The moment he heard, “And who are you?” Encrid knocked the man out.
It was quite an intense greeting.
But wasn’t that better than cutting his throat right away? Encrid thought so. As long as he wasn’t dead, it was fine.
If it had been a misunderstanding? Well, then he could apologize later.
So, he didn’t kill him. To Encrid, this was showing mercy.
But then...
‘Hm?’
He was honestly a bit surprised.
Swish!
The guy, who had his head driven into the ground, swung his hammer even while lying down.
He wasn’t knocked out?
Encrid let go of the man’s face and stepped back.
He straightened his half-bent body just in time to avoid the hammer that whooshed past where he had stood. It was swung by the man he’d just knocked down.
“You crazy bastard!”
The man who had been lying on the ground burst out in anger. He seemed genuinely pissed. His face flushed red, and he panted heavily, flaring his nostrils.
“Do you even know who I am?”
He said again.
Encrid wiped the sweat from his brow once and then calmly walked over to stand in front of the injured child, speaking.
“A kidnapper?”
Everyone just stared blankly. It was so absurd.
Alma, who had been watching Encrid’s antics, sprang to his feet.
Watching Alma rise, Encrid quickly realized why the guy wasn’t seriously injured.
A faint glow covered his entire body.
The light itself was absorbing and diffusing the impact. Just as a Knight’s Will manifests differently based on the individual, divinity was expressed in a singular, specialized form.
Divine Power made a person’s body remarkably resilient.
Even so, his head had split and was bleeding.
* * *
Shilma blinked. What on earth was she hearing?
‘A kidnapper?’
Could there be such a misunderstanding? No, it didn’t make sense.
Didn’t he see their priestly robes?
‘But kidnapper?’
Yet, if that’s how it appeared, there was little to argue. He could simply insist.
Shilma sighed as she observed the unfolding scene.
“You there…”
She couldn’t say more.
The man who had rushed in had subdued Crusader Alma in an instant, and he hadn’t even used a weapon.
She saw swords hanging from his waist, three in total—and several throwing knives tucked into his chest.
He probably wasn’t a hand-to-hand combat specialist.
Yet he’d still taken down Alma barehanded.
Shilma lacked the eye to gauge a Knight’s skill, but her instincts roughly sensed his power.
‘Strong enough to toy with Alma.’
Could such a person not recognize priestly robes?
It was a flimsy excuse. But could they argue? What if he just denied it?
Claiming he’d be punished by the Gods for lying would hardly scare anyone but the naive.
If divine punishment were truly real, how could corrupt clergy exist?
“How dare you!”
As Shilma struggled for words, Alma once again shouted in anger.
He could feel the sticky liquid running down the back of his head, which only fueled his rage further.
“Are you trying to interfere with the order’s affairs?”
Alma shouted.
“Do you think I’d believe you’re part of the order? Wicked kidnappers.”
The man replied immediately.
He didn’t even pause for breath in responding to Alma, and Shilma couldn’t help but be impressed by his demeanor.
Look at the way he enunciated “wicked kidnappers” so deliberately.
As if saying, “I’ve defined you as kidnappers, so now you are kidnappers.”
What did his words and tone imply?
He wasn’t going to back down.
This was an unexpected development.
The problem was finding the saintess, not someone obstructing them.
Daring to stand in the way of the order’s business? While the Trading Kingdom spread its influence across the continent through banks, the Holy Kingdom’s influence was felt through temples and monasteries.
Even if the King of Naurillia himself were here, he couldn’t do this.
At least, that’s what Shilma thought.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
If Krang were here, he’d do whatever he wanted.
Alma was angry, but he knew he couldn’t simply overpower his opponent.
The difference in skill was clear. He saw that the man before him was at a Knight’s level.
Shilma took a step forward.
This wasn’t a time for brute force.
“My name is Shilma, priestess representing Abundance and Harvest. Do you need proof of my status?”
“Prepared well, haven’t you? I’m not falling for it.”
The blue-eyed man looked at the child’s injured leg, then casually wiped the sweat off his neck and scratched his nose. His demeanor was utterly relaxed.
“Damn it!”
Seeing this, Alma exploded once more but didn’t charge forward. Shilma continued to scrutinize the man.
His words didn’t match his attitude, which was oddly provocative.
Wasn’t he implying he wouldn’t listen no matter what they said?
“Why are you doing this?”
Shilma couldn’t understand him. Yes, it was a saintess they were after, but it was just one child.
It was strange enough that she and Alma had personally come out for such a task. If the saintess hadn’t shown her remarkable escape skills, none of this would have happened.
Right, blocking them over a single child made no sense.
“The Knight of the Iron Wall!”
Suddenly, Bert shouted.
He’d been lost in thought, and now his exclamation burst forth.
He had connections with the information guild that traded in local news.
‘Black hair? Blue eyes?
An impressive appearance. Even as a man, he was strikingly handsome.
Seeing his insane behavior, his ability to subdue Crusader Alma, it brought one person to mind.
Shilma frowned at Bert’s exclamation.
What on earth was going on?
The Knight of the Iron Wall? She’d heard of him. By now, few on the continent hadn’t heard of Encrid’s renown.
But why would the Knight of the Iron Wall be here?
‘Did the king send him? Why? What’s the purpose?’
Why would they want to interfere with the order’s work?
They wouldn’t.
No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason. So why was he interfering? And even sending the Iron Wall Knight?
“I happened to ‘coincidentally’ discover signs of kidnappers while passing by. As a Knight of Naurillia, I couldn’t ignore it. So release the child quietly and surrender.”
Encrid responded calmly.
The emphasis on coincidence was genuinely irritating.
“Why?”
Shilma asked again, and during this time, Alma, recalling the name, muttered.
“You insane bastard. Truly mad.”
Alma thought the man couldn’t kill him.
If he had intended to kill, he would have aimed for the neck from the start.
So this guy was also cautious of the order, which allowed him to act even more arrogantly.
“Brother!”
During the brief exchange, a giant of a man and a Fairy half his size approached with another shout.
They glanced around.
They’d followed Encrid’s reckless charge. Audin moved close to Encrid, observing the surroundings.
Without anyone explaining, he grasped the situation.
“A kidnapper.”
Encrid said. Sinar picked up on it quickly.
“A kidnapper disguised as a priest?”
“Indeed.”
“I see. Unforgivable. Pretending to be a child of the Gods.”
Their conversation flowed like a comedy skit. Bert recognized one of the new arrivals.
“Audin Plumray?”
They hadn’t crossed paths often, nor were they long-time colleagues, but he knew the name and had conversed with him a few times.
His distinct appearance and moniker were hard to forget.
A child blessed by the God of War, they said.
Bert recognized him. This was a crisis. They were supposed to be seen as kidnappers, not the order, but recognizing Audin’s face practically verified their true identity.
Shilma, Alma, his two disciples, and Bert all stared at Audin.
One word of acknowledgment from him, and it would all be over.
Go ahead, speak. As everyone watched in anticipation, Audin opened his mouth.
“...I don’t know him. Kidnappers are pulling a sly trick. Brother, they need to be punished.”
Audin resisted his usual habit of calling him brother and averted his eyes from Bert.
Bert’s mouth fell open in disbelief, his jaw seemingly refusing to obey.
Feigning ignorance now? With that obvious bulk?
“Hmm.”
Audin cleared his throat in embarrassment, then bent down to tend to the fallen child.
Seiki had observed the situation unfolding around her but couldn’t understand any of it.
Who were these people, and why were they standing in her defense?
They were surely not people her grandfather had sent.
Her grandfather had spent almost his entire life in the mountains and had no friends. Like most Highlanders, he was similar in that way.
Would he step in knowing her danger? She doubted it.
He had always told her to fend for herself.
Now, one of the large men before her, intimidating at first glance, knelt down, casting a large shadow that covered her entirely.
Despite his size, kneeling before her with one knee on the ground, he was strangely unthreatening.
In fact, she felt an odd sense of relief. But did that mean she should trust him immediately? No, that wasn’t the case.
Seiki raised the dagger she held in a reverse grip to her face.
Within the shadowed area, the blade glinted menacingly, reflecting her current wariness.
Am I supposed to trust you? That’s not what this means.
This was what the dagger spoke.
Audin’s eyes fell sadly. Nothing in the world could be more heartbreaking.
Why does the order do such things?
Why must they demand sacrifice from a child like this?
Even if the life-saving blessings created by a saint or holy child could help others, was it truly right?
How could the order be so corrupted?
“I’m sorry.”
Audin said. Seiki had never seen a face so pained and guilt-ridden.
In this moment, rather unexpectedly, Seiki’s abilities bloomed.
She had inherited divine powers enough to be called a saintess, but she didn’t know how to properly use them.
To share this light, she would need to approach others with sympathy and generosity, but she had never been taught such things.
Hadn’t she only learned how to eat, sleep, and survive on her own since she was young?
Just like Highlanders live, she had lived as well.
And now, for the first time in her life, Seiki felt a sense of pity.
What was this man’s crime?
Why did he have such an expression?
Why was he looking at her like that?
The large man continued to gaze at her with the same pained expression.
Seiki felt pity, and her hidden talents blossomed. Yet, as she had always been taught, she pointed the dagger’s blade at him.
“I’ll stab you.”
She knew without question that even if this dagger pierced his heart, he wouldn’t dodge. She didn’t know why, she just knew he wouldn’t.
The two who had helped her escape from the monastery had done so with a reason.
They were merely cleaning up their own messes. Seiki had used their guilty consciences to her advantage.
It had been a calculated move on her part.
But this time was different.
Seiki pushed the dagger toward his heart.
The blade pierced his clothing. Yet, he only showed her a mournful, sorrowful smile.
She could feel the sensation of leather tearing beneath the blade. At this rate, this man would die.
Seiki let go of the dagger. It dropped with a clatter to the ground.
With empty hands, she reached out, stroking the face of the man kneeling before her, the broken-legged saintess’ mouth opening to speak.
“What’s making you so sad that you’re crying?”
Flash!
Simultaneously, a light burst from her hand, enveloping Audin’s cheek.
The soundless light spread like a wildfire over the dry plains.
It was light pouring from Seiki’s entire body.
The meaningless glow soon gathered into a single point, forming a pillar that reached skyward. A column of light pierced the heavens.
It wasn’t just one pillar. They formed in succession, creating ten pillars that circled around Seiki as their center.
Seiki felt the pain in her leg vanish instantly.
At the same time, something filled her entire body before leaving her again.
This left her drained, her entire body void of strength. Her vision began to blur into darkness.
Soon, Seiki lost consciousness, hearing one last shout before everything faded. It was the voice of Shilma, the head priestess of the monastery.
“A divine pillar!”
* * *
Shilma’s eyes widened.
She had never seen a pillar of light so dense or so immense in her entire life as a priestess.
That column of light was quite literally created by molding pure divinity.
Could so much divinity reside in a single person’s body?
Yes. She was witnessing it now.
Reaching to the ends of the sky, and not just one, but seven pillars.
“Remove your hands from the saintess!”
Shilma shouted with fierce intensity.
The talent to bloom divine light into such pillars was no ordinary ability. This was no mere saintess, she was a true child of God sent by the heavens.
Even if it meant dying here, they could not let her go.
Wasn’t her father, the Lord, speaking through the child now, telling her to do her duty?
Shilma had no choice.
“Crusader Alma, listen. We must save this child!”
Shilma felt an overwhelming warmth surge through her body. She was overcome with emotion at the Lord’s direct revelation.
At the same time, a burning sense of mission to save this divine emissary ignited within her.
No matter what, she had to do it!
Shilma vowed to herself once more, determination swelling within her so intensely that blood rushed to her eyes, her vision turning red.
Obviously, a pursuer tracking down a runaway saintess wouldn’t have thought this way.
But to someone consumed by their faith, this was the only reasonable conclusion.
To Shilma, taking this child wasn’t about enslavement or persecution, it was simply fulfilling her duty as an agent of the divine.
And then.
“Must you really do this?”
Audin laid the unconscious child gently down and rose to ask.
His eyes were filled with sadness, though Shilma couldn’t see it.
“The child was destined to be a saintess.”
Shilma’s voice grew louder. She spoke with the conviction of one absolutely sure that what she believed in was right.
The blood vessels in her eyes seemed ready to burst, so red they were.
Fanaticism.
Audin had always looked away from this part of the order. Those who believed the wrong path was righteous.
Those who justified oppressing others as the will of God.
“It’s not too late. Stand down now. Do you intend to become an enemy of the order?”
Shilma said once more.
Indeed. Even in a situation like this, becoming an enemy of the order was unwise.
The order’s power was immense. All it would take was yielding one child.
So they should not stand against them. It was an obvious course. Usually, that was true.
And then there was Encrid.
“If we kill everyone and leave, no one will know.”
His tone was calm and steady, a tempting offer to Audin.
Even as the Apostle of the War God, Audin wouldn’t carelessly kill people, especially not members of the order.
Audin’s ears perked up, almost like a Fairy's.
Encrid’s words were like the whispers of a demon.
He shouldn’t listen, but it was so very sweet.
The image of Phildin seemed to glare at him in disappointment.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔