episode_0007

The merchant who led us here couldn’t even turn his head properly, keeping a tight grip on the reins and staring ahead.

And his words… seemed somewhat strained.

Well, that’s understandable,

“….”

“Are the knights as big as those gentlemen?”

With Lena tightly holding my hand and heavy hammers in the hands of the knights beside me, it seemed likely.

Not the kind used for hammering nails or building structures… but more like something meant to break things.

I thought only Mr. Harken was large.

Do people who fight for the gods all grow this big?

And do they have to cover their faces with helmets or hoods to look intimidating?

“It should be around here.”

“Although faint, the smell of gunpowder confirms the story…”

Breathing heavily as if exhausted, he took a deep breath and exhaled.

Simultaneously, the knights leaped down to the ground.

The sound of a heavy stone hitting the ground echoed through the forest.

“There was supposed to be a path covered by grass, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. At that time, there was smoke, so we could easily find the direction to head…”

After slowly rubbing his chin and descending, I waited for Lena to come down.

Perhaps due to the height, her feet hesitated to touch the ground firmly.

“Come here, Lena. I’ll catch you.”

So, stretching out my arms fully to allow her to cling on –

“Got it!”

She dove straight into my embrace.

Though light, the sword hanging on her back made her stagger under its weight…

But this time, she managed to find her balance.

“Lena, you’re so good. Hehe.”

“It’s dangerous. Please come down slowly.”

As Lena immediately searched for my hand, I handed her what she wanted and approached the man touching the soil.

His eyes, gleaming as he looked at Lena, briefly scanned the dark forest before pointing his finger.

“Anton brothers, open the way.”

“We will do so.”

The hammer stuck in the ground was lifted up.

Then, it moved towards the grass.

Not scissors, not a knife, nor a sickle, yet the weeds swiftly turned into a blue path.

“Judge, I will…”

“Wait. Rom brother will accompany you. He will check the scene and return shortly.”

A path appeared instantly.

The sound of hammers swinging vigorously could be heard from afar.

“Rian, Lena, stick close to each other.”

“Uncle, hold my hand!”

How long had it been since Lena and I followed behind?

As we delved deeper, the path began to darken.

There was no warmth, and my body gradually began to ache…

“Uncle, I don’t like it here…”

“Are you in pain too?”

“Yes.”

The heavy footsteps abruptly halted at the sound.

Mr. Harken, kneeling with his white cloak fluttering, removed his hood and met our gaze.

“You both feel it. The malevolence.”

“Pain is malevolent?”

“More precisely, it’s the energy emanating from the being beyond this. And…”

As he extended his hand, white flames erupted from my sword.

He immediately struck the ground with it –

“Aaahhh!!!”

“Ugh…!”

Screams filled our ears.

I tightened my embrace around Lena, applying more strength, and as I lowered the sword hanging on my back – unsurprisingly.

Fire ignited on this side too.

“It’s over there. Once we pass through this forest, we’ll reach the orphanage you mentioned.”

“Uncle, this sound… it’s just like that monster…”

If I knew she would be this scared and distressed, I would have advised her to stay at the church.

But now…

“Lena, I’m here. I promised to protect you, remember? Right?”

“Y-yes…”

“Stay close. That nun in charge, I’ll deal with her again.”

Wiping away her tears, I lifted Lena, holding her tightly, and showed her what lay ahead.

The knights and Mr. Harken were already advancing along the opened path.

Without hesitation, I rushed after them.

“…Judge.”

“Rian, Lena. It seems like we should retreat.”

There was a reason why the forest had darkened.

A reason for my pain, Lena’s pain as well.

“That monster over there… is it evil?”

“Evil is not its name.”

I definitely killed it.

Stabbed with the sword, struck several more times.

Instead of an orphanage, a huge mass writhed in its place.

From the dark-stained hole, something emitted a strange, black energy.

The twitching eyes didn’t get covered by the mass this time; they stared directly at me.

And then…

“This… way…!”

With a gurgling voice, it created a hole.

On the pierced skin.

From within… something began to wriggle.

“Mister, that monster – it healed wounds with tentacles!”

“It wasn’t tentacles this time. What you saw was just larvae.”

Both the holy knight and the man set their weapons ablaze, encircling them with fire.

Weapons starting to burn like my sword illuminated the darkness.

“Rian, raise your sword.”

The sound of something slithering.

…It was familiar.

Just like the bugs that used to appear from under the blanket.

Bugs that nibbled and tickled us near the ears, on the body, under the hair.

– Buzzzzz.

The sound of fluttering wings came from right in front.

Then, they converged into one mass and flew towards us.

Indeed, it was right to always keep them loose in the bedroom.

“Anton!”

“Oh God, I ask for your help today as well.”

Instead of wielding weapons against the bug-like creatures cloaked in black clouds, the holy knight began to pray.

Without any intention to defeat them, he merely knelt beneath the hammer-wrapped weapon.

“Let the fire I ignite drive away the darkness and protect the weak.”

As the buzzing of the bugs grew louder, Lena tried to move behind me, but for some reason, she wasn’t there.

“Lord, please allow Brother to vanquish the creature that tormented us with his weapon. Never let it hurt us again…”

Suddenly standing beside me, Lena began to pray like the holy knight in front.

Touching the weapon should have been hot – strangely, she didn’t seem to be in pain unlike the man.

“Come closer, both of you.”

Bugs spreading high into the sky.

Seemingly ready to cover us like a blanket, they began descending with wide-open wings.

Lena, now quiet, looked slightly tired, leaning on my hand as we followed along.

“Mister, the bugs—”

“Hush.”

Despite swaying as if about to collapse at any moment, staring at the dark sky without a single light, the man did nothing.

At that moment when I was about to swing my sword, wondering what good praying in front of the enemy would do, he said:

“Burn the evil, let the flames consume it.”

Finally lifting the hammer, the holy knight swung it upwards.

With the blazing flames unfolding.

“Eugh—”

The sky, which was dark moments ago, now unbelievably bright.

And the falling bugs.

Crunching and squirming, the tiny bean-sized creatures made a crackling sound with each step.

Turning into ashes as if all at once.

“Grrrrr…”

The twitching mass seemed to shrink as if startled by the flames, slowly retreating.

“Rian, watch closely.”

Approaching the monster, the man lightly swung the burning sword in his hand, inexplicably pointing it towards the ground.

Not to strike, but as if to plant it in the earth.

But…

“Brother, look at that…”

A small hand pointed to the sky.

Many swords hung there like stars.

“This is the power bestowed by God.”

I’ve seen stars fall before.

Leaving behind long tails, bright lights disappearing into the darkness.

Whether they hid or vanished remained unknown that day.

“Screaaaam!!!”

Today, thousands of swords piercing through the darkness of the distant sky were teaching me something.

Those stars had moved beyond piercing the darkness.

It felt like a heavy rain pouring down.

The only difference was that instead of dampening the surroundings, it was scorching hot.

The spurting blood, the falling pieces all relentlessly poured down like a rain of swords until everything became a handful of ashes.

Kneeling before the sword, the gaze fixed on the disappearing ‘evil’ was clear.

Within it, there was no kindness or gentle touch that used to treat us kindly.

The presence that could be called “Sir” was no longer by our side.

At this moment… he was the judge.

Even the priests, nuns, and merchants feared him.

As the sword disappeared and darkness returned once more,

the paladin moved towards where the monster had been, illuminating the surroundings.

Though the fire was dying down, the hammer bright enough to illuminate the surroundings did not touch the unmoving pieces with certainty.

“It seems safe now.”

“You’ve used quite the noisy technique in this remote place.”

After swinging the flaming sword once, the judge’s act of sheathing the blade with bloodied hands was truly imposing.

More so than the head nun who had screamed at us.

“It seems your stories were all true. Thank you.”

Without even giving me a chance to swing the sword, the judge turned back to me and offered a greeting.

In the end, the strength Lena had given me, even with her prayers, had become futile.

The sword is still burning like this.

Brighter and hotter than before.

“This should do it – Huh?!”

“Judge, this is!”

At that moment, tentacles appeared.

Thin, long things tightly wrapping around the ground emerged densely from the pierced earth.

“Surely, they wouldn’t withstand being hit by that…!”

Something was crawling up.

Faces were visible within it.

Of the ‘friends’ who were with me, and of the brothers and sisters I could see outside the window.

They were devoured. The people who fled… all of them.

“Anton!”

“Oh Lord, have mer-”

The tentacles wrapped even around the mouth, squeezing the hand tightly enough to drop the weapon.

While the judge was silently trying to pull flames from his hand, probably.

“Brother, go!”

Lena pushed me forward firmly.

Simultaneously, as if my body had become feather-light, I could run forward.

“Swoosh!”

The tentacle touched by the swinging flame melted instantly.

The severed strands rolled on the ground, turning into ashes.

The trapped body was released, and the heavy armor clattered off.

But it didn’t stop.

Because it had to move towards the last remaining mass in the pit.

A monster that tormented Lena, me, and everyone without mercy.

A woman who had never known kindness.

To such a monster, Lena swung the holy sword with her strength.

– Clang.

As the sword struck down, a flash appeared.

As if something had fallen from the sky.

An intense blaze that even swallowed screams.

When I opened my eyes, nothing remained.

Only black marks painted on the ground.

“…Lightning strike, was it?”

The surprised voice of the paladin.

The dazed eyes of the judge.

And Lena running towards me.

“Brother!!!”

Warmth enveloped me with a hug.

Laughter that was unheard of in the orphanage tickled my ears.

“You were really cool! I saw it! Lightning striking from the sky, burning the monster!”

“Lightning? Really?”

“I told you, right? If you pray, God answers!”

How could one not believe when the sword was already in my hand?

I leaned gently against Lena, who was petting my ruffled hair.

With the darkness pressing against us gone, a clear night sky appeared.

Countless stars twinkling like swords and a moon resembling Lena embraced us.

As if… as if there were a god in the sky watching over us.