episode_0047

The shock brought about by the name of the Sashin Church was great.

The knights who had been swinging their swords in the heat of battle, burning their lives just a moment ago, and the mercenaries who had been thinking of saving their own lives and running away with at least some money, were frozen in place and unable to react at all.

They weren’t fools either, so they figured that since the monsters were obviously not normal, there must be some force behind them.

Deep down in their hearts, there must have been some who thought, “Could it be a cult?”

But I didn’t think so. Was it right to hope so? Because I didn’t want to think that name would come up again, not long after the long war that had stained the continent with blood.

The captain gritted his teeth and stood up, ignoring his trembling legs. The feeling of weakness due to lack of magical power was something that was very difficult to resist with normal willpower. With superhuman willpower, he straightened his knees that were about to bend, and opened his mouth in the most calm tone possible.

“Are you a remnant of the Shinigami cult? Were the monsters and ogres that attacked us just now your doing?”

The man who walked slowly with the ogre took off the hood of the robe he was wearing. He was a very ordinary-looking man. He had the impression that he might have met a couple of times while walking down the street. On the contrary, he was so ordinary that some of the mercenaries who were watching him thought that he did not fit in with the cult at all.

“You can just sit there. You don’t have to pretend to be fine. I know you used all your strength in the fight just now.”

“Haha, for a member of the Shinigami religion, that’s a pretty polite way of speaking.”

“I know the Knight Commander is older than me, so I’m just saving face. If you want, I’ll stop.”

The young man muttered emotionlessly with half-open eyes. The captain had met many people, but this was the first time he had met someone whose mind was as difficult to understand as the young man before him.

The captain’s head began to spin rapidly. Even if he risked his life… he couldn’t do anything about the two ogres. He had to save at least one knight so that he could convey the truth of the incident to the lord. But what should he do…?

“Do you think it’s okay to show up because there’s room for conversation?”

“There is no conversation, no negotiation… nothing. I came here only to see why the ogre died… and to see with my own eyes that the commander’s power was stronger than I expected.”

“That’s an honor. But, you don’t look like a prosecutor, but is it okay for you to get so close to me? I can already kill you.”

“If that were the case, I would have already died. A place full of despair and death like this is the place that the Grim Reaper likes the most. You know that no one like you can kill me, right?”

Damn bastard. The captain muttered. The captain had never directly fought the cultists, but he had heard stories from those who had. If there was death there, the cultists would gain endless magical power. Along with the ridiculous claim that a worm who couldn’t even swing a sword properly could block the knights’ sword with his bare hands.

‘But if I don’t try… won’t I be killed by those two ogres anyway?’

The captain’s head became complicated. In order to recover a little more, the captain continued to talk.

“Well, do you really think so? By the way, I don’t even know your name. I’m Conrad Granciel.”

“I’ve long since abandoned the name Inse.. Please call me 17.”

“─Does that mean you’re the 17th strongest among the instructors?”

“Strength. There’s no way the God of Death would give you a name like the strength of a lowly human. This is just a matter of order. Also… even if I explain everything, what would it matter? Even if you knew that, you would offer your life to the God of Death.”

As soon as the man who introduced himself as 17 finished speaking, two ogres suddenly jumped up. It was a strange sight that caught one’s attention, seeing such a huge, mountain-like creature flying into the air. The mercenaries and knights were the same. They stared blankly at it, even though their own deaths were approaching. The vice-captain, who came to his senses late, tried to somehow command the troops, but they did not listen at all.

Kuung─! As the ogres landed, the ground shook violently as if an earthquake had occurred. Also, the knights and mercenaries trampled by the ogres’ feet were crushed regardless of their armor or protective gear. Immediately, the ogres began to swing their calamitous power. No one had the strength or courage to confront them. Just as a farmer easily cuts down weeds with a huge scythe, the ogres slaughtered the expedition force with incredible ease.

The mercenaries, who were in a state of panic, tried to escape to save themselves, but that was also impossible. The monsters that had disappeared for a moment were closing in on the surrounding area again.

The captain wanted to jump in and cut off the ogre’s head right away, but his body wouldn’t move as he wanted. He could barely stand, so how could he kill the ogre that withstood even the all-out attack just now with its own body’s power? However, he couldn’t just sit back and wait for the mercenaries and subordinates to die. If he had to aim for it, it was the man in front of him.

The captain jumped up, gritting his teeth so hard that his molars were about to break. As long as he didn’t miss the spear, he could attack the cultist in front of him─! Just like before, the captain jumped into the air and swung the spear blade down like lightning. However, the attack did not reach 17.

17 did not do anything special. Rather, it was right to assume that he did not notice the movements of the captain, who was a knight with outstanding skills. He just stood there blankly, but… the spear blade was blocked by some invisible wall and could not come any closer. The captain, who had lost his last bit of strength, dropped the spear and fell on his butt, forgetting even his pride.

“..You’re struggling for nothing.”

17 just looked at the captain with half-hearted eyes as if he felt sorry for him. Seeing that he clearly did not think of himself as a threat, the captain finally despaired and understood. This was his death.

The moment the captain gave up everything, 17’s head flew into the sky.

Thud, thud thud… The sound of the head being separated from its body and hitting the ground and rolling struck the captain’s ears as if it were from another world.

The headless body lost its balance and fell to the side, spewing blood. The captain watched blankly, forgetting to be surprised.

The man standing behind 17 swung his knife around and removed the blood as if he was shaking it off.

The man the captain had reported to be a healer was Yu Gram.

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.

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“Yugram, I don’t think you should run away.”

Yugram slowly nodded and took out his sword. The fact that Yugram took out his sword meant that he was very strong, but paradoxically, it also meant that he was very dangerous.

I kept looking for a chance to escape, but now that the Death Cult has appeared, I can’t do that. In a grand sense, there was a cause that I couldn’t allow this continent to be dyed in war once again… Personally, wasn’t the curse that made me suffer like this also the Death Cult? How could I not vent my anger?

The man in the robe of the Death Cult and the Knight Commander were having a conversation about something. It seemed like it was the end until the Commander and Vice Commander killed the ogre with better skills than expected, but then the Death Cult appeared. And two more ogres.

“Ayla, Mathias. Never leave my side. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you.”

“Oh, princess. Shouldn’t you run away? You’re a cult?”

“It’s too late. The monsters are coming to surround us again. We can break through if we want, but Yugram has a duty to kill the Shinigami. We can’t back down. ”

Ayla looked quite scared, unlike her usual confident self. But this must be normal. She’s still a young girl, so it’s more unusual for her to remain calm.

In contrast, there was no significant change in Mathias’ expression. Of course, he looked very tired from the continued fighting, but he did not seem to have lost his fighting spirit.

“Matthias, I’m fine, so protect Ayla properly. Let’s think of this as paying back the life I received from Ayla.”

“Yes, Princess.. Ayla, don’t be too scared. Trust me and the Princess and be at ease.”

“What, what are you talking about.. Speaking of Mathias..”

Even though she was covered in monster blood, I saw Ayla’s face turning red. I looked at it and gave an order to Yugram.

“Yugram. Kill that cultist and come back. And please bring me an ogre.”

“Yes.”

Yugram’s new form disappeared as if it was seeping in. I could sense it by its presence, but it was difficult to properly follow it with my eyes. Yugram has all sorts of talents.

The Reapers cannot be killed by normal means. Only high-ranking nobles or royalty can use special magic to break through their invisible barrier and attack. So it was obvious that Yugram could do it, and there was no need to worry about that.

The only thing I had to worry about now was the ogre that was walking towards me, turning every mercenary and knight in its path into blood cakes.