Episode 711 The Unanswered Kingdom (4)
The backpack contained not only food, but also several sets of clothes.
It must have been a welcome thing, but she asked a little warily.
“…If it’s a dispatched knight… Did the royal family start to intervene?”
At the priest’s words, Ray fell into trouble for a moment.
If she recklessly affirmed it, she wouldn’t be vigilant afterwards.
That’s also true, because support can be more difficult depending on who does it.
It could rather be a handshake for those who know how much ripple effect borrowing the royal family’s hand can have.
‘I’ll have to deny it here.’
Sorry to say, but these are the bait to bring in the black room.
If you don’t build trust, you’ll have a hard time guiding action in an emergency.
Having decided on an answer, Ray shook his head slightly.
“I’m a knight dispatched by the royal family, but that’s just a job title. I came purely to help.”
As he spoke, he secretly scattered mana.
The mana that naturally spread around his body created a weak light.
In addition to that, when he smiled softly, the priest erased his wariness to some extent.
“sorry. I think I was sensitive.”
“What is it?”
“Oh, I was just about to eat lunch. If you don’t mind, would you like to eat together?”
“thank you. Then I’ll take care of you.”
After being guided by the priest, Ray took off the plate armor he had borrowed from Klein.
The children who looked at it curiously started talking.
“It’s armor!”
“Is your brother a knight?”
Looking at the innocent eyes, a smile came out.
“okay.”
He answered briefly and stroked the children’s heads.
“Wow! Then you must have saved the princess too!”
Mmm.
Well, if it was a princess or a princess who was in trouble, she tried to save it a few times.
For a moment, the immature princess of Celia Kingdom came to mind, but I quickly erased it from my mind.
“I’ve saved a few people, like princesses.”
“I want to be a knight when I grow up! And I will marry the princess!”
A child with a sword sloppily made from tree branches shouted.
marry the princess
It’s not something an ordinary knight could dream of.
It will probably be stopped by the hands of nearby nobles before reaching the king.
Well, it might be possible if you’re at the level of a sword master.
At that point, the aristocrats will begin to line up, so their married life won’t be very happy.
There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but Ray just stroked the child’s head one more time.
“cheer up.”
“Yeah, but is your brother a great knight?”
“huh?”
The child pointed to the royal emblem embroidered on her shoulder.
Oops.
Ray hurriedly covered his shoulders with his cloak.
There was not simply a royal pattern there.
As much as he borrowed the plate armor from Klein, there was also a pattern indicating his position on his shoulder.
Commander of the 1st Royal Knights.
It is the highest position you can climb as a knight in this kingdom where even talking about it is heavy.
Children may not know it well, but a priest of the Demonic Church might recognize it at first glance.
‘I have to be careful.’
If I had known this would happen, I would have borrowed it from a more ordinary knight.
Because Klein says something like ‘I want to help you with something like this’.
It was my own fault for not refusing.
The priest who was bringing food to the modest table asked.
“But it is amazing. Can the royal knights leave the castle?”
A surprisingly sharp question.
Ray was taken aback inwardly, but on the outside he responded calmly.
“It just happens to be vacation time.”
“Ah, I’m sure the knights should have time to rest too.”
Seeing him smiling and talking, fortunately, he doesn’t seem suspicious.
“I am ready. Everyone eat.”
“Wow!”
“hungry.”
As if enchanted by the savory smell of the cooking, the children rushed to the table and ate the food without asking anyone first.
It wasn’t polite to show in front of guests, so the priest’s face was a little red.
“Guys, you should start with the driver.”
Of course, no one listened to her words.
“Leave it. It’s when you eat a lot and grow up.”
“sorry. I haven’t been able to feed them lately…”
The priest’s face, which had been flushed before, turned red like a carrot.
After the meal, Ray decided to start talking in earnest.
It is not something that can be postponed forever.
It was a situation where the Black Room might come in the evening.
‘By the way, there are no problems with the chain of command for days. It seems the delivery manager is working harder than I thought.’
Originally, it wouldn’t be strange at all even if it became known at this point.
Even though it is a black room made up of points, there is no way that the leadership does not know that they are attacking the Demonic Church.
That would mean that the communicator he had tricked earlier gave instructions to the combatants in the utmost secrecy.
Once you break through the code, the chain of command is easier than you think.
Ray quietly waited as he watched the children play outside after eating.
Eventually, the priest and I were left alone in the building.
I talked to the priest who was enjoying tea time at the table.
“…Priest. I have something to tell you.”
“Say yes.”
She answered pretty immediately, as if she knew.
To that, Ray also continued to speak without hesitation.
“I believe that the priest knows better than anyone that this place is dangerous.”
“…”
“So tonight, please get out of the temple and run away to another place. If you go to the castle and tell them that ‘Klein’ sent it, they will accept it.”
He quietly took out the parchment he had kept in his pocket.
Seeing that it has the official seal of a royal knight embedded in it, it doesn’t seem like he was saying it in vain.
The priest pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
“A person who serves a god leaves the temple for comfort. It shouldn’t be.”
“Then I might die.”
“I am prepared.”
Looking at his determined eyes, it seems that he has no intention of changing his doctor.
Ray has often seen people like this.
Even at the time of the Holy Kingdom, there were many people who burned their bodies for their faith.
Well, if you see him remaining at the temple alone in a situation where everyone has fled, he must have a strong sense of faith.
“I won’t stop. Please evacuate at least the children.”
“The knight… what do you plan to do?”
“Well, I have the same thoughts as the priest. Should I become a guardian of the royal family and run away after seeing the enemy?”
He stroked the old sword he bought cheaply from a nearby blacksmith as if he had an attachment to it.
At that, the priest’s eyes softened somewhat.
“I see. You are a great knight.”
It must be proof that the wariness has softened more than the first time.
All of Ray’s actions were calculated.
‘It will be helpful in times of need.’
Even if it rots, it’s called Junchi.
Despite being a demonic cult, she is clearly a priest.
He must have learned at least one or two divine magics.
No matter what anyone says, he knows best how effective divine magic is in a wartime situation.
Ray looked at her and said.
“The time will probably be tonight. Please bring the children inside safely to the royal castle.”
“I will. But… during that time, you will be left alone.”
worried eyes.
Inside, ‘Are you really going to be okay by yourself?’ I heard a question.
He smiled as if to say not to worry.
“No matter how you look at it, I am a royal knight. There is no problem with that.”
He pounded his chest and said, but the priest’s complexion did not seem to be relieved.
Rather, he spoke cautiously with a hardened face.
“It’s not that I doubt the skill of the knight. Just don’t think of them as normal intruders. They are magical people.”
At those words, Ray’s eyes looking at the priest changed.
“…Do you know me well?”
Once the identity of the Black Room is revealed, it tries to destroy whoever the opponent is.
However, to think that a priest of the Demonic Church knows at least a part of the power of the Black Room.
It must have been something related.
When our eyes met, she looked away as if running away.
“Anyway, you have to be careful. Unless you’re a Master, it’s dangerous to face them one-on-one.”
In fact, even the Master is dangerous.
Well, if it’s at the reception level or at the level of Zeke, I’ll be a little less worried.
Ray responded with a simple nod of his head.
* * *
Packing food and extra clothes in her backpack, she left the temple with her children.
“Knight brother! See you again!”
“Hello, brother!”
I shook my hand at the cheery children’s greetings.
“Bye.”
“…Then I’ll be back.”
The priest’s worried eyes turned to him.
It was the gaze of a woman who had left her child alone at the water’s edge.
“I’m really fine, so let’s go.”
I tried to reassure her several times, but there was no momentum to ease her concerns.
Just a little while ago, I had to guide them through the inside of the temple several times, make them familiar with the structure, and listen to stories about which way to run to in case of emergency.
Even Ray, who had listened to it with a good heart at first, swallowed his breath in vain because of the worry that continued without knowing the end.
After being restless for a while, she slowly left the temple like a cow being led to a slaughterhouse as soon as Ray pushed her back.
Left alone in the huge temple, Ray muttered as he watched the priest leave.
“Then I’ll have to clean it up before you get back.”
Let him look straight at the nearby bush.
Fine stingers the size of a finger flew out of the bushes.
Pippi-!
Ray, who twisted his body to avoid memorization, immediately memorized the starting language.
“Wind cutter.”
Standing seat-!
The blade of the wind shot out with a terrifying roar and swept past the trees and bushes.
“Keo-eo-eok!”
“Aaaagh!”
Flesh splattered and blood spurted out.
The view of the sacred temple has now been transformed into a somber atmosphere covered in blood.
