CHAPTER 66
If they were ordinary adventurers, they would have come inside and asked for a place to rest.
So why were they deliberately silencing their footsteps to the absolute limit?
The answer was simple.
They were the ones who had attacked the Kardun clan.
Of course, they wouldn’t just let their cornered prey go.
It was obvious they would pursue them.
My eyes flickered over to the Kardun man.
His face was visibly stiff with tension.
Judging by his reaction, it meant there was a difference in strength between them and their enemies.

“Horizon, how many?”
“Five or more. I can’t be sure. They’ve mastered the Stealth Step.”
Stealth Step.
I had heard it was a technique learned by those who practiced assassination arts.
A skill that hides one’s footsteps in the wind, erasing one’s very presence.
Even Horizon’s shadows couldn’t easily determine their numbers.
“In that case, it means the five that were detected are below a certain level.”
“Y-You could think of it that way.”
When I offered a positive opinion, Horizon quickly agreed. It was better to raise morale somehow than to let everyone get discouraged.
However, the situation was still not good.
Damn it, if I had known from the start, I wouldn’t have gotten involved with them.
The moment I healed them, I had already waded in too deep.
Even if I suggested we abandon them and leave now…
Our dear Aranseol would never stand for it.
When I looked at Aranseol, she nodded with a look that said she had already made her decision.
What are you nodding for?
You think you can get away with anything because you’re pretty?
My deliberation was short.
In any case, the enemy probably had no intention of letting us go, now that we were associated with the Kardun.
If we reported the Kardun’s situation to the outside world, it would become a headache for them.
They would either kill us or, at the very least, try to silence us.
If that wasn't their plan, they could have just waited for us to leave and then targeted the Kardun clan again.
More importantly, they didn’t know the nature of our relationship with the Kardun clan.
The very fact that the Kardun clan let us in would make them suspect something was up.
I met the Kardun man’s eyes again.
He was barely maintaining his sanity in a desperate situation where we, too, could turn into enemies.
“You, what’s your name?”
I was done with the respectful honorifics.
At my question, the Kardun man paused before stating his name.
“...Tarkan.”
“My name is Harua.”
Exchanging names meant we would not forget each other.
And those words also meant that I would not abandon them.
Tarkan, understanding my meaning, felt his eyes slowly widen.
In contrast, Aranseol, who was looking at me, smiled softly.
Don’t give me that ‘I knew it’ look.
I’m no saint. I just decided that since I was already involved, the only way out was through.
“Take care of the injured. The rest of you can move, right?”
When I directed the question behind me, the Kardun clan members hurriedly got to their feet.
“Tarkan, what’s your fighting strength?”
“All members of the Kardun clan are warriors who can fight.”
“Good. When you fought them, was there anything suspicious? Anything strange?”
“They used poisoned weapons.”
So they’re professional assassins.
Whoever that black mage is, it seems they hired some skilled people.

“Aranseol, I’ll take the lead.”
“Harua?”
“You know my Ability. And I’ve been trained by Aigis.”
The Paladin’s martial arts.
It was a skill more useful for fighting people than monsters like Fantasy Species.
Aigis had also taught me how to deal with poison-related attacks.
The Paladins had to possess indomitable bodies that would never fall to poison or demonic attacks.
It sounded insane, but I couldn’t be more grateful for Aigis’s teachings right now.

“Everyone, gather around.”
The moment I clapped my hands together, Holy Magic spread from my palms.
Soon, our party, along with the Kardun clan, was enveloped in Holy Magic.
It was a buff that increased physical strength and reflexes.
With this, fighting them would be much easier.
“My body feels lighter. Is this some kind of spell?”
“Something like that.”
While Tarkan was surprised, I immediately turned to face the outside.
“Babiyen, charge your magic. When the enemy appears, don’t worry about me getting caught in the crossfire. Just fire at will.”
“I’ll give it my all.”
I wasn’t sure why she sounded more energetic than usual, but I decided to trust her.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, I was the only one to step outside the cave.

The rain-soaked field squelched under my feet.
They were small footsteps, but they seemed to echo louder than ever before.
In the silent, rainy field.
Just as my senses, desperately honed by Aigis, filled my surroundings…
Shluk!
A sword suddenly flew from behind me and stabbed me mercilessly in the side.
My newly trained senses were useless; I hadn’t felt a single trace of presence before being stabbed.
Of course. Compared to me, who had only trained for a few weeks, this was an assassin who had trained their entire life.
The level of presence I could detect was that of a common thug.
It was never going to work against a professional assassin.
But what I had prepared wasn't just my five senses.
It was the firm belief that I could withstand the blade when it struck, and a prepared shout to brace for the pain.
Because I knew from the start that I would be stabbed, my response to the pain was also swift.
My hand shot out without hesitation and grabbed the wrist of the assassin who had stabbed me.
The assassin’s reaction was also fast.
He immediately tried to break free from my grip and escape.
However, his choice was a poor one.
A massive holy buff flowed into my hand.
My swollen forearm boasted overwhelming power, enough to crush even bone.
CRUNCH!
The assassin’s wrist was crushed instead.
Far from breaking free, his wrist was sucked in as if caught in an event horizon.
“Aaaaargh?!”
The assassin’s shrill scream echoed through the air.
I felt like screaming myself, but I forced the smile Aigis had taught me.
The signature Paladin smile, designed to instill fear in the enemy and confidence in allies.
It was the maniacal smile of the Paladins, who would never yield to pain.
WHOOSH!
Fueled by the immense power in my forearm, the man was instantly lifted into the air.
He flew through the rain and was slammed straight into the ground.
CRACK!
The assassin’s head was completely crushed.
The gruesome sight was nothing short of terrifying to any onlookers.
After smashing the assassin, I cracked my knuckles.
My massively swollen muscles shrank back down, and in their place, Holy Magic activated to heal me.
It wasn't an injury that required me to use my Resurrection, but it was enough to heal on its own.
Drip, drip—
Blood gushed from my side.
As I pulled out the sword embedded in my waist, a torrent of blood poured out.
Before the pain could set in, a tingling numbness spread through me.
Poison, just as Tarkan had said.
But poison wasn't very effective against me.
Holy Magic, activated from within my body, forcibly broke down the poison.
My healing ability, faster than the poison could spread, repaired every part of my body the poison tried to destroy.
On top of that, the wound itself began to close at a rapid pace.
At this point, the assassins must have realized something was wrong.
The monstrous strength I had just displayed was threatening.
But they had succeeded in stabbing me with a poisoned blade.
Their plan was to wait for the poison to weaken me and then attack.
That plan had just been completely thwarted.
The rain fell.
A few more people appeared in the rain.
Unlike the previous assassin, they didn’t try to close the distance recklessly.

“A member of the Paladins?”
Instead, one of them asked a question.
They were all wearing masks, so I couldn't tell who had spoken.
“We have come to punish you in His name. Receive your punishment quietly.”
“Looks like I’ve run into a group of lunatics.”
My taunt was met with an exasperated reaction from them.
To be treated as a lunatic even by assassins… as expected of the Paladins.
“Kill him.”
The assassins scattered and rushed toward me all at once.
Even if I was a Paladin, I would still die if my head was cut off.
Assassins were experts at relentlessly exploiting a person’s weaknesses.
They were masters in that regard.
Moreover, I wasn't their only target.
Other assassins were already running toward the cave.
I had been the first one to come out.
Seeing this, they must have judged me to be the strongest in the group.
But that was their worst miscalculation.
Because while I might be able to lift a person, that was the extent of my abilities. I was the weakest one here.
Fwoosh—
The sound of fire igniting came from inside the cave.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A moment later, an explosion of flames erupted, incinerating the assassins who were trying to enter the cave.
“A mage!”

Just as the assassins were stunned by the unexpectedly immense firepower, the shadow at their feet stirred.
What shot out from the shadow was Aranseol.
Her lightning-wreathed sword pierced through an assassin’s body.

Aranseol and Horizon moved the shadows in succession.

Their opponents’ feet were instantly bound by the shadows, their bodies freezing in place.
Seizing the opportunity, Aranseol swung her sword without hesitation.
Her blade, once forged for revenge, had no compunction about cutting down enemies.
At the same time, the Kar'dun clansmen went on a rampage.
They let out roars, swinging their own swords at the assassins without restraint.
Each swing was fueled by the memory of their kinsmen who had been ambushed and killed.
The scene devolved into chaos in an instant.
The assassins, clearly not having expected this, showed their bewilderment.
“St-Stop, Pioneers! Let’s talk! We have no reason to fight!” one of the assassins hurriedly shouted at me.
It seemed he thought I was the leader, being at the forefront.
But as I listened to him, I just picked at my ear.
“The ones who want to talk are the ones who tried to stick a knife in my gut? We’re just responding in your style.”
If you’re going to stab someone, you should be prepared to be stabbed yourself.
I rolled up my sleeves and walked toward the assassins.
Perhaps because of the little performance I’d put on earlier, they instinctively took a step back.
The ghastly smile of the Divine Order’s paladins spread across my lips.
“Besides, how am I supposed to have a conversation with uncivilized this-worlders?”
No one in the world can understand a dog’s bark. So I’ll beat you worse than a dog on slaughter day.

A Word from the Author (Author's Note)
The motif for the barbarians is correct. Val... Val... Valterion.