[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 8: Pursuing the Branded Knight (2)
The Black Dogs of Roshka.
As their na suggests, these monstrous hounds first appeared in a territory called Roshka.
In the dark hours of early dawn, two dogs suddenly materialized, wreaking havoc throughout the territory with their ferocious barking.
The villagers watched in terror.
Eventually, the knights and soldiers of the territory who set out to deal with the dogs could hear it – the ominous sound of trumpets echoing from afar.
That night, the territory of Roshka was erased from the map.
***
"Whimper."
One of the black dogs yelped and collapsed as Hal's sword struck it down.
The other dog, witnessing this, imdiately turned and fled.
"Aren't you going to chase after it?"
Seeing the red knight seemingly ready to give chase, Hal shook his head.
"The black dogs are rely a harbinger of things to co."
"...What in the world is going to happen?"
Hal wiped the blood off his sword and replied,
"Riteil, the Man-Faced Lion, the King of Beasts, will co here."
"A high-ranking demon?"
Hal remained silent at the knight's question, his expression grim.
If it were just a high-ranking demon, he wouldn't be this worried.
Hal swallowed hard and spoke.
"It's a special-grade demon."
The red knight flinched and stumbled backward.
He wasn't the only one.
The soldiers and knights who had been looking at them with worry froze on the spot.
Special-grade.
Those were beings that transcended observable limits.
Throughout the long history of the Order, only a handful of demons were classified as special-grade.
Each individual demon had its own na.
Moreover, cases of successfully defeating a special-grade demon were extrely rare.
An unknown terror, lacking information due to the absence of survivors who encountered them.
An encounter with them only ant death.
The knight with the red ornant fell silent.
Special-grade demons were said to be living calamities, natural disasters.
They couldn't be confronted, only avoided. And if they couldn't be avoided, all that remained was to pray.
But
"Even if it's a special-grade demon..."
The knight tapped the sword at his waist.
It was hard to believe.
Or rather, it was beyond comprehension.
In fact, everyone gathered here had the sa expression.
They felt a vague fear but hadn't accepted their impending deaths.
Special-grade demons were rare beings, only encountered in rumors.
He didn't want to ask for help, but the only one here who knew a lot about demons was the exorcist priest in front of him.
After a mont of silence, the knight in red asked.
"Is there no way to defeat it?"
"It's impossible."
But as if to drive a wedge into that faint hope, Hal declared firmly.
The others were completely unaware.
But Hal knew their fear all too well.
Special-grade demons were not beings that humans could handle.
To them, humans were nothing more than prey or toys.
'To catch them...'
One paladin order and at least three exorcist priests.
Those were the minimum requirents for defeating a special-grade demon.
The forces here weren't even close to being able to attempt an exorcism.
There was only one possible option.
"We need to perform the ritual of undoing the curse now. If we succeed and can hold out until sunrise..."
Hal trailed off, unable to continue.
He knew how slim the chances of this plan succeeding were.
There was only one way to survive.
To leave the sacrifice behind and flee now.
That was the only way.
As Hal was struggling with this decision, Antonio placed his hand on Hal's stiff shoulder.
Warmth flowed through his fingertips.
Antonio's hand was trembling no less than Hal's.
But his eyes were unwavering and straight.
It wasn't that he didn't feel fear.
It was the look of soone who had accepted death.
"Please continue, Hal-nim."
"...If the sun rises, it might retreat."
There was a rumor that Riteil hated sunlight and stayed in deep caves during the day.
Of course, all of this was just an unconfird rumor.
There was no way to know if it would simply retreat, leaving the humans in front of it.
But they couldn't just run away.
Hal had never turned his back on a demon before.
He was simply lost in thought for a mont, thinking about saving Antonio and the others.
"...Can I trust you?"
The red knight's voice was still filled with distrust. Not distrust of the plan, but suspicion of Hal.
To still be suspicious even in this situation.
What kind of bad history did he have with exorcist priests?
Hal didn't know his past.
But at least he felt that the knight's desire to save the lord and the territory was genuine.
"This is the best we can do for now."
Hal and the knight's gazes t in the air.
After a mont, the knight nodded and said to Hal and Antonio,
"Follow . I'll take you to the lord."
"..."
Hal bowed his head in gratitude and followed the knight. A faint light of hope flickered in the pitch-black darkness.
***
An eerie atmosphere hung over the lord's mansion.
The long shadows were ominous, and the faces of the servants were filled with gloom.
In the lord's study, lit only by flickering candles,
"...What is the aning of this?"
The lord of Lengbaster glared at the knight he had hired and asked. More precisely, his expression hardened as he saw Hal standing behind the knight.
The red knight bowed deeply and replied,
"I was mistaken. This man seems to be different."
"But you... No, never mind. Then what's going on?"
The lord was exhausted.
The incidents and accidents that had occurred in the past month had aged him by decades.
His mind was foggy, and his body felt heavy. He couldn't figure out what the right choice was.
Feeling indifferent, he looked at the knight and Hal. Then, Hal stepped forward and spoke.
"It's a dangerous situation. We need to undo the young lady's curse right now."
"Undo the curse? More importantly, what danger? My daughter?"
Hal calmly explained to the pale lord,
"No. It's this Lengbaster territory that's in danger."
"Wh-what do you an?"
The red knight supported the lord, who was staggering as if about to faint.
"My lord, please follow this priest's instructions for now. There's no ti."
"...Alright. I understand. Follow ."
The seemingly frail lord's decision was surprisingly swift.
No matter how shaken he was, he was still the lord of this territory.
He led them to a room where a girl was lying, breathing heavily and sweating.
"This is Irene Lengbaster, my daughter. Can she really be cured?"
"We'll find out now."
Hal approached the girl without hesitation and pulled off the blanket covering her.
One of the maids gasped.
Of course, Hal didn't pay any attention and focused on his task.
He quickly unbuttoned the girl's top. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she was almost unconscious.
The lord flinched but didn't stop him. Hal carefully examined the area below her collarbone.
"There it is. The Brand of Sacrifice."
An ornate, beast-shaped mark. The beast within the mark had a black mane and the form of a lion.
"This is strange."
"What is?"
Hal couldn't answer the knight's question.
The shape of the mark was sohow different from what he rembered.
Similar, yet subtly different, the mark made Hal frown.
Nothing ca to mind at the mont.
"...It's nothing. I must have been mistaken."
With the appearance of the Black Dogs of Roshka, it was certain that Riteil would co.
That was all that mattered now.
"Antonio."
"Yes?"
"Do you know about undoing curses?"
"I've practiced it a few tis in curse studies class."
"That's a relief."
Hal nodded impassively.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"...Huh?"
Antonio blinked as if he had misheard.
Hal leaned closer and whispered so only he could hear,
"I can't perform blessings or consecrations due to a congenital condition."
"...So those weren’t just nasty rumors?"
"It's true."
Antonio's legs trembled.
If he failed to undo the curse, the plan would fail regardless of whether they could hold out or not.
He had sohow ended up with the most crucial role.
"Recite the incantation. I'll help you."
"Please... I'll do my best."
Antonio placed his hand on the Brand of Sacrifice and began to recite the incantation.
Hal spread salt on the floor and lit incense.
Then, he dabbed holy oil on the unconscious young lady's earlobes, eyelids, and philtrum in turn, reciting the incantation along with Antonio.
"Ehurshica, god of order and death, please drive away the evil energy from this girl and show your rcy. Batu, god of war who leads the heavenly army..."
Even without spiritual effects, the incantation itself had aning.
Hal's words and Antonio's voice overlapped, transforming into a higher prayer.
The room was filled with divine power, so much so that even an ordinary person could feel it.
And at that mont,
Crackle!
The salt on the floor rotted.
The fragrant incense scattered and disappeared with a sudden gust of wind, and a foul stench filled the room.
"Ugh, what is this...?"
The lord staggered.
Rustle!
Swarming maggots, centipedes, earwigs, cockroaches, and all sorts of flying insects.
Insects, seemingly appearing from nowhere, surrounded them.
But that wasn't all.
Sothing was there.
An intense presence filled the room.
When he sensed that presence, Hal involuntarily stepped away from the girl and stopped reciting the incantation.
The lord and the knights also turned pale and collapsed on the spot.
Hal stared blankly at the swarm of insects.
Above the wriggling insects, a single form appeared.
An eye.
A giant eye, oozing maggots and yellow pus.
eting that gaze, Hal's eyes rolled back, and he fell to his knees.
Just as everyone held their breath,
"Yan, father of all gods and our Lord who watches over humanity, please bestow your light and wash away the evil in this place."
A young but devout voice resonated powerfully through the room.
Only one person.
Only Antonio continued the incantation without stopping.
Crackle!
Antonio's arm, reciting the incantation, began to rot black.
Blood flowed from his mouth, and cold sweat dripped incessantly from his forehead.
Simply put, he was dying.
Yet, Antonio didn't stop.
Hal's eyes widened at the sight.
He bit down on his cheek hard enough to hear a crunching sound.
Blood poured from his lips, and at the sa ti, his senses returned.
"Keep... going."
Hal staggered forward and placed his hand on Antonio's back.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Azure flas erupted from Antonio's rotting arm and skin.
Hal's unique ability, Azure Fla.
An ability to heal wounds and destroy evil at the sa ti.
Azure flas swirled and blood in the room.
How much ti had passed?
Antonio had finally recited the entire incantation, the length of a Bible.
At that mont,
A hot energy burst from Antonio's clenched hands.
Hal saw it.
Golden waves of light.
A dazzling radiance.
Hal started, his eyelids trembling in disbelief.
"This is... Grand Exorcism?"
The powerful blessing, said to be seen only from bishops, was completed at the fingertips of a young deacon.
Whoosh!
The presence of sothing vanished as if washed away.
The stench and the insects had disappeared.
A genius.
No, a child loved by heaven and the gods. There was no other way to describe him.
'He's an outstanding child. He expressed his desire to work with you, Hal. Please keep an eye on him.'
Hal suddenly recalled the bishop's words.
He understood why the bishop had urged him so earnestly.
"...He's more than just an outstanding child, isn't he?"
Hal muttered in disbelief.
He had never seen a child with such divine power and talent.
This child wouldn't end up as an ordinary cleric.
He had the potential to reach the top of the Order.
Or even be recorded as a saint.
Thud!
At that mont, Antonio collapsed from exhaustion, and Hal quickly supported him, saying,
"The curse is undone."
"Ah! Then...?"
The lord hurriedly approached his daughter and brushed her damp hair aside.
The girl, who had been suffering from a high fever just monts ago, was now sleeping peacefully with a relaxed expression.
"Thank you, I will never forget this grace!"
The lord, seemingly forgetting his dignity, bowed and grabbed Hal's hand.
Hal shook his head with a slightly tired expression.
Unfortunately, it was too early to rejoice.
"It's not over yet."
"What else is there?"
"That is..."
Just as Hal was about to continue,
A sound ca from afar.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeep!
Like a boiling kettle.
A strange sound, like a flute or a trumpet.
It had arrived.
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
Reviews
All reviews (0)