Published at 26th of November 2022 4:39 pm

Volume 11, Chapter 287: Hopeful Encounter

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Garras Gargantia, the commander of the Cathedral Knights, disappeared in the ominous black mist that seemed to eat up the Great Temple of Flimslat.

Even with those two anomalies meshing together, the Cathedral Knights didn’t even thought of the word “collapse”. Even after being forced to retreat, no one had turned their backs.

Some of them watched the fall of their comrades, and wielded the spears that had been imbued with approval magic. It was a magical armament that had been given by God to kill God’s enemies. It had the power to crush all the enemies of God.

Those who wielded such power lost their good and bad intentions, and were regarded as unmistakable persecutors of the enemies of God. That much authority had been bestowed to the Cathedral Knights.

A Cathedral Knight was someone who slaughtered the enemies of God.

It was one of the reasons why they possessed high authority to the point of being violent. Right now, they felt this time was exactly the right time to handle such authority.

At the very least, this dense black mist that looked like mud was not a biblical phenomenon. It was not something God would allow, since it made a person who drank it faint on the spot.

If so, this was the enemy of God. The enemy of God was also their enemy. The black mist was recognized as God’s enemy.

The spearhead of its magical armament pierced through any enemy of God, whatever existed ahead. As if it carried divine protection.

That’s why the black mist, who was originally supposed to dislike divine magic, writhed the moment it touched the spear wielded by the Cathedral Knights.

The situation immediately returned to its original state, but the effect itself was still there.

Helot Stanley, the knight who accompanied the saint, tilted his white-bladed sword while capturing the scene at the edge of his sight. His golden eyes distorted slightly as he swung the sword with both hands, slightly heavier than it used to be.

“…It’s like a curse. I mustn’t be swallowed by this.”

If Helot wielded his own white blade, he could repel the black mist to some extent. With the support of the Cathedral Knights wielding magic, they should be able to endure for a while.

But that was all.

The black mist only swayed slightly, and it didn’t seem to be affected by that much. Then, one after another, the mist came like a big wave that swallowed the Cathedral Knights.

Its weight would eventually take everyone’s legs and strangle their necks.

In that case, there was no meaning in continuing to swing swords and spears at it. There was something else to do now.

The golden right eye swayed. The white blade cut through the space with great speed and slightly bounced off the black mist. But even so, it didn’t disperse everything on the spot. Helot cracked his back teeth.

He took a few steps back while bouncing the white blade.

「Lady Saint, please step back. I can’t withstand it anymore. I’ll secure an escape route. If necessary, Lady Saint should escape alone.」

The saint stood behind Helot. He could feel the saint blinking her eyelids. He didn’t exactly look at her face, but it was a hunch. Even during that time, his eyes were fixed on one spot where the black mist rambled.

Helot’s ears were caressed by a smooth voice that sounded like a song. Despite this precarious situation, Saint Ariene’s voice didn’t seem to show any pessimism.

「I see, but don’t mind me. Whether I retreat or advance that will be God’s guidance. 」

In the midst of those words, Helot realized that the holy maiden’s golden eyes were pointing at the Cathedral Knights in front of them who continued to wield their weapons. What were they supposed to do instead?

For a moment, Helot’s lips closed in order to choose his words.

The Cathedral Knights were people who were always brave and who were always faithful to their duty. If their duty was to ensure the safety of the saint, they would give up their lives as many times as they could, even if they had to spit out both flesh and blood. And without their help, it would not be possible to secure a way out for the saint.

Helot moved his vision while waving his lips. Behind him stood the presence of the black mist, which was ready to strike. A deep sigh leaked from his lips.

「…Vice Commander. With the loss of the commander Garras, we won’t last long in here. I wonder if we should open up a path where the black mist is thin and secure a way out for the Lady Saint. Even if we all become discarded stones…」

Despite saying this, Helot muttered in his heart that these words wouldn’t be accepted that easily, while still putting strength into both hands to hold his sword.

He was not a Cathedral Knight in the first place, but only a companion of Garras Gargantia. He was practically here without any authority or title. There was no way that someone who was a Cathedral Knight would listen to the words of an outsider so easily.

Helot understood that very well. Come to think of it, since he was in the walled city of Garoua Maria, he had witnessed how words were judged to be good or bad depending on his title.

At the time, he accepted it with an absurd judgment that what was accepted was the correct way, and what was not was certainly not correct.

Seeing the Vice Commander reluctant to speak, Helot opened his lips once again.

「Commander Garras has told me these words, “If something happens to me, you must keep the Lady Saint safe”.」

At those words, the Vice Commander moved his fingers for a moment, and then spoke in a heavy voice. Even if he let out a sigh, Helot could see a bitter smile on his lips.

「Then, Lord Helot Stanley, I will have two Cathedral Knights accompany you. Take the Lady Saint with you and secure a path to retreat…I’m sorry that everything turned out like this.」

The Vice Commander narrowed his eyes while apologizing, and pulled out the sword from his scabbard in order to use it as a shield.

Seeing him step forward and turn his back without saying anything, Helot knew that he intended to stay here. Even though he knew that he would be a discarded stone.

A sigh escaped from Helot’s mouth. While changing its appearance to white, it quickly disappeared into the hollow. Looking at the Vice Commander’s appearance, Helot felt that his intentions were seen through.

To say that he had received instructions from Garras Gargantia was, of course, a lie. In the first place, Garras was not a person who passively assumed that something would happen to him.

The Vice Commander probably listened to his words because of the perilous situation.

Helot closed his eyelids for a moment. Then, he opened his eyes wide.

The Cathedral Knights who were told to accompany them pointed to a section of the black mist with their special blades. Helot caught this scene with his right eye.

Of course, the arrival of the black mist could be some kind of trap, or it could be accidental. However, Helot had no time to question the truth. If so, he had no choice but to go.

While holding the white blade, Helot made his legs run while walking in front of the holy maiden. In the meantime, his cheeks distorted.

“…Even so, what would my former self do after speaking such false words?”

Helot knew, perhaps, that his old self would tell him with a straight eye that it was not the right thing to do.

—

There was a place beyond the black mist.

A hall decorated with majestic decorations, worthy of the name of the Great Temple, stood in the distance. It was probably used for ceremonies in the past. One could see things like a white altar and candlesticks, and statues carved out of stone appeared here and there with an eerie atmosphere.

It seemed that the white stones that made up the temple had a faint light. It gave the contradictory feeling that the future could be bright, yet the darkness continued forever.

It was a strange, indescribable place.

The faint glow of the majestic hall made one wonder if this was real, or if it was a scene one saw in a dream.

Helot Stanley stared at the far end of the hall with one eye.

Behind him stood Saint Ariene, and further behind them were the two Cathedral Knights that were advancing step by step with a sense of danger.

No wonder since it was definitely a place to be wary of. After all, that black mist that nearly destroyed the units of the Cathedral Knights in a single breath was not visible now. They made it to this point surprisingly with ease.

It would be fairly easy to call it God’s blessing. It was not like the Cathedral Knights entrusted everything to God.

Were they lured to this place? It was only natural for such thoughts to arise.

Therefore, the steps of the Cathedral Knights were heavy, and their five senses were sharpened everywhere. Their eyes swayed from side to side, turning confusion into suspicion.

But Helot Stanley was different. That dazzling golden eye stared at the shadow sitting on the altar at the end of the hall.

Because it was quiet and still, it melted into the very darkness that surrounded it. The dimness made it difficult to grasp its true identity. At first glance, it looked like an ornate statue.

Helot understood that his own skin was naturally sticking to it. Both fists grabbing the white sword made a sound. More than anyone else, Helot understood that what was in front of him was not just a ritual image.

Helot stepped forward. It was almost as if he didn’t care about the existence behind him anymore. His golden eye just stared at what was in front of him.

His left eye, which had lost its light, let out a writhing sob.

It felt hot. Since that night, even in battles in the arena and in the political sphere, what had not disappeared was now screaming in the depths of his viscera. Helot clearly understood. It felt very, very hot.

His cheeks rippled.

「This sure is a blank invitation, don’t you think so? Wouldn’t it have been better to invite you out on a beautiful moonlit night? 」

The shadow figure suddenly leaked some words as if it was mocking Helot. His behavior and tone of voice hadn’t changed since that night.

Suddenly, Helot remembered what he had said that day.

…I thought that we could’ve been very good comrades if we met under different circumstances.

“That’s right, right now, he and I are enemies. But what is happening?” More than that, Helot felt a strange feeling in his chest, as if he had met a friend for the first time in a long time.

「No, there’s no point in making a pointless detour. Besides, it might seem unexpected, but I came here even without an invitation from you.」

Inside the Great Temple of Flimslat, the shadow’s eyes and the golden gaze naturally overlapped with each other. None of them said a word about why or how.

It was just quiet, but there was a tremendous amount of heat surrounding them.

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