East Road Quest

Chapter 73: General Scipio the Conqueror

Three hundred years ago.

General Scipio of the Roman Empire was a master tactician who claimed victory in every terrain, be it forest, sea, or desert. Across the southern seas on the continent, he defeated General Caleon’s ‘Invincible Elephant Legion,’ and at sea, he sank the grand fleet led by ‘Pirate King’ One-Eyed Jack.

Leading Rome’s army, General Scipio charged through the continent, and every nation bowed before him.

For centuries, the barbarian tribes that plagued Rome fled without a fight, and the kingdom of Gran, once called the devil incarnate, surrendered with a negotiation that spared their children.

Finally, Scipio embarked on his last campaign into the Dark Forest.

Conquering the Dark Forest and the northern lands beyond, realms of mystery and fear to humans, and ruling over the legendary cities of the elves was his ultimate ambition.

‘Seimurasha, Taimon, Toroshimo, Meimmei… I will plant the flag of the Roman Empire there and make even the elves swear allegiance to the Emperor of Rome!’

However, as soon as he entered the Dark Forest, General Scipio encountered difficulties. The forest was deeper and more rugged than anticipated.

Dark trees obscured the sky, barely allowing sunlight to reach the ground, and the floor was slick with moisture and moss, making it difficult for horses to traverse.

Not only the large trees but also the undergrowth thrived, making it hard to maintain distance between the troops.

There were more than a few other troubles. Yet, Scipio had always overcome such problems in his wars.

But this time, there was one problem he could not overcome.

There were ghosts in the forest.

“Do you hear that?” General Scipio asked his lieutenant.

The lieutenant listened carefully but shook his head.

“What sound do you mean?”

Scipio listened again, but aside from the horses advancing and the soldiers trampling the grass, no other sound was heard.

“Just… a strange sound,” Scipio said, unable to tell his lieutenant that he had heard a woman’s laughter.

The lieutenant, trying to humor his general, said, “It sounds like a waterfall from afar. The sound of the insects here is indeed strange. Earlier, a soldier said the flowers seemed to talk, and another claimed to have seen mushrooms walking. Did you hear any other sounds?”

“That’s…

Scipio felt foolish. Then, more than just laughter, a distinct voice was heard.

“Persistent, aren’t you, child of man?” This time, he was sure he hadn’t misheard!

Scipio immediately halted his horse and shouted angrily.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” The nearby soldiers stopped in unison. The confused voices of the soldiers were heard, and Scipio felt their strange stares. Desperate, he searched the surroundings for the source of the voice.

A woman’s whispering voice asked, “How much more must you fail, and how many more soldiers must you sacrifice before you give up?”

Scipio was driven to madness. No woman was in sight, yet her whispering voice seemed right beside him!

“You witch! Do you think I will give up? Bow your head to the word of God! Soon, I will tear your wicked flesh limb from limb and burn you at the stake.”

Scipio, who had never shown excitement in the face of an enemy for over a decade, now shouted with veins bulging on his face.

The woman laughed and said, “You are the invader. If we were to invade your kingdom, what would you do? Would you simply accept us and watch as we trample your land? You would fight. And so shall we.”

“Do not try to persuade me with the voice of a witch. I will plant the starry cross of our Caitlic here, and the word of God will echo throughout this place.”

Scipio shouted undeterred. The woman stopped laughing and said, “And then, your emperor and your holy emperor will fatten themselves with the money plundered from us.”

“Silence, witch! Oh, God! Banish this witch’s voice from my ears!”

“Your God teaches that any voice that differs from his own is that of a witch, it seems. Or perhaps you are shifting such blame onto your God. I know well that words of persuasion do not work on your kind. So, I will not persuade.”

The woman’s voice grew more menacing.

“Be warned, Scipio. Leave this forest. Believe in your God on your land and live with your king. Otherwise, I will scatter your blood as nourishment for this forest.”

“Do you think I will fall for the poisoned voice of a witch? No matter the obstacle, I will overcome this forest. I do not know what evil magic you have used to bewitch us thus far, but soon you will fall under the spears and arrows of my army.”

Scipio shouted towards an indistinct point in the woods.

Only he could hear her voice still.

“Magic? What are you talking about? I have never used magic before. This is the first time I have come forth like this because I wanted to save you.”

Scipio felt a chill down his spine. Her voice grew fainter.

“I no longer have the confidence to persuade the guardians of the Dark Forest. And it seems you cannot be persuaded either.”

“Persuade? Guardians?”

“What sin do your soldiers, who follow you, have? But since you no longer listen, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Be it the guardians of the Dark Forest or a witch! Stop hiding cowardly and come out!”

Scipio shouted.

“Huhuhu, how amusing. It’s one against a hundred thousand, and you call the hundred thousand cowards?”

With her laughter, no more words were heard.

“A guardian of the Dark Forest? Just one?”

Skipper muttered to himself in disbelief.

“What did that witch just say?”

The war for the restoration of the Dark Forest, which had been ongoing for three years, had started off strangely.

Initially, it was merely soldiers losing their way. The dense forest’s terrain was challenging, and the strategy began with scouting parties, gradually increasing the troops in a standard tactical approach to occupy the area. However, during this process, entire units began to vanish without a trace.

Skipper accepted these disappearances as part of the procedure when waging war in unfamiliar terrain.

Casualties were inevitable.

But throughout this process, there was no enemy to confront. That was maddening.

Without a single battle, the forces dwindled, and morale plummeted. Even hiring renowned forest experts to unravel the mysteries of the Dark Forest proved futile.

No one could traverse the forest. Whether the scouts died or lived, there should have been some information, but there was none.

It took a year for Skipper to realize that his army was being defeated in detail. Among the soldiers, rumors of ghosts and curses began to circulate.

Even when battles occurred and there were survivors, they couldn’t identify who they had fought. One soldier claimed to have been ambushed by tens of thousands of elven archers, another spoke of terrifying magic, and yet another didn’t understand why their unit had retreated.

As these eyewitness accounts spread, the army’s morale rapidly deteriorated.

Skipper took drastic measures. He ordered the forest to be set ablaze with oil and released ferocious hounds. However, the fire died within an hour, and the hounds returned docile. It was understandable that fire struggled to catch in the always damp and foggy forest, but the hounds’ behavior was inexplicably odd.

They had lost their hunting instinct and gained an abundance of affection. Some even strolled into the forest of their own accord after the incident, returning after being fed by someone. The hunting dogs had become pets.

The soldiers would have preferred the hounds to return skinned and hung upside down as meat rather than this. They feared becoming like the hounds themselves.

Today, at last! Skipper took command of the entire army himself. Today, come what may, they would advance!

Following testimonies of disorientation, he used sailors’ methods, tying lodestones to reeds and floating them in water to determine direction, continually moving the army north. But at some point, the lodestones began to spin ceaselessly in the water.

It became impossible to discern the north.

As fear began to creep into Skipper, he heard the witch’s voice.

Moreover, she spoke as if the past three years of toying with his hundred-thousand-strong army had been the work of a single person.

“It’s a lie. The witch is trying to confuse my faith and strategy…”

Right after the witch’s voice faded, the attack commenced.

Arrows flew from an unknown direction, disrupting the soldiers, and unidentifiable noises caused the horses to lose control. The already tense soldiers quickly broke formation, looking for a direction to flee.

Skipper recalled the numerous defeats that had begun in this manner. And with the thought of defeat in his mind, he couldn’t blame the soldiers.

Suddenly, a terrifying voice resonated throughout the forest.

“You have ignored my numerous warnings.”

This time, it wasn’t just Skipper who heard it, but thousands of soldiers simultaneously.

It wasn’t the soft voice of a woman. It was as if the forest itself was speaking.

“There will be consequences for defiling the forest.” Something exploded in the middle of the formation. The dense formation of pikemen collapsed, and horses carrying supplies flipped over. Soldiers holding shields towards the front dropped their shields and fell as explosions erupted beneath them.

The assault of arrows followed. Skipper had thought bows would be nearly useless in such a forest and had positioned his archers at the rear, but the enemy’s arrows pierced through the dense foliage and rained down upon them.

The trajectory of the arrows twisted like snakes, avoiding the trees as they flew.

“How can this be…”

Skipper stood with his mouth agape, unable to dodge.

“General!”

His aide called out urgently, demanding orders. But the general was speechless.

With no enemy in sight, where should he move the formation, and how should they respond? Even if they could ignore the arrows flying between the trees, what about the weapons flipping wagons and bursting the ground?

Skipper admitted it. It wasn’t the soldiers who had lost their composure and judgment—it was him. Since hearing the witch’s voice, he had been unable to do anything.

‘Now is the time to minimize the damage!’ Skipper told his aide.

“Retreat.”

The aide immediately echoed the command.

“Retreat! Full retreat!”

The order was passed down, and the captains of each unit shouted for withdrawal.

Skipper also turned his horse’s head.

That’s when a dark shadow descended beside the old general, pulling him up and away into the sky.

He was drawn up into the trees without a scream. It happened so quickly that even the aide shouting for retreat beside him didn’t notice.

The aide looked to the ground first, assuming the general had fallen from his horse. But the ground was empty.

He then looked to the sky. All he could see were the dark trees obscuring the sky.

“General!”

He shouted, but Skipper’s ears no longer heard the aide’s voice.

Skipper was hanging nearly a hundred steps high in a tree. A thin rope squeezed his waist, the pressure so great he couldn’t breathe.

“Ah! Uh, ahh…”

Skipper screamed, his face turning pale. But his hoarse voice barely made it to the ground.

“Skipper.”

A deep voice echoed from above where Poe was hanging by a branch.

He wanted to look back, but his neck refused to turn.

“Who… who are you?” Poe asked with difficulty.

“I am the Guardian.”

The Guardian’s deep voice continued.

“I will not ask for your surrender, General of Rome. I am ready to face you, even if your son or your grandson comes. It will be me, not my children or my successors, who will face your army. But if I kill you here, humans will challenge this forest again, and I will not soil it with tens of thousands of human corpses. So, I will spare you. Not out of petty vengeance, but for the welfare of your race. Ensure that humans never enter this forest again.”

With those words, the Guardian released the general, who was tied with ropes, dropping him below. The fall was cushioned slightly, but the impact was still significant.

The ropes that bound Poe retracted into the sky and vanished, making it seem as if he had appeared out of thin air.

The soldiers almost mistook Poe for an enemy and nearly speared him.

“General! Are you alright?” his lieutenant rushed over, alarmed. Poe waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m fine.”

The pressure from the ropes around his waist and wrists still lingered.

‘It’s real.’

Poe looked up at the trees, trembling with fear.

‘If they could hoist me up just to warn and release me, they could have easily picked off our commanders one by one with arrows. Facing a hundred thousand troops alone wouldn’t be impossible.’

Poe asked his lieutenant.

“Has the enemy’s attack ceased?”

“It has stopped.”

“We retreat.”

Poe ordered as if under a spell.

“Even though the attack has stopped?”

The lieutenant asked for confirmation.

“If it has stopped, we retreat.”

Afterward, the army managed to escape the Dark Forest without further casualties. Strangely enough, when they almost lost their way, a mysterious light appeared and guided them out.

‘They’re telling us to leave quickly.’

Once out of the forest, the lieutenants asked if they were going to attack again. However, Poe ordered a full retreat, and all the troops returned to Rome.

From then on, no human ever attacked the Dark Forest again.

♦

“…And so, after returning to Rome, General Poe declared that ‘the Dark Forest is a land not worth conquering,’ and that it was not a defeat but a withdrawal,” Jade concluded the story. Ruby asked,

“What about Poe, but what of the other young generals? Couldn’t they have tried to accomplish what the Conquering General could not?”

“There were such commanders, but General Poe, who held all military power, did not consent, and the matter fizzled out. And with his retirement, the era of Rome’s conquest wars came to an end,” Jade said.

Daniel added,

“Not just Sister Daniel, but other sisters often spoke of the Dark Forest. Occasionally, one or two travelers testified to passing through the Dark Forest to visit the cities of the elves, bringing back truly mystical items. However, the Rotican authorities collected and destroyed these items, claiming they were heretical.”

Jade turned to Leopold Browne and Brion, who had been listening intently.

“I’ve shared all I know, but this is a story from over three hundred years ago. Does the Guardian of the Dark Forest still exist?”

“We don’t know if the Guardian from then and now is the same being. But at least the Guardian from my great-grandfather’s time is the same Guardian I know of,” Leopold Browne said, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

Brion, looking in the opposite direction of Leopold Browne’s watchful gaze, spoke,

“We also enter the forest occasionally for valuable herbs and mushrooms found in the Dark Forest. Of course, we know all the legends and myths about the Dark Forest and are well aware of the Guardian’s tale, so we enter with reverence and utmost caution. Tribes that trade with the elves probably don’t venture this deep.”

The hunters’ unease was contagious, and Daniel clutched his cloak tightly.

“If you’re that scared, shall I hold your hand?” Ruby offered, extending his hand. Daniel took it without hesitation.

Jade asked Leopold Browne,

“Do you have any stories about the Guardian you can share?”

“My grandfather had a direct conversation with the Guardian. The Guardian knows most human languages like Kun, Roman, and Parnese. When asked why a human entered the Dark Forest, my grandfather honestly said he was looking for herbs to cure his wife’s illness. The Guardian told him to wait, and shortly after, threw him the herbs that would cure the disease. However, my grandfather never saw the Guardian’s form,” Leopold Browne recounted.

“He seems kind.”

“To us, the Guardian of the forest is… a mysterious being, not as terrifying as one might think.”

“I have a story to share as well,” Brion said.

“Thirty felons who escaped from Parnese attacked a tribe on the plains. Those villains kidnapped a village woman as a hostage, then stole horses and food and fled into the Dark Forest. The Kun woman named Surgeti, under the threat of the men, revealed the entrance to the Dark Forest. The felons, believing they had shaken off their pursuers, were about to commit vile acts upon Surgeti.”

Brion’s voice grew lower as he continued the tale.

“They say that arrows fell from the sky like a downpour at that time, striking only the legs of the criminals, all while sparing Surgeti,” recounted the storyteller.

“Targeting only the legs suggests a reserved judgment, undecided about who was in the wrong. I would have done the same,” mused Ruby, nodding in understanding.

Poe continued, “Afterward, the Sentinel revealed himself before everyone. The sight of him alone struck terror into the hearts of the criminals. Surgeti told the Sentinel the truth, and he detained only the criminals, setting her free. He then asked her to keep his appearance a secret. Surgeti emerged from the Dark Forest and shared the day’s events with everyone, but she kept the Sentinel’s appearance a secret until her dying day.”

“It seems we can vaguely understand the standards by which the Sentinel guards the forest,” said Saf, trying to grasp the situation despite trembling.

Barsh pointed towards the path home and said, “I don’t know why you wish to pass through the Dark Forest, but won’t you reconsider and return with us? By now, the villagers must be preparing a feast to offer thanks on your behalf. If we return without you, we’ll be scolded for not bringing you along.”

At Barsh’s words, Poe shook his head.

“It’s not ‘we’ but ‘you’ who should take responsibility,” he stated.

“Why is that?” Barsh asked, puzzled.

“Aren’t you the representative of everyone? With two daughters rescued, you bear a greater responsibility than I, who have rescued but a son,” Poe concluded coldly.

“Is that so?” Barsh was genuinely taken aback, and Jade quickly interjected between the two.

“We appreciate the invitation, but as we mentioned earlier, we will continue into the forest. If it’s alright with you, perhaps we can have that feast years from now,” Jade proposed.

“Understood. I shall wait for that time,” Barsh conceded.

Poe embraced Jade briefly, then stepped back.

“Take care until we meet again,” he said.

With a final farewell, the two returned the way they had come. The trees of the forest quickly obscured their figures from view.