Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 170: A whip is a remedy for a madman

The girl who had been lying down leisurely suddenly sat up.Thud, boom.

A dull resonance, as though the air had been struck, was felt.

“…Hey, is this how it’s going to go?”

She figured they would at least be a bit more agitated, or they would try to return to the village to bring in reinforcements.

Of course, the moment they took a step back to retrace their steps, they would have been lost forever in the barrier.

She had intended to easily deal with the ones on the brink of death, but it seemed they were skilled enough to not fall into such a trap.

“If I deal with Arendt von Eckhart, I will be praised.”

But the opportunity had not yet completely flown away.

For some reason, although she didn’t know exactly why, now that the enemy appeared in her front yard, she wasn’t about to let them go easily.

A deep smile appeared on the girl’s lips.

At that time, tak.

There was a polite knock.

When she raised her head, she saw a boy who looked to be in his late teens poking his head curiously through the open door.

“Lady Jin, is something good happening?”

“No, nothing. How’s your condition?”

“Very good, and the others as well.”

As the boy nodded, the girl called Jin waved her hand.

“Okay, then go play. And don’t forget to feed my cuties.”

“Yes!”

The boy nodded brightly, turned around, and walked away.

Jin, who had been staring blankly at his back, pursed her lips.

“The progress is slower than I thought…”

But she soon put her worries aside.

What’s important now wasn’t them. It was the guys who came storming into this beautiful castle that she finally found.

Jin jumped up from her seat, humming a tune, and looked for the communication crystal ball.

She thought she’d brag about it first, because something fun seemed to be going on.

Kwaaang!

The air shook, and Richt’s sword bounced off as if it had hit an invisible wall. Arthur took his place and struck down with his sword aura.

Finally, Arendt’s cold sword scattered frost resembling stars and dug into the scars left by his seniors…

Katak.

A spiderweb-like crack appeared in the still night sky. It was evidence of a barrier in that place.

Those who were watching were momentarily speechless.

If they had realized they had fallen into a trap, it would have been natural for them to hesitate for a moment, but instead, they immediately drew their swords without hesitation.

“The knights of the Careleon Empire are more fiery than expected. The captain must like them.”

“Haha…”

Llewellyn smiled awkwardly. They certainly weren’t like that from the beginning. They must have been influenced by someone.

Finally, Richt gathered all his magical power and forcefully thrust his sword filled with black energy into the gap between the gold in the barrier.

Kwaaaaang!

A much louder roar than before shook the sky, and the crack carved into the air grew larger before it shattered into pieces with a loud crash!

Suddenly feeling the air change, Llewellyn raised his head, having unconsciously shrank back.

A large hole appeared in the transparent curtain that stretched out under the night sky. The shards of magical power scattered in pieces and the pure white ice sparkled in the moonlight.

Before anyone could lose themselves in the sight, Arendt was the first to move and jumped into the hole.

“Please don’t run out alone!”

“Oh, really!”

Following this, Warren followed, shaking his head as Richt and Arthur also disappeared.

The remaining three, unable to help but smile, moved as well.

The moment they passed through the barrier, fresh air penetrated deep into their lungs.

As the night sky became clearer and clearer, the first thing that caught their eye was the moonlight breaking over the calm water.

“…”

A lake appeared at the end of the steep slope in the distance. This time, the explorers were at a loss for words.

The sight before their eyes was truly spectacular. The steep mountain ranges surrounded the area with their cold majesty, and the lake, bathed in the brilliant moonlight, held a mystical glow.

All sorts of thoughts ran through Llewellyn’s head, but the first words that came out of his mouth were these:

“…This is a place a dragon would like.”

As it was a deep mountain, this place was full of pure magic.

In addition, there was a village nearby, making it a good location for interacting with humans, making it the perfect place for a gentle dragon that wanted to live among humans.

“Hey.”

A curt voice suddenly interrupted Llewellyn’s consciousness as he stared blankly ahead.

“Huh, huh?”

“Are you good at fighting?”

When he suddenly came to his senses and answered absentmindedly, Arendt asked him briefly.

“Well, not as much as you, but…”

“Do you have what I gave you?”

He was talking about the Dragon’s artifact.

Llewellyn, who was about to nod his head in bewilderment, soon realized that the knights and Warren were on alert.

“Sorry.”

Llewellyn and the other two men, who had given a brief apology, also drew their swords.

Krrrr.

The sound of a beast scratching its neck could be heard, and the stench of a rotting corpse filled the clear air.

It was at about the same moment that an unidentifiable silhouette appeared from behind the dark shadow cast by the great mountain range.

“Kreuk…”

The bristly black fur, unfocused eyes, and wolf-like head were revealed under the moonlight.

A sticky liquid dripped from between its slightly open mouth.

Arthur, upon confirming the creature’s appearance, muttered in disbelief:

“A wolf…”

“It doesn’t look like one.”

Richt denied that.

It was three times larger than a normal wolf, had a body covered in visible scars, a tongue that stuck out enough to drag on the floor, and thick feet.

At first glance, it looked like a wild beast, but the ominous stench and magical power it gave off made it seem closer to a ghoul.

But that doesn’t mean they could be certain that it was a ghoul. Even though it was a beast, the eyes that stared at them were filled with clear hatred and hostility.

Then again, it could be that it was a new type of ghoul, similar to those that appeared to be modified living humans.

After a while, other beasts slowly began to appear, following the one in the lead.

There were creatures that walked on two legs and dragged their long arms, moved strangely with eight legs hanging from their swollen spider-like bodies, and had teeth-gritting orc-like heads, giant civets, and even snakes with hooked forelimbs.

The faces of the group who saw the strange sight hardened.

“What the hell are those…?”

Ken muttered in confusion, but no one could answer him.

The monsters, each revealing their own murderous intent, were closing in on the encirclement. Arendt clicked his tongue and drew up his magic power again to activate the artifact.

“Really, those perverse tastes never change. Can you all see that?”

Arendt’s eyes were fixed on a small cabin on the shore of a lake in the distance, beyond the monsters.

There were quite a few ruined houses nearby, probably where a mining town used to be.

“Let’s break through and run all the way there.”

Even at this moment, Richt and Arthur glanced at Arendt, who remained calm, and gripped their swords tightly.

“Arthur, take the right side.”

“Understood.”

Arthur answered Richt’s command plainly, and Arendt naturally took the lead.

“Warren, you cover us from behind. Llewellyn, you take the rear.”

“I get it.”

“Okay.”

Arendt, who confirmed that everyone was in a combat stance, instantly raised his magical power. He spoke to Llewellyn while wrapping the cold air around him like a sword.

“The weak points are the head and the heart. Other than that, they won’t die even if you hit the other vital points, so don’t bother fighting them and just focus on breaking through the encirclement.”

Then he lightly kicked the ground and charged towards the enemy, who was dripping rotten saliva.

“Kwaaaaang!”

At the same time, the monsters also began to charge forward, howling loudly.

The beast that was rushing to bite Arendt’s neck was blocked by Richt who charged forward.

The sword glowed and cut off the neck cleanly, but the enemy, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, swung his giant claw, leaving only the torso behind.

“…!”

Kaaaaang!

Richt quickly twisted his sword to defend himself, then struck the bastard with great force and cut him horizontally across his torso.

Only then did it fall to the dry ground, but it still swung its legs in the air as if it was not completely out of breath.

“…I can’t believe it.”

It was a spine-chilling sight.

However, there was no time to be shocked as the monsters continued to surge forward. Richt had to grit his teeth and face the next enemy.

Arthur was in a similar situation.

Arthur cut off the neck of the spider monster that had approached him in an instant with its eight legs, but the enemy did not stop and charged forward, attacking Arthur.

“What, what is it?”

He instinctively raised his sword to block the flying insect’s legs, and, KAAAANG! A dull sound was heard, as if metal had collided with metal.

Just as Arthur was about to be shocked by the enemy who charged at him even after losing his head, Warren intervened from behind and tore the enemy to pieces in one breath.

“Snap out of it.”

There was no time to stand around dumbfounded.

Warren let out another long howl and dove into the crowd of enemies, while Arthur, suddenly coming to his senses, slashed at the next enemy.

Arendt did not miss this brief moment of opportunity.

A strong cold wind swept through the battlefield.

As the monsters rushing toward him were instantly covered in frost and frozen stiff, Arendt dashed forward without hesitation.

But the time it took to catch the monsters’ feet was not long.

Seconds later, it was Llewellyn, Ken, and Roderick’s swords that cut down the ones who were struggling to move their frozen bodies.

Llewellyn, who sent his men forward first, swung his sword sharply at the enemies closing in from behind and activated the artifact.

The air created a strong ripple, and soon after, with a bang, the bodies of the monsters that had reached within arm’s reach were torn apart, spraying black blood.

“Huh!”

Llewellyn’s face turned pale as he felt all his magic power drain away at once.

“Captain, don’t let up from the start! This is just the beginning!”

“Fuck, I know!”

Responding irritably, Llewellyn increased his running speed and stood next to the two men.

Having briefly distanced themselves from the monsters rushing in from behind, they were able to focus on dealing with the enemies Arendt had left behind.

Meanwhile, Arendt continued to press on without hesitation.

When he saw the enemy, he would cut them down as soon as he saw them, and if he couldn’t deal with them right away, he would give up without hesitation and turn his body towards the ones charging at him from the front.

Richt, who had barely managed to ward off the giant monster that was rushing at him, took a quick breath and glanced at his junior.

‘That damn bastard.’

If one person falls, everyone dies.

Even in that situation, his composure was not shaken at all.

The sight of him staring straight ahead with his pure white face covered in the blood of an unknown beast was more terrifying than the grotesquely shaped monsters.

But maybe that was the proof of his trust, as if there was no one else in the world he could trust.

The blind belief that if he did his part, others would surely follow.

“Warren!”

“I get it!”

At Richt’s shout, Warren intervened and finished off the squirming enemy.

With a sharp crack, Warren’s claws tore at his enemies, and Richt readied his sword again and leapt in front of Arendt.

A clear sword energy appeared on Richt’s sword, and he quickly cut down the bodies of the enemies who rushed at him.

“Keeeeeek!”

“Squeak! Squeak!”

The tough flesh split open, black, dead blood spurted out in all directions, and the monsters screamed and backed away.

And the next moment.

Arendt, who had been striking the ground with force, pushed Richt aside and swung his sword again.

A cold chill enveloped the monsters in an instant.

Arendt landed lightly on the ground, leaving behind his enemies who had been frozen before they could even fight back.

“Isn’t your imitation of the captain too clumsy?”

“Shut up.”

Richt responded, annoyed at the sudden influx of criticism.