After talking with Sana, we walked outside. The knights were already waiting outside the Castitas Church, lining up in a row.
Eliza looked a bit confident and wasn't nervous or whining anymore as she walked on my side. But after seeing the knights that would accompany us, her eyes widened a little in amazement.
"They are the ones who will go with us?" She asked.
"Based on how they already bring their weapons, I guess it's them."
I looked at the knights whose faces were covered by a helmet. But even then, I noticed one particular knight that stood out from the rest. That knight stood in front of the row with her hands on her hips, puffing her chest proudly.
She wore a leotard armor and iron boots covering her legs to knees. A combat skirt covered with iron protected the back of her lower body, connected to her panties underneath the iron armor.
Covering herself in a black bodysuit underneath one armor set, only her covered thighs were visible. But even with her armor, it was clear that her breasts rivaled that of Emilia's and Garcia's, only a size smaller.
A giant sword was strapped behind her back, almost as tall as her, which I guessed was around 185cm because we had the same height. She was the tallest girl I had ever met in this world.
"Greetings, Paladin!"
The only female knight saluted as soon as they saw me, followed suit by the others behind her. As soon as everyone saluted, she continued.
"We are ready to go anytime!"
Her voice was a bit hoarse due to her full-face mask.
I smiled at them and waved my hand.
"Great jobs." I praised them with a smile. "I'd like to say one thing or two, but our time is limited before sunset. So I will explain it simply. First of all, what's your name, knight?" I looked at the female knight and asked.
"Yes, sir. My name is Sophia Holt, Level 45! I am the captain of this squad!" Her voice sounded energetic for a knight.
'Level 45? That's high. I guess I can trust her to do that."
"Alright. I will entrust you to protect my friend after she attacked the monster once. The other knights will secure the perimeter while I fight the Black Tigers. If there is something you can't understand, then raise your hand and ask right now."
"No, Sir! We understand!" They replied in unison with a paraded move. Looked like they were properly trained.
'They are good.' I smiled, satisfied with the knights prepared by Sana. But the fact that she purposely assigned a girl to become the captain was really clear. 'She really wants to give people from the church to me, huh? That shrewd Archbishop.'
But I didn't hate it. In fact, Sophia was similar to Rania. I could feel a hot gaze from under that helmet, similar to the gaze directed at me by Milea and Garcia. She was one of them.
Eliza seemingly couldn't feel that as she was only amazed by the female knight's level and just muttered, "Level 45 as my bodyguard?"
Well, I would let her be for now.
"Alright! Let's go to subjugate those Black Tigers!"
"Yes!"
***
I, followed by the knights and Eliza, walked through the gate near Castitas Church, one of the five entrances to the Academic City. Sophia walked closely to us, protecting Eliza as I commanded her.
As I stepped outside, the air was noticeably fresher than inside the city walls. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the crisp, clean air. The grass outside the gate was a vibrant green, and it rustled gently in the wind.
Beyond the fields, I could see a dense forest in the distance. The trees were tall and dark, and they seemed to stretch on forever. That was where Black Tiger's sightings were reported to the church.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and wonder at the sight. It was clearly better than the barren land filled with ashes and lava I had always seen in Horizon Online.
The sun was high in the sky, and its warm rays felt comforting on my skin. It was a beautiful day, and I felt grateful to be alive and surrounded by such natural beauty. Once again, it reminded me that I had survived that death game; it still felt surreal.
"Arthur, what's wrong?"
Eliza's voice instantly pulled me out of the state of trance. I looked at her, and her bright blue eyes looked back at me worriedly.
"Nothing. Just scanning the surroundings." I replied and then turned to Sophia. "There are more monsters than the reports. From what I found out, there are at least 10 of them."
"That's!" She sounded surprised but not questioning how I found out about it. The knights also looked uneasy after they heard what I said.
My <Presence Detection> could even detect hostile monsters, marking them with red dots. The name didn't show up on my radar, but I used <Appraisal> on them, and their information popped up in a blue panel.
Black Tiger
Level 32
HP: 350
MP: 25
Monsters that lived in a pack of families. Have the appearance of 2-meter-tall tigers with black fur and white dots on their bodies.
At least, that was what the <Appraisal> showed me. But not all of them were like that.
"It's manageable. Just protect Eliza for me." I said with a smile, to which Sophia replied with a resolute nod. Then I turned to the now worried brown-haired girl. "Eliza, you can follow my command, right? Attack them with <Wind Blade> when I tell you to."
"A-Alright."
"Great." I nodded. "They are inside the forest, 300 meters from the entrance. I doubt they will attack us immediately, but put all your guards up."
"Yes!" The knights replied in unison, and we walked past the grass field to the forest.
The clanking sound of the knights' steel armor was a bit irritating and only served to disclose our information. I wondered why they used steel armor instead of a uniform and chest plate like Rania. What Rania used was better than this; at least it was quiet.
'Maybe I can create my own knight squad in the church and dress them the way I like?'
That would be the best. I could just bring that squad in case I had a request coming from the church. Not only that, I could pick those I fancy and train them. That would be the best case for me.
'Sophia will certainly join my new squad if I create one. I will talk with Sana about this later.'
We entered the forest cautiously with me in the front. From the radar, I noticed the Black Tigers also moved slowly toward us.
I opened my inventory and took out one sword and it appeared in my hand. It was a magic sword with a silver blade and golden hilt.
This was a sword I often used when I was a newbie. The requirement needed to use it was simple; one only needed 40 STR and AGI. There was no level restriction.
And this sword's name was [Excalipoor], and its effect was to shoot sword energy with each swing; it was a passive effect. I named this sword myself because its appearance looked like the real [Excalibur], which was broken when I fought Ghost Marionette.
Anyway, I heard the rustling sound of bushes from the front.
"They are here. Stop." I commanded the others, and they stopped just like I commanded. Eliza also followed my command quite well.
A second after I commanded them, they appeared. 9 Black Tigers walked on four with a terrifying appearance. Their jaws were open, revealing sharp fangs as they clawed the ground.
Their numbers didn't really add up, but I knew where the last Black Tiger was, so I could take care of it later. Still, it was better than I had expected. My grin grew wider as I swung my sword down.
The Black Tigers looked strong, and their average Levels were higher than I thought.
With their numbers, Eliza would be able to reach Level 20 faster than I initially planned. To get experience, one needed to join the fight. Just damaging the opponent a little was enough.
And as I was already Max Level, all the experience would go to Eliza. My bus would be faster than any high-ranking nobles out there.
"Eliza! Prepare your magic!" I shouted without looking back. I knew she would be able to do what I told her, and I trusted her. "This will be quite messy and fast." And I licked my lips in excitement.
