The black sun hangs high

Chapter 160 The Silent March
This "Black Forest" is not much different from other forests near the plateau on the Goddess Plain. The reason it got its name is that it snows more frequently here than in other places, and after the snowfall, the trees take on a unique deep color.

It's like countless black wooden poles standing against a white background.

The forests are usually quiet in winter. Both ordinary wild animals and clever magical creatures usually choose to stay in their burrows to rest at this time. However, this war that began in winter has disturbed their slumber.

From the moment he stepped into the forest, Hugh had already seen many animal footprints, most likely awakened by the continuous artillery fire from both sides. Some experienced soldiers even pointed out that there were likely some dangerous "walking spiders" active in this forest.

These magical creatures, as large as adults, are the rulers of many forests.

The soldiers made this judgment because they discovered numerous traces of short-tailed wolves in the dense forest. These beasts, with their highly venomous fangs, are the most sought-after prey of the traversing spiders. If a large pack of short-tailed wolves roams an area, then there must also be traversing spider nests.

Upon receiving this information, the mercenary group immediately contracted its forces, and even the volunteer squads scattered outside slowed down slightly to avoid becoming separated from the main force.

If a soldier dies in war not on the way to the front or under enemy fire, but is preyed upon by a magical beast during the march, it will be a lifelong disgrace. This concept is even more prominent in special units like the Jaeger Corps.

After all, this kind of team originated from the mountain hunters of the Lovi Plateau.

Even today, many people here are former hunters of the Black Nest Mountains, or their descendants. There are even a few mountain elves among them. They are very popular in the hunter-gatherer groups, and entering the dense forest is no different from going home for them.

For some, this kind of march was quite grueling.

Hugh was in good condition. Although he didn't have much memory of marching through the snowy woods, he quickly adapted to the marching rhythm thanks to his abundant magic and physical strength, as well as by imitating the soldiers around him.

However, many in the group also felt extremely distressed by this high-intensity march.

The troops are currently under a state of magical silence, during which almost all magical rituals and ceremonies are completely disabled.

In this situation, a mage scholar like Vilin could still use magic to maintain her own condition, and although she was tired and exhausted, she could still barely keep up with the group.

But for the young alchemists, this march through the snow was extremely grueling.

They could only maintain their strength and body temperature with the potions provided by the Hunter Corps, and struggled forward with the help of the experienced Hunter Corps medics.

Hughes saw Meyer, who, no matter what, was like a steadily moving stone statue.

As a native of Saint Steel in the North, he was no stranger to the cold winter and low temperatures, so such a marching intensity was within his acceptable range.

Therefore, he even took the initiative to carry the luggage of two students who were physically weaker. The increased weight made his steps more steady.

About two hours after entering the woods, the reconnaissance team rotated out.

People finally got a chance to rest.

On the map, this Black Forest is not large at all, and it is insignificant compared to the dense forests in the Black Nest Mountains. However, when people walk into it, they can still feel their own insignificance.

In this environment, the power from the "Walking Forest" within Hugh became even more active. He even felt as if the surrounding trees were whispering to him, trying to share their meager life force and magic with him.

The feeling was very peculiar, as if he had stepped into a huge, unfamiliar family and was welcomed by everyone at once.

This strange feeling reminded Hughes of the astonishing "charisma" that a running rat displays in the face of weaker rodents.

However, at present, the power of the "Walking Forest" within him is clearly not enough to reach that threshold. These plants are only expressing some "friendly" emotions towards him, and have not risen to the point of obeying his call.

In a state of magical silence, one must rely on food to maintain mental alertness and body temperature.

A soldier from the Hunter Corps took out something and handed it to Hugh.

On his cuff, Hugh saw the thin silver insignia belonging to the Three-Clawed Falcon. Clearly, this was one of the members that Old Zeke had arranged in the Juggernaut Corps to "take care" of him. Hugh did not refuse the kindness of others. He nodded and reached out to take it.

This is a very popular snack in the Kingdom of Walter. It has a very interesting name: "Goblins' Teeth Grinding Candy." The packaging also features a goblin wearing a huge top hat and having an exaggerated smile.

Its properties are somewhat similar to the "chocolate" that Hugh is familiar with.

However, this food is made up of nuts, syrup, and several magical plant ingredients used to make refreshing drinks.

Hugh had tried it twice before and thought it was incredibly sweet. Most people wouldn't eat it; only children who have a particular love for sweets would be extremely fond of it. However, in the current environment, no one would refuse its sweet taste.

Hugh didn't need any extra energy, so he broke the candy into several equal pieces, popped one of the smaller pieces into his mouth, and gave the rest to Mayer and Weilyn.

Once the temperature in your mouth softens the cold candy, a sweet and cloying taste will follow.

Vilin loved sweets, and under the stimulation of the candy's flavor, her furrowed brows gradually relaxed. However, looking at the soldiers around her who were trying to relax their limbs and replenish their energy, Vilin sighed helplessly.

As a mage accustomed to using magic to bring himself various conveniences, this situation was particularly painful.

However, this is essential for any army that needs to carry out infiltration missions.

Generally speaking, during a silent march, unless there is an unforeseen circumstance, any form of spellcasting is a challenge to Walter's strict military discipline.

Hugh's rest didn't last long, because soon people started walking in their direction.

"Ok?"

Hughes raised an eyebrow because he saw that there were several people who were tied up.

Judging from their appearance, they were prisoners captured by the advance team in the forest. These people were wearing heavy coats and hunter's felt hats, each with a long bird feather stuck in it—a custom of plains hunters.

They believed the colorful bird feathers on the hats would bring good luck. Escorted by the soldiers of the Hunter Corps, the Delan hunters were brought before Virin and the others. The officer saluted, then explained in Waterloo, “We’ve captured a few Delans, who look like hunters living near this forest… but these plainsmen don’t seem to speak much of the common language, so we had to bring them here.”

Vera swallowed the candy in her mouth, then asked in confusion, "But we are marching in silence, so we cannot conduct psychic interrogations either."

"Ah, we understand."

The officer smiled, then said to Meyer, "The major said that you speak multiple languages, so we would like you to help translate."

"can."

Mayer nodded, then stood up and went to the timid Delan hunters, quickly communicating with them in fluent Delan.

Throughout this process, Hugh kept a close eye on the hunters' expressions.

He noticed that these Delans appeared extremely fearful and panicked, but the object of their fear was not the soldiers standing guard around them. During the conversation, Hugh even saw one of them nervously looking around at the trees, as if they were worried that something might jump out.

Professor Meyer quickly obtained the information the Jaeger Corps needed from them.

“They are hunters from Black Forest Town who come here every winter for a special hunt… They mainly hunt spiders that burrow through the forest.”

"them?"

Those around were somewhat surprised, because the traversing spider had always been marked as a dangerous magical creature by the Law Committee, and in the general public's understanding, it was definitely not something that a few or a dozen hunters could hunt down.

"Yes, they know the habits of the traversing spider very well, so they usually choose to hunt in winter... After finding the traversing spider's nest, they use domesticated short-tailed wolves as bait to lure it into the trap, and then kill it with an alchemical bomb."

Meyer said, "These hunters say they've been doing this for decades, and the Legal Committee often comes to them to buy these magical materials at high prices."

Hughes raised his chin: "So, this time, something unexpected happened to them?"

"Yes, something unexpected happened."

Mayer nodded: "These hunters said they originally planned to finish their hunt this year before the war spread completely here, but after entering the forest, they found that the forest spider's nest was empty, and when they were about to leave, they were attacked by the spiders and several people died."

Meyer frowned and said, "They say it's not a spider anymore, they don't know what it is."

Upon hearing this, Hugh and Vera exchanged a glance.

Both of them are now highly sensitive to this description, so their first thought was of the Black Sun Society and the Dark Abyss offspring who may have escaped from Seren City.

No one knows whether that monster will include other magical creatures or ordinary animals in its diet.

Vera turned her head and whispered in Hugh's ear, "Although this place is far from Seren City, do you think it's possible..."

"The possibility is relatively small, but it's not impossible."

"Perhaps the sound of artillery fire woke the forest spiders from their hibernation prematurely?"

"hope so."

As Hugh observed the hunters, he said, "They all seem frightened and their condition is very strange. What they say is likely true. As people who have hunted forest spiders so many times, they certainly wouldn't be mistaken."

Unlike Hugh and his companion, the officer was more concerned with the garrison and security situation in Black Forest Town. Under his questioning, the hunters could only timidly reveal what they knew—the town's garrison had not changed much recently and had remained the Black Forest Infantry Regiment of the Kingdom of Delan.

The hunters also mentioned that there was a temporary branch of the Legal Committee in the nearby fortress, and they specifically emphasized that there were many mages and crystal cannons there!

It sounds as if these simple-minded Delans are trying to use this to intimidate and warn their enemies from the plateau, so that they will abandon their plans to attack the town.

However, the Fifth Hunter Regiment didn't care about that. After receiving accurate information, the members of the Hunter Regiment were even more confident. As soldiers of the Kingdom of Walter, they were very confident that they could gain an absolute advantage in a battle of this scale.

As for the “terrible beasts” mentioned by the hunters, the officers ignored them; in their eyes, no beast could compare to the revolver rifle in their hands.

Of course, this news still reached the mage Klaus, so he and Alfred immediately took action, further shrinking the force and releasing several additional scout squads containing mountain elf soldiers to ensure that no one was missed in the search and surveillance of the surrounding area.

The soldiers of Walter were proud; they did not kill the unfortunate Delan hunters, but instead took them prisoner. Professor Mayer saw an opportunity and, taking advantage of his language skills, tried to comfort the hunters while constantly asking them about the Delan people's views and opinions on the war.

The Black Forest remained eerily silent.

In the distance, the howls of short-tailed wolves could be faintly heard in the dense forest. Their howls sounded very short and abrupt, giving people a sense of inexplicable panic.

The cold wind blew through the trees, carrying the wolf howls into the distance.

Inside the metal disc, the Dark Abyss Hound, which had been lying on the ground resting, slightly raised its body. It opened its mouth, and its sharp fangs and strange whiskers twitched gently, as if tasting the flow of magic. The red eyes on either side of its head, which had been tightly closed, suddenly emitted a dark light.

Meanwhile, the sprinting rat, which had been sleeping all this time, suddenly rolled over.

It didn't wake up, but its nose twitched instinctively.

They all smelled a certain scent.

A scent somewhere between hunter and prey.

(End of this chapter)