Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 10 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Rescue

“The one who shall slay the wretched fallen knight.” I’d heard the name of the man who’d made this declaration before—Travis Mortimer. If I remembered right, Iino had met him in the trade city Serrata. His appearance matched her description, so he was definitely the same man. Furthermore, Shiran had previously told me about the Holy Order.

The Holy Order was composed entirely of knights of blessed blood. Among them were the beloveds of blessed blood, those who’d partially inherited the past saviors’ powers. Travis of the Holy Gaze was one of them, and when I saw how strong the curse he used on Gerbera was, I knew for sure that this was the Holy Gaze Shiran had told me about.

I was certain of one other thing now too. I’d wondered who exactly could be attacking this village. The Akerian army and knights, beloved by the people as they were, would never attack the citizens they were meant to protect. Foreign forces couldn’t recklessly fan the flames of war either. Moreover, if the Holy Church, which maintained public order across the world, viewed the aggressor as problematic, their Holy Order could bring the aggressor to ruin. However, if the Holy Order themselves were attacking, that would be a problem.

“Those features, the Great White Spider, and a girl with flaxen hair... I see, so you’re Majima Takahiro. What great fortune that the Repulsive Ghoul Shiran and the Wicked Monster Tamer are still traveling together.”

By fending off Gerbera, Travis had bought the time he needed to gather his subordinates, who’d been scattered around the village. Surrounded by nearly fifty knights, he continued to speak, his voice getting louder.

“Did you think you could run away forever? If so, I must disappoint you. These filthy knife-ears pretended not to know, but there’s no way they could deceive my eyes.”

The reason the Holy Order had attacked this village was because they were looking to kill Shiran and had suspected that her relatives were sheltering her. His proud declaration completely missed the mark, though.

“You’re insane...” I groaned.

I’d been too lax about the situation. I never thought hatred and animosity for a monster tamer and a ghoul could be so deeply rooted that it would cloud one’s vision like this. But as I continued to assess things, Travis’s faint smile came into focus, and I instinctively knew that wasn’t the case. This wasn’t a tragedy born of hatred and animosity. There was no such emotion in Travis’s demeanor.

“We glorious knights of the Fourth Company shall be taking your heads,” Travis shouted loudly.

He had a sonorous, singsong voice that matched his outward appearance. He almost looked like an actor standing atop the stage. He labeled Shiran as the Repulsive Ghoul and me as the Wicked Monster Tamer, and bragged about how he would be the one to slay us. Everything in Travis’s tone spoke of his righteous cause and his contempt for us, but there was no hatred or animosity. All I could feel was calculated malice. As proof of that, Travis was totally composed as he announced his decision.

“Although...going at it here would put me at a slight disadvantage,” he said, lowering his sword.

“What? We’re not having at it?” asked one of the knights who’d led some of the scattered knights here, a sharp look in his eyes.

“No, Edgar. We will fall back for now.”

“Oh, come on. We finally found our goddamn prey.”

The man named Edgar pointed his chin my way. He had a foul tongue, and he was acting belligerent, yet I couldn’t sense any hatred or anger from him either. The other knights were all the same, but in this case, that actually made them more terrifying. In other words, a hatred for monsters hadn’t driven this rampage; the violence of pure malice had trampled the village.

I suddenly recalled the time I’d spent with the Alliance Knights. I remembered what the commander had told me one evening in a reclamation village. Even among the knights, whose duty it was to wield their swords for the ideals of justice and the salvation of the weak, some were desperate for fame, some were depraved, and some were simply bloodthirsty for battle. Now I understood. It described the men before me.

“I won’t tolerate insubordination, Edgar Guivarch,” Travis said with a shake of his head.

“I’ll back down...for now.”

Travis’s tone brooked no argument. Perhaps his cold voice instilled fear in his subordinates. The knights who were eyeing Lily with disgusted looks turned pale. Disregarding whether it was right, fear was a valid form of command. Even Edgar, who looked dissatisfied, obeyed and quickly began retreating. They were fast. I caught only a glimpse of the high standards they had for physical reinforcement through mana.

“You shan’t get away.” Gerbera reflexively tried to pursue them before I could stop her, but they’d expected that.

“Ottmar. Angel Puppets,” Travis said briefly.

“Affirmative,” one of the knights replied flatly, throwing some kind of stone. The moment it hit the ground, light shot up into the air.

“Hrm?!”

Gerbera shouted as twenty naked humans appeared within the light. No, Travis had called them Angel Puppets. They looked human, but they weren’t. None had a single strand of body hair, a smoothness that indicated they were artificial. They had no distinct physical characteristics, so I couldn’t even distinguish them as men or women. Every single one had the exact same face, and each wielded a simple spear.

The Angel Puppets pointed their weapons forward and charged as one.

“Again with the strange tomfoolery!”

Gerbera came to a stop. She was likely thinking about the mysterious attack that Travis had struck her with. Even now, violet patterns ran across her face, highlighting her vigilant expression. Caution forbade her from ignoring these puppets and chasing the knights.

Also, in testament to Travis’s horrible personality, the Angel Puppets’ glass eyes were fixed on Shiran and me. Seeing that Shiran couldn’t move, we had to intercept them. Fortunately, the creepily synchronized charge wasn’t all that fast.

“Lily, magic. Gerbera, cut them off.”

I stayed back as Shiran’s guard while Lily stepped forth and unleashed a preemptive strike with magic. Those that kept charging despite this fell prey to Gerbera’s legs. When struck, the puppets shattered like porcelain, their fragments dissolving in the air.

We’d been on guard, but apparently these puppets were nothing more—well, they were somewhat too special for this turn of phrase—than disposable pawns. Taking advantage of the time it took us to strike them all down, the knights retreated and were now far away.

“Grr... They escaped. Shall we give chase, My Lord?” Gerbera asked, looking like she was about to leap at any moment. “I can manage that lot.”

Even after facing Travis’s Holy Gaze, Gerbera remained stouthearted. We’d been cautious because of the unique attack Travis had displayed from the offset, but it didn’t look like any of the other knights had such powerful abilities. Shiran had defeated four of them, even if it had been a surprise attack, so it was unlikely that many of them were on Travis’s level.

There were about fifty knights. If that was all, Lily and Gerbera could...

For an instant, a ferocious urge to give chase without thinking of the consequences overcame me. I even bewildered myself with these thoughts. Luckily, right before I impulsively charged into action, I managed to get myself under control.

“No. Don’t,” I said.

“Why?” Gerbera asked.

“There are still survivors here.”

“Mrgh.”

Gerbera came to that realization as well as she looked around at the fallen villagers. Some of them were still breathing. Using the mist’s perception magic, I had an accurate count of the number of villagers and the state they were in. Several were sure to die if they didn’t receive treatment. For some, it was already too late. I couldn’t possibly abandon these villagers, who’d been attacked for a crime that didn’t exist. Besides, with Shiran unconscious, someone had to stay with her.

Lily had to treat the villagers, and I had to stay with Shiran. Gerbera was the only one who could take action, but she was still under the effect of Travis’s attack, so it was far too dangerous to let her go on her own. We had to leave them be. I could sense all the knights leaving the Misty Lodge’s effective range.

“They got away...” I mumbled helplessly.

“No, it’s the other way around, Master.”

“Lily?”

“They didn’t get away. We drove them off. I’m sure that means something,” she said, gripping my hand tightly. “So let’s do what we can, okay?”

“You’re right,” I said after a short pause.

It was just as Lily said. By driving away the knights attacking the village, we could now save some of the villagers, even if only a few of them. We’d accomplished something by coming here, so we couldn’t let those lives slip through our grasp.

I fired myself up. “Lily, start treating the wounded. Gerbera, go call the others. I’ll use the mist to keep an eye out in case Travis’s knights come back while we’re rescuing survivors.”

After I gave out my orders, I got to work. I used perception magic to locate survivors and prioritize their treatment. At the same time, I kept a corner of my mind focused on the possibility that the Holy Order had feigned a retreat and would come back. If they did...

For an instant, a vicious impulse rumbled deep in my chest. I recalled the scene of those knights, who were supposed to have sworn to protect the people, pointing their blades at the villagers. My nails dug into my palms; I’d unconsciously balled my hands into tight fists.

“Master?” Lily asked.

“It’s nothing...”

I sighed as if to spit out the heat accumulating in me. Right now, I had to save as many lives as I could. I returned to my work, but I couldn’t get the throbbing pain in my palms to go away.