Chapter 36

Chapter 36 – Patrol

Why were his clothes completely intact? Was it because he had borrowed another holy knight’s uniform, or was it because a demon god simply wasn’t affected by things like this? Several possibilities flickered through Erin’s mind, but none of them mattered right now. What mattered was that she needed to move somewhere else and change clothes as quickly as possible.

“There was nothing suspicious left inside the village?” Erin asked.

“Yes, Commander,” Neo answered promptly. “We can start the external patrol now.”

Erin crossed her arms and glanced pointedly at him. “Neo, I’m covered now, so turn around. How long do you plan on having a conversation with the back of my head?”

Neo laughed awkwardly and turned his body away. “I don’t have eyes in the back of my head, so I honestly wouldn’t know.”

“Anyway,” Erin continued briskly, “I’ll join the patrol after I change. You all start the outer sweep immediately.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After issuing the order, Erin glanced down at the jacket Gabriel had draped over her shoulders and then realized something belatedly.

Ah. I don’t actually need to go back to the quarters.

Using magic, she restored the damaged uniform to its original state. After checking that the fabric was whole again, she tossed the jacket back at Gabriel. It flew straight at his chest, and he fumbled before barely managing to catch it. The dumbfounded look he gave her was, for some reason, amusing.

Erin let out a small snort and jerked her chin toward the village outskirts. “What are you standing around for? Aren’t you patrolling?”

Gabriel stared blankly between Erin and the jacket in his hands, then muttered with a hollow sigh, “…Right. Magic.”

Neo, who had been watching the exchange, tried to hold it in but eventually failed and cleared his throat to stifle a laugh.

“Come to think of it,” Erin said, turning to him, “what group are you assigned to?”

“Oh. It’s Carlisle, me, and a few of the other soldiers.”

“Tell the soldiers you’re switching. You’re coming with me.”

Neo’s face twisted into a dramatic scowl, clearly displeased, while Gabriel’s expression brightened almost imperceptibly.

“Neo,” Erin added dryly, “if you make it that obvious how happy you are, I might feel generous enough to assign you solo endurance training.”

“That’s just enthusiasm,” Neo replied quickly. “Please don’t misunderstand.”

With that, Erin and Neo traded a few light remarks and finished preparing for patrol. Erin took the lead, with Neo and Gabriel following as they began climbing the slope surrounding the village.

They hadn’t gone far when a frantic voice cut through the air.

“Please calm down, Sir Ten! We still don’t know for sure!”

At the sound of a knight pleading, Erin’s group changed direction at once. They soon came upon the scene: Ten had drawn his blade and was pointing it straight at a large-built soldier.

***

Meanwhile, about four kilometers from the village, another patrol was underway. The area wasn’t large, but because of that, the search was painstakingly thorough, to the point that every fallen leaf seemed to demand inspection.

One of the soldiers stretched, his body stiff with fatigue. “Ugh… should I be calling this good luck or not?”

Ten, planting purification stones into the ground, smiled awkwardly. During the entire patrol, they hadn’t encountered a single monster.

“Succubi rank fairly high among monsters,” Ten explained. “Since they made this place their base, lower-grade monsters probably couldn’t come near.”

“Even so,” another soldier muttered, glancing around uneasily, “isn’t it too quiet?”

It was already close to eight in the evening, the time when monsters typically became active. Because of that, one soldier had even gone hunting with another holy knight to secure dinner.

It almost felt unbelievable that undead had run rampant just the night before and isolated the village.

“It’s the quiet that makes me nervous,” the first soldier admitted, shuddering theatrically as he scanned the surroundings.

Ten watched him with mild amazement. How could someone be so restless and playful even now? He spoke in a calming tone.

“It’s better if we return without injuries. As long as the purification stones aren’t destroyed, most monsters won’t come anywhere near here.”

At that, the soldiers let out relieved sighs.

“That’s a relief.”

“We’ve done everything we can. Once the others return, we should head back.”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

One soldier raised his arms in an exaggerated cheer, eyes sparkling. Then, as if something occurred to him, he added, “…Honestly, I still can’t believe all this. I mean, the North or the Central regions, sure, but monsters appearing in the South? That’s unheard of.”

Rubbing his lower back, he leaned against a tree and then stepped closer to Ten. “Holy knights probably prefer assignments in the South, right?”

“Most people think so,” Ten replied, shaking his head, “but it’s actually the opposite.”

Their purpose was to exterminate monsters and protect the Pope and the realm. Guarding priests in a place where nothing happened was considered far from honorable. Skilled holy knights tended to prefer the North, where monsters appeared frequently, while those lacking ability were effectively ‘sent away’ to the South.

“Wow,” the soldier said with a laugh. “You holy knights really work hard, don’t you?”

“Exterminating monsters and protecting His Holiness and the gods is our duty.”

“Learn something new every day,” the soldier said cheerfully.

Then he clapped his hands together. “Oh, right. Do you know the local legend?”

“A legend?” Ten asked, tilting his head. “This is my first time here, so I don’t know much.”

The soldier’s eyes lit up, and he grinned mischievously. “They say the Night Demon’s heart appeared here. Maybe that’s why monsters avoid this place?”

Ten blinked. “The Night Demon’s heart?”

They learned the details of various monsters in great depth, but information about the Night Demon was conspicuously absent from official teachings.

“Is that true?” Ten asked. “The Night Demon has a heart separate from himself?”

“It’s pretty well known in the South,” the soldier replied.

Another soldier joined them, carrying two wild boars. “The Night Demon supposedly split his heart into seven pieces. Want to know how he chose the humans to plant them in?”

“How?” Ten asked, lifting one of the boars with another soldier.

The large-built soldier hoisted the other boar onto his shoulder. “He gathered a hundred orphaned boys and girls at seven different locations. Then he made them kill each other until only one survived.”

“You mean he created gudok using humans?” Ten asked, horrified.

“A very demon god way of thinking,” the soldier said grimly. “That arena in the village?”

Ten grimaced, recalling the structure. If Neo and Gabriel hadn’t arrived first, he might have gone in himself.

“Oh, the place they only purified from the outside…”

“Yeah. We’ve only heard stories, but it’s been infamous for a long time. There’s only one left now, and that one was supposedly the strongest, which is why they couldn’t purify it.”

The large soldier continued, “They say all seven heart fragments were eventually consumed by one person. Supposedly, that person was in that arena. But no one really knows for sure.”

Ten stared back toward the village. “Did anyone ever try going inside?”

“Once,” another soldier replied. “A believer rushed in bravely and just… vanished.”

The thought made Ten shudder. As they silently offered a prayer, the soldier went on.

“So the only option was to keep purifying the outside and seal it off.”

Just as Ten turned to head back, he noticed a massive blaze rising from the village center.

“…Isn’t that the arena?”

“It’s on fire.”

“It really is.”

The soldiers stood frozen, mouths hanging open. The fire consumed only the arena, leaving everything else untouched.

“It looks like the Commander finally burned it down,” one of them said.

“…Commander Erin?” Ten asked.

Their expressions filled with awe and reverence, Ten couldn’t help but puff up with pride. “Our Commander is the strongest of all holy knights.”

“That’s something even our High Priest couldn’t do…”

“Incredible,” someone whispered.

The large-built soldier set down the boar and stared at the flames. After a moment, he hesitated and spoke quietly. “…Actually, the High Priest once said that place could only be destroyed by the one who became the gudok.”

Ten frowned. “What?”

“The curse was just that strong. He meant it was impressive.”

“Oh,” Ten said, relieved. He laughed, clutching his stomach, then paused and scanned the area. “By the way… where’s the holy knight who went hunting with you earlier?”

“Huh?” the soldier replied, confused. “What do you mean? There were only three of us…”

The large soldier noticed the pallor on their faces and stiffened. “Did I say something strange?”

“Cher, what are you talking about?” another snapped. “You went hunting with Sir Bir earlier!”

At that moment, Erin’s words echoed in Ten’s mind.

If purification doesn’t work, eliminate it.

Damn it. If only he’d stopped them from going hunting. Ten conjured a sword of light in midair and pointed it at the large soldier.

“S-Sir Ten! Please calm down! It might not be what you think!”