The woman wore an old tunic, but her sword contained divine power.
A boy who looks like a mercenary but already has his own world.
Both realized that their origins were not common, but their swords were already intertwined.
The sword was fast, but the words were slow.
Opting for a simple gesture with the sword could allow him to overpower his opponent, but explaining the current situation would require time.
"..."
The woman with green eyes didn't want to argue about a clear approach.
It would be much safer that way.
[React!]
The woman, who seemed to have decided to subdue him, ran towards Vlad before he could react.
Her voice ordered the boy to comply as if it were impossible to resist.
Events unfolded, and now there was no turning back.
"Tsk!"
Vlad resignedly accepted her attack.
Preferring to think that at least it would end well. The presence of a paladin, something he had never encountered before, intrigued him.
Kwang!
Vlad's world clashed down his sword filled with God's will.
When the worlds met and sparks flew, at the same time, Vlad's world shook like a candle being extinguished.
'It's too heavy!'
Facing a paladin's sword for the first time, Vlad was greatly surprised.
Although his sword also had weight and speed, they were insufficient to cause the same impact, and she had a power comparable to Jager's.
It was an incomprehensible result.
[That's a blessing. It's evidence that the world is aiding her.]
'...How is that?'
By merely following God's will, she received greater power than her original ability.
Thinking that the world was unfair once again, Vlad closed his left eye once more.
The sword began to slowly burn along with the boy's determination.
Although his power was weak compared to the divine power emanating from the unknown paladin, Vlad was proud to have built his own world with his own strength.
Because it was something no one else could take away from him.
‘I see.’
Vlad, who was already quite accustomed to battle thanks to his encounters with Jager, saw that the woman in front of him was full of openings.
"I can finish this."
The key to delivering a lethal blow lies in controlling the battlefield.
If he can guide the opponent's movements, he can lay the groundwork for victory.
With his determination strengthened, Vlad lunged forward with explosive movements.
Vlad, aiming for the shoulder, held his breath as he prepared for the reaction to come.
"What?"
However, the movements of the woman facing him were not defensive as he had anticipated, but purely offensive.
The paladin who received the will of the gods simply advanced without paying heed to the parts the young man was trying to tear apart.
“…!”
Vlad didn't want to inflict great harm now that he knew she was a paladin. But her fighting style was too extreme, and in this situation, retreating first would only result in great losses.
Thwack!
Vlad had no choice but to swing his sword against the paladin, but her plate armor hidden under her tunic subtly deflected Vlad's sword tip.
It was a spell of armor boasted by the Holy Knights.
“…!”
The missed strike was the beginning of Vlad's balance collapse.
At that moment, the woman's green eyes gleamed as she kicked Vlad's ankle strongly.
Spin-
The world was spinning.
‘What is this?’
Although he felt empty as he fell, Vlad kept remembering the way the woman had moved a moment before even amid his confusion.
From the inexplicable concept of a blessing to handling armor he had never seen before.
Because it was unknown and intense, it was a scene not easily forgotten even in the moment of defeat.
Kwang!
And as that brief moment of meditation ended, Vlad slammed heavily into the ground.
“Kuh!”
Soon, Vlad felt the cold sensation of the sword on his neck as he lay on the ground.
"Who the hell are you."
Vlad lifted his head and met the gaze of an unknown paladin.
The eyes were the same color as Lady Oksana's, but the temperature was different.
With a despondent smile on her face, Vlad realized that the woman had deliberately left openings.
"I... come from Soara. I had things to investigate here."
The key to mastering a lethal blow lies in controlling the battlefield. However, the person who controlled the battlefield in the previous confrontation was not the boy, but an unknown paladin.
A new goal, a new skill.
Today, the boy who had glimpsed another world raised his hands and admitted defeat.
Etching another color that was like a wound in his own world.
***
In an inn where the only guests were a group, there were knights facing each other across a table.
Vlad, watching them from the other side of the brazier, took a sip from the glass of water he held.
The taste lingering in his throat had a bitter aftertaste, perhaps because the situation had turned into a defeat for him.
"It must be the will of heaven that I can meet the knights of Soara here."
"I agree, Lady Justia."
Knights gathered in a village surrounded by suspicious mist.
Although they bore different orders on their shoulders, they had clearly followed unusual signs.
"I was investigating the strange incidents where children were dying nearby. At first, I thought it might be a contagious disease."
The woman Vlad had been secretly following turned out to be a paladin sent by the church.
To be exact, one of the staff members sent from the Northern Archdiocese of San Rogino.
The church had already become aware of the problems occurring in Baron Utman's territory.
"A curse. We found traces of something ancient."
"That's right."
As Justia spoke, Gregory began to stroke his beard, lost in thought.
Though he had anticipated it, her presence was taking things beyond his authority and capability.
"But there's a church here too, right?"
It was a question I barely posed after worrying if it might be rude, but the response I got was a chilly one.
"We believe the church here is the focus of the curse."
"Well..."
Watching as the knights who followed the will of the gods pointed to the church as the culprit, Gregory decided to hold his tongue.
The situation was graver than he had thought, and this was not his territory.
"Please convey my thanks to the new mayor of Soara for his admirable attitude in trying to prepare for what we did not know."
Though they turned to speak, in the end, Justia's words were nothing more than a request for Gregory to cease his approach.
This was not the territory of Bayezid, and matters related to black magic were the responsibility of the church. As knights of Soara in an ambiguous position, they no longer had justification to proceed.
"Understood."
With this conversation, a clear line was drawn.
The investigation ended here. They had confirmed the issues in Baron Utman's Barony and obtained testimony from a paladin of San Rogino.
Though they hadn't found the missing women, further investigation would be a burden for Joseph.
Because this was not their territory.
Faced with the weight of authority and responsibility, the knights decided to step back.
With bitterness rising from within, Vlad struck his glass he held uselessly.
It seemed they wouldn't find Anna in the end.
Vlad remained silent, thinking of the woman smiling at him pityingly.
***
Justia mentioned that she had already requested support from the church.
Since it was expected that other knights would arrive within a maximum of three days, Gregory decided to stay with Justia until then.
Perhaps that was the best outcome Gregory could have chosen.
"Should we leave now?"
"Yes."
As Vlad looked at the empty square from the quiet inn, he was talking to a girl.
"Why are you leaving so soon?"
"I've already finished my work."
"...There is no end in this world."
Although the girl didn't intend to be malicious, her words seemed piercing to Vlad, who coughed nervously.
"Don't you have any friends? Why have you been here all this time?"
"Daddy told me not to go out."
Upon hearing this, Vlad cautiously turned his head to the counter, where the innkeeper was watching him suspiciously.
"Stay a little longer. He said if we waited a little longer, the church would give us a gift."
"...What?"
The chance words of the girl made Vlad uncomfortable.
When Vlad looked at the innkeeper with a disbelieving look, his daughter intervened to explain what she had said.
"He said the church would soon gather the children for a special blessing. It's something parents of children like me should be thankful for in such dark times."
"...And when will that be?"
"I'm not sure. I don't remember well."
The innkeeper scratched his head as if he really couldn't remember.
"I think he said in three days, or maybe four. Anyway, the priest will take care of gathering the children."
Ignoring the innkeeper's praise for the priest, Vlad looked at the girl beside him.
A wooden necklace carved with the symbol of the church.
Although it was carved correctly, the way it was tied left much to be desired, making the necklace seem imperfect. Vlad's gaze darkened at seeing this.
"Are you going to stay until then?"
As he looked at the girl, who carried an ominous symbol while sending an innocent glance, Vlad was momentarily speechless.
The girl wouldn't know anything.
That's why the girl hadn't done anything wrong.
God would understand it too.
"Maybe I should stay until then."
"Hmph!"
Before Vlad could finish his response, the girl quickly handed him something she was holding in her hand.
She probably seized the opportunity while they were talking.
"What is this?"
"A flower ring."
"But there are no flowers, how can it be a flower ring?"
As Vlad said, it was a flower ring filled only with green stems.
Unable to go outside, she had made the ring with vines hanging on the wall.
Although she should have been outside playing and picking flowers, reality didn't allow her to do so.
"So, are we going to go out for a bit...?"
"Marian."
The innkeeper, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Vlad and the girl, spoke.
"Now go up. It's bedtime."
"But..."
Faced with the innkeeper's firm gaze, the girl got up from Vlad's side with a somber expression.
For a girl who had been alone all day, the conversation with Vlad was probably a pleasure she had missed a lot.
"Are you really going to be here tomorrow too?"
"Probably."
Then, the girl followed the owner back to her room, waving her little hand and saying:
"See you tomorrow."
Vlad also waved his hand as he watched her go.
"..."
Vlad silently looked at the flower ring the girl had given him on the first floor, where there was no one around.
The damp reality enveloped everything and did not even allow a small flower for the girl.
As Vlad was lost in thought, staring at the fog surrounding the outside, the curse on the girl's neck, and the flowerless flower ring she had given him.
"Marian! Marian!"
"······!"
Vlad silently looked at the flower ring the girl had given him on the first floor, where there was no one around.
"What's going on?"
"What's happening!"
The people on the second floor were startled by the sound and rushed downstairs.
Vlad, who was sitting alone on the first floor, cursed a word and quickly ran to the room where the innkeeper and the girl had just disappeared.
"Damn it!"
With the recent cry for help, Vlad quickly rushed inside, where the innkeeper and the girl were.
"No! Marian!"
Upon bursting open the door, he saw the girl lying pale-faced.
The girl was crying as the innkeeper hugged her, and foam bubbled at her mouth.
[It seems that a curse has been activated. They seem to have noticed us.]
Indeed, just as Justia and the knights from Soara noticed the peculiarities of this place, the opposing side also noticed the presence of the knights.
This village was practically in their hands.
They seemed to have decided to take the first step instead of waiting silently.
[I will lend you my world.]
Perhaps it may not be possible to solve the problem by looking at it, but at least the voice tried to make the boy understand the situation.
"…."
A father crying and a girl struggling to breathe. And knights who couldn't move easily.
Meanwhile, Vlad opened the world of the voice and looked at the girl crying in pain.
A world of voices tinged with colors.
What was seen there was a black hand mercilessly twisting the girl's neck and a thin line of smoke coming out of the girl's mouth.
[It seems to be a curse in the form of life force drain.]
The smoke came out of the suffocating girl and pierced through the inn's window.
It was in the direction where the church was.
[The curse has been activated. It seems they have noticed my presence.]
"Miss Justia."
Justia, who was calmly observing the scene, hoped it would be of some help, so she secured the girl's airways and without hesitation, put on the tunic she was holding.
She would know very well.
To resolve the current situation, they would have to eliminate the culprit.
"If I don't return, please explain the situation to my colleagues who will arrive later."
"······."
Gregory, who was standing beside her, just bit his lips without saying anything.
The knights leaving following God's will and those staying bound by the weight of authority and responsibility.
Although they saw the same thing, the decisions made by the two worlds were different.
Vlad looked at Justia's back disappearing into the fog without hesitation, and unknowingly, followed her out of the inn.
"... Try to breathe."
"Something's wrong with the girl!"
"No! No!"
In the square, where the boy had followed her without thinking.
One by one, the lights were turned on in the houses beyond the fog, and with them spread the miserable cries of the parents.
The empty square was filled only with weeping.
____
The woman wore an old tunic, but her sword contained divine power.
A boy who looks like a mercenary but already has his own world.
Both realized that their origins were not common, but their swords were already intertwined.
The sword was fast, but the words were slow.
Opting for a simple gesture with the sword could allow him to overpower his opponent, but explaining the current situation would require time.
"..."
The woman with green eyes didn't want to argue about a clear approach.
It would be much safer that way.
[React!]
The woman, who seemed to have decided to subdue him, ran towards Vlad before he could react.
Her voice ordered the boy to comply as if it were impossible to resist.
Events unfolded, and now there was no turning back.
"Tsk!"
Vlad resignedly accepted her attack.
Preferring to think that at least it would end well. The presence of a paladin, something he had never encountered before, intrigued him.
Kwang!
Vlad's world clashed down his sword filled with God's will.
When the worlds met and sparks flew, at the same time, Vlad's world shook like a candle being extinguished.
'It's too heavy!'
Facing a paladin's sword for the first time, Vlad was greatly surprised.
Although his sword also had weight and speed, they were insufficient to cause the same impact, and she had a power comparable to Jager's.
It was an incomprehensible result.
[That's a blessing. It's evidence that the world is aiding her.]
'...How is that?'
By merely following God's will, she received greater power than her original ability.
Thinking that the world was unfair once again, Vlad closed his left eye once more.
The sword began to slowly burn along with the boy's determination.
Although his power was weak compared to the divine power emanating from the unknown paladin, Vlad was proud to have built his own world with his own strength.
Because it was something no one else could take away from him.
‘I see.’
Vlad, who was already quite accustomed to battle thanks to his encounters with Jager, saw that the woman in front of him was full of openings.
"I can finish this."
The key to delivering a lethal blow lies in controlling the battlefield.
If he can guide the opponent's movements, he can lay the groundwork for victory.
With his determination strengthened, Vlad lunged forward with explosive movements.
Vlad, aiming for the shoulder, held his breath as he prepared for the reaction to come.
"What?"
However, the movements of the woman facing him were not defensive as he had anticipated, but purely offensive.
The paladin who received the will of the gods simply advanced without paying heed to the parts the young man was trying to tear apart.
“…!”
Vlad didn't want to inflict great harm now that he knew she was a paladin. But her fighting style was too extreme, and in this situation, retreating first would only result in great losses.
Thwack!
Vlad had no choice but to swing his sword against the paladin, but her plate armor hidden under her tunic subtly deflected Vlad's sword tip.
It was a spell of armor boasted by the Holy Knights.
“…!”
The missed strike was the beginning of Vlad's balance collapse.
At that moment, the woman's green eyes gleamed as she kicked Vlad's ankle strongly.
Spin-
The world was spinning.
‘What is this?’
Although he felt empty as he fell, Vlad kept remembering the way the woman had moved a moment before even amid his confusion.
From the inexplicable concept of a blessing to handling armor he had never seen before.
Because it was unknown and intense, it was a scene not easily forgotten even in the moment of defeat.
Kwang!
And as that brief moment of meditation ended, Vlad slammed heavily into the ground.
“Kuh!”
Soon, Vlad felt the cold sensation of the sword on his neck as he lay on the ground.
"Who the hell are you."
Vlad lifted his head and met the gaze of an unknown paladin.
The eyes were the same color as Lady Oksana's, but the temperature was different.
With a despondent smile on her face, Vlad realized that the woman had deliberately left openings.
"I... come from Soara. I had things to investigate here."
The key to mastering a lethal blow lies in controlling the battlefield. However, the person who controlled the battlefield in the previous confrontation was not the boy, but an unknown paladin.
A new goal, a new skill.
Today, the boy who had glimpsed another world raised his hands and admitted defeat.
Etching another color that was like a wound in his own world.
***
In an inn where the only guests were a group, there were knights facing each other across a table.
Vlad, watching them from the other side of the brazier, took a sip from the glass of water he held.
The taste lingering in his throat had a bitter aftertaste, perhaps because the situation had turned into a defeat for him.
"It must be the will of heaven that I can meet the knights of Soara here."
"I agree, Lady Justia."
Knights gathered in a village surrounded by suspicious mist.
Although they bore different orders on their shoulders, they had clearly followed unusual signs.
"I was investigating the strange incidents where children were dying nearby. At first, I thought it might be a contagious disease."
The woman Vlad had been secretly following turned out to be a paladin sent by the church.
To be exact, one of the staff members sent from the Northern Archdiocese of San Rogino.
The church had already become aware of the problems occurring in Baron Utman's territory.
"A curse. We found traces of something ancient."
"That's right."
As Justia spoke, Gregory began to stroke his beard, lost in thought.
Though he had anticipated it, her presence was taking things beyond his authority and capability.
"But there's a church here too, right?"
It was a question I barely posed after worrying if it might be rude, but the response I got was a chilly one.
"We believe the church here is the focus of the curse."
"Well..."
Watching as the knights who followed the will of the gods pointed to the church as the culprit, Gregory decided to hold his tongue.
The situation was graver than he had thought, and this was not his territory.
"Please convey my thanks to the new mayor of Soara for his admirable attitude in trying to prepare for what we did not know."
Though they turned to speak, in the end, Justia's words were nothing more than a request for Gregory to cease his approach.
This was not the territory of Bayezid, and matters related to black magic were the responsibility of the church. As knights of Soara in an ambiguous position, they no longer had justification to proceed.
"Understood."
With this conversation, a clear line was drawn.
The investigation ended here. They had confirmed the issues in Baron Utman's Barony and obtained testimony from a paladin of San Rogino.
Though they hadn't found the missing women, further investigation would be a burden for Joseph.
Because this was not their territory.
Faced with the weight of authority and responsibility, the knights decided to step back.
With bitterness rising from within, Vlad struck his glass he held uselessly.
It seemed they wouldn't find Anna in the end.
Vlad remained silent, thinking of the woman smiling at him pityingly.
***
Justia mentioned that she had already requested support from the church.
Since it was expected that other knights would arrive within a maximum of three days, Gregory decided to stay with Justia until then.
Perhaps that was the best outcome Gregory could have chosen.
"Should we leave now?"
"Yes."
As Vlad looked at the empty square from the quiet inn, he was talking to a girl.
"Why are you leaving so soon?"
"I've already finished my work."
"...There is no end in this world."
Although the girl didn't intend to be malicious, her words seemed piercing to Vlad, who coughed nervously.
"Don't you have any friends? Why have you been here all this time?"
"Daddy told me not to go out."
Upon hearing this, Vlad cautiously turned his head to the counter, where the innkeeper was watching him suspiciously.
"Stay a little longer. He said if we waited a little longer, the church would give us a gift."
"...What?"
The chance words of the girl made Vlad uncomfortable.
When Vlad looked at the innkeeper with a disbelieving look, his daughter intervened to explain what she had said.
"He said the church would soon gather the children for a special blessing. It's something parents of children like me should be thankful for in such dark times."
"...And when will that be?"
"I'm not sure. I don't remember well."
The innkeeper scratched his head as if he really couldn't remember.
"I think he said in three days, or maybe four. Anyway, the priest will take care of gathering the children."
Ignoring the innkeeper's praise for the priest, Vlad looked at the girl beside him.
A wooden necklace carved with the symbol of the church.
Although it was carved correctly, the way it was tied left much to be desired, making the necklace seem imperfect. Vlad's gaze darkened at seeing this.
"Are you going to stay until then?"
As he looked at the girl, who carried an ominous symbol while sending an innocent glance, Vlad was momentarily speechless.
The girl wouldn't know anything.
That's why the girl hadn't done anything wrong.
God would understand it too.
"Maybe I should stay until then."
"Hmph!"
Before Vlad could finish his response, the girl quickly handed him something she was holding in her hand.
She probably seized the opportunity while they were talking.
"What is this?"
"A flower ring."
"But there are no flowers, how can it be a flower ring?"
As Vlad said, it was a flower ring filled only with green stems.
Unable to go outside, she had made the ring with vines hanging on the wall.
Although she should have been outside playing and picking flowers, reality didn't allow her to do so.
"So, are we going to go out for a bit...?"
"Marian."
The innkeeper, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Vlad and the girl, spoke.
"Now go up. It's bedtime."
"But..."
Faced with the innkeeper's firm gaze, the girl got up from Vlad's side with a somber expression.
For a girl who had been alone all day, the conversation with Vlad was probably a pleasure she had missed a lot.
"Are you really going to be here tomorrow too?"
"Probably."
Then, the girl followed the owner back to her room, waving her little hand and saying:
"See you tomorrow."
Vlad also waved his hand as he watched her go.
"..."
Vlad silently looked at the flower ring the girl had given him on the first floor, where there was no one around.
The damp reality enveloped everything and did not even allow a small flower for the girl.
As Vlad was lost in thought, staring at the fog surrounding the outside, the curse on the girl's neck, and the flowerless flower ring she had given him.
"Marian! Marian!"
"······!"
Vlad silently looked at the flower ring the girl had given him on the first floor, where there was no one around.
"What's going on?"
"What's happening!"
The people on the second floor were startled by the sound and rushed downstairs.
Vlad, who was sitting alone on the first floor, cursed a word and quickly ran to the room where the innkeeper and the girl had just disappeared.
"Damn it!"
With the recent cry for help, Vlad quickly rushed inside, where the innkeeper and the girl were.
"No! Marian!"
Upon bursting open the door, he saw the girl lying pale-faced.
The girl was crying as the innkeeper hugged her, and foam bubbled at her mouth.
[It seems that a curse has been activated. They seem to have noticed us.]
Indeed, just as Justia and the knights from Soara noticed the peculiarities of this place, the opposing side also noticed the presence of the knights.
This village was practically in their hands.
They seemed to have decided to take the first step instead of waiting silently.
[I will lend you my world.]
Perhaps it may not be possible to solve the problem by looking at it, but at least the voice tried to make the boy understand the situation.
"…."
A father crying and a girl struggling to breathe. And knights who couldn't move easily.
Meanwhile, Vlad opened the world of the voice and looked at the girl crying in pain.
A world of voices tinged with colors.
What was seen there was a black hand mercilessly twisting the girl's neck and a thin line of smoke coming out of the girl's mouth.
[It seems to be a curse in the form of life force drain.]
The smoke came out of the suffocating girl and pierced through the inn's window.
It was in the direction where the church was.
[The curse has been activated. It seems they have noticed my presence.]
"Miss Justia."
Justia, who was calmly observing the scene, hoped it would be of some help, so she secured the girl's airways and without hesitation, put on the tunic she was holding.
She would know very well.
To resolve the current situation, they would have to eliminate the culprit.
"If I don't return, please explain the situation to my colleagues who will arrive later."
"······."
Gregory, who was standing beside her, just bit his lips without saying anything.
The knights leaving following God's will and those staying bound by the weight of authority and responsibility.
Although they saw the same thing, the decisions made by the two worlds were different.
Vlad looked at Justia's back disappearing into the fog without hesitation, and unknowingly, followed her out of the inn.
"... Try to breathe."
"Something's wrong with the girl!"
"No! No!"
In the square, where the boy had followed her without thinking.
One by one, the lights were turned on in the houses beyond the fog, and with them spread the miserable cries of the parents.
The empty square was filled only with weeping.
____
