A Death Knight using aura. Hearing those words, I reflexively said,
“What kind of dog-eating-grass nonsense is that?”
A Sword Master is top-tier personnel, with only a few existing even in an entire nation.
It was like that in the many web novels I read, and "Ceres of Heaven" was no different.
Even in our Empire, there are only three Sword Masters, including Alios and Ares, who awakened not long ago.
So, what that priest was claiming now was, in modern terms, like an Olympic athlete suddenly appearing while you're catching street thugs.
"I-It's true!"
Seeing everyone's disbelieving eyes, the priest hurriedly shouted.
“I saw it with my own eyes! That terrifying Death Knight using aura! And it wasn't just one!"
"Not just one?"
“Lord Ceres, that Death Knight appeared with about a dozen other Death Knights estimated to be Expert-level!"
Expert is the rank just below Sword Master.
So, it's like an Olympic-level national representative showing up with a dozen professionals in a den of thugs.
"Why did guys like that suddenly pop out?! "
Realizing the situation, I shouted in disbelief.
"Surely catching that monster isn't part of the test, right?"
“Of course not! What madman would use a Sword Master undead for a test?"
The priest explained. They had confirmed it was safe by subjugating undead here for a long time.
"If it were a dangerous place, we wouldn't have brought Lord Airan and Lord Ceres here.”
“Then where did those undead come from?"
“...Undead have no lifespan. Perhaps powerful, legendary ancient undead were dormant for a long time and suddenly awakened now?"
What nonsense is this?
As she kept spouting increasingly absurd things, my eyes naturally narrowed at her. Noticing my gaze, the priest exclaimed.
"Please believe me! Lord Airan is currently holding them back with holy power, but he won't last long. We need your help!"
When the priest requested help, our group showed various reactions.
"Is it true?"
"Then we must go rescue them immediately!"
The priests who had followed us were indignant that their colleagues were in danger.
“It's right that we should go rescue them. But if the opponent is really a Sword Master...?"
Hames, the leader of the priests, calculated the risks and benefits more coolly.
"Ceres, it's dangerous, let's go home.”
Ares grabbed my wrist abruptly, saying we were going home.
Me? I have no choice.
“Mother, I think we have to at least try."
If we abandon the priests to die and run away, all sorts of scandals will emerge from that moment.
Not only would my hard-earned reputation suffer, but Ares's and the Whiperion family's reputations could also be greatly damaged.
"You know our family name will be tarnished if we don't even pretend to rescue them."
"...Damn it!"
Faced with the practical problem, Ares stopped, annoyed.
She glared at Hames and said,
“From now on, I will command you all. Any objections?"
“None. In such a critical situation, it's fortunate to have a swordmaster like you leading us.”
“If you agree, we will first go to rescue those priests, but if I judge it's beyond my capabilities, we will retreat quickly.”
“Of course. We can't all walk into a deathtrap trying to save them. Especially not in a situation like this.”
Hames glanced at me as she spoke, then yielded all command authority to Ares.
“Ceres, do not leave my side under any circumstances."
Following Ares's command, we proceeded to the location, warily scanning our surroundings.
We could see two groups confronting each other.
One group was Airan and the priests following him.
Airan stood at the forefront with a stiff face, emitting holy power, and Hairell next to him emitted holy power just the same.
One was the Saint candidate, the other a High Priest.
But facing these two, emitting her own energy, was surprisingly just one figure.
A knight clad head-to-toe in black, fearsome armor, her appearance obscured.
She stood out alone among similarly dressed knights, confronting the holy power of the two.
Is that the Death Knight said to use aura?
The Death Knight, which had been matching the intensity of the two for a while, seemed to notice us and looked in our direction.
And then...
“...Don't tell me, Whiperion?!"
She seemed startled seeing Ares and me, then shouted our family name.
What, this thing can talk?
It's not strange for her to recognize us since we're famous, but it's surprising that a Death Knight can speak.
Being a high-level undead, she seems to possess higher intelligence unlike the low-level ones we met earlier.
Moreover, it's even more surprising because she has quite a cute female voice. Though given the characteristics of this world, that's to be expected.
“Ah, Countess Ares?”
“You both arrived just in time!"
Soon, Airan and Hairell also spotted us and seemed happy.
Even though I'm a thorn in their side, they must be welcoming me in this situation because I represent powerful reinforcement.
“Lord Ceres, quickly come this way.”
“Use your holy power too, join us in pressuring them.”
The two wanted me to join them in the tense confrontation with the Death Knight, but
“Ceres, don't go."
Ares held me firmly, stopping me.
“I wasn't going even if you didn't hold me."
But I hadn't intended to go anyway. I still didn't know the details of the situation.
"What happened?"
I raised my voice towards the two from beside Ares.
“How on earth did you end up fighting a Sword Master undead during a routine undead subjugation?"
“Th-that is..."
“They attacked first!”
Airan and Hairell made excuses, but
“Nonsense! You were the ones who attacked us, who weren't hostile, simply because we are undead!”
The lie was immediately exposed.
As the Death Knight revealed the truth, trembling with anger, the two [Airan and Hairell] flinched.
“That's not true! Surely you don't believe her words, do you?"
“Lord Ceres, who do you believe, the Death Knight or us?"
The Death Knight, obviously.
I'd rather trust a demon than believe you two. You pieces of trash.
"Sigh~!"
Ares sighed, seeming to grasp the situation. Soon,
“I shall apologize on their behalf for their rudeness.”
She bowed her head towards the Death Knights.
In that moment, chaos erupted.
Everyone on our side, except for me and Hames, was astonished.
Even the Death Knight looked incredulous.
The Death Knight cautiously spoke.
“Aren't you a Whiperion?"
“That's correct. I am the current head of the Whiperion family.”
“A descendant of one of the heroes who defeated the Demon King bows her head to an undead?”
“If our side was at fault, it can't be helped.”
Ares is as practical as she is cool-headed.
If bowing her head could avoid a fight with a Sword Master, she would certainly do it.
Especially with me by her side.
With Ceres to protect, she wouldn't fight an opponent whose outcome was uncertain.
So, she attempted dialogue first.
“We did not come here targeting you. It was to subjugate ordinary undead; we didn't know of the existence of Death Knights like you.”
“I suppose not. We were asleep here for a long time and just woke up.”
“Why did you wake up?"
“We don't know either. We just suddenly opened our eyes, and while wandering around, we were attacked by them.”
“Then it was merely an unfortunate accident.”
Ares tried hard to persuade the other party.
That our side, frightened upon seeing them awaken unexpectedly, attacked without knowing the details.
It was a reasonable proposal to apologize and stop here.
However,
“A charming proposal, but it would have been better if you had made it before we suffered a casualty.”
The Death Knight coldly refused, pointing behind her.
Among the Death Knights, there was one collapsed on the ground, being tended to by another comrade.
"One of my subordinates has already fallen to the holy power used by that brown-haired man [Airan]. Soon, even her false life will disappear.”
“If you fight us, you won't escape unharmed either. Will you risk total annihilation for just one person?"
“She is not just one person. My subordinates and I are one body and soul, having spent over a thousand years together. If one goes, naturally the others must follow."
"We actually don't want to harm humans either. We stayed quietly here for that reason, but if a comrade has been sacrificed, the story changes."
Ares fell silent. She realized there was no room for dialogue.
"I didn't want to fight, but it can't be helped."
Ares drew her sword with a tense face, aura flickering along the blade.
"Aura?"
“Sword Master!"
Among those present, only I knew Ares had become a Sword Master.
Everyone was surprised, even the composed Hames wore a look of astonishment.
“Good heavens, a Sword Master? How wonderful!"
The most intense reaction came from Airan.
His eyes changed as if they'd turned into heart marks, and he immediately hid behind Ares.
“I've never seen anyone as cool as you, Countess! I'll assist you, let's defeat those wicked undead together!"
“I'm thinking of finding an opening to retreat, though."
The flippant Airan and the reluctantly responding Ares.
Watching them, I wondered if they could defeat those Death Knights if they joined forces.
…I couldn't be sure.
Ares is a Sword Master, but she only recently awakened.
Alios already proved that there's a difference between Sword Masters depending on when they awakened.
But the opponent is a Sword Master who has lived for over a thousand years, along with her subordinates.
Given their experience, even with Airan assisting Ares, victory isn't guaranteed.
Even if the other priests, Hames, and Hairell joined in, the opponent's subordinates are a variable.
I can't use my trump card, Black Pain.
It's the Demon King's sword, so using it where priests are present is problematic. It's also a secret that needs to be kept for now.
Even if we fled, she doesn't seem likely to just let us go. I can sense she's lost her temper because her subordinate is about to die.
"Hmm.”
I briefly emit divine power from my hand and observe it.
If I unleash this upon the Death Knights with clear hostility, will it inflict significant damage like it did with Red last time?
But it's difficult to do that now.
It seems our side was clearly in the wrong first.
And unlike ordinary undead, she even said they were just quietly staying put, making it hard to muster hostility.
Fuck, why did this happen?!
Why did a simple test involving catching ordinary undead turn into a life-or-death battle against elite warriors led by a Sword Master?!
"If only I could at least heal her…”
I might have been able to resolve this by healing the subordinate, but since I couldn't, it was lamentable.
I grumbled, wishing the opponent wasn't undead, when—
"That doesn't matter."
Hames suddenly spoke to me.
"Just because she's undead doesn't mean she can't be healed.”
“What are you talking about? It's common sense that undead suffer damage when exposed to holy power.”
“I believe I already told you that you are special."
Hames placed a hand on my shoulder and said with a kind smile,
“Believe in yourself. Others may not be able to, but you can."
“...Really?"
“This time, hold the firm intention of healing the opponent. Then, use your power.”
Accepting Hames's advice, I took a stance.
The same stance I took when fighting Red.
Since she [the DK leader] wouldn't let me get close even if I offered healing, I shot divine power towards the target instead.
“What?!"
The leader Death Knight was startled and tried to block it, but it was useless.
I enveloped even her in the light of divine power as I engulfed the target Death Knight.
Then, the subordinate Death Knight, who had been on the verge of death due to severe injuries, sprang to her feet.
Seeing this, her fellow Death Knights froze, and the priests were aghast.
“Healing an undead is absolutely impossible with holy power!"
“Could it be... does he really possess divine power?!"
The regular priests were aghast but also impressed.
"Lies, lies!”
“Is he really the Saint?"
Airan and Hairell, who held animosity towards me, contorted their faces.
“Ceres, doing something like this without consultation!"
Ares, sensing that although the immediate crisis was averted, a troublesome situation had arisen, scolded me with worried anger.
“This... could it be?! Has the lost power returned?!"
The leader Death Knight, who had been caught in my divine power, muttered something strange.