The Village Under Siege
“Raid!”
Celine nearly tumbled from her chair. The only reason she didn’t was because Harnok’s hand shot out and scooped her up far faster than gravity could claim her.
Mommy—!
A strangled whimper escaped her throat, but she managed to clamp her mouth shut and swallow it. After a moment she managed to whisper, “Y-yes? A… a raid?”
The nun frantically scanned the surroundings. Nothing. Only the gloomy shadows of the trees.
Then Harnok bellowed again.
“The village! The village is under attack!”
Celine finally turned her head toward the settlement. Chaos had erupted there. Even from this distance on the mountainside, she could see figures rushing about with torches in hand. The villagers swung their makeshift weapons and flames at writhing black shadows that flickered at the edges of the light.
What is that…?
—Whoosh!
“Eek?!”
There was no time to think. Harnok, still carrying her, launched himself forward in a series of explosive leaps. A hoe and his massive holy book had somehow appeared in his hands.
“Hold on tight, Sister Celine!”
What she was supposed to hold was obvious. As Harnok kicked off the ground with full force, the wind roared past them like a storm. Celine instinctively wrapped her arms around the barbarian’s thick neck. His broad, muscular back served as an excellent windbreak. She squeezed her eyes shut behind that living shield.
—Thud!
The earth trembled beneath them. When the shaking finally stopped, Celine cautiously opened her eyes. They had already reached the village outskirts. A long trail of dust still hung in the air along the path they had taken from the mountain.
“H-Harnok! Over there!”
Celine scrambled down from his back and pointed.
—Kraaaak!
With a piercing cry, something shot through the air toward them. It was a crow—yet nothing like any crow she had ever seen. Three pairs of crimson eyes gleamed on its head, and its body was as large as four grown men combined.
A… a monster?
Celine’s golden eyes trembled. She had never heard of such a creature. There was no time to dwell on it.
—Kraaaak!
The crow’s six red eyes locked onto them. Its talons, sharp as hooks, flashed even in the darkness.
—Shhhk!
Celine screamed as the creature dove, its claws born for nothing but tearing flesh. She tried to dodge, but the descent was far too fast.
“Celine!”
A low, rough voice rang in her ears. A heavy weight pressed down on her, and she was knocked to the ground. For a moment everything went blank. When she opened her eyes, she saw the crow—talons now retracted—rising back into the sky. Then the weight above her shifted.
“Sister Celine! Are you hurt?”
“N-no… I’m fine!”
Harnok had thrown himself over her, shielding her with his body. At her answer he sprang to his feet.
The situation was dire. The night was pitch black, and the villagers’ torches offered only limited visibility. The settlement had descended into utter pandemonium. The monstrous crow was not the only threat.
Just as Harnok opened his mouth to ask Celine to tend to the wounded, something heavy struck the ground.
—Thud!
Both of them turned. Celine’s eyes widened.
It was Harnok’s holy book. The cord that had tied it to his waist had been shredded to pieces.
The barbarian’s hands shook as he picked up the tome. The book itself was unharmed—its fifteen-centimeter-thick pages were bound in sturdy leather for a reason. That, however, was not the point.
—Kraaaak!
The crow was already preparing another dive, talons extended. It would not miss this time. From a greater height than before, it plummeted, beak bared as well. If the talons failed, the beak would finish the job.
The sight of the plump female made its mouth water. The large male would provide plenty of meat as well. But as it turned its head toward the male…
The crow realized its mistake.
“This…!”
Those were not the eyes of prey. They were the eyes of a predator—one that stood at the very top of the food chain.
It needed to flee. Immediately. But how? It was already too low. It had flown straight into the predator’s jaws.
A pathetic squawk escaped its beak.
—K-Kraa…
“Blasphemous fowl—!”
The hoe named “tooth” smashed into the crow’s skull.
—Crunch!
The head of a creature the size of four men burst apart under a single blow. Celine’s mind went blank. This was nothing like the swift defeat of bandits or wolves. This was something else entirely.
“How dare you attempt to harm the holy book! I had intended to enlighten you with the Lord’s grace, yet you struck at the scripture from the very beginning! Such blasphemy cannot be overlooked!”
Harnok’s furious voice snapped Celine out of her daze.
Teaching the Lord’s grace to a bird… what on earth does that even mean?!
She lacked the strength to voice the thought. She could only stare in stunned silence.
“Sir Knight! Sister!”
A desperate voice called out. The armed village chief and several men came running toward them.
“Thank the heavens you arrived in time! You even slew that terrifying crow! We were completely helpless against that monster!”
“Chief! I’m glad you’re safe!”
“It is all thanks to the Lord’s grace. But there is no time for talk! Sir Knight, Sister—come quickly!”
The chief waved them forward urgently. As they followed him toward the village center, the shouts, screams, and frantic movement of torches grew louder. Celine’s expression grew increasingly grim.
“What was that crow just now? Some kind of monster?”
The chief shook his head.
“…I don’t know. I’ve lived here over ten years and I’ve never seen anything like it. That’s why I was bringing you this way—Sister!”
At the chief’s horrified cry, Celine turned. She couldn’t even scream.
—Kiiiaaak—!
A bat the size of a grown man’s arm came hurtling toward her. Its razor-sharp fangs snapped open right in front of her face.
—Whoosh—!
“Kyaaah—!”
Fortunately, Harnok grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and yanked her back. The bat missed her pale skin by a hair’s breadth and soared away. Only then did Celine manage a belated scream.
“Hah, hah…! W-what was that?! That bat…! It had four pairs of eyes, just like the crow!”
The chief did not answer. His sudden silence made Celine lift her head. They had reached the heart of the village. And there, filling the sky above them, were dozens upon dozens of those massive bats—each easily over a meter long—swarming through the night.