by the tentacles. When she fired the gun, their attention was drawn and most tentacles went wild, targeting only Ryuie.

Ryuie, who had never done such a thing for the safety of her companions before, fell deep into thought.

“It really was Joshua’s face.”

“Pardon?”

“He looked exactly as he would have grown up, without any changes.”

Exactly like the appearance she had seen in her dream.

Honestly, she thought it would be a little different, but could a dream create an adult Joshua so accurately?

Or perhaps whoever created Joshua’s phantom here had made her dream of him.

Ryuie’s expression became unusually serious.

The others were busy making a big fuss.

“Yes, I saw it too! He looked exactly like the portrait! What on earth is going on?”

“Even if you say it’s a ghost that looks exactly like the Crown Prince, it’s just more creepy, you know?”

Catsy grumbled.

“Miss, is His Highness the Crown Prince really dead? Was that a ghost?”

“The Miss said he wasn’t dead. Perhaps His Highness is captured somewhere, or a monster stole his appearance, or is controlling him. We need to rescue him.”

“What’s at the bottom of that swamp?”

Ryuie asked Glem.

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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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