Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 6: The Road to the Territory (2)
The lord's mansion, located deep within the forest.
Hamel had definitely been to this forest before.
However, the surrounding scenery was completely unfamiliar.
Gone were the lush green leaves.
Gone was the clear, flowing stream.
Gone were the chirping birds.
"...It's desolate."
Antonio muttered with a frown.
Hamel nodded silently in response.
The atmosphere was eerie.
The leaves had fallen, and only the bare branches swayed in the wind.
The soil was dry and cracked, and moldy mushrooms bloomed here and there throughout the forest.
"What kind of demon is responsible for this?"
At Antonio's question, Hamel pondered for a moment before speaking.
"It might not be a demon."
"Huh? That can't be right."
"It's dangerous to assume everything is the work of a demon."
-Someone who only knows one thing is more dangerous than someone who knows nothing at all.
Hamel had keenly felt this saying, though he didn't know who said it, for the past few years.
People tried to connect all problems and fears stemming from ignorance with demons, and as a result, many lost their lives unjustly.
An innocent herbalist might be burned at the stake as a witch, or a sick child might lose their life undergoing an unauthorized exorcism ritual.
Exorcism must begin with confirming the presence of a demon.
"It could just be a pest infestation on the trees."
Only then did Antonio open his eyes wide and nod.
Hamel was relieved to see him like that.
Although he wasn't eloquent and couldn't explain it well, it seemed that Antonio had realized something.
Connecting everything to demons was an attitude that should be avoided above all else as a priest.
Hamel nodded with satisfaction and said,
"But this time, it is the work of a demon."
"...Huh?"
Antonio blinked with a puzzled expression, as if he didn't know what to make of it.
Hamel shrugged.
"Didn't the old man say something about corpses with their bodies cut in two?"
A dying forest and corpses with severed bodies.
Combining the two, a plausible hypothesis emerged.
However, if there was something he didn't understand, it was the existence of the knight that the old man mentioned...
"Priest-nim, look over there!"
Simultaneously with the deacon's cry, a figure appeared from between the trees.
A blood-red cloak and a red helmet ornament that stretched long like horsehair.
Bathed in the crimson sunset, the knight glowed entirely red.
It was undoubtedly the knight from the rumors.
'This is strange.'
Hamel tilted his head, even more puzzled.
If killing people was the goal, there was no need to reveal himself like this.
What was there to gain by threatening people?
He needed to know why the knight was driving people out of the forest.
Hamel cautiously approached the knight and spoke.
"Are you a knight of the Lengbaster family?"
"Get lost."
It seemed he wasn't the type to engage in conversation.
Hamel paused and looked at the knight.
The knight spoke again, his voice as cold as ice.
"If you don't leave, I'll gladly cut you down."
"Calm yourself. I am a priest from the Order."
"...What?"
The knight flinched visibly.
He seemed surprised and bewildered.
He briefly glanced up and down at Hamel and Antonio's attire, then asked in a low voice,
"...You look too young to be a priest."
"I am indeed a fully ordained priest. Here's my exorcist certification..."
As Hamel reached for his badge,
Whoosh!
The knight vanished.
His body moved before Hamel could think.
Clang!
A powerful shock surged through the sword he quickly drew.
Hamel immediately jumped back, deflecting the impact of the sword and creating distance.
Pushed back as if bounced away, Hamel swallowed a groan and looked up.
The knight stood where Hamel had been just moments before.
He glared at Hamel, sword drawn.
The knight's murderous intent from his raised sword prickled Hamel's skin.
"I've been waiting for you."
"...Antonio. Get behind me."
He didn't know what was happening, but the situation had changed abruptly.
Hamel lightly shook his throbbing wrist.
Dealing with a knight was tricky.
Exorcist priests fundamentally focused on defeating demons, not engaging in combat with humans.
Especially for Hamel, it was a terrible matchup.
Depending on the situation, a knight could be far more dangerous than a demon.
As Hamel watched the knight's movements, the knight, instead of attacking, spoke.
"I have a question."
"Speak."
Hamel nodded, and the knight asked through gritted teeth,
"Do you know an exorcist priest who uses two daggers? Brown hair, brown eyes."
The appearance was too common, but the weapons were unique.
He had never heard of an exorcist priest using such distinctive weapons.
Most exorcist priests relied more on their unique abilities than martial skills.
"I don't know."
Hearing Hamel's answer, the knight sighed deeply, as if he had expected it.
"I knew it."
The knight, who had been still for a moment, suddenly raised his head and muttered coldly,
"Then die."
Whoosh!
Once again, the knight's figure blurred, and dirt splattered where he had been standing.
What tremendous leg strength.
The knight, swift as the wind, lunged and swung his sword.
Still, it wasn't so fast that Hamel couldn't see it if he concentrated.
Clang!
Once again, he calmly blocked the knight's sword.
"...!"
The knight faltered for a moment, seemingly surprised that Hamel had blocked his attack. Hamel, with their weapons still crossed, slid his sword forward in a thrust.
However, the knight leaned back and kicked the incoming blade.
Sparks flew as the knight's metal greaves collided with Hamel's sword. His decisive attack was blocked.
They exchanged blows, and the distance between them widened again.
The knight tapped the guard of his sword against his shoulder and said,
"Quite unique, aren't you? An exorcist priest with such swordsmanship. Aren't you going to use your unique ability or blessings?"
"..."
It wasn't that he didn't want to use them, but that he couldn't.
Although the knight probably spoke without knowing, Hamel heard the words he least wanted to hear.
As Hamel adjusted his grip on his sword, he heard the knight chuckle.
"If you don't want to show it, I have no choice. I'll just have to kill you."
An eerie aura flowed from the knight's body.
A strange change in the air that Hamel had witnessed many times before.
"...Aura Blade."
“Hum!”
The sword, coated in blue light, vibrated as if alive. The opponent was no ordinary knight, but a skilled swordsman who had reached the level of a high-ranking knight.
Against such a monster, nothing he did would matter.
"Run, Antonio."
"Huh...?"
Could he even buy some time?
No, he had to.
Wasn't this his first time as a supervisor for the examination?
Just as he was steeling his resolve,
"Quite touching, isn't it? But when did I say I'd let you go..."
Clang clang clang!
The urgent ringing of a bell interrupted the knight's mocking words.
The knight abruptly turned his head towards the source of the bell sound.
He looked back and forth between Hamel and the direction of the bell, seemingly conflicted, then clicked his tongue.
Glaring at Hamel as if to kill him, he said,
"Get lost. If I see you again, I'll kill you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the knight dashed off into the forest at high speed.
"A-are we alive...?"
Antonio collapsed on the spot, his strength leaving him.
Hamel sheathed his sword, approached Antonio, and offered him a hand.
"Get up. We're going after him."
"Huh? I think I misheard..."
"You heard correctly."
Hamel started running in the direction the knight had disappeared.
It was the direction of the lord's mansion.
***
"Gasp... P-please wait, Hamel-nim!"
Antonio said, panting.
Hamel stopped and looked back at him.
Antonio was covered in leaves and dirt, struggling to catch up.
"You need to build up your stamina."
"...I don't think stamina is the issue. How can you climb a mountain without making even a small sound?"
Rustle!
Antonio approached, stepping on dry leaves with an incredulous expression.
Hamel had only one thing to say to that.
"Moving stealthily is a basic skill for an exorcist priest."
"...Are you joking?"
Hamel shrugged in response. What else could he say?
To survive, one had to learn.
Antonio would soon realize this keenly.
"For now, you don't have to hide your sounds, so focus on running."
"But what about that knight?"
Fear flickered across Antonio's face.
It was understandable.
Knowing that the one who had threatened his life just moments ago was somewhere in this forest was terrifying.
That's why Antonio needed to learn more.
Hamel tapped his ear and said,
"Focus on the sounds."
"Sounds?"
Antonio, looking puzzled for a moment, did as he was told, catching his breath and listening intently.
Clang!
From the depths of the forest, a faint roar mixed with the sharp clang of metal reached their ears.
"He's fighting."
Antonio muttered in surprise.
Hamel calmly nodded.
He was half right.
With experience, one could not only tell that someone was fighting, but also roughly guess who was fighting.
A swordsman with exceptional leg strength was battling a non-human being.
It was undoubtedly the knight from earlier.
The knight, who had traversed the forest at high speed, had been confronting something for a while now.
"Always keep your ears open. The level of your response changes just by gathering information and anticipating the situation."
Conceal your own information, but obtain as much information as possible about your opponent.
Exorcism was ultimately a form of combat.
Within that context, quality information became a decisive factor in the outcome of a battle.
"...Understood."
Antonio nodded as if he had realized something from Hamel's words.
It seemed he was learning well.
Just as Hamel was feeling a sense of pride,
"But why are we following that knight?"
Antonio seemed curious about why they were jumping back into danger after barely escaping it.
Hamel glanced at Antonio and replied,
"Because there's a demon where he's headed."
The answer was unexpectedly simple.
Hamel's motivation and purpose were solely to hunt demons.
Of course, his ultimate goal was to catch the demon that killed his mother, but his hatred for other demons was no less intense.
Pests and cancers that were of no help to humanity. That was Hamel's perception of demons.
"Remember the bell that rang earlier. If it rings twice in quick succession like that, it's a signal for the appearance of a demon."
Clear anger and hostility.
Hamel was no longer looking at Antonio.
His eyes gleamed like a madman's, fixed on the direction of the demon.
Antonio unconsciously gulped at Hamel's changed demeanor.
The kind Hamel who fought the knight to protect him.
The crazed Hamel who disregarded his own life, as well as Antonio's, to chase a demon.
They were completely different, yet both were Hamel.
Antonio felt a chill at this duality.
It was as if he had glimpsed the dark side of exorcist priests.
He stopped asking questions and focused on running, while Hamel silently led the way.
With increasingly stealthy movements, Antonio ran through the forest with Hamel.
***
How long had they been running?
A vast clearing and a grand mansion came into view.
Even if it was a small estate, it was still the lord's residence.
The outer wall surrounding the mansion alone was taller than a grown man, resembling a castle wall.
And in front of the mansion,
Clang!
Three knights were engaged in battle against a monster.
"That knight is there too."
Antonio whispered, pointing at the knight with the red cloak and red-ornamented helmet.
Hamel nodded silently instead of replying.
His gaze was directed not at the knight, but at the monster they were fighting.
"You foolish ancient ones."
A malicious voice emerged from the black mist.
'A Djinn, a Contractor.'
As expected.
Though he wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad about it.
Antonio, misinterpreting Hamel's expression, asked worriedly,
"Is it a strong demon?"
"No, it's not so strong as it is tricky."
There were different types of Djinns.
This one, which hadn't even taken the form of a human or animal, would be classified as a mid-rank demon.
Although a mid-rank demon sounded dangerous, it wasn't necessarily so.
That level of Djinn had clear weaknesses and countermeasures, even among mid-rank demons.
The demon rankings were, after all, classifications made by humans who fought them. A demon's rank didn't necessarily indicate its absolute strength.
'If you know the countermeasures, it's not difficult.'
Djinns were tricky and threatening demons to deal with, but their weaknesses were very clear.
Hamel had faced Djinns of this level many times, so if he put his mind to it, he was confident he could subdue it in the blink of an eye.
However, it was different for the knights.
The knights, covered in wounds from repeatedly slashing at the air, were panting heavily.
"Damn it."
The knights' armor was torn to shreds by the razor-sharp wind created by the Djinn.
They gritted their teeth and glared at the Djinn floating in the air.
At that moment,
"You guys fall back. I'll take it down."
The knight in the red cloak stepped forward, imbuing his sword with aura.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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