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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 2: Azure Flame (2)
"Where is the child?"
"Who, who are you?"
The village headman, who had rushed over with all his might, saw a terrified couple and Hamel.
The mother and her husband were standing in front of their old farmhouse.
Hamel opened his robe to reveal his priestly garments.
"I'm from the Order."
Only then did the man's eyes widen in recognition.
"Th-that is... When we came to our senses, she was already gone! And... Come to think of it, the window of the locked car... I think it was open..."
"I understand."
Hamel nodded and headed towards the window.
At that moment, the woman, who had been crying as if she were about to faint, spoke.
"The old tree... It's definitely talking about our child... Please."
"..."
Hamel hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.
The village headman reached out to him, instinctively trying to offer an explanation, but Hamel shook his head, stopping him.
"I'll hear it later."
As if to say that wasn't important right now.
With a practiced motion, Hamel took out holy water from his waist and dabbed it on his eyes.
Then, as if he had discovered something, he started running towards the forest on the outskirts of the village.
"Did you find something?"
"Traces of demonic energy."
Demonic energy
As expected, the disappearance was the work of a demon.
The village headman tensed, his hand instinctively going to the sword at his waist.
Ready to draw it at any moment.
How long had they been running through the forest?
‘...How is he so fast?’
The village headman was falling further and further behind Hamel, his breath catching in his throat.
He was reaching his limit.
Whoosh!
A flash of light erupted from Hamel's fingertips, and something flew towards the bushes at high speed.
Crack!
A sound like dry firewood snapping followed.
But the village headman, with his mercenary experience, knew.
That was the sound of bones breaking.
"What in the world..."
The village headman hurried over to where Hamel had stopped.
Hamel was looking around as if searching for something. Below him, the headman saw a blood-soaked green lump of flesh.
It was a monster with red horns sprouting from its head, protruding fangs, and cat-like pupils that glowed yellow, taking up almost half its face.
However, the cerebrospinal fluid flowing from the dagger embedded in its forehead was quickly extinguishing that light.
'That was lodged in its skull?'
The village headman was horrified, realizing only then that what Hamel had thrown was a dagger no bigger than the span of his hand.
Whether human or monster, the skull is harder than most wood or stone.
The village headman had met many people during his time as a mercenary, but those capable of such a feat were few and far between.
After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and asked,
"Is this the one?"
"A Redcap, It enjoys stealing newborn babies and tormenting humans."
"Why would it... No, never mind. So, is it over?"
The village headman asked with a sigh, his brow furrowed.
Hamel placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"No."
His gaze swept the surroundings, still searching for something.
"I don't see the child."
"What? A baby that can't even roll over on its own, where would it go?"
"Well..."
Hamel faltered, trailing off mid-sentence.
Something fell between the trees with a plop plop sound.
A lukewarm liquid, unlike rainwater.
"?"
The village headman tilted his head, puzzled.
Hamel, on the other hand, gritted his teeth.
This was no rain.
Despite the darkness of the forest, Hamel could easily discern what it was, thanks to the holy water he had applied to his eyes.
A sticky red...
He didn't want to look up, but he had no choice.
Clenching his jaw, Hamel raised his head.
"I guess that means there's another demon."
Hee hee hee!
There, grinning down at him, was another monster.
Red bits of flesh were stuck between its teeth.
Following Hamel's gaze, the village headman also looked up.
His eyes met a pale monster grinning in the darkness.
With long black hair, snow-white skin, and full breasts, it vaguely resembled a woman at first glance. However, its grotesquely long arms and dog-like elongated head were far from human.
The chilling sight made the village headman involuntarily stumble back.
"What in the world is that?"
Hamel ground his teeth.
"The White Lady. That's its name."
Hamel, who had been stoic until now, was consumed by rage. But the village headman didn't notice.
He had heard the name that came from Hamel's lips before.
During his mercenary days, there was an incident where an entire mercenary party he knew from the guild was wiped out.
It was a mission to exterminate a magical beast, not even a demon, but they never returned from the forest.
After a few more sacrifices, it became known that there was a white demon in the forest, and the Order urgently dispatched priests to eliminate it.
Upon returning to the guild, the priests revealed the identity of the creature.
A mid-rank demon.
The 'White Lady'.
"The White Lady...? A mid-rank demon?"
The village headman muttered, his voice trembling.
Hamel simply nodded in response.
"..."
The village headman's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
‘It's over.’
There's no way he could survive this.
The mercenary party that had been wiped out were all seasoned veterans.
In contrast, all that was here was himself, retired and rusty.
'The only difference between them and me...'
The village headman looked at Hamel with despairing eyes.
The boy inside the robe was barely a youth.
Even a full priest, let alone a deacon, would struggle against a mid-rank demon; this boy wouldn't be of any help.
This was hopeless.
It might be better to take his own life.
Just then, a small piece of cloth fluttering on the tree where the white monster hung caught his eye.
Barely larger than his palm, it was clearly a piece of clothing.
"...Damn it."
A curse slipped out involuntarily.
Strength returned to his legs.
Staggering to his feet, the village headman drew the sword from his waist.
For some reason, the boy, Hamel, looked at him with a strange expression.
He noticed the look but now he had a favor to ask.
"P-please, run away now. You must call for reinforcements from the Order and... and protect the village."
He wanted to sound brave, but he stuttered a little.
It was a shame, but it didn't matter.
As long as he could protect the village, nothing else mattered.
'This is the only way.'
If his sacrifice could allow this theological student, Hamel, to escape...
Then he could prevent further casualties.
Hamel gazed intently at the determined village headman for a moment.
Then, he slowly stepped forward.
"What are you doing!"
To the village headman's urgent cry, Hamel replied simply.
"It's alright."
"Alright? That thing is..."
The village headman suddenly realized that Hamel wasn't trembling.
The next moment, the White Lady started to move.
Kyahahahaha!
It moved swiftly, its black hair fluttering, from tree to tree.
It was so fast that only a whitish form could be seen.
Laughing incessantly as if something was incredibly amusing.
The sound echoed from all directions.
Just as fear froze the village headman's body,
A long arm shot out from the darkness.
He hadn't noticed it from atop the tree, but the arm was far longer and larger than he had anticipated.
He knew instinctively.
If that arm hit him, his body would be torn apart.
Images of the mercenaries who had died at the hands of that monster flashed through his mind.
All of them were torn to shreds, like scraps of cloth chewed and gnawed.
'Is this how I die?'
As despair and fear washed over him, something flashed outside his vision.
Clang!
A clear metallic sound rang out, and the patterns engraved on the sword emitted a faint light from between the dark shadows of the trees.
Slice!
With the sound of cutting, red blood splattered.
Keeek!
The White Lady let out a sharp shriek and leaped back.
Her pale, slender wrist was deeply torn.
"...What is this?"
The village headman could only mumble in disbelief.
Regardless, Hamel simply clenched and unclenched the hand holding his sword.
"Did you take it?"
He muttered softly and slowly advanced towards the White Lady.
The White Lady looked at her wound in disbelief, then, seemingly enraged, she lashed out at Hamel with her elongated arm like a whip.
But again, her arm didn't reach him.
With a twist of his body, Hamel dodged the invisible attack with ease and closed in on her.
And then, in the next moment,
Slice!
A louder and clearer cutting sound than before echoed through the forest.
Kyaaaaaack!
Blood gushed like a fountain from the long gash that ran from the White Lady's shoulder to her chest.
Despite this, she was still moving. Perhaps sensing danger, she quickly leaped into the trees.
"Whoa!"
The village headman involuntarily shouted, gesturing towards the monster.
Was it trying to escape?
The relief of survival was short-lived.
The headman fidgeted, wondering if this wasn't their only chance to defeat the creature.
Just then, something caught his eye as he followed the monster's form. He immediately let out a scream.
"Th-there's the baby, over there!"
At the top of the tree where the White Lady had jumped.
Between the branches, he saw the newborn baby.
"...Wahhh..."
The baby gurgled as if awakened by the commotion.
It was undoubtedly the child who had disappeared from the village today.
'It was alive?'
The village headman felt joy and despair at the same time.
Because rescuing the baby was impossible.
Certainly, the boy Hamel's skills were far beyond his expectations.
No, frankly, he was impressed.
During his long mercenary career, he had rarely seen anyone with such skill.
But that was limited to swordsmanship.
Chasing after that monster, which had already climbed more than halfway up the tree, was a different story altogether.
As if aware of this fact, the White Lady leisurely climbed up the tree.
If that monster took the baby hostage, even the boy wouldn't be able to easily attack it.
Her grinning face clearly showed that intention.
Eek!
The village headman desperately tried to throw his sword to stop her.
But at that moment.
A cold yet sacred...
A firm yet compassionate, somehow inhuman voice came from behind him.
"Oh righteous fire of Ehurshica, that purifies iniquity, burn your enemy."
A prayer repeated hundreds, thousands of times, now more natural than breathing.
The moment Hamel made the sign of the cross and clasped his hands together,
Oh oh oh oh oh!
The panicked shriek of the White Lady echoed through the forest.
Blue flames bloomed from her wounds.
In the blink of an eye, the flames completely engulfed her body, burning fiercely.
The death throes of a beast burning to death are always horrifying.
In that, demons are no different from humans.
Trembling, the monster reached for the child in front of her.
It was the last struggle she could manage.
Thud!
The azure-flaming body fell from the tree and lay still.
The fire burned quietly.
It didn't spread to the surroundings, but silently erased the demon's body from this world.
After a long silence, the village headman muttered in a daze,
"Azure flames... I heard about it during my mercenary days. The priest who was ordained the youngest exorcist."
"..."
"The Priest of Azure Flame, that was you."
The village headman looked at Hamel with trembling eyes.
His eyes held relief, admiration, and fear.
Hamel didn't answer.
He approached the tree, and in the blink of an eye, leaped to the top.
He took off his robe and carefully wrapped the child in it.
The rain had stopped.
Under the clear sky, countless stars showered down on the priest's head.
As expected, the priest without his robe was a young boy.
The boy's silver hair, bathed in starlight, shone brilliantly.
For some reason, the sight brought a lump to the village headman's throat.
It was like a scene from the hero stories he had heard as a child.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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