Chapter 2: 1

As the darkness grew thicker, Aiden’s heart grew more and more urgent.

He tried to nudge the horse he was riding, but the speed didn’t increase because he was descending a tree-lined mountain slope.

Even the 2.5m long lance that Aiden was carrying obliquely on his back was an obstacle in this type of terrain.

‘It would be difficult when the sun goes down completely.’

Tedrang Village was his destination because there was a good chance the demon he was chasing was hiding there.

As expected, he was in Tedrang Village for more than a week, but it was already time for the victims to come one after another.

He was irritated by the fact that he couldn’t move quickly because of his impatient nature.

The sun was setting and it was time for them to be active. It was then that the terraced vineyards, the entrance to the village, began to appear.

From here on, there were no trees blocking Aiden. He loosened the reins and drove his horse vigorously.

As the sound of horses’ hooves resounded in the quiet village, the residents who had been hiding there showed their faces through the windowsills one by one.

They too knew what this sound meant.

A Paladin sent by the Church. Or, a Demon Hunter seeking gold has arrived. It is because they were the only ones who could be so confident at night.

Most of them wanted it to be a Paladin.

However, in the eyes of the residents, Aiden’s appearance was not that of a being clad in platinum armor and emitting a halo but that of a demon hunter wearing leather armor and a black cape.

Of course, the residents were not in a position to be picky, so they immediately jumped out and greeted Aiden.

“Ah, are you a demon hunter? I am Gembel, the village chief of Tedrang.”

The village chief was an old man with a bent back. Aiden showed him the seal of Varanches.

“No. I am an Apprentice Knight belonging to the Church.”

It meant that he was a novice who had just graduated from the monastery.

In fact, because most Apprentice Knights were inexperienced, the villagers regarded them as less trustworthy than Demon Hunters.

Very few were able to complete the training and obtain qualifications while the majority were killed or maimed in battle with demons.

The village chief understood physiology as well as his age, so his expression became complicated.

Aiden noticed the village chief’s mood but he didn’t care.

“The demon I was chasing has fled here. It must have been a week or so, but apparently, it must have damaged the village.”

From the actions of the village chief who rushed out and the expressions of the residents in the window, it was possible to infer that they were suffering serious damage.

“Yeah, that’s right. Several women in the village have already died. A corpse with a shrunken body…, uh huh. I’ve never seen such a horrendous thing before.”

The village chief shuddered as if he did not want to even imagine.

“It’s the one I was looking for.”

Incubus. It was a nightmare that sucked a woman’s yin until she died.

The clock was ticking down to midnight. It was almost time for him (the demon) to eat.

“Chief, gather the young women of the village here right now.”

“When you say young woman…”

“A woman who has started menarche but hasn’t had a coming-of-age ceremony.”

The village chief was skeptical of Aiden’s abilities, but apart from that, he felt a strange trust in his appearance and calm tone.

“Oh, I see.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he beckoned to the villagers.

“Did you hear all the words of the Knight here? Hurry up and bring them all together!”

Following the Chief’s orders, some young men ran around the village to spread the news to each household.

Since it is a small village with around 100 households, it won’t take too long.

Taking advantage of the waiting period, the village chief spoke to Aiden again.

“He’s a tough guy. In fact, not only the women but also the men who went looking for him have already been killed. If possible, contact the church and ask for an official paladin…”

It meant to protect the village until the paladin arrived. Don’t move hastily

Of course, Aiden had no intention of doing that.

This is because, once he finishes this job, his apprenticeship as a knight will end.

It’s been two years since he came into this world. He finally got a chance to board the main scenario, and he couldn’t give up.

Aiden looked at the translucent hologram window that appeared in front of him.

It was a character sheet borrowed from the status window or quest window in the game.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

It was the result of running until his feet sweat for two years, but considering the second half of the game, there was a long way to go.

“Mr, Knight?”

There is no time to wait. I’m good enough for him alone.”

The chief did not know whether that confidence was courageous or not, but he couldn’t go against it.

Even if it was an apprenticeship, the commoner could not stand up to a Knight.

“I understand.”

Aiden, who firmly dismissed the village chief’s opinion, got off his horse after confirming that the villagers were gathering one after another.

Although only the women were summoned, a large crowd of people gathered in front of the village chief’s house, regardless of gender or age.

It was to see the Knight from the Church.

In front of Aiden, even those who were said to be big in the village paled in comparison. There were no residents making noise or making a fuss in a fairly large crowd.

Everyone quietly waited for Aiden’s mouth to open.

“Are all the women over there?”

About 30 or so young women stood in a line.

“Yes, I called everyone without exception. Get better.”

The fastest-moving man replied. Aiden nodded and walked toward the group of women.

Everyone bowed their heads to avoid eye contact with Aiden.

The reason why women behaved like this is probably that the lord’s procedure for selecting a princess was similar to this.

It was a different case now, but it was a reflexive reaction.

“Raise your head and look into my eyes.”

The woman standing in the front hesitantly met Aiden’s gaze and her pupils trembled anxiously.

Aiden stared into her eyes, raising the tip of his index finger, and brought it to her forehead.

“It won’t hurt you. There is no need to be anxious.”

At the same time, a pure white glow burned from the tip of Aiden’s index finger.

Divine Power. It was the power to fight against the demons, used by all the Paladins.

The purity of the divine power was different for each user and the training method was different for each individual, but Aiden’s case was a little special among them.

System.

To be precise, the powers he set when he created the character were the basic foundation.

What Aiden chose was ‘Noble Hypocrisy’.

After drawing the respect and envy of others through good deeds to show off, it was replaced it with divine power.

If this world was a game, the conditions could be met with rough manipulations, but unfortunately, this was a stark reality.

He had to draw awe from real humans, not artificial intelligence npc’s.

Had he known that he would possess the game, he would not have chosen such a power.

No. Maybe he wouldn’t have started playing this damn game in the first place.

Anyway, the brilliance that bloomed from the tip of Aiden’s index finger was the fruit of his efforts over the past two years.

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The bright light caught everyone’s attention.

Some swallowed their exclamations, and some clasped their hands together, calling out the name of God.

Even in the pupil of the girl who was facing him, the fear had already disappeared.

‘For now, it’s not this child.’

The humans worked by the Incubus showed a negative reaction to the divine power.

Aiden passed them one by one, observing their reactions, and then stopped in front of the girl with reddish brown hair, who was in the fifteenth order.

Because her body was shaking like an aspen tree.

“Ju, Julie! what’s the matter?”

The woman’s father became contemplative and took turns looking between Aiden and his daughter.

“She is a woman marked by the demon. Hold the child from behind so that she won’t move.”

It was common to burn and kill commoners who were enchanted/misled by demons.

It was because there was a high possibility of becoming a demon worshiper or a member of the demon’s household.

If the victim was an aristocrat, he could be healed with expensive holy water or purified by a saint, but that was not the case for commoners.

Julie’s father cried out in despair.

“My, my daughter is innocent. please. Knight, have mercy…, please have mercy!”

The faces of the villagers, including the village chief, also became gloomy.

But they were also facing reality. Following the village chief’s gesture, they grabbed Julie from behind.

Just as some young men were about to move to prepare firewood and molds, Aiden said.

“I don’t burn people.”

The village chief put on a somewhat puzzled expression.

“That, what…”

“I don’t need anything else, so just hold on tight so she doesn’t run away.”

Julie was starting to lose her temper. She screamed in anger and showed her hostility.

“Leave me! Don’t touch my body! My body, my body, belongs only to Sebas-sama!”

It was the result of a clash between Aiden’s divine power and the demon’s magic.

‘As expected, she is enchanted.’

If Aiden hadn’t been there, the woman would probably have devoted herself to the Incubus on her own and sacrificed herself.

That was the way the nightmare hunted humans.

{T/N:- the word used here is ‘몽마가’ which can mean both ‘Nightmare’ and ‘Dreamer’. I have used ‘Nightmare’. Please tell in the comments if there is any other suitable word for it.}

Aiden immediately raised his divine power.

It was different from the healing system used by the saints, so the enchantment could not be completely canceled, but it had a temporary effect.

The pure white light began to dispel the shadows in Julie’s pupils for a moment.

Aiden did not miss that moment.

“Did you say your name is Julie?”

“Uh-huh…”

Julie let out a painful moan and twisted her body to and fro while the villagers had their faces stiffened in shock.

“My sword only cuts heretics and demons. Trust me if you are not them I won’t hurt you.”

A warm light enveloped Julie. Aiden’s halo. Although he was not an official Paladin, the level of divine power he exuded was very high.

The village chief, who had doubts about Aiden’s ability, was already stunned and bowed his head.

“O’ eyes of God.”

Everyone was relieved, forgetting that it was night. Meanwhile, Julie also opened her mouth slowly.

“I, I am just.”

“You are not at fault.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m the one who…”

“The culprit of all these misfortunes is the demon, do not blame yourself. Just, can you tell me the location of Sebas?”

There must be a place where you have agreed to meet.

“The Brewery. He said he would wait for me at the brewery on the outskirts of town.”

All right. Knowing his location, capturing him was only a matter of time.

‘This is the end of the apprenticeship ticket.’

The Church demanded a slaughter of 49 demons as a qualification. Sebas was the end of his Paladin training.

As Aiden withdrew the halo, Julie collapsed.

“Julie!”

Her father ran over and supported her, looking up at Aiden.

“Kn-, Knight, what will happen to my daughter now?”

“It is not completely purified. First, let her drink this.”

Aiden took a small glass bottle from his arms and handed it to Julie’s father.

You might think of it as holy water, but it was just a sleeping pill.

Even if the villagers sold all their property, they can’t raise the price of a bottle of holy water. Of course, it was something that even Aiden couldn’t handle.

“She will wake up in two or three days. By that time, all the demonic energy in her body should have been purified.”

It was possible to heal a human who was poisoned by magic without the help of holy water or a saint.

Magi’s body. In other words, it was enough to get rid of the demon that caused harm.

Burning people to death was, in a way, the worst custom in the world.

Aiden was well aware that it was bullshit.

“Hey, this precious thing… How the hell am I supposed to repay such a favor?”

Aiden didn’t bother to reveal that it wasn’t holy water.

To tell the truth, the villagers won’t believe that Julie has been completely cleansed.

Even if he kills the demon, she may not be able to live in the village. The villagers might burn Julie at the stake out of anxiety.

Aiden shook his head.

“It was my job.”

“I will pray to God for your well-being for the rest of my life.”

Aiden looked at the messages that appeared in front of him with bitter eyes.

Nobility, Sanctity, those numbers were rising like a game.

As soon as Aiden got on the horse, the village chief came running.

“Knight, in case you don’t know, wouldn’t it be better to take some young men with you? The location of the brewery…”

“I see you over there.”

There was a brewery in the direction Aiden pointed with his fingertips. It was quite a distance and it was nighttime, so it was impossible to see the shape with normal eyesight, but Aiden could see it clearly.

Leaving behind the chief, who hesitated as he had more to say, he grabbed the reins.

“Do not doubt.”

Because he didn’t want to be disturbed while doing what he liked the most in this world.

Killing demons.

After being imposed by the character Aiden, there was no greater entertainment than hunting demons.

Aiden drove the horse.

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