Chapter 14 – Demon (3)

The clanking of metal plates and the loud sound of hooves stamping the ground resounded.

Veloc held a spear in one hand and a mace in the other.

When the creature swung its arm, he struck it with the mace to change its trajectory.

In a situation like this, this simple chunk of iron was more reliable than a thin sword.

A hoof flew toward him. Just before it touched his body, he also kicked the demon’s foot with his armor.

Baaaah!

As its attacks were blocked at every turn, Baphomet growled as if displeased.

Suddenly, the creature’s snake-shaped penis became violently erect.

The glass-like pupil unique to reptiles and the blue poison on its teeth shot toward him.

Swoosh—

But without batting an eye, Veloc swung the spearhead and cut off the snake’s head.

“%$%!”

Was it a vital spot? The creature went wild, letting out a horrific scream.

Perhaps because it could not see ahead due to the pain, it only tore up the innocent floor.

‘It’s an opportunity.’

Instead of backing away, Veloc lightly tossed the mace to the floor. And he gripped the steel spear with both hands. A cornered beast was dangerous, but it moved all the more instinctively. For instance, there were many openings.

Veloc’s eyes flashed in the darkness. He took a stance, preparing the technique that came to mind.

Spreading his feet wide, he lowered his body as much as possible. He stared intently at the creature.

From around the struggling creature, stone fragments flew and grazed his face.

Although blood trickled down, Veloc did not move at all. He only watched Baphomet’s movements.

Sticky saliva overflowed from the snout, wide open as if protesting to a shepherd, and its long tongue.

Limbs tangled chaotically among the colorful hairs caught in the brown fur.

A single opening found in that mess.

Having found the target, Veloc’s spear shot out like an arrow.

Crunch!

A hole was pierced in the creature’s left arm, stopping its movement.

“Kieeeek!”

Baphomet swung its remaining hand with a painful scream, but Veloc did not care and struck the creature’s arm with the opposite end of the spear shaft.

The spear shaft trembled under the enormous strength and snapped with a crack, but it was enough to temporarily bind the creature’s hands.

Veloc quickly picked up the mace that was on the floor.

And then, he struck the creature’s defenseless head with all his might.

Thwack!

The creature’s two horns, which would not break even when struck against a rock, snapped cleanly off.

Baaaah!

Under the terrible impact striking its head, the creature stumbled with its tongue hanging out.

Just before Baphomet could shake his head to regain his senses, Veloc threw his body forward.

The weight of the full plate armor, which easily weighed dozens of kilograms, was added to the weight of his grand physique. Hit by Veloc’s shoulder, Baphomet was blown away, failing to live up to his massive size.

Veloc mounted the creature’s body like a victorious gladiator.

The beast’s face, looking up from below, was already distorted with pain and fear.

‘Does even a bastard of a demon feel fear?’

After asking himself for a moment, Veloc soon struck down with the mace in his hand.

Thud, thud, thud!

Once, twice, and when it exceeded dozens of times, he gave up counting.

The demon’s life force was that tenacious. But in any case, it was also a monster made of flesh and blood.

It could not withstand the crazily pouring feast of iron forever.

As the steel-like mace lost its form, the face of the goat-headed monster also lost its shape. The protruding snout caved in, and the snake-like eyes burst with a crunch.

The hide was torn and bones were exposed. Finally, when the pink lump existing inside it was crushed—

Boom!

[You have leveled up.]

Veloc felt a surge of intense power rising from within.

He saw something like black smoke rise from the monster’s corpse and disperse. But Veloc did not care. He could not even think about allocating stats or skills.

Veloc threw himself down on the floor and panted heavily.

“Huff, huff. Huff.”

Sweat poured like rain, and both his hands trembled uncontrollably.

However, thanks to the cool chill rising from below, he could cool down his heat to some extent.

“A monster is indeed a monster.”

Veloc uttered a cliché remark, not even knowing what he was saying. That was how desperately he had fought.

A body that steel could not easily pierce, a massive life force, and a hideous appearance indeed possessed something that made a human’s knees tremble.

But he succeeded. Whether it was the help of the system window or borrowing the body of this great knight.

As a human body, he had sent the demon that crawled up from the underground back to the bottom of hell.

It was a perfect story to capture the interest of many women, and a feat great enough to be on the lips of gossips.

Yet Veloc remained cynical.

‘It’s only the beginning.’

Although things were tangled and messy now, because he knew the future, he could examine the situation more broadly than others.

The scenario was still in its early stages, and there were so many monsters and demons in the world that they could be kicked around.

If he panted after catching just one demon, he would not be able to survive the journey ahead.

If so, there was only one answer. Veloc opened the stat window and invested a point in strength.

Squeeze—

His strength, which already exceeded that of an ordinary person, became even more powerful. His mindset hardened as much as his strengthened power.

The cold moonlight shining through the window gazed upon the black-haired knight and the corpse of the goat-headed demon.

Veloc felt that the time had come to leave the comfortable cage.

‘I must become stronger.’

He had to wander the world, catching stronger monsters and demons to accumulate experience points.

It would surely be a succession of endless struggles and hardships. The smell of blades and blood would always be with him.

But by doing so, he would be able to sustain his life here.

What a fate, to have to jump into a death trap in order to survive.

“This is tough.”

Veloc let out a deep and heavy sigh. Just then, Adel’s voice reached his ears.

“Lord Veloc! Where are you! Lord Veloc!”

“There is no way a human who faced a demon would be alive until now. Squire, it is dangerous, so come this way!”

“You had better shut your mouth, old man. My master would never be defeated by someone like that.”

“How dare you! Uttering such nonsense to the people who came to help!”

“Calm down, brother. Right now, this woman is not properly…”

After a while of arguing, a gasp was heard from above.

Veloc thought that the people from the church had discovered the mess upstairs.

“Lord Veloc!”

A moment later, Adel poked her face through the broken ceiling.

Seeing Veloc lying below, she threw herself down without hesitation.

“Are you all right! Lord Veloc!”

“It’s not enough to kill me.”

Adel, who hurriedly approached, checked Veloc’s body here and there, then let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he seemed fine except for being a little tired. Then, seeing Baphomet’s corpse, she let out a feminine scream.

“My God. Did you truly defeat a demon single-handedly?”

Veloc turned his gaze around. Priest Anton, with his mouth wide open, was pointing at Veloc. Behind him were several priests in the same clerical robes and heavily armed paladins. They were equally shocked.

Without even a light spell, how could one face a demon with only human strength!

As the audience’s reaction was intense, the protagonist of this play chuckled.

“It’s not impossible. By the way, you brought an army.”

“It is a matter of dealing with a demon. Honestly, I thought even this would be insufficient, but…”

Anton trailed off. An expression mixed with shock and admiration. Next was relief.

He sighed and looked to Veloc’s side.

“Fortunately, it seems the creature did not bring its main body. It appears to have merely made a contract and extorted a physical body.”

Veloc turned his head. The corpse of Baphomet, which he had shattered, wriggled and changed its appearance.

The burly body shrank. The thick fur and hooves also slid away, revealing a human body.

“Ah. If this happens, our achievement…”

Adel, who had regained her composure, looked at the headless corpse with regret.

Seeing the long sword wound on the corpse’s forearm, Veloc furrowed his brow. It was because he had personally carved it onto Gerst.

‘That monstrous goat head was originally a human?’

Veloc had no particular regrets about the life of a knight who, intoxicated by power, fell to the abyss. Rather, he thought of it as karma. No, he also thought that he should finish things more thoroughly next time.

‘From now on, if something feels strange, I should just kill them.’

However, the church people seemed to think differently. They crossed themselves and mourned, looking at Gerst who had become a victim of the demon.

“Only ruin awaits a human who yields to a demon’s temptation. The moment one succumbs to a wicked tongue, their body and soul fall into their grasp.”

It was certainly an interesting story. It was also a story that would be of great help to him as he fought demons in the future, but it was not a story he wanted to hear while lying on the floor of a ruined castle.

Veloc gently closed his heavy eyelids.

“If the talk is finished, may I take a nap?”

“Are you leaving?”

“I was in your debt.”

Veloc said, looking at Anton, the ruler of the Roben Church.

“Excessive modesty, hero. Thanks to you slaying the demon, the people of this city have become safe.”

Anton also nodded with a benevolent smile.

‘And we also got this land for free.’

Anton hid his sinister inner thoughts and pointed outside the church.

“I have prepared everything needed for the journey. But are you really all right? Leaving all this behind and departing?”

Currently, Veloc’s popularity within Roben was piercing the sky. It was the church’s doing.

The Lord of Roben died at the hands of the demon Baphomet.

A ruler lost in an instant. The citizens were bound to tremble with anxiety.

Just then, the church stepped forward. Far from hiding the demon’s existence, they made it widely known.

“-The Lord of Roben died. And at the hands of a wicked demon! However, a young knight of deep faith and the priests of the church joined forces to exterminate the demon!-”

The survivors in the castle testified that the horrific black-haired goat attacked them and violated the Lord’s daughter, Veronica.

The church’s words gained great credibility and received enthusiastic cheers from the citizens.

There was no ruler. The justification was set. Seizing the opportunity, the church moved quickly.

Soldiers and knights belonging to the order swarmed into the golden land. Soon, they declared that they would govern this territory on behalf of the Lord’s young daughter, Veronica, until she came of age.

For the church, they had acquired a territory without shedding a single drop of blood.

It was a cunning and despicable act like a hyena’s, but…

Veloc actually thought it was fortunate.

As long as the church was settled in this land, other lords would not dare to act rashly.

Though the father died, the daughter survived. And she was not a prisoner of war.

As long as the church of this land was robust, Veronica would be treated as a noble and live comfortably.

Perhaps, standing up again based on the malice inflicted by the demon, she might inherit the land her father ruled.

Bitterness, a weak sense of responsibility, and lastly, relief—these three emotions intersected.

Veloc smiled faintly. And then he said to Anton,

“Please take good care of Lady Veronica.”

The request of a knight leaving to find a new path.

At that polite request, even the old priest, who was colored by the secular world, could not help but feel a deep resonance.

Anton crossed himself.

“As long as I live, she will be treated as a noble bloodline. I swear it in the name of God.”

“Lord Veloc. The preparations are all finished.”

At Adel’s words coming from outside the church, Veloc turned his head.

The faithful squire willingly chose the path of suffering instead of a comfortable cradle.

He slightly bowed his head to Anton.

“Well then.”

“Ah, take this.”

Anton stopped Veloc as he was about to leave. Then, rummaging through his bosom, he handed over a rolled scroll.

“This is…”

“It is a letter of recommendation.”

“A letter of recommendation…”

Veloc spread open the scroll and peeked at it.

Veloc’s actions, filled with all kinds of flowery language to an embarrassing degree, were written on it.

At the very end, an official seal in the shape of a cross was stamped.

Anton stroked his beard, laughing heartily as if asking if he liked it.

“In the name of the Roben Church, not only your identity is guaranteed, but also your achievement of killing the cultists and Baphomet, the goat-headed demon, is recorded.

“I do not know where you intend to go, but anywhere on the continent where the church’s influence reaches, you will be able to receive help.”

“It is a valuable thing.”

Anton shook his head.

“Compared to what you have done, it is merely a scrap of paper. Noble knight, I pray that God’s blessing will be with you on that journey.”

The old priest bowed his head and deeply crossed himself. Veloc also bowed in return, put the letter of recommendation in his bosom, and went out of the church.

“You are here! The old man talks too much. Holding back a busy person like that.”

Veloc chuckled at Adel’s outspoken way of talking. Then he climbed onto the prepared warhorse. From his raised perspective, Veloc cracked his neck.

As if the nightmare from a few days ago was a lie, the pouring sunlight was warm, and the fresh scent of grass vibrated in the fields. It was as if they were going on a picnic.

“Let’s depart.”

“Yes! Giddy up!”

Adel swung the whip without hesitation.

Neighhh!

The mount that received the command neighed faithfully, acting as the carrier for the knight and squire. The sound of hooves echoed loudly, and the church gradually became smaller.

The golden fields of farmers outside the castle also disappeared, and finally, when Roben, famous as a trading city, came out far enough to look like a speck of dust,

A new journey began.