Witch Hunter Rhapsody

Holding the unicorn's head in your hand, feeling its weight, is part of the thrill of the hunt.

Vitas returned to the spot where the magic circle had been. His undead companions had been sent back. He stood on the magic circle, radiating light, and after a moment, he appeared in another area.

The Great Swamp of the Kingdom of Mogul.

The Kingdom of Mogul is located at the southeastern tip of the continent. It is a vast territory, comparable in size to the Duchy of Vilan, but the two are tens of thousands of miles apart. Without the aid of magic, it would take a lot of money and time to get here.

Even with the help of the wizards that Declan brought in, setting up this magic circle still wasted a lot of resources.

Before setting off, Declan complained to Vitas, "Because of this magic circle, I've lost a tenth of my savings. Vitas, please, if you have the time and energy, bring back some more loot to help me recover."

Vitas found it funny, since he didn't have any extra strength at the moment.

He tidied up and set up a small camp near the magic circle, placing the unicorn's head and other small spoils of war there. Swamp monsters were harder to find than unicorns, but they were still achievable.

The difficulty of finding unicorns and swamp monsters is far less than the difficulty of hunting them; otherwise, Vitas would have gone directly to find the Nether Salamander and the Frost Dragon.

He was about to set off when he saw another strange magic circle appear in the sky.

"What's going on?"

Vitas sensed something was wrong. If it were other hunters, he could simply avoid them. But if it were wizards, he couldn't summon the undead at will. After all, this ability was too strange, and if it were exposed and found out by the wizards, he might be surrounded and attacked by these curious individuals.

Perhaps I should strike first and kill the guy who came here through the portal?

Vitas pondered for a moment, and the magic circle in the sky flickered continuously before dimming and dissipating into the air.

A beam of light descended, landing not far from Vitas. He immediately drew his longsword, ready to meet the enemy.

When he arrived at the spot where the beam of light had fallen, he only saw a man being attacked by two giant toads.

This giant toad is as big as a person. Although it doesn't have sharp teeth or claws, its gaping maw and acidic liquid that can corrode the human body make it a significant threat.

The problem is, anyone who dares to enter this place should at least be capable of dealing with these monsters, and there shouldn't be just one person.

Even Vitas, he did it all to summon more "people".

If Vitas were to leave now, he would definitely be eaten by those two giant frogs, and Vitas's previous worries could be considered as never having existed.

That's the right thing to do. Once Vitas gets his spoils, he can obtain what Maximus wants, and Maximus will then have a way to deal with Alistair's death.

He also tried to achieve his revenge plan by attaching himself to Drak, but no matter how you look at it, you should just ignore him.

but……

Vitas looked at the guy, the idiot who hadn't even noticed his presence yet.

He took a deep breath.

Forget it, so be it.

He drew his sword and charged at the two swamp toads.

The two swamp toads were focused on swallowing the unfortunate warrior and were completely unaware of Vitas's approach.

Vitas slashed down with his sword, and a swamp toad was instantly sprayed with blood. Vitas's strength was truly terrifying; even with an iron rod in his hand, he could inflict heavy damage on his enemies.

The acid from the toad's stomach sprayed out as it was cut open, startling the attacked creature into rolling away in fear.

Fortunately, the acid only left some scars on the man's body.

"Vitas!"

Vitas was slightly taken aback. Why did this guy recognize him?

He took a closer look.

Leon?

What's this guy doing here?

He hesitated for only a moment before deciding to deal with the giant toad in front of him first.

The swamp toad was enormous and adept at swallowing, but its reaction speed was rather slow. During the two seconds that Vitas and Leon stared at each other in disbelief, it did not launch an attack. Once Vitas realized what was happening, he immediately plunged his longsword into its mouth, slicing it in two.

After that, it's time for questioning.

"Leon, what are you doing here?"

"Uh, a wizard brought me here."

"Huh? Who?"

"He called himself Maximus and said he was your friend. I told him I wanted to follow you, and then he found a way to send him to me."

Vitas's expression was quite strange.

What exactly is Maximus trying to do? Didn't I say I'd help him gather materials? Shouldn't he be helping as much as possible? What's the point of sending Leon over here? Is he just making things worse?

Vitas couldn't understand it; wizards were usually clearer-headed than he was, and he didn't know what kind of plan the wizard had.

Seeing that Vitas was deep in thought, Leon immediately bowed and said very respectfully.

"Mr. Vitalius! Please take me with you! I won't be a burden to you!"

Vitas's lips twitched.

Won't it become a burden?

What is this guy saying?

"No, you stay here at the camp. After I capture the target, come back with me."

"But, but..."

Vitas stared at Leon.

"Do you know where this is?"

"have no idea."

"This is inside the Kingdom of Mogul, deep within the Great Swamp."

"what?"

Vitas held his head. Leon really didn't know anything. Maximus probably didn't know that his destination was the Kingdom of Mogul either. Instead, he had analyzed his teleportation array using wizard technology.

There's no way around it; the use of such a large-scale spell will inevitably leave traces, and any wizard with even a little skill can reverse engineer it.

At that moment, strange and deep growls came from the depths of the swamp, which frightened Leon into retreating repeatedly.

Vitas sighed.

"It's really dangerous here. Never mind, come with me."

It's fine to let just one person, someone you know, see your secret.

Thank you so much!

So Vitas and Leon ventured into the depths of the swamp.

Not long after entering, Leon realized just how dangerous this place was.

The Great Swamp is the purest form of swamp, stretching for thousands of miles with waterways and small flatlands emerging from the water.

These flat areas were quite soft; even Leon, who wasn't wearing heavy armor, would sink into them, and each step required considerable effort.

Vitas was in an even worse situation; his equipment and weight caused him to leave deep marks with every step he took.

"My lord, how can you advance so easily?"

The most embarrassing thing is that even so, Leon still couldn't keep up with Vitas.

"This is the result of training."

"Um, sir, please let me use your sword!"

"That won't do. A sword is a weapon. If an enemy appears, I must attack immediately. If I give it to you, you can't even keep up with me now. If I give it to you, things will get even more complicated."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through."

Vitas also felt that he should take this opportunity to have a good talk with Leon.

Vitas disliked the Flying Eagle Knights for being unprofessional and amateurish, and he didn't even realize his own amateurishness.

However, Vitas was also deeply moved by the enthusiasm of these people. It was as if he saw his past self, who was willing to give up everything for adventure, freedom, and honor.

If possible, Vitas still hopes that they can realize their dreams one day.

"Leon, as the Knight Commander of the Knights, you should read more books."

"But I don't have time."

"Time can be made, but for a leader, knowledge is paramount. Knowledge of nature, knowledge of human relationships. You don't know the Knights' training, the Knights' organization. You might be able to handle mindless beasts now, but you'll only encounter more trouble later when you're waging war."

"I understand. But I can't read."

"Sigh, that's a problem too."

On the way, Leon told his story about his past.

Leon and Helena were from the same hometown; they had known each other since childhood, grew up together, and farmed together. Leon wasn't actually very interested in going on adventures or gaining glory.

He was more realistic and more pessimistic; he felt that mercenaries were merely sweatshop workers packaged with lies and pathetic stories, no different in essence from those who toiled in the fields and city workshops.

He disliked this kind of life, a life where he could die at any moment. If he could, Leon's dream was to have a piece of land in his hometown village, build a small house by the river, and live a peaceful life until he grew old.

"But Helena said, 'Where is the stability in this kind of life? Today there is a severe drought, tomorrow there is a flood. The villagers' lives are terrible. They could starve to death if they are not careful, and they have to live in such a small place.'"

Even though he was quite tired, Leon still gave a gentle smile as he said this.

Helena said that even if she were to die, she would rather die in the vast world outside. Who could refuse such a statement?

Leon looked at Vitas, his tone finally carrying an unprecedented envy.

"You are exactly what we've always dreamed of."

Vitas listened to Leon ramble on for so long without interrupting. Long journeys are always boring, and having someone to talk to is a good thing.

After hearing this, Vitas was also impressed by the passion of these young people.

"In that case, I can't help but think about my past."

"Your past."

"I was once a member of a great family, and I deserve to be a knight. Everyone thought so. A family knight, a glorious knight, driven by an oath, adorned with honor."

Vitas reminisced about the past.

"But I do not like being with my companions and colleagues, even if their armor is magnificent and exquisite. I prefer to be with the shepherd's daughter."

"The shepherd's daughter?"

"She's a few years older than me. When we were little, we played together all over the mountains and fields, with the children of the surrounding farmers, and with other people who had served our family for generations."

"And then?"

"Later, I fell out with my family, formed my own order of knights, and left my hometown. Of course, I didn't take the shepherd's daughter with me, which is a real regret."

Vitas's words were playful, yet there was a hint of sadness in his tone.

"You really are..."

Leon didn't know what to say, but suddenly, Vitas seemed to have discovered something and asked.

"After listening to you talk for so long, you don't actually like Helena, do you? You actually gave up your dream of a stable life and became a mercenary just because of what she said."

"Because Helena needs me. She's always full of enthusiasm but lacks the ability to match it. If I don't help her, who knows what she'll become."

"I see."

Vitas finally realized what was happening.

"So that's why you were so hostile towards me when we first met!"

"So you're only just realizing that?"

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became quite amusing.

The two continued on their way.

Vitas said.

"If that's the case, you should be bolder. Helena is the kind of person who is quite passionate and outgoing. If you are too sensitive, she won't be able to perceive your feelings."

"So, Lord Vitas, you have quite a rich romantic history?"

Upon hearing this, Vitas shook his head.

"Sigh, I'm really not a very good person in this regard."

Vitas was about to continue speaking, but the commotion coming from the swamp stopped him.

The growl grew clearer, and Leon's expression turned serious.

The current situation is no joke.

The two men quietly advanced for about 500 meters before finally spotting their hunting target.

"This is the Swamp Monster, Leon, our target."

About two hundred meters away, the swamp monster was moving in a relatively clear pool of water.

The swamp monster was much larger than expected. It resembled a twisted humanoid monster made of countless vines, with its hands dragging on the ground and a ferocious expression.

"Are we going to fight a monster like this?"

"Yes, that's why I didn't want you to participate. To be honest, even if the entire Flying Eagle Knights came, they couldn't defeat this monster."

"But what if it were you?"

Vitas nodded, he said.

"Listen up, Leon, you can't tell anyone about anything you're about to see, not a single person."

Vitas planted the sword in the ground.

A bright red flame swept across Vitas in a bizarre manner.

Then, Leon witnessed a scene that was almost horrific.

Countless humanoid beings emerged from the ground, appearing before us in a manner almost unbound by the rules of reality.

Leon saw these people engulfed in flames, their flesh charred black, their bodies riddled with seemingly endless wounds.

"What is this? Vitas!"

"These are my companions who have fallen into hell. I summon them for my battle, for my revenge, and for my longing."

Vitas spoke these words as if chanting.

"I have almost no regrets, but after hearing your dream just now, I feel that if I hadn't stuck to my own stubbornness back then and hadn't left my family with my companions, none of this might have happened at all."

As Vitas spoke, the undead around him began to move.

"Don't be afraid. These undead obey my commands and won't harm you. All you need to do now is find a safe place to hide, and after my battle is over, you can come back with me."

Vitas drew his sword again, and at this moment, strange flame patterns appeared on his body and on his sword.

Leon instinctively stepped back; he had never imagined that Vitas was such a terrifying being.

Then, Vitas let out a roar.

"Kill it!"

The surrounding undead also emitted shrieks, and for a short time, these sounds even drowned out the figure of the swamp monster.

The swamp monster charged.

Leon simply couldn't describe the situation in his own words.

The swamp monster's enormous size allowed it to even surpass low trees, and its charge stirred up waves on the water's surface.

But its enemies, those lifeless undead, those undead with flames on their bodies, those who faced the waves without flinching.

Vitas stood among them. Leon had thought Vitas was already quite imposing, but among these summoned undead, there were beings even larger than Vitas. He saw an army, a well-trained army.

"charge!"

Vitas's roar caused the entire undead formation to change, from a dispersed formation to a wedge-shaped attack formation to prevent being wiped out by a single volley of archers.

If there were fine horses, the attack produced by such a formation would be incredibly spectacular.

The undead charged fearlessly towards the swamp monster. Soon, they clashed, the swamp monster sweeping away swathes of spirits with every swing of its hands.

The undead, being immortal, did not use their physical bodies to withstand the attack, because forcibly enduring such an attack would waste time. Dodging and then attacking would be a more effective way to fight.

The undead charged forward relentlessly, pounding the swamp monster with their weapons—axes, halberds, hooks, forks, knives, spears, clubs, and more.

Swamp monsters do not possess blood in the conventional sense. They are not formed from countless plants, and their humanoid form is solely due to the fact that they have devoured too many people and have developed a strange attachment to human form.

"Kill them!"

Vitas did not rush to the battlefield immediately. His eyes scanned everything around him, his mind churning with pain and sorrow, trying to free himself from grief by observing the battlefield and commanding the undead.

"That's about enough. Come with me, Lucas."

He spoke instinctively, but received no response.

Vitas shook his head as he looked at the undead man clad in exquisite armor beside him.

This is his sorrow, his despair.

"I forgot, Lucas, you're dead."

He commanded his companion, whose swordsmanship was comparable to his own, to take up a sword and advance alongside him.

Leon remained observing from a distance; this was not a battlefield he could enter.

But why did he feel such a unique surge of passion within him? Just watching their cooperation, their actions, the urge to fight alongside them, regardless of the consequences, was already so overwhelming?

Leon watched, completely unaware that some danger was approaching from behind.

Vitas slashed his sword into the swamp monster's arm, cutting deep, and then a struggle ensued.

The swamp monster's power was beyond imagination, but unfortunately, Vitas's power was even more terrifying.

In a short time, the swamp monster, trying to shake off Vitas, was surprised to find that its hand was as if it were being clamped by an even larger monster and could not move.

Then came the elites of the Knights of Sin.

The executioner raised his axe high, his strength rivaling even Vitas's. The blade of the long-handled axe fell, severing one of the swamp monster's hands.

It let out an incredibly shrill scream, but this only excited the resurrected members of the Knights of Sin even more.

The undead swarmed forward, their weapons tearing apart the remaining parts of the swamp monster, severely wounding it. Finally, Vitas grabbed the section that had been cut open, resembling its chest, and with a forceful tug, the ugly and grotesque heart was exposed.

"This is a really good thing."

Vitas ripped out his heart, and with an even more agonizing and piercing scream, the swamp monster's massive body finally fell back into the water.

Vitas was enjoying the fight; it was simply too exciting.

All the undead raised their weapons, seemingly roaring, but actually cheering; it didn't matter what they looked like.

Vitas was about to go back with Leon, but when he got back, he found that Leon was not where he had been.

"Damn it, what's going on?"

As he looked at the glaring red stain on the water, a nameless fear returned to his heart.

Vitas fears the death of others more than his own.

"Leon?"

Vitas didn't want anything to happen to Leon. To be honest, he quite liked the guy. Although they had some disagreements at the beginning, things were going well now, and their relationship was improving.

Vitas followed the trail of blood deeper into the water, enduring intense pain, and refused to let his undead minions return to where they belonged.

He eventually found Leon.

Leon was being held by a strange bird whose claws resembled human hands, and it landed on a large tree.

Leon's head was inside its mouth, while the rest of its body was hanging from a tree branch.

Vitas closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes and found that the scenery in front of him had not changed, he simply shook his head slightly and then sighed.

"Ugh."

How should he win Helena's heart? How should he remember Leon?

He had experienced too many things like this before, but does experiencing too much justify numbness?

Vitas eventually abandoned these thoughts; he knew what he should do now.

He wants revenge on the monster that caused all of this.

After completing this revenge, he needs to find that guy.

That idiot wizard.

He roared out that damned name.

"Maximus!"