405 405 Array of Benefits
While the Witches drew up the documents, Ella made a large copper disc for Wolfe to place the village’s enchantment on.
The papers would take a while to write, so Wolfe got right to work creating an Inscription that would cover the entire village in an [Unholy Fire] barrier with a strength near what he had used when they were fighting on the front lines of the Monster Tide.
That would be more than enough to hold up against most attacks, and it would do just fine against any roaming monsters that happened to trouble the village. The flames usually drove the monsters back once they realized that they weren’t easily extinguished, but a few persistent ones would still need to be defeated by the local guards.
They had more than enough, and they were going to bring him bows to enchant as well, adding an extra layer to their security.
At first, the witches were so eager to get the agreement signed that they didn’t even notice that Wolfe had started to work, but once he started to channel Mana to create the Inscription, every head in the room turned to see what he was doing.
The fact that it was not an upgraded version of the standard Array but an advanced one that they had never seen before was not lost on the Elder, and her expression left no doubt that she had forgotten there was anything else going on in the room.
Wolfe deliberately drew out the process so that everyone could get a good look, even though he could create a barrier like this in a single second, as he had around the bus. A bit of showmanship went a long way to impressing the Witches, and they always loved to watch unknown magic being performed.
Wolfe finished the inscription and placed the disc on the table.
“There you go, one barrier array for the village. It will keep out all forms of monsters with the appropriate level of mana fed to it, and it will hold up against the bombardment of null stone artillery for a few minutes.
When mine was attacked on the front lines, it held out long enough for the entire unit to get away while I fed it mana.”
The Elder gave Wolfe a sly look. “And how, might I ask, did you manage to escape afterward if you stayed to feed it mana while they shelled the area?”
Wolfe winked at the old woman and put on his best pitiful look.
“Please, I’m just a nomad, a human merchant. Just let me go, and you’ll never have to see me again.” He pleaded.
The witches laughed at his act. “So, you pretended to be human because you know they can’t tell the difference if you’re not using magic and then just walked away? That is priceless.”
“Even better, I managed to convince them that Lieutenant Priya is my sister, and they let me take her with me.”
The younger witches stared at him in shock. Priya was a Sylvan Coven name, and if she had the appearance of her hometown, the two would visually have nothing in common. Wolfe would be far more pale, with lighter hair and eyes. Nobody in their right mind would mistake the two as siblings.
“One day, we will have to hear all about the wintertime exploits of the Demon Lord Wolfe and the Priya Company. However, I don’t think that many people know your name yet. Everyone still calls you the Snow Demon, and the Grand Dutchies thought that you had retreated into the mountains when the spring came until you attacked a town.” The senior officer from the Gormana Military laughed.
ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm Ella shook her head in denial while she hid her laughter. “If they thought that it was that easy to get rid of Wolfe, they were sadly mistaken. The only reason that they stopped getting attacked is because they stopped coming close to our territory.
If they had tried to send the remainder of their forces in full retreat through the Frozen Wastes, there wouldn’t be anything left of them right now. We would have wiped them all out.”
The Military Intelligence officer spoke up for the first time. “Is there some existing bad blood there? Perhaps some members of your village who had fled from the Grand Dutchies?”
Wolfe shook his head. “No, just on general principle. You don’t get to come in, shoot at my neighbours, herd monsters to attack my house and then walk right back out like nothing happened.”
Both officers smiled in understanding. That was what they had warned the government was going to happen with the plan to herd the monsters. Everyone knew the legends that there were dangerous things from the old times still lurking in the Frozen Wastes and the mountains to their north, but as time had worn on, too many people had come to believe that they were nothing more than superstition.
If their suspicion was correct, Wolfe wasn’t even the most dangerous thing still lurking out there. He was just the most dangerous being whose yard they had trespassed in.
A polite knock at the door drew their attention, and a Witch in the guard uniform stuck her head in.
“Elder, we have the weapons that you requested ready. Where would you like them?”
The Elder turned to Wolfe, who rose to his feet with a sigh.
“Just leave them in their crates out front, and I will do the enchantment there. Unpacking them all would just be a huge hassle, and it’s not actually necessary. Does the guard force have a preference? I know a lot of forces prefer Wind spells, so more of the monster is preserved, but I am stronger with Unholy or Lightning Magic.” He asked the Elder.
“We have weapons for hunting, so the strongest attack magic you have would be better.”
Ella flicked the back of Wolfe’s ear when he smiled in response and reminded him to behave.
“The strongest that is suitable for the scout companies. No messing with the witches just because you’re bored.”
Wolfe gave her a wink. “Who said I had to be bored?”