Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Saint, You’re So Vulgar! – Chapter 52
In the southern archipelago, Lycus ground his teeth as he watched the enemy forces surging toward them.
'Damn it, how did things end up like this?'
Asher and the others had all headed to the eastern archipelago.
And of all times, the attack had to come now, which meant the other sides might be getting picked off one by one.
Lycus clicked his tongue and shouted.
"You lot! Get ready to fight!"
They were enemies that could have been human or fishor something in between.
No telling how the battle would go, but since they'd even tamed sea serpents, victory with minimal losses was probably too much to hope for.
A bitter smile crossed his lips.
'I finally met that bastard's daughter, and now this.'
He had no face left to show Kyle.
He'd been planning to make that kid the master of the archipelago, only for her to end up risking her life like this.
Still, if she could thin out the enemies she'd have to face, that would be doing her part.
With that thought, Lycus boarded the brigantine.
He gripped a cutlass in each hand and assumed a combat stance.
It was then.
"Whew, running over here wore me out."
A man appeared, chuckling heartily.
Lycus's eyes went wide.
"...Subordinate?"
"It's Melburn! Captain sir!"
A kindly looking middle-aged man grinned and gave an incongruously polite greeting.
Lycus stared blankly. This guy had definitely gone to the eastern archipelagowhy was he here now?
There was no time to puzzle it out.
Melburn narrowed his eyes at the merfolk and sea serpents approaching from the distant western archipelago.
"Quite a lot of 'em..."
Lycus snapped back to attention at the man's smacking lips and asked.
"The west! What happened there?"
"Huh? Oh, we took care of it. The missus swept 'em all away."
The missusdid that mean that gaunt, sallow-faced woman?
He hadn't known she had skills like that.
But it was a relief nonetheless.
"So, that side's safe."
He was in the middle of thinking it was a silver lining when...
"Message from the missus. She says to bring your forces and link up at the western archipelago."
"...How, with those things right in front of us?"
"That's why I came."
Melburn waddled to the bow.
He seemed utterly at peace amid the crisis.
A long smile spread across his face.
"I'll handle it quick-like."
Right then, something happened that none of the pirates could have imagined.
Whoooosh!
A wind blew in, cloaking his body.
His form began shifting into a deep green whirlwind.
Lycus gaped at the sight.
"Wh-what...!"
[Don't go prying into another man's secrets.]
The voice resonated through the air.
It was an astonishing scene.
No matter how you looked at it, Melburn's shape evoked a spirit.
And his impression was spot on.
Melburn was in a half-spirit state.
In the midst of this sudden, incomprehensible event,
Melburn leaped lightly into the air and charged across the sea toward the enemy ships.
Soon, his storm-flesh body began tearing the foe vessels apart.
Boom-crash-kaboom!
"Eek!"
A crewman fell on his ass in shock.
Lycus was no different.
How was this even possible?
He had no answer.
Of course not.
Human spirit transformation was a technique that didn't exist in this world.
Melburn Richter.
One of the Church's 1st Class Knights, he had always been a spirit knight capable of spirit communion.
But realizing that had its limits, he'd sought a breakthrough: becoming a spirit himself.
He'd volunteered as Judith's bodyguard.
Afterward, he put his own body on the operating table.
Judith researched spirit incantations through him, and in exchange, implanted the secret art of 'spirit transformation' into his flesh.
A mutually beneficial deal, and this was the result.
Turning flesh to storm and sweeping all before him, earning the sword name Shriekwind.
The Shriekwind Knight, Melburn Richter, had been born in secret like this.
Boom-craaaash!
The brigantine capsized.
The sea serpents' hides were shredded by the razor gale.
Melburn laughed loudly as he seized the wind in his hands.
Then, like swinging a sword, he slashed the air horizontally.
That was the finishing move.
Splaaaash!
The enemy fleet sank.
Lycus watched, eyes bulging.
Melburn rode the wind back and reverted to human form before him.
"All done! Let's shove off!"
He grinned like the ordinary uncle he seemed anywhere else.
But Lycus could never see him the same way again.
"Just who the hell are you...?"
A 1st Class Knight of the Holy Church.
It wasn't a hard title to say, but since he was hiding his identity, Melburn just smiled and brushed off the question.
But one of the crewmen, witnessing what Melburn had done, thought of the highest-ranking Holy Knights.
He couldn't help it.
A lone warrior facing down an armythat was why 1st Class Knights existed, the reason the Holy Church, with its mere citadels, could orchestrate the entire continent.
"Alright! Set sail! Charge! Charge!"
What if he really was a 1st Class Knight?
The pirate crewman trembled.
Whether he knew the man's inner thoughts or not, Melburn just chuckled carefree and shouted toward the front.
The ship set sail.
Lycus finally calmed his racing heart.
Then a question popped into his head.
"By the way."
"Yeah?"
"That pretty boy by the girl's side. Is he as strong as you?"
It was a question born after the shock, realizing Asher was the only one left to protect Versia right now.
Melburn snorted dismissively, his tone firm.
"Compare apples to apples."
So this level of power was one of a kind, huh.
As that thought crossed his mind,
"How could I beat that guy? He's the genius our... village history calls one-of-a-kind. A freak. A total freak."
Melburn shuddered visibly.
There was a faint trace of fear in his demeanor.
Lycus let out a hollow laugh.
If even this monster was scared, just how strong was that pretty, smug-faced guy?
Whatever the case,
'Guess I can relax now.'
With his mind at ease, Lycus ordered the advance.
* * *
"Knight, isn't this too pathetic?"
"...No, it's not."
On the deck, Asher was crouched with a queasy look.
It wasn't some major issue.
Well, it was a problem, sort of.
'Ugh, they said big ships don't make you seasick...!'
She'd never gotten seasick on small boats, so Versia's body was assumed immune.
Yet barely an hour and a half into this brigantine voyage, Asher was doubled over with seasickness.
What kind of body was this?
Whenever these differences from his original flesh cropped up, a deep lethargy welled up.
His body trembled.
Was there any moment his seemingly healthy original body felt more desperately needed?
Lost in those thoughts,
"Urgh...!"
"Hey, snap out of it already?"
Judith approached.
She exhaled cigarette smoke with a sigh and nodded toward the distant horizon.
"Western archipelago in sight. Looks like we'll have to fight right away."
"Ah..."
His brief joy at nearing land froze on his face.
"What kind of forces...?"
The coastline crawled with merfolk.
Their armaments were varied: swords, spears, shields, bows.
Our side's comparatively meager gear put us at a disadvantage.
Asher groaned in thought, and Versia whispered.
"...Sudden idea."
"Pardon...?"
"If it's just merfolk out there, couldn't we use that?"
What was she referring to?
Asher pondered briefly, his face paling further.
Prayer.
She meant him using prayer in this body.
"...Isn't that too risky?"
"No, range was the issue before. And it's about time we tested it anyway."
Asher hesitated.
But in this situation, it wasn't a bad option.
He didn't know many long-range interception prayers, but even those would provide enough firepower.
As their whispering continued, Judith, who'd overheard, spoke up.
"Can you clear those? Ah, stupid question."
Judith laughed as if realizing something.
"Right? Why was I worried about landing with you here? Forgot 'cause you've been acting so pathetic lately?"
A hint of excitement showed as she rubbed her chin.
Then Judith said.
"Kid, give that a shot."
With her saying that much, it started feeling like it might actually be okay.
Asher glanced at Versia one last time.
She nodded.
"Better than casualties on our side."
His deliberation ended there.
Above all, seasickness made him desperate to hit land ASAP.
Asher slowly made his way to the bow.
He looked back once more for final approval, then drew a deep breath.
'Roughly...'
Better to push than bombard, maybe.
With that, Asher gradually released divine power.
And in that instant, the heavens rumbled.
Ruuuumble!
Golden light blazed forth.
It gathered in Asher's grasp.
He pointed his palm forward.
As he began weaving the divine power,
Kiiiiing!
A halo appeared.
Asher's cheeks flushed slightly.
'Why does it do this every time!'
He could use healing prayer without a halo now, but combat prayers were different.
He yanked his wavering focus back from the embarrassment and completed the prayer.
About then, Ferrick burst out in alarm.
"Wh-what's happening?!"
At the same moment, Asher unleashed it.
Prayer of Airburst. A simple shockwave to repel foes, but fused with Versia's body and Asher's mastery, it triggered an enormous phenomenon beyond the norm.
Baaaaang!
The air was shoved aside.
The ships rocked violently.
And ahead,
Ruuuuumble!
"Gaaaaah!!!"
"R-run awaaay!!!"
A tidal wave crashed over the coastline.