Chapter 39 – Pursuer (1)

Kadan.

A man who, as a faithful servant of the Sun Goddess Helena, had his abilities recognized and became a Paladin of the capital’s grand church.

The order’s punishers, with him at the head, were dispatched to investigate the strange incident that occurred in the nearby Oker fief.

This was because the underground evil had run wild over the past few months, and contact with the priests residing there had been contact cut off.

Although they had encountered some dogs of the king on the way to their destination, they safely arrived at the Oker fief.

Now they intended to investigate this land and defeat the demon if it existed. However, the church of Oker was burnt, and the story they heard was shocking.

“A knight with a colossal greatsword and a violent female knight saved this fief.”

“What?”

The order was flustered. The fact that the two of them had caught the demon by themselves was unbelievable, but also because their distinctive attire crossed their minds.

A colossal greatsword, a violent female knight… It was surely those two people they had met before arriving here.

‘This… needs to be investigated.’ The order retraced the path they had come, chasing the tracks of the unidentified knights. And they faced shocking news once again in the ruined Hameln.

“They are merciless looters! They dared to kill the lord and bishop and ran away with a witch!”

“No, in my eyes, that bishop transformed into a strange monster…”

“Cut the bullshit! That was definitely the trick of the wicked witch!”

Leaving the testimonies of the soldiers and citizens behind, the order fell into contemplation. Who on earth were they?

The heroic path of saving the Oker fief was certainly worthy of praise. However, their actions in Hameln were a horrific atrocity contrary to that.

Since even the residents were driving them as wanted fugitives… While assessing the situation, a young priest carefully opened her mouth.

“It’s a bit awkward to say this… but is it possible that Bishop Luzback was a demon, and the lord of Hameln was possessed by him…?”

It was a free idea that could come because she had not been ordained long. A huge ripple rose in the hearts of the order’s party.

Yes, if so, this entire situation would be explained. Perhaps because it was a truth they wanted to turn away from, they had set aside this assumption.

Soon, just as agitation was about to spread, the faithful Paladin Kadan shrieked.

“Nonsense! Sister, if what you say is true, are you saying that the bishop was corrupted by a demon, and the city became like this because of that? By the hands of someone who was a member of our very church?!”

When Kadan rebuked her, did she realize the weight of the words she had spoken? The female priest’s face turned pale.

“I… I am sorry. I made a slip of the tongue.”

The female priest quickly bowed her head. Nevertheless, several fanatical priests and Paladins, with Kadan at the head, glared at her.

“Sister Luna. Your remark just now was a terrible blasphemy! Do you understand? It means you could be referred to the Inquisition!”

“Yes, yes. I am sorry, Sir Kadan.”

As Luna kept apologizing, Kadan’s anger subsided a bit, and he let out a deep sigh. In fact, contrary to his appearance, his heart was cold to the extreme.

He simply needed a pretext to settle this situation. And that plan was already made. Kadan spoke in a much lower voice.

It was not to Luna, but to the entire party.

“Right, fine. If, just if, Bishop Luzback fell to corruption and the current situation occurred. The moment we admit that, the prestige of our order will plummet to the ground!”

Since there were as many gods on this land, there were naturally many churches serving them. If they made a mistake, they could be bitten by other denominations using this incident as an excuse. One of his fellow Paladins opened his mouth with concern.

“Then what would be good to do?”

Kadan nodded solemnly.

“The goddess said that the starting point of this entire incident was the dogs of the kingdom, the two knights. If we catch them, all this will be resolved. Because those guys are the minions of the wicked demon.”

Even if they were truly innocent, it did not matter. Because the order simply needed a scapegoat. Kadan let out a bitter smile internally.

Did luck follow him? He was able to find the traces of those two knights in a small rural village. Kadan, who threw open the door of the inn with momentum, spoke once again.

“Why are you silent? Did you honestly think you could safely escape this land after committing such deeds?”

“Who is it?”

When Velloc looked bewildered at Kadan standing at the entrance, Adel, who had drawn the sword at her waist before anyone noticed, spoke.

“It’s the Paladin fellow we met on the way to Hameln. You know… those retards.”

At Adel’s whisper, Velloc racked his brain for a moment. ‘Paladins? Ah. Those guys.’ Velloc nodded as if he understood.

‘You mean the idiots who went off to a random place. Have they chased us? Why? Could it be revenge?’

“Wait, it’s a misunderstanding. Although we killed the bishop… he was a demon!”

At that moment, Cara, who recognized Kadan’s affiliation and grasped the situation, spoke. However, Kadan bared his teeth and drew his sword.

“Wielding a dirty three-inch tongue. Not content with killing Lord Luzback, you even insult his nobility.”

Along with a metallic sound, the blade catching the sunlight gleamed hideously. However, Cara spoke in a calm tone.

“Believe me, there is proof! In our party, we have a Paladin who received Helena’s blessing, and we also have a recommendation letter from the Loben church.”

Cara slightly winked at Velloc and Adel. She meant for Adel to draw out some of her holy power to show them, and for Velloc to pull out the recommendation letter.

However, Velloc drew his sword instead of the recommendation letter. At this, Adel also prepared for battle. When Cara looked puzzled, Velloc pointed forward.

“Look at that guy’s face.”

The witch turned her head. Kadan was looking at them with a crooked smile. The Paladin’s sneering laughter echoed in the inn.

“Spouting nonsense that isn’t even funny. I have been devoted to the goddess since childhood, yet noble bastards who can’t even show a trace of faith, doctrine, or belief receive the goddess’s blessing? Blasphemy should have limits. And the recommendation letter from the Loben church? What do we care about that scrap of paper? Perhaps you bought credibility just as you buy indulgences with gold. Lastly, a gloomy spellcaster proving innocence? Even a passing dog would laugh.”

Kadan had suddenly become a Paladin who blasphemed his own god. However, Velloc felt Kadan’s words were reasonable. Because even though he had experienced it directly, it sounded like a story that lacked a sense of reality.

Especially, the point about a wicked spellcaster’s innocence hit home the most. Velloc smirked as he looked at Cara.

“How about you say a word? Spellcaster.”

“Sigh.”

Cara, who let out a deep sigh instead of an answer, bowed her head. Soon, she raised it again. Eyes shining through her hair flashed with light. The staff in her hand was also spinning.

“So the products of blind followship were right here. That will take your lifelines.”

“Hmph. You finally reveal your true colors.”

As Kadan raised one hand, the priests behind him began to chant spells. The Paladins, each gripping their weapons, prepared to charge through the windows or back door of the building.

‘Right. So conversation is not needed.’ Velloc, who tapped the terrified innkeeper to evacuate him to the second floor, raised his sword.

“Brothers, together, let us defeat these demons…”

“Aaaack!”

While Kadan was about to shout loudly, a scream louder than his voice reached from outside. With that as the starting point, screams began to ring simultaneously throughout the village.

“Wh… What is this? What on earth is this noise?”

“What kind of trick did you use?”

The order members who were surrounding Velloc’s party were flustered by the sudden commotion. However, Velloc could easily guess the reason. ‘These guys, their timing is art.’ Velloc clicked his tongue.

“Because I lingered due to you bastards, the guests have arrived. Tsk. Looks like innocent villagers will end up dying.”

Recognizing this, Cara and Adel’s faces froze. The two began to chant a spell and a prayer respectively.

“What…? What nonsense is…”

The moment Kadan, not knowing the reason, muttered, a blood-soaked village woman approached the inn. How urgent it was, even one of her shoes was off. The woman, with disheveled hair, without even being able to catch her breath, shouted urgently.

“H… Help! M-Monsters… monsters are attacking. E-Eating people!”

“Monsters?! Look here. First calm down and speak calmly…”

A priest at the back asked the woman for the details. In the meantime, the sounds of something breaking and the clamor of people did not cease.

The order members’ faces turned serious. Catching the culprit who killed the bishop was important, but they could not ignore the people suffering in front of their eyes.

“Sir Kadan! What do we do?”

When a priest asked, Kadan grit his teeth. The target was right in front of him. If he only handled these guys, he could re-establish the order’s prestige. However, the situation was turning out strange.

Kadan was forced to propose a compromise. Without taking his eyes off Velloc’s party, he gestured to a few fellow Paladins.

“Sir Lotton, Sir Camilla, and I will keep watch on these guys! In the meantime, brothers, go handle the attacking monsters…”

Before Kadan could even finish his words, the priest at the back shrieked in horror.

“E-Everyone, look over there!”

It was toward the village entrance. The gazes of the order and Velloc’s party shifted there. In the chaotic village, people covered in blood all over their bodies were approaching the inn.

At a glance, their appearances were ordinary.

Starting from a young man with acne on his face, a bearded old man, a bald middle-aged man, an 8-year-old child, a voluptuous young woman, to a chubby middle-aged woman, it was a diverse composition. However, when the severed heads of the villagers were held in their hands, the story changed.

They were walking toward the inn, grinning as if something was so amusing.

“Found you quickly. To think you’d be taking it easy and resting in a village.”

The young man with acne spoke. It was a mischievous voice that did not fit the current situation. The young woman walking side by side next to him also grinned.

“The goddess’s servant bastards are here too. Let’s cut off their necks together. Lord Astaroth will like it.”

“Don’t let your guard down. Either way, the heavenly light is our natural enemy.”

The old man said, stroking his beard. As he walked, he tossed the head held in his hand.

Roll, roll.

The head of the little boy named Thomas rolled along the ground and bumped against his foot. Kadan’s gaze turned downward. The face of the dead boy was visible. Showing how painful it had been, the small face was heavily distorted.

Kadan’s shoulders trembled. The priests and fellow Paladins around him were the same. They could guess who those guys were. Because there were not many who committed such evil deeds while wearing human skins.

“You horrific underground fiends! Helena! Give me strength!”

Shouting the goddess’s name, Kadan rushed forward like lightning. The armor he wore clattered noisily as orange holy power surged from his body.

The distance between the demons and the Paladin shortened in an instant.

Kadan struck down with his sword. Stepping out to face him, the young man with acne lightly swung his arm. It was a gesture like shooing away a bug. Kadan snorted.

“I am the goddess’s sword, and her faithful servant. As long as that shining sun illuminates my path… Argh.”

Kadan was blown away, unable to continue his words. Not only was the sword that clashed with the demon’s arm snapped clean, but his glittering armor was also heavily dented.

“Over a few hundred years, the goddess’s blade has rusted quite a bit. This is going to be an unexciting hunt.”

Shaking off his arm, the young man who kicked the fallen Kadan hard wore a sneer on his lips.

Agreeing with him, the other demons also snickered. Their footsteps grew gradually faster.

Bone-cracking sounds also echoed from their bodies. They were shedding their human skins and revealing their true forms. The order’s party was horrified. Kadan was young, but he was a man whose basic skills as a Paladin were extremely solid. For such a man to be blown away in one go?!

“S-Sir Kadan is!”

“Helena!”

As the order’s party retreated in hesitation, three people walked out of the inn entrance. The gazes of the transforming demons instantly concentrated. A red-haired witch bitch, a female knight, and finally a man carrying a colossal greatsword. Extremely unique attire. They were the ones who had slaughtered four of their kin.

The knight holding the greatsword charged at them as soon as he saw them. Shedding the young man’s skin and now transformed into a lion’s head with a muscular torso, the demon also ran out with momentum.

The beast’s paws kicked up dust, and the steel boots also kicked up dirt. Under the setting sun, the monster and the knight clashed.

“The enemy of our kin! You’ve finally appeared. Hehehe. Good! Your sword and my claws. Let’s compete to see which is stronger!”

The lion demon roared loudly and swung his blade. Velloc also swung his blade in response.

Crash!

Along with a roaring sound, the demon was cut in half.