How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Isolation (2)

The choice was clear: fight alongside the group or leave this place imdiately.

Without hesitation, the rcenaries advocated for escaping right away.

I raised my voice as I scanned the crowd.

“If you stay with the dwarves, I guarantee your safety until we escape the forest! But you must follow their commands without question!”

“Hah! And we’re supposed to trust those non-humans?”

“They saved us, didn’t they? There’s no reason we can’t follow them.”

“It’s broad daylight now. If we’re going to run, it has to be now. Once the sun sets, we’ll be trapped here. What if more monsters show up? And what about that red monster you ntioned? Isn’t it dangerous?”

The rcenaries seized on the opportunity, using the information I had provided as a tool to incite fear and push their agenda.

The group consisted of more than just humans—there were many non-humans among us. The rcenaries planted the seed of doubt, questioning whether the dwarves would truly prioritize the safety of humans when danger arose.

“The dwarves will protect their own kind first!”

Emphasizing the distrust between races, the rcenaries began spreading their rhetoric.

Soon, the clearing was divided into two camps: those who wanted to trust the dwarves and those who insisted on escaping while they still had the chance.

To my relief, more humans seed inclined to follow the dwarves, likely because they had been rescued by them. However, there were still plenty who were swayed by the rcenaries’ argunts.

‘Those ones are a lost cause.’

I wasn’t naive enough to miss the rcenaries’ true intentions.

They weren’t trying to save anyone—they were looking for bait.

They needed non-combatants to serve as sacrifices in case they encountered the chiras.

Sticking with the rcenaries would an being the first to die in a crisis. Still, I didn’t bother trying to stop those who chose to follow them.

The rcenaries seed satisfied with the number they had rallied. About a thousand people had gathered near the exit, and a weaselly-looking rcenary, who appeared to be their leader, stepped forward to address .

Judging by his deanor, he was likely of average strength among the rcenaries. But with his silver tongue, he had quickly taken control of the group and positioned himself as their leader.

He seed like the kind of man who could survive anywhere. But this ti, he had miscalculated.

His slit-like eyes curved into a mocking smile as he looked at .

“You’ll regret staying behind.”

“We’ll see about that,” I replied calmly.

“Getting cocky because you have the dwarves backing you, huh? C-rank rcenary Al, I’ll rember your na.”

He sneered as he brushed past , leading the long procession out through the gap.

One by one, the line of people disappeared into the vast forest.

I quietly watched them go until Fenry sidled up to .

“You know their fate, don’t you? Most of them are going to die.”

“The odds are high,” I admitted.

“How does it feel to be the bad guy?”

“It was their choice to make.”

“You could have stopped so of them.”

“And risk the rcenaries getting violent? I don’t have ti to deal with that.”

“The red monster, the Heart of the Immortal—did you make all that up? It almost seed like you were sending a ssage by using them.”

“…….”

“Don’t tell … Dominic? Was sending a ssage to Dominic via those idiot rcenaries part of your plan?”

Her intuition was unnervingly sharp.

In truth, what I had done was the best way to save those who had stayed behind.

I responded with silence, which Fenry took as confirmation. She smiled slyly, pulling her pipe from her mouth and holding out her hand.

“How about we be friends?”

“Friends? Out of nowhere? What’s the criteria?”

“People who sll strongly of money. Those types tend to survive and eventually hit the jackpot.”

“Is that your intuition?”

“Call it whatever you want. So, friends or not? I’m not asking twice.”

“You’ll regret this later.”

Despite my words, I clasped her hand without hesitation.

Having a friend like her might save my life soday. Besides, I had a feeling I might need to plead for her help in the near future.

After all, I was about to do sothing that might make her want to kill .

“To celebrate our newfound friendship, may I ask you for a favor?”

“As long as the price is right.”

“…You charge your friends too?”

“I’ll give you a discount.”

Damn woman. She really was obsessed with money.

Thankfully, I had Dorneth, my personal gold mine, at my side.

“This is directly related to everyone’s safety,” I said.

“Fine. Fenry, we need your help,” Dorneth said, though his furrowed brow suggested he wasn’t thrilled about it.

Fenry wiggled her fingers playfully.

“One thousand gold.”

Dorneth let out a short sigh before nodding in agreent. Fenry grinned, flashing her teeth before vanishing into the shadows.

With her abilities, she would be able to scout the surrounding forest quickly and safely, no matter what threats lurked within.

I had asked her to check if there were any allied forces nearby.

‘I need to know if the allied forces are still in the vicinity.’

Kal’s presence was always a dangerous wild card in my plans.

If the allied forces were lying in ambush nearby and decided to make a surprise appearance…

‘The situation would spiral into utter chaos.’

I could only hope Kal wasn’t anywhere near here. Complications were the last thing I needed.

So ti passed.

Natone, the captain of the royal guard, finally returned with the last of the captives from the laboratory.

Looking over the gathered crowd in the clearing, I estimated there were now around six thousand people.

I approached Natone, who was busy coordinating the crowd.

Before he had left, I had asked him to do one thing: check on the crimson growth at the altar.

“What did you see before you left?”

“The red growth… It’s now bigger than the mimic. It keeps growing, like a massive boulder.”

It had grown even larger.

Sothing was going to erge soon, but I decided to wait for Fenry’s report before taking any action.

The sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows behind . I felt a tap on my back and turned to see Fenry yawning.

Relief mixed with resignation.

“What did you find?”

“No sign of any human army nearby.”

“And the chiras?”

“There are way more than we expected. They’re everywhere—completely surrounding us.”

Kal wasn’t here.

At least the worst-case scenario was off the table.

“Did you see Dominic?”

“That guy….”

Fenry grimaced slightly and gestured toward a specific direction.

Just then—

Flap, flap, flap―!

The sound of wings beating ca from the direction she pointed.

In the fading light of the setting sun, birds suddenly took flight above the vast forest.

It was just a simple scene, but to , it was a signal.

The direction the birds were fleeing was the sa direction the rcenaries had gone.

As if to confirm my suspicions—

“Dominic has started his hunt. More than half of them are already dead or captured,” Fenry reported matter-of-factly.

The golden mont was approaching.

I quickly gathered the remaining survivors.

The situation was escalating fast.

***

Reception Room of Etor Territory

A lavish banquet had been prepared on an ornate dining table, filled with rare and exquisite dishes.

Two people were seated at the table.

“Did you rest well?”

“Thanks to you.”

“You’re an esteed guest. I made sure everything was prepared to your liking. Please, sit.”

Viscount Tomzael, the lord of Etor Territory, raised a wine glass as he greeted the man before him.

Kal Blazer.

Though Kal was barely half Tomzael’s age, the viscount knew better than to underestimate him.

As Tomzael swirled the deep purple wine in his glass, he said, “Do you know Leschapo Blanc?”

“It’s a rare wine from the Elletor region. I’ve heard it’s one of Grand Duke Clarke’s favorites.”

“Impressive knowledge.”

“My father was fond of it.”

“I’m sorry about what happened to your father. And your brother as well.”

“It was unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate, indeed….”

Tomzael glanced at the expression of the man standing behind Kal’s chair—Lyon Martrein, Blyer’s foremost knight.

Lyon stood stoically, his face unreadable. Frustrated by his inability to gauge the knight’s emotions, Tomzael clicked his tongue softly and picked up his utensils.

Clink, clink.

The al was a heavy, tense affair.

A dozen knights from each side sat around the table, glaring at one another across the lavish spread.

The servants carrying food to the table were visibly sweating, swallowing dryly every ti they passed by the knights.

Just the day before, the armies of the two factions had suffered significant losses and retreated to Etor Territory.

It was a precarious situation, and accusations could be hurled at any mont.

In the silence, the only sounds were the faint clinking of utensils. Eventually, as dessert was served, Tomzael took a sip of wine and broke the silence.

“I’ve received reports. The losses were considerable.”

“The number of chiras far exceeded our expectations.”

“You lost two thousand elite soldiers, didn’t you? That must sting.”

“Not as much as the loss of an entire knight brigade, Viscount.”

Tomzael’s brow furrowed at Kal’s sharp reply.

A few days ago, Kal had presented him with a map of Laup Forest, showing the movents of the chira forces, and proposed a joint hunting operation.

It had been a tempting proposal, promising at least a thousand mana stones as spoils.

Tomzael had eagerly accepted and committed significant resources to the hunt.

In the end, the operation had brought in 1,500 mana stones—a successful haul by any asure.

But the losses had been devastating.

“No one ntioned there was a terrifying monster in their ranks,” Tomzael said, his tone accusatory.

“I wasn’t aware of it either,” Kal replied calmly.

The greatest cause of their losses had been a single small woman—a monster in human form.

When Tomzael had sent a brigade of 200 knights against her, not a single one had returned.

Her overwhelming slaughter had shattered the morale of the allied forces, turning the hunt into a bloody debacle.

Under normal circumstances, this banquet would have turned into a battlefield of accusations.

However, Tomzael was still smiling at Kal because of the latter’s recent proposal.

Despite the massive losses, Kal had opened a retreat path by sacrificing his elite troops and sent a negotiation offer that had piqued Tomzael’s interest.

“You bear a great deal of responsibility for the false information you provided.”

“That’s why I’m making another proposal.”

“I’ve heard it. You’re willing to give all the red mana stones.”

“In exchange, I want sothing else.”

“Na it.”

“I want ten thousand sacks of wheat.”

“Ten thousand sacks of wheat, you say.”

According to their original agreent, the spoils were to be split 50-50, but Kal was forgoing his share of the mana stones in favor of food.

Tomzael feigned deliberation, though he had already made up his mind.

While ten thousand sacks of wheat was a significant amount, it was well within what he could provide.

‘I thought he was smart, but he’s still just a naive kid.’

Wheat was a consumable resource—by the ti the next harvest ca in six months, the loss would be replenished.

But mana stones were different.

Mana stones were incredibly rare and valuable. For a viscount who had lost so many knights, Kal’s proposal was an irresistible bargain.

Even more enticing was the possibility that…

‘If those 1,500 mana stones can produce a 5-star Awakened, this could change everything.’

No matter how many lives were lost, if even one 5-star Awakened could be created, even the lord of Blyer would have to tread carefully around him.

And if he could create two?

‘The possibilities are endless.’

Licking his lips, Tomzael glanced at his knight commander.

The commander caught his gaze and briefly looked at Lyon Martrein before nodding slightly.

It was a confirmation.

Lyon, now a 5-star knight, had been a deputy commander stuck at 4-stars until just a few months ago.

According to intelligence, Lyon had recently advanced to 5-stars after consuming sothing—likely mana stones.

‘Recent experints show that mana stones can reliably produce 3-star Awakened. With this many stones, 5-stars should be possible.’

It was a deal with no downside.

Still, Tomzael wasn’t about to accept the terms too quickly.

“You’re willing to give up such valuable mana stones. Have you discovered sothing new about them?”

“It’s just that my family’s finances aren’t in great shape. That’s all.”

“Struggling, are you?”

“You should know better than anyone.”

Tomzael shrugged and poured himself more wine.

‘The rumors about his mineral warehouses burning down must be true.’

In Kal’s current situation, food might indeed be more important than mana stones. With his succession uncertain, it was a ti for shoring up resources.

“How about this: I’ll give you seven thousand sacks of wheat. Ten thousand is too much.”

“There are plenty of other lords who want the mana stones. I’ve already received several letters. My share is 750 stones, isn’t it?”

“Eight thousand sacks.”

“Eight thousand sacks and one additional item: a relic.”

“A relic?”

“The one you refused to sell.”

“Ah, the staff?”

“Yes.”