Chapter 65
EP.65: Saving the Young Lamb (2)
A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes stood before them.
He was clad in the white armor of the White Order and carried a sword by his side.
I am Holy Knight Eric.
He introduced himself with a respectful nod.
His name was Eric, a Holy Knight affiliated with the White Order.
I am tasked with guiding the lost lambs to the presence of the Goddess.
Holy Knight Eric gazed at the surrounding adventurers, a warm smile on his face.
The adventurers, in turn, directed their attention to Eric.
May I lead you all to the benevolent presence of the Great One, if you so desire?
Eric extended his hand first.
At his words, everyone nodded in agreement.
The Great One?
The meaning was quickly accepted.
Perhaps the Great One the Holy Knight spoke of referred to the Goddess. And guiding them to the Goddess meant resolving their current concerns.
Although he circled around the meaning of his words, it was a characteristic of Holy Knights. The adventurers simply nodded, knowing the usual perception of Holy Knights. A stern image, solely loyal to the Order, focusing only on the Goddess.
But the Holy Knight Eric before them was somewhat similar yet different. With a rough expression and a voice carrying dry emotions, Eric extended a helping hand first. His rugged appearance revealed his humane side, prompting the adventurers to gradually ease their guard.
All right! We can go anywhere as long as it leads to the Goddesss place!
The adventurer who rushed to the Holy Knight first spoke.
She stood by Eric, offering her words.
Oh, thats absolutely right. May I ask your name? Nella, Im called Nella. Meeting a Holy Knight here is truly fortunate!
Her name was Nella. An active adventurer and an ardent believer of the Order, she greeted Eric with a wide smile.
Nella a beautiful name you have.
Eric responded with a smile that held an unknown meaning. Then, he looked at the other adventurers and spoke.
Well, lets not linger here. Lets move to another place. Were not far from where my comrades are gathered.
Comrades? Holy Knight Erics words caught everyones attention.
If they were comrades of the Holy Knight, the likelihood of being fellow Holy Knights was very high.
Even if not, they would at least be affiliated with the Order. It was indeed a journey alongside the Order.
Traveling with them meant ensuring their safety to some extent.
Of course, they were currently safe, not encountering a single monster or bandit.
However, the mountain range was by no means an easy place. Even though everything seemed fine now, the situation could change suddenly.
Unfortunate encounters with monsters or losing their lives to a group of bandits could happen anytime in the treacherous mountains.
Meeting a Holy Knight in such unpredictable circumstances was the best stroke of luck. A moment ago, an adventurer who had been grumbling to herself leaned towards Erics words.
All right. We will follow.
The adventurer who quickly agreed to follow the Holy Knight was named Silloin. He harbored different thoughts inwardly.
Its probably better than staying here.
The group he was currently with was mostly indecisive. Moreover, there was no guide like Nariel who could find traces here.
The original purpose of tracing footsteps had already lost its meaning.
In this situation, receiving the Holy Knights favor was one of the better choices. After all, the task was to scout the overall situation and trends in the mountain range.
In a broader sense, their current actions could be considered within the scope of the task.
More than that, theres something else.
Silloin was curious about why the Holy Knights were in the mountain range. If they could uncover this fact, it would be a significant gain.
Suddenly, one possibility crossed his mind. The one who gave them the task was a noble from the Sael Kingdom. And the White Order was supposed to visit the Sael Kingdom.
A noble from Sael Kingdom sent the request. But was it a coincidence to meet the Holy Knights in the mountain range, the location of the request?
Silloin thought there must be some connection between the two. With this thought, Silloin immediately followed Eric.
As one by one, others naturally started following the Holy Knight, the entire group trailed behind him closely. It resembled the image of fledglings following their mother bird.
It was evidence of how much they trusted the Order. Silloin couldnt help but ask.
By the way, why are you, Sir Holy Knight, here? Whats happening?
Walking beside him, Nella addressed Holy Knight Eric. After a moment of silence, Eric turned his head towards Nella.
There are those who dare to challenge the Great One. Oh, dont worry. Everything will be resolved soon.
Challenging the great presence undoubtedly meant dealing with wicked heretics. With such incidents, Holy Knights were sure to be dispatched.
Nella agreed with Erics words. The conversation was brief, and the procession resumed.
The adventurers walked alongside Eric for a long time, or not so long, as they had suddenly arrived at the entrance of an unfamiliar cave.
Here, my comrades are waiting.
Eric, indicating that his comrades were inside the cave, gestured for everyone to enter.
Its really a cleverly hidden place. remarked one of the adventurers while looking at the cave.
As he said, the caves location was subtly concealed by trees and vines. If it were a regular day, they might have missed it while passing by.
Silloin also gazed at the cave. Even while looking at it, he felt a slight uneasiness.
Are there really other Holy Knights inside?
For some reason, he couldnt shake off the strange feeling. Above all, was it safe to enter?
He discreetly took out an artifact from his pocket, an item commonly used among adventurers to determine whether a location was a dungeon or not.
Its not a dungeon.
Luckily, the cave didnt exhibit any signs of being a dungeon.
Since there was no energy detected from the start, it was safe to consider it a regular cave.
Silloin, after confirming this, followed the other adventurers into the cave. The dungeon inside was eerie. Though not a single breeze passed through, it emanated a chilling atmosphere.
Only the intermittent sound of dripping water from the ceiling resonated in their ears.
Quiet silence. And a chilling space. Together, they created an illusion of forming a single abyss. Everyone gazed at Erics back with such thoughts.
Eric remained silent, merely walking without uttering a word. Then, three paths appeared. Holy Knight Eric still said nothing.
Just like before, he walked ahead.
Despite the appearance of three paths, he chose the leftmost, the first path.
Others followed Eric without any doubt.
As they entered the first path, the eerie aura increased more than before.
It was so chilling that it sent shivers down their spines.
Um Sir Holy Knight?
Something felt off. Nella, who had been right behind Eric, spoke up.
Are there really comrades here?
It might be an unfounded feeling, but Silloin had a strong intuition that there wouldnt be other Holy Knights here. And that intuition seemed to sound a warning of danger in his mind.
Despite Nellas question, Eric didnt stop. He just continued walking forward. However, at that moment, something unusual happened.
Hehehehehe!
Nella suddenly burst into insane laughter. She brought both hands to her head and continued laughing.
Hehehe!
She laughed again, and then with a sudden force in the hands holding her head, a cracking sound echoed.
Despite her head twisting in a bizarre direction, Nella continued to wear a smile on her face.
Damn it!
Silloin, who was at the back of the procession, spat out curses and drew his sword.
At this point, it was becoming unavoidably apparent that something had gone terribly wrong.
Starting with Silloins action, adventurers also halted in their tracks. And they all drew their swords.
However, the swords lost their direction.
In the first place, they didnt know where they should be heading.
Haha!
Adventurers, now laughing similarly to the deceased Nella, increased one by one.
The sight of everyone laughing in the same way was so peculiar that it was both discomforting and eerie.
Adventurers, laughing maniacally, raised their swords.
The direction of the swords was two ways, either their own necks or the necks of those in front of them.
Once the direction of the swords was determined, merciless swinging began.
The air was filled with the scent of thick blood.
The laughter filled with ecstasy echoed, reverberating like an eerie chorus.
The crimson liquid of the swinging blades scattered into the air.
W-What is this!
Silloin was horrified by the unfolding situation before his eyes. If there was any consolation, it was that not everyone seemed to have lost their minds.
Just looking at himself, everything seemed normal. However, the problem was that the others were swinging their swords randomly.
But even a moment of hesitation resulted in a completely different outcome.
Someones sword pierced Silloins neck, and blood began to spurt out.
Silloins vision was gradually dyed red. Just before his eyes closed.
Sa Save me!
Please!
It was truly a scene of chaos.
Silloins body collapsed to the ground, and the bodies of other adventurers followed suit.
Ultimately, only seven adventurers remained, but none of them were in a normal state.
Their entire bodies were stained with red bloodstains, and with unknown expressions, they seemed to laugh in ecstasy.
As they were the only ones left, Holy Knight Eric, who was previously not of much interest, approached.
Indeed, my comrades.
There were flying monsters here, like ghostly beings that seemed to exist and not exist at the same time.
They were all Banshees.
The current situation unfolded due to the Banshees manipulating the adventurers minds.
Eric, too, was once a Holy Knight, but now he was nothing more than someone whose mind had succumbed to the Banshees.
To the brothers and sisters who have received mercy from the Great One.
Eric smiled as if satisfied.
Go.
Eric raised his hand, pointing to the exit passage.
Dare to obstruct those who stand before the Great One, and face judgment.
He whispered quietly, like a murmur.
Guide them all to the embrace of the goddess.
The blood-stained adventurers began to rush forward.
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***
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[Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to her master.]
[Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to her master.]
Countless alarms echoed through the air.
[Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to her master.]
[Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to her master.]
[Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to her master.]
It was a long-awaited offering.
[Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to her master.]
[Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to her master.]
However, this time, what was offered as a sacrifice was not the important part. With a new alarm, a system notification appeared.
[The sacrificed offerings have reached a certain number.]
[Obtained the next clue to unlock the next system.]
[Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] (Unlocked)]
This system was none other than the Monster Enhancement System, something I had seen when I first acquired the True Dungeon Master trait.
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