Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 8: Pursuing the Branded Knight (2)
The Black Dogs of Roshka.
As their name suggests, these monstrous hounds first appeared in a territory called Roshka.
In the dark hours of early dawn, two dogs suddenly materialized, wreaking havoc throughout the territory with their ferocious barking.
The villagers watched in terror.
Eventually, the knights and soldiers of the territory who set out to deal with the dogs could hear it – the ominous sound of trumpets echoing from afar.
That night, the territory of Roshka was erased from the map.
***
"Whimper."
One of the black dogs yelped and collapsed as Hamel's sword struck it down.
The other dog, witnessing this, immediately turned and fled.
"Aren't you going to chase after it?"
Seeing the red knight seemingly ready to give chase, Hamel shook his head.
"The black dogs are merely a harbinger of things to come."
"...What in the world is going to happen?"
Hamel wiped the blood off his sword and replied,
"Riteil, the Man-Faced Lion, the King of Beasts, will come here."
"A high-ranking demon?"
Hamel remained silent at the knight's question, his expression grim.
If it were just a high-ranking demon, he wouldn't be this worried.
Hamel swallowed hard and spoke.
"It's a special-grade demon."
The red knight flinched and stumbled backward.
He wasn't the only one.
The soldiers and knights who had been looking at them with worry froze on the spot.
Special-grade.
Those were beings that transcended observable limits.
Throughout the long history of the Order, only a handful of demons were classified as special-grade.
Each individual demon had its own name.
Moreover, cases of successfully defeating a special-grade demon were extremely rare.
An unknown terror, lacking information due to the absence of survivors who encountered them.
An encounter with them only meant death.
The knight with the red ornament fell silent.
Special-grade demons were said to be living calamities, natural disasters.
They couldn't be confronted, only avoided. And if they couldn't be avoided, all that remained was to pray.
But
"Even if it's a special-grade demon..."
The knight tapped the sword at his waist.
It was hard to believe.
Or rather, it was beyond comprehension.
In fact, everyone gathered here had the same expression.
They felt a vague fear but hadn't accepted their impending deaths.
Special-grade demons were rare beings, only encountered in rumors.
He didn't want to ask for help, but the only one here who knew a lot about demons was the exorcist priest in front of him.
After a moment of silence, the knight in red asked.
"Is there no way to defeat it?"
"It's impossible."
But as if to drive a wedge into that faint hope, Hamel declared firmly.
The others were completely unaware.
But Hamel knew their fear all too well.
Special-grade demons were not beings that humans could handle.
To them, humans were nothing more than prey or toys.
'To catch them...'
One paladin order and at least three exorcist priests.
Those were the minimum requirements for defeating a special-grade demon.
The forces here weren't even close to being able to attempt an exorcism.
There was only one possible option.
"We need to perform the ritual of undoing the curse now. If we succeed and can hold out until sunrise..."
Hamel trailed off, unable to continue.
He knew how slim the chances of this plan succeeding were.
There was only one way to survive.
To leave the sacrifice behind and flee now.
That was the only way.
As Hamel was struggling with this decision, Antonio placed his hand on Hamel's stiff shoulder.
Warmth flowed through his fingertips.
Antonio's hand was trembling no less than Hamel's.
But his eyes were unwavering and straight.
It wasn't that he didn't feel fear.
It was the look of someone who had accepted death.
"Please continue, Hamel-nim."
"...If the sun rises, it might retreat."
There was a rumor that Riteil hated sunlight and stayed in deep caves during the day.
Of course, all of this was just an unconfirmed rumor.
There was no way to know if it would simply retreat, leaving the humans in front of it.
But they couldn't just run away.
Hamel had never turned his back on a demon before.
He was simply lost in thought for a moment, thinking about saving Antonio and the others.
"...Can I trust you?"
The red knight's voice was still filled with distrust. Not distrust of the plan, but suspicion of Hamel.
To still be suspicious even in this situation.
What kind of bad history did he have with exorcist priests?
Hamel didn't know his past.
But at least he felt that the knight's desire to save the lord and the territory was genuine.
"This is the best we can do for now."
Hamel and the knight's gazes met in the air.
After a moment, the knight nodded and said to Hamel and Antonio,
"Follow me. I'll take you to the lord."
"..."
Hamel bowed his head in gratitude and followed the knight. A faint light of hope flickered in the pitch-black darkness.
***
An eerie atmosphere hung over the lord's mansion.
The long shadows were ominous, and the faces of the servants were filled with gloom.
In the lord's study, lit only by flickering candles,
"...What is the meaning of this?"
The lord of Lengbaster glared at the knight he had hired and asked. More precisely, his expression hardened as he saw Hamel standing behind the knight.
The red knight bowed deeply and replied,
"I was mistaken. This man seems to be different."
"But you... No, never mind. Then what's going on?"
The lord was exhausted.
The incidents and accidents that had occurred in the past month had aged him by decades.
His mind was foggy, and his body felt heavy. He couldn't figure out what the right choice was.
Feeling indifferent, he looked at the knight and Hamel. Then, Hamel stepped forward and spoke.
"It's a dangerous situation. We need to undo the young lady's curse right now."
"Undo the curse? More importantly, what danger? My daughter?"
Hamel calmly explained to the pale lord,
"No. It's this Lengbaster territory that's in danger."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
The red knight supported the lord, who was staggering as if about to faint.
"My lord, please follow this priest's instructions for now. There's no time."
"...Alright. I understand. Follow me."
The seemingly frail lord's decision was surprisingly swift.
No matter how shaken he was, he was still the lord of this territory.
He led them to a room where a girl was lying, breathing heavily and sweating.
"This is Irene Lengbaster, my daughter. Can she really be cured?"
"We'll find out now."
Hamel approached the girl without hesitation and pulled off the blanket covering her.
One of the maids gasped.
Of course, Hamel didn't pay any attention and focused on his task.
He quickly unbuttoned the girl's top. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she was almost unconscious.
The lord flinched but didn't stop him. Hamel carefully examined the area below her collarbone.
"There it is. The Brand of Sacrifice."
An ornate, beast-shaped mark. The beast within the mark had a black mane and the form of a lion.
"This is strange."
"What is?"
Hamel couldn't answer the knight's question.
The shape of the mark was somehow different from what he remembered.
Similar, yet subtly different, the mark made Hamel frown.
Nothing came to mind at the moment.
"...It's nothing. I must have been mistaken."
With the appearance of the Black Dogs of Roshka, it was certain that Riteil would come.
That was all that mattered now.
"Antonio."
"Yes?"
"Do you know about undoing curses?"
"I've practiced it a few times in curse studies class."
"That's a relief."
Hamel nodded impassively.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"...Huh?"
Antonio blinked as if he had misheard.
Hamel leaned closer and whispered so only he could hear,
"I can't perform blessings or consecrations due to a congenital condition."
"...So those weren’t just nasty rumors?"
"It's true."
Antonio's legs trembled.
If he failed to undo the curse, the plan would fail regardless of whether they could hold out or not.
He had somehow ended up with the most crucial role.
"Recite the incantation. I'll help you."
"Please... I'll do my best."
Antonio placed his hand on the Brand of Sacrifice and began to recite the incantation.
Hamel spread salt on the floor and lit incense.
Then, he dabbed holy oil on the unconscious young lady's earlobes, eyelids, and philtrum in turn, reciting the incantation along with Antonio.
"Ehurshica, god of order and death, please drive away the evil energy from this girl and show your mercy. Batu, god of war who leads the heavenly army..."
Even without spiritual effects, the incantation itself had meaning.
Hamel's words and Antonio's voice overlapped, transforming into a higher prayer.
The room was filled with divine power, so much so that even an ordinary person could feel it.
And at that moment,
Crackle!
The salt on the floor rotted.
The fragrant incense scattered and disappeared with a sudden gust of wind, and a foul stench filled the room.
"Ugh, what is this...?"
The lord staggered.
Rustle!
Swarming maggots, centipedes, earwigs, cockroaches, and all sorts of flying insects.
Insects, seemingly appearing from nowhere, surrounded them.
But that wasn't all.
Something was there.
An intense presence filled the room.
When he sensed that presence, Hamel involuntarily stepped away from the girl and stopped reciting the incantation.
The lord and the knights also turned pale and collapsed on the spot.
Hamel stared blankly at the swarm of insects.
Above the wriggling insects, a single form appeared.
An eye.
A giant eye, oozing maggots and yellow pus.
Meeting that gaze, Hamel's eyes rolled back, and he fell to his knees.
Just as everyone held their breath,
"Yan, father of all gods and our Lord who watches over humanity, please bestow your light and wash away the evil in this place."
A young but devout voice resonated powerfully through the room.
Only one person.
Only Antonio continued the incantation without stopping.
Crackle!
Antonio's arm, reciting the incantation, began to rot black.
Blood flowed from his mouth, and cold sweat dripped incessantly from his forehead.
Simply put, he was dying.
Yet, Antonio didn't stop.
Hamel's eyes widened at the sight.
He bit down on his cheek hard enough to hear a crunching sound.
Blood poured from his lips, and at the same time, his senses returned.
"Keep... going."
Hamel staggered forward and placed his hand on Antonio's back.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Azure flames erupted from Antonio's rotting arm and skin.
Hamel's unique ability, Azure Flame.
An ability to heal wounds and destroy evil at the same time.
Azure flames swirled and bloomed in the room.
How much time had passed?
Antonio had finally recited the entire incantation, the length of a Bible.
At that moment,
A hot energy burst from Antonio's clenched hands.
Hamel saw it.
Golden waves of light.
A dazzling radiance.
Hamel started, his eyelids trembling in disbelief.
"This is... Grand Exorcism?"
The powerful blessing, said to be seen only from bishops, was completed at the fingertips of a young deacon.
Whoosh!
The presence of something vanished as if washed away.
The stench and the insects had disappeared.
A genius.
No, a child loved by heaven and the gods. There was no other way to describe him.
'He's an outstanding child. He expressed his desire to work with you, Hamel. Please keep an eye on him.'
Hamel suddenly recalled the bishop's words.
He understood why the bishop had urged him so earnestly.
"...He's more than just an outstanding child, isn't he?"
Hamel muttered in disbelief.
He had never seen a child with such divine power and talent.
This child wouldn't end up as an ordinary cleric.
He had the potential to reach the top of the Order.
Or even be recorded as a saint.
Thud!
At that moment, Antonio collapsed from exhaustion, and Hamel quickly supported him, saying,
"The curse is undone."
"Ah! Then...?"
The lord hurriedly approached his daughter and brushed her damp hair aside.
The girl, who had been suffering from a high fever just moments ago, was now sleeping peacefully with a relaxed expression.
"Thank you, I will never forget this grace!"
The lord, seemingly forgetting his dignity, bowed and grabbed Hamel's hand.
Hamel shook his head with a slightly tired expression.
Unfortunately, it was too early to rejoice.
"It's not over yet."
"What else is there?"
"That is..."
Just as Hamel was about to continue,
A sound came from afar.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeep!
Like a boiling kettle.
A strange sound, like a flute or a trumpet.
It had arrived.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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