Ch.94Chapter 94. The Seven Holy Knights (4)

Chapter 94. Seven Paladins (4)

Dark night. The perfect time to send private messages.

[Hanna]

[NotACatfish: What?]

[Did you meet Malak?]

[NotACatfish: Yes]

[How was it?]

[NotACatfish: What do you mean?]

[Isn’t he overflowing with divine majesty?]

[NotACatfish: He was just a talking totem]

[NotACatfish: A glowing totem that vibrates occasionally]

[;;]

The totem does vibrate when using blessings.

[NotACatfish: Growing potatoes was kind of interesting though]

[NotACatfish: Agricultural god? Something like that]

[Aren’t you being too harsh?]

[NotACatfish: What are you even talking about?]

[NotACatfish: Whatever. I’m sleepy. Going to bed]

Fine. Let’s stop talking.

I was trying to use Sans’s private messages to ask things that would be awkward to ask as Loa Malak, but I started off wrong.

I decided to just get to the point.

[What happened with Dina’s special forces?]

[NotACatfish: No reply. I don’t even know if she checked my message]

Hmm. This isn’t good.

According to Hanna, Princess Dina showed interest when she heard about sea monsters in Martba.

They exchanged messages about the sea monsters, but after bringing up Loa Malak, contact stopped.

…Does she suspect it’s some kind of cult? From Princess Dina’s perspective, it’s not an unreasonable judgment.

A woman (whose face she doesn’t even know) who was providing information about enemy forces suddenly brings up Loa, whose existence isn’t even certain, and asks for cooperation… I’d probably cut ties too if I were her.

She might even think we’re in league with the sea monsters.

[OK I understand for now]

What should I do? Should I change the plan and just take care of Maseok, Hanna, and the residents and return to the Tribal Alliance?

That’s the safest choice right now. The problem is that afterward, we’ll have to face Asha, who will be even stronger than now.

Of course, I don’t know exactly how strong Asha is now. Based on the energy I felt when she emerged from that huge artificial womb… she didn’t seem like an unbeatable opponent.

Just assuming she’d be stronger because she’s a god’s avatar?

[NotACatfish: What are you doing?]

Didn’t she say she was going to sleep? Why is she asking more questions?

[Just lying down]

[NotACatfish: At the Tribal Alliance place?]

I was about to type “yeah” but then remembered I told her I was on a mission, so I quickly corrected myself.

[I told you I’m on assignment]

[NotACatfish: Ah, right]

Could she be testing me? Is she suspicious?

[NotACatfish: What kind of place is the Tribal Alliance?]

I decided to answer carefully, as my lies might be exposed if I responded carelessly.

[A place where barbarians and civilized people live together in harmony]

Is this abstract explanation all I can come up with when trying to be careful? My vocabulary is garbage.

[NotACatfish: Are there many children too?]

Yes, lots of children. Mostly kids who play by throwing axes, which might be hard to get used to.

[People of all ages]

I was about to mention seeing ancient wizards and child priests in one place but held back.

[NotACatfish: Sounds like utopia]

I feel proud without realizing it. It’s not a group I created alone, but I did take the lead in establishing it, so it’s more rewarding, I suppose.

[NotACatfish: Are you satisfied with life there?]

Well.

[I’m not at the Tribal Alliance headquarters]

[I have to serve as Malak’s messenger so I live as a wanderer]

I sent this after some consideration.

If Hanna joins the Tribal Alliance, she’ll discover that no one knows a paladin named Sans. Then she might become suspicious of me.

[NotACatfish: Then how do you know about it?]

[Malak showed me]

[NotACatfish: …Really?]

What objection could she raise when I say a god showed me?

[NotACatfish: So even if I join the Tribal Alliance, I won’t be able to meet you?]

[Not right away, at least]

[NotACatfish: …]

She seems disappointed.

[Are you that sad you can’t pulverize me?]

[NotACatfish: What are you talking about]

[NotACatfish: That was just a joke, idiot]

I know. I was joking too.

[It’ll be hard to meet right away?]

[NotACatfish: Then I’ll be alone if I go]

[There are other paladins in the Tribal Alliance besides me. Don’t worry]

I could introduce her to Noah. They’re both women and Earthlings, so they might get along well.

[NotACatfish: It’s still someone I don’t know]

Maybe Noah is shy like Hanna, which could make things difficult.

We continued exchanging meaningless messages.

[NotACatfish: Ah, I’m really sleepy. See you next time]

[Bye]

Maybe it’s because I’m about to undertake a major operation, but I couldn’t fall asleep easily.

Come to think of it, I’ve always been like this. I used to lie awake before presentations or interviews. Though I’ve lost my physical body, the elements that make up who I am seem to remain.

I repeated my real name, which is becoming increasingly hazy. It feels somewhat awkward now. Malak or Sans feels more familiar.

– …

I drifted off to sleep listening to Lakye’s breathing beside me.

***

The next morning, I went with Lakye to find Hanna.

– I have business in the city. Would you like to come along?

After much deliberation, I decided to retrieve the magic stone first. My plan is to spend about three days looking for Dina’s special forces, and if that doesn’t work out, take Hanna and the residents to the Tribal Alliance.

If we prioritize urgency, eliminating the shadow demon comes first. If we can’t move the giant god within the deadline, we’ll have to take the drastic measure of relocating headquarters.

“The city? …There are no demons, so it should be fine. Yes, I’ll go.”

The demon that ruled Martba was killed by the Black Coral tribe, or rather, the sea monsters, some time ago. If we go now, only the corpses of worshippers will remain.

Barbarians are generally uncomfortable in buildings constructed by civilized people, so the sea monsters probably won’t be there.

– Let’s go.

Lakye and Hanna crossed the reed field and quickly reached the city. With Lakye’s heightened senses and Hanna’s expertise in living in hiding, they made a formidable team.

A dog-like woman and a cat-like woman working together. That’s quite a hit.

We entered the center of the city. In one corner, bones were piled up, presumably belonging to former worshippers. They were picked clean, without even a scrap of flesh.

“Looks like an infected has been here.”

Hanna remarked casually. I suppose she’s become numb enough to just pass by human bones without much reaction.

– No. This is the work of sea monsters.

They practice cannibalism. I’ve seen their warrior class wearing ornaments made from human bones.

“That’s right. I don’t sense any traces of infected.”

Lakye agreed after scanning the area.

“…Ah.”

Hanna nodded as if something occurred to her. Having lived here for months, she must have seen something.

She probably thought simply because infected always came to dispose of the bodies after worshippers were killed.

– The chest containing the magic stone is in the garden of the lord’s mansion.

The notes marking the location of the magic stone indicated that Martba was a territory where Beatrice briefly stayed. It seems she “modified” the garden to hide the magic stone during her stay.

She must have had quite a playful personality in life.

“Found it.”

Following the instructions in the notes, Lakye opened the secret door, disarmed the trap, and retrieved the chest. A mysterious device attached to the chest suddenly blinked and created a hologram of a young girl.

[Nice to meet you! My name is Beatrice!]

Ah, that startled me! The sound is too loud! We need to do something quickly…

[The seven-colored magic…]

Crack!

Lakye crushed the device projecting the hologram with her grip. …It’s not a lingering thought, right? Let’s believe it was just a recorded video.

“…What a childish wizard.”

Lakye clicked her tongue.

I agree. Why did she put this feature only in this chest and not the others? Was she aiming for a surprise event?

“Someone might have heard that. We should leave quickly.”

Hanna, who had bristled like a startled cat at Beatrice’s hologram, anxiously scanned the surroundings.

Lakye carefully lifted the chest and moved with Hanna.

“…Someone’s nearby.”

Lakye, who had been moving stealthily to minimize noise, suddenly stopped.

“What? There’s no one here.”

“I heard the sound of clothing rustling. Be quiet.”

“…Alright.”

Lakye, who had scolded Hanna, perked up her ears.

“They’ve stopped too. They must be listening to our voices.”

“Tch.”

Lakye drew her meteor sword. Hanna, who had been watching, also took out the sword and shield from her back.

And so we entered a standoff with an invisible enemy. An invisible enemy, huh.

…Ah, I think I know.

– Princess Dina.

On a hunch, I called out a user’s nickname.

EunuchBro, or rather MeleeSpy, said that Princess Dina had learned a hidden skill that could temporarily erase her presence.

Could she have been following us, been detected by Lakye, and then used that skill to hide herself?

– Princess Dina, is that you?

The air rippled briefly, and a beautiful woman with platinum blonde hair wearing pure white armor appeared. Is this what a fairy tale princess knight would look like?

By the way, she was 50 meters away. We could have been in big trouble if we hadn’t noticed her.

The paladin glanced at Lakye, then locked eyes with Hanna and said:

“Are you ‘NotACatfish’?”