"Have you heard? Three guerrilla teams in the area were wiped out recently. I heard from the people who found the bodies that their deaths were absolutely gruesome."
"Yeah, yeah, even that Grizzly fellow and his bunch were finished! I remember his subordinates used to be regular Ursus military! They were highly trained!"
"I still remember working with them to take the Viktor mining area. They were so bold and fierce back then that they even made those runaway mercenary soldiers scramble for their lives! I never expected the next news I'd hear of them would be their death notices."
...
Over the past few days, news of various guerrilla units being purged had been constantly reaching the scouts. According to the villagers who discovered the aftermath, by the time they arrived, the bodies had been picked apart by wild fangs; only a pile of skeletons remained scattered on the snow.
A few Yetis whispered about this while moving supplies. This rescue mission was risky, but they couldn't just leave these miners here to wait for death. Who knew when the enemies would leave the tundra? If they didn't leave, were they supposed to watch their found compatriots continue to suffer? No one could agree to that.
Thus, following Patriot's advice, they set out together. Currently, Frostnova and Jeanne were leading the Yeti squad to aid these miners.
"All the miners have been rescued, but some are unwilling to leave with us. They say they aren't Infected and don't want to live with a group like us..."
Frostnova walked up to Jeanne, who was still on high alert. One could tell from her tone that she felt uncomfortable about those who looked down on the Infected.
"There's no helping it; not all non-Infected can understand. Plus, with the recent news of the Emperor's Blades hunting down the Infected, everyone is terrified. Why would they want to walk with us?"
Jeanne expressed that she fully understood their thoughts; in fact, it would be normal even for the Infected to refuse to follow them.
"Most people won't follow you for an intangible ideal; they prefer to follow the strong and the winners. They only follow whoever can achieve victory. Give them some food and let them find their own way out!"
"Big Sis, Jeanne! Some of the Infected don't want to go with us either! They want to leave on their own and find their own way!"
A Yeti came running over, dragging a man along. Jeanne took one look at the man and immediately saw that something was wrong—it was as if he had lost his soul.
"He seems to be a survivor of one of the guerrilla teams. He was captured and brought here. Everyone heard him saying that 'Witch-monsters' are hunting guerrillas everywhere, and now they don't want to leave with us!"
This caught the interest of both women. A man who managed to escape from the hands of the Emperor's Blades? But if it really were them, how could they make such a rookie mistake?
When the Yeti pulled the man before them, Jeanne felt a cold aura eroding his body. If that substance wasn't purged, based on the current rate, this man wouldn't live another seven days.
"I see... using a survivor's life as bait to lure me in? What a foul personality."
Looking at this half-dead Infected man, Jeanne felt a surge of disgust at the act of using innocent people this way.
"What happened?" Frostnova looked at Jeanne with confusion. In her eyes, this was just an unsaveable Infected; why would Jeanne be so angry about this?
Once Jeanne explained the truth, Frostnova was equally enraged by the conduct of the Emperor's Blades. At the same time, she felt a sense of powerlessness; there was nothing she could do for the man.
They could only take him back for discussion, but they couldn't let him into the village. The moment the black mist was dispelled by the Holy Light, the Emperor's Blades would discover their exact location.
The two didn't tell the others the specifics; they only said there was an issue with the man and they would handle it separately. The man, however, had no reaction, looking like a literal corpse.
Soon after, Patriot appeared outside the village. Upon hearing Jeanne's account, the two agreed to set the battlefield outside the village to prevent any issues. Ultimately, it was decided that Jeanne and Patriot would go to intercept the Emperor's Blades, while Talulah, Frostnova, and Alina would be responsible for the village's safety.
Although the others were worried about Alina, a nun, participating in combat, they trusted Alina's involvement under Jeanne's guarantee.
Jeanne and Patriot took the man to a place some distance from the village, but not too far. This way, even if something went wrong at the village, they would have time to rush back.
Under Patriot's gaze, Jeanne sprinkled Holy Water around the area. A faint shimmer began to glow, illuminating the land. The black mist clinging to the man was finally visible to Patriot.
"Indeed, these are the methods of the Emperor's Blades! They use special methods to seal 'demons' within their bodies, creating killing machines with physical attributes far beyond human limits!"
Patriot explained the origin of the Emperor's Blades to Jeanne, while also recalling their combat patterns to prevent any oversight.
"They excel in swordsmanship and the use of demonic power. The places they step become a domain called 'The Dominion'... however, that power likely won't have much effect on you."
As they spoke, Jeanne sprinkled Holy Water onto the man. The black mist billowed out and, in the next instant, vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, inside the village: Talulah, who was leading the miners into the settlement, noticed a man who suddenly exhaled a burst of black mist the moment he entered. His breathing stopped instantly.
An uneasy feeling surged in Talulah's heart. She hurriedly asked the surrounding miners about the man's origin, but they only knew he had been tossed there a few days ago. No other information was known.
"Something is wrong; we've been tricked! Everyone, take the villagers and hide in the deepest part! Shieldguards, Yetis, and everyone else—prepare for battle!"
Realizing the trap, Talulah urgently commanded the team. she estimated they were about to face a terrifying battle; she only hoped that this time, no comrades would fall. She didn't know how many Emperor's Blades they were about to face, but she believed that with herself, Frostnova, and the protection of the Shieldguards, they could hold out until Jeanne and Patriot returned.
"Alina, take the villagers and hide in the center of the village. The coming fight is truly dangerous! I'm worried something will happen to you!"
"And I feel the same. While you are fighting, I worry about what will happen to you. Let me stand by your side this time. Since Holy Light can suppress those enemies, I will definitely be able to help you!"
As she spoke, Alina's hand gripped the wooden crucifix Jeanne had given her. The cross seemed to respond to her call, slowly beginning to pulse with a faint light.