Chapter 162: Chapter 3: The Small Fry Awaken The Big Bad...
Lancelot and his joint forces with Maria crushed the trolls quite quickly. It could hardly be called a battle after Tyr began to get involved.
After the battle ended, he sent Marimo out to search and find the locations of the troll's bases and their spawning points before there were far too many for it to be one small hovel but not enough for it to be a city commanded by a troll king or troll hero.
Somehow, I feel like I need to do something...
He looked around and noticed that most people were occupied with the huge troll corpses, cutting them up for their resistant hide, fangs and ears to trade or sell at a merchant or use them as materials for crafting weapons.
Let's head out... my bad feeling is making me nervous.
The next moment, he stepped off the wall with his wings unfurling and flapping heavily, sending his body into the air before swooping across the distant frozen landscape while following the troll's advancing trail.
He felt relaxed, feeling the wind cutting through his hair, blowing wildly as the winter chill bit at his cheeks.
"I'm heading out—I'll be back soon," Lancelot shouted as Melodica and Maria were about to open their mouths, and it failed. They looked at each other and sighed but couldn't do anything to stop Lancelot since they didn't understand his goals...
A few hours they were passed as he saw a vast battlefield in the distance.
Damn... this seems worse than I imagined.
A horde of hundreds of trolls was fighting a human army led by an elite platoon—the human knight leading the platoon of armoured knights charged fearlessly while hacking the trolls, who outnumbered them over ten to one.
There are so many of these damn trolls!
Lancelot watched calmly—he wasn't there to pick fights but was curious... if he helped humans now, he would receive benefits if Maria chose a diplomatic route over conquering and his territory development...
However... these humans are like ants compared to these trolls, which seem to keep growing from a nearby cave. It was dark... with a huge entrance, and they seemed able to spring out in small groups every few minutes...
"How long have these trolls been amassing in number... and why does this cave feel like a Lord's territory," Lancelot whispered while flying silently...
His eyesight increased as he noticed the cavern was filled with strange runes that caused trolls to respawn... it seemed a lord had created a dungeon and not the kind where people challenge, but one designed to grow monsters in mass.
Ah, this isn't very pleasant... I don't care about the knights dying... but the next target after them is Maria, and I wouldn't forgive myself if I ignored this.
Let's just destroy the runes, nothing more.
The human knight platoon fought bravely against the trolls while the two commanders shouted bravely—Lancelot observed them... and one seemed like a captain with a brave and honourable appearance, while the other looked far more sinister and cruel, his laughter maniacal as he cut down the trolls with a disgusting smile.
In fact, Lancelot found the whole scene twisted as several soldiers were secretly looting their fallen allies' items while the leader didn't bat an eye; instead, he enjoyed slaughtering trolls.
Alright, Lancelot landed close to the entrance; his eyes closed as his hand raised towards the cave entrance—a strange flame erupted, turning into a beam that tore through the strange runes, causing the cave to rumble before collapsing.
At this time, the human commander cheered loudly with his men while the wicked commander seemed enraged, screaming at his men angrily... they seemed to notice his eyes as Lancelot could see the malicious intent...
"Why is he getting mad? They probably won't survive fighting against the trolls... it's still a huge number of trolls for them to fight."
However, Lancelot noticed that some of the trolls were now injured and confused—their health regenerated slower while the human commander laughed proudly and ordered a counterattack, his men crushing these trolls who lost their regeneration effect...
Lancelot watched these knights turn like vultures after their allies died—it was a strange sight and made Lancelot feel strange... there was something wrong with these humans.
Why do they seem so strange... what Is that mark between the forehead of many of them...
Suddenly, Lancelot noticed something, causing his pupils to shrink before he felt a massive fluctuation. He turned around to see a troll hero stomping its foot while roaring... the moment it roared, several of the knights kneeling near the fallen humans began to curse as the troll hero began to laugh maniacally and swung its huge axe!
In one swing, the heads of the knight platoon's heroic commander and vice-captain were chopped off! Their bodies fell backwards as Lancelot's face turned grim...
Because the sinister man was smiling and held a strange grimoire.
"Ah... this guy is troublesome... how did I miss the Necromancer..." Lancelot realised his mistakes too late.
Because Maria had used her fairy scouts to find all monster settlements and dungeons, Lancelot didn't realise an intelligent being had tricked Avalon's system and hid the Necromancer and trolls by disguising their stats.
Now that the runic resurrection effects broke their disguise... So he lost his cover, and the trolls and other knights under his control began to rot and decay.
"You damned birdman! Are you from the Tenshi cult? How dare you get involved in our great Master's plans! The dark one will devour all and bring us to the promised land! You shall be marked! Our great lord will hunt you and devour you piece by piece!"
Lancelot knew something was strange and realised the markings between their eyebrows... these knights were part of the deranged cult... but he had never heard about the Tenshi cult, only knowing that the word Tenshi meant angel...
Damn, that means this is bigger than I thought.
The Necromancer laughed evilly while summoning undead trolls, ordering them to begin attacking the humans who had turned traitor—the troll hero laughed and stamped on the human captain's skull, caving it in as his followers cursed at the birdman who ruined their Master's plan!
This looks dangerous; I need to avoid them finding Maria... Lancelot decided to retreat silently... he would give Sumika orders to warn the empire and investigate this strange cult, but there was no time right now—he realised the Necromancer planned his escape but believed that the man was only D rank and was likely a new Necromancer...
Summoning this troll hero was probably the limit of his capabilities... Lancelot decided to kill the Necromancer and the entire army... Because the moment the Necromancer started shouting at him, he found a mark was burned onto his chest... it made his head hurt and feel dizzy just to look at the strange marking...
A mark of madness... damn, these cultists are troublesome... Maria won't stand a chance if this mark is placed on her... I must find the source!
He lifted into the skies—his eyes shining with a dark red light as he began to conjure hundreds of swords beneath the ground while drawing his greatsword, locking his gaze on the necro cancer and troll hero and preparing to kill them without mercy.
The Necromancer noticed Lancelot flying and began to laugh with glee—he summoned undead trolls while raising the fallen knights with his spell, seeming to have thought Lancelot had fled in fear of their Master—however, the next moment, he could hear the howling of the wind, before a blade penetrated his heart while Lancelot descended while chopping off the troll hero's head!
The undead troll soldiers rushed forward, ignoring their Master's dead body that flopped like a doll as a hundred black flaming greatswords pierced the ground, destroying them instantly before the Necromancer's corpse rose and burst into ash... then all the knights and trolls began to explode following his death.
Lancelot wiped his bloody hands—his Raven wings unfurled while flapping heavily—and within moments, he vanished like a shadow...
****
Flying in the sky, Lancelot's eyes became serious.
He was still unable to return home, and the transport to Camelot, for some reason, wouldn't work for him. It was like whatever happened when they were transferred; he wasn't actually considered inside Avalon right now.
Sumika might have been able to learn what was happening, but he refused to put her at risk when Lancelot realised that he had returned safely without issue. It seemed the Master would not be attacking him just yet... but there were strange whispers in the shadows, and he saw visions of horrific creatures at the edge of his vision despite flying way above the ground.
Damn... am I going insane?
First, he would return to Maria—she would be worrying, and his troops would all be waiting for him. Lancelot's heart raced slightly—this was the first time he experienced this kind of strange feeling, a curse that seemed to ignore the Avalon system...
Yet he was worrying about others rather than being concerned about himself.