How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 196

Chapter 196 – The Path to Growth

“Huh…? A portal??”

“You know about Spatial Portals?”

“Wow, is this really that portal?”

Karl, who had been lying in despair just monts ago, suddenly sprang to his feet. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he approached the portal, thoroughly fascinated.

As he examined it with interest, he asked,

“This is Samuel Barber’s ability, right? The rcenary courier famous for his deliveries…”

“You know Samuel?”

“When I was being hunted by Crux, I once considered Hell Gri as a hideout. I heard that if I went through Samuel, I could bypass the Ordor Forest entirely and travel straight to Hell Gri.”

“So, have you t him before?”

“No. I contacted the Black Market to request an interdiary service, but when I received the list of items required for the delivery fee, I gave up imdiately. There was no way I could obtain those things.”

Karl cautiously reached toward the portal, extending his hand into the blue ring of light. His fingers passed through effortlessly. Seeing his hand erge from the other side, he blinked in surprise and turned to .

“This is a portal? I just walked right through it.”

“It hasn’t been activated yet. You need to wait until it turns red.”

“When will that happen?”

“Samuel said he would send a signal once he establishes the connection on the other side. We just have to wait for it.”

“The other side…?”

“Elletor Fortress.”

A Spatial Portal was a complex process that compressed the distance between the departure and arrival points to just a single step.

It wasn’t as simple as drawing a circle in the air like in a Marvel movie and teleporting anywhere at will.

“If it were that easy, Samuel wouldn’t be a rcenary—he’d be the greatest thief in history.”

There were nurous restrictions on portal creation, and the connection between departure and destination required extensive preparation.

Samuel had to physically reach Elletor Fortress and establish the portal there before we could use the one in front of us.

After hearing my explanation, Karl furrowed his brows.

“So, we have to wait a few days?”

“The portal will open by today.”

“What? But when did he even leave?”

“Last night.”

“Last night? Then it hasn’t even been a full day! Unless he flew like the wind, it’s impossible. Do you have any idea how vast the Ghost Forest is?”

“He’ll make it.”

“…Wait, don’t tell he actually flew?”

“Sothing similar, but not quite. He was dragged underground.”

Karl shot a look that practically scread, What the hell are you talking about?

But this was sothing he’d only understand if he experienced it himself.

‘Elder deia said she could send Samuel straight past the forest in one go. By now, he’s probably already out.’

The mont my Sacred Power proved effective against the Curse of the Rift, my relationship with Samuel shifted drastically.

He no longer called “boy.” Instead, it was “Great and Honorable Boy.” And when I corrected him, it beca “Great and Honorable Alex.”

Now, standing in an absolute position of power, I had the first right to use the Spatial Portal.

In exchange for connecting the portal to Elletor Fortress, I agreed to enchant the remaining Twilight Leaf Tea with Sacred Power.

Samuel originally claid he needed a week to prepare.

But thanks to Elder deia’s intervention, that week was reduced to a single day.

‘I never expected them to ask to assign Natasha as Lily’s guardian.’

With the giant Natasha joining us, the situation had changed.

In a scenario where predicting the Slaughterer’s next move was already difficult, securing Ordor’s assistance was sothing I should have been begging for.

Yet, the Elders were the ones who bowed first.

I concealed my emotions, feigned reluctance, and set two conditions before accepting.

“Elder deia, you said you could send Samuel to Elletor Fortress within half a day, at most a full day, correct?”

Elder deia’s power revolved around the earth.

As long as the ground was connected, she could send a person anywhere in an instant.

The problem was… the process.

‘He basically has to beco a mole.’

I knew all too well how dreadful it was to eat dirt.

I had the unfortunate experience of tasting soil firsthand when I was dragged underground with Keros.

Samuel initially refused, arguing that a gentleman couldn’t possibly allow his clothes to be dirtied.

But I could still hear the echo of his final monts before he was pulled under.

[“Aaaaaaah! Noooooo!”]

His desperate scream still lingered in my ears.

“…He’ll be fine, right?”

Even if his personality was eccentric, he was still a responsible man.

I trusted that the portal would be ready soon.

As I recalled the tasks that needed to be done before the portal turned red, I called for Heinz.

“You called for ?”

“How much food do we have left?”

“If nothing unexpected happens, it should last about three days.”

“Take out all of it. We’re going to use it all in one al.”

“…Excuse ? All of it?”

“There are limitations on what can pass through the portal, so we have to leave the food behind. Besides, everyone’s been starving for a day. Make sure they eat well—no, stuff them until they can’t eat anymore.”

“But once we arrive at our new location, we’ll need food to survive…”

As expected of a leader, Heinz was already considering the food supply for when we moved.

I really picked the right guy for the job.

But for now, he didn’t need to worry.

I had already secured provisions through Black Rose—storing a stockpile of supplies at Elletor Fortress.

I didn’t raid Blyer’s food storage for nothing.

“The food situation is already taken care of. You won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“…Ah…”

“Elletor Fortress is where our history begins.”

“…As expected, you are truly remarkable.”

The old man’s eyes burned with admiration as he looked at .

This level of blind faith is a bit much…

If I told him a rock was gold, he might actually believe .

A short while later, the entire Witch’s Garden bustled with activity.

Smoke billowed from massive cauldrons, and when news spread that food was being distributed without limit, the people erupted in cheers as they eagerly devoured their als.

A feast following a dreamlike slumber.

For the first ti in a while, everyone’s faces were filled with ease.

“Alright, everyone, bring your bowls and gather around!”

As the al continued, I tapped a tal bowl to gather my companions.

Lochter, Karl, and the rest—ten of us in total.

With steaming bowls in their hands, they ford a circle around .

Looking around at each of them, I finally spoke.

"As you can see, we’re all safe."

"I figured. The fact that everyone’s still breathing ans things went well with the witches, right?"

"Yes. The negotiations went smoothly."

"What exactly happened?"

"Eat while I explain."

I briefly summarized everything—the first eting with Elder deia, the events in the Witch’s Forest, the alliance we had ford, and what lay ahead.

The group let out quiet sighs as they listened.

They weren’t sighs of exhaustion, but relief.

There would be no more threats to their lives in this forest.

They were confident in fighting with swords, but witches’ magic was sothing they had no ans to counter.

It was unsettling.

Lochter felt the sa way.

Even as a Five-Star, he had been rendered completely powerless.

"What exactly happened to us?"

"I want to know that too. My instincts didn’t pick up on anything. This has never happened before."

"It was hypnosis. You were put under a trance from the mont you fell into unconsciousness, which is why your instincts didn’t react."

"Hypnosis?"

"The Eyes of the Deer. Anyone who looks into them falls under an enchantnt."

"Wait. Then how are we supposed to avoid that? If a similar situation happens again, we’ll be caught just like before."

"It was the location that put us at a disadvantage. In a different place, you wouldn’t fall so easily."

The Witch’s Garden was specifically designed to induce dreams.

It was a place optimized for hypnosis, strong enough to bypass even the witches’ own ntal defenses.

With the Ordor witches casting their magic, neither Lochter nor Karl stood a chance.

"So, we basically walked straight into a trap."

"Sothing like that."

"But you didn’t fall for it."

At Karl’s question, I smirked and answered,

"Because I’m special."

"...You’re insufferable."

"What can I say? It’s hard being this talented."

"You bastard."

Despite his grumbling, Karl was genuinely impressed.

I was explaining things casually while eating, but when he thought about the results I had achieved, it was astonishing.

"He negotiated alone with the Elder and the Ordor witches, convinced Samuel—who was stuck in the forest—to open a portal all the way to Elletor Fortress…"

And all of this in just a single day.

How was that even possible?

Leading ten thousand people to safety was already an incredible feat.

But in the ti they were asleep, I had also secured a safe route across the forest.

"With this level of ability…"

Karl stared at with a newfound seriousness.

A strange sense of anticipation began to build within him.

"Hey."

"What is it? Why do you look so serious?"

"Can’t you do sothing about my hair?"

"At least wipe the rice off your mouth before you speak."

"I wiped it."

"No, you can’t regrow your hair."

"…Fuck!"

So even hair loss was under divine jurisdiction.

Karl was devastated.

The atmosphere had turned ridiculous, so Lochter quickly brought things back on track.

"What do we do now?"

"First, we need to send everyone to Elletor Fortress."

"So, the portal activation is our priority. When will—"

Lochter’s words trailed off as he stared at the portal.

The blue light inside began to vibrate with a low hum.

Then, it slowly turned red.

A Spatial Portal activating before their eyes.

Since none of them had seen it before, everyone watched in silent awe.

Then—

"…Gasp!"

The red portal suddenly darkened, and a figure burst out from within.

Startled, the group jumped to their feet, instantly on guard.

The man erging from the portal looked around in confusion, clearly startled by the sudden shift in environnt.

But the mont he spotted , his eyes widened.

A familiar silhouette.

I smirked.

Karl, recognizing him imdiately, rushed toward the portal.

"Elton, you bastard!"

It was Elton, the knight who had left Wailing Hill with the cavalry.

Karl ran up to him excitedly, but Elton instinctively reacted.

He drew his dagger, taking a defensive stance.

"Who the hell—oh? Master?!"

"Take this first."

"Urgh!"

Elton collapsed face-first into the ground.

Watching from the side, I nodded in satisfaction.

This was the confirmation I had been waiting for—Samuel had successfully opened the portal to Elletor Fortress.

I had assud Elton would be there by now and told them to send him through first.

Now that he had arrived safely, we could trust the portal to transport the rest.

I called for Heinz.

"We’ll begin moving as soon as everyone finishes eating."

"I’ll make preparations imdiately."

The al was finished at a relaxed pace, and once Heinz took control, people started moving toward the red portal.

"Alright, go through one by one!"

"Form a line!"

Though many looked nervous, they followed orders and stepped through the portal in an orderly manner.

One by one, they disappeared.

So were hesitant, intimidated by the sight, but most entered without resistance.

That was thanks to Lochter.

Standing at the portal’s entrance, he personally greeted and reassured each person before they stepped through.

Having led them through countless dangers, his authority was now absolute.

As Lochter oversaw the process, I pulled Heinz aside to give additional instructions.

"Elletor has been abandoned for a long ti. More people will be arriving, so it will need repairs."

"The forest will beco noisy… Won’t the witches be angry?"

"I have their approval. Elletor Fortress is now officially ours. Don’t worry about that—just focus on gathering people who are dissatisfied with Blyer. Spread the word if necessary."

"I understand."

"For smaller matters, you can handle them at your discretion. But if sothing happens that you truly can’t manage, send soone to the Ghost Forest."

"…Excuse ?"

Heinz suddenly realized sothing.

His expression turned uncertain as he hesitantly asked,

"Wait… You’re not coming with us?"

"I have a promise to keep with the witches. I can’t leave."

"Then… what about the others?"

"Lochter and the rest will be staying in Ordor Forest for the ti being. This is necessary, which is why you must lead the fortress."

"How could…"

Heinz trailed off, exhaled deeply, then nodded.

"I will do my best. But… may I ask why?"

"You want to know why we’re staying?"

When Heinz silently affird with a nod, I hesitated.

I didn’t know much about him personally.

But I did know that he was a competent noble who had helped Lochter oppose Kal Blazer.

Our goals aligned, and I had already entrusted him with the fortress.

We were in this together now.

I decided to be honest.

"To get stronger. The witches have agreed to help us."

"What? But you’re already stronger than most—"

"That was before we got involved with Demtor."

I looked at the group and spoke in a quiet but firm voice.

"If we don’t get stronger here, we’ll all end up dead."