Ch.97Chapter 97. The Seven Holy Knights (7)

Chapter 97. Surviving as Paladin (7)

The uninvited guests arrived at dawn.

“I smell fish and rot. …It seems they’ve discovered this place.”

Lakye was the first to notice.

She had been sleeping soundly beside me, but suddenly opened her bright yellow eyes, jumped up, and grabbed her meteor sword.

– Hmm.

This sequence happened in an instant. I had only regained consciousness a few seconds ago.

“We’re under attack!”

“Monsters are approaching the fence!”

In my half-asleep state, I heard the villagers’ shouts while hanging at Lakye’s waist. Seeing the cold sweat dripping from their heads and their trembling lips, I became wide awake.

The expression of terrified people was that powerful.

“Damn it, what’s going on? I was just trying to get some sleep…”

Hannah came out grumbling in her pajamas. At least she was carrying a sword and shield.

“Which direction are they coming from?”

Dina’s special forces appeared next, all in full combat gear. They must have started getting dressed as soon as they heard about the attack.

“There seem to be about twenty of them.”

I confirmed the enemies with Lakye, who had somehow already reached the fence. Sea monsters armed with various weapons were pushing through the reeds toward us.

My anger rose seeing these creatures proudly wearing ornaments made of human bones.

Black Coral Tribe? They’re just cannibals. No title suits them better than sea monsters.

– …

There were too many possible reasons for how they found this place to even bother asking.

They might have heard Beatrice’s voice in the city, or they could have seen Lakye or Dina’s special forces arriving at Martba yesterday. The reeds we trampled on our way here might have given them a hint.

“Shall I kill them?”

Lakye asked, her eyes gleaming brightly. As blue as the blade of her meteor sword in its curved form.

– Let’s do it.

At that moment, I gave the permission order with slight disappointment at myself for thinking “Master, shall I handle this?”

EunuchBro, get out of my head!

Tat-!

Lakye lightly jumped over the fence and charged at them, followed by Hannah and Dina’s special forces with their weapons gleaming.

Wasn’t the average combat power of sea monsters about that of a low-level demon? These seven members were elites who had killed their fill of low-level enemies.

“Gaaah!”

Even Hannah, the weakest among them, easily cut the monsters to pieces. Needless to say, Lakye and Dina’s special forces were even more impressive.

Slash!

Lakye moved freely in all directions, decapitating the monsters with a single stroke.

“Light Snare!”

“Light Explosion!”

“Shock Reflection!”

Dina’s special forces also stirred up the battlefield while enthusiastically shouting their skill names. I still can’t get used to that.

I heard from Noah that shouting the name increases skill efficiency, but it still feels cringeworthy, like watching a 2000s Japanese shounen anime.

Is this the goddess’s preference? Is she a female otaku?

“We’ve handled everything on this side.”

More than twenty sea monsters were all dealt with in less than a few minutes. Everyone was uninjured.

“I caught one.”

Hannah pointed to the last remaining sea monster. It was one that had collapsed after being stabbed in the leg by Hannah’s sword.

…I don’t think hostage tactics would work with them.

“Ma-Malak-nim…! Why!”

The sea monster opened its mouth while glaring at Lakye and me.

Actually, I’m not sure if it was glaring. Its crab-like eyes were round and beady.

“I am a devotee who serves Tuga, the Roa! I heard you were betrothed to Asha-nim, so why have you joined hands with these civilized creatures?”

No, what betrothal? She just unilaterally declared, “Let’s get married! I’m your bride now, oh-ho-ho!”

– You and Tuga are disrupting the surface world.

To be frank, you’re in the way. And you’re also terrible and disgusting.

“Betrayal… this is betrayal! How could a Roa do such a thing!”

The monster spewed out its anger. It was so indignant that foam was forming at its mouth.

– Being who has strayed from humanity. I am not your Roa, and you are not my devotee. You are merely an existence no different from demons. For the safety of the surface world, it would be better if you disappeared.

Cannibals could never be my devotees. They would only create discord and anxiety, dividing the tribal federation.

Malignant seeds must all be uprooted.

“Th-that can’t be…! Urgh…!”

The shock seems to have been too great; now it can’t even speak properly. Is this the devastation a human feels when rejected by their god?

I didn’t say these things simply to cause psychological damage to the creature.

“…”

Look at the expressions of Hannah, Dina’s special forces, and the Martba villagers quietly watching this situation. They’re looking at me with eyes full of faith and trust.

This is how you build rapport.

“Grrrrrk…!”

The monster, foaming excessively at the mouth, began to shake. It seems like this creature is the vibration totem, not me.

Did Asha take some kind of magical precaution? Is it going to self-destruct? …This could be dangerous.

– I don’t think we’ll learn anything from it. Dispose of it.

We already knew their numbers and location. We didn’t need a hostage.

Lakye’s meteor sword swept across the creature’s neck. Its head fell off cleanly and rolled on the ground.

You need a head to make a zombie, but I ordered them to behead it cleanly just in case something unexpected happened.

The body, having lost its brain, convulsed briefly before collapsing. Fortunately, nothing unusual occurred.

“…We need to modify our plan.”

Dina wore an expression that suggested she had a headache.

Well, I wasn’t particularly surprised or upset. It’s always been like this.

Whenever I try to do something, tunnel demons, shadow demons, dark clouds, or bastards like Charon pop up and interfere.

Not just here, but on Earth too. I can’t count how many times I carefully planned and executed something, only to have everything go wrong because of one small unexpected variable.

At times like this, you just have to accept it quickly and move on.

– The war has begun.

When twenty of them don’t return, even an idiot would realize there are enemies here. They’d know where their tribe’s warriors were wandering.

‘…Malak-nim.’

See? Already a message from Asha.

‘Why did you make such a decision…?’

Her voice carried a hint of anger and great disappointment. She must have used magical means to learn about our situation.

‘Twenty. Twenty of my comrades, warriors who would have pledged loyalty to you, Malak-nim, heroes who would have defeated demons, have lost their lives.’

I can’t help but laugh bitterly. Damn cannibals calling themselves heroes.

Of course, from Asha’s perspective, that’s what they were. Even murderers and dictators are good fathers and husbands when they go home.

‘Why…? They were the ones who most purely wished for the revival of our people. They were brave warriors who would have fought at the forefront if it had been your order.’

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to connect with Asha through divine descent just to respond to such nonsense.

It’s like hearing a pervert’s breathing up close—disgusting.

I could hear Asha’s rough breathing. She must be quite heated.

‘Fine. It’s a wife’s role to correct her husband’s mistakes. I’ll show you exactly how weak these civilized people are and why your choice was wrong.’

With those words, Asha’s prayer was cut off.

She was thoroughly angered. She’ll probably come personally. And bring all the warriors she has.

– Prepare. We don’t have much time left.

We must assume that Asha, having completed her preparations before morning, is coming to this village. There won’t be time to rest.

“Well, at least we got a little warm-up.”

Gukbap grinned as he wiped the blood from his hammer with a cloth. The skill of an experienced killer—no, hero.

“Ah… then I’ll go put on my armor.”

Realizing she was the only one still in pajamas, Hannah blushed and went back inside, while Dina exchanged glances with her comrades as if steeling their resolve.

“I’ll be able to crush that arrogant crab woman’s head.”

As for Lakye, she remained as composed and cool as ever.

Perhaps because they’re all professionals, they showed no fear despite facing a potentially deadly situation.

These are true heroes. Noah and Siwoo should learn from them.

– People of Martba, to maintain peace, one must prepare for war. I…

I kept talking to reassure the restless villagers while helping the paladins prepare.

***

“They’re coming. They’re pushing through the reeds now.”

Lakye, with her superhuman senses that even level 8 user Dina couldn’t match, announced the enemies’ arrival.

– Can you estimate their numbers?

“At least a hundred.”

As expected, she brought everyone. Asha intended to wage a total war.

“…”

Everyone waited for the signal inside the fence with tense expressions. Though crude, the fence could buy us a little time, so we planned to use it to maximum advantage.

Before long, they revealed themselves.

“Malak-nim.”

Asha, larger and more powerful than when I first saw her, was there.