Chapter 374: Secrets and Surprises
Chapter 374: Secrets and Surprises
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Anfey took a step forward and grabbed Shinbella, but it was too late. The two of them had already startled the zombies on the outskirts of the village. Those zombies warned the zombies in the village, and a large group soon emerged from the village.
Anfey and Shinbella both sighed. They didn’t know each other very well and could not cooperate as smoothly.
"Should we signal the others?" Ozzic asked.
Anfey squinted and observed the zombies. Then he shook his head and said, "No need. These are the most basic zombies. We can take care of them."
Anfey drew his sword and waved his hand. The mercenaries around him all grinned and drew their own weapons. They were very eager to kill some zombies and reclaim their land.
Anfey stopped trying to repress the elements’ flow and the sword suddenly grew longer in size and the edge became fuzzy with fire elements. The air around the sword shimmered due to the intense temperature.
Anfey lunged towards the zombies, holding the sword out in front of him. He spun the sword in his hand, turning it into a wheel of flame. The sword sheared through the zombies in its path like a hot knife through butter.
The sword did not slow Anfey down at all. He found that he had already dashed through at least two dozen zombies, leaving charred bodies in his wake. He skidded to a stop and turn to see where the mercenaries were. After he made sure the mercenaries were having no trouble with the zombies, he turned to look for his next target. A zombie jumped at him but he slashed at it with his sword and it disappeared.
Entos taught Anfey that all magical artifacts have expiration dates. The important thing wasn’t conserving energy. Instead, it was using a limited amount of magic to achieve the maximum effect and prevent mistakes. Anfey had to practice teleportation with every chance he got. Like Jacob said, during an actual War against the Dead, even people like Saul and Jacob could not be certain about their survival. Someone like Anfey would stand no chance in the war. He had to practice in case one day his life was on the line.
Anfey swept the sword around himself and cut through the zombies that were swarming towards him. The sword’s reach was limited and Anfey knew that he must use proper stances to achieve maximum effect.
This was the first time Anfey depended on magic during a fight. In the past, he did not know how to form a powerful weapon and relied on other things to make up for his weapon’s lack of power.
The zombies all swarmed towards Anfey because they knew that once they killed him, they could easily kill the rest of the mercenaries. However, simple zombies stood no chance against a sword made of fire elements. The mercenaries soon found themselves without foes, as all the zombies turned their attention to Anfey.
Anfey killed the last zombie and returned to the sword to its sheath. He rolled his wrists as he look around, searching for stray zombies that might have escaped. The mercenaries looked around and Shinbella found a small zombie running away from the village. She dashed towards it and slew it.
"Is that the last one?" Anfey asked as Shinbella walked back, shaking blood off of her sword.
"As far as I can tell," Shinbella said, nodding. "That was impressive."
"Thanks," Anfey said.
"Who are they?" Ozzic suddenly asked, frowning and pointing towards the village. About half a dozen people in brown garb were walking over.
"Are those mercenaries?" Anfey asked.
"No," Shinbella said, narrowing her eyes. "Druids."
"Druids? Aren’t they all in Blackwater?"
"That’s the direction Shield of Light legion went, isn’t it?" Orsie asked quietly.
Anfey turned to Long and lifted a brow. Long looked at those men and sighed. "They must be working for Manstuly," he said.
"The Wolf King?" Anfey asked, shocked.
Long nodded. "We can’t be seen by them," he said.
"It’s a long story and not a tale for now," Ling told Anfey as she grabbed Long’s arm and drew him toward the back. "We will speak of it later."
Anfey nodded and turned to observe the druids. He knew that there were druids in Country of Mercenaries, but he thought that they were all trapped in Blackwater City by the necromancers. Did Tiger of Tawau mercenary group finally begin their counterattack? Or was it because they had urgent messages that needed to be delivered?
The druids saw them and quickened their pace. The leader walked up and asked, "Which one of you is Lord Anfey?"
"I am," Anfey said, surprised that the druids were asking for him. "You are…?"
"We are Lord Manstuly’s men," the leader of the druids said with a small bow. "We have urgent news."
"Where did you come from?" Anfey asked.
"Blackwater City."
"I thought that city’s surrounded," Anfey said. "How did you get out? Was there a counterattack we didn’t hear about?"
"No, there wasn’t," the druid said, shaking his head. "I wish there was. We are not strong enough for that. We snuck out of the city."
"You snuck out? What news is urgent enough to risk your lives like this?"
"We were scouts," the druid said. "But we discovered something major during one of our runs. The necromancers cut off our way back into the city, and the only thing we could do was to head south.
"On the way, we were surrounded by necromancers in Transverse Mountains. Lost half of my men there. If it wasn’t for Lady Suzanna, we won’t be standing here! She saved our lives and instructed us to head towards Moramatch to look for you, my lord."
"What is the secret?" Anfey asked, curious. "It must be important if the necromancers would spend so much manpower hunting you down."
The druid looked around hesitantly. "We must speak of this alone," he said.
"I trust everyone here."
"This is too important," the druid said. "It’s better if we speak alone."
Anfey nodded. He ordered the mercenaries to stay put. The druid ordered his men to stay with the mercenaries as well.
"It is a very complicated thing," the druid said once they were out of earshot. "The necromancers are trying to protect it. If it wasn’t for Lady Suzanna, there is no way we could deliver this news. This could be vital to ending the war."
"Why didn’t Suzanna come back with you?"
"We discovered the necromancers’ secret. She wanted to investigate," the druid said. "They were…" Before he could say anything more, his eyes widened and his arms flailed.
"You alright?" Anfey asked, grabbing the druid. The man stared at Anfey with wide eyes, then he became limp and fell to the ground, dead.
The other druids saw this and all dashed towards them. The mercenaries followed. The druid’s death was so sudden it seemed like Anfey was the one that killed him.
"What happened?" Anfey asked the druids.
"He was injured during a battle," one of the druids said, shaking her head. "He said he would heal himself, but it seems like he never did. Did he give you the secret?"
"No," Anfey said. "It got to him just before he could finish. Do you know what it is?"
"No," the druid said with a sigh. "He was the only one who knew."
"He said Suzanna was investigating what he discovered," Anfey said. "He must have told her. Where is she now?"
"That we know," the druid said. "Come with us, my lord. We will take you to her."