Chapter 64: Deserters (3) |
The green flames that had been shot into the air turned into rain before they started their descent below.
The soldiers from both sides gazed up at the spectacle in a daze.
“Did the leader fire something?”
“……?”
The bandits were equally taken aback. This was something that had not been agreed upon.
Yet their response was swift.
“Raise your shields, you fools!”
True to their reputation as veteran former soldiers, they promptly lifted their shields towards the sky.
The caravan soldier also mimicked the action.
The next moment, the leisurely falling green flames engulfed the soldiers in the middle.
Soldiers from both sides clenched their shields tightly. However…
“Huh?”
The flames made contact with the shields.
And the shields melted away smoothly as if they were butter in a pot.
Then after devouring the shields, the flames swiftly engulfed the people underneath.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Uh, uuuuugh.”
The soldiers’ skin melted away even faster than the shields. It wasn’t merely about the heat.
There was a malevolent force within those flames.
The soldiers flailed in horrendous pain and started instinctively running towards their comrades.
“Sa-Save me, please!”
“Stay still; I’ll put out the fire… Uh!”
But as soon as the flames touched those attempting to help, they too were quickly consumed by fire.
Priests attempted to heal with their miracles but to no avail.
“Save… me.”
“Don’t come any closer! Stay back!”
Realizing the highly contagious nature of the fire, the soldiers were forced to wield their weapons against their own comrades to prevent the inflamed from approaching.
It was utter chaos.
People were burning, and comrades were turning against each other.
Esther murmured in dismay at the horrific scene unfolding before her.
“What in the world is this…?”
“That flame. It contains the power of a demon.”
Dale who had approached her side spoke calmly. His composure helped Esther to steady herself as she asked,
“The power of a demon?”
“Among all the flames I know, only demonic fire is this contagious.”
“Then, the cannon that this Lapin fellow wields…”
“It must be the weapon of a demon.”
There had been rumors of demon worshippers spreading their influence in the vicinity recently. Could they be related to this?
The course of action was clear.
They needed to kill Lapin and destroy the cannon as soon as possible.
The longer they waited, the more uncontrollable the damage would become.
Dale was not the only one with this idea.
Gabriel felt the same.
He was outraged to see the soldiers he had personally trained melting away.
“These abominable bastards!”
Gabriel who had increased the magic power in his body charged towards Lapin. The latter was positioned right at the heart of the enemy lines.
Bandits hastily moved to block Gabriel’s path, but stopping the fiercely charging knight proved to be a difficult task.
Above all, the bandits themselves were taken aback by the horrifying devastation their leader had just caused.
Gabriel began to make his way through the bandits alone.
It was a reckless act, even for a knight.
Seeing this, Dale also sprang into action.
If their goal to kill Lapin aligned, it made sense to act together.
Dale penetrated the bandits’ ranks from the opposite side of Gabriel.
As the dark knight approached them, the bandits snapped to their senses.
Regardless of their leader’s actions, their immediate priority was defense.
“Block them!”
The bandits confronted Dale.
This was different from any previous encounter he had.
These were seasoned soldiers, experienced and skilled.
They maintained their formation well, cooperated with each other, and each individual was exceptionally strong.
Most of them must be at least grade 3, though I’m not sure about their class.
Under normal circumstances, it would be wise to engage in a carefully measured battle over time.
However, time was not on their side. They couldn’t afford to give the cannon another chance to unleash its flames.
Dale boldly made his way through the bandits.
And as if they had been waiting for him, weapons flew in from all directions towards Dale.
The blows were forceful, leaving marks even on his sturdy armor.
Dale paid it no mind.
Ignoring the others, he thrust his sword into the closest bandit.
“Gaghh.”
The bandit gasped as the blade pierced his heart. Dale twisted the sword.
With a blood-curdling scream, the bandit’s head drooped.
Dale then drove his gauntlet into the bandit’s dead body.
His life force was absorbed through his arm before it repaired the dented armor back to its original state.
It was a brutish and unsophisticated way of fighting, typical of a half-undead.
Yet it was also among the most menacing.
“What kind of monster is this…”
“Does anyone have holy water?!”
“I, I do… Ugh!”
One of the bandits attempted to extract holy water from his bag. But Dale swiftly drew a dagger and hurled it at the bandit.
Bang!
The dagger pierced both the bandit’s hand and the glass containing the holy water.
The bandit Clutched his wounded hand and screamed in agony.
The other bandits were taken aback by the scene.
This one is as battle-hardened as we are.
Better not to engage with such a foe if one wishes to live longer…
Dale observed the bandits for a moment and flicked his finger before he taunted them.
“Come on, hurry up. We don’t have all day.”
“…….”
After exchanging glances with each other, the bandits let out a collective battle cry and charged towards Dale.
***
Gabriel clenched his teeth.
He thought to himself as he skillfully cut down the bandits.
I must make a significant contribution. It’s essential that I capture their leader.
Gabriel had once been a knight in a renowned nation.
An ordinary knight who was respected in his own way and lived a leisurely life.
However, his homeland was devastated by demons, and his family was obliterated.
In search of a way to survive, Gabriel had no choice but to come to Irene.
Upon his arrival in the city, Gabriel had naturally assumed that he would be admitted into the higher echelons of society.
He even harbored the vain hope that his skills might earn him a place in the imperial knight order.
But reality was cruel.
He was an ambiguous knight in many ways.
He was neither a noble nor did he possess outstanding abilities.
He was simply a man who, by good fortune, had been born into a knightly family and had received the necessary training to become a knight. A rather ordinary man.
The upper echelons deemed him useless and denied him entry. Gabriel was left feeling desperate.
Yet, he had no time to wallow in despair.
He needed to find a means to sustain himself.
Though his options were limited.
Becoming a mercenary seemed like the most fitting choice. The combat skills Gabriel had honed as a knight could certainly be of use in that line of work.
If he calmly built up his achievements and rose up in badges, he could potentially move up to the higher echelons in no time.
But he was a knight.
He had his pride. Even if he had to starve, he didn’t want to do menial mercenary work.
Thus, Gabriel wandered aimlessly while suffering through the cold and hunger.
Like other struggling knights, he might have even turned to banditry.
However, Gabriel’s fate changed when he met Rebecca by chance.
Rebecca recognized his skills and hired him for a substantial sum.
But he wasn’t pleased.
To work under a merchant with little to no honor, and Rebecca of all people who came from a humble background as an orphan?
Such a situation would have been unimaginable to him in the past.
Still, the pay was good, so Gabriel decided to endure it.
Rebecca also respected Gabriel, and gradually, his life stabilized.
But then, an uninvited guest came into his life.
That heretic!
Recently, the dark knight Dale had been gaining considerable attention in the city. Dale’s achievements were frequently discussed among the people.
However, he believed the rumors about Dale were exaggerated.
Lucky fellow.
Yes, it was all just good luck.
The man named Kristen whom Dale had defeated in a duel was, in reality, nothing special, and the rest of Dale’s successes were merely the result of good luck.
If believed had been in Dale’s place, nothing would have been different…. Or so he believed.
Yet, Rebecca had hired this man who was merely lucky and she even treated him favorably.
Gabriel felt a sense of crisis.
This feeling intensified when he fell into a trap set by the bandits, losing both his horse and his men.
Gabriel was no fool.
He could tell that Rebecca’s gaze on him had become colder than before.
He was also aware that his subordinates were talking more about the dark knight than about him.
Driven by this urgency, Gabriel knew he had to distinguish himself this time.
Gabriel had to restore his tarnished honor by defeating Lapin.
With this resolve, he cut down the bandits one by one.
And then, at last, Lapin came into view.
“You despicable thief, I will tear you limb from limb! I, Gabriel of Lepanto, have come to bring you to justice!”
“Hmm?”
Lapin turned his head at the thunderous roar.
Even then, Lapin was enchanted by the horrors he had wrought and the beauty emanating from the cannon in his hand.
Gabriel who saw this as an opportunity immediately kicked the ground.
Lapin stared blankly at that and then suddenly pointed the cannon at Gabriel.
A green flame began to flicker from the mouth of the cannon.
It’s firing!
Gabriel’s eyes widened as he rolled to the side with astonishing reflexes.
He ended up where Lapin’s men were.
Gabriel had thought that even the most vile of bastards would hesitate for a moment before burning his own men.
But he was wrong.
Lapin did not hesitate. The cannon spewed flames once again, not just in a single burst but in rapid succession.
In an instant, the surroundings turned into a sea of fire.
Gabriel was in the midst of it.
“Aaargh!”
The green flames melted Gabriel’s armor. But he was a knight. He did not simply dissolve helplessly like the others.
With a surge of willpower, he charged straight at Lapin.
“Haha! Hahaha!”
Lapin merely reveled in the chaos while continuously firing the cannon’s flames toward Gabriel.
Gabriel gritted his teeth and then advanced step by step.
However, even with magical protection, there were limits to his endurance.
After a few more steps, Gabriel collapsed on the spot.
Though only ten steps away from Lapin, he could not bridge the distance.
But was Gabriel’s effort entirely in vain? That was not the case.
While Lapin was focused on Gabriel, a black magic sword cleaved through the inferno.
“!”
Startled, Lapin immediately turned the cannon’s muzzle away, but it was already too late.
Dale had firmly grasped the relic cannon in his left hand.
In exchange for the life force he collected from the bandits he had slain, he activated the power of the relic gauntlet.
A powerful shockwave erupted.
Booom!
The pressure deformed the cannon’s mouth. The green flames that sought to escape were now swirling inside. And the cannon could not withstand it for long.
Eventually, the cannon exploded before spewing flames all around.
Lapin who was closest to the cannon was engulfed by the flames.
“N-No, nooo!”
Lapin’s scream was not one of pain but of despair.
He was more shocked by the fact that the relic cannon had been destroyed.
“This damned bastard!”
The enraged Lapin charged at Dale, paying no mind to his body being engulfed in flames.
However, with his muscles melting away, Lapin’s movements were severely sluggish.
Dale took out his hand axe and swung it effortlessly.
Thud!
The blade sliced through muscle and cleaved bone. Lapin’s eyes widened and shook violently.
He soon collapsed to the ground.
Perhaps this marked the end of the battle.
I expected more of a challenge, but it was easier than I thought. The surprise attack was effective.
And it was all thanks to a certain reckless knight.
Dale turned his head.
Gabriel was still sitting on the ground. He was charred but alive and he was gritting his teeth.
He muttered words of despair under his breath.
“I, I… Why am I here in such a place? This isn’t right.”
Dale approached Gabriel with his sword drawn.
Even though his eyes were completely burned away, Gabriel could tell who was approaching just by the sound of footsteps.
“…….”
He remained silent.
Dale intended to grant Gabriel a painless end, seeing that the flames had left him beyond the help of even the priests’ healing.
Even though this ill-tempered knight had ordered the shooting of innocent people.
Even though he had caused trouble for his allies through numerous foolish actions.
Dale was prepared to offer mercy in the end.
Holding his sword, Dale said,
“This is a duel, Gabriel. Draw your sword.”
This knight would likely take pride in his knighthood.
Therefore, Dale decided to allow him to die as a knight.
That was Dale’s form of mercy.
However, it seemed his gesture of compassion was not well received.
With his burned eyes wide open, Gabriel gritted his teeth and said,
“You, you heretic…”
Nevertheless, he stood up, gripped his sword, and prepared to charge.
Dale spoke calmly,
“Dale.”
Gabriel did not adhere to the etiquette of a duel. Instead of announcing his name, he launched a surprise attack by stamping on the ground.
Gabriel swung his sword. But Dale calmly read its trajectory.
Ordinary.
Such skills were not enough to survive in this world.
Even more so when you can’t see.
Dale read the sword’s path and precisely struck his opponent’s vital spot.
Gabriel’s movement ceased abruptly before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
Dale planted his bloodied sword into the ground and opened his mouth.
“Speak your last words. I will pass them on. Do you have a family?”
Gabriel clenched his teeth and said,
“Do-Don’t get ahead of yourself. I-If only I was as lucky as you..… !”
Gabriel’s final words were abruptly cut off without being able to complete his sentence.
“Lucky?”
Dale examined Gabriel’s face. It was severely disfigured, making it difficult to read, but Dale could sense an overwhelming sense of unfairness.
What did he mean by his last words?
It was impossible to know. Understanding everyone’s thoughts was not possible.
However, one thing was certain.
Thanks to the mercy Dale had shown, Gabriel had at least died a knight’s death.
And this ill-tempered knight would serve as nourishment for Dale’s growth.
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