How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Isolation

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

When I suddenly stopped walking, the group turned to look at . Forcing an awkward smile, I resud moving.

But my smile faded almost imdiately, my expression hardening.

‘The Blyer family and the Etor Alliance attacked Dominic?’

I furrowed my brows as I quickly reviewed the original story.

‘There was no ntion of those two families intervening during Dominic’s retreat.’

An event that wasn’t supposed to happen had just unfolded.

Since my interference had altered the flow of the story, I had always kept in mind the possibility of new events arising.

It wasn’t surprising that the Etor Alliance, led by Viscount Tomzael, would take an interest, considering his obsessive greed for mana stones. Raiding the chira forces could fall within the realm of possibility.

But—

‘Blyer would never.’

Kal Blazer, the Mad Butcher, is a protagonist who has regressed.

He would know full well that mobilizing his army now would only drag him into a ssy quagmire. Yet, he had moved alongside the Etor Alliance.

‘Kal’s army isn’t supposed to move until Dominic acquires the Hundred Hearts and confronts Beneta.’

Until then, he was supposed to remain quiet, biding his ti before revealing his ambitions of conquest. And yet, here he was, stepping directly into the fray.

‘Kal must have instigated Viscount Tomzael.’

There was no other explanation for Etor’s sudden involvent. Tomzael, a seasoned and shrewd noble, wouldn’t act without purpose.

‘And he’s not the type to take losses, either.’

There had to be a hidden agenda.

Kal’s unexpected move was entirely out of my predictions.

What could have caused this change in the protagonist’s behavior?

‘What is he after?’

The Mad Butcher’s erratic actions filled my mind with questions.

But I didn’t have the luxury of pondering them for long—because it seed we had a more imdiate problem.

“My lord, my lord!”

“Huh? What’s with those dwarves?”

“They’re part of my brigade—the ones overseeing the rescue.”

A group of dwarves appeared from the tunnel that led outside. They spotted Dorneth and hurried over to him.

“My lord! We’re in trouble!”

The dwarves, who had been assigned to escort the captives out of the laboratory, looked pale as they rushed to report. Their squad leader, in particular, looked like he had seen a ghost.

“The rescue operation was in its final stages, and you said you were clearing a path through the forest, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but—!”

“Calm down and speak slowly.”

“We… we’ve been surrounded.”

“What? Surrounded? By whom?”

“It seems the master of this place has returned!”

Dominic’s chira army.

The casual expression on Dorneth’s face hardened instantly.

Fenry clicked her tongue in annoyance, and I let out a low groan as I ca to a stop.

‘What impeccable timing.’

If we had just half a day more, we could have prepared adequately for Dominic’s arrival. But now, everything had spiraled into chaos.

I turned to the squad leader, grasping at straws.

“How many chiras are there?”

“Who is this human…?”

“Just answer the question,” Dorneth said, gesturing for the dwarf to comply.

The squad leader nodded quickly.

“I don’t know the exact number. But we sent scouts into the forest in three different directions, and none of them returned.”

“None of them?”

“Yes. Each scouting party had ten mbers, and we sent them out twice. Not a single one ca back.”

Damn it.

It seed clear that we were surrounded.

The forest around the cliffs was vast. Given that each scouting party included at least one knight-level dwarf, the number of chiras must easily be in the hundreds—if not thousands.

‘At least several thousand.’

If we entered the forest now, we’d be walking straight into Dominic’s hands.

I turned to Dorneth, suspicion gnawing at .

“You said a large allied army attacked Dominic’s chira forces, didn’t you?”

“They did. There was a massive battle, and both sides suffered significant losses.”

“Then shouldn’t the number of chiras have decreased significantly?”

“I don’t know the exact outco of the battle. We focused entirely on our escape.”

The Blyer family and the Etor Alliance.

Two of Tobaron’s three great powers had joined forces, so there was no way they would have been easily defeated. And yet, the chiras still numbered this many?

‘Kal wouldn’t fight a battle he couldn’t win.’

His intellect was so sharp that it made him impossible to predict.

What the hell was he plotting?

There was no point in speculating further. I needed to see the situation outside for myself to make an accurate judgnt.

“We need to move now.”

I took the lead, running ahead. The others quickly followed.

I hadn’t waited for anyone’s input, but Dorneth and Fenry imdiately reacted to my suggestion.

To Dorneth, I was Sharbadin’s savior. To Fenry, I was the Marked of Life.

Was that why?

Before I realized it, I had beco the de facto leader of this party.

“Hey, you!”

“Why do you keep calling —what… what is it?”

Perhaps sensing the shift in authority, the squad leader quickly adjusted his tone under Dorneth’s stern glare.

“I need more details about what’s happening outside.”

“Well….”

The situation was explained succinctly.

The rescued captives numbered about four thousand. They were currently stuck near the cliffs, unable to leave the area.

‘If Natone, the captain of the royal guard, returns with the remaining rescue forces…’

Dorneth’s army and the rescued captives combined would total around seven thousand.

That number might be comparable to Dominic’s chira army.

‘This is going to be tricky.’

The problem was a lack of combat power.

More than half of the seven thousand were non-combatants. In fact, it would be a blessing if they didn’t actively hinder us.

And we were surrounded.

The situation was dire.

As the mood grew heavier, Sharbadin reached out and tightly grasped Dorneth’s hand.

“Will we be okay, Dorneth?”

Dorneth gave her a reassuring smile before turning to with a more serious expression.

“Do you have a plan?”

“You’re asking for a plan?”

“The sly cat over there said listening to you wouldn’t be a waste of ti.”

At the ntion of the “sly cat,” Fenry smirked and curled her lips.

“A dwarf asking a human for advice? Has Sharbadin made you go soft?”

“Are you picking a fight? Do you not want your paynt?”

“Wow, calling nas now, huh? Typical miserly dwarf.”

“Gold-crazed elf.”

Even as we ran, the two of them bickered back and forth.

A sly cat and a dwarf.

Judging by their banter and familiarity, they’d clearly known each other for a long ti.

It was like watching mismatched friends.

I shrugged and replied, “We’ll try to break through at the right mont.”

“A breakthrough? That’s fine for us. But most of the captives will die.”

He must have been concerned about the many non-human captives among the rescued. For a ruler often seen as simple and hot-tempered, Dorneth did have so sense of responsibility.

“Timing is everything.”

“Timing?”

“There will definitely be an opening. The problem is that the window will be incredibly short.”

“An opening? What are you talking about?”

“The thing at the altar.”

“You an the growing lump?”

I nodded, thinking about the crimson growth.

Even now, it was surely continuing to expand.

The answer lay with that thing.

If Dominic realized that the crimson growth was the source of Arena Huaton’s power—sothing he had long coveted—then he would ignore us entirely.

He would focus all his efforts on securing it, and that mont would be crucial.

Move too early, and we’d be attacked by the chiras in the forest. Move too late, and we’d be trapped at the entrance, surrounded from both sides.

‘Even imagining it is horrifying.’

To avoid annihilation, we would need to exploit that fleeting golden mont. The problem was that I had no way of knowing when that mont would co.

‘If I don’t know, I’ll just have to create it.’

Waiting would be the worst option. If necessary, I would provoke Dominic into making the first move.

As I was mulling this over—

“We’re at the entrance!”

A bright light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

We had arrived at one of the exits leading out of the laboratory.

The wide gap ford by the cliffs opened up before us, revealing the lush forest beyond. At the edge of the gap, a vast clearing stretched out, but it was already crowded with people.

The noise of the gathered crowd filled the clearing.

Dwarven knights were blocking the exit, standing off against a group of humans. The atmosphere was incredibly tense.

“Why the hell are you blocking the exit?!”

“Leaving now is dangerous, human.”

“We’re right at the edge of the forest! What are you waiting for? What if the monsters co back?!”

“The scouts haven’t returned. We need to wait—”

“Move aside! We’ll take care of ourselves from here!”

Among the rescued humans, so were arguing with the dwarves at the entrance.

I looked at the captives. Most seed to be moving around without issue—likely because the effects of the bodily fluids used on them had worn off.

‘It’s like a marketplace in chaos.’

As always, when people gather in large numbers, trouble is bound to arise.

While the non-humans quietly followed the dwarves’ instructions, the humans were loudly voicing their dissatisfaction.

They distrusted the dwarves, refusing to heed their warnings about the danger outside.

“Humans never know gratitude, even when they’re saved. This is why I hate humans,” Dorneth growled as he began to step forward.

I quickly stopped him.

“I’ll handle this.”

“Are you taking their side because you’re also human?”

“Not at all.”

Take their side? No chance.

In the chaos of the upcoming battle, these uncontrollable fools would be like ticking ti bombs. There was no ti to individually persuade every single person here.

The window for escape—the golden mont—would be fleeting. Missing it would an being overrun from all sides.

I wasn’t a villain or a hero.

I was just a human who valued his own life.

If they couldn’t be controlled, then they could at least be used.

I gestured for the squad leader to follow as I stepped forward to the dwarves blocking the exit.

When the squad leader joined , the dwarves lowered their weapons and stepped aside.

Standing before the now-open path, I addressed the crowd.

“The way is clear.”

“Who are you?”

“I was sent by your lord.”

I glanced at the squad leader, who gave a slight nod in confirmation.

At his approval, the dwarves cleared the path without hesitation. Beyond the gap, the vast forest stretched out before us.

The humans surged forward, about five hundred of them, pressing toward the forest. But as they neared the exit, many hesitated, their expressions wavering.

“The path is open. Why aren’t you leaving?”

“Why did they listen to you?”

By now, the crowd’s attention had shifted entirely to .

It made sense—they were curious about the person who had gotten the dwarves to move with just a few words.

“I’m a rcenary.”

“A rcenary? Then you’re on our side! Which guild are you from?”

“Al. C-rank rcenary.”

I showed them my C-rank rcenary badge. So of the larger n sneered, their faces hardening as they stepped forward.

They were rcenaries too, clearly banding together as a group among the captives.

Were these the ones stirring up trouble?

“What did you tell the dwarves?”

“I inford them about the situation inside.”

At the ntion of the laboratory, the rcenaries’ faces twisted. Having experienced that hell, their reactions were understandable.

“What situation?”

“A red monster has erged from the altar. The dwarves are struggling to hold it back. It might break through to this area at any mont.”

“B-break through? What kind of monster is it?”

“No matter how much you kill it, it keeps coming back. It claims to hold the Heart of the Immortal.”

“The Heart of the Immortal?”

The news about the red monster spread quickly among the rcenaries and beyond.

The crowd grew even more restless as whispers of the monster circulated.

I gave them a choice.

“We’re about to fortify this area and prepare to fight the red monster. What will you do?”