# Enhanced Translation
The soldier on the watchtower rubbed his tired eyes as he gazed down at the plain. Summer, high noon. Under the scorching sun, heat haze shimmered across the plain.
Beyond it, he could see an enormous military encampment. Countless military banners fluttered, filling the horizon with enemy forces.
Perhaps due to tension, his vision seemed narrower than usual. He pressed firmly around his eyes, then suddenly looked at his arm.
Above his arm, heat haze was rising. Swaying like a single thread caught in the air.
"Huh...?"
Was it from standing guard for days? Or from the heat? Or tension from facing the enemy?
The soldier absently brushed at the haze. The intangible thread moved delicately above his forearm.
He soon followed the thread upward with his gaze. Like heat haze typically does, it stretched upward like a phantom, scattering into the air—
"Huh??"
By the time he confirmed that the faint haze was seeping between the small clouds floating in the sky.
"Don't the clouds look a bit strange?"
He turned to the soldier standing guard with him. The color of the clouds was different from usual. It was difficult to express exactly what was different, but with each glance—or even while looking—the colors seemed to shift slightly.
"Hey, are you sleeping?"
When there was no answer from the guard whose back was turned, he gripped the man's shoulder firmly and shook him.
With a wobble, the guard's body swayed and turned toward him. With faint heat haze rising from his body and vacant, unfocused pupils.
"Hey, hey, hey!! Heat stroke? Is that it? Snap out of it, man!"
The soldier shouted in panic and looked around. Since this wasn't the only palisade where sentries were posted, he thought he should help this guy first.
And soon, he froze as he discovered the heat haze covering the entire vast military camp behind him, stretching across the rows of tents.
The entire horizon was shimmering as if ablaze. Toward the distant sky above.
Clouds that changed color with each glance, sunlight that distorted as it passed between them, and small thread-like lines running like crosshatches between them.
The cobwebs formed by these threads created geometric patterns, and between them, twisted five-colored light clusters seeped down.
From one end of the horizon to the other. Every place the eye could see was like a stained glass descending from the sky.
Or rather, like a curtain. As if single threads sprouting from each person's body gathered to form warp and weft, weaving fabric that became a curtain covering the world.
The Lamerix of the Curtain had arrived upon this land.
EP27. Stained Glass.
Ivan quickly checked everyone as soon as he entered the tent. Isabelle folding a towel while muttering something, Asidis staring seriously at an energy bar, Lucia nodding off, Elfihera drinking tea, and Oskar oiling his blade. Fortunately, everyone was present.
"Everyone, attention."
All eyes turned to Ivan as he appeared. Still leaning against the tent entrance, Ivan continued quickly.
"I'll explain briefly as time is urgent. Prepare for battle."
"Already? Didn't the talks just end?"
"I thought we were only supposed to observe the battle. Are we participating this time?"
"No, this is an elimination mission."
The group's expressions hardened at Ivan's words. Elimination. As Ivan had always maintained, the Hero Party's primary function was as an assassination unit targeting enemy leadership.
More specialized than ordinary assassins. That is, an organization created to target demons. And considering that this war began with the Pope and the Seven Dragon Generals...
Finally.
"Yes, the Seven Dragon General. The Lamerix of the Curtain. As soon as the battle begins, we'll circle around the rear and strike where Lamerix should be."
"How do you know that?"
"The Pope would know. His position has been identified."
The Pope and the papal priests are gathered in one place. At the heart of the camp where the papal insignia flutters. They would rush straight to that position and draw out Lamerix.
The plan was simple. When the enemy cavalry protrudes and our cavalry clashes with them, from that moment...
It becomes a race against time. The longer the operation is delayed, the more our forces will gradually suffer casualties. Given the scale of forces in this campaign, if our casualties exceed a certain threshold, it's not a victory even if we win.
So as always, the mission must be completed with minimal losses and in the shortest time possible.
"I'll brief you on the enemy's characteristics and tactics while we move. There's no time."
"Yes!"
The group quickly gathered their gear at the end of Ivan's words. Since the operation was short-term, all they needed to prepare were their swords and armor, apart from basic supplies.
Preparations ended swiftly. Ivan stepped outside the tent.
Under the sky, all objects were gradually being tinged with a deeper hue. As if sunset had fallen. Ivan shook his head at the sweet musk scent permeating the air.
The Saintess stood alone in front of the tent.
"Patricia. The command post..."
"Has collapsed."
She was swaying with a flushed face, breathing heavily. At her words, Ivan surveyed the surroundings once and exhaled deeply.
In that short time. In that brief moment while briefing his team, the influence had already covered the entire camp.
"Without holy power, I must resist with willpower alone. Except for those who noticed in advance, they would have been taken without a chance to resist. Was hiding information about the Seven Dragon General the mistake?"
"Even if we had revealed it, no one would have believed."
Who would have believed the story that the Pope had joined hands with the Seven Dragon General and manipulated the holy war, especially when they had already been branded as apostates? Even the Albinian court wouldn't have believed it.
The operation had clearly succeeded. Everything up to drawing out the Pope had worked perfectly. But it was too effective.
So effective that the Seven Dragon General, Lamerix, could no longer stand by and chose to intervene directly.
"The influence is still shallow. It seems he hasn't fully established his 'nest' yet... huff... but I won't be able to hold out for long."
The Saintess's words gradually faded. In a situation where she had to resist the Seven Dragon General's 'influence' with willpower alone, without even a speck of magical power, it was remarkable that she could resist at all.
Civilians, regardless of type, either die or become invalids within a Seven Dragon General's domain.
Because of this, all battle lines facing the Seven Dragon Generals had to endure repeated defeats. Even Senasgeorge, who hadn't fully bloomed, could twist perceptions near her, and elves who failed to resist were devoured.
In the past, the only strategy on frontlines where a Seven Dragon General appeared directly was to retreat while sacrificing offerings. All other attempts failed miserably.
And now the same situation is unfolding on this plain. Soldiers who failed to resist stood motionless, staring blankly at the sky.
The purplish clouds obscuring the sun were growing larger. The enemy's nest was nearing completion.
"We should retreat..."
"No."
Ivan firmly shook his head. If they fled now, there would be no turning back. Almost all of Equitania's forces had been committed at this point. If they lost all these troops, the Southern Six Nations would fall into the Seven Dragon General's grasp.
They needed to resolve the situation before the enemy completed his nest or retreated back to his lair.
"Ah, Uncle!"
Isabelle and the others rushed out of the tent. They looked around in confusion. Soldiers, knights, and mages alike—those who had failed to resist stood frozen, while those barely resisting groaned as they lost their sanity.
The sunlight's color had inverted, casting an eerie purple radiance from above. The entire vast plain was losing its greenery and withering.
Ivan considered briefly. What should be done? If he took everyone with him, the Saintess would surely die...
Once she failed to resist and fell into Lamerix's grasp, he would execute the Saintess and announce it. That the apostate had died. Using the Pope's voice.
There's no choice.
The deliberation was brief. Ivan looked at his companions with a hardened face.
"I'm changing the mission orders. All of you will escort the Saintess and evacuate."
"But, Uncle, what about you?"
"I'll do what needs to be done."
Lamerix must be struck before the nest is completed. The odds are low. Even if the enemy's combat power isn't extraordinary, the Bellacrean camp, being closest to his influence, would be in a state no different from demon territory.
In other words, all of Bellacrea's forces would be protecting Lamerix. This wasn't a situation that could be handled by a small, swift strike. Facing an army wasn't the Hero Party's job.
No matter how powerful a human might be, they cannot defeat an army.
But they couldn't abandon this entire campaign and flee. There would be no future in retreat. Then they must secure the highest possible chance. Saving the Saintess and the Hero Party. And keeping the enemy tied down here as much as possible.
To reconsider, no matter how powerful a human might be, they cannot defeat an army.
But a well-trained agent should know how to tie down an army. By any means necessary. With their life if needed.
Ivan was a prepared agent.
"Return to Krasilov and explain the situation... the Saintess will be able to explain. If you lead the forces of Tilles and Krasilov, with help from Enrique and Einar, there's still a chance."
"What about you?"
Isabelle's eyes had grown cold.
"What are your chances?"
"Low."
"And if we join you?"
"Even lower."
He didn't mean they were a burden. They could each pull their own weight. The very fact that they maintained their sanity within Lamerix's influence meant they had already reached superhuman levels.
But in that case, they would have to abandon the Saintess. Both rationally and emotionally, Ivan could never choose that option.
He couldn't lose any more comrades. He had sworn countless times and failed countless times, but this time, without fail.
"What if just I stay with you?"
"You'll die."
"We'll die together. Like a funeral sacrifice. Essie says it's common in her region."
"No!!"
Despite Asidis's protest, Isabelle continued to stare at Ivan with a rigid expression.
"There will be better battlefields. We don't have time."
"This is my finest battlefield."
There wasn't a trace of fear in Isabelle's eyes. They were filled only with determination.
Ivan surveyed his companions.
Asidis couldn't stay. If she died, Einar would fall into madness. The only people who could maintain minimal communication with Einar were Asidis and himself. If Ivan died, Asidis at least needed to survive to avoid the worst-case scenario.
Oskar was the most powerful means to mobilize Tilles. Since the Tilles regime was now organized under the leadership of the Protector, the Etakrih family. If Oskar died, Tilles's future participation could become uncertain.
Elfihera had poor compatibility with Lamerix. Since physical force was needed against this enemy, a mage would find it difficult to be of much help in a confrontation with Lamerix.
Lucia had spent all her mental energy controlling bats throughout this campaign. Not only would it be difficult for her to continue fighting, but for someone to fill his role in his absence, Lucia needed to stay alive with the Hero Party.
And Isabelle.
"What are you looking at?"
"You really could die."
"What, are you trying to scare me?"
She said with a slight smile.
"A hero isn't the strongest person."
"But the bravest."
"That's right. That's what you taught me. How could someone afraid of death claim to be of hero's bloodline?"
Yes. Isabelle is Maximillian's daughter. She inherited all his best qualities.
Brilliant talent and noble character, courage and humility, virtue.
Even in this distorted purple world, Isabelle's golden hair flowed magnificently under her helmet like a harvest wheat field.
Yes. The hero's primary duty is to eliminate the Seven Dragon Generals and the Demon King. At this moment, Isabelle wasn't just the hero's daughter.
She was a hero. The bravest one. The person who parted the dark clouds to see hope even in despair.
The incarnation of the morning star.
Ivan mounted his horse with a slight smile, following Isabelle's lead.
"I'll brief you on tactics on the way."
"Great!"
The Lamerix of the Curtain. Incarnation of Lust. Ruler of the Shadow Forest. Nest Queen. And, succubus.
"Succubus?!"
"You know of them?"
"Well, you know. Often in novels, um..."
A race that occasionally appears in erotic novels from Tilles court, the great cultural center of the civilized world. A seductive demon that tempts men. With beautiful appearances, exploiting emotions—
"That's imagination, and this is a derogatory term."
"What?"
"Succubus is a derogatory term. His race is Araniyeri. If I had to describe them... spiders."
A magical beast that lives in nests within the shadows of deep forests.
The human-like upper body is an organ used to lure prey. Like the luminous organ on an anglerfish's head. When hiding its black body in darkness, its snow-white form appears like the silhouette of a naked woman from beneath the shadows.
It's an irresistible temptation for those wandering in forests. From the moment its body is seen, thin spider threads begin to bind the victim. As a conceptual rather than physical entity, from the moment of contact with the web, the victim experiences heightened sexual desire and diminished cognitive ability.
This spider web is a toxin that parasitizes the mind. It's made of magical power and cannot be physically dismantled.
The Araniyeri slowly dismember humans enthralled by their webs and devour their flesh. Occasionally, completely enchanted humans return to society, gather more victims, and then return to the forest.
Many settlements disappeared this way. In the form of entire populations going missing.
Forests draped with such webs are called "nests." The vast forest beyond the Western Demon Territory is itself a nest and city of the Araniyeri.
"Ugh... gross."
Isabelle shuddered with disgust. She controlled her galloping horse and asked:
"Have you ever caught one?"
"A few times. Not many."
Their habitat was deep in demon territory, and they generally didn't engage in external activities. In other words, they were a species with low aggression.
Therefore, friction with humans was minimal. The damage wasn't small, but since most cases were disappearances difficult to accurately count, only estimates were possible.
During the height of the war, there was no reason to pay attention to such a species. They were also difficult to deal with.
"If they're holed up in a nest, it's hard to gauge their level. Whether they're at commander level or centurion level, identification is impossible. It was an enemy difficult to mobilize appropriate force against."
They weren't the kind of demon that could be dealt with by sending in large numbers. Since people would lose their sanity if caught by the toxin without being on guard. Large numbers simply meant providing the enemy with more prey.
"So how did you deal with them?"
"Once we did a forced breakthrough with a small team, and another time we used bombardment."
"Bombardment?"
"If they nest in a forest, it means you can flatten the forest itself."
That was the previous king's tactic. When a nest was discovered along the march route, the king erased the entire forest with artillery bombardment. The creature inside was crushed to death during the hour-long barrage.
Even at centurion level, they can enchant even superhumans within their nests. At commander level, one could become a puppet in a moment of carelessness despite being fully prepared.
At Seven Dragon General level? Well. Ivan decided not to think about it. That wasn't a concern that could be resolved by worrying about it in the current situation.
"Then what's our plan?"
"Breakthrough at a single point. Get ready."
Ivan drew his axe as he watched a group of riders approaching from the distance. Puppets wrapped in purple threads were charging toward them on horseback.