Eternally Regressing Knight-Chapter 573 - Punishment is Necessary

Chapter 573 - Punishment is Necessary

Upon being asked, "Who are you?", Enkrid knocked a man out.

It was a rather violent gesture for a first greeting.

Isn't it better than just slicing the neck off?

Enkrid thought so.

As long as the person didn't die, it was fine.

If it was a misunderstanding?

Then, it could be resolved with an apology.

So, he didn't kill him.

That, in Enkrid's mind, was a considerate act.

But...

'Hmm?'

He was honestly a little surprised.

Boom!

The man who had his head slammed into the ground swung a hammer as he fell.

Didn't knock him out?

Enkrid released his grip on the man's face and stepped back.

He straightened up, his body springing back to an upright posture, and the hammer swung past him.

It was the hammer of the man he had just knocked down.

"You insane bastard!"

The man, who had been knocked down, burst out angrily.

He seemed to be in a rage.

His face turned red as he huffed through his nose.

"Do you know who I am!"

He said again.

Enkrid wiped the sweat off his forehead and calmly walked towards the child with the broken leg, opening his mouth.

"Kidnappers?"

Everyone stared blankly at him.

They were too stunned to react.

Alma, who had been watching Enkrid's actions, suddenly sprang up.

Enkrid observed Alma as he rose, trying to figure out how the man was still fine.

A faint glow emanated from his body.

That glow had absorbed and neutralized the impact.

While will manifests in various forms depending on an individual's traits, divinity is a singular ability.

Divinity was a force that made the body incredibly resilient.

Though, even with that, Alma was bleeding from his head.

Shilma blinked.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Kidnappers?

Was it possible to have such a misunderstanding?

It certainly wasn't true.

This made no sense.

Didn't that person see the clerical robes?

Yet, he called them kidnappers?

But if one were to see it that way, there was little argument.

If someone insisted on it, there wasn't much to say.

Shilma let out a sigh as she watched the situation unfold.

"You."

She couldn't bring herself to say more.

The person who had rushed over had effortlessly subdued the paladin Alma, without even using a weapon.

Shilma spotted the sword hanging from his waist—three of them, in fact.

Additionally, she noticed several throwing knives on his chest.

He clearly wasn't someone who specialized in unarmed combat.

Yet, he had taken down the knight Alma with his bare hands.

Shilma wasn't skilled enough to recognize the abilities of a knight, but her instincts suggested a rough estimate of the man's strength.

'He's toying with Alma.'

This man hadn't recognized the clerical robes?

That seemed like a cowardly excuse.

But could she call him out on it?

What if he simply denied it?

If one were to argue that lies lead to divine punishment, only a naive person would believe such words.

If divine retribution worked that way, how could corrupt clergy exist?

"How dare you!"

While Shilma couldn't speak further, Alma once again exploded in anger.

He felt the sticky fluid dripping from his head, and that only fueled his rage.

"Are you trying to disrupt the Order's work!"

Alma shouted.

"Do you think I'll believe you just because you pretend to be part of the Order? Damn kidnappers!"

The man immediately responded, without taking a breath, and Shilma couldn't help but admire the way he spoke.

He said "damn kidnappers" with such clarity, almost as if declaring, 'I've labeled you as kidnappers, so from now on, you are kidnappers.'

What did that tone and those words imply?

'He's not backing down.'

This was truly unexpected.

The problem had always been tracking and finding the Saint, but never did they expect someone to block their way.

How dare they obstruct the Order's actions?

Even if the King of Naurilia were here, this would be unthinkable.

At least, that was what Shilma believed.

Not everyone would think so.

If Krang had been present, he would have done as he pleased, no doubt.

Alma, though angry, believed he couldn't kill the man standing in front of them.

There was a clear difference in skill.

Alma considered his opponent to be at a knight level.

Shilma stepped forward.

It wasn't the time to solve things with brute force.

"My name is Shilma, a priest representing prosperity and fruits. Do you require proof of my status?"

"These bastards are well-prepared. I won't be deceived."

The man with blue eyes glanced at the child's leg before wiping the sweat from his neck and scratching his nose.

His attitude was full of nonchalance.

"Dammit!"

Alma exploded again, but as expected, didn't charge.

Shilma continued to observe the man in front of her.

His words and attitude seemed out of sync, and it was incredibly provoking.

Wasn't he signaling that he wouldn't listen to anything they said?

"Why are you doing this?"

Shilma couldn't understand.

Despite being the Saint, this was just a matter of capturing a single child.

It seemed strange that both Alma and herself had to intervene directly.

If the Saint hadn't shown any signs of running away, this situation wouldn't have happened.

After all, it was just a child.

There was no reason for them to be involved in blocking the way.

"Unyielding Knight!"

Suddenly, Bert shouted out.

He had been deep in thought earlier, and his outburst came as a surprise.

He had connections to the information guild that dealt with selling intelligence.

'Black hair? Blue eyes?'

The man caught his superior's attention.

Even other men couldn't deny his handsomeness.

Then, with his insane behavior and ability to defeat the Paladin Alma, a name naturally came to mind.

Shilma furrowed her brow at Bert's shout.

She still couldn't comprehend the situation fully.

The Unyielding Knight?

I've heard of him.

In fact, it's hard to find anyone in the continent who hasn't heard of Enkrid's reputation by now.

But why is the Unyielding Knight appearing here?

'Did the king send him? Why? Does it mean anything?'

There's no reason to interfere with the order's event.

None.

No matter how I think about it, there's no reason.

So why is she acting so aggressively?

Sending someone called the Unyielding Knight as well?

"I just happened to come across traces of the kidnappers while passing by, and as a knight of Naurilia, I can't just ignore it. So, let go of the child and surrender quietly."

Enkrid responded flatly.

Emphasizing that it was a coincidence really irked me.

"Why exactly?"

Schilma asked the same question again, and in the meantime, Alma also recalled the other party's reputation.

"Crazy bastard. Truly a madman."

Alma thought that the guy wouldn't be able to kill him.

If he had intended to, he would've slit his throat when they first crossed hands earlier.

So, this person must also be watching the order's response, which allowed her to act more arrogantly.

"Brother!"

In the brief exchange, another shout came as a giant-sized man and a fairy smaller than him approached.

They were following the reckless Enkrid.

Audin approached Enkrid's side and looked around.

Even without anyone explaining, the situation was clear.

"They are the kidnappers," Enkrid said.

Shinar responded with sharp perception.

"Kidnappers disguised as a priest?"

"That's right."

"I see. This is unforgivable. Pretending to be God's child."

They conversed like a comedy act. Bert recognized one of them.

"Audin Fumrei?"

Though not a frequent colleague nor someone he worked with consistently, Bert knew the name and had exchanged words a few times.

It was hard to forget, given his distinct appearance and nickname.

Wasn't he the child of the war god's love for humans?

Bert recognized his face.

This was a crisis.

The enemy thought they were kidnappers, not members of the order, but since Bert recognized Audin, it was a sign that their identities were now going to be revealed by him.

Schilma, Alma, their two apprentices, and Bert all looked at Audin.

If his next words confirmed it, it would be the end of the matter.

So, speak.

Everyone looked at him with expectant eyes, and Audin's lips parted.

"...Who are they? This group of kidnappers seems to be scheming. Brother, they need to be punished."

Audin turned away from Bert's gaze, nearly speaking the word "brother" as a habit.

Bert, stunned, could only gape, his jaw slack for a moment.

Was he pretending not to know?

Was he going to pull a fast one with that huge frame?

"Hmph."

Audin cleared his throat awkwardly, then bent down to check on the fallen child.

Seiki, observing everything, still couldn't understand.

Who were they, and why were they protecting her?

They couldn't have been sent by her grandfather.

Her grandfather spent most of his life in the mountains and had no friends.

Like most Highlanders, he was similar.

Would he even step forward knowing the danger?

She wasn't sure.

Her grandfather had always said she should take care of herself.

Before Seiki, a seemingly threatening figure bent down, casting a massive shadow as he turned his back to the sun.

The shadow engulfed her.

A person of such size kneeling before her wasn't threatening at all.

In fact, it oddly brought a sense of relief.

But did that mean she should trust him right away?

No, that wasn't the case.

Seiki raised the dagger she held in reverse, bringing the gleaming blade before her face.

Even within the shadowed area, the blade gleamed eerily, as if representing her current predicament.

Should I trust you?

No, that's not the case.

The dagger spoke.

Audin's eyes narrowed.

Truly, nothing could be sadder than this.

Why was the order involved in this?

Why force sacrifice upon such a child?

Is it right to save someone using the creation of the so-called Saint, the Holy Child?

Why has the Church become so corrupt?

"I'm sorry."

Aoudin spoke.

Seiki had never seen such a painful expression filled with guilt before.

In that moment, Seiki's talent bloomed, though it was strangely inappropriate for the situation.

She was born with divine powers, enough to be called a Saint, but she had no idea how to properly use them.

To share her light with others, to show compassion and care—those were the ways to use her abilities.

But Seiki had never learned such things.

She had only learned how to survive alone—how to eat, sleep, and stay alive since childhood.

Just like the Highlanders, she had lived that way.

And now, for the first time, Seiki felt the emotion of pity.

What crime did this man commit?

Why did he look at her with that face?

The large man looked at her with the same expression.

Seiki felt pity and the blooming of her talent, but, as she had been taught, she still held her dagger.

"I'll stab you."

Even if the dagger pierced his heart, the man wouldn't evade it.

She didn't know why; she just knew that it would be so.

The two who had helped her in the monastery had reasons for their actions.

They were cleaning up the mess they had made.

Seiki used their conscience to her advantage.

It had been calculated.

But not now.

Seiki pushed the dagger, piercing his heart, but as the blade sank into his clothing, he only smiled, his face full of sorrow and pain.

She felt the blade cut through the leather.

He would die like this.

Seiki let go of the dagger, which fell to the ground with a soft thud.

With empty hands, she gently caressed his face, and the voice of the broken Saint echoed.

"Why are you crying so miserably?"

At that moment, light radiated from Seiki's hand, surrounding Audin's face.

The light spread silently, growing like a wildfire in a dry field, then scattered in all directions.

The light burst from Seiki's entire body.

What had started as meaningless radiance soon gathered into a single point, forming a pillar that reached the sky.

There was more than one pillar.

It spread horizontally, forming a ring of light around Seiki.

Seiki felt her own leg heal instantly.

At the same time, she felt something fill her body and then leave it.

A feeling of exhaustion followed, as if her strength had drained.

Her vision began to darken.

Then, Seiki lost consciousness.

The last thing she heard was the voice of Shilma, the monastery's head priest.

"Holy pillar!"

Shilma opened his eyes wide.

It was the first time in his life as a priest that he had seen a pillar of light of such size and intensity.

That pillar was literally formed from pure divinity.

Could such power reside in a single person?

Yes, she had seen it now.

It stretched all the way to the heavens, and not just one but seven pillars of light.

"Release the Saint!"

Shilma shouted, her eyes glaring.

This wasn't just any Saint.

This was a true child of God, one with the power to create holy pillars with their divine gift.

She could no longer let her go.

Even if she knew it was a foolish act, he believed that her father, the Lord, was speaking through her.

She had to do his part now.

Shilma knew what he had to do.

"Holy Paladin Alma, listen. We must save this child!"

Shilma felt the heat rising within her body.

She was deeply moved by God's direct message, and his mission to save the child became a fiery passion within her.

'No matter what it takes!'

Shilma made a firm resolution and felt her blood boil, her head growing hot and his eyes bloodshot.

It was fanaticism.

Audin was part of the same Church that had turned a blind eye to such actions.

They believed their way was the right one, even when they oppressed others in the name of their faith.

For them, what they believed was God's will, no matter the cost.

"You must do this?"

Aoudin, having quietly laid the fallen child down, stood up and asked.

His eyes were filled with sorrow, but Shilma couldn't see that.

"That child is destined to be the Saint," Shilma said, his voice rising in confidence.

She believed with all his heart that what he was doing was right.

The bloodshot eyes burned fiercely.

It was fanaticism.

Aoudin turned away from the Church's misguided path.

"It's not too late. Step back. Will you become an enemy of the Church?"

Shilma said again, urging him to back down.

In the entire continent, no one could afford to stand against the Church.

Its power was vast.

And all they had to do was give up one child.

It would be nothing.

But Enkrid was not that easy.

"Why not just kill them all and leave? No one will know."

His voice was calm, almost too calm. It was a tempting offer.

Even as a disciple of the God of War, Audin would never indiscriminately kill people—especially not fellow members of the Church.

Audin's ears perked up.

Enkrid's words were like a devils.

He was talking about killing them all, but his words sounded so sweet.

It felt as though the illusion of Fildin was watching him in disappointment.

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