Diary of a Dead Wizard

Chapter 109: The Barbarians Are Here

The barbarians are here!

The news spread through the town like wildfire.

Almost at the same moment Jayce spotted the barbarians, Mayor Ruper—who had been waiting near the fields for any word—also caught sight of the figures charging from the distance, alerted by the soldiers beside him.

His vision darkened, and he nearly collapsed backward. Fortunately, a quick-reacting soldier caught him just in time, saving him from losing face in front of his men.

“Why would the barbarians suddenly come now?”

It clearly wasn’t yet time to hand over the Grinding Sound Fruits this year. Had the barbarians simply grown impatient?

“Quick, gather everyone! We absolutely cannot let them reach the fields!” the mayor shouted frantically. “And send someone to call back Captain Jeff!”

Several soldiers immediately broke formation and dashed off in different directions.

A soldier remaining behind—still supporting the mayor—spoke urgently, “Mayor, should we activate the defense barrier?”

“Yes, yes!” the mayor finally remembered the town’s last resort. “I’ll go summon the wizard!”

Summoning all his strength, the mayor got to his feet.

He stumbled toward the tower gate and, abandoning all decorum, began banging on the door with all his might.

“Master Shelly! Master Shelly! The barbarians are attacking! The barbarians are attacking!”

Although the town hadn’t suffered a direct barbarian incursion in a long time, the horrifying and bloody legends of their past raids had never ceased.

That was why, even with multiple girls dying because of the Grinding Sound Fruits, most townspeople still chose not to leave.

But the mayor knocked for ages, and no response came from inside the tower.

Panic began to rise in his chest.

Had Master Shelly already begun?

That couldn’t be right.

He always took his time to torment the girls before beginning.

At this point in the process, he should still be in the early stages—just the appetizer. He could stop at any moment.

“Master Shelly! Master Shelly!” Mayor Ruper raised his voice, but the tremble at the end betrayed his growing unease.

Barbarians were known for their exceptional physical strength. In the brief chaos, the figures that had once seemed distant were already within a few thousand meters of the town.

Soldiers with sharp eyes could even make out the primitive weapons in their hands.

A few soldiers dragged out three-to-four-meter-long anti-charge barricades, placing them between empty houses and the tower.

But those barricades looked like little more than props—completely laughable.

Others fetched ranged weapons—bows, spears.

Though they were stored nearby in one of the empty houses, they had been neglected for years and were poorly maintained.

They rarely faced strong enemies, and when they did, their powerful wizard would take care of it.

But today…

Their wizard hadn’t stirred. Mayor Ruper even tried to force his way into the tower, but the door wouldn’t budge.

From his hiding spot, Jayce’s heart skipped a beat. The tower door couldn’t be opened from the outside?

If he and Ada rushed there only to find themselves locked out…

Ada, who had witnessed the same thing, turned pale with dread. But the thought of Penny trapped inside made him even more anxious.

“The mayor can’t open the door—what if that wizard’s already doing something to Penny?” Ada tugged at Jayce’s sleeve, his thoughts already spiraling to the worst-case scenario.

Jayce glanced at Ada’s pale face, understanding exactly what he was afraid of. He tried to reassure him, “The barbarians are here. That might actually be our chance. If the wizard doesn’t want to watch the town fall, he’ll have to stop whatever he’s doing.”

He looked back at the empty house behind them.

“No one usually stays there. Let’s hide inside for now. When the wizard comes out, we’ll seize the opportunity to enter the tower and find Penny.”

Ada glanced again toward the tower. Mayor Ruper was now having soldiers try to ram the door—but it remained utterly unmoved.

And the barbarians—they were nearly at the town’s edge!

Ada grabbed Jayce’s arm. “Jayce, go back into town and hide.”

If the barbarians broke through the town’s fragile defenses, it would become unimaginably dangerous!

But Jayce shook his hand free. “You think I’d trust you alone with my daughter?”

Elsewhere, the first barbarian had reached the barricade. He spotted the soldiers and began drooling in excitement.

A second barbarian arrived, paused in front of the barricade, and looked around in confusion.

Someone couldn’t hold back and loosed the first arrow.

That barbarian wasn’t too bright, but he had an instinctive sense for combat.

He sidestepped, and the arrow only grazed his arm.

The sight of blood made the barbarian roar with excitement.

He raised his leg and kicked the barricade. It slid back a good distance, knocking over several soldiers in the process.

“Mayor! The barbarians are nearly on us! Captain Jeff isn’t here! Please give the defense orders!” a soldier ran to Ruper, still stationed beneath the tower, and cried out.

“Defense? Orders? You really think these useless scraps of wood and metal can stop barbarians? Keep calling for Master Shelly! Only if he activates the magical defenses will we survive! What use are you people? What use?!”

Seeing the mayor slipping into panic and incoherence, the soldier took two steps back, stunned. Then he turned and ran off to join the frantic defense.

The front line had already broken out into combat. As Mayor Ruper had feared, the soldiers were being pushed back rapidly. And as each one fell, the barbarians hacked off their heads without hesitation.

Panic began to spread. They wouldn’t be able to hold the line much longer.

“Father!” a middle-aged man on horseback came galloping out from the town, a bundle strapped to his back.

He jumped off the horse and threw the bundle at the mayor.

“Father—take this! Use this!”

The mayor was jolted back to reality by his son’s shout. He reached into the bundle and felt the familiar shape of long Grinding Sound Fruits. His mind began to clear.

He had grown so used to relying on the wizard that, once that contact was cut off, he didn’t know what to do.

“You’re right. Those barbarians came here for this. Let’s give it to them first.”

But his son whispered anxiously, “These were meant to be this summer’s tribute. If we give them away now, we’ll be in trouble when summer comes.”

The mayor knew that too—but gritted his teeth. “One crisis at a time. Master Shelly must be at a critical stage in his advancement. We can’t disturb him. Keep knocking on the door—make sure he notices and activates the barrier!”

Seeing his father’s still-disordered mind, the son could only nod.

Mayor Ruper clutched the bundle and began running toward the barbarians. But when he saw the blood-soaked battlefield and the severed heads raised high, he froze in fear.

He called over a trusted soldier, “You—take this to the barbarians. Give it to the one with the markings on his face.”

The soldier felt the bundle and immediately understood what it was.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Mayor… now? In front of everyone?”

Wasn’t this supposed to be a secret deal between the wizard and the barbarians?

If they handed the Grinding Sound Fruits over now, wouldn’t the townspeople realize that the fruits hadn’t been reduced at all? That they had just been given to the barbarians?

Wouldn’t the furious townsfolk tear them to pieces?

“If you don’t want those barbarians to chop your family in half, then go!” the mayor barked, shoving him forward.

As the trusted soldier ran toward the barbarians, the mayor let out a sigh of relief.

He rushed back to his son, ready to give more orders.

Suddenly, he saw his son staring behind him, eyes wide with horror.

The mayor turned instinctively.

He saw the barbarian who had received the bundle—his next action was to raise his weapon and swing it at the soldier.

The first slash missed.

The second took off the soldier’s head.

Then, a towering barbarian appeared, carrying a small figure cloaked in black and red.

They walked over to the one holding the bundle and took the Grinding Sound Fruits.

The smaller figure squeezed the bundle, then turned to look at Mayor Ruper.

Black and red stripes marked the face beneath the hood.

“A barbarian priest…” Mayor Ruper’s heart went ice-cold. He grabbed his son and shouted, “Back to the town! Shut the gates! The barbarians—they’ve come to massacre us!”

(End of Chapter)