1077. Along the Pilgrimage Route
I’m telling you, I have a knack for getting myself out of this.
The saint spoke in a nonchalant tone. It was because she was comfortable being alone, and people kept hovering around her, making her uncomfortable.
“Still, you wouldn’t intend to turn a blind eye to the feelings of those who are worried about you, would you? Just because you are a Highlander doesn’t mean you’re that heartless. You must have ended up here by trying to understand the hearts of those around you, so perhaps that is only natural.”
A neatly dressed old man answered her words.
“I don’t know why you keep trying to pry into other people’s feelings, Grandpa. My grandfather wasn’t like that; he was so taciturn.”
“Quietness is good, indeed. But they say some things never get conveyed unless they are spoken aloud. It’s just an excuse this blind old man makes up because he likes to chatter, though.”
The old man chuckled as he spoke. He was wearing a neat white priestly robe without a single piece of jewelry. Although his legs were dirty up to his calves from walking on the dirt road, he was so overall so tidy that it would be difficult to recognize him as the same person compared to the past.
Keep an eye on your surroundings, do not forget your role, and carry out your mission. Do not forget that this is all there is to this job.
Another female attendant spoke. The two appeared to be quite close. They were uninhibited in their tone and the content of their conversation.
“The chatty, blind old man just said that I’m here because I haven’t forgotten.”
The Saintess answered and took a step. She disliked wearing white shoes stained with dirt or the white priestly robes that symbolized a saint.
Since this conversation should not be spread, the three of them did not speak loudly either. They merely spoke at a volume loud enough for themselves to hear.
The woman who had volunteered as an attendant suddenly nodded to herself, and it was because of the blue crystal earring hanging from her ear.
It was a spell object made by the Border Guard, and she had received some information through it.
The saint’s popularity is higher than ever.
The attendant said.
“why?”
The Saint asked back. It was a relief she had her hood pulled up; her face underneath wore a listless expression. It seemed as though she didn’t particularly like the job itself, regardless of the attire.
Still, what could be done? She had volunteered to do it, and it was already underway.
However, if she had known it would take this long, she would have hesitated a bit.
Still, it was saving lives. It was hard to turn a blind eye. Besides, complaining casually didn’t suit her temperament, so it couldn’t be helped.
“The Holy Knights accompanying us as escort have already been attacked for the sixth time. Lord Overdeer says that trickier monsters are appearing more frequently than before, and that it is dangerous to get any closer to the Mirror Realm.”
“But the Goddess says the path to ascension is over there?”
“Actually, isn’t it a god, not a goddess?”
The old man chimed in at the end. It is sacrilege to speak of a god so carelessly. Although it would likely be uncomfortable for a native of the Holy Nation of Legion to hear, the old man readily chimed in.
After all, the male god referred to here was Crys.
“The people who originally said they would come must have contacted you too, right?”
“Yeah, they did.”
After exchanging a few words, the Saint, the old man, and the female attendant raised their heads.
When had it become like this? The sky was red. Starting from the clouds, a faint reddish hue filled the sky in place of the deep blue.
Seiki, the Saint who had quietly led the life of a Highlander and Ranger at the Border Guard and had volunteered to be the bait for this operation, immediately sensed the danger. It was not because the color of the sky had changed. It was the words of her unique instincts and intuition, honed since childhood.
What’s coming?
She tried to open her mouth to speak, but it would not open. The subtly spreading air of the demonic realm restrained her. Seiki awakened the divinity she had been born with. A faint light flowed from her body, pushing away the ominous air surrounding her.
What’s coming?
Only then did he open his mouth to speak, spreading the light emanating from his body even wider.
In the meantime, a pitch-black mass fell from the reddened sky. It was quite a distance away. Judging by its location, it landed deep within the forest where the group was facing, and as it struck, the ground shook with a loud thud.
“……This is ominous.”
The old man spoke.
After a long silence, suddenly sounds like crunching, popping, cracking, and grinding could be heard. No, the sounds grew louder. It was a sign that a fallen mass was approaching.
With the final pop, a piece of wood snapped cleanly in the middle—large enough for even an adult man to wrap around—soared into the air and fell back down.
Kwaggggg.
The ground shook and dust rose with a rustling sound. “This isn’t even the Demon Realm yet, yet this is an early welcome,”
the Saintess thought as she prepared for battle.
“Phew, if things go wrong, I’m going to die.”
The ranger walking ahead, who had volunteered to act as an attendant and spent months surveying the terrain and planning the party’s route, muttered to herself. Her name was Finn.
She had judged that the enemy would only approach after passing through this forest, but it seemed the enemy had half-mirrorized this side and was charging straight in.
Or perhaps they were just testing the waters?
Finn reserved judgment or decision. Although Kreis had set the stage, it was a human standing on it, so naturally, they should have responded according to the situation; however, right now, her resolve was completely wavering.
“Sister, do not worry. When we die, God will come out to greet us.”
These were the words of the old man, who had been a tattered saint but was now acting like an apostle of God while accompanying a saintess.
These three were the traps and bait thrown by Crys.
To be precise, it was a trap designed to lure out a demon, even while knowing it would be deceived, and a preparation to draw it closer.
However, not everything ended within the predicted and anticipated range. Along with the sky turning red, the tree ahead snapped, and a bull monster with brass horns on its head appeared.
Its body was the size of a house. At least, that is how it appeared to Seiki’s eyes.
It poked its head out from the forest while crouching halfway, yet Seiki
felt no urge to attack it immediately. Of course, it was smaller than any actual mansion, but the sheer size—which required him to crane his neck to see it in its entirety even while crouching—made him feel dizzy the moment he saw it.
Holding a club like a stone log in one hand, he braced himself on the ground and then straightened up; even when he craned his neck, the sheer size could not be taken in at a single glance.
“Wow, I should have trained a bit harder.”
Seiki muttered. He had lived that way because he liked gazing at the stars, hunting, and singing leisurely.
Yet, he did not regret the time that had passed. After all, he had simply lived the life he desired.
For the same reason, he did not regret agreeing to do this work.
He had been told it was a job that suited him quite well, and it sounded that way to him as well.
Helping to save people was exactly what Seiki wanted, too.
Just then, the monster rose up, snorting heavily, and raised a club made of stone high.
Get out.
Seiki spoke, gathering his divinity. But is it really okay to face a monster like this here?
Have things gone awry, or is it going according to plan?
I wouldn’t know.
It was that big-eyed bastard from the Border Guard who orchestrated this.
Just as I steeled myself and tried to shake off the intimidation emanating from the monster, a person with a fluttering red cloak landed right in front of me.
No, they flew in like a swift bird and landed lightly on the ground. Only the sound of the fluttering cloak remained in my ears.
You’re not late, right?
It was a knight, and she was a woman. These were eyes that had been secretly watching them. They were the escorts Crys had prepared in multiple layers, just in case.
It was surprising in itself to use a member of the Order of the Red Cloak Knights—and one who had recently been promoted to knight—as an escort, but given that they were dealing with demons, wasn’t this justified?
All of this was Crys’s calculated move. It was a scheme to offer such a tempting prey, telling the demon to cross the boundary and come near the Demon Realm.
Crys had achieved his goal. Just as he wished, a demon had slyly crossed the boundary line.
However, it did not cross simply. The fellow had also brought out his prepared means and arrived with him.
* * *
Excluding Audin, the core forces of the Mad Knights would go together.
This was Crys’s request.
“Rem, Ragnar, Saxen, Lord Sinar, and even Esther.”
It represents the defection of more than half of the forces represented by a small elite group.
What is the risk of the city being looted in return?
Enkrid asked.
“I don’t think so, but even if that were the case, we should be able to hold out with Audin, Temares, Teresa, Roford, and even Pell.”
Krys coldly observed, judged, and chose everything around him and what would happen.
Strike with our strongest force.
In his view, the best course of action is to eliminate the city’s defenses, sneak in, and quickly eliminate the demons.
Why exclude Audin? Since Audin killed a demon previously, the other side will detect his movements. Even if they don’t, there is no reason to take such a risk. Therefore, the group going now consists of five people, including Enkrid.
Seeing Enki is the purpose and duty of my life.
At this point, Yongin chimed in with a comment.
“And since you belong to the Knights, you will obey the Captain’s orders.”
Crys certainly had a keen perspective on relationships. He knew how Encred treated Yongin. That was why he spoke.
Yongin was like a hidden card. He was a means to clean up any trouble that might arise while fighting demons. If
Esther had stayed, he would have sent Yongin instead. In Crys’s view, those two were the weights balancing the scales.
So, while it would have been fine if Temares left and Esther remained, this was a lineup he had devised anticipating that Esther wouldn’t listen to him.
Right here.
I’m going no matter what.
Recently, it was even a beastman who was crazy enough to want to beat demons to death. Crys thought for a moment but didn’t bother to stop him.
Do as you please.
He offered a few more speculations and stories afterward, but in Encred’s eyes, they were not important. What mattered to him was this:
not hesitating; moving forward once a judgment had been made and a decision had been reached.
Resolving the situation somehow, even if everything became tangled to the limit.
And finally, killing the demon who created that wretched place called the Demon Realm, just like in the dream he had while listening to the song of the Knight of the End.
Encred’s goal was clear. The path he saw was an incredibly vivid, straight highway.
“let’s go.”
Once the decision was made, there was no need to hesitate. Encred led his party straight toward the Demon Realm.
Without telling anyone, they wore hoods pulled up, camped outdoors, and half ran and half walked. No one had a single complaint.
The best way to move stealthily was to run without meeting anyone and doing nothing.
This way.
Saxon ran and walked at the very front. He sensed and dodged every approaching monster, beast, and human presence.
Just as they reached the boundary of the Demon Realm, Saint Seiki—disguised as the bait of Ascension, whom Crys had been preparing for four months—also headed in this direction.
In terms of time, they moved in less than half a day. It was simply
that while Seiki was a little distance from the Demon Realm, Encred and his party were much closer.
Although they were on their way to slay demons, Rem, Sinar, and even Esther felt a strange sense of stability and composure rather than ominousness.
Consequently, throughout the journey, they didn’t talk about swordsmanship or tactics; instead, they seemed like people on a leisurely trip.
“Tomorrow, I’ll mince a whole rabbit and cook it for you. It’s in place of a squirrel, but oh well, it should be fine.”
Rem’s cooking skills were better than expected. Even Ragnar ate in silence. He sprinkled all sorts of herbs, salt, and even spices he would never reveal the identity of, and he also devoured the field rations they had brought.
They moved only enough to warm up and focus on rest, avoiding excessive training. The actual battle was right around the corner. Rather than strenuous training, it was better to steel their mindset and keep Will stable.
Even Encred moved while resting as much as possible, aside from the most basic drills. It was preparation to pour out everything they had when fighting.
And so, after a few days, they reached the boundary of the Demon Realm. The sky was a soft purple, and if they cast their gaze into the distance, a gray sky appeared as if someone had drawn a line. The sky
had been deep blue up to where they had walked, but the shade of the sky varied depending on the region.
It was not long after they had stepped into that purple-sky region, the boundary between the Demon Realm and the human world.
“Husband!”
A person who shouldn’t have been here suddenly burst out of the forest. It was Jiva, a Westerner, still a child, and a girl. She rushed toward Encred and
stabbed him in the stomach with a dagger hidden in her sleeve. Naturally, the blade failed to even scratch the cloak draped over him, but it was still a surprise attack.
