Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Disaster is Coming (4)
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Shwick—
Thud thud thud.
Skeletons scaling the walls tumbled down in droves under Parmon's aura blade.
Cheers erupted simultaneously.
"Waaaaah!"
"The holy knights have arrived!"
"Sword Master and holy knights together!"
Booom—
Magic exploded in the sky, announcing their presence.
It was only natural that it drew everyone's eyes.
"Heh heh..."
Parmon let out a chuckle.
The undead had increased in number since before.
And the holy knights appeared mere moments after the battle had begun.
Astonishing timing.
The change that started with their arrival wasn't just the soldiers' morale.
"Has Chris come...?"
Parmon, who had been providing support in front of the gates.
There wasn't a single undead near him.
Probably because an eerie aura emanated from the totems.
Centered around where the totems were planted, the nearby undead were backing away.
The cleared space was noticeably wider than just moments ago.
"Even if they come, they'll vanish in the end..."
The holy knights charged toward them, holy power swirling around them.
Skeletons shattered helplessly before swords flowing with light, and the banshees in the sky were vanishing under holy magic.
"Drawing their attention, are they...?"
They were openly radiating holy power, blatantly so.
As if saying, We're here—come at us if you dare.
Thanks to that, the undead advancing on the castle shifted their focus there.
"It's a sight I haven't seen in ages."
"Same here."
Closel descended from the sky to Parmon's side.
"Feels just like the old days."
"Rosel, didn't you swear never to trust the church again?"
Closel scratched his head awkwardly and spoke.
"Won't that put them in quite the danger?"
The undead's momentum was ferocious.
A hatred sharper than their rage toward the living.
Only natural, given they were natural counters.
Already, the holy knights were beginning to get surrounded by the undead.
Parmon readjusted his grip on his sword.
"We need to clear a path."
"We got a message to stay put and not move."
"Hm?"
"According to Sir Aluerad, it's something important to them."
The two old men's gazes stretched toward the carriage in the center.
That's where they would be.
Parmon smiled faintly.
Familiar faces came to mind.
"The Pope and the Saintess of this era... and that friend Chris."
"Hah... To think putting his name alongside theirs feels no less fitting."
Parmon's smile deepened at Closel's words.
He thought the same.
"If it gets dangerous, we'll step in without hesitation."
And indeed, the battlefield looked unfavorable.
There were many holy knights and priests, but the undead outnumbered them by far.
Worried voices rose even from atop the walls.
"Ramon, do you really think something dangerous is about to happen? Take a look around."
"Hm...?"
Before they knew it, the range the undead couldn't approach had expanded.
The totems had even turned their direction.
Toward the carriage Chris was riding in.
"Like gatekeepers welcoming their master."
Didn't it feel like they'd cleared the path in front of the gate?
But it seemed they still had a ways to go to arrive.
The knights on horseback had halted their advance.
Even the carriage behind them.
Their momentum had waned against the undead's numbers.
Closel, who had seemed immovable, began gathering mana as if ready to fly off at any moment.
"I'll go lend a hand. We have to save Chris, right?"
"I'm going too."
But the two old men's feet didn't leave the ground.
There was no need anymore.
Someone had stepped out from the halted carriage door.
One resounding sound washed away all their worries cleanly.
Ting-a-lang—
Both old men's eyes widened simultaneously.
Wide—
The rattle's sound felt different from the usual.
Clearer and heavier than before.
"...Is that really Chris?"
"My eyes must be playing tricks."
White hair fluttering, carrying a child on his back.
The slightly hunched posture and hands turned backward gave the impression of...
"A grandmother."
"...The aura is completely different."
"He seems fully composed."
Even the gaze felt from afar had changed.
The overwhelming eyes that had dominated everyone before he left had softened.
Yet the strength hadn't vanished.
The sound rang out once more.
Ting-a-lang—
This time, it didn't end there.
Dang—
The bell in Aluerad's hand.
And Serena's reed flute melody.
An astonishingly serene tune, unfit for the battlefield.
Grrrind—
The two old men turned at the sound from behind.
"The totems..."
The totems firmly rooted in the ground.
Their height had increased from moments ago.
With soil on their bases, it seemed they'd risen from the earth.
Was the sense they were standing up just an illusion?
Soon, an aura burst forth.
Whoosh—
Ting-a-lang—
A clamor rose from atop the walls.
"The undead are retreating!"
"Don't let your guards down!"
"Th-the Saint has returned!"
It was the same sight as back then.
All the undead across this vast wall were being driven out.
Even those near the holy knights had frozen in place.
Ting-a-lang—
Dang—
In that instant, radiant light poured from behind Chris.
Holy magic cast by the Pope.
"Indeed... magic befitting the Pope's name..."
Closel murmured in quiet admiration.
Undead touched by the light crumbled to the ground.
A path opened where Chris walked.
Ting-a-lang—
The undead, now surrounded by totems and holy knights instead.
Chris walked into their midst.
Dang—
It was a miraculous scene.
The undead around Chris trembled in place, frozen, while the banshees and specters hovering in the sky fell silent.
The only ones moving were Chris, Aluerad, and Serena following behind.
Ting-a-lang—
The end of the rattle passed behind Chris's shoulder.
As if showing it to a baby.
And his lips kept moving.
As they drew closer, the lullaby became faintly audible, drawing helpless chuckles from the two old men.
"Lullaby, lullaby, our baby."
"Hah..."
"Sleep tight, our baby."
"Rocking a baby to sleep amid the undead?"
His back occasionally shifted, one hand cradling and patting the baby.
A silver-haired infant resembling Chris.
The baby slumbered peacefully, obvious to anyone watching.
"I knew Chris would return extraordinarily..."
"But I didn't expect him to carry the Saintess through the undead."
As Chris moved away from the Pope, the totems now parted a path.
The undead began moving as if following something.
Even the two old men hadn't known the 'signpost' Chris mentioned would play this role.
Soon, Chris's voice rang out clearly.
"Aluerad."
"Yes."
"I meant to drive them away, but it's too late."
"What do you mean?"
"We have to eliminate as many as possible. Leaving more will just poison us."
As Aluerad fell back, the holy knights' battle resumed.
"You've arrived?"
Parmon raised a hand in greeting to Chris.
Closel was much the same.
"Bringing a child after just a short absence... tsk tsk, that grandson-in-law is no ordinary man."
"Open the gates!"
It was time to strike the undead outside while welcoming Chris.
Just as Parmon thought that, a sound came from behind Chris.
"Ugu...?"
"...The Saintess of this era."
"Her name is Luna."
Luna's pale eyes met Parmon's gaze.
Sparkling bright—
"..."
The greeting came first from Luna at their meeting.
"Yah boo...?"
She turned her head to Closel—that was her first word.
Her greeting to Parmon was a bit more certain.
"Yah boo...!"
"Heh heh..."
Chris readjusted Luna on his back, looking embarrassed.
"Luna is..."
It was probably his first time explaining someone like this since birth.
Even Chris himself seemed awkward.
"In shamanism, she's a god's daughter... by fate, my little sister. It's a rare case, though..."
The two old men's mouths shut.
They recalled something about Chris.
Closel spoke in a light tone with a laugh.
"No wonder you carried her so preciously... so she's your sister!"
Parmon nodded and added.
"Your family."