## Chapter 441 – Those Devilish Bastards
I woke up before dawn, got ready, said goodbye to my wives, and headed outside. Winia was a bit worried, but she seemed okay since I was with Elise.
She wanted to come with me, but her magic research was at a critical point.
She needed to focus, so I patted her shoulder and told her to stay home. You have to seize the moment when inspiration strikes.
I was the same when I was training with the circlet.
She felt sorry, but there was no need to be.
Cloudy was still asleep as usual, and Karin and Risha said they’d shower after I left. I had to leave earlier than them today.
“Elise!”
As soon as morning began, I arrived at the city gates and saw Elise standing there. She was wearing her usual blue nun’s habit and light armor, with pouches and a canteen on her belt, and a bible and mace hanging from it.
Fully prepared, I see.
“Saint!”
“Divine!”
“Friend!”
I tried to leave as early as possible, but Elise seemed to have arrived before me.
“Hey, when did you get here? Didn’t you come too early? Sorry for making you wait.”
I try to live a diligent life, but Elise, as a religious person, takes diligence to another level.
“Not at all. I haven’t been here long either. Let’s go now. I want to exterminate those imps as soon as possible!”
“Me too!”
Wasn’t this supposed to be an investigation, not an extermination mission?
Anyway, we agreed to shout our battle cries after we left the city and entered the forest, then passed through the gates.
As we walked, Elise explained today’s plan. Well, the plan was just to kill all the imps. Elise seemed to have forgotten the meaning of the word “investigation.”
As soon as we entered the forest, we shouted holy slogans like thunder and began our search.
“Kim Katte, let’s go!”
“Elise is on the move too!”
ㅡPapat!
As soon as we entered the forest, we went to the places where we had killed imps yesterday, guessed where they might gather, and rushed there.
We killed every imp we encountered, scattering blood everywhere. Not a single one escaped. Of course, we didn’t see any heretics or find anything resembling a gate.
I was hoping to find some traces, but the forest is a vast place.
There was no way we could find anything easily.
Still, I suspected that there was another reason, rather than a gate connected to some hellish place.
“Elise, aren’t there a lot of heretics in the world?”
“Yes, there are many.”
I asked Elise while cutting off the imps’ horns.
“Just as crime never ceases in this world, there are countless people who fall into wicked religions. There are even research results showing that they are increasing despite all efforts to stop them. It is truly a hateful thing.”
“These goddamn bastards!”
It was appalling that so many people were falling into heterodox ways. It would be beneficial to smash the heads of those guys as soon as they were discovered.
“Humans are weak to desire and temptation, so perhaps it is inevitable. Evil forces are always tempting humans.”
There are many heretics who try to summon evil gods or demon lords, but there are also many cults that lure people with power or desire.
Those who fall into such religions not only ruin themselves but also harm innocent people as sacrifices. Elise said that demons usually make such demands.
Demons offer the fulfillment of desires as bait, and their followers offer sacrifices to open gates or manifest and invade. Of course, the demons fulfill their wishes as promised or as contracted.
It was a win-win situation.
A beggar might offer a sacrifice to a demon for money, and someone seeking revenge might offer a sacrifice to a demon for revenge. It was only natural. That’s why the spread of heresy and cults cannot be stopped.
Because they fulfill the most fundamental desires.
“Speaking of demon lords, has anything like that happened recently?”
I had always been curious about this.
“There was only one incident decades ago, but it was an incomplete summoning, and the allied holy army of each order, which had been tracking it in advance, quickly intervened, so it was stopped without much damage.”
“Wow.”
So it had happened before.
“Hehe. Someone in our order also distinguished himself at that time. Of course, he is not here, but he is living as a cardinal at headquarters.”
Elise said proudly.
If someone had a record of defeating a demon lord, it wouldn’t be strange for them to hold a high position at headquarters.
“Apart from that, no demon lord has been summoned since the Idol War. If a summoning had occurred in a place unknown to each church, the world would already be in dire straits. As of now, that has not happened.”
“I see.”
No matter how much the heretics struggled, no evil gods or demon lords had been summoned. It seemed that this was because the religious people in this world were working like crazy.
Those friends might be a bit psycho, but they are fundamentally good and like order. I should thank them later.
They are fighting in places we don’t know.
I didn’t need to worry after all.
“But historically, a great demon was summoned…”
I was talking to Elise when…
ㅡRustle, rustle.
“Elise.”
“…Saint.”
I was already sick of catching imps. So I knew their shape and size very well. The same goes for monsters. There were no monsters I didn’t know in this area. I had caught most of them.
ㅡGiggle, grrr!
But the black monster squatting in front of us, devouring the goblin’s corpse, was an alien monster that I had never seen before.
ㅡCrunch! Crunch! Giggle! Grrr!!
It was making a very bizarre sound as it meticulously devoured the goblin’s limbs. It was eating so deliciously that I couldn’t help but drool.
That bastard… could he be a rice thief?
Even a starving beggar wouldn’t eat a chicken leg like that.
Even worse, this crazy bastard seemed to be so hungry that he put the goblin’s arm he was tearing off into the goblin’s pile of entrails, rubbed it around, and sucked it clean, covered in blood.
This bastard knows what’s up…!
“What is that?”
I raised my fighting spirit and mental strength while having such silly thoughts. I’m not usually one to fight monsters I don’t know. But Elise was with me.
I’ll leave it to Elise’s judgment.
“A high imp… I think it’s a high imp.”
“A high imp?”
Just a stronger imp?
It’s good when names are straightforward.
Elise and I hid in the trees and bushes, observing the high imp and whispering.
“It looks very similar to what I saw in the order’s monster encyclopedia. That is a high imp. It was recorded that imps grow into that for some reason.”
Does the church have a monster encyclopedia?
I had looked for such a book in the library before, but I didn’t find one. It would be easier to deal with them if such a thing was commercialized.
“Is it really strong?”
More than that, I was curious about its combat power.
I felt like I should run if it was too strong… It didn’t seem as strong as the evil giant I encountered in the basement of the slum last time, but it still looked pretty strong.
ㅡCrdeeeak! Grrr! Ghihihit!
First of all, it looked tall.
Considering its sitting height, it would be similar to me or a little smaller. Compared to that size, its body was a bizarre shape like a swollen newborn, but it looked quite similar to an imp, which was said to be an evolved form.
Its skin was black, its arms were abnormally long, and it had two horns like a buffalo on its head.
But its mouth was also huge, and its teeth were sharp and numerous.
Just by looking at it, it seemed stronger than an orc.
“Elise. Is it really strong?”
“…Not really. It is said to use magic, and there may be differences between individuals, but according to the encyclopedia, it is not transcendentally powerful… It is not an existence that I and the Saint cannot overcome if we combine our strength.”
Then it should be okay.
The judgment for evil beings is always death.
“Giggle! Delicious, delicious! Delicious! Blood…! Blood is so delicious!!!”
At that moment, I heard human language.
“I want to eat moreeeeee!!!!! Grrr!!!”
The high imp, who had been tearing at the goblin’s flesh, suddenly spread its arms and began to roar. Pieces of flesh and blood splattered from between its savage fangs.
This bastard can speak human language!
It was very shocking, but I had seen monsters that spoke human language several times, so I wasn’t too shocked. Elise was also surprised and was looking at it with wide eyes.
“But I smell humans! Giggle! I’m hungry, terribly hungry!!!”
ㅡWhoosh!
It threw the goblin’s arm bone, which had turned to bone, towards us.
“…Elise. I think it noticed us.”
“Shut up! Shut up, you motherless, lowly monster! You don’t even have the right to speak human language!!!”
“Oops.”
ㅡHoly Enchant!
Elise, who had shouted reflexively, cast Holy Enchant.
ㅡPatzut!
At the same time, a holy aura descended on my sword and Elise’s mace, and a sacred light soared.
Good, Elise!
When dealing with evil beings, you should always start with Holy Enchant! She understood that better than anyone, probably because she had a lot of combat experience!
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!”
As the holy aura was enchanted, an incomparable fighting spirit welled up. I immediately shouted and rushed towards it.
“I won’t forgive you!!!”
Elise also shouted and jumped out towards it. She was faster than me, so I ended up chasing after Elise.
“Eliseeeeeee!!!! The devil is!!!”
“Extermination!!!!”
“Ah, Elise! Let’s call it by its sacred name! The devil is!!”
“Motherless!”
“Fatherless!”
I, who was excited to the extreme, shouted as if I was dreaming, and Elise responded to it. It was truly a divine double-barreled insult.
“Has no friends or brothers!”
“Doesn’t even have neighbors or cousins!”
We roared like we were singing as we rushed towards the high imp.
“Decisively, a monster that has no conscience, no goodness, and deserves to die!!!!!”
“We have to kill them all!!!!!”
“Of course, of courseㅡ!!!!!”
A preemptive strike is the shortcut to victory! I didn’t care about its identity! It was uncomfortable because it was an existence we had to kill!
“Siljang Sword Style Dejaaaaat!!!!”
Of course, I quickly scanned the surroundings for traps and other enemies while running.
“Human! I want to eat human blood!!! Grrr!!!”
The high imp, seeing us running, stood up and raised one hand.
“Da-rk, Speaaar!!!”
ㅡPachijijik!!!
Then a dark spear was created in its grasp. It uses magic, so it can do that too! The high imp threw the spear at us with all its might, like a Greek hero.
“Become skewered meat!! Crddeak!”
Judging that I would be screwed if I got hit, I immediately performed the Heavenly Demon’s Descent Footwork to jump to the side and avoid the attack.
ㅡBoom!
The dark spear that flew behind us exploded, and black heat erupted. The trees and bushes swept away by the attack were engulfed in black flames.
“This, this bastard dares to use sorcery!!!!”
I almost got screwed if I got hit!
It was aiming for me, not Elise.
Did it judge that I was stronger because of my size? Elise, who reached it first, raised her mace and swung it.
“Die, you evil monster!!!”
“Grrr!! Small human! I will tear you apart and chew on your insides!!!”
The high imp then lengthened its claws and tried to confront Elise. No matter how strong Elise was, could she do it one-on-one? Of course she could! I believed in Elise!
“Who told this bastard to talk like that!”
I shouted again and ran towards it.
I had to get rid of it quickly! I used the Siljang Footwork to close the distance with it.
ㅡThwack!
ㅡThwack!
ㅡThwack!
But Elise was already swinging her mace furiously, almost unilaterally beating it up.
“The God of Order will not forgive you!”
“Grrr!!! Grrr!”
I knew it, damn it.
Elise would beat up kids if she went anywhere, she wasn’t the type to get beaten up. The high imp collapsed in an instant and spat out blood.
I should lend a hand too.
“Die, you bastard!”
ㅡStab!
Taking advantage of the fact that Elise was beating it up from the front, I slipped into its rear. I then stabbed the tip of my sword into its empty back.
“Kirrreureureuk!!! H, human! St, stop…! Stop!”
The blade went in deep. When I quickly pulled it out and repeated the stabbing, black smoke began to flow out from the holes.
“You weak bastard! Elise! Kill it!”
“Understood!”
ㅡKieeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!
We then completely destroyed the high imp.
Elise smashed its body, and I slashed its flesh. If the two of us got together, most bastards would be dead that day.
“Cough…! Grrr! St, stop! Kahahahaack!!!”
Finally, the high imp, which had become fresh sashimi, collapsed.
It wasn’t a very strong guy.
Still, seeing that it was still alive even after taking so much damage, it seemed to have some clout.
Elise stomped on its chest with her military boots, pointed her mace at it, and shouted.
“If you don’t want to be annihilated forever under the judgment of the sacred God of Order, Izermaart, tell me your purpose, you evil monster!!!”
At the same time as she shouted, Elise punched the high imp in the face.
ㅡThwack!
Blood and teeth flew from the fierce punch that contained the true mysteries of Siljang Kwonbeop.
“C, kheheck!!! I, I’ll tell you…! I’ll tell you what humans want…! So stop, you servant of the God of Order!”
Perhaps the imp had some humanity, because it was completely destroyed and tortured, it tried to reveal the information it had.
Good.
This is how investigations are done. Good job, Eliseㅡ
“There is nothing to hear from a lowly being who doesn’t even have a mother!!!!”
ㅡI thought, but,
Crunch!
“Grrr…”
Elise swung her mace and completely smashed the high imp’s head.
Wh, what the hell?
What about the information?
“Elise?”
“Hoo, this lowly and evil monster…! I can’t stand it because it’s hateful and hateful!! It’s right to kill it right away!”
No, you told it to tell you its purpose.
“In this way, the high imp will realize that it has been deceived and will disappear at the last moment. There is no more fitting end for an evil and lowly being than that!”
“Y, yeah.”
You’re right.
“You can’t trust what a devil says in the first place!”
“That’s right, Saint! Under no circumstances should you communicate with devils! You should never try to talk to them! Because they can cast curses with that! Because their three-inch tongue is what sows the seeds of corruption!”
Elise raised her mace high and gave a speech as if spewing flames.
From now on, devil bastards will be summarily executed.
