"Child, do you want to join our church? If you do the blessings of the Lord will give meaning to your life. No matter your age, you are not too young to serve our Lord!"
Donned in glistening golden robes, a man who seemed to be a high-ranking member of a Church began saying while his hands were clasped together in prayer; this was all while a large procession consisting of more than three dozen people wearing either golden robes or armors stood behind him and stared forward with shining eyes.
All their attention was focused on a youth in animal fur who looked to be in his earlier teens and was standing in front of a village entrance. However, one could see immature features across this child's face that suggest he was quite younger than that despite his appearance and build.
This child had messy black hair that was tied into a ponytail. On his back, he carried a large stack of thick firewood, which would make one ponder how this little child looked so at ease carrying them.
With his innocent eyes, this little boy stared at these strangely dressed people with a weird expression.
The boy had just been about to enter his village after a trip out collecting firewood when he heard a loud noise behind him. After turning around, he saw four massive horses hurtling down his village's pathway while pulling a carriage. And behind it was even more people on horses.
If it wasn't for the fact the boy saw his father defeat animals larger than these horses, he would have been scared witless.
After the boy stopped to watch this man get out of the carriage, he then listened to his incomprehensible words.
Not understanding a single word uttered by the man, the boy simply turned and continued walking back to his village, following one of the many rules his father told him of...
Never talk to strange people.
However, unbeknownst to these two parties, this little interaction marked a massive change in this world's destined future.
The man who requested the boy to join his Church saw his chosen informant leaving so he began to panic a little.
"Wait, little boy! Is it that you can't understand me?!"
The man yelled before he began fiddling with the diamond-shaped necklace he had on. However, his face soon became red with anger as the device wasn't working as he was told it would.
"In the name of our Lord Ga-On, give me strength!!"
The man cried out as he ripped the necklace off in frustration. He then turned to one of the men in the procession who was wearing golden robes and growled.
"Deacon Ainz, you were the one responsible for procuring these multilingual devices. Now that it doesn't work, are you going to take responsibility if this excursion the Cardinal entrusted us doesn't go well?"
The man named Deacon Ainz shivered nervously.
"Bishop Adalhard, I-I…"
As Deacon Ainz stuttered, Bishop Adalhard ignored him and turned to a woman in the procession before he glared at her. Without him having to say anything, this woman hurriedly took off her multilingual device and handed it over.
After wearing the necklace, Bishop Adalhard said.
"Go after that boy, we need to learn more about this village. Our mission to seek out these barbaric Tribes is the orders of our Cardinal himself, so we must complete this mission at all costs."
"Yes, Bishop!"
"Yes, Bishop!"
One male and one female from the procession who were dressed in golden armor with swords strapped to their hips, charge at the boy; one of them yelling.
"Child, stop! We need to ask you some questions!"
The little boy from before was quite some distance away but these two caught up to him in an instant. It was speed unfitting of a regular human.
However, as the man reached out to grab the boy's shoulder, his hand suddenly missed its target causing him to stumble forward.
The boy was then seen standing several meters away from where he initially stood; glaring at the man.
The man and woman seeing this child's speed had their pupils contracted to pin-sized needles.
As paladins from one of the Seven Great Churches, Church Ga-On, they were warriors who went through rigorous training to serve the Church. And despite the two graduating at the lowest of low among their batch of Paladin Warriors, the man, and woman have long surpassed the realm of what a normal human was capable of.
So, how could a brat in this village have speed on par with them, who have trained their entire lives up until this point? And that stack of firewood he was carrying on his back, it should be at least twice his weight!
The man and woman were momentarily dumbfounded by this abnormal kid.
While the two were still in their stunned state, the boy suddenly turned and dashed to the village while yelling.
"Dad!"
Snapping out of their dumbfounded state, the two paladins rush to explain they mean no harm, but at that moment, a large shadow suddenly cascaded over them from behind.
"Ah! Monst-!!"
With a terrified expression, the man went to yell, but his face was suddenly grabbed by a large hand. This hand was so big it fully wrapped itself around the man's head and still left space for a large watermelon to fit.
The woman in response immediately drew her sword, but the eyes of this 'beast' landed on her and a pressure she had never felt before caused her knees to buckle in an instant.
No, she had felt this type of pressure before. During the final trials of graduating to become a Paladin Warrior, they were required to withstand the holy might of a top-ranked Paladin in their Church.
However, this monster in front of her not only had a greater pressure than that senior, but it had an aura of a tyrant that sent shivers down her spine.
The woman dropped her sword and fell backward onto her butt. She was scared, more scared than she ever was in her life. It felt like she was going to die.
However, this beast suddenly opened its mouth and spoke.
"I have no intention of harming you people, I just want to know why you were after my son. However, if you don't give me a proper explanation, I cannot guarantee that I won't take action."