Chapter 93
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: You've Grown So Much (3)
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5.
Some of the survivors who had fled the village returned.
However, even with their numbers combined, there were only twenty-nine survivors.
Considering the original population was two hundred, only about a tenth of the villagers had survived.
They buried the bodies of the dead villagers in silence.
While they wished they could give them a proper burial, they didn't have the luxury.
After the simple funeral concluded, the remaining villagers prepared to evacuate.
In truth, there wasn't much to prepare.
The monsters had already destroyed most of the village.
"We will be leaving now."
The man who had taken charge of the refugees, Kirak, bowed deeply to Karron and his companions.
Karron handed Kirak a small stone and said,
"This is a stone imbued with some of my sword's energy. With this, you won't be attacked by monsters."
A stone he had infused with mana by stabbing it with Guillotine.
Its effect wouldn't last long, but it would be enough to protect them from monsters.
"But do you have a place to go?"
Kirak answered Karron's question with a bitter expression.
"If we walk east for about half a day, there's a village bordering the Holy Kingdom. I've heard that holy knights and priests visit from time to time... so we plan to head there for now."
This entire area was as good as occupied by monsters.
A place with holy knights seemed like it would be better than here, at the very least.
Karron slowly nodded at Kirak's words.
"I wish you safe travels."
"Will you knights be staying here?"
"Someone has to finish this."
As Karron answered calmly, Kirak quietly committed Karron's face to memory. He then bowed deeply once more.
"We will remember this for the rest of our lives. May the gods bless you all."
After offering his blessing to Karron's group, he turned and rejoined the line of refugees.
A moment later, the refugees slowly began to walk out of the village.
Karron and his companions watched their retreating backs in silence for a long time.
"It seems like none of them can bring themselves to leave."
Leo said, watching their backs.
"They're being forced to leave their loved ones behind."
"If I had been a little stronger, would things have been different?"
At those words, Karron immediately smacked Leo on the back.
"Did puberty finally hit you?"
"Hsssss. Is it because it's been a while? This hurts more than usual, you bastard."
"Don't be so impatient. You're growing fast enough, and well enough, as it is."
Praise, coming so suddenly from Karron.
Leo's eyes went wide as he stared at Karron.
"...Did you just praise me?"
Karron nodded.
"You should be praised for a job well done. It's obvious you worked hard while I was gone. So you'll work even harder from now on."
"Am I still dreaming? You, giving me a compliment... Kuh-heoook."
Leo's body lifted into the air mid-sentence.
Utulla, who had been behind him, had hoisted him high with both hands.
"Leo Leston! Your willingness to sacrifice your life! That was the mark of a truly great warrior! I, Utulla, express my respect for you! You are a truly great warrior!"
"U-Utulla. Thank... you. But could you please..."
"We introduced ourselves earlier, so we are friends now! It is an honor to be the friend of a warrior as brave as you!"
"Help..."
While Utulla and Leo were forging a fierce friendship, Karron turned to Rion.
"We'll leave in half a day."
Rion narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Isn't this urgent?"
He had already explained about the Chaos Gate to the others.
How dangerous it was, and what would happen once it was complete.
Karron had also deduced the likely reason for summoning a Chaos Gate near the Southern Great Forest.
"Their target is most likely the Southern Great Forest."
The Southern Great Forest was not only home to elves and various other races, but it was most famous for the World Tree.
Therefore, their target was very likely the World Tree.
If they could corrupt the World Tree, they could taint the vast land of the Southern Great Forest entirely with demonic energy.
Rion frowned at Karron's words.
She, too, knew exactly what kind of place the Southern Great Forest was.
"The elves won't just stand by and watch that happen."
"Their interactions with humans have been practically severed, so there's a high chance they're unprepared."
He knew this well from the elf he had rescued in Reben, Neria.
The elves had only noticed that something strange was afoot; they hadn't grasped exactly what was happening.
If a Chaos Gate were to open in this situation?
The Southern Great Forest would undoubtedly suffer a devastating blow.
The only silver lining was that the gate summoning ritual had not yet begun.
"So, what's the plan?"
When Rion asked, Karron shrugged.
"First, let's get some shut-eye and practice our mana arts. We're close to the Southern Great Forest, so the efficiency should be good, right?"
"Recover our bodies first?"
"Actually, the method to stop the Chaos Gate summoning is simple. We just go, find the caster, tear them apart, and kill them. The end."
"Don't you think you skipped a few steps?"
"Let's just call it a summary."
Karron had seen a Chaos Gate with his own two eyes before.
In his past life, the Evil Emperor had summoned one in the Imperial Palace.
He vividly remembered the disaster that had unfolded as a result.
"Any respectable member of the Leston Ducal Family should try stopping a Chaos Gate at least once."
"We still haven't pinpointed the caster's location."
At that, Karron gently shook Guillotine.
"We have a very high-performance hound with us. Guillotine will show us the way."
Karron casually sat down and let out a light breath. Then he spoke to Leo, who was now somehow getting a piggyback ride from Utulla.
"Brother, stop fooling around and start your mana practice. We need to recover our mana if we're going to fight, right? Honestly, you play around every chance you get. Huh?"
Perhaps he didn't even have the strength to answer.
The moment Leo got off Utulla's back, he started his mana practice without a word, and Rion also closed her eyes and began circulating her mana.
As the two began their practice, Karron sat quietly, considering the various possibilities.
'The problem is the Holy Kingdom. Those bastards.'
Holy power is the natural enemy of demonic energy.
It was possible the Holy Kingdom had already grasped the situation and was on the move.
They could be a help.
However.
'They're fanatics, so there's no telling what they'll do.'
Even the family elders had warned to avoid conflict with them at all costs; the fanatics were always unpredictable.
Moreover, they had a habit of ostracizing those without faith.
What if you added elves to the mix with those fanatics?
"...Just thinking about it makes me dizzy."
At this point, he was certain.
"This might turn into a total mess..."
This mission would be anything but easy.
But Karron shook his head and looked at his cousins.
For now, their recovery came first.
6.
Late at night.
Kirak and the refugees, walking east, soon encountered a troop of soldiers.
"Halt."
Knights in pure white armor and silver masks stopped them.
Kirak instantly recognized them as holy knights from the Holy Kingdom.
Only knights of the Holy Kingdom walked around in such armor.
"We are refugees!"
Kirak spoke on behalf of the group.
One of the holy knights replied in a low voice.
"You come from a place tainted by wicked demonic energy. Are you heretics?"
"No, we are not. Our village... our village was just attacked by monsters."
"Those influenced by such foul energy are prone to madness. It is our duty to judge your sins! Kneel at once!"
As the holy knights barked their orders, the refugees immediately dropped to their knees.
Then, priests from behind the knights moved busily among them, sprinkling holy water.
Kirak watched their movements with a tense expression.
'This is still the territory of the Keas Kingdom...'
The number of troops, including the holy knights, appeared to be over a hundred.
In other words, they were conducting a military operation.
While holy knights and priests often appeared in the eastern village of Raia, those were just individuals on service missions.
But this was too large a force to be considered a service mission.
As Kirak was assessing the Holy Kingdom's forces, the holy knights blocking his path stepped aside.
From between them, a priest in pure white vestments began to walk forward.
"Given the circumstances, I hope you will understand our... thoroughness."
His voice was one that put the listener at ease.
Kirak found himself bowing his head to the priest without thinking.
"...It's no trouble."
The young priest exuded an aura that naturally inspired reverence.
He had felt something similar once before, from the high priests of the Holy Kingdom.
And so, Kirak kept his eyes on the ground as he continued to speak.
"We are refugees from Yusla Village. The village was devastated, and we were leading the survivors to Raia Village."
"I express my condolences for the tragedy you have endured."
The priest stopped directly in front of Kirak.
He then placed a hand on Kirak's shoulder.
"May the Radiant Light illuminate the darkness that has befallen you."
Along with a short prayer.
Fwoosh-!
Light flowed from the priest's hand and seeped into Kirak's body.
Instantly, the fatigue settled deep within Kirak's body melted away like snow.
Thanks to that, his mind cleared.
Kirak lifted his head and looked at the priest.
Platinum blond hair and intelligent, shining brown eyes.
Could there be anyone who embodied the word 'noble' better than this priest?
"Are you feeling a little better?"
the priest asked with a bright smile. Kirak cautiously nodded.
"Thank you."
"It is the duty of the clergy to offer a warm embrace to those who have fled from a great evil. You should be able to travel to Raia Village with ease from here. However..."
The priest's eyes slowly drifted toward Kirak's waist.
To be precise, to the leather pouch Kirak was wearing.
"It seems there is something in that leather pouch. Might I have a look?"
His tone was gentle to the ear.
But for a moment, Kirak had the thought that something terrible would happen if he defied that request.
'...Inside the pouch is the stone the knight gave me.'
The stone that repels monsters.
Could it be? Is there something wrong with the stone?
When Kirak hesitated to answer, the priest smiled and glanced at the holy knight beside him.
And then.
Snatch.
The holy knight roughly tore the pouch away.
A moment later, a stone shimmering with a dark blue light was revealed inside.
"...How curious."
The priest picked up the stone with his pale hand. He then silently examined it from all angles for a long while.
"It is not demonic energy, but it is an unholy power. It seems someone deliberately infused this stone with their mana. Is that correct?"
Kirak remained silent at the question.
The atmosphere was not good. He thought that if he spoke carelessly, he might bring harm to his benefactors.
"Answer his words at once."
The holy knight beside him shouted, drawing his sword, but the priest raised a hand to stop him.
"This man has committed no sin, Sir Haken. How can you be so rude to one who has lost his home?"
The priest gave Kirak a wide smile.
"I have always been one to value conviction. There must be a good reason for your silence. Therefore, you may keep to your conviction."
His tone was gentle.
At his placating tone, Kirak spoke cautiously.
"Thank..."
"However, just as you must protect your conviction, I, too, have a conviction to upholdthe conviction to punish the wicked. I hope you will understand."
The priest placed both hands on Kirak's head and soon began to pour a pure white light into him.
"Guuuh."
A groan escaped Kirak's lips.
It felt as though the light was rummaging through his mind.
How much time passed like that?
Thud.
Kirak lost consciousness and collapsed, and only then did the priest withdraw his hands.
"...Hmm, so that is what happened."
The priest looked down at the collapsed Kirak with a meaningful smile.
He then spoke to the holy knight standing beside him.
"Assign one of the knights to these refugees."
"Is there no need to deal with them separately?"
"Their souls are not corrupted."
The priest recalled the scene he had just witnessed in the man's memories.
That dark blue sword, which could easily be called a demonic sword.
The unholy mana flowing from that sword was contained in this stone.
"It seems we have some uninvited guests who wish to interfere with our holy war."
The Saint of the Holy Kingdom, Eliya, said with a smile.
"It seems we must hurry a little."
The duty of dealing with wicked things was a glory permitted only to the followers of the light.
"Let us advance. For the Radiant Light."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
The Saint had no intention of yielding such glory to the unholy.
The fanatics marched forward once more.