Chapter 1482 – 1482. Paladin: A Journey Of Eradication
“You’ve discarded your weapon, Paladin!!”
Parason, the giant raven flapping its wings in the air, descended upon the Paladin the moment it saw an opening. Its sharp beak, capable of chewing through steel, aimed for the back of the Paladin’s neck.
The Paladin spun around. He grabbed Parason’s neck with his left hand and seized its wing with his right.
“Even without a sword, I can kill the likes of you.”
The Paladin tightened his grip.
“Cawwwk!”
Parason shrieked in pain. Blood spurted from its wing. The Paladin, covered in blood, continued to apply pressure. Finally, Parason’s wing was completely torn off and fell to the ground.
The Paladin grabbed the other wing and tore it off in the same manner.
Parason, with both wings torn off, trembled violently. It almost looked pitiful. Of course, the Paladin, without a shred of sympathy, grabbed Parason’s neck and legs and tore it apart, killing it.
Baron Hale Guide stared at the Paladin with a stiff expression.
The brute force to tear apart a demon alive and the divine power to evaporate his magic.
It was unexpected.
The Paladin of Valentier had already reached a state of maturity.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
‘It hasn’t even been three months since that guy received the revelation. How could he have become this strong so quickly? It’s absurd…!’
There must be some trick he didn’t know about.
‘Even if there’s a trick, is it possible to become this strong?’
This was dangerous.
The Paladin before him was more dangerous than any Paladin he had ever seen. This Paladin would become even stronger and would become powerful enough to threaten the Great Demon. The Great Demon was the heart and future of the demons. He had to kill the Paladin before him today.
“Do you know? Demon blood contains magical power. Therefore, it is more special than any other blood.”
“Your blood will be spilled too.”
The Paladin approached. The Baron, feigning composure, desperately moved his magical power to use magic. The scattered blood gathered. At the same time, the blood bubbled like lava.
The Paladin did not stop. He grabbed the greatsword stuck in the ground again and, stepping through the hot blood, approached Baron Hale Guide.
The Baron smiled. It was a smile that came from the bottom of his heart.
“You’ve walked into your own death. Blame your ignorance and arrogance.”
The blood bubbling around him surged and flew towards the Paladin. The blood enveloped the Paladin in a large sphere.
The Baron was certain of his victory.
No human or demon had ever survived this magic. Especially this time, it was magic cast with demon blood. The Paladin would be crushed by the blood and die without even leaving a proper corpse.
But once again, the Paladin defied his expectations.
The sword’s blade popped out from the compressing sphere of blood. Golden energy flowed along the blade. The Baron desperately squeezed out his magical power.
It was useless.
When the Paladin swung his sword, the sphere of blood split apart with absurd ease. The sphere of blood lost its power and spilled onto the ground. The Paladin, showered in demon blood, reached the Baron.
“This is impossible…!”
“What’s impossible is you lot. Your existence cannot be tolerated.”
The Paladin raised his greatsword. The Baron moved a step faster. He swung his long fingernails at the Paladin. But before his fingernails could even touch the Paladin’s armor, the Baron’s lower body was already severed. Blood and entrails spilled onto the ground.
The Paladin grabbed the head of the falling Baron and lifted it. Their eyes met. But the Baron could not see the Paladin’s eyes. The solid helmet completely concealed the Paladin’s eyes. The Baron tried to remain dignified until the end, but he couldn’t. Fear consumed the Baron’s face.
“You will lose as much as the blood you have consumed.”
“What…?”
The Paladin moved his sword. As if performing a task, he cut off both of Baron Hale Guide’s arms.
Immediately after, a cross appeared before the Paladin. He placed the Baron on the cross, which emitted a holy aura, and placed a stake against his chest. The Paladin hammered the stake in with his fist instead of a mallet.
“Aaaaargh! You, you! Just kill me!”
At this point, the Baron predicted what the Paladin was about to do.
Vampire blood, if properly purified, could be a good medicinal ingredient. This terrifying Paladin before him was planning to seal him on the cross and continuously extract his blood! He was going to turn him into livestock, like a cow to be milked.
Feeling immense fear and humiliation, Baron Hale Guide shouted at the Paladin, who was about to carry the cross.
“Kill me! Kill me! Aaaaargh! I am your enemy! Will you let your enemy live! Kill me quickly!”
“You’re noisy.”
The Paladin’s rough hand grabbed and tore off the Baron’s jaw. Only then did the Baron fall silent. For the first time in his life, the Baron resented his superior demon body. If he had been just a little less superior, he would have died before experiencing such humiliation.
The Paladin carried the cross outside. The holy knights and inquisitors bowed as if they had been waiting.
“Congratulations on your victory.”
“It was only natural.”
“…You have also achieved your purpose. I am not entirely comfortable with it, but for the future of the Order, I will follow your will.”
The holy knight said. The holy knights felt uneasy and uncomfortable about not killing Baron Hale Guide.
On the other hand, the inquisitors were different. They admired the new Paladin and showed infinite reverence.
“You are amazing, Paladin! Please leave the management of the vampire to us! We will make him spill all the information!”
“That was my intention from the start. Collect the demon’s corpse and clean up the surroundings. We’re returning to the cathedral.”
***
Back at the cathedral, I left Baron Hale Guide to the inquisitors and headed to the sanctuary. I immediately entered the sacred pond to receive a purification ritual from the Saintess.
The purification ritual, which would normally end quickly, felt unusually long today.
It was because there were three demon souls clinging to me. Moreover, they were of a higher caliber than the demons I had faced so far. If I were to face stronger demons in the future, the purification ritual would take even longer.
After the purification ritual, I used the blessing energy to learn a new skill.
[Name: Eugene
Origin: Holy Knight
Level: 62
Strength: 42 Agility: 20 Stamina: 20 Divine Power: 25
Skills: Holy Sight (Lv. Master), Holy Aura (Lv.7), Holy Sword (Lv.7), Sprint (Lv.3), Holy Light (Lv.3) Divine Enhancement (Lv. Master)]
The new skill I had learned this time, Divine Enhancement, was a passive skill. It enhanced the effects of divine power and other skills.
I felt satisfied as I rose from the sacred pond. I dried myself with the prepared towel and put on my clothes. After that, I sat on a chair and rested quietly.
‘As expected, resting in the sanctuary is much better, both mentally and physically, compared to other places.’
The sanctuary was overflowing with holy energy more than anywhere else. Just being here made me feel stable.
“Paladin.”
The Saintess approached. She naturally sat next to me. Unlike when we first met, she treated me quite comfortably. The Saintess handed me something.
“What is this?”
“It’s Prub’s wine.”
“…The wine made by the Papal State. It wouldn’t have been easy to obtain.”
“I asked the Papal State directly.”
Even if the Saintess’s position was lower than expected, they couldn’t completely ignore her. The Papal State must have been bewildered when the Saintess suddenly requested alcohol.
“Is this for me?”
“Yes. Please accept it. You have given me many foods and items, Paladin. Please, accept this.”
Seeing the wine reminded me of Elena.
The finest wine from another world. She would definitely drool and rush for it. But I had no intention of taking this wine before me.
“Have you ever drunk alcohol?”
“No. I heard that men like alcohol, so I prepared it.”
“Is that so?”
I took out a wine glass from my inventory. I was now openly using my inventory. If asked what power it was, I would just make up an excuse. No one questioned me deeply. After all, I was the Paladin chosen by the Goddess.
I placed two wine glasses on the table. One in front of me, and one in front of her.
“They are clean glass cups. They are beautiful.”
“They are wine glasses. Suitable for drinking wine.”
“…Are you offering me wine? I cannot drink alcohol.”
“That’s true when you’re a nun. But you’re not a nun, you’re a Saintess. There shouldn’t be any restrictions on abstinence, right?”
“That’s true, but….”
“Drinking alcohol doesn’t make you corrupt. And it’s said that alcohol shouldn’t be drunk alone.”
“……”
I opened the wine stopper and poured the wine into the glasses. A sweet fragrance that stimulated the sense of smell spread through the sanctuary. Amelia hesitated for a moment before taking the wine glass in her hand.
With her other hand, she removed her veil. I stared at her intently. It had been quite some time since I had met her, but this was the first time I had seen her without her veil. It meant that she thought of me as someone close to her.
‘She’s beautiful.’
Blue eyes and bright blonde hair. Plump, pink lips. A face as perfect as a sculpture.
I lifted my wine glass. She stared at me for a moment before belatedly lifting her glass, as if she had realized something.
Clink!
The glasses touched. I enjoyed the aroma before taking a sip of the wine and swallowing it. Both the aroma and the taste were excellent. The aftertaste was also clean. It was worthy of being the best wine in this world.
Amelia followed my lead and drank the wine. Soon, her eyes widened.
“…It’s delicious. So this is what it tastes like. But it feels like… my body is getting hot.”
“That’s the alcohol circulating in your body. It’s not a bad thing.”
After that, we quietly drank the wine. Amelia surprisingly drank the wine well. It was almost as if she had developed a taste for it.
“Paladin. We have received information that an evil ritual is taking place in Salot Castle.”
Salot Castle.
As soon as I heard that name, I quietly swallowed my breath.
It felt like what was coming had finally arrived.
“An evil ritual? Do you know what kind of ritual it is?”
“The ritual is being conducted by a demon named Barbaroyax. He is a subordinate of the Great Demon Suton. He was originally a human, but he made a contract with Suton and became a necromancer. He is conducting a ritual for Suton’s resurrection.”
“Suton… the Great Demon that the Paladins gathered to kill.”
“Yes. The previous Paladin of Valentier died in that holy war. Originally, the resurrection of a Great Demon would take decades… Barbaroyax is shortening that period through the ritual. We must stop the ritual. If Suton is resurrected, he will target the Paladins. You still need more time to grow, Paladin.”
“I understand. I will infiltrate Salot Castle alone.”
“…What?”
“Have all other troops wait nearby. Barbaroyax is a cunning fellow. He must have prepared traps. Attacking the castle recklessly will only increase the casualties. I will infiltrate the castle first, remove the traps, and open the gates.”
“…Isn’t that too dangerous?”
“It is dangerous. But the rewards are just as certain as the danger.”
I knew the strategy for Salot Castle. I could gain a large amount of experience and guarantee a definite victory. I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
The Saintess, realizing that my will was firm, spoke as if she had no choice.
“…I will follow the Paladin’s will.”
