The Soldier Shouted Save

Chapter 11

The scene before me was strange, almost unreal.

Through the narrow crack of the door, I could see a white figure. Without hesitation, I pushed the door open.

―Thud.

The “thing” standing in front of the door was knocked over and tumbled to the ground.

―Clatter. Clatter.

“What the…”

The white figure that had fallen to the ground scrambled to prop itself up, but then realized one of its hand bones had come loose.

It calmly picked up the fallen hand bone and reattached it to its wrist.

―Clack.

The figure stood up, as if nothing had happened.

It was a skeleton.

“Ah…”

I froze, stunned by the sight.

‘Why is there a skeleton in this village?’

―Clack.

The skeleton moved slightly, and I instinctively took a step back.

―Clack.

But it didn’t chase after me. It only turned its skull to face me.

This was bad.

I was only armed with a dagger—not a weapon suited for fighting skeletons.

‘If only I had a White Potion…’

I had managed to get outside and put some distance between us, but the skeleton was now blocking the doorway.

‘Why isn’t it attacking?’

I carefully circled around the skeleton, keeping my distance and staying within its line of sight as I made my way back to the door.

All the while, it simply turned its skull to follow my movements, showing no intention of attacking.

‘This isn’t a normal skeleton…’

It wasn’t acting like a typical skeleton, that was for sure.

Normally, a skeleton would attack immediately upon detecting an intruder. But this one was just… waiting.

Skeletons were animated by necromancers who gave them simple commands, or “patterns.” However, the patterns for low-tier skeletons were very basic: “search” for enemies and “attack” once found.

This skeleton, though, had found me but hadn’t attacked.

Could it be operating under a different pattern?

I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

It was possible that its attack pattern would trigger as soon as I turned my back.

But thanks to its stillness, I was able to make my way around it and reach the door of the house.

I opened the door slowly, keeping an eye on the skeleton.

The moment I touched the door, the skeleton moved.

―Clack.

In response, I thrust my dagger forward, ready for an attack.

But its actions were unexpected.

‘What is it doing?’

The skeleton extended its arm to the side and turned its skull in the same direction, as if it were pointing at something.

Instinctively, I followed its gaze.

There was nothing unusual—just the typical buildings of the village.

Then I heard it.

―Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sound of bones knocking together echoed from all directions.

‘So many of them…’

Skeletons were gathering—at least 20, and more were still coming.

‘Should I run?’

If the skeletons intended to kill me, even fighting two of them would be difficult.

But if my goal was simply to escape…

I tested my body by lightly bouncing on my feet.

The effects of the Red Potion were still active. I could move without pain.

But the potion’s effects wouldn’t last much longer.

A Red Potion didn’t heal wounds. It numbed pain and gave temporary strength, a potion used for emergencies during battle.

The strain on my body from forcing myself to move would come crashing down once the effects wore off.

That’s why Red Potions were rarely distributed in the palace unless for crucial battles.

The more I exerted myself, the faster the effects would fade. Even if I sprinted, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it out of the village.

―Clack. Clack.

The skeletons were moving.

One stood directly in front of me, and the others formed a line, each keeping a distance of about two meters from the next.

I couldn’t figure out their intentions, and the uncertainty was maddening.

But once they were all in position, their purpose became clear.

“You… want me to go that way?”

The skeletons, illuminated by the moonlight, formed a pale path.

The skeleton that had knocked on my door pointed toward the end of the path, gesturing with its bony finger.

‘Is this a trap?’

That was my first thought.

Undead were bound by the will of their necromancer.

Their actions were extensions of the necromancer’s will, and there was no guarantee the necromancer was friendly.

I wasn’t even sure if there was a necromancer in this village, but if there was, they certainly wouldn’t have good intentions toward me.

So, it had to be a trap.

But was it really?

What kind of trap could this be?

There were already more than 50 skeletons surrounding me, with even more gathering.

They didn’t need a trap to overpower someone like me.

The skeleton that had knocked on my door lowered its outstretched arm and began to lead the way along the bony path, glancing back at me as if to say, “Follow me.”

‘This doesn’t make sense…’

Cautiously, I followed.

―Clack. Clack.

I trailed behind the skeleton, keeping my eyes on the other skeletons surrounding us.

The village was full of them now. It was hard to tell if this was still a human village or a village of skeletons.

‘Where did all these skeletons come from?’

This wasn’t just a couple of skeletons—there were dozens. Had they been hiding here the whole time, unnoticed by the villagers?

―Clack. Clack.

Even though I was just walking, I felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

Each step felt heavier as I struggled to keep an eye on the skeletons around me.

After several minutes of walking, the skeleton leading the way stopped.

‘This place…’

We had arrived in front of a massive building, large enough for three horses to pass through side by side.

‘A warehouse?’

―Clack.

The skeleton pointed toward the building.

“…You want me to go inside?”

―Tap. Tap.

Its jaw clattered together, almost as if nodding.

I glanced back at the horde of skeletons behind me. Reluctantly, I stepped toward the door.

I pushed it slightly.

―Creak.

It wasn’t locked.

I gathered my strength and pulled the door open.

―Creeeeak.

The heavy door swung open with a loud, grating sound.

Inside, the building was vast, with several large windows lining the walls.

Moonlight streamed in through the windows, but it was still too dark to see much.

‘That smell…’

It was the scent of flowers.

As soon as the door opened, the strong floral fragrance hit me like a wave, almost overwhelming.

The floral scent that flooded the warehouse was all too familiar.

It was the same scent as the incense the village chief had burned in my room earlier, claiming it would “calm” the effects of the potion.

Quickly, I covered my nose with my sleeve.

Even after only briefly inhaling it, I could feel my body growing sluggish and numb.

“Hah… Hah…”

The sound of labored breathing filled the room.

But it wasn’t my own.

The faint, shallow breaths came from someone else, as if they were on the verge of death.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I saw her.

A woman, kneeling with her arms spread wide, chained to the walls.

Her head hung low, her long black hair obscuring her face.

―Step. Step.

I cautiously moved closer.

“Hah… Hah…”

Even though my footsteps echoed through the room, she didn’t react.

The scent of flowers grew stronger.

Incense, burning throughout the room, had likely dulled her senses completely.

‘Just like it did to me…’

As I got closer, I could make out the white insignia embroidered on her dark clothing.

The symbol of the goddess.

She was a priestess.

I moved in for a closer look, but then—

―Clack.

The sharp sound of bones clattering interrupted my thoughts.

I spun around to see the skeletons outside moving aggressively.

Something wasn’t right.

I hurried back out of the building.

The skeletons had surrounded the warehouse, closing in.

‘What now?’

With my back to the wall, I assessed the situation.

Unlike before, their movements were hostile.

The skeletons extended their sharp bony hands toward me, adopting a clear “attack posture.”

―Clack.

One of them lunged at me, swiping its hand toward my face.

I ducked low, slipping past it under its arm, and broke into a run.

But I didn’t get far before another skeleton blocked my path.

I tried to veer to the side, but more skeletons had closed in from the left and right.

‘Why now?’

They’d had plenty of chances to attack earlier, but only now were they turning hostile.

I didn’t have time to figure it out.

I needed to escape.

But the skeletons weren’t just blocking my way forward—they were everywhere. There were so many of them that they filled every gap in the street.

It seemed as though there were more skeletons than empty space.

‘Is this life over too?’

That’s when it happened.

―Boom!

A powerful shockwave erupted right in front of me.

The blast shattered several skeletons into pieces and sent me flying into the wall of the building.

‘Ugh!’

Pain shot through my back as I collided with the wall.

The fact that I could still feel pain meant the effects of the Red Potion were wearing off.

At that moment, someone extended a hand toward me.

“Are you alright?!”

‘The chief?’

“Quick, get up! The skeletons are going to reassemble soon!”

Just as the village chief said, the skeletons were already gathering their scattered bones to rebuild themselves.

I let the chief help me to my feet.

“Why are there skeletons in the village?”

“I don’t know… But does that matter right now? We need to get inside, now!”

I followed the chief as he opened a nearby door, and we rushed inside.

The moment we were in, the chief shut the door and raised his staff.

A violet light emanated from the staff, spreading out to envelop the building.

“That was close. You’re safe now.”

‘Safe?’

I glanced out the window cautiously.

Outside, countless skeletons stood there, but they didn’t approach the building. They just hovered near the door, unable to come any closer.

“…What kind of magic is this?”

“A simple spell,” the chief said. “It makes skeletons forget they can enter the building. As long as this spell holds, they won’t step foot inside.”

“But that spell…”

This wasn’t a spell an ordinary mage could use.

It wasn’t a matter of difficulty.

No, this magic was…

“You’re right. It’s black magic,” the chief admitted, noticing my expression.

At the mention of black magic, my brow furrowed.

“But trust me,” the chief continued. “That’s all in the past. Now, I’m just the village chief, trying to protect what’s left of this place.”

“Did you know skeletons come out at night and still let me stay here?”

“I warned you, didn’t I? I told you not to go outside after dark…”

I had assumed the chief was behind the plot to kill me.

But he had just saved me from the skeletons.

He hadn’t given me all the answers, but he had at least warned me not to leave the house at night.

‘Does that mean I should trust him?’

That didn’t sit right.

I recalled the warning about the Red Potion.

Like the message I’d seen at the start of this “new life,” the chief’s Red Potion had clearly had a negative effect on me.

The chief had said the potion was his own creation.

I didn’t know his motives, but one thing was certain.

He had tried to kill me.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“The woman in the warehouse—who is she?”

“…She’s a necromancer.”

‘A necromancer?’

“But…”

“I know what you’re thinking. She’s wearing the robes of a priestess, yes, but trust me—she’s a necromancer! I know, because I’ve dealt with black magic myself. You have to believe me!”

I frowned, unsure of what to believe.

What was the truth?

I wasn’t a strategist or a politician.

I was just a former royal soldier.

I couldn’t untangle the truth from lies with words alone.

But I did have a way to find out.

In my hand, I gripped the dagger.

Its sharp blade may have been useless against skeletons, but it was still a deadly weapon against humans.

If words wouldn’t reveal the truth, I would find it my own way.

―Whoosh.

I slashed the dagger toward the chief’s throat.

Startled, the chief raised his right hand and conjured a dark shield to block the blow.

“W-What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind, attacking me like this?!”

The chief’s face twisted in panic as he began to prepare a counterattack spell.

I didn’t give him the chance.

I rushed him again, closing the distance.

Mages were vulnerable to close-quarters combat.

Even though my body was on the brink of collapse, with the last remnants of the Red Potion’s effects still lingering, I had enough strength left to fight.

There was no way the chief could overpower me.

“Ugh! Stop this!!” the chief shouted, struggling as he barely managed to deflect my attacks with his shield.

But he was on the defensive, and I was pressing him hard.

‘Is the chief not the mastermind?’

If the chief wasn’t the one behind everything, then I was about to kill my savior.

And if that happened, the real culprit would surely come for me next.

I had to be sure in this life.

I had to know what the chief had done to me.

“Ugh!”

I forced the chief backward, pressing my dagger closer to his throat.

“Please… Stop this! Why are you doing this? Is it because I use black magic?!”

The chief’s terrified eyes pleaded with me.

“If you’re asking why, you already know. You tried to kill me.”

Years of experience on the battlefield had taught me one thing.

Hesitation gets you killed.

―Slash!

I brought the dagger down toward the chief.

There was one truth I knew for certain.

When faced with death, people become honest.

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