“So, where did they say they were eting today?”
“…At that tall pillar you can see over there. The pillar…”
The Hunter Follower stamred, barely managing to spit out his answer.
From the sheer terror in his voice, it was clear that the shock therapy had worked like a charm.
Monts like these reminded just how versatile Aftha’s ability to manipulate presence was.
By adjusting its intensity and inducing just enough ntal contamination without causing unconsciousness, it broke the target down until they willingly spilled everything.
I smiled, glancing at Aftha, who wore a prim and proper expression as if she didn’t know what had happened.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we’ve gotten so valuable information.”
“…Thank you?”
“Yes, of course.”
For so reason, Aftha said sothing ambiguous before suddenly turning her body toward .
At first, I wasn’t sure what she was up to, but then she tried to pounce on again.
I reflexively stopped her with a hand on her cheek.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“If you’re grateful, aren’t you supposed to let do what I want?”
“No, no! Hold on! This isn’t the place for that, so calm down…!”
Aftha puffed out her cheeks and grumbled in dissatisfaction, but she didn’t try to push any further.
I guess that ant she didn’t want to do sothing I disliked.
“…Thank you, Aftha.”
“See you when it’s over.”
“…Oh.”
She pointed at with a pouty face before disappearing sowhere.
It seed she had returned to her original spot, her task completed.
“Hm.”
I looked down at the Hunter Follower.
Technically, I could let him go now, but the mory of him badmouthing earlier still lingered, making feel spiteful.
Noticing my expression, the Hunter Follower’s eyes widened, and he desperately crawled toward .
“P-Please! I swear, that’s all I know!”
“Yeah, I believe you. But that’s not the problem here.”
I gave him my warst smile.
Maybe it was the absurdity of smiling in this situation, but his face quickly drained of color.
“I can’t let it slide that you were rallying people to badmouth .”
“…!”
I whistled.
Sowhere nearby, the sound of panting echoed as sothing quickly approached.
To , it was a soft, bouncy sound, but I suppose it sounded different to him.
Tears were already streaming from his eyes.
“Belle.”
“Human!”
Belle rushed over and sat obediently in front of .
Don’t get wrong.
I still had a sense of decency—I wasn’t going to do anything that cruel.
“I’m about to get busy talking with the Knight Order.”
“Woof?”
The Hunter Follower started violently shaking his head and backing away.
“So, just play with that guy for a bit, okay?”
“Understood! Woof!”
“Noooooo!”
The mont I spoke, the Hunter Follower let out a desperate scream, but Belle was already on him in a flash.
Thud.
Belle tackled him and pinned him to the ground, then started licking his face furiously.
Hmm.
If Belle were an actual dog, I’d say she’s more of a Golden Retriever than a wolf-like breed.
Her ability to play with anyone so cheerfully was truly impressive.
With that, I turned around and walked away, leaving them behind.
The Hunter Follower’s screams—louder and more desperate than when I dealt with Aftha—echoed in the background.
****
“Commander! I’ve brought back information….”
I returned straight to our temporary quarters, eager to report the information I’d learned to the Knight Commander. However, sothing felt off inside.
To be precise, everyone was glancing at —furtively, like they were sizing up.
Wait, what?
“Tantan….”
The Vice Commander called my na.
Her voice sounded oddly subdued, which put on edge.
“Yes, Vice Commander?”
“…What exactly did you do to that Hunter Follower?”
“I just used external gods to induce a bit of ntal contamination.”
“…Is that all you did?”
“Hmm? Yes, that’s all.”
At that mont, I distinctly heard all the knights exhale in relief.
What kind of reaction is this?
Did they really think I tortured the guy to death with so brutal thod?
What on earth do they think of ?!
Feeling slightly hurt, I watched as the Knight Commander sighed and stepped closer to .
“So, what information did you get?”
“They said the Hunter Followers and the Candles are eting near that pillar in a little while.”
The Knight Commander stroked his chin thoughtfully, clearly pondering over my report.
He was probably already calculating how unavoidable casualties might be.
After all, we were vastly outnumbered.
The Knight Commander hated unnecessary sacrifices.
“Vice Commander, how can we pull this off perfectly without losing anyone?”
“We’d have to adopt a strategy where you and I fight on the frontlines.”
“That’s good, but then we can’t protect the knights properly. There’s a chance we’ll be overwheld by sheer numbers again, like in the last war against the Candles. And this ti, there are Hunter Followers mixed in, so it’ll be even harder.”
“Hm.”
He had a point.
Bandits commanded by Hunter Followers were nothing like the ragtag bandits I was used to dealing with.
This ti, the bandit numbers had been small, and the Hunter Follower was caught off guard, which made the fight easier.
But if their numbers increased, it would be a completely different story.
On top of that, I had already kept Belle out for too long while scouting, and I had summoned Aftha for interrogation. The ti limit on the flute was running out.
That ant my ability to summon deities was now restricted.
The most I could do would be to borrow part of their authority. But even then….
“Ah.”
Suddenly, an idea shot through my frontal lobe like lightning.
Usually, overwhelming battles relying on brute force were primarily handled by the Knight Commander and the Vice Commander.
I typically stepped in to clean up critical areas they missed.
In other words, it wouldn’t be a problem if I stepped out of combat for a while to focus on protecting the knights.
As I thought about it, one particular deity ca to mind—one who could instantly restore bodies on the verge of death and even enhance physical abilities.
“Commander.”
“Hmm?”
“I think I just ca up with a thod that’ll kill it.”
At my words, the Knight Commander’s serious expression sharpened, his eyes lighting up with interest.
****
"That was a good conversation, Hunter Follower."
"I think so as well. I've never t soone whose thoughts align with mine so perfectly."
The Hunter Follower representative and the Candle representative clasped hands firmly.
At this very mont, an alliance was ford.
Their interests had aligned flawlessly.
"Of course. After all, you seem just as disgusted by the idea of humans cozying up to external gods."
"…That’s right. It’s sothing we can never accept."
For a mont, a flash of madness seed to wash over the Hunter Follower’s expression.
The Candle representative felt a bit uneasy, but since this was a group he’d never have to deal with again after the job was done, he brushed it off.
Leaving the Hunter Follower behind, the Candle leader turned toward the mingled groups of followers and bandits. He raised his weapon high.
"The alliance is sealed! From now on, we will crush the Knight Order of Lontan and ensure they cannot defeat the Giant of the Snowy Mountain! Do you understand?!"
“Uoooohhhh!”
A deafening roar erupted, pounding against their ears like an explosion.
Though it must have hurt, the Candle leader instead found it exhilarating. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his body.
Now, all that remained was to march on Lontan.
The Knight Order wouldn’t have ti to respond to a sudden ambush.
The Candle leader was relishing the smooth progress of his plan when—
Boom!
"Arghhh!"
A thunderous crash rang out, splitting the air.
The Candle leader instinctively ground his teeth together, his jaw clenching so tightly it was a miracle his teeth didn’t shatter.
Because standing where the sound had co from were people who should not be here.
“…Raydan Tantan! Why the hell are you here?!”
At the source of the explosion stood Tantan, sword in hand, the ground beneath him shattered from the sheer force of his strike.
So of the troops nearby had already collapsed, knocked out cold.
The Candle leader knew that Raydan had been showing monstrous growth lately, but even so, the crater his sword had just carved into the earth seed beyond anything a re "growth spurt" could explain.
“…A traitor to humanity, walking around so proudly after aligning with external gods!”
The Candle leader sneered, taunting Raydan, but the knights following behind him didn’t even flinch.
They exuded a crushing aura, an atmosphere that scread imminent destruction.
Running away crossed his mind, but there was no chance of escaping when faced with that. Not with so many soldiers to account for.
A clash was inevitable.
The tension rising between the Candle troops and the Knight Order seed to make the already frigid imperial land even colder.
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