Chapter 231
Chapter 231
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: Crusaders
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Elise dragged me along with tremendous strength, and I had no choice but to let myself be pulled, bitterly regretting my curiosity about the crusaders.
—Splash.
As Elise stepped forward, all their gazes locked onto us.
—Screeech.
The grating sound of metal scraping against metal.
A crusader wearing a grotesque helmet that could only belong to something from hell turned to look at us. His movements were utterly mechanical and murderous, devoid of any hint of life.
From the slits in his helmet, crimson eyes gleamed ominously.
"...Fuck."
In that instant, I knew.
All the killers I'd seen up until now were nothing more than sentimental, soft-hearted, pure, and playful mischievous kids.
These crusaders, clad in their eerie gear, were the real deal—serial murderers so terrifying I hesitated even to speak the words.
I could feel it on instinct.
These guys were the genuine article.
—Gulp.
Overwhelmed by extreme tension, I tried to hide behind Elise as we walked. As we drew closer, the monster-helmeted crusaders lifted the visors on their helmets.
—Clank!
Oh, ohhh...!
Such savage faces...!
Not only their bodies but their faces too were covered in all sorts of scars! I, Kim Katt, prided myself on being a proper badass with my own scars, but compared to them, mine were just a drop in the bucket!
The ultimate badasses!
Butchers in the truest sense!
The crusaders who spotted us opened their mouths with eerie grins.
Revealing razor-sharp teeth—
"Oh! Elise! So you were here!"
"Come on in!"
"Man, I've missed you!"
"I had a feeling you'd be here, Sister Elise."
—What?
I was utterly bewildered in that moment. These monstrous-looking men, who could pass for the gods of serial killers if such things existed, were beaming brightly and waving their muscular arms.
"I'm thrilled to see you all again as well, brothers and sisters."
Elise greeted them with a rigid posture. I was still too scared to come out from behind her back. My body was trembling uncontrollably.
"Huh? Elise? Who's that guy behind you?"
A barely-there black panties-only chubby crusader asked in a casual tone.
"This is Saint Katt, whom I've mentioned to you before. He possesses the most devout heart. Together with him, we've been exterminating evil beings these past days."
"What? This guy?"
"Saint Katt, please greet them. I've already told them plenty about you, so there's no need to feel burdened."
This is fucking burdensome as hell!
I awkwardly peeled myself away from Elise's back and opened my mouth.
Anyway, they looked vicious, so a polite greeting seemed best.
Even back in Krasheim, I'd heard tales of the Radiant Cross Society's notoriety. Being around Elise had made them seem a bit less intimidating, but these guys were religious thugs in every sense.
"Ah, ahaha... Hello? I'm the barbarian who can't hold back violent urges whenever he sees evil beings. Katt Katt Kim Katt. Nice to meet you."
Silence.
"..."
"..."
"..."
I'd tried for a fresh impression with an upbeat greeting, but suddenly every eye in the place was on me. In that moment, I felt as exposed as if I were naked before them.
They were dissecting my soul...!
Was I evil, or good!
"Kuh... kuhuhuhuhuhu..."
"Keeheeheehee..."
"Heh, heh, heheheh..."
Suddenly, the crusaders burst into laughter.
The eerie, hypnotic chuckles leaking from the slits of their cold, sharp helmets were enough to crush the minds of anyone who heard them.
Ah, fuck.
Elise, why are you doing this to me?
"Haha... ha! Ha, hahahahaha!!!"
Thinking back, the same thing had happened at the arena, so I burst out laughing too. My legs were shaking so badly I couldn't hold it together without laughing.
I always figured when others are laughing, you laugh along.
"Yes, yes! So this is the righteous soul who helped Elise!"
"He slaughtered countless evil monsters!"
"You've got a solid build. Nice to meet you, Katt Katt Kim Katt."
Maybe because I was laughing along, they finally returned the greeting, striding over to shake hands.
They'd looked so huge from afar, but up close, they were all shorter than me. Did they just seem bigger because of their presence?
Anyway, I shook their hands.
"Haha! I'm thrilled to meet you too! The Radiant Cross Society—righteous souls who deliver just judgment to the wicked! I've always hoped to meet you someday!"
And I just kept babbling whatever came to mind.
"That young man's got the right ideas!"
"Haha! If the world were full of folks like us, there'd be no evil!"
"Exactly! You! You're just as Elise described!"
"That's right! I'm the kind of guy who wants to beat every evil bastard to death the moment I see them! Thanks to Elise's help, I've been able to vent those urges, and it's been a blast!"
I had no idea what I was even saying anymore.
"Oh, oho...! To think a righteous soul like this exists outside the church!"
Their auras were truly extraordinary.
Even I, with no real grasp of holy power, could feel the sacred energy radiating from them. I figured if I spouted nonsense, I'd get smacked, so I kept yapping wildly.
Seemed to work.
"I'm overjoyed that you'll fit right in with us. Brothers and sisters! This is Saint Katt! The holy warrior of the divine spirit who came from a distant foreign land to eradicate evil!"
With her spirits lifted, Elise shouted loudly, introducing me to the church members. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by crusaders bombarding me with questions.
"You caught the fallen kobold queen with Elise?"
"Yes...! Those vile heretics! Those bastards captured the kobold queen, corrupted her, and were plotting some evil scheme...! I was so furious I smashed them all and passed judgment!"
"Of course you did! What a bold guy!"
This is some next-level bullshit.
It reminded me of that weird neighborhood church tucked in an alley corner, where as a kid a quirky friend dragged me by the hand after selling me out for a pencil set. In exchange for that cheap pencil set, I was forced to chant bizarre hymns all night...
Ah, yai—yeh! Yehovahpatan!
Ah, yai—yeh! Yehovahpatan!
Ah, yai—yeh! Yehovahpatan!
"Ah, yai—yeh...! The song! That song!"
Surrounded by these demon-like crusaders, fielding questions about gutting evil beings' innards in a panic, I felt like I was losing my mind. Then, a familiar woman's voice rang out from somewhere.
"Ho, nice to see you. This makes the second time, doesn't it."
A tall blonde nun taller than me.
The nun who'd come with Elise to the undead festival last time. The one Elise called her big sister... Sera something-or-other...
The name was so long I couldn't quite recall.
"Uh... Sera, was it?"
She was in full battle nun gear, her long hair soaked thoroughly by the rain, smiling.
The powerhouse Claudy had rated highly...
"That's right. Allow me to reintroduce myself: Sera Blaret Arkserun, senior holy paladin of the Radiant Cross Society. My name, baptismal name, and title. Anyway, it's been a while. I've heard you've been looking after Elise, so I'm grateful."
"Sister Blaret, I wasn't the one being looked after."
Elise voiced her dissatisfaction.
"To my eyes, you were. Thank you once again for going through all sorts of things with our inexperienced and still-immature Elise."
"No thanks needed. It was nothing. Exterminating evil is what Elise wants, and what I want too."
"Heh, you get it, then..."
Sera began explaining something to Elise. From what I gathered, she was here as the commander of the Radiant Cross Society's crusade force, and they were on their way to meet the local commander.
"Then, Elise, can you find lodging where the society's members can rest?"
"Of course, Sister Blaret. I'll guide you."
With that, Sera headed toward the council hall, leaving me, Elise, a platoon of Radiant Cross Society crusaders, and a few battle nuns behind.
"Brothers and sisters! We'll now move to find suitable lodging! Follow my lead and proceed in an orderly fashion!"
"Sure, sure."
"Got it, Elise."
Despite Elise's low rank, age, and service time, the crusaders obeyed her perfectly.
What, like uncle fans or something?
"Saint Katt, come along too."
"Uh... sure."
And so, we plunged through the downpour toward a potential lodging spot.
Elise apparently had one in mind.
"Saint Katt, what do you think of our society's faithful?"
"I can feel incredibly strong muscles and faith... And their armor is impressive."
Glancing back, the crusaders marched silently in three columns through the rain, looking like they made a living torturing people in some hellish basement.
"...Honestly, I can't quite understand it, but my brothers believe that fighting heretics in low-defense armor maximizes their service to the divine."
"...Like asceticism?"
These guys have some twisted ideology.
While Elise saw smashing evil as holy service, these took it a step further, finding greater satisfaction in 'enduring pain while smashing heretics.'
"Exactly. We call them ascetic crusaders in our society. Of course, as our main force, each one's combat prowess is formidable."
"That inspires confidence."
I figured even top-tier killers would piss themselves in terror if a gang of those brutes charged swinging blades.
They were practically holy knights, after all.
With buffs, self-heals, and coordinated attacks from holy skills, few could stand against them.
Holy knights are kinda OP to begin with.
Tank, DPS, heal, buffs, even ranged spells.
—Clank, clank.
—Screeech. Screeech.
...I really couldn't stand that metal friction sound. Soaked to the bone, we arrived at what looked like a large guesthouse.
"I scouted this place a couple days ago. It should accommodate everyone. Let's head in."
She opened the door, and the group of about thirty filed inside.
"Welcome... Gah!"
"Wh-what! This is insane!"
The female staff and innkeeper freaked out and collapsed. Even family would react that way to a sudden platoon of brutal muscle-bound badasses.
Elise said, sounding embarrassed.
"...It happens sometimes."
"I-is that so."
But why the hell am I even here...
"Thanks for the guidance, Elise."
As I stood there unsure what to do, the nipple-only-covered black panties crusader stepped forward. Contrary to his looks, his voice and demeanor were refreshingly upbeat. Having removed his helmet, he gently helped the innkeeper to her feet.
"We are ascetic crusaders dispatched by the Radiant Cross Society to subjugate evil heretics. We're looking for rooms for about thirty men and women... Got any available?"
"...Of course."
Appearance aside, money talks in the end. The innkeeper stood, got to calculating.
"Alright, everyone, head to your rooms and diligently import your luggage. Regroup when I call. Oh, and you're Saint Katt, right? Stick around and chat with us a bit."
"Pardon? What's up?"
"Can't just let a righteous soul pass by without a word!"