"STATE YOUR IDENTITIES AND YOUR INTENTIONS OF COMING HERE!"

Standing on top of the walls from the inside, Pwyll exclaimed that.

His voice was a deep, resonating roar that seemed to vibrate through forest. He stood there with his arms folded across his massive chest, his feet planted firmly on the stone-reinforced battlements. The scar over his right eye made him look even more intimidating in the flickering light of the forest canopy.

Below him, outside the walls; were ten groups, and in total, over a hundred of people.

The expedition group looked like a sea of polished steel and colorful banners against the dark, muddy floor of the forest. Knights in heavy plate, mages in flowing robes, and mercenaries in worn leather all stared up in stunned silence. The sheer scale of the wall and the castle beyond it had knocked the wind out of their sails. They had expected a battle with a beast, not a parley with a fortified place.

"..."

Everyone below just looked at Pwyll, confused and unsure what to do.

The wind whistled through the massive trees, the only sound in the tense standoff. They had spent weeks mentally preparing to fight mindless monsters. To see a man—a human man—standing on top of a well-built wall was something their minds couldn’t immediately process. In this place, except for monsters, there aren’t supposed to be anyone living here!

"T—That’s a human... right?"

Stanford muttered that, looking at Pwyll.

He squinted his eyes, trying to see if there was any trickery involved. In a forest called cursed and is full of weird beings, a human face was almost more suspicious than a monster’s.

"Yeah... looks like one."

Then Kael answered.

He didn’t lower his sword, his grip remaining tight on the hilt. He had seen enough weird things in his life to know that appearances could be deceiving, but the man above certainly looks and feels like a human. A warrior, even.

It wasn’t just them that noticed this; everyone in the expedition group did.

The mages were whispering among themselves, their hands hovering over their pouches of spell components. The mercenaries were glancing at each other, their initial bravado replaced by a wary caution.

’What’s going on here...? Why is someone residing in the middle of the [Cursed Forest]?’

Elianna asked in her head, confused.

She looked at the way the wood of the wall was joined together. It wasn’t the work of a few desperate survivors. Then looking at the wooden walls and gates blocking them, and the castle peeking through them from the inside—

"It looks like that guy is not alone behind that walls."

She realized that.

The castle was too large, the walls too long. It would take a small army to man those defenses and a larger one to build them. There was a whole community living in the heart of the curse, surviving where the rest of the world feared to tread.

"..."

Kael and his squad members didn’t say anything, but that thought settled in their heads as well.

"I REPEAT—STATE YOUR IDENTITIES AND YOUR INTENTIONS OF COMING HERE!"

Just then, Pwyll shouted that again, and this time—it snapped the others out of their stupor and thoughts.

He didn’t like being ignored, and his patience was clearly wearing thin. He leaned forward over the edge of the wall, his gaze locking onto the most heavily armored men in the crowd.

Tap—

"We’re the royal knights of the Kingdom of Halveron."

Just then; a knight cladded in gold-plated armor with the crest of the Halveron Kingdom stepped forward and declared that.

The gold on his breastplate glinted even in the dim forest light, showing off his high status. He walked with a stiff, formal gait, his hand resting on the pommel of a sword that looked more decorative than functional.

"Together with the subjugation squad sent by the empire, the private knights of the nobles, and the radiant church—we came to conquer this cursed forest!"

The knight then declared with a loud, and clear voice.

He puffed out his chest, his voice carrying the practiced arrogance of a man who was used to people bowing to his titles. He expected the man on the wall to tremble or at least show some sign of respect at the mention of the Kingdom, the Empire, and the Radiant Church.

"..."

Everyone went silent after that.

The knights behind the commander stood a little straighter, encouraged by his bold words. Pwyll just looked at that guy, his expression completely flat. Seeing how more detailed his armors are compared to others—it was easy to tell it was the commander in-charged of the expedition. He looked like a man who had never spent a night in the mud.

Anyway, Pwyll opened his mouth, and with a straight look on his face—

"As you can see; you are all late, this place is already conquered. Turn back and leave the forest."

He just stated that.

His tone was dismissive, as if he were telling a group of lost travelers that the inn was full and they needed to find another place to sleep. He didn’t care about their titles or their mission.

"?!"

And his words made the commander knight below frown, it wasn’t just him—the young nobles and the mages as well!

They had spent weeks traveling, enduring the "weird monkey-monsters" and the "weird plants" and the constant complaining of their peers. They had invested gold, time, and their reputations into this expedition. They’re the ones who are expecting to gain a lot in this expedition after all. They wanted land, they wanted artifacts, and they wanted the glory of being the ones to "civilize" the wild!

So being told to go back without getting anything didn’t sit right with them.

Meanwhile, Elianna, Kael, and their group didn’t really care.

They weren’t here for the land or the titles. Seeing as this place is already conquered, as bizarre as it is in their eyes—there’s nothing they can really do. This forest is unowned with everyone refusing to touch or even go near it for centuries. It was a no-man’s-land.

So if the man on top of the walls and the others inside really did conquer this land, then it’s theirs to claim by the laws of the frontier. If they cleared the monsters and built the walls, they were the rightful owners.

On the other hand, the mercenaries will get paid whether they succeeded or not.

Their contracts were based on time and survival. So whatever happens here, they’re unaffected. Turning back is actually in favor of them—they wouldn’t have to fight and risk their lives. They could go back to the taverns with their gold and a very strange story to tell.

"WE CAN’T DO THAT! WE TRAVELLED ALL THE WAY HERE; WE CAN’T JUST GO BACK EMPTY HANDED!"

But of course, the commander knight can’t let this opportunity go.

If he went back now, he would be the laughingstock of the royal court. He had promised the King a victory, and he wasn’t about to let a single scarred man stand in his way.

"T—That’s right! Do you know how hard it is for us to go all the way here from the capital?!"

The young nobles followed.

They were nodding their heads, their faces red with indignation. They thought of the parties they would miss if they returned with nothing but stories of a wall.

"Yeah! We waited for so long just for this!"

And the mages as well.

They were eyeing the castle, their minds already racing with the possibility of what kind of magical research materials might be hidden inside. A castle in a cursed forest was bound to have secrets, and they wanted them.

"So what are you saying?"

Pwyll asked, crossing his arms.

He didn’t look impressed by their whining. If anything, he looked bored.

The knight commander looked at Pwyll straight in the eyes, then while glaring at him—

"We’re saying that we will not leave. We will be taking this place... Even by force."

The commander knight declared that.

SWISH--

He unsheathed his sword, the steel singing as it left the scabbard. Behind him, the royal knights followed suit, a hundred blades catching what little light was left in the sky.

"?!"

His words made Elianna and the others surprised.

They didn’t expect such things to unfold. They had come to fight monsters, not other humans. Of course they were opposed to the commander’s words, but before they could even say anything—

"So you’re going to invade our village... is that what you are saying?"

They heard another voice on top of the walls!

It was also from a man, but it sounds younger this time. It wasn’t as deep as Pwyll’s, but it had a sharp, predatory quality to it that made the hair on the back of everyone’s necks stand up!

"?!!"

Everyone turned to the source of it, and there—

"Huh...?"

They saw a young looking man, blonde, handsome, and looking sharp. He stood next to Pwyll, his hands resting casually on the railing. But what caught their attention the most—was the tiger-like ears he have on top of his head.

They flickered slightly, catching the sounds of the expedition group’s movements.

It was Tatum.

"A beastman...?"

The knight commander muttered, confused.

His eyes widened. Beastmen were rare in the Kingdom of Halveron, and those that were seen were usually in chains or dead. To see one standing proudly on a wall, looking down on a knight commander, was a shock to his system.

"What? you have a problem with me being a beastman?"

Tatum asked, already looking annoyed.

He tilted his head, his red eyes narrowed. He had heard all the insults before, and he had no patience for them today.

"Whatever. Just leave the forest and there will be no problem."

But he just followed with that, trying to make the expedition group leave and handle everything with just words.

He didn’t want to fight if he didn’t have to. Verc had worked hard on the village, and he didn’t want it tp be damaged.

Though... His words was not taken kindly by the other party.

"HAH! YOU’RE JUST A DIRTY BEASTMAN, A DEMONIC BEING! DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMMAND US TO GO BACK?!"

The commander knight exclaimed that, looking really pissed off by the way Tatum looked and spoke to him.

The shock had turned into a burning rage. To be told what to do by a "demonic being" was the ultimate insult to his noble blood.

"..."

Tatum didn’t say anything and just looked down at the knight.

His expression went cold, the light in his eyes dimming into something much more dangerous.

"EVERYONE! PREPARE FOR BATTLE! THIS IS A BASE OF DEMONIC BEINGS, WE’RE GOING TO WIPE THIS PLACE UP AND CONQUER THE FOREST!!!"

Then, raising his sword and his voice, the commander knight declared that.

He used the "demonic" label to justify his greed. If they were connected to demons, then killing them and taking their home was a holy act.

"KILL THOSE BASTARDS!!!"

"I KNEW IT—THERE’S SOMETHING SHADY IN THIS PLACE THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED HERE!"

"THAT HUMAN ABOVE MUST BE ONE OF THEM AS WELL, LET’S KILL HIM TOO!!!"

And at his rally, the young nobles and the mages raised their weapons and staves. The atmosphere exploded into a cacophony of shouts and battle cries.

"...!"

Elianna and the others were confused.

They stood in the middle of the brewing storm, looking between the aggressive knights and the calm defenders on the wall. They felt like they were being dragged into a war they didn’t believe in.

But then, all of a sudden—

W H O O O O O O O O O O O O O S H~!!!

A calm, but chilling aura passed though the whole expedition group!

It wasn’t a physical wind, but a wave of pure, concentrated killing intent... It was so thick it felt like walking into a wall of ice. It felt like the forest itself had suddenly stopped breathing.

"?!"

They all flinched and stopped talking in surprise.

The mages lost their concentration, the mana they were gathering dissipating into the air. The knights’ swords felt suddenly heavy in their hands.

Then, as their eyes were led on top of the walls once more—on Tatum.

He raised a single hand.

CREAAAAAAAAKK—!!!

Then the massive wooden gates started moving with a loud sound!

The noise of the hinges was like a scream that echoed through the trees. They shifted their attention again there, their hearts pounding in their chests. And once the gates fully opened—

THUD—!!!

They saw over 50 orcs wearing steel armors and wielding steel swords.

They weren’t the half-naked savages from the stories. They were equipped with steel! Their armor was clean, their blades were sharp. They stood with their muscular figure, creating a wall of muscle in the gateway.

Their presence overwhelming as they stared at everyone outside the walls with a glare.

There were gnolls as well, they have crossbows in their hands.

They had fanned out to the sides, their lean bodies crouched low. Their eyes focused and their fingers at the trigger as they have their weapons aimed at the people outside. They looked like they were just waiting for a reason to fire.

And at the very back, 5 dark elves and 3 beastwomen stood with crates besides them. They were calm, their hands resting on the lids of the crates.

"W—What...?"

The commander knight saw all this and couldn’t believe his eyes.

He had expected a few stragglers, not a small army!

He looked at his men. They were still more of them in numbers, a bit of an advantage. He tried to convince himself that he still had the upper hand.

But just as he thought of that—

TAP!

They heard a loud sound on top of the walls.

It was the sound of many feet landing at once. And once they looked there again—

They saw 6 more new orcs, 6 more new beastmen, then a gnoll and a human woman.

They stood in a line along the battlements, each of them radiating a level of power that was significantly higher than the soldiers below. These were the elites, the family heads and the group leaders.

And the presence they were emitting...

S W O O O O S H--!

It was no joke!

Tatum then looked at the knight commander below the walls, then with a cold look in his eyes--

"Protect our home until our lord comes back. Kill everyone that tries to invade our village."

He gave that order to everyone!

He said it calmly, but to the knight commander and the members of the expedition group—they felt like a cold blade was being pointed at their throat!

"?!!!"

Everyone in the expedition group tensed up after hearing that order, and instinctively--they all took fighting stances.

"This turned out more complicated than we had thought... What should we do, Saintess?"

Kael asked as he turned to Elianna. He still has his sword drawn.

"..."

Gibson, Stanford, Kelton, and Harper waited for instrictions as well.

Elianna frowned, she was confused.

And this situation--she was reminded of what happened back in the City of Zore... What Verc told her.

Verc asked her why someone deserves to die just because of the race they were born... because of the past mistakes that they didn’t even do? Elianna couldn’t answer before. And she still couldn’t even now.

Then--

[You don’t need the gods to tell you what’s right and what’s wrong... You can think for yourself.]

She also remembered Verc telling her that. And cursing herself internally--

"Sheath your weapons! Don’t attack!"

Elianna ordered that.