Chapter 164

EP.164 The Lost Lamb (12)

Why on earth is the Saintess here right now?

What’s with this outfit?

My suspicions, like a swirling eddy, were instantly buried under a crushing sense of crisis.

“Saintess! It’s such a nice day, shall we go out together?”

My instincts took a leap ahead of reason and moved me.

I wrapped my arms around the Saintess with a flourish, blocking her view, trying to make her focus all her attention on me, a demand she couldn’t resist.

But…

“Who did this?”

That icy voice sliced through my intentions like a hot knife through butter. Her delicate hand cautiously explored my ragged body.

All the information before my eyes clearly indicated that everything I was trying was for naught.

“Over there! Catch them now!”

“No! Don’t come near!”

A desperate shout erupted from me, one I wouldn’t normally release. That’s how urgent my feelings were.

No one should approach the Saintess now.

That was a fair conclusion derived from my instincts and experiences combined.

Chwa-reul-leug!

Before I could say anything, a sharp chain streaked past, grazing my hair.

Quack! And then splash.

The violent echo that followed made even someone like me, who had seen all sorts of horrific wounds, hesitate to look back out of sheer dread.

Keugh…!

Guh… ah…

One severely injured man was spewing dark red blood, punctured all over by the sharp chains, while another, in a worse position, was just twitching limply.

All this calamity unfolded in less than a second.

“No! Welna! Stop this at once!”

I gripped the Saintess’s shoulders firmly, trying to hold her back more strongly than usual, but her face, flushed with anger, signaled that nothing mattered to her except punishing those who had harmed me.

“I’ll kill them all.”

What a firm expression of her unwavering will. Her clear thought began to grow darker with layers of despair.

The weight of life I had been teaching her for days was right on the brink of shattering into nothingness.

Even if the opponents were wicked fiends deserving of death, in a situation like this, where there were other alternatives available, killing should be pushed to the final resort.

It might be a despicable act of hypocrisy for me, who has previously taken lives under the pretext of self-defense while praying to the gods, but having deeply felt how much taking someone else’s life tarnishes the human soul, even if the heavens were to crumble, I absolutely had to prevent any life from slipping through the Saintess’s hands.

For a person, killing should be something uncomfortable, awkward, and fearsome.

It must never be too easy, simple, or refreshing!

“Welna! Calm down! Look over here! Big brother is fine! I’m fine, see!”

I hugged the Saintess with all my might to restrain her.

But like a robot with its programming triggered, the Saintess marched forward toward her target without slowing down in the slightest.

Khahak! What’s this! Is running away all you can do!

At that moment, a cheerful voice echoed as a werewolf charged into the scene, cutting through the wind.

Even considering he was a beastman with superior physical abilities than a human, the way he lunged from far away to where I was was somewhat awe-inspiring.

His unfazed attitude, completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation, only raised my blood pressure.

“Oh! In such a short time, you’ve taken down two! Is this where the fun ends? Good! While hunting is enjoyable, nothing beats slaughter!”

It seemed the werewolf thought it was all my doing.

Except for the fact that the Saintess’s chains were numerous, they looked exactly like Bawngwi.

Given that the Saintess was held tight in my arms, it was likely he couldn’t see her.

“Hey! You! If you don’t want to die, take your companions and get out of here right now! Quickly!”

Ka-ha-ha! What’s this! I didn’t know you could make that kind of face! My blood is boiling now!

I attempted a desperate plea, but that only ignited his desire to fight even more.

Pwah!

With a powerful leap that could crack the ground, the werewolf lunged at me.

In my current situation, holding the Saintess, I couldn’t guarantee I could dodge his onslaught even if I were in perfect condition.

But in that moment, what flashed across my mind wasn’t concern for myself.

Quack!

The sound of well-sharpened metal easily slicing through tough leather and flesh played a cruel trick on my ears.

Blood gushed forth like a wild stream when I pinched the end of a rubber hose.

Gaaahhh─!

I felt a small sense of relief from the painful scream that followed.

It meant that the poor creature, taking the full brunt of the murderous intent unleashed from my arms, had miraculously survived.

Thud!

After everything settled, I heard something heavy fall to the ground in the haze of relaxation.

Trying to suppress the chill rising on my back, I turned my gaze towards it, and there it was: the werewolf’s arm, the size of my torso, rolling on the ground like a freshly cut log.

“Welna… No. I hate dogs.”

Chwaak!

Right after that lifeless, cold voice resonated, the chains swirling around the Saintess slithered like snakes, nervously shaking off the blood they had absorbed.

Thump thump!

My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might leap out of my ears.

Having been the Saintess’s dedicated guardian priest, I had seen her in various states, but this was the first time I was witnessing her this enraged.

It was as if her fight with the Hero looked like a tea party compared to this!

“There! There they are! Everyone over here!”

“Hans told us to do whatever it takes to capture him! If we miss this, it’s our heads!”

“Don’t be fooled by appearances that look like trash! This is the guy Hans recognized as a threat, someone who’s survived pursuit from the Hero Party!”

The numerous footsteps and voices echoed from far away, plunging a thick dagger into my chest.

That clamor signaled a disturbing warning that their commotion would soon pour into the already raging flames of my anxiety.

“Welna! Please! Please stop!”

“I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them.”

I shouted desperately into her ear, but reason had already fled from her cold voice.

“W-what the…!”

“W-what! Is everyone dead?!”

“T-the wolf got taken down!?”

Shock was clear on the faces of the newcomers who appeared in this place.

However, the only emotion I could see in the Saintess’s red eyes as she gazed at their actions was pure wrath.

“Get out! Leave this place now while you can!”

“Eek!”

Was that really my voice trembling in the air?

As soon as I shouted, I saw the newcomers’ frightened behavior. They seemed to believe that I was responsible for all this carnage.

Normally, I would have quickly corrected such a misunderstanding, but given the circumstances, I decided to fully take advantage of their misapprehension.

“Get lost! If you come even one step closer, I’ll blow your heads off!”

“W-what do we do!? H-hans told us to capture that guy…”

“Get lost! Can’t you hear what I’m saying!?”

“Ah, okay! Understood!”

I felt the remaining energy within me rapidly dwindling.

I had never realized that shouting at someone could consume this much energy.

Honestly, this was a hundred times harder than playing tag with mercenaries just moments ago.

Fortunately, despite my pathetic threats, they seemed genuinely frightened. Clearly, the situation played a significant role.

A man, full of wounds and blood, just barely breathing.

A bulky werewolf, missing an arm and rolling helplessly on the cold ground.

Upon seeing such a horrific sight, one that would make any ordinary person faint at a glance, my paltry threats lent a vivid sense of intimidation.

“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”

Desperately, I tried to stop the Saintess, who was marching determinedly toward them like a killing machine.

The terrifying aura surrounding her was fortunately at a level I could somewhat suppress by gritting my teeth and putting in all my effort.

It seemed that burying her petite body completely in my embrace helped quell her aggression to some extent.

What an unexpected stroke of luck.

As that faint feeling of relief began to bloom for the first time in my tense body…

Clap clap clap.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound of applause rang out.

My stiff neck slowly turned toward the source of the noise.

“Truly remarkable. Impressive. I knew you were talented, but I never anticipated you possessed this level of potential. I never dreamed you could knock down a wolf.”

Emerging from the dark background was the man admired by the mercenaries as their leader.

“But I must say, you seem to be reaching your limit. What do you think? Am I wrong? Generally, with increased power comes a corresponding limit. This seems to be your last gasp, and what you’ve just shown is nothing but pitiful bravado, as indicated by that fatigued expression.”

“Nope. You couldn’t be more wrong.”

It might be understandable that he mistook the powers I wielded as mine alone, considering they were borrowed from the Saintess, but with all that confidence exuding from him, I found it hard to respond.

“Now, this is your last chance. Join me and become mine. Then…”

“It’s you, isn’t it…?”

“Hmm? What did you just say?”

Right then.

From within my arms, another voice dripped with darkness, seeming to echo from the depths of hell.

“It’s you….”