NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Headless Horseman
“Traces of the undead in the Southern Territory?”
Just as Edward had finished arranging a mission for female adventurers in the adventurer’s guild, he received information from the receptionist about the appearance of undead in the Southern Territory.
Facing his surprise, the receptionist continued solemnly, “There have been rumors for the past few days. Due to the lack of powerful monsters in our Southern Territory, once these terrifying undead creatures appear, we advise adventurers not to leave the city for a short period. After the last incident with the Lich, we suffered significant losses. Now, the number of people willing to become adventurers has decreased, so we cannot afford any accidents involving important adventurers at this time.”
Understanding the reason for the conversation, Edward asked, “Do you know what type of undead it is?”
Undead varied in strength depending on their type. The Lich mentioned earlier was one of the top-tier undead, typically powerful magic users in their past lives, capable of using magic even in their undead state, employing necromancy.
Apart from Liches, there were skeletons, skeletal dragons, and various other undead creatures, each with different levels of threat.
The receptionist, realizing that the young man seemed to have a good understanding of undead, said, “The one spotted this time is the Headless Horseman…”
“Headless Horseman?!”
Immediately, everyone, including Edward, showed surprise.
Yes, the Headless Horseman was also one of the top-tier undead. Unlike the Lich, which represented an entire race, the Headless Horseman referred to an individual: Belldia, the strongest knight of the Empire who died on the Northern Territory battlefield several centuries ago.
Unlike the Southern Territory, the Northern Territory faced constant threats from magical domains, leading to frequent magical tides and monster attacks. To defend against these crises, the Empire’s most elite knights and warriors gathered at the northernmost defense line.
Belldia was one of them. He achieved the level of a fifth-rank Sword Saint at a young age, making him one of the most outstanding talents. With unparalleled swordsmanship, he was considered the most likely candidate to reach the sixth rank, an unexplored realm for humans.
Yes, like magic users, knights and warriors in this world were divided into six ranks: Apprentice Swordsman, Swordsman, Sword Master, Sword Soul, Sword Saint, and the unnamed realm that had not been achieved by anyone so far. The reason it remained unnamed was that no one had broken through to the sixth rank yet, similar to the Arch Mage for magic users.
Belldia, as the most likely candidate to break through to the sixth rank, gained numerous military achievements on the battlefield. He would have been directly appointed as the Empire’s Grand Knight upon returning from the border. Unfortunately, in a direct confrontation with undead forces, he was targeted from the beginning and eventually died due to an ambush. His body was then turned into a material for a spell, resurrecting him as the Headless Horseman.
Since then, the Empire had legends of the Headless Horseman. According to rumors, after being turned into an undead, he resisted the Lich’s control, killed the Lich trying to manipulate him, and fled the battlefield. However, due to his undead nature’s bloodlust, he couldn’t restrain himself, becoming a demon that slaughtered living beings.
Although considered a boring legend by most, occasional sightings of the Headless Horseman seemed to announce to everyone that this bloodthirsty monster had never truly left and had been wandering within the Empire’s territory all along.
Now, hearing the receptionist mention it, Edward couldn’t help but ask with interest, “Can you tell me where it was spotted?”
“Uh— well…”
As the receptionist hesitated with a subtle expression, intense arguing suddenly erupted from the adventurer reception desk in the distance. Faced with this unusual commotion, the adventurers, who were initially idle, excitedly rushed over, wanting to see what had happened. Edward and his group, naturally curious, joined the crowd.
In the midst of the crowd, a seemingly young woman with an excited expression was arguing with the administrator of the adventurer’s guild. Her urgency was evident.
On the contrary, facing the woman’s anxiety, the administrator silently shook his head, displaying a helpless expression. Edward quickly inquired with the people nearby and received the following response:
“That woman who came out of nowhere suddenly entered the adventurer’s guild and directly asked for an adventurer at the level of a Grand Mage. Please, if she’s looking for a Grand Mage, she should go to the Mage Tower. Our Southern Territory’s adventurer’s guild wouldn’t have a Grand Mage. Even after the administrator explicitly told her that it’s impossible for an adventurer of Grand Mage level to take her mission, she still refuses to leave. I don’t know what’s happening…”
“I see.”
Nodding, Edward, now aware of the situation, observed the woman in the distance. Wrapped in a brown cloak that concealed her body, her long hair peeking out from the hood, Edward couldn’t discern much about her appearance. Although he hadn’t seen her face, he could sense that she was a young woman. However, the term “young” seemed to be in quotes, as he couldn’t detect any signs of the vitality typical of the living.
“An undead? How come an undead dares to come openly to the adventurer’s guild these days?”
Muttering to himself, before the others could react, Edward had already passed through the crowd and approached the woman and the administrator. Faced with his sudden intrusion, not to mention the stunned woman, the administrator was the first to speak, “This is none of your business. Don’t come any closer.”
Ignoring the administrator’s words, Edward shook his head and glanced at the cloaked woman before speaking, “I heard you’re looking for a Grand Mage.”
Unexpectedly, Edward uttered these words, and the woman raised her head with surprise. Her cute face was revealed as she pushed back the hood, displaying confusion as she asked, “Who are you—?”
Without any suspense, Edward, without playing games, simply said, “If you’re looking for a Grand Mage, I might be able to help.”