"Dalko..."

Roland raised an arm, gently stopping the gasping Dalko behind him, and spoke in a low voice.

"Something’s not right up ahead. You wait here. I’ll go scout it out."

"O...okay..."

Excessive blood loss and intense pain made Dalko dizzy. He managed a weak nod, looking completely dazed.

Although they were already beyond the goblins’ patrol range, Roland cautiously scanned their surroundings to be absolutely sure.

After confirming the area was safe, he carefully helped Dalko sit and lean against a thick tree trunk.

Once his companion was settled, Roland began to move forward silently.

He deliberately lightened his steps, precisely avoiding the dry twigs and fallen leaves on the ground with each footfall.

As the distance closed, the once-faint sounds of battle gradually became clear and distinct.

When he was close enough to the source of the sound, Roland deftly ducked into a dense thicket of bushes.

He held his breath, slowly parting the intertwined branches before him, his sharp gaze piercing through the gaps to look ahead.

’This is...’

Roland’s pupils contracted slightly. The scene before him made his breath catch in his throat.

Behind the bushes was a sunken basin. The terrain sloped steeply downward, forming a natural arena, and in the center of the basin was a massive earthen pit.

On the west side of the basin, dozens of humans stood back-to-back in a circular formation, fighting off a tide of swarming goblins.

They were well-equipped, with gleaming silver Half-Body Armor covering their vitals. They wielded Longswords and Kite Shields, their movements synchronized and uniform, clearly the result of rigorous training.

The white capes on their backs billowed in the wind, the gold sun emblems embroidered on them standing out conspicuously in the dim forest.

’It’s people from the Fiery Sun Church...’

Seeing the familiar sun emblem, Roland slowly furrowed his brow.

The lessons his original body attended as a child had been sponsored by the Fiery Sun Church.

And the most obvious symbol of the Fiery Sun Church’s followers was that pattern, resembling the rays of the sun radiating outward.

But in his memory, the followers of the Fiery Sun Church were mostly elderly or middle-aged men in white robes, their image closer to that of erudite scholars.

He had never seen powerful Warriors like these among them.

While he was lost in thought, hundreds of goblins surged toward the Fiery Sun Church’s Warriors like a tide, wildly swinging their crude weapons and letting out piercing howls.

However, the Warriors of the Fiery Sun Church were not in the least disarrayed.

Their blades were precise and deadly, each swing accompanied by a goblin’s shriek.

The Shields in their hands blocked steadily, their steps perfectly synchronized, like an unshakable Iron Wall.

Even with the goblins’ superior numbers, they couldn’t halt their advance.

’These goblins... they seem to be guarding something...’

Seeing the goblins throwing themselves one after another to block the Fiery Sun Warriors’ path, Roland’s gaze followed the opposite direction of their Charge.

It finally landed on the deep pit in the center of the basin.

There was something there, it seemed.

Sunlight slanted down, and the bottom of the pit reflected a blinding white light.

Roland narrowed his eyes, focusing his gaze to see more clearly.

A massive white object was half-buried in the dirt, its outline rugged, its surface covered in mottled cracks and dried stains.

’It looks like... a bone?’

A flash of surprise crossed Roland’s eyes.

The object was shaped like the rib bone of some giant creature, its broken edge coarse and menacing.

Even as just a remnant, it was astonishingly huge.

What was even stranger was the faint, dark red patterns that appeared on the bone’s surface, like dried bloodstains.

’These patterns...’

Roland stared at the scene, and the images of the goblins he had slain earlier involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

’They look a bit like the red markings on the goblins’ bodies...’

Just as he was pondering this, a shrill screech suddenly pierced the air.

Following the sound, he saw a goblin, blood-red from head to toe, standing at the edge of the pit. It held aloft a white, scepter-like rod.

Sunlight flowed across the surface of the white rod, refracting an eerie light.

The next second, Roland’s pupils contracted sharply, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

He clearly saw several fist-sized balls of Flame suddenly materialize out of thin air around the Blood-colored goblin.

Under the Fiery Sun, those Flames flickered with a blinding light, flowing ceaselessly like molten red gold.

The scorching heat caused the surrounding air to distort and warp, forming visible heat waves.

SWOOSH!

As the Blood-colored goblin waved its White Staff, the fireballs shot out like arrows loosed from a bowstring.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion ripped through the battlefield.

The searing fireballs landed precisely in the center of the Fiery Sun Church Warriors’ formation.

Violent flames swept out in a radial pattern, branding dozens of horrifying, scorched-black craters into the ground.

The powerful shockwave, like an invisible giant’s hand, sent the well-trained Warriors tumbling.

Fragments of shattered Armor and broken weapons flew through the air, mixing with a scarlet rain of blood that splattered down, kicking up clouds of dark-red dust on the scorched earth.

The once-impenetrable defensive formation instantly crumbled under the devastating blow, the orderly ranks transforming into a chaotic ruin in the blink of an eye.

However, before the aftershock of the fireball explosions had even faded, the Fiery Sun Church Warriors who hadn’t been knocked down were already back on their feet. A fiercer fighting spirit burned in their eyes as they launched another ferocious attack on the goblins.

But the Blood-colored goblin seemed to have exhausted all its strength. It collapsed to the ground, its chest heaving violently, and even the once-vibrant crimson markings on its skin had grown dim and lusterless.

Without its support, the battlefield devolved into a stalemate once again, with both sides locked in a desperate struggle.

’That must be... Magic...’

Roland wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slowly backed away, returning to Dalko’s side.

"Roland... you... you’re back?"

Dalko didn’t ask what his companion had seen. He just forced his heavy eyelids open, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible.

"Yeah... I’m back..."

Roland’s voice was a little tight.

"It’s just... I’m afraid we’ll have to take the long way around..."

Recalling the horrifying scene from just moments ago, Roland still felt a chill run down his spine.

Those fireballs appearing from thin air, the Fiery Sun Church Warriors blown to bloody pieces...

All of it was beyond his comprehension.

He crouched down swiftly, tensing his sturdy arms.

"Come on, Dalko, there’s no time to waste. Get on my back, I’ll carry you out of here."

"But..."

His noble pride made Dalko instinctively want to refuse, but when he saw Roland’s determined gaze and then looked down at his own mangled calf, he could only nod in resignation.

When Dalko’s full weight settled on his back, Roland took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and immediately began moving quickly along the edge of the basin.

’That was definitely Magic!’

Although he had never seen this world’s Magic with his own eyes, Roland could find no other explanation for the ability to summon fireballs out of thin air.

He suddenly remembered what Bronson had said before.

"...other Races need time to relearn Magic, but Demons... only need instinct."

’But for a goblin to be able to use Magic... that’s just...’

Whether in the games and novels of his past life or in the rumors of this world, goblins were always the weakest of Demons.

His previous battle experiences had also led him to firmly believe this.

However, what he had just witnessed completely overturned his understanding.

His brow was tightly furrowed as the images from before flashed through his mind again and again.

’Casting Magic... could it be related to that White Staff in the Blood-colored goblin’s hand?’

’And that giant skeleton... what was...’

Despite his chaotic thoughts, Roland didn’t dare to slow his pace in the slightest.

Based on his judgment, his own strength at full power was, at best, on par with those Warriors from the Fiery Sun Church.

Since even the well-equipped Warriors of the Fiery Sun Church had suffered heavy casualties from the fireball bombardment, there was no way he could stand against it.

Now was not the time to satisfy his curiosity.

Escaping with his life was the top priority!

With that thought, Roland’s pace quickened once more.

When he finally reached the edge of the forest, the sounds of fighting and the roar of explosions from the basin were still faintly audible.

Roland pushed aside the dense bushes in front of him.

When the familiar muddy path came into view, for the first time, he found the bumpy, uneven road to be a welcome sight.

"Dalko..."

Roland gently shook his shoulders, waking the young noble who had nearly passed out.

"Which way should we go now?"

"Here... ugh..."

After leaving the gloomy forest environment, Dalko’s Spirit clearly revived a little.

He forced his heavy eyelids open and, with a furrowed brow, scanned his surroundings.

A moment later, he laboriously raised an arm and pointed to a winding path.

"This is the path on the west side of the manor... follow this direction... it’s not much farther, we should be able to get back to the manor..."

’The west side? Looks like we went in a big circle in the forest.’

After confirming the direction, Roland immediately adjusted his posture and proceeded steadily in the direction Dalko had indicated.

The moment he left the forest, he clearly felt the Agility bonus from [Adaptability Training] abruptly vanish, and his steps instantly became much heavier.

But fortunately, the journey back was uneventful.

As the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky red, the familiar outline of the manor finally came into view.

"Damn it! We’re finally back!"

Dalko’s voice was filled with irrepressible excitement.

He gently patted Roland’s shoulder, his voice weak but stubborn.

"Roland... put me down..."

Glancing at the stubborn look in the young noble’s eyes, Roland had no choice but to carefully crouch down.

"Hiss..."

The moment Dalko’s foot touched the ground, a stifled gasp escaped through his clenched teeth.

Despite this, Dalko stubbornly used his Iron Sword as a crutch, dragging his injured leg as he limped toward the manor gate.

"Halt! Who goes there? Lord... Lord Dalko?"

John’s familiar voice came from atop the wall.

When he got a clear look at the newcomer’s blood-stained face, his voice suddenly jumped an octave.

He shouted for the Guards to open the gate while hurriedly running down from the wall, not forgetting to send someone to rush back to the manor with the news.

"Lord... Lord Dalko, what happened to you?"

Looking at the clueless John before him, the fury in Dalko’s eyes blazed even hotter. His trembling hand violently drew his Iron Sword, poised to strike.

A powerful hand firmly clamped down on his wrist.

"Dalko..."

Roland’s low voice made the enraged young noble calm down slightly.

He slowly pushed Dalko’s arm down and said softly.

"What you need right now is a physician."

Dalko’s chest heaved violently, but he finally nodded in defeat.

"Right... right..."

He shot John a disgusted glare, his voice hoarse.

"If Roland hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve chopped you up and fed you to the dogs!"

He slammed his Iron Sword back into its sheath.

"What are you standing around for? Go get a physician!"

The manor instantly descended into chaos.

Amid the servants running around in a panic, Roland keenly sensed something was off.

The number of Guards on patrol in the manor was more than double the usual.

Moreover, they looked tense and were constantly moving weapons and food supplies.

The entire manor was filled with an air of Preparation for War.

"Captain John..."

Roland lowered his voice, stopping the Guard Captain who was looking down without a word. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Thanks for that just now, Roland."

Watching John repeatedly wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, Roland didn’t say much.

He understood John’s situation.

After all, when Dalko usually went hunting, he often didn’t return until late at night.

The Guards had long since gotten used to it.

Given the circumstances this time, you really couldn’t blame them for being unaware.

"What on earth happened to you and Lord Dalko..."

"Let’s not talk about that now."

Roland cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Did... something happen at the manor?"

John’s expression turned grim. After glancing around warily, he leaned in and whispered.

"The manor is fine... but..."

He sighed heavily.

"It’s about Black Pine Forest..."

As the two were speaking, the sound of urgent footsteps approached from nearby.