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“Why did it turn out like this…?”

Conra, pointing his spear at the horned hounds in front of him, recalled his memories with a troubled expression.

Just moments ago, Conra and Maria were having a truly wonderful time. With fascinating sights and delicious, exotic snacks, it was the perfect setting for children to enjoy.

But the decisive reason Conra could enjoy himself was simply because Maria was happy. Unlike Conra, who had been immersed in the mysteries of spells, Maria, having grown up in the slums, rarely had the chance to experience such things.

Though she had only been taken in as a disciple by Sophia a few days ago, the mysteries were still unfamiliar to her. So, when she saw the first-floor facilities of the Spell Tower, designed to attract people’s attention, she was utterly fascinated.

Even the people coming and going from the Spell Tower seemed intriguing to her. Watching people alone was entertaining enough, as they say.

But the peaceful time the two were sharing was suddenly shattered.

Out of nowhere, a sharp sound brushed past Conra’s ear. Sensing something ominous, Conra reacted faster than anyone else.

“Maria!”

The moment he felt something was wrong, Conra reflexively grabbed Maria by the waist and leaped aside. In that instant, a pitch-black shadow tore through the space where they had just been.

Setting Maria down, Conra drew the spear from his back and took a defensive stance in the blink of an eye. When he finally took in the scene before him, he couldn’t help but let out a low groan.

“What on earth is going on…?”

“Senior, what is that?”

Maria, who had narrowly escaped danger while being held by Conra, asked with a bewildered expression.

Before them was a shattered barrier, resembling a broken window, and through the cracks, horned black hounds with glowing red eyes were drooling menacingly.

“I don’t know what that is either, but I think I know what’s on their heads. Cernunnos’ horns? Who on earth came up with that idea?”

Cernunnos, in the traditions passed down among the Druids, was a nature deity worshipped as the arbiter of life and death. And his retinue was said to bear horns resembling his.

To be honest, Conra didn’t know much about Cernunnos either. The Druid faith had its own lineages and branches, and what Conra had inherited from his father, Setanta, was the ‘Tuatha Dé Danann’ faith, which emphasized the warrior aspects of nature, not the worship of nature’s grandeur itself.

‘But at least I know that Cernunnos holds a significant place among the Druid faiths across the continent.’

And Cernunnos was renowned for having the largest retinue among the Druid deities.

Of course. As the ruler of the underworld and the god presiding over animal reproduction, Cernunnos was central to the cycle of life and death—something no living being could escape. Naturally, his retinue, dedicated to realizing his will across the world, was vast.

So, in Druid traditions across the continent, encounters with horned spirits weren’t uncommon.

“But those don’t look like spirits from Druid traditions, do they?”

“Tibicena, spirits of death from Berber folklore.”

Maria, standing behind Conra, answered. Surprised by this unexpected source of information, Conra resisted the urge to turn around and asked, “Where did you get that information?”

“From the sign next to the barrier earlier. It had an explanation.”

“Wow, sharp eyes.”

Conra muttered in admiration as he listened to Maria’s explanation.

“Tibicena are death spirits that live in caves, carrying the souls of the dead to the riverbanks of the afterlife. They’re mostly harmless to the living, but some can bite under special circumstances, causing the bitten to suffer and die within days or months.”

“So, what are those special circumstances?”

“I don’t know, it didn’t say…”

Maria trailed off, perhaps feeling apologetic for not being more helpful. But the answer came from Conra’s spirit, Esras-Hermes, who had been silent until now.

{When the living attempt to command death, Tibicena attack them. It’s a well-known rumor that death spirits are hostile to necromancers.}

Thus, death spirits are not usually commanded by the living, Esras-Hermes explained.

{Sorry for the late advice. Berber spell arts aren’t my specialty, so it took me a while to recall.}

“No, it’s fine now. So, it seems like we’re in that special situation. Is there anything we should be careful about when dealing with them?”

{Look closely. They look like hounds, right? Their behavior is similar. If one bites someone, hold its body between your knees and pull its neck. It’ll let go within 20 seconds. That way, even if bitten, you won’t die. But if it lets go first, it means death has been bestowed upon the soul. Remember that.}

Conra nodded at Esras-Hermes’ advice. Truly, invaluable advice worth its weight in gold. But as Conra nodded, Esras-Hermes added something that undermined his earlier advice.

{That’s the general method for subduing Tibicena, but I’m not sure if it’ll work on these ones.}

“Huh?”

{Well, they have horns. Tibicena that have become Cernunnos’ retinue? Who on earth came up with such a hybrid?}

Esras-Hermes’ “I dunno” comment was enough to make Conra dizzy with confusion. And in that moment of imbalance, the Cernunnos Tibicena lunged at him.

“Ugh, back off!”

Conra’s spear moved like a living snake as he swiftly regained his stance. He chose to methodically push back the charging Tibicena with precise footwork and strikes.

{Listen while you fight. Tibicena aren’t known for their spellcasting abilities. Their main method of attack relies on their teeth to inflict death. But with Cernunnos’ horns, things might be different.}

Conra deflected a lunging Tibicena with his spear, kicked another aiming for his groin, and blocked a headbutt with his spear, following up with a straight kick to its face.

{Cernunnos’ retinue is famous for their spellcasting. The antlers on their heads supply them with abundant spell resources.}

A crackling sound brushed past Conra’s ear. He quickly glanced and saw a Tibicena gathering lightning between its antlers. As Conra’s left hand formed a seal, the Tibicena released a completed lightning spell.

In response, a barrier spell stored in Conra’s spell socket was unleashed.

“Viotayle Ai Zinas Ar Gah Treo! Mi A Shaosaint O Bagat Na Viotayli Oke! (Spirits of the elements guarding each direction, protect me from evil!)”

A pentagram formed beneath his feet, a barrier spell that expelled specific attributes from a designated area. Conra chose lightning, rendering the incoming spell ineffective as it lost the qualification to enter the barrier space.

The lightning dissipated harmlessly, but Conra couldn’t relax. Other Tibicena were already preparing their spells.

{If you try to counter every spell with a barrier, you’ll never finish. Your elemental expulsion spell is effective, but not suited for quick transitions. Here, it’s better to utilize the Ethereal Brain’s spell resource management.}

{Well said. In a fast-paced battle, wasting time casting barrier spells is inefficient.}

Esras-Hermes’ advice was echoed by Rugus-Artaeus, who had been silent until now. Listening, Conra took three steps in the “correct direction.” His body bent like a reed, evading the natural forces trying to bind him.

In the next step, Conra straightened like a spring, switching seals to control his main strength.

{The trick is like inserting a material with a different thermal expansion coefficient into a well-fitted structure.}

{When fighting masters, focus on the feeling. ‘Read the stance,’ then ‘counter.’ Isn’t that the ultimate winning formula?}

Soon, popping sounds erupted from all directions. Conra’s manipulation of his main strength caused the nearly completed spells to fizzle out.

Meanwhile, Maria, careful not to disturb Conra, moved cautiously along the wall. Fortunately, most of the Tibicena’s attention was on Conra, so she didn’t have much trouble slipping away.

But her luck didn’t last long.

“Grr…”

“Oh no…”

A troubled expression crossed Maria’s face.

Though she had become Sophia’s disciple, she had only been training for a few days and was still mastering the basics. Facing powerful spirits was beyond her. Most people would have despaired by now.

But Maria didn’t give up. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, then opened them with a calm expression, lowering her stance.

Sophia’s teachings flashed through her mind.

{‘Stiffen the lower body to free the upper body, or stiffen the upper body to free the lower body. Most martial arts masters choose the former. Feet grounded, fighting with the arms is the most stable. Moreover, they can execute attacks and defenses with small, precise movements, and are skilled at channeling the strength of a solid lower body through a free upper body.’}

{‘But if that’s not the case, it’s better to stiffen the upper body and keep the lower body free. If you’re not adept at switching between offense and defense with small movements, it’s safer to use larger movements. Seeking rationality, efficiency, and stamina distribution in movement is a luxury for beginners whose senses aren’t yet refined.’}

{‘So, let me teach you a movement you can use in such a situation.’}

As a horned hound charged, Maria sidestepped and found herself on its back. Grabbing its antlers with both hands, she wrapped her legs around its neck and began to choke it.

“Grrk…!?”

The Tibicena’s eyes widened in shock. It hadn’t expected such a brazen move from a seemingly fragile girl.

But Maria wasn’t done. With strength she didn’t know she had, she tightened her grip, cutting off the Tibicena’s air supply.

“Grr… Grk… Kek… Kek…”

The Tibicena struggled, but its spellcasting abilities, granted by its antlers, were useless now. Its vision blurred, and soon it collapsed, tongue lolling.

Spirits couldn’t be killed, but those taking specific forms were bound by those forms’ limitations. Just like the sacred tree Ogma, guardian of the forest where Conra’s parents lived, the Tibicena Maria had choked out was no exception.

 

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