On the road to the foot of the mountain was a beautiful woman.
She was probably a little older than me, but she was pure and gentle, like a saint in a picture book.
She's even more divine than Master Militia, the goddess of healing.
I couldn't help but chuckle at Schultz's words, but she was right.
When she notices us, she asks us firmly, like a nun, "Is that you, sir?
Is that man there the one who lives in this mountain?
Yes,
She smiles as she replies, "I'm sorry to step into the holy mountain where the gods and their relatives live.
I am sorry that I set foot on the holy mountain where the gods and their relatives live. And I am sorry to have brought these people here.
"Never mind about that. For all intents and purposes, the men look more like scoundrels.
These men are probably part of a pagan group. They refuse to allow me to have contact with the heroes.
"Brave?
It's about a boy who lived on this mountain and was raised by the gods.
"Or is it me?
"Excuse me, are you a black hair?
Yes, but
"Then surely you would be.
I wondered why I couldn't even be sure it was black hair, but I soon found out why.
The silver-haired woman in the vestments was blind.
She was blind.
There was a mask around her eyes.
She must have noticed that I noticed. She explains.
"I am Lunamaría, a blind priestess dedicated to the Mother of Earth.
"Earth Mother God
I've heard of it.
It's the name of the ancient god who brought fertility to the land.
She is known for her strict laws and every priestess who dedicates herself to the earth mother god takes her light away. They blind themselves at an early age.
The priest who propagated the mother-of-earth religion said that if you do so, you will grow up to see things without evil thoughts and become a pure priestess.
But it was a myth or legend, and I had never heard of a priestess imitating such a practice even today.
When I tell this to Lunamaria, she laughs to herself.
It's true that it's an old tradition. But the tradition is still alive. There are many blind priestesses besides me.
"Why did that blind maiden come to this Table Mountain?
"It's ......
I didn't know if it was because I had an ulterior motive, or if it was because the enemy was attacking harder and harder.
It seemed like both, but I had a feeling that I should be cheering for Lunamaría anyway.
Schultz and I stood between the enemy soldiers and showed our willingness to fight.
A gray wolf and a human child. A curious mix.
"We'll only cut you down if you come at me.
"Slaying a child? I've heard that only priestesses are supposed to do the job.
The men in armor begin to consult, but in the end they seem to have decided to cut me down by majority vote. My client wants Lunamaria dead, but he's also interested in the brave men Lunamaria is trying to find.
If you kill a hero while you're at it, it'll be great.
They really don't care about human life. I search for words while letting out a sigh.
"Schultz, what do you say about these people?
"You're a scoundrel,
Schultz the wolf cut down in one word.
"That was it. That's the scoundrel. Don't be shy about these guys, do you?
"Yeah, slit his throat.
Schultz quickly goes for their throat whistles, and I will attack them as well.
Of course, I won't use a blade. But I will use body armor.
If you can see, these guys aren't that strong.
They're very sluggish.
Their every move is very slow.
I could have easily handled them without using a blade.
I would use an old martial art I learned from Ronin.
I could step into my opponent's bosom and match my thrusts to his breathing.
It's a child's fist, but the moment my opponent leans forward, I can land a sharp blow that will do massive damage.
The villains writhe in agony as you strike your opponent's throat, groin, eyes, and temples, precisely where no expert can train them to go.
Hearing this, Lunamaria exclaimed in admiration.
"The martial arts of the brave master are divine.
That's what God told me to do.
"So you are the legendary child, the brave one, after all.
I don't think so. I was raised by my father and his family, but I don't have the mark of a brave man.
"Isn't ...... marked?
Lunamaria's expression is lightly clouded.
"The one who brings harmony between good and evil. The savior of this world. He was raised by the gods to be a true being.
What's that?
It is an old saying in our Order.
The only thing they have in common is that they were raised by the gods.
But that's enough. But that's enough.
Lunamaria said and flashed her right hand.
Then she put it gently on the rogue's chest.
The villain blows off ten sumeres and breaks the trees.
You're a force to be reckoned with.
This power is nothing more than the grace of God.
"That's amazing grace.
But I had already crippled five villains.
I thought I could easily eradicate them if I kept this up, but it was not to be, for the rogues' reinforcements appeared from behind.
The rogues came from behind with reinforcements.
They were heavily armed.
"...... It's tricky. Some of them have magical weapons.
Seeing the glowing shortsword, everyone seemed to be skilled mercenaries.
"These men are probably mercenaries hired by the pagans. They should be tough.
I guess so. I guess it's not impossible to beat it. ...... or rather. Lunamaría, will you step back behind me?
"I am flattered, but I am a priestess who has dedicated my life to God and the brave. I do not spare my life.
"Even if you're not spared, I am. Besides, the area is going to be red hot from now on. If you stay behind me, I can use the magic of the Wall of Firewall to keep it out.
"Bright red? Do you use fire magic?
"Incorrect. It's not me who uses fire. It's a lizard from the sky.
"Lizard?
As Lunamaria tilts her head, the sky goes dark.
The previously bright surroundings are enveloped in darkness.
No clouds have appeared.
The sky was covered by a winged lizard.
It was a dragon.
The red-skinned dragon flaps its wings, leaking fire from its mouth.
A wind surrounds them as if a storm is on the way.
Lunamaria seems to have sensed the presence of fear in the wind and the dragon's roar.
It's a dragon!
That's right. They're not on Table Mountain, but there are a lot of them around. I guess those mercenaries took them with them.
If you look at the mercenary's clothes, they are not so worn out.
They must have come here in the shortest distance from the city.
They may have come through the valley, unaware of the dragon's lair.
You'll have to pay for that shortcut.
The red dragon stops hovering and swoops down, grabbing one of the mercenaries.
It soars into the sky and unleashes the mercenary from on high!
The mercenary screams, but the dragon plummets down and swallows the mercenary in its tracks.
Every scream is devoured.
The enraged fellow mercenaries try to fight back with crossbows and bows, but they cannot pierce the giant dragon's scales.
Instead, it spits its breath of fire above its head, creating a fireball.
If I watched, not only would the mercenaries and the pagans be wiped out, but I couldn't be a bystander.
For two reasons. One, if the dragons were defeated, they would be sure to come back to bite us next.
Even though I had only just met the priestess Luna Maria, I felt a strange closeness to her.
I also felt a protective need to protect her. To me, she was already no different than my mountain companions.
Another reason was that I didn't want to leave her to die, even as a villain.
These men are going to kill Luna Maria, but that doesn't mean they killed her.
Maybe they were just doing someone's bidding.
And maybe these guys have fathers and mothers, too.
I don't know if they are in this world, but it would have grieved them both.
I can see Father Reus, Father Ronin, Mother Milia, and Father Vandal's smiles.
When I think of their faces, letting them die is not an option.
So I pull out the dagger at my waist and release it.
It's a silver dagger, so it will pass through the dragon's scales, but no matter how deep you insert it, it can't seem to reach its innards. That's how big the red dragon is.
The subcutaneous fat is outrageous!
If I were a normal person, I'd wound you, but I have a killer move.
The special move is a technique learned from Ronin, the god of swords. It is a magic learned from the Vandal, the god of magic.
Ronin's swordsmanship was the total swordsmanship of turning a paper knife into a deadly weapon, while the Vandal mastered the art of granting magic to turn even a twig into a work of art.
This means that if you give magic to brass, a metal that is easy to pass, its power is immeasurable.
I stare at the dragons that lay waste to the pagans.
My gaze crosses with the eyes of the merciless dragon, but I do not feel fear. No, on the contrary, the dragon seems to have sensed an unusual presence.
This boy is dangerous to keep alive!
Thinking this, the dragon tossed the half-eaten pagan, flapped its wings, and came toward you.
"...... save me the trouble.
We'd be glad to see the target shifted to us.
It's easier to pull off big moves when they're away from the evil one.
With that thought in mind, I chant the spell.
"Freeze the winds of the void, freeze the winds of regret!
Dominate the silence and freeze everything!
As the chanting ends, the silver dagger is enveloped in ice. The cold air's magic enveloped it.
All that was left was to turn it into a flash of sword and unleash it.
I unleash the sword flash I've practiced so many times on the dragon.
It was something I'd done hundreds of times in practice, but it flew straight in real life.
With a magical sword stroke that Rowen had admired for its strength and the Vandal for its brilliance, the dragon struck.
Lunamaria, who had seen it from behind, was astonished. Of course, there was no light in her eyes, but her five senses were better than anyone else's.
The cold air of the boy's magic was so cold that it stung her skin, and the wave of the boy's magic seemed to envelop Lunamaria's entire body.
The power of his cold air magic sword would be tremendous!
Lunamaria was sure of it, and she was not wrong.
The cold-air sword tore through the red dragon.
He tried to counter with his breath of flame, but the boy's cold air iced the flames and cracked the dragon's flesh.
Like an ice statue, the dragon's flesh is torn in half as it is pickled in ice.
Inside the ice is a dragon with red skin and blood splattered all over it.
It looks like a work of art, but most frightening of all is that the giant dragon was slayed by a boy of only 14 years old.
I've never heard of such a boy.
The pagans were running away, blabbing.
When she was sure they had made a complete retreat, Lunamaría stood in front of the boy again and held out her right hand.
I wanted to shake his hand.
And I wanted to hear his name.
When I told the boy about it, he smiled shyly and said, "My name is Will.
"My name's Will. It's just Will. I'm just a commoner, but my mom and dad are gods.
A boy, Will, smiling shyly.
He didn't look like a hero who had slayed a dragon, but Lunamaria was convinced that he was the hero who would save this world.