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Chapter 58
Listen to Me
The reason the Red Forest had become the Forest of Magi was due to the absence of Yggdrasil. The sudden surge of monsters and this latest assault were probably connected as well.
Rose felt her anger toward Tevere boiling over.
They had desecrated the World Tree, and now that the incident had escalated, they didn’t even hesitate to cover it up.
Just how many more atrocities did they plan to commit?
“If this becomes known, Tevere will not escape international condemnation.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not Father Moldin’s fault, is it?”
She patted the shoulder of the priest, who looked apologetic.
More importantly, this information needed to be shared with the Allied Forces immediately. That way, they could prepare measures before the next assault occurred.
“How did Tevere learn of the World Tree’s existence? Don’t they usually dismiss it as a superstition?”
Even Rose had initially thought it existed only in imagination. Unless she was certain of its existence, their actions were difficult to comprehend.
“As far as I know, the High Priests haven’t been using Bakulus for long…”
At the very least, the period in which they interfered with the World Tree had probably been within the past few years.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know the internal affairs of the Papal Court.”
Rose noticed Moldin glancing discreetly at Heria. She immediately directed her question to him.
“Tell me. What do you know?”
“You take it for granted that I know?”
“It’s stranger for a Papal Knight not to know, isn’t it?”
He raised one corner of his mouth and crossed his arms.
“Do you think you’ll believe me if I tell you? After all, as you said, it’s coming from a Papal Knight.”
“At least let me hear what you have to say. Judgment comes later.”
Rose fixed him with a more serious gaze. His sand-colored eyes, seen in the middle of the night, appeared unusually cloudy. When the man spoke, it was as if a small oasis had just appeared in the desert.
“I don’t like being suspected.”
“….”
Heria’s austere expression soon gave way to a smirk as he relaxed his arms. He leaned close and whispered:
“Tevere has a system called the Pilgrimage Path.”
“The Pilgrimage Path?”
“Yes. It’s a ritual every priest must go through.”
Rose whispered along with him, drawn into his secretive tone. Moldin added an explanation beside them.
“It’s a ceremony experienced before baptism, during the time one is considered a pilgrim. Usually, pilgrims follow a path designated by the cathedral and serve with a devout heart along the way.”
“But why?”
“Whatever is seen or heard while walking the Pilgrimage Path must be kept secret, no matter the reason.”
Rose didn’t understand what that meant. Seeing her puzzled eyes, Heria grinned.
“In short, my mouth is sealed.”
That wicked smile was irritating, and the answer, though drawn out, was utterly deflating.
“So this is going to be completely uncooperative.”
Any leniency she had felt toward Heria was immediately withdrawn. He was undoubtedly the Pope’s lackey!
“If you never intended to tell me from the start, then don’t. You’re just trying to make people angry. Are you deliberately teasing me?”
As Rose scolded him, Heria suddenly sprang to his feet. He drew his sword, staring intently at something. Moldin beside him went pale with excitement.
“My goodness, where did this come from all of a sudden?”
“What’s happening?”
“The surge of Magi—it’s unprecedented!”
He quickly looked back at Rose.
“You must inform the Duke immediately. An enormous number of monsters are coming this way!”
“It’s already too late.”
Heria drew his sword.
Soon, the howls of monsters echoed. A chilling surge of Magi poured from the forest. The knights, still preparing dinner, were thrown into chaos.
“Apes!”
“Damn, and there’s also Garum!”
The monsters were not of a single type.
Rose spotted the familiar pack of red-maned wolves. Enormous beasts roared at the night sky. Their successive cries seemed to tear her ears.
Moldin ran frantically toward the front.
“Unleash your holy power immediately!”
But before the priests could even chant, Garum hurled its massive body onto the tents.
The tents collapsed, torches toppled, and fires spread across the field.
“Kraaaah!”
Soldiers were ruthlessly torn apart by the creature’s teeth. Amid the chaos, the apes charged in, biting knights’ limbs and scattering the formation. The apes penetrated deep in an instant.
“Princess, this way!”
Heria slashed a clinging ape and pulled Rose along. The surroundings were burning hot, monsters rampaging. It felt like stepping straight into hell.
“Where are you going?”
“We have to escape!”
“What? The field hospital is here! Where are you going?”
“If we stay here, we’ll die!”
Heria shouted while slicing through the necks of smaller monsters.
“Can’t you see we’re surrounded?”
“We can’t abandon our allies.”
In the camp, the injured were already piling up. In battle, a healer’s duty was to bring the wounded to the field hospital and treat them. They had to tend to those fallen on the ground immediately.
“Treatment comes first.”
“But we can move after the situation is under control!”
“It’ll be too late by then!”
Rose wanted to get as far away from this place as possible—but as a healer and a royal, she had her duties. She hadn’t joined the expedition to flee in an emergency.
She approached someone who had just lost consciousness to administer emergency treatment.
At that moment, a massive creature flew overhead. A bird-shaped monster descended with razor-sharp claws.
“Move!”
Heria shoved Rose aside and swung his sword, but the beast dodged, scattering ominous feathers.
The monster spun midair, then dove vertically to strike again.
Heria adjusted his sword and began muttering something. A soft light shimmered along the short blade. The sword seemed alive, resonating with the paladin’s prayer.
As he chanted, the monster closed in. With only a short distance left, Heria unleashed a blinding attack. It was so fast dozens of afterimages remained. The sharp blade tore through the monster’s wings like paper.
Thud!
The creature crashed to the ground, screeching.
Heria leapt atop the beast and ended its life.
“….”
His blue eyes trembled as he took in the moment.
He drew a deep breath over the beast’s corpse, expressionless, and spoke:
“Listen to me now.”
He roughly lifted her from the ground and ran across the battlefield. Behind them, clashing swords and screams melded into chaos.
Rose dragged her trembling legs, silently berating herself:
“Useless body! Completely useless!”
As Heria said, there was nothing she could do without combat ability. Her self-assurance felt utterly pitiful.
Tears fell onto the back of the man who had grabbed her. Heria glanced back, eyes wide.
“Are you crying?”
“It’s from frustration.”
Her reddened, huffing eyes must have looked terrifying. The tears weren’t born from fear—they were because she couldn’t accept her own helplessness.
Heria opened and closed his mouth several times, then spoke more softly:
“You said the Princess’ role was to think. Everyone has different duties. Once things settle…”
The same man who had just obliterated monsters in a single strike now looked flustered and spoke incoherently.
Suddenly, Rose noticed movement behind him: red fur flashing through the swaying bushes.
“Heria!”
“Kuk!”
Rose screamed.
A huge beast lunged at Heria. He barely raised his sword to keep Garum from biting him in half.
Grrr…
Sticky saliva splashed across his face. Heria cursed.
“Kuh.”
The sword shivered under the pressure of the creature’s fangs. Pain from his eye injuries flared with each strike. As his arms weakened, the beast’s head drew closer. Death seemed inevitable.
“Get lost!”
Rose plunged her dagger into Garum’s back. If she didn’t do something, Heria would be eaten.
But the creature didn’t budge. Despite its soft-looking fur, its hide was incredibly tough.
“Hah!”
The resilient skin bit into her dagger, refusing to let go. She didn’t know how to deal with the unyielding weapon.
Suddenly, a piercing gaze locked onto her.
“Run!”
In the next moment, Rose saw massive claws.
If that hits, I’m dead!
Thunk! With a heavy sound, a gust of wind swept through.
“….”
When she regained focus, something had impaled the monster. The creature, pierced in a single strike, collapsed without a final cry.
Rose sank to the ground, staring at the beast. It had been impaled by a long spear, at least three meters in length—a terrifying weapon, descending from the sky like divine punishment.
She slowly turned her head to see where it came from.
“Ah…”
At first, she saw dark hair fluttering in the wind beyond the hill. Beneath it, eyes as black as an abyss stared at her.
A man in a dark green cloak and silver armor—the Knight of the Sea Serpent—stood there.
“Arsen!”
Rose shivered with emotion. From over a hundred meters away, he had struck the monster perfectly.
In that frozen moment, only he caught her eye. As Arsen raised his sword high, the world began moving again.
“Advance!”
