Chapter 576
Chapter 576
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 576
Chapter Title: A Good Friend to Meet
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Carriages didn't come to this remote backwater very often.
Maybe folks bartering goods from another village, or residents returning after a short trip away. Or perhaps merchants here to buy local specialties.
Of course, the interrogations had confirmed no villagers were out and about. Merchants rarely showed up either.
—Frankly, there wasn't much else to think about.
The heretics were the prime suspects, though we couldn't be sure yet. Whoever it was didn't matter; what counted was that something unusual had cropped up. We could figure out the rest after stopping that carriage.
—Creak... creak...
The carriage was approaching us perfectly naturally. I crouched low, glaring at it while waiting for it to enter optimal range.
"Carriage ahead!!!!!!!! CHARGE!!!!!!!!"
The moment it did, I let out a thundering roar and leaped down from the watchtower.
"Holy Knights!!!!!!!!! A carriage has appeared!!!!!!!!!!!"
Baccarel and his holy knights were bunked in a big house right next to the watchtower. Unless all five were out cold from drugs, there was no way they hadn't heard me!
—Boom!!!!
—Clang!!!!
—Crash!!!!!!
The instant my feet hit the ground, I bolted toward the carriage—only for the lodging's door, walls, and windows to explode outward as the holy knights burst free like cursed monsters escaping a boy's nightmare.
"Subdue them—!!!!!!!"
Baccarel, smashing through a perfectly good wall, bellowed the order. The holy knights shot over the village palisade like arrows loosed from a bow, charging the carriage.
—Whoosh!
—Thud thud thud thud thud!
—Thump thump thump thump thump!!!!
They matched my head start with ferocious speed!
"Raaarghhh!!"
"Halt!!! Halt right there!!!"
"Stop the carriage!!!!!"
Even as they charged, the holy knights shouted orders at the carriage to stop. It wasn't confirmed as heretics yet, so no blind attacks.
Emergency protocol: subdue first, verify identities later!
"Take thiiiisss!!!"
I roared too, sprinting straight for it.
At a glance, the driver looked panicked, yanking the reins to turn the horses. Made sense—what else could you do when some lunatic came screaming at you on all fours?
—Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!
Wait, hold up?! On all fours?!
Baccarel was legit sprinting on hands and feet, you crazy bastard!!!!!!!
"Kieeeek!!!!!!"
Reeling from the unbelievable sight, I clawed at my head mid-stride and kept charging.
—Whoosh!
Of course, the driver couldn't outpace the holy knights.
"Lord Verdeeee!!!"
"Grant us your poweeeeer!!!"
"Raaarghhh!!!"
—Leap!
Baccarel and two subordinates leaped like frogs, limbs splayed, flying at the carriage like murderous flying squirrels.
—Grab!
They landed on the roof and stuck like cockroaches, scuttling across it on all fours at blinding speed.
—Scuttle scuttle!
This was insane!!!!!
But the carriage was huge.
Big enough to carry several people inside.
"Wh-what the hell!!!"
The black-clad driver yelped in shock. With three holy knights crawling all over his ride on hands and feet, who wouldn't freak? Black clothes screamed heretic anyway!
Not confirmed yet, though, so no stabbing first.
"Kim Katt missile—!!!!!!"
Just subdue.
—Boom!
I kicked off the ground, arms wide, launching at the driver. The massive run-up plus mana-boosted jump packed a punch—air resistance hit like a wall at that speed.
—Screeeee!
"...!"
En route, I glimpsed under his hood: a grotesque face covered in pitch-black tattoos. This bastard! Confirmed heretic!!!
"You heretic scum!!!!"
—Thud!
I tackled him, and we plummeted off the carriage together.
"Gwaaahhh!!!"
A straight-up missile!
Highjack vibes in midair!!
—Crash crash thud!!
"Gahk!!!"
"Stay still, asshole!!!"
I rolled across the ground with him, tumbling ass-over-end.
"Heavenly Demon Divine Art!!"
Those facial tattoos marked him no ordinary heretic. Circumstantial evidence said human traffickers for sure.
Time for the forbidden Heavenly Demon technique: Rear Naked Choke!
—Grip!
"Rear Naked Choke!!!!"
"Ugh, guh...!"
Trained muscles and technique locked him down, cutting blood to the brain. He went limp soon after.
"Gyaeeeeek!!!"
Meanwhile, black-clad men flew skyward. The holy knights had already smashed the carriage barehanded.
Baccarel was hurling heretics from the wreckage high into the air!!
"Kyaaaaahhh!!!"
Like tossing berets at a recruit graduation!!
"Priests!!! Seal the heretics' chants!!!"
—Fizz!
The late-arriving priests unleashed blinding white light from their hands, grabbing the falling heretics by the throat.
✨ HOLY SILENCE! ✨ They shoved glowing hands right into the heretics' mouths!
"Gek!! G-g-gegek!!"
"Gurk!!!!"
White light surged down their throats, making them convulse, black smoke billowing from every orifice as they tried to scream.
—Smolder smolder!
Blood-red black smoke—undeniable proof of heresy!
"Katt!!"
"Saint!!!"
By then, Claudy in hastily donned clothes arrived with fully armored Elise. Winia was sprinting up from afar.
They'd rushed out after hearing me.
"Heretic human traffickers showed up!!!"
Three heretics total.
Driver was knocked out by me; the other two were choking on direct Holy Silence hits, smoking from all holes.
"Heretics!! Heretics! Grrrrk!!!"
"Roooarghh!!"
—Thud!
Suddenly, a holy knight booted a prone heretic's side, unleashing bizarre kicks to pummel the airborne body.
"Lord Verdiiiie!!!"
"Gaaahhhk!!!"
Baccarel was the same, hammering a downed heretic's gut with clenched fists like a madman!
This was nuts!!
"What the fuck!!! Brothers!!!"
We captured them alive, and this was the thanks?!
They'd die before we got anything!!
"Captain Baccarel!!!!!!"
"Raaarghhh!!!"
I kicked off, tackling the berserk Baccarel mid-beatdown and pinning him to stop the violence.
"Paladin...!!! Let go of me!!!"
He raised a fist but couldn't bring it down on me, eyes rolling back as he trembled and spat the words.
"Calm down!"
I recalled Claudy the Saintess mentioning a holy knight who snapped during a heretic interrogation and beat one to death.
This was it...!
Baccarel was lost to madness!
"We learn nothing without interrogating them!!!! You gonna waste this capture and let their base slide?! Stop now, Captain Baccarel!! We need to interrogate and find their lair!"
I blocked his wild thrashing, screaming with every ounce of strength to get through.
It had to reach him!
Dead heretics meant wasted time!
"...!"
Baccarel shuddered like I'd shocked him, then froze.
"Gh, grrrk....! Y-you're... right...!"
"Captain!"
He got it!!!
He bit his upper lip till it bled, forcing out words.
"Pala...din...! You interrogate them!!! I can't hold back!!!!!! Right now, quick!!! I'll pull back here!!!!"
—Grrrk!!
With a guttural roar, Baccarel shoved me off and bolted toward the village at impossible speed. Sheer willpower to escape before he killed them!
That much bloodlust for heretics!
"Judgment of the Scales!!! Judgment of the Scales!!!! Guardians of Balance!!! Guardians of Balance!!"
"Lord Verdiiiie!!!!!! Let me tear this wretch apart!!!!"
"Kyaaaaah!!!!!!!"
But the other holy knights and priests wouldn't stop. They lynched the downed heretics with savage roars.
Like a scene from a nightmare, not reality. But it was real. I had to stop these lunatics before they killed the heretics!
I latched onto the nearest priest, locking him down.
"Pa, Paladin! Let go!"
"Elise!!! Claudy!!! Stop those guys quick!!!"
Elise and Claudy could handle the holy knights!
"You filthy heretic scum!!! I'll kill you the exact same way your mother met her end!!!!"
But Elise was already joining the lynching.
Brutus!!!!
"Elise, you too?!"
Winia, who'd arrived, stomped in frustration, at a loss.
"No!! Elise!!! This is crazy! Cl-Claudy! Stop Elise first!"
"Got it!"
Claudy grabbed a holy knight and priest by the shoulders, yeeted them aside, then pinned Elise.
"Lady Claudy...! Let go!"
Elise strained, veins bulging in her neck.
"Elise, easy now?"
Elise and the knights had some restraint usually, but the human trafficking horrors had broken them. I was barely keeping the heretics alive.
"Priest! Calm down! Kill them and we lose their base!"
"Paladin...! You're right! But I can't!!"
"Damn it! Priest! Get back to the village like Captain Baccarel!"
"D-don't let go! If you do, I don't know what I'll do!"
Even the priest I held was like this!
"Sorry, Priest!! Rear Naked Choke!!!"
"Guhk...!"
I put him to sleep easy.
His body went limp.
Claudy knocked out the rest. Elise finally calmed, standing there deep-breathing.
What a clusterfuck.
Just heretics showing up accelerated the chaos around here. I shuddered at the terror. If more heretics came, swallowed the world...
People would descend into madness like this, killing and hating each other.
"Ooh! Oooh...! Ooooooh!!!!"
I clutched my head and roared.
Heretics craved human chaos! Drove folks mad to commit atrocities without a second thought!
Imperialism for all mankind!
The whole world a sugarcane field!
"Snap out of it, you idiot!"
"Agh!"
Then Winia's staff hooked my neck and shook.
—Shake shake!
Chaos receded from my mind.
"I'm good! Winia! Let's move these heretic bastards somewhere safe! Elise! If you're calm, help out!"
"S-Saint, sorry! I lost it and got violent...!"
Elise flushed, approaching. Good she snapped back! Everyone slips up!
"It's fine!! Claudy! Take the priests and knights back to the village! Sorry!"
I tasked Claudy too.
She nodded, hoisting the limp bodies over her shoulders and heading off.
"Alright then!"
I lined up the ragdoll heretics with Winia and Elise.
Snow-white skin blanketed in black tattoos—monsters.
Knocked out cold, they almost looked peacefully saved.
"Elise. Winia. Grab one each and let's go. You good?"
"Not hard, but... to the village? It'll blow up again. The knights are still pissed."
"Shit, true."
Where the hell to interrogate?
Village meant Baccarel flipping out again.
"Saint. I have an idea."