Chapter 61.1
Chapter 61.1
Crackle. Bonfires that had been built and lit by the knights burned throughout the forest.
The night was the time when demons became stronger. On top of that, the ones that had come out this time were the types that could fly up into the sky. Not knowing when they would attack from above, the knights quickly recognized their approach and set bonfires all over the campsite so that in case of an emergency they could light up their arrows and shoot them.
“Is there a need for all of this? We caught two during the day already,” grumbled one knight—a recent recruit—as he threw more firewood into a bonfire.
“Anyone would say that catching two demons is an easy task. Frankly, it was Lord Kalion who caught them.”
“Nevertheless…”
The rookie knight recalled the battle that had happened during the day.
***
Not long after they had entered the forest black shadows had appeared from above, and they had all looked up at the sky in a defensive position.
“They’re here!”
All of them gulped at the sight of the hideous monsters; these beings were things that had crossed over from some unknown world. So, there were many times when they did not understand the common sense of this world.
What had flown over the knights’ heads were living beings with no eyes, nose, or lips. Only charred figures like they had been burnt to a crisp. The demons had large wings which made them look like flying carcasses. Some had five wings, some had three wings. On top of that, they had about six human-like arms protruding from their bodies.
Upon first look, all of the knights had felt cold sweat rolling down their necks.
Perhaps the demons had recognized that the knights were difficult to deal with, they had let out a bizarre sound and roamed above the forest.
“Everyone in the defense position!”
When Cedric yelled, his team members all guarded themselves with their shields, never taking their eyes off of the flying monsters. Amidst that, one of the demons quickly came lower but was struck with a shield. It was about as large as a full-grown human male. Its power was enormous because it had hit the shield at a high speed as it had fallen from the sky.
Clank! The moment the knight who had absorbed the hit fell backward and stumbled, another one of the demons circling the sky had bolted down toward them, trying to attack while avoiding the shields. However, before it could snatch up a knight with its claws a blood-curdling shriek came from inside the forest.
“Lord Kalion!”
The severed leg of one of the demons lashed violently beside the knights while Kalion, after shielding himself from the blood of the demon with his thick cape, shouted at the defending knights, “Aim your arrows and shoot!”
At that moment, the ones wielding their bows and arrows ducked under the shields of the surrounding knights as tight as they could before aiming their fire-clad arrows up and shooting. The demons hurriedly flew high in the sky even while knowing that they had the means to attack them. But one of them, which had three wings and couldn’t keep up with the others, was struck on its side, sending it plummeting to the ground.
Landing with a thud, it was flailing around like it had broken its arm or leg—it was difficult to tell which body part it was. As the knights approached it to surround the area, the demon made a deafening sound, threatening them.
“Sh*t, this thing’s got a hell of a temper.”
Looking at the demon on the ground flapping its body, Cedric ran his fingers through his hair in an annoyed manner. It was a robust monster that had probably only recently entered this world. Had Cedric not been so lucky, he might have had to confront it for at least one extra day.
Cedric thought about which of the two demons that had fallen to the ground should be tortured first. But that became a pointless worry after only a few seconds. Kalion beheaded the one that had almost clawed the knight who had stumbled to the ground. His sharp sword came down on its thick neck, dug into the muscles, and severed the bone.
Cedric could tell from the relentless attitude of Kalion. He is really pissed right now. Of course, he could guess the reason. I’d be a fool if I couldn’t guess after seeing him this morning.
Cedric had truly wanted to die when he stood in front of Kalion’s room to report the appearance of the demons. It was a fact that he knew that Erna and Kalion were spending their nights together these days. Because the scratches under his collar had been caused by human nails.
On top of that, the recent Kalion had gone back to his humble abode. Of course, he used to move swiftly in the past, but if there was still a matter of the knights, he stayed up late to hone their skills, but now all of that had disappeared. And Cedric knew quite well that it was dangerous for Kalion to be with Erna.
But how could he feel good after knocking on the bedroom door early this morning? As expected, Kalion’s body, which had only been covered in a bathrobe, was full of reddish marks.
Upon receiving Cedric’s report, Kalion, clearly bothered, had ordered him to get ready to depart. The first time that had ever happened. Normally the first one to go out to catch demons was Kalion. How could he be so annoyed like that?
Isn’t… this dangerous? But there was no way Cedric could tell him that a husband shouldn’t leave his wife behind. As they departed from the Grand Castle, he had given one order to Cerdric: “Try your hardest to finish this as quickly as possible so that I can return.”
But…
Cedric sighed as he saw the demons flying in the distance. Returning early would be an impossible feat.