CHAPTER 61

The woman was wearing a worn-out robe flipped inside out, yet wielding a sword infused with holy power.

The boy who looks like a mercenary but already has his own world.

They realized that their backgrounds were extraordinary, but their swords were already entangled.

The sword is fast, but the words are slow.

Choosing to suppress the opponent with a single move might work, but to explain the current complex situation verbally would take time.

"······."

The woman with green eyes didn't seem to want to have a clear conversation with a certain method.

It would be much safer that way.

[······Respond!]

Whether she resolved to suppress him or not, the woman suddenly rushed at Vlad.

The voice seemed to order the boy to respond as if he couldn't do otherwise.

The situation progressed, and now it was irreversible.

"Tch!"

Vlad accepted her attack with a sense of relief.

He was curious about the existence of a holy knight that he encountered for the first time.

Kwaaang-!

Her sword, filled with the will of God, clashed against Vlad's world.

As the worlds collided, sparks flew, and at the same time, Vlad's world shook greatly, like a candle extinguishing.

'Too heavy!'

Vlad, encountering the holy knight's sword for the first time, was greatly surprised.

Though her sword came with a weight and speed that were insufficient to deliver the same shock as now, it possessed a power that could rival Zayar's when it struck.

It was an incomprehensible outcome.

[That's what a blessing is. It's evidence that the world is helping her.]

'······Where is that!'

To think that merely receiving the will of God would compensate for one's original ability.

Vlad, once again, closed his left eye with determination.

The unadorned sword slowly ignited with the boy's resolve.

Though it was a faint energy compared to the holy power emitted by the unknown holy knight, Vlad took pride in the world he built up solely with his own strength.

It was something no one could take away from him.

'I see.'

Having already adapted somewhat to actual combat through his intense sparring with Zayar, Vlad observed the woman before him with gaps in her defense.

'I can end this.'

The trick to killing with a single blow comes from controlling the battlefield.

If one can lead the opponent's movements, they can lay the groundwork for victory.

Vlad, who had strengthened his resolve, charged in with lightning-fast movement.

Aiming for the shoulder, Vlad plunged ahead, prepared for the imminent response, but...

'What?'

However, the woman's response wasn't the expected defense but an attack.

The knight, receiving the will of God, simply continued forward, leaving the part Vlad intended to tear apart untouched.

"······!"

Vlad knew she was a holy knight, so he didn't want to hurt her too much.

But her style of attack was too extreme, and retreating first in this situation would only result in significant damage.

Thunk-!

Vlad reluctantly swung his sword toward the holy knight, but her plate armor hidden beneath the robe subtly deflected the tip of his sword.

It was an armor that the Holy Knights boasted about.

"······!"

As the blow missed its mark, Vlad's balance began to falter, and at that moment, the woman's green eyes gleamed as she forcefully kicked Vlad's ankle.

Swirl-

The world was spinning.

'What is this?'

Even as he fell helplessly, Vlad was recalling the woman's movements from a moment ago.

From the incomprehensible concept of blessing to the skill in handling armor that he had never seen before.

It was such a strange and vivid scene that it remained etched in his mind even in the moment of defeat.

Kwaaang-!

As if abruptly ending a meditation, Vlad was forcefully slammed onto the ground.

"Ugh!"

He soon felt the cold sensation of a sword against his neck.

"Who are you?"

Vlad raised his head to face the unidentified holy knight who was looking down at him.

The eyes were the same color as Oksana's, yet the temper was different.

Seeing her face devoid of any sweat, Vlad couldn't help but give a wry smile.

She deliberately exposed an opening.

"······I come from Shoara. There was something I needed to investigate here."

The secret to killing with a single blow comes from controlling the battlefield.

However, the one who controlled the battlefield just now wasn't the boy but the unknown holy knight.

A new adversary, a new technique.

Today, the boy who glimpsed another world raised both hands and admitted his defeat.

With yet another color that felt like a wound etched into his world.

※※※※

In the inn where there were only companions as guests, knights sat facing each other across the table.

Vlad, who was watching them from across the brazier, took a sip of the glass of water he was holding.

Perhaps because of the situation created by his defeat, the taste as it went down his throat was bitter.

"Meeting the knights of Shoara here must surely be the will of heaven."

"I also think so. Lady Yustia."

Knights met in a village shrouded in suspicious mist.

Though they carried different orders on their backs, they had clearly come following some ominous sign.

"I was investigating a strange occurrence where children were dying in this area. Initially, I approached the investigation thinking it might be some kind of epidemic."

The woman Vlad had secretly followed was indeed a holy knight sent from the church, as her voice had indicated.

More precisely, she was one of the personnel dispatched from the Northern parish of San Rogino.

The church was already aware of the turmoil unfolding in the Baron Utman territory.

"It's a curse. I found traces of something ancient."

"I see."

Upon Yustia's words, Gregory began to stroke his thick beard and fell into thought.

Though he had anticipated it, with her appearance, this matter was exceeding his authority and abilities.

"However, there seems to be a church here as well."

Afraid of being rude, Gregory hesitated before finally asking, but the response he received was only cold and aloof.

"I believe the church here is the subject of the curse."

"······Oh."

Seeing a knight following the will of God accusing the church as the culprit, Gregory decided to keep quiet.

The situation was more serious than he had thought, and this place was not their territory.

"Please convey my gratitude to the new mayor of Shoara. The mayor's attitude in preparing for it with information we were unaware of was truly excellent."

Though spoken in a roundabout way, in the end, Yustia's words were a request for Gregory to refrain from further approaches.

This was not the land of Bayezid, and anything related to black magic had to be done by the church.

As knights of Shoara in a precarious position, they no longer had any justification to proceed.

"Understood."

A line had been drawn in the conversations of the two.

The investigation team's work ends here.

They had confirmed the ominous situation in the Baron Utman territory and obtained testimony from the holy knight from San Rogino.

Although they hadn't found the missing women, further involvement in the situation would only burden Josef.

This place was not their territory.

In the face of the weight of authority and responsibility, the knights decided to turn back.

"······."

Vlad, feeling a bitter sensation rising within, absentmindedly flicked the glass he had been holding.

It seemed Anna would never be found after all.

Vlad kept his mouth shut, thinking of the woman who was smiling pitifully at him.

※※※※

Yustia said that she had already raised support from the nearby regions.

Since other knights were expected to arrive within three days at the latest, Gregory said he would stay by Yustia's side until then.

Perhaps that was the best ending Gregory could choose.

"Shall we go now?"

"Yeah."

In the quiet inn, looking out at the empty square, Vlad was talking with a child.

"Why are you leaving already?"

"We're done with our work."

"······Is there an end to anything in this world?"

It might not have been intentional, but the words from the young girl seemed to hit the nail on the head, so Vlad coughed awkwardly.

"Don't you have any friends? Why have you been here all this time?"

"Daddy said not to leave."

At her words, Vlad cautiously turned his head to look at the counter, where the innkeeper was glaring at him.

"He told me to just stay a little longer and then go out. I heard the church would give us a gift if we stay a bit longer."

".....What?"

Vlad felt a sense of discomfort that he couldn't ignore as the girl's words flowed out inadvertently.

Vlad turned to the innkeeper with a questioning look, prompting him to start explaining what his daughter had said.

"They're planning to gather the children soon for a blessing ceremony at the church. In these dark times, we're truly grateful as parents of a child."

"······When was that supposed to be?"

"I don't remember exactly. Can't recall."

The innkeeper scratched his head as if his memory failed him, furrowing his brows in frustration.

"Whether it's supposed to be in three days or four, the priest himself will be going around to gather the children, so that's that."

Disregarding the innkeeper's praise for the priest, Vlad looked at the girl sitting beside him.

A wooden necklace carved with church symbols.

While the carving was done meticulously, the way it was tied seemed subtly off, causing the necklace to constantly assume an irregular shape. Vlad's gaze deepened as he observed it.

"Will you stay until then?"

Looking at the innocent gaze of the girl adorned with the ominous symbol, Vlad momentarily lost his words.

The child wouldn't know anything.

That meant the child wouldn't be at fault for anything.

Surely, even the god would understand.

"Perhaps I'll stay until then."

"Huh!"

Before Vlad could finish his response, the girl swiftly placed something into his hand, which she had been fiddling with.

Perhaps she had been waiting for this moment while engaging in conversation.

"What's this?"

"A flower ring."

"It's a flower ring without any flowers."

As Vlad remarked, the ring was adorned with only blue stems, crafted from the ivy hanging on the wall since they couldn't go outside.

She should be frolicking outside, picking flowers, but reality didn't permit it.

"Then can we go outside for a bit······."

"Marian."

The innkeeper, who had been quietly listening to Vlad and the girl's conversation, spoke up.

"It's time to go up. It's bedtime."

"But······."

With a stern expression from the innkeeper, the girl rose from Vlad's side with a gloomy expression.

Being a child who had to spend the whole day alone, the conversation with Vlad must have been a rare pleasure for Marian.

"Will you really be here tomorrow too?"

"Probably."

With a small wave of her hand, Marian followed the innkeeper back to her room.

Watching her go, Vlad also waved his hand in farewell.

"······."

Alone on the first floor, Vlad looked down at the flower ring the girl had handed him.

The damp reality, filled with fog, didn't even allow the girl a small flower. As he pondered over the fog surrounding the outside world, the curse around the girl's neck, and the flowerless flower ring she had given him, Vlad was lost in thought.

"Marian! Marian!"

"······!"

Suddenly, a man's scream-like cry was heard echoing throughout the quiet inn.

"What's happening!"

"What's going on!"

Startled by the sound, the companions on the second floor rushed downstairs.

Vlad, who was sitting alone on the first floor, cursed under his breath and dashed towards the spot where the innkeeper and Marian had disappeared moments ago.

"Damn it!"

Vlad, who seemed to know what the scream he just heard meant, quickly ran towards the inside of the counter where the innkeeper and the child were.

"No! Marian!"

Vlad roughly opened the door and saw the child lying there with a pale face.

The innkeeper is crying while holding a child, and the girl is crying and foaming from mouth.

[It seems like the curse has been triggered. They must have noticed us.]

Just as Yustia and the investigation team of Shoara noticed the anomaly here, the other side seemed to have sensed the presence of the knights.

Since this village was practically in their grasp, they decided not to wait but to act first.

[I will lend you my world.]

It may not be possible to solve the problem by looking at it, but at least the voice tried to make the boy understand the situation.

"······."

A crying father, a panting girl, and knights unable to move easily.

In the midst of all this, Vlad opened the world of the voice and gazed upon the suffering girl who was withering in pain.

A world of intense colors.

In that realm, the scene unfolded with a black hand mercilessly twisting the girl's neck and thin wisps of smoke emanating from her mouth.

[It seems to be a curse that drains life force.]

The smoke was escaping from the suffocating girl and flowing outward through the inn's windows.

It was in the direction where the church was.

"....The curse has been activated. It seems they have sensed my presence."

"Lady Yustia."

Yustia, who had been silently observing, hoped that she would be of some help, so she secured the girl's airway and without hesitation, she put on the robe she was holding.

She must have known.

To resolve the current situation, the culprit must be eliminated.

"If I do not return, please explain the situation to my companions who will arrive later."

"······."

Gregory, who was standing next to her, couldn't say anything and just bit his lip.

Knights leave to follow the will of the god, and knights bound by duty and authority to stay behind.

Although they witnessed the same thing, the choices made by the two worlds were different.

Vlad, without hesitation, watched as Yustia disappeared into the fog, and unknowingly found himself following her out of the inn.

"······Breathe!"

"There's something wrong with the child!"

"No! No!"

As the boy instinctively followed, in the square,

One by one, lights began to illuminate the houses through the fog, accompanied by the mournful cries of parents.

The square, devoid of anyone else, was filled only with the sound of weeping.