< 24 : The Corrupted Sword (2) >
Evan Allemier.
He was a heretic inquisitor of Crossbridge and the eldest son of the Allemier family.
Evan had just finished his short vacation and was on his way back to Crossbridge.
The information he had learned during his vacation was shocking enough to shake the Holy Land.
The movement of the Evil God Cult.
And the imminent appearance of the Hero.
Both were troublesome matters that would only get worse as time passed.
That’s why Evan chose to return to the Holy Land as quickly as possible, even if it meant taking some risks.
He started moving along a shortcut that he had heard from his brother, Hus.
“This road is quite rough.”
Clack— clack—.
As he urged his horse on, Evan looked around and opened his mouth.
The shortcut that Hus had told him about was more rugged than the usual road he took.
It was not a problem if he ran carefully, but he could understand why people did not often pass by this way.
Evan would not have chosen this adventure if he had some time to spare.
He had been running for hours, kicking up dust along the way.
He decided to change his horse when he reached the border.
He spotted some people on the road when the summer sun was at its zenith.
“…Are those people?”
He saw a few figures on top of a shabby-looking carriage.
He was still too far away to see them clearly, but he could barely make out their shapes.
But if he kept running at this pace, he would surely crash into them.
He grabbed the reins and slowed down as he saw the carriage in the distance.
Hee-haw—!
As Evan slowed down his horse, the people on the carriage looked at him.
Two men.
And one woman.
That was all he could see of their party.
“There’s someone coming from the other side.”
One of the men who was looking at Evan coming from afar opened his mouth.
The young man who caught Evan’s eye had a naive face.
He was sitting on the driver’s seat, holding the reins, so he must have been a young coachman or an errand boy.
Clack. Clack.
He slowed down his horse until it was visible to the eye and approached the carriage.
He stopped his horse.
Hee-haw!
His horse snorted loudly as it came to a complete halt.
His brother Hus lived here, but Evan was still an outsider from the Holy Land.
He got off his horse and walked slowly towards the carriage, hoping to ask them for directions.
“I’d like to ask you for directions, if you don’t mind.”
As he brushed off the dust on his body and walked towards the carriage, Evan spoke.
His clothes were covered with dust from riding his horse for a long time.
As he approached them while dusting off his clothes, one of the men showed a sign of caution.
The man who wore a robe with a hood looked older than the young coachman.
As Evan’s gaze met his, the man opened his mouth to him.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m heading to the Holy Land.”
“The Holy Land… Are you a holy knight?”
There was nothing on Evan’s clothes that indicated that he belonged to the temple.
Yet the man asked him if he was a holy knight and showed a wary look.
There was no reason for an ordinary person to be suspicious of a traveler heading to the Holy Land.
It was clearly a suspicious sight.
Crackle.
Evan felt an unpleasant sensation in his aura as he raised his holy power.
It was an energy that repelled holy power.
The dark magic of another dimension.
The power of abomination that black magicians had accumulated by offering sacrifices.
“What are you going to do if I’m a holy knight?”
A black magician who was wary of holy knights and his companions.
It was an obvious suspicious combination.
Evan’s role as a heretic inquisitor of the Holy Land was to deal with those who served heresy and corrupted magicians.
He sensed something ominous and moved his hand to his sword hilt naturally.
He had planned to just ask for directions and move on.
But he had learned too much to just pass by them now.
“Nothing. I was just curious.”
“Is that so. You seem very curious.”
“I’m always like that.”
In the tense atmosphere, the black magician’s throat moved as he faced Evan.
Gulp.
He swallowed his saliva and twitched his hand.
Evan did not think that the black magician in front of him had achieved much.
He was only at a level that could be handled by third-class investigators of the empire.
It would not take long for him to finish him off if he acted himself.
Evan made up his mind and took another step towards the black magician.
“You black magicians are indeed very curious.”
“What did you say….”
“You wouldn’t dabble in forbidden magic with just a little curiosity, would you?”
——Clang.
Evan’s sword was drawn out of his scabbard with a friction sound.
He drew his sword with a natural motion and swung it at the black magician in front of him.
It was a swift sword strike that most magicians could not even react to.
Clang!
The only thing that blocked Evan’s sword was a hand wrapped in darkness.
The hand came out of the shadow behind the black magician, who was the target of Evan’s sword.
“That was close, Roan.”
The shadow that blocked Evan’s sword came from the feet of the girl who was behind the black magician.
Beyond the shadow that blocked his sword.
A girl with ash-gray hair was sitting on the carriage, looking down at the two men.
She was holding a large book in her arms, smiling innocently.
Seeing the girl who had moved the shadow to block his sword, the black magician behind her sighed in relief and replied.
“Phew… Thank you. I would have been dead for sure if it weren’t for you, Apostle.”
“Be careful. He seems like a dangerous person.”
“He does. I didn’t expect him to swing his sword at me out of nowhere.”
Apostle.
And black magician.
Evan overheard their conversation and backed away a few steps, on guard.
The magic he had just encountered was very unfamiliar to him.
It was the first time he had faced such a high-level magic.
The being in front of him was different from the black magician in essence.
While the girl was moving her shadow, Evan could sense a tremendous amount of magic around her.
A tidal wave of magic that seemed endless.
She was clearly a high-ranking magician who could not be opposed by any ordinary means.
“Who are you?”
“Are you curious about my identity?”
“Yes. Reveal yourself.”
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first if you want to hear someone else’s identity? That’s the polite thing to do.”
Tap. Tap.
The girl tapped her book with her finger and spoke.
Every time her slender finger touched the book, a powerful wave of magic emanated from it.
It was an awe-inspiring level of magic, unlike her innocent-looking face.
Despite her seemingly willing to reveal herself if he played along, Evan quickly weighed his options in his head.
The apostle in front of him was a threat to the Holy Land.
If he could reveal his identity to learn more about her, it was a relatively cheap deal.
Evan made up his mind and told her his name.
“My name is Evan Allemier! I’m a holy knight who serves the God of Honor.”
“The God of Honor? Your actions just now were not very honorable, I think.”
“…There is no honor to show to the wicked.”
Evan tried to ignore her sarcastic words.
It was not a lie that he had blurted out for convenience.
Life and death were always at stake during a battle.
He could only fight honorably with those who deserved respect.
This was also written in the doctrine of the temple.
The girl nodded as if she understood his answer, which could seem half-hearted.
“I see. Well, since I heard your introduction, I guess I should introduce myself too.”
The girl who was sitting on the carriage got up from her seat.
She hugged her book and stepped down lightly, facing Evan who was glaring at her from below.
She did not seem to worry about falling from such a height, as a hand of shadow reached out to support her.
Thud.
She landed safely on the ground and looked at Evan with a faint smile.
Then she spoke in a clear voice that echoed in the narrow road.
“My name is Eutenia Hyrost. I’m the first apostle who serves the Great One.”
“Apostle… Do you mean the apostle of the Evil God?”
“It’s very rude of you to call the Great One an evil god.”
Ignoring her displeased look, Evan was plunged into serious thoughts after hearing her identity.
The apostle of the Evil God.
That meant only one thing.
The Evil God had gained enough influence in this world to send down an apostle.
Evan looked at Eutenia with a tense face and raised his sword.
He had to eliminate the apostle in front of him if he could.
He had no choice but to fight from the beginning.
“I only spoke the truth.”
“Did you? You’re quite an impolite person.”
“A god who devours people does not deserve respect. We have decided to call those who turn their eyes away from this obvious truth evil gods.”
He wielded his sword to punish evil.
That was the path that Evan Allemier had chosen.
He looked at Eutenia with a fierce gaze, imbued with holy power.
“Don’t you regret doing something foolish?”
“I’m not afraid of death or running away. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen to be a holy knight.”
Hearing Evan’s words, Eutenia sighed briefly.
She immersed herself in thought, her ash-gray eyes reflecting her book.
A thick book whose origin was unknown.
And Evan standing beyond it.
She looked back and forth between them and released a strong wave of magic from her body.
“Fine. I didn’t intend to let you go anyway.”
She opened the book she was holding and declared to Evan.
At the same time, countless hands stretched out from beyond her shadow.
An unfathomable realm of darkness.
The overflowing hands became a wave that aimed at Evan.
The first apostle, Eutenia Hyrost.
The apostle who had received the divine power of the Evil God unleashed her full strength at Evan.
Evan faced Eutenia’s attack and ran towards her with his sword, filled with holy power.
