Chapter 66 : The Mercenary Camp

The moonlight was swallowed by drifting clouds.

A small, cloaked figure moved quietly through the dense forest, the black fabric of her mantle shimmering faintly with strange, shifting light.

Overhead, a black raven circled, its harsh, grating cry echoing in the night.

“That’s right—this way,” it croaked.

Li Wen said nothing.

They had been walking like this for a while now.

Marsha had explained that she didn’t want to frighten people, so she had taken the form of a raven.

But as far as Li Wen was concerned, a talking raven was hardly less frightening than an old witch—especially when that raven was, in fact, a ghostly fairy.

And such creatures were never the type to care about human feelings.

For reasons Li Wen could not guess, the ghost fairy Marsha had insisted on helping her find the band of mercenaries.

All fairies were born with a command of fairy magic, but ghost fairies were among the most powerful of their kind.

With “Granny” Marsha’s help, Li Wen’s task would be much easier.

“You don’t look like the charitable type,” the ghost fairy remarked.

“Neither do you,” Li Wen shot back without missing a beat.

The raven let out a rattling, unsettling caw that served as an unspoken agreement.

“They’re just ahead,” Marsha said.

Li Wen didn’t need the warning—she could already see the flicker of firelight in the distance.

The mercenaries had built a semi-permanent camp here in the forest, a place that kept them hidden from the eyes of town guards and the private armies of local lords.

Her magic reserves were running low.

She hadn’t meditated since her fight with the demon.

After securing Marsha’s consent, Li Wen reached into the fairy’s treasure pouch and drew out a small bottle of pale green, crystal-clear liquid—a Clarity Potion.

It sharpened the mind and steadied the thoughts, often used to recover magic in emergencies.

Multiple doses could cause headaches, thirst, or even unconsciousness.

Though not rare, its effects were modest at best.

Still, nearly every potion in Marsha’s bag had been brewed by the ghost fairy herself, making its quality unmatched.

Li Wen downed the potion and immediately sat cross-legged, closing her eyes in meditation.

An hour later, with more than half her magic restored, she opened her eyes.

She gazed toward the brightly lit camp, her figure melting into the shadows of the night.

***

A burly, bearded man stood watch in a crude wooden lookout tower.

The mercenary company had scored big today—how much, he didn’t know, but the captain had ordered an all-out celebration of meat and drink.

Unfortunately, the bearded man had been pulled from the feast halfway through to stand guard.

The cold night wind made him shiver.

He was just wondering whether to fetch a jug of wine to warm himself when a sudden chill gripped his throat.

Darkness claimed him before he could even cry out.

His body tumbled from the tower.

Below, Li Wen lowered her bow.

The bow and arrows were purchased in Black Sand Town—an insurance policy for when her magic ran dry.

In her past life, after crossing into this world, she had learned to hunt.

She was no master, but shooting a stationary target in the dark was still well within her skill.

The camp held perhaps dozens—maybe over a hundred—mercenaries.

Killing them one by one with spells was impossible unless she used a wide-range incantation like Paradise’s Hymn, and that would drain her completely.

She had originally planned to rely on her Shadow Reversal ability to slip in and assassinate them silently, but it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.

The fallen sentry hadn’t even drawn attention.

Clearly, this was not a disciplined band.

Li Wen strode into the camp.

The place was a mess—drunken men sprawled among armor, barrels, and half-eaten meat.

The stench was indescribable.

“You… who are you?” slurred a half-conscious man who had noticed her.

“Your death,” she said flatly, swinging her bone blade to end him.

She moved deeper into the camp, cutting down every mercenary she encountered.

Like a reaper in black, her bone-white blade turned crimson, and blood pooled in the dirt.

The noise soon roused the others.

They stared at her in horror, unsure if this was a nightmare or reality, before screaming for help and scattering.

Li Wen would allow no escape.

She unleashed Paradise’s Hymn.

The witch’s song reached every ear within range.

Mercenaries froze mid-step before their bodies split apart, collapsing into heaps of flesh.

This was the Fool’s Benediction at work.

Against ordinary men, they could not even take a single step before death.

Those outside the ability’s range were struck dumb by the carnage.

Many collapsed to their knees—some praying, others begging her for mercy.

By now, over fifty men were awake.

The rest were already dead, either slain in their sleep or torn apart by the Benediction.

Not all of the survivors had seen her magic firsthand—some were simply mimicking the actions of those who had.

“Who is your leader?”

Li Wen asked coldly.

The only answer was a crossbow bolt.

Fired from a cunning angle, it slipped through the gaps between men and struck her—only to bounce harmlessly off her Star-emerald Cloak.

She merely took a step back from the force.

With a flick of her hand, she cast a Dark Word Curse, killing the would-be assassin instantly.

“Demon!” someone screamed.

Demon?

The word felt almost ironic to Li Wen.

Surely it was these butchers of innocents who deserved such a name.

“I’ll ask again,” she said.

“Who is your leader?”

Silence.

Her brows drew together.

So these cowards had steel in their spines after all—or perhaps no one here was willing to betray their captain.

She raised her hand, ready to sing Paradise’s Hymn again.

“W-wait!”

A bald man stepped forward, trembling.

“You’re the leader?” she asked.

“N-no…”

He swallowed hard.

“The captain… he’s already dead…”

Li Wen glanced in the direction he indicated.

It was the man who had fired the hand crossbow at her.

No wonder he’d dared.

It didn’t matter—she didn’t need a leader to get answers.

“I ask, you answer. Did you slaughter an entire village today?”

The bald man’s face went deathly pale.

“N-no… it… it was all the captain’s orders…”

She ignored the excuse.

“You took the bodies with you. Why?”

“I don’t know… it was some deal the captain made…”

“A deal? With whom?”

The man froze, lips trembling.

He said nothing.

Li Wen’s magic gathered at her fingertips, channeling into the Codex of the End.

Power shimmered so brightly it seemed almost solid.

The bald man didn’t know what would happen, but terror broke him.

“Sir Wilson! It was Sir Wilson!” he cried, groveling on the ground.