Chapter 40 – Pursuer (2)

The ground vibrated with a thump, and dark red blood soared high into the sky. For a moment, only silence descended on the surroundings.

A young woman whose mouth protruded like a shark’s and whose lower body became tentacles, a middle-aged woman who boasted thick tusks and became a pig’s head, and so on.

Even the demons who shed their human skins and became monstrosities were in a daze.

“Raigar?”

The demon, who went from the appearance of an old man to the shape of a colossal beetle, opened its mouth. The insect mouth clicked and clattered as it called its companion, but there was no reply.

Only the blood-soaked mane and spilled entrails told the end of the lion demon. Had he died so in vain? The insect’s compound eyes distorted viciously.

It was like mourning for a dead companion. Or perhaps it was due to the fact that this fight had turned from simple amusement into a life-or-death battle.

However, in the eyes of Velloc, who was facing the fellow up close, they were just dirty insect eyes.

As Velloc raised the sword he had swung again, the startled beetle demon spread the wings on its back wide and shouted.

“Damn it! Everyone, attack at once!”

Buzzing.

His thin wings accelerated at a speed invisible to the eye. Using that as a springboard, the fellow flew toward Velloc with his horn in front. He intended to pierce him right through his armor.

As if assisting, the shark demon’s tentacles reached out from the side.

Velloc lowered his posture, bringing the sword he was holding to his waist. He intended to slice off the flying tentacles first and then block the beetle demon. In that moment,

“Lightning!”

Crackle!

Along with Cara’s shout, a pouring stream of lightning burned the tentacles. At the same time the shark demon screamed, Cara moved her lips again to chant a spell.

Thanks to that, Velloc was able to concentrate his sword entirely on the beetle demon in front of him. The fellow was fast enough and reckless. However, it was sufficient to slice him down in line with his incoming speed.

Velloc, his eyes shining, swung his sword.

Along with intense wind pressure, a colossal piece of iron flew in. Seeing this, the beetle demon broke into a cold sweat without realizing it.

He had not doubted that his horn could pierce through anything. However, seeing the blade lunging in front of his eyes, he realized that thought was wrong.

He felt he too would be cut in half like Raigar. So the fellow hurriedly moved his wings to turn his direction.

“Helena! Protect us!”

“Sir Camilla! You must not run out at will. Focus on defense!”

The fellow had intended to first deal with Helena’s servant bitches who had regained their senses before he knew it and were blocking the other demons. The sound of insect wings flapping and the chitinous carapace reflecting the sunlight brushed past Velloc’s eyes. He did not bother to catch the fleeing fellow.

Though the fellow was fast, the safety of the order’s party was none of his business. Helping his own party was the top priority. If the order fell to the demons and then the demons targeted his party, the problem would grow, but…

‘Since their numbers are large, they will hold out well on their own.’

He just had to finish it in the meantime. ‘Now that I see it, those guys are helpful.’ Having finished his thoughts, Velloc moved immediately.

“Argh! You fucking red-haired whore!”

“Doesn’t the smell of your flesh smell quite decent?”

Cara was dealing with the shark demon, throwing fireballs and ice spears from her hands.

When the fellow swung tentacles, she hurriedly chanted a shield spell to block them. Perhaps because he used surprise attacks and irregular strikes as his main weapons, he seemed to have a good compatibility with a mage using various spells.

From inside the translucent force field, Cara winked and gestured toward Velloc. She meant that she was fine, so he should help the other side. Thus, Velloc dashed toward the pig-headed demon Adel was dealing with.

Fwoosh!

Adel was dealing with the fellow while emitting brilliant flames around her body, as if boasting that she was the goddess’s Paladin. The shape and color itself were different from those of the priests or Paladins around her.

The pig demon swung its hooves while making squealing beastly sounds, but Adel calmly swung her shield to block them.

Even while doing so, she kept reciting prayers with her mouth. The more she did, the more violently the flames appearing around her body began to burn.

Perhaps thanks to that, the pig demon could not exert much power. The guy’s brown fur, which looked like thick armor, was burning while emitting foul smoke, and due to the gushing holy power, he could not even open his eyes properly.

Targeting such a fellow’s rear was easier than eating cold soup. As Velloc charged from behind the demon, Adel, seeing this, swung her curved sword wide.

Since the movement she showed was so large, the pig demon easily dodged it. Did he think he caught a gap? The pig demon’s vicious eyes gleamed.

“Grrk. You disgusting servant bitch of Helena! I will crush you in one go!”

Spitting saliva wildly, the pig demon raised his massive arms. He intended to squash the bean-sized human. In that moment, Velloc swung his sword toward the pig demon.

Perhaps due to the wind pressure brushing past his head, the startled pig demon hurriedly turned his body.

Reflecting the sunlight, the greatsword was plunging toward him. Because the speed was so fast, the pig demon had no time to see his life flash before his eyes. He just died as his head and upper body were sliced open.

Splat!

Sticky blood and flesh splattered onto the two of them. Velloc took it directly on his sword and armor, but Adel did not. Thanks to the flames burning around her, it evaporated before even touching her body. ‘I’m a bit envious of that.’ Velloc, with a blood-stained face, asked.

“Adel. Are you okay?”

Adel, who was looking at the sliced corpse of the demon with regretful eyes, hastily bowed her head when Velloc’s voice reached her.

“There is no problem.”

“Then we move immediately.”

“Yes.”

Nodding slightly, Velloc gestured toward Cara, who was fighting the demon. Whatever trick the demon had pulled, in that brief moment, the force field was shaking noticeably. The two quickly approached him. Since they fought scattered around the inn in the first place, it did not require that many steps.

“Even Krut… You bastards!”

While pushing Cara back, the shark demon, who was keeping guard around, growled and squirmed her lower body. Living awls shot out, cutting through the air.

Perhaps because they extended from her body, the tentacles did not necessarily fly in a straight line.

What had soared into the air dropped, bending sharply at a right angle, or dug into the ground to tear up the earth as it came.

Adel, raising her shield, shouted urgently.

“Lord Velloc! Come next to me!”

Adel’s black eyes were now glittering with an orange light, burning enough to glow. The heat emitting from around her body was also enough to scorch the dirt ground. It was a protective shield made of flames.

‘Is that really safe? Won’t I burn to death?’ Velloc wore a sour expression. So he just ran forward. Through the knight’s steel visor, the demon’s flesh gradually drew closer. In line with that, the sounds cutting through the wind and dirt also became distinct.

The guy’s tentacles were now just a few steps away. The number was too large to slice off all at once. However, Velloc did not even blink.

With just a short sigh, he activated his senses to the limit and put strength into his legs.

Whoosh!

Dirt rose roughly, and Velloc’s body accelerated. For an instant, his massive bulk moved in a blur. The shark demon’s eyes and body could not respond properly to the knight’s movement. The tentacles that shot out like whips entwined the empty air in vain.

“What?”

The flustered shark demon recalled her extended body once again, but by then, Velloc had already approached beneath her torso.

“You are tall.”

Looking up at the woman who became a monster, Velloc muttered. Soon, bending his knees, he quickly jumped.

The shark demon’s face gradually drew closer.

The easygoing expression she wore when eating people earlier was heavily distorted. The pupils, which lacked eyelids, also shook wildly.

Velloc smirked. She had realized now. That her life as a predator was over. In addition, that she would soon follow her dead companions.

The knight’s greatsword, swimming in the air, flew like lightning. The shark demon’s eyes widened.

“No-…”

She reflexively reached out her hand to block that terrible weapon. However, Velloc’s blade ruthlessly sliced through the demon’s flesh.

Hot blood splattered in all directions.

At the same time, the tentacles that wriggled like snakes drooped.

The steel knight landed on the ground in the posture he swung his sword. The ground vibrated with a thud, and the remains of the demon fell pattering down onto it.

Velloc brushed off the splattered flesh sticking to him and looked around. Perhaps due to Kadan’s example of being blown away in one blow, the order’s party was fighting better than expected.

Although the number of people, which was over twenty, had decreased to the tens, they had finally succeeded in catching one demon. Now, only the beetle demon from earlier and the man who was wielding an axe in human form remained.

The quiet rural village instantly became a place where a noble holy war was taking place.

The voices calling out to the goddess and the voices cursing them tangled together and echoed.

He smiled bitterly. Reality was not noble like a painting. It was just a struggle to survive. Well, it was always like that.

“Did you not believe in me?”

Shaking off his thoughts at the voice coming from behind, Velloc slightly turned his head. Adel, with her mouth pouting, was speaking with her hands on her hips. Though flinching inside, Velloc calmly shook his head.

“It was to deal with the fellow more quickly. The best defense is offense. If I don’t believe in you, who in this world would I believe in?”

Adel tilted her head for a moment, then grinned at Velloc’s last words.

“I see! I understand.”

“Argh. Really! It was close.”

While the two were talking, Cara appeared while patting her waist. Groaning, she swept back her sweat-soaked hair. Velloc asked.

“Are you okay?”

Cara shook her head side to side, but kept her mouth moving busy.

“No, I’m dying. My physical condition isn’t good, maybe because I overexerted myself? In the worst case, I might have lost my spells.”

“You’re exaggerating… Doesn’t that mean you didn’t lose them anyway?”

When Adel snorted, Cara frowned slightly.

“Do you really have to speak like that? Do you know how hard it was for me?”

“Hmph. That is all because your stamina is weak. You need to train first. That’s why you can’t even walk properly, isn’t it?”

Cara, who noticed something in Adel’s tone, narrowed her eyes.

“Could it be… that you’ve been like this until now just because I came carried on Velloc’s back?”

“…You witch!”

“Stop. Let’s deal with those guys first.”

Just as Adel was about to flare up, Velloc cut off their conversation and pointed forward.

The battle was not over. A Paladin struck by the beetle demon’s horn was flying while destroying a house. Cara and Adel frowned at the same time.

“Do we absolutely have to help those detestable bastards?”

“Can’t we just let them all die?”

‘At times like this, they unite well.’ Velloc let out a dry laugh. He lightly rested the greatsword on his shoulder and tilted his head.

“But didn’t they draw attention, so it ended easily? Let’s show them a knight’s mercy.”

‘Knight, mercy.’ At those words, Adel’s eyes shone. She nodded heavily.

“Indeed. Bestowing realization upon the ignorant and reaching out a hand of salvation is what can be called true chivalry.”

“What do you mean? You’re a Paladin. Strictly speaking, they are your companions…”

“Shut your mouth, witch! Because I am not the goddess’s Paladin, but Lord Velloc’s knight!”

‘These two are fighting again.’ Velloc shook his head. He thought it would be better to just go alone. Moving swiftly, the knight who entered the battlefield swung his greatsword. The bug was sliced into pieces, and the axe was shattered.

Velloc slammed the dripping greatsword onto the ground. Thanks to its heavy weight and size, it was as if a pillar was erected. He lightly leaned his back against the pillar of the sword.

The sunlight falling from the sky became much more intense than before. However, glares more stinging than that were felt from around him.

The villagers who fled, the surviving order’s party, and finally… Kadan’s wide-open eyes.

Velloc did not bother to avoid their eyes. He simply cracked his neck once. The knight spoke.

“I think we have a lot of things to discuss with each other.”