Dark Fantasy Paladin

Dark Fantasy Paladin Chapter 16

Episode 16.

The square was full of people, but it was quiet.

This is because all the scenes I intuited were so far from reality that it was difficult to react immediately.

A monster that appeared in ancient murals and a man burning with brilliance fell from the sky.

As if that wasn’t enough, the man tore open the monster’s stomach and jumped out, standing tall.

To them, these situations seemed like scenes from a fairy tale, myth, or Bible.

The demon had a seizure. He twisted his whole body and let out a low moan. As if making a final struggle, it opened its huge mouth towards the man, but was unable to reach it and only fell limp.

Only then did the light burning in the man fade away.

Some people bowed their heads. Someone closed their eyes while reciting a prayer. I had no doubt that it was the second coming of a hero or the coming of a lion.

The man’s eyes moved quickly, as if chasing a bug. It felt like he was reading something out of thin air, but he was smiling bitterly.

At that time, a loud noise began to spread from the entrance to the square.

“Get back! “He is the lord of Serengal!”

“Get out of the way! “Make a way!”

The crowd split up in an instant. A carriage and the troops surrounding it rushed in front of the fountain, squeezing through the people who were hastily retreating.

A lightly armed soldier stopped when he saw the demon beast and approached the man.

“Please identify yourself.”

“He’s a paladin. “My name is Aiden.”

Iden showed him the seal of the Church of Varanche.

“······Oh, I’m sorry,”

the soldier said politely, looking at the demon beast and Aiden in turn.

Then he rushed to the carriage and reported through the window.

The carriage door burst open. A lump of flesh sticking out with jewels wrapped all over its body.

His shiny skin and golden silk clothes clearly revealed his identity.

Daryl whispered to Iden.

“He is the lord of Serengal.”

The man opened his arms exaggeratedly.

“Oh my gosh, Holy Knight! “You left the church!”

He seemed a little far from dignified. Aiden felt that the man was closer to a merchant than a high-ranking nobleman ruling a territory.

He approached Iden.

“I am Broden, Lord of Serengal. But… what on earth is all this about?”

“I am Paladin Iden. While subduing the demonic beasts summoned from the tomb, Serengal was caught up in it. “We express our concerns.”

“Oh my gosh! What kind of regretful words did you say? The blessings given to the church are heavenly, so what is the big deal about something like this? haha!”

The nobles worked hard to impress the church. This was especially evident in the outskirts. This is because the problem they always suffered from heretics and demons was solved even if the church dispatched just one paladin.

The tribes that controlled magic feared the Holy Knights more than most troops.

Therefore, the lord of Serengal also wanted friendly relations.

“Instead of standing like this outside, let’s go into the castle. Even though Serengal is on the outskirts, it is rich. There is no need to mention food and alcohol. “Come on.”

The lord made a guiding gesture with his hand, as if he was entertaining. Aiden shook his head as he pulled out the sword stuck in the gap between the beast’s maw.

“It’s not over yet. The remnants and my men remain in the tomb. “Is this all you have?”

About forty or fifty soldiers and one knight were seen.

The lord shook his head.

“It can’t be. “If you give them a sword, they will do their job very well.”

The lord pointed at the gathered residents and laughed.

“No need. “I will only use the soldiers gathered here.”

“Haha, is there any question?”

Iden walked to the troops.

“Who is the commander here?”

The man guarding the side of the carriage looked at Aiden.

“That’s me. “I am Knight Kidan.”

“I take control until the situation is over.”

Kidan looked a little nervous, but glanced at the demon beast and nodded.

He immediately led his troops and left the castle gate.

*

Aiden led his troops and ran through the desert at full speed.

Although it is slower than a horse, I thought that a camel was also quite fast.

I was satisfied except for the fact that the lord, who had followed along, was lagging far behind.

Iden revealed his son-in-law with a halo. Although I was reaching my physical limit, I was planning on revealing Aiden’s location, even if it was difficult, until the special task force confirmed Aiden’s location.

We need to find it as quickly as possible.

The longer time passes, the more victims there will be. What if the tomb collapsed and everyone was crushed to death? It was a family I didn’t want to even imagine. Aiden gritted his teeth and drove the camel.

…

At that time, the special task force was fighting to the death with the demons chasing them in the middle of the desert.

At the back of the children’s procession, Euron and Sistine served as escorts, while the front was led by Priest Bandel and Sein.

Fortunately, the tomb did not collapse.

It might have gone down by now, but at least they were barely holding on until they escaped.

Euron cut down another charging hybrid. I didn’t swing it carelessly. I calmly stabbed the vital area with the knife, just as I had learned in training school.

Blood spurted from the naked old man’s neck. A lump of flesh with huge eyes screamed. The one with its fin torn off lay down and cried out.

Sistine’s sword dance ended with the devil’s wail, but the two were growing tired.

Because there was no sign of it ending at all.

At that time, the children who were crying and running around burst into cheers.

When Euron and Sistine turned their heads, a bright light appeared from the edge of the horizon.

A radiance that shimmers all the way to the sky approaches. It cleared away the darkness and calmed the anxiety.

Everyone was relieved.

Euron gripped his sword even harder. Because it’s not over until it’s over.

He continued to swing the knife. The blade was drenched in black blood.

Shoooooooo! A flash of lightning tore through the darkness and grazed Euron’s cheek.

A huge spear burning brightly burned the tribes filled with malice.

The sound of a sword rang out from afar. Numerous cheers erupted.

“Treat it—!”

The demons began to hesitate. In the end, some people turned their backs and ran away.

Sand splashed everywhere. Something whizzed past Euron. The fleeing demons howled.

The spear knife pierced them and stained the ground with black blood.

“Don’t leave a single one alive!”

“Kill!”

Only then was Euron able to relax his grip.

Aiden and the soldiers tracked down and slaughtered every last one before approaching the location of the special unit.

The soldiers were catching their breath as if the lingering pain had not gone away. There was envy in their eyes as they looked at Aiden.

Iden got off the camel, approached Euron and patted him on the back.

“Good job.”

Euron almost shrugged his shoulders, but calmly lowered his head.

“It wasn’t enough.”

“It doesn’t suit me.”

“haha···.”

Aiden passed the procession and approached the front. Priests Sein and Bandel welcomed him with expressions as if they were crying.

“Paradise! The demon beast…”

“I killed it, so don’t worry.”

Sein let out a sigh of relief, and Priest Bandel stroked his chest.

“This is truly a great achievement. God must have been watching everything.”

Aiden slightly bowed his head to Vandel and glanced at the children.

“Are all the kids okay?”

A slight shadow appeared on both of their expressions. Sistina, who followed, opened her mouth on his behalf.

“Six out of a total of thirty-two people died. Four people are addicted to magic. We did our best to minimize the damage, but we apologize. “I didn’t have enough strength.”

Iden shook his head.

“no. Your actions saved countless lives. “There’s no need to blame yourself.”

If there is any responsibility, it would be Iden himself.

If the summoning had been prevented as Tegain ordered, the children would have survived.

Of course, even if he had stopped it, it was obvious that he would be summoned to another location. However, it was also true that the development was exchanged for the lives of six children.

Are you qualified to weigh life and the cause? Aiden immediately shook his head as if to shake off his thoughts.

I have promised myself several times not to hesitate. I reminded myself several times not to hesitate because I knew full well what was lurking in front of me.

Iden couldn’t predict the future. There was no user who cleared this game.

Since there was no set answer, I could only move forward if I believed that I was right.

Even if this path was wrong, you wouldn’t know anything unless you arrived at the destination.

You should not weigh your steps with distrust in yourself.

However, the lives sacrificed had to be carried. Six more today.

Even though I tried to pull myself together, a part of my heart still felt cold.

“Oh my! Paladin!”

My thoughts were suddenly cut off by the lord’s voice. He arrived late and was out of breath.

Iden looked at him.

“My lord, did you say that Serengal is rich?”

Yeongju took a deep breath. They say horseback riding consumes a lot of stamina, but I thought it was a bit harsh.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“Haha, needless to say, it’s rich. Now that the situation has ended like this…”

“There are four children addicted to magic. Please heal them all with holy water. “We will send the goods through the church.”

Of course, the price had to be paid over there. The production of holy water was one of the businesses that supported the religious order.

His expression hardened a little. This is because they ended up spending a lot of money to heal some commoners.

The lord laughed as if he were troubled.

“Haha, about that part…”

“I want to return with a good impression of Serengal.”

The lord was about to say something, but closed his mouth. Then he became depressed, as if he had resigned himself to it.

“······All right.”

*

Rumors about the paladin who defeated Marticoras spread widely.

At a time when the bishop’s apostasy was still a hot topic, the Holy Empire was once again shaken.

Saint Uriel also could not hide her embarrassment when she heard the news about Aiden.

I recalled a brief conversation I had with Aiden at the investiture ceremony a few weeks ago.

‘Will you always be faithful?’

‘no.’

‘Would you take the lead in destroying evil for God?’

‘no.’

‘Will you always be devoted to God?’

‘no.’

It was something I could never understand. A faithless paladin refuses to destroy evil ‘for God’ and does not dedicate himself to God by wielding the power he received from God.

It was a contradiction. As far as Uriel knew, divine power was a power that came from faith. Therefore, there was no way to respond unless you dedicated your life to God.

Saint, saint, paladin, priest, holy wizard…etc.

Most people who deal with divine power achieve divinity by praying to God.

But what about Iden? Although he had no religious beliefs, he possessed tremendous divine power. Not only that, he achieved numerous achievements and made a name for himself in the empire.

Definitely.

‘Will you always spread God’s teachings?’

‘Yes, I will.’

A person who denies God spreads God’s teachings. How absurd is this?

Everything is true. If such a being really existed, Uriel had no idea how to interpret it.

······However, she was forcibly ruling out the one possibility that suddenly crossed her mind.