Chapter 522 – Reunion
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-Horrible.
I opened my eyes, feeling the now familiar feeling of connecting with the avatar.
I logged out for a moment and looked around the Pantera community in Zephyria.
Whenever I had time, I would look around Zephyria’s Panthera community and collect information.
It’s information I can’t tell anyone, but I thought it would be a good reference to decide whether I should run away or whether I should get my ass kicked a little more.
Among the demons, talk was slowly emerging about the next goal.
It didn’t seem to be clearly decided yet… But as expected, the Rankin and Ramona estates were going up and down.
I expected it.
Ramona and Rankin are the closest to the two territories they occupied.
And in order to occupy territories other than Rankin and Ramona, you had to overcome a huge obstacle called the Maroa Mountains.
I’m organizing the information I got from Zephyria in my head.
-Rattle!
“Captain! Now is not the time to sleep! We are having a welcome banquet for the Holy Knights. What are you doing!”
Karia burst open her door and came in, letting out a harsh snort.
She seems angry for some reason.
“Karia, as the vice-captain of the Mongoose Knights, please protect her health. You can tell the maid about such things, you won’t come looking for her, right?”
“Hmph! Now I won’t be fooled by the manager’s sophistry! And the maid thought the lazy manager wouldn’t be able to move.”
I feel hostility.
It seemed like he had the daytime work on his mind.
I could sense the firm determination in Karia’s eyes that she would never be deceived by my words.
And if I was going to say something strange like before, it was clear that I was trying to say something.
“Is it possible that you are still timidly thinking about daytime work because you are the vice-captain?”
“That’s not it.”
Not really.
Looking at it sharply, it seems to be correct.
It seems that Saren decided to hold a banquet to welcome the Terra Cult Holy Knights.
“… Should I go?”
“What are you worrying about? Saren is also in attendance, so of course I have to attend!”
The time to meet the Holy Knights arrived faster than expected.
As expected, I think it was a good thing I didn’t go out to meet you unnecessarily.
Should I say this is also my foresight?
Originally, the lord (although Saren is the lord’s representative) did not welcome the Terra Church Holy Knights this much.
Should I say that I am rather reluctant?
It’s natural.
The fact that a Paladin of Terraism has appeared means that there may be a warlock in the territory.
Even if she was Sarah, there was no lord who would enjoy raiding his territory at will.
Paladins do have powerful weapons. However, they are beings that have nothing to do with power.
There was no such thing as flattery or a special drop of bean paste.
Most of the lords thought that all they had to do was not get caught by the Terra Church Holy Knights.
But things were different now.
The devil has descended.
Now, there was no force as strong as the Holy Knights of Terraism.
Although I haven’t seen the level of the Holy Knights that came this time, you can get a rough estimate by looking at Judith’s Holy Knights or Hestia.
Excluding me, the territory’s strength is no better than the Holy Knights when it comes to dealing with demons and demon lords.
It was a much more reliable ally than the clumsy support troops said to be sent from the Kingdom of Laun.
In the end, I made up my mind and was dragged by Caria to the banquet hall.
The welcome banquet was already in full swing.
And the banquet hall had a quite different atmosphere from an ordinary banquet.
There was delicious food, but there were no noble ladies or noble ladies showing off.
Most of the seats were filled with knights wearing armor and vassals of the territory.
The Black Bear Knights, as well as a few Mongoose Knights, and the Holy Knights of Terra Cult.
You can also see Karen and Hilda walking around the table and eating food.
“Saren is this way.”
Karia drags me somewhere again.
Saren was seen having a conversation with the paladins.
And Hestia’s face was seen among the holy knights.
“Bark, did you at least fall asleep?”
Hestia, who found me, approached me and asked.
“What are you talking about? I’ve been busy with important work.”
“Bark… Make the magpie nest on your head sink and speak.”
“…”
-Swoosh… Swoosh…
Suddenly, Karen came up to me, patted my head, and quietly tidied up her nest.
I was unfair.
This was because it was true that information was collected by logging out to Zephyria.
But I couldn’t say anything.
It was also true that the figure looked like it was sleeping.
Saren, who found me arriving late, introduced me to the female knight she was talking to.
“Ah, Lord Bark. Welcome. This is Lord Azaz, the 14th Knight Commander of the Vatican.”
Azaz was a beautiful female knight with attractive long straight hair.
“Lord Azaz, this is Sir Bark, our leader of the Mongoose Knights.”
“Hmm? Are you that Lord Bark?
“Uh… Lord Bark?”
“I’ve heard a lot from Lord Hestia. You are the man she calls you… I feel like it’s a little lacking, but it’s not my place to interfere.”
Azaz looked at me meaningfully and said.
“Lord Azaz! That’s not it! He and I are friends!”
“Hmm… Are you saying that a man and a woman are friends? Well… If Lord Hestia insists so, I will say so.”
Hestia hurriedly denied it, but Azaz didn’t seem to believe it at all.
“But… Lord Bark. Have we seen you somewhere before? It looks familiar somehow.”
Azaz asks, tilting her head.
It was Azaz who was carrying out work that was out of season.
“Well? Could it be that you’ve seen it…?”
But for some reason, her face felt familiar to me too.
I saw this beautiful paladin of Terraism who stood out like this, but you don’t remember me?
That couldn’t have been possible.
It wasn’t dementia, that couldn’t have happened. I have never seen a paladin with this avatar other than Hestia.
‘… Huh?’
No, there was.
Memories of the past come to mind.
Azaz at that time had a much more grim face than he does now.
This was the second time I created an avatar to access Panthera.
And Azaz.
The avatar I first accessed.
She was a knight leader who had fun with her knights.
Cold sweat runs down my back.
If Azaz remembered that fact… It was because he expected even more trouble than the demon lord attacking right now.
Is this what it means to remember the victim but not the perpetrator?
As of now, Azaz’s perpetrator’s mindset was progressing in a truly desirable direction.
“… Hmm, maybe you were mistaken because my face looks a little ordinary?”
What are you going to do here?
Running away is the worst move.
Of course, I had no choice but to pretend like nothing was wrong.
‘Nimi… For some reason, I didn’t really feel like I wanted to meet her.’
I’ve been so careless these days.
Trusting in the sealing skill, I was at peace enough to go in and out of the Terragyo Temple.
I never thought there would be a trap card hidden in a place like this.
“… Is that so?”
However, Azaz frowned and seemed to be trying to remember somehow.
“Hmm? I think I saw Lord Bark somewhere too!”
“Levi, you too?”
Suddenly, a cute-looking girl named Levi, a holy knight next to me, intervened and spoke.
I also look familiar to a girl paladin named Levy.
When I remembered Judith, I saved her life, and it turned out to be the paladin who had driven a sword into my avatar’s heart. And she was putting me in danger once again.
I couldn’t help but feel that they were familiar.
It was because the face was made the same as before.
The battle ended so quickly that they disappeared, and their skin color was different from now, so they seemed to be in a puzzling state.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have done at least a little bit of avatar facial plastic surgery…
I made it roughly out of annoyance, and a serious catastrophe was about to happen.
“Hmm! The Demon King has descended… Are you the only ones supporting me?”
I felt the need to get away from this topic quickly.
“Ah, we are not originally the Demon Lord, but we came here to subdue the demons at the request of Lord Hestia. Of course, we will not back down just because we are the Demon Lord.”
Fortunately, my intention worked.
Azaz didn’t seem to have any intention of digging deeper.
“Then, are there no other support troops for Terraism?”
“That’s not true. Of course, Terra Church is also taking this seriously, and has already sent additional reinforcements.”
“Is that so?! Thank you so much!!”
At Azaz’s words, the faces of Saren and the territory’s vassals brightened.
“But it will probably take a while for the reinforcements to arrive. There is no separate space movement magic circle in the territory around here.”
The space movement magic circle costs a lot to install.
It is only installed in wealthy territories with high potential for use, not in outskirts.
I continued the story about the demon lord to divert Azaz’s attention.
Then, the knights and retainers joined in the conversation one by one, and it became more like a meeting to discuss future measures against the devil rather than a banquet.
I watched them for a while and walked away.
This is because I felt quite burdened by the gaze of a paladin named Levi who kept tilting his head while looking at my face.
