Chapter 81: Shadows of Mercy
The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of trees, casting pale silver beams onto the forest floor. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the faint hum of nocturnal creatures.
A small exorcist team, led by Jeanne, moved stealthily through the woods, their steps cautious but determined. They had been dispatched on a mission to eliminate a group of rogue Devils hiding in the area.
As they trekked deeper into the forest, the sounds of their footsteps grew muffled, absorbed by the thick foliage around them.
Jeanne glanced over her shoulder, sensing something strange in the air. She couldn't place it, but there was a subtle pull—a sense that someone, something, was watching them. Not with malice, not with hostile intent, but as if someone was keeping an eye on them, offering silent guidance.
She frowned slightly, her instincts sharpening as she scanned the shadows. Nothing. The forest was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind.
But it wasn't just tonight. Over the past few weeks, she had noticed strange occurrences—small signs of unseen help. Healing salves left in their supply packs, just when they needed them most.
Mysterious battle scrolls that contained new strategies and techniques, precisely what they needed to counter a more powerful enemy. And, most unsettling of all, warnings of ambushes just in time to avoid them.
The messages came without a trace of the sender, no hint of a face behind the assistance. It was as if someone had been watching, waiting, and then intervening from the shadows to ensure they succeeded.
Jeanne wasn't sure whether to be grateful or uneasy. Whoever it was, they were subtle—too subtle.
"Do you sense it?" she whispered to one of her fellow exorcists, a young man named Theo.
He looked back at her, confusion crossing his face. "Sense what?"
"The presence," Jeanne replied, her tone soft.
"The feeling that someone is watching over us."
Theo furrowed his brow, but after a moment, he nodded.
"I thought I felt something too. Like we were being guided... but not by any of our usual allies."
Jeanne's mind raced. It couldn't be anyone from the Church—not like this. Whoever was helping them had no interest in recognition or glory. They were quiet, elusive, almost invisible.
Meanwhile, several hundred miles away, in the quiet solitude of his study, Volundr watched the exorcists' movements through the mystical lens of his magical scrying orb. The screen shimmered as he adjusted the focus, observing their progress with keen eyes.
He had been keeping a careful distance, ensuring that the assistance he provided remained anonymous—silent, unseen, but undeniable in its effect.
A scroll on battle tactics, designed to sharpen their strategies against more powerful enemies. A batch of healing salves, infused with just enough magic to accelerate recovery without revealing its origin.
A well-placed warning just before an ambush, giving Jeanne's team the edge they needed to turn the tide. All actions of mercy, calculated to build trust, but not too much. Subtlety was key.
Mercy makes sharper allies than fear,
Volundr mused quietly to himself, his gaze fixed on the scrying orb. He had long since learned that fear could break someone, but mercy—mercy forged loyalty and gratitude in ways that fear never could.
By offering aid without strings attached, he ensured that when the time came for them to choose, they would be more inclined to ally with him than anyone else.
"You're planting the seeds, aren't you?"
Seraphina's voice broke his train of thought, her presence unnoticed until she spoke. She had a way of appearing quietly, her steps barely making a sound.
Volundr turned slightly, his expression thoughtful.
"Mercy cultivates trust. Trust makes them yours without forcing their hand. If they feel gratitude, they'll return it in kind when the time is right."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe.
"And what if they find out who's behind it?"
Volundr smiled slightly, a glimmer of humor in his eyes.
"By the time they figure it out, they'll be too indebted to question it. The debt of life-saving actions is a strong one."
Seraphina was quiet for a moment, clearly processing his words.
"You're building something... but slowly, carefully. They won't see it until it's too late."
"Exactly." Volundr's smile deepened as he shifted his attention back to the scrying orb.
"I need them to trust me, not because of power, but because they believe in what I stand for. In time, their loyalty will be stronger than any formal contract."
Seraphina stepped closer, her gaze shifting to the orb.
"And when the time comes for them to choose? What do you expect them to do?"
Volundr didn't immediately respond. His fingers traced the edges of the desk before he finally spoke.
"I expect them to make the right choice. They will choose not because of force, but because they've been shown mercy when no one else would give it. And that, Seraphina, is more powerful than any sword."
Back in the forest, Jeanne's team pressed forward, the tension in the air palpable. As they neared the rogue Devils' encampment, the feeling of being watched only grew stronger.
Jeanne's thoughts continued to wander back to the mysterious benefactor—whoever it was, their influence had been undeniable.
And just as she had suspected, a new presence made itself known. As they entered the clearing where the rogues were hiding, a trap was sprung—a dozen Devils emerged from the shadows, weapons drawn, ambushing them from all sides.
But this time, Jeanne's team was ready. They countered the attack with precision, fending off their attackers with an efficiency that bordered on supernatural.
After the fight was over, with the last of the rogue Devils either slain or captured, Jeanne stood at the center of the clearing, breathing heavily but unharmed.
She looked up at the stars above, her mind racing. There had been no warning of the ambush from any of their usual sources—yet they had been prepared.
It wasn't until much later that night, as Jeanne lay in her bed, that the question finally settled in her mind.
Who is it?
And in the shadows of the world that Volundr had shaped, the answer remained a secret. For now.
End of Chapter 81.