Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Raelian Priests (2)
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“We’ll see you back!”
“Stay prepared.”
As morning dawned, Derek left the inn with Lando, while the remaining members calmly prepared for battle, tending to their weapons.
A slightly awkward sense of leisure settled among the mercenaries. They had naturally expected to be thrown into relentless combat the moment they arrived in Lagaris, so this downtime was unexpected.
For those who had witnessed the tragedy of Kanta Village, the mere fact that they had time for breakfast and a meeting was shocking enough.
“So, what was the situation last night?”
“Nothing much, just as expected. A monster wave hit, and they’re fending it off well with the help of those priests.”
“Anything strange about the priests?”
“Man, they were incredible to see in person. To see them constantly helping others despite how hard and difficult it is… People like that are true priests.”
Seamus nodded, a pleased smile on his face as he recalled the priests' dedicated efforts he had witnessed during his reconnaissance the previous night.
“Anyway, they’re holding them back without any casualties. People seem to treat it like a routine battle. The merchants seem worried about when it will end, though.”
“Hmm. So the priests are playing a big role.”
“They are. I told you, they’ve been holding them off without any major losses, time and again. The monsters haven’t breached the village yet. With that kind of ability, you’d think the Holy Kingdom would be trying to recruit them.”
Dong- Dong- Dong-!
Before Derek could even return, the city-wide bell announcing a monster invasion rang out at length. The members grabbed their respective weapons and moved in the direction they expected to find Derek.
“Move out in your pre-assigned squads.”
“Split into your squads! Get ready for battle immediately!”
Kratos was grouped with Seamus and Reinhardt. When they reached their designated position, soldiers were sluggishly climbing onto the castle walls.
Their movements were far too relaxed for the situation.
“Hurry! Move it!”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re moving!”
“What’s the rush? Once the priests get here, all we have to do is take the heads off the staggering ones.”
This was definitely not the atmosphere of people heading into battle.
“Mercenaries, to the top of the east wall! Soldiers, take the west wall! Everyone, get up here!”
“Mages, prepare your chants! Archers, await my command!”
As they quickly ascended the wall, the sight of monsters kicking up thick dust as they charged toward them came into full view.
“Hah. Another ant swarm today.”
“Well, it’s a piece of cake once the priests arrive. We just have to stick arrows in the heads of the ones stumbling around.”
“The priests are late. Jackson! Go and fetch the priests at once!”
“Yes, sir!”
A knight, seeing the number of monsters, sent a soldier to the priests, then leisurely checked his weapon.
“There’s no… tension?”
“I know, right? Has it always been like this?”
Amid the questions swirling around him, Kratos also waited for these priests.
He wanted to see it with his own eyes. A divine power that could make monsters retreat. Seeing it firsthand would surely be a great help.
“Ready… Ready…!”
Just as the monsters drew near and what little tension there was began to rise…
“Fire!”
At the knight’s command, a rain of arrows poured down from the rear, followed by a variety of spells erupting from atop the walls.
The situation was identical to Kanta Village. Even with that much firepower bearing down on them, the monsters paid it no mind, their only goal to conquer this city.
“How come these bastards always attack at a set time? You think they’ve got biological clocks or something?”
“Instead of talking, shoot some arrows! We just need the priests to get here!”
“Ugh. This is tiring! Drawing a bowstring is hard work, you know!”
They were already complaining about being exhausted by such a small number? It was clearly fewer monsters than the horde that had swept through Kanta Village.
The standard of the Lagaris guard was more pathetic than he’d imagined. Honestly, it was a miracle they had lasted this long.
“The priests are here!”
“Make way!”
Just before the monsters reached the wall.
The Raelian priests ascended the wall, welcomed by the cheers of the soldiers.
There were three of them in total. Their appearance was no different from that of ordinary priests. They didn't look particularly strong, either.
He took in their every action, every expression.
The priests positioned themselves at the very front of the wall, closed their eyes to offer a prayer, and whispered quietly. As the prayer ended, they stretched out their hands and unleashed their divine power.
It was different from the white light the Inquisitor in the capital had emitted. It was a light closer to a dusky gray than white.
It was a color of divine power he had never seen before.
“My word.”
As the light radiated out, the monsters leading the charge began to fall as if they had lost their sense of direction.
The monsters charging from behind piled on top of them, trampling each other and creating a scene of utter chaos.
It was pandemonium, plain and simple.
“Ready! Fire!”
“Aah, this is the stuff!”
And against the confused monsters, the soldiers took their lives with incredible ease.
“Wow. That’s no joke. I almost want to recruit them for our company.”
“I know, right? If the monsters just flail around like that… dealing with them becomes a whole lot easier.”
“The difficulty of our mission would probably drop by more than half.”
Derek, who had never seen monsters dispatched so easily, let out a hollow laugh.
It even made him wonder what all his life-or-death struggles had been for.
“Hmm… Something’s off. Something feels wrong. They say a gut feeling is science.”
It seemed unbelievable. At least, in his knowledge—no, in his memory—he had never seen anything like this.
What principle made such a thing possible? If it were possible, he surely would have heard or seen something similar somewhere before he died.
Besides, wasn't the impact far too great to be the work of just three people?
“Open the gates!”
It was getting more and more absurd. They were opening the castle gates during a monster wave and heading outside?
Seeing them open the gates and hunt monsters with such familiarity, it was clear this wasn't the first time.
“Well, I’m grateful, but…”
Kratos leaped directly from the wall, not the gate, and brought his hammer down on the monsters’ heads.
His questions were one thing. Killing monsters and obtaining the pellets was another matter entirely.
After about ten minutes of frantically killing monsters, all that was left in sight were the fleeing monsters and the corpses of the dead.
***
“Ha, that was really something, wasn't it?”
“You said it. That wasn’t a battle, it was a game. A contest to see who could kill the most.”
“Isn’t this a sweet mission, or what?”
Still high from the battle, the mercenaries returned to their lodgings, a mug of beer in hand, engrossed in tales of the fight.
They had been mercenaries for a long time, but they had never seen a battle unfold like that.
Yes, a battle that was more like a one-sided slaughter of monsters.
“Ah, this is nice. So easy.”
“If only every battle was like this.”
But a strange sense of unease lingered. It was too easy. Unbelievably so.
If the Raelian priests were all it took, wouldn't that mean the entire continent wouldn't have to suffer from monster invasions like this?
“Kratos.”
Amidst the mercenaries, Derek Heinman called out to Kratos in a low voice and discreetly pointed upward with his fingertip.
Kratos downed the rest of his beer in one gulp and went upstairs, where Lando was already waiting, his expression relaxed.
“The battle was more manageable than expected, so I called you to move things along a bit faster.”
“Isn't it a little early, sir?”
“If the battles continue to go this way, I’ve judged it’s better to carry out the mission sooner rather than later.”
The battle was easier than anticipated. That meant they didn't have to risk pulling someone out during a difficult situation.
It was a truly unexpected turn of events, but all the better. The sooner they explored that central island, the better.
“Go to the designated location, and you’ll find a small rowboat. Use that to get there.”
Investigating the small island off the coast. To be precise, investigating the ruins on the island.
Of course, the regular members, not part of the resistance, would be told they had left to scout the source of the monsters.
“With Seamus. Since you’ve been together from the start, I figured you’d work well together.”
“Yes… Well, understood.”
Seamus was certainly a better choice than an awkward, unfamiliar member.
It might be a problem later when exploring the ruins, but he couldn't just move alone like he did in the desert.
“I’ve already briefed Seamus, so depart early in the morning. You don’t need to report back separately.”
After their talk, he went back down to the first floor, where the drinking party was still in full swing.
Faces were flushed red, and the mugs in their hands seemed permanently attached.
“Everyone, drink in moderation. If I see even one of you hungover for tomorrow’s battle, you’ll have me to answer to.”
“We’re not kids, of course! Besides, it’s an easy mission! Once the priests get here, it’s slash, slash!”
“Hmph. All talk. In any case, I won’t tolerate anyone who tarnishes our name before this mission is over!”
Normally, excessive drinking in a situation like this could be life-threatening, and they would be ordered to abstain. But even the commanders only warned them to drink moderately, not enforcing a strict ban.
“Hmm.”
Somehow, he wasn't in the mood to keep drinking, so he went up to his room and spread out a map.
The mission was simple. Infiltrate the island, check the ruins, and return. That was it.
The distance from the edge of the mainland to the island was about two kilometers. Not a long trip.
The real problem was the complete lack of information about any internal security systems or guard forces.
Furthermore, the Empire was clearly looking for something in the Venatio ruins, just as they had been in the Ashar Desert.
Either that, or they had already found something.
***
In the predawn hours, before the sun had even risen. The cold, blue twilight of dawn mixed with the thick sea fog rolling in from the ocean, creating visibility so poor it was hard to see even a step ahead.
It was quiet. Truly quiet. It was hard to believe this was a city at war.
“Yaaawn—”
“How much longer until the shift change?”
“About thirty minutes left.”
“Start waking the others. It’s almost time for the monsters to show up. Ugh, I’m so sick of this. When will it ever end?”
There weren't many soldiers standing guard on the walls, either.
Except for the fact that the main gate was firmly shut, it was no different from any other city. Like any ordinary day in any ordinary city.
“This way.”
Kratos found a section of the wall with no guards and jumped down.
“Whoa, no guards? If this were our mercenary company, all hell would have broken loose by now.”
Seamus muttered as he too nimbly descended the wall. A section of the wall with no sentries.
Well, thanks to that, they managed to slip out without anyone noticing.
“Oh, by the way. That island we’re going to. I heard the fog there is always thick. Apparently, some people go there and never come back. That’s why the locals call it the cursed island. And it’s only been like that for the past two years. Strange, isn't it?”
“It is. Strange. Very strange.”
They moved quickly in the predetermined direction. He constantly circulated his spiritual power, trying to detect any nearby monsters, but he felt nothing.
It was a perfectly silent forest. Not a single monster.
“It’s quiet. Monsters swarm this place every day, but there’s no sign of destruction in this forest.”
“This definitely isn't a normal situation. Not normal at all.”
Everything happening in Lagaris felt decidedly outside the realm of ‘ordinary.’
“The boat’s here!”
Seamus called to Kratos as he pulled aside a green cloth covering the hidden rowboat.
The sun had risen, but the surroundings were still shrouded in thick fog. That was for the best.
Perhaps the thick fog that concealed whatever was happening on the island would, in turn, help them approach it.
With powerful strokes of the oars, the boat began to move toward the island.
De-eng—
From far away, the faint sound of the bell signaling a monster invasion echoed.
Kratos turned his head, glanced briefly in the direction of Lagaris, and then rowed forward with renewed strength.
That nagging feeling in his gut.
It seemed he would have to investigate that feeling once the mission was over.