Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: King on the Cliff
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hama had grown bigger with each passing day, now the size of a large dog.
The beast looked just like a dog, and when it talked back to me, it was a little scary, but I had Luke's temperament on my side.
"You wanna get hit while running, or just run?"
If an animal rights activist heard that, they might've started a campaign to kick me out of the Holy Knights, but there was no such thing in Eaar.
I was a Holy Knight who respected other cultures, so I knew how to act accordingly. In other words, I was sly.
Thud thud thud thud—.
The good thing about running with Hama was that no mountain beasts blocked our path.
Even before, no predators had targeted us. They weren't foolish enough to charge at a group this large.
Still, bears that caught our scent or beasts resembling tigers would lurk at a distance.
But when Hama came thundering along, shaking the ground, even those vanished without a trace.
There was another advantage.
Well, not for me, but for the others.
"Thanks to Hama, we get to rest more often. It's great."
"Huff... As expected of a sacred beast..."
"We're so grateful..."
What were they saying?
I never got tired and wanted to keep going, but Hama's stamina was utter garbage, so there was no choice.
'For the thieves' sake, it's better to pace ourselves. If we go too fast, they'll collapse from exhaustion or get injured.'
Hama would run for an hour, then flop over like a barbecued suckling pig, tongue lolling out.
"Still, it's impressive for such short legs. By the time we take one step, Hama takes nearly ten."
Hm. I suddenly felt a bit sorry.
We ran for one hour, but for Hama, with those little legs, it was like ten hours.
Clop clop clop clop—.
If its legs made a sound, it would've been something like that.
On the tenth day, we finally cleared the high mountains.
At the end of the ridge, a sheer rock cliff loomed.
Requiya broke out in cold sweat, sticking out his tongue in disbelief.
"The cliff is sharp as a blade. Are we really going this way?"
"What do you think allowed us to focus solely on running, training, and resting all this time?"
"Hm... Because it's so remote and deserted?"
"No. The path we took was crawling with suspicious monsters, and there were bears the size of houses."
"Ah, I see."
Requiya wiped his forehead with his sleeve and nodded.
"Is that true?"
Kruk, who'd been eavesdropping, widened his eyes in shock.
Yuderg nodded, backing me up.
"Indeed. Not far off, there was a Yeti nest. Giants wielding clubs and casting magic, some that turn into humans the moment they spot us. Doppelgangers, no doubt."
"This is suddenly terrifying..."
Kruk's face turned as pale as Yuderg's.
I nodded to Yuderg, then explained to Kruk.
"We stuck to rugged terrain, so they didn't dare attack recklessly. By choosing hardship, we escaped threats."
"Exactly. Even Red Dragon Knights couldn't charge more than one at a time in this terrain. And we moved fast, denying them any chance to strike. Brilliant strategy."
Why was this guy Yuderg sucking up like that?
At a loss for words, I cleared my throat awkwardly.
I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Anyway. Remember this: even potential enemies avoid treacherous terrain. If it's tough for me, it's tough for them."
"Got it!"
The beggar thieves replied energetically.
"To think we'd learn to strategize while still breathing..."
"The boss really is training us harshly."
"The path of a Holy Knight is long and perilous."
What were these idiots blabbering about? They reeked of stupidity.
The path narrowed, so I hoisted Hama onto my back again.
Its body didn't fit fully in the backpack, so only half was tucked in.
'Damn, it's heavy.'
【Filthy! Heavy!】
On the ridge, if it slipped or rolled, it could just climb back up.
But a jagged rock cliff was different.
I couldn't make a short-legged, round thing navigate a path too narrow for two people side by side.
We wound our way up and down the cliff, resting at night.
No matter how I thought about it, night marching was impossible.
The fear bred by darkness outweighed any light from divine power or mana.
Still, the lack of trees had its perks.
Screeeee—.
Eagles could scout without forest interference.
"One more day, and we'll reach a wide area with several giant snakes living there."
"How big?"
"Ah... Snakes..."
Requiya and Yuderg reacted simultaneously.
"Who knows. The eagle says their heads alone are bigger than a horse's."
"Eek! So how huge are they?"
"Hmm..."
They're fucking massive, duh.
"No way around them, right?"
"Only one path. To avoid snakes, we'd have to backtrack or jump down there."
I pointed to the darkness lurking below right.
An endless ravine.
Who knew what lay at the bottom.
"Even if we survived the jump by luck, there might be more snakes down there."
"Better to push through."
Requiya shuddered, as if he couldn't bear the thought.
Carrying Hama carefully to avoid tripping on rocks, we walked another day.
Suddenly, the terrain opened into a barren clearing.
As wide as a basketball court.
"You said the snake heads were just horse-sized?"
I glared at the eagle overhead for no reason.
Maybe I should turn that bird into a bald eagle.
Did it only have good eyesight but no depth perception? Or had it seen a giant horse somewhere?
The snake heads were at least single-bed sized, even at smallest estimate. Big enough to swallow a person whole.
"Aren't those dragons?"
"Boss, I can't breathe."
"Yuderg with breathing issues, fall back."
Yuderg seemed to have ophidiophobia.
But was he the only one?
Even those without snake phobia were about to develop it.
Pop a cobra in a popcorn machine and spin it a thousand times, and you'd get something like that.
"Edna Mermore..."
Requiya muttered the snake's name.
"You know it?"
"I remember illustrations from Fiore folklore. They say an army was mobilized because it devoured so many people, and it was driven away. I heard it was big, but not this big."
Requiya's legs trembled visibly as he mumbled about how many lives it must've taken to grow that huge.
"Fall back. Too many people clustered here makes evasion harder."
For a moment, I wondered if we should've turned back.
But we'd come too far.
And there was another reason we couldn't retreat.
'Only that one's body is shimmering. But it's not heat rising from it.'
I couldn't ignore the haze wafting from it, tempting me.
'Not just a big snake.'
Thanks to my growth, my Blue Eye had sharpened, letting me see it.
'It possesses tremendous power.'
【Kalruk hates snakes! Goosebumps!】
'Yeah. Hate 'em. Scary.'
Back in my firefighter days, I'd been called out for an escaped pet snake from a residential area.
A yellow python as thick as my forearm.
We caught it safely, but I shuddered for days. Creepy thing.
Now, suddenly, I missed that snake.
It had no venom and never bit.
'What are they saying? Translate.'
【Not saying anything! Just flicking tongues!】
'Oh? Thought it was too far to hear.'
Then I'd speak first.
I stepped forward, cupping my hands like a megaphone.
"I am Holy Knight Kalruk Seid! Heading north to Brad Kingdom! Will you clear the path?!"
The snake tilted its head slightly.
A natural reaction, but it seemed to understand me.
A snake comprehending human speech? Definitely not ordinary.
"Is this your sanctuary? I'd be grateful if you let us pass! We've come too far to turn back!"
Hiss ssslurp—. Its tongue flicked loudly, and its head rose higher.
Clearly a threat display.
【Yummy!】
'Snake saying I'm yummy?'
【No! The snake said it. The ones behind too! Three of them debating splitting us ten each!】
'These fucking snake bastards wanna die.'
I unslung my backpack and handed it to Requiya.
"Doesn't look like it'll let us pass nicely. I'll fight alone. No one interfere."
"You sure?"
"Not an easy foe—stay back. Rush in recklessly, and I can't guarantee your lives. Look at them."
I jerked my chin toward the rear.
Even veteran Fred looked brain-dead, blood drained from his face.
The thieves were worse.
From the moment they saw the snakes, their eyes lost focus.
But I had Luke's temperament.
The unyielding spirit that flipped off the Ice Queen and Red Dragon Knights.
"You lowly beasts dare see me as prey? I've been cooped up just running—perfect timing for you."
Great chance to test my strength.
Sword over lever, I figured.
I drew the sword taken from the Fiore commander and moved to the clearing's center.
The apparent leader slithered forward, belly muscles rippling. Scales, not muscles?
I activated Blue Eye, scanning it thoroughly.
Partly to find weaknesses, but mainly to identify the flickering haze's nature.
Spotting it made nonexistent power surge within me.
'Wonder what power it is.'
Edna Mermore.
True to its spiritual beast name, no openings.
Scales were tough, its undulating body incredibly agile.
'Decent mana for a snake, and something else. Aura of power, right?'
Silver Star was silent, lost in thought like a kid.
Then it suddenly yelled.
【Wait!】
'You or the snake?'
【Me! Their conversation got weird!】
'What're they saying?'
【Hail Holy Knights! Not all, but they vanquish calamities! We must treat such heroes well! If we touch one, their allies might come for revenge—we can't handle that!】
'Really? Then I'll wait a bit.'
I kept tension high, waiting for their conference to end.
Meanwhile, I steadily gathered power, infusing cold into my sword.
I lightened my body, ready to dodge anytime.
The front snake uncoiled, shifting gaze to me.
It bobbed its head side to side, flicking its tongue.
Hiss—.
【I am Edna Mermore! Nafilab Gunt! Snake Queen! King atop the Cliff!】
The more I learned, the more amusing the world got. Humans or snakes, everyone loves grand self-introductions.
So what?
Still just a big snake.
King on the cliff can freeze to death.
【The king commands: Prove you are a Holy Knight!】
'Easy enough.'