The Cardinal Revealed

Just outside the expansive wall that surrounded Saureah, the capital of the Nohzan

Kingdom, stretched vast farmlands that had once been tended by the city's residents.

Moments before, an army of 100,000 undead had descended upon the capital and laid

waste to the fields.

The ground just outside the breach in the wall near the southern gate was now littered

with the charred remains of armored skeletons, the once fertile farmlands now

covered in dust and ash.

I stood among this vast tableau of death, a solitary figure on the chaotic scene. I was

outfitted in silver armor covered in intricate white and azure designs, revealed for all

to see as the wind rippled through my black cloak. The blade in my right hand gave off

an eerie, pale blue glow. The shield in my left was marked with several mystical runes.

"Looks like I might have overdone it just a little," I mumbled to myself. "Or, well, a lot."

I'd hoped to use one of my Paladin area-of-effect spells to wipe out half of the undead

surrounding the capital. As far as I could tell, I'd managed to pull that off and then

some. Excluding the undead troops that had made it through the breach near the

southern gate, I'd wiped out nearly the entire army of the undead that remained

outside the city. There might still have been a few scattered undead here or there, but

they posed no threat, wandering the hillside now that I'd killed all of their handlers.

Just like with the undead I'd faced off against in the city of Tagent, it was pretty clear

that they didn't really act with any sense of agency once they were cut off from their

leaders. I figured there were at least a few hundred undead soldiers still wandering

around out here, but I could safely ignore them for now.

The bigger issue was those who'd made it through the fallen wall.

My body still tingled slightly from the aftereffects of the spell, but it was hardly the

time to take a break. As I turned to face the remains of the southern gate, I heard a

familiar, annoyed voice call out from behind me.

"You don't think you're going in there alone, do you, Arc?"

A tall, beautiful woman closed the distance between us with purpose in her step. Her

white hair—the color of freshly fallen snow—pointed ears, golden eyes, and amethyst

skin made it clear to anyone watching that she was no human. She was a dark elf,

dressed in a robe marked with intricately detailed runes and carrying a sword at her

hip bearing a lion's crest. Her eyes glanced around cautiously, her hand at the ready to

draw her weapon should the need arise.

"Oh, Ariane. Well, I just about wrapped up things outside the city."

She shook her head, a look of astonishment on her face. "Wrapped up? There's nothing

left, Arc."

There really wasn't anything I could say in response, so I decided to laugh it off and

try to change the subject. "I guess I overdid it a bit, huh? Yeah, umm, sorry about that."

Ariane raised an eyebrow. "Well, this time—actually, just like every other time, you

messed up pretty bad. Riel's guards are all scared out of their wits after watching you

decimate the army of undead like that."

She pointed her sheathed sword at me. All I could do was look up at the sky in

contemplation.

"Kyiiiiii!"

The world went dark as a giant furball landed right on my face.

"Hey, Ponta! Would ya mind moving a bit?"

The furball—Ponta—skittered to the side a bit, letting light filter back in. Standing at

about sixty centimeters—half of which was its long, cotton-like tail—Ponta had the

face and body of a fox, with a thin membrane that ran between its front and hind legs.

It was known by the elves as a cottontail fox, a spirit creature that could use magic to

summon up a gust of wind that would carry it around. Its back was a dark green, the

color of grass, which acted like camouflage and allowed it to easily blend into the

landscape.

Ponta assumed its rightful position atop my helmet and mewed as it turned its gaze

toward Ariane. I could feel the large, cotton-like tail wagging against the back of my

head.

Ariane let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders. She sounded exasperated. "I'm

serious here, Arc. If stories of dangerous elves get around, it will only increase the

distance between our peoples. Of course, it's too late to do anything about that now!"

All I could do was bow my head in apology.

Another voice broke into our conversation, this one belonging to a younger woman.

"I'm not so sure about that. If they see what Arc can do, and assume that kind of power

is common among our kind, they may very well decide that opposing us is a lost cause.

And besides…"

The new speaker's non-human features became all the more apparent as she drew

closer. She was what the humans referred to as a beast person. The woman, Chiyome,

was dressed entirely in black, and wore a dark headband with a metal buckle. Catlike

ears poked out of her short black hair, and a long tail stretched out from her waist,

swaying gently behind her.

Chiyome belonged to a group of ninja founded by a human named Hanzo, who'd been

brought to this world much like I had. Hanzo had brought together the persecuted cat

people in what would come to be known as the Jinshin clan. In spite of her young age,

Chiyome was one of their six great fighters.

There was something about the way she moved so soundlessly and effortlessly that

reminded me of a cat.

Chiyome turned her azure eyes away from me and looked off into the distance. I

followed her gaze to find a young girl running across the scorched plains, carefully

picking her way among the bodies. She looked entirely out of her element.

The girl was even younger than Chiyome, looking to be around ten or so. Her curly

golden locks swayed gently around her shoulders with each step, lending a sweet kind

of innocence to her appearance. Though she was dressed in an elaborate set of leather

armor, the beautiful dress she chose to wear under it was wholly unsuitable for the

field of battle. What was more, she didn't even appear to be armed.

This little girl was, in fact, Riel Nohzan Saureah—princess of the Nohzan Kingdom.

She had requested our assistance to come to the aid of her nation's capital.

Behind the young girl rode her two bodyguards, followed by around a hundred or so

mounted knights. Every single soldier's gaze was fixed on me.

Niena, one of Riel's bodyguards, called out to her young charge as she raced toward

us, the concern evident on her face. "Wait up, princess!"

However, the young girl paid Niena little mind as she ran as fast as her little legs would

carry her. As soon as she reached me, she looked up at me with her large, steely gray

eyes.

"That was absolutely amazing, Arc! Are all the other elves just as awesome as you?"

I hesitated, Ariane's warning from earlier still echoing through my mind.

However, as far as I could tell, Princess Riel looked upon us as allies. Even if she was

the youngest member of the royal family, that had to mean something.

I slid my sword into its sheath and knelt slowly, so as not to frighten the young girl. I

placed one hand over my heart and bowed my head low.

"I am truly honored by your kind words, dear princess. Alas, I fear I may have gone a

bit overboard in my initial blow. Please forgive me."

"Kyii!" Ponta just had to get the last word in. It wagged its tail excitedly.

Princess Riel looked up at me wide-eyed. A slight smile crept across her face before

she puffed out her chest and resumed her role as royalty. "All we could do was watch

as you took the initiative. Your actions are truly worthy of praise!"

Her gaze bore into me, any nervousness all but gone. The same couldn't be said for her

bodyguards, Zahar and Niena. They looked at me with trepidation.

Niena spoke to her young charge. "Princess Riel, it's dangerous out here! Please, stay

close!"

Judging by the extra emphasis on the word "dangerous," I could tell she was referring

to me. In any other situation, her reaction would have been entirely normal, if not

understated. Behind her, I could see the ranks of cavalry hanging back, clearly balking

at the thought of getting too close to me.

Regardless of their own personal apprehensions, however, these soldiers had still

been dispatched to serve as Princess Riel's guards, and would have no choice but to

follow her wherever she went.

The young princess seemed to pick up on their hesitation and turned around, calling

out in a loud, clear voice to the soldiers on horseback. Her voice carried a distinct royal

authority.

"You have nothing to fear! Arc has driven away our foes, and it now falls on us to push

our way into the capital, rid it of the enemy, and make our way to my father's side!"

Both her bodyguards were initially taken aback by this.

Niena was the first to speak. "Princess, do you intend to have them join us in the

capital? If Arc were to bring that kind of power to bear within the city's walls, the

capital itself would fall! Besides, they're…"

Niena turned her gaze toward me and paused for a moment as she searched for the

right words.

Zahar continued where his partner had left off. "Arc, I'm truly grateful that you helped

save the capital… nay, the kingdom itself from certain collapse. Alas, I must ask that

you use a gentler hand within the city. You're a great deal more powerful than us

humble soldiers."

I could sense the apprehension in both Zahar's tone and the hesitant look Niena gave

me.

Ariane let out a sigh of exasperation.

Even if I were to promise Zahar not to do anything in the capital, there was still the

unspoken threat that I was holding back a great power, which I could bring to bear at

any moment. Not agreeing, however, would only make things worse. I needed to be

careful about how I worded my response.

I cleared my throat to ease the tension. But even this small noise caused the cavalry in

the distance to shift uneasily.

"We fully intend to keep the promise we made to Princess Riel. For that reason, among

others, we have no desire to see any damage come to Saureah. Furthermore, the

technique I unleashed back there is not something I can use on a whim."

I shrugged my shoulders.

What I'd said was true. This was one of the Paladin's special skills, Archangel

Executioner Michael. Not only did it have a long cooldown time before I could use it

again, but also, to be totally honest, I really didn't want to use it all that often.

Summoning an angel from the heavens took a heavy toll on the body and mind. The

whole experience had been nearly as traumatic as when I'd first returned to my elven

body back in the mystical spring at the Lord Crown.

I looked closely at Zahar and Niena to try to gauge their reactions. They still looked

uncertain whether they could take me at my word, so I decided to push them toward

a response.

"That said… I may have wiped out the majority of the undead outside the walls, but

several thousand still made it through the breach, and are raising hell within the city."

Princess Riel, along with her bodyguards and the knights behind them, all turned

toward the capital. If you listened closely, you could hear the sounds of combat from

beyond the wall.

The princess turned her attention to her bodyguards. "We don't have time to stand

around and question Arc's intentions! Zahar, Niena, we are entering the capital and

making our way to Father at once, and they're coming with us!"

Her tone left no room for debate. She turned, trudging toward the capital.

Niena chased after her young charge. "Please reconsider, princess! The city is much

too dangerous. You should stay out here with a contingent of guards while we rescue

His Majesty."

While Niena pleaded with the young girl, Zahar signaled the soldiers. Then he turned

toward me.

"We'll enter the capital ahead of the princess, so I don't want to see any of you fall

behind! Arc, I trust that I can leave the princess with you?"

I glanced over to Niena, who nodded in agreement.

"Understood. I'll keep watch over Princess Riel. C'mere, Shiden!"

At my call, Shiden came rushing over, crossing the vast distance in a matter of

moments.

The driftpus was a little over four meters long from snout to tail, its body protected by

a layer of reddish-brown scales and held up by six thick, muscular legs. It had two

large, white horns rising out of the top of its head, and a thick band of white hair ran

down the middle of its back to the end of its tail.

It almost looked like a tank as it smashed its way across the battlefield, paying little

attention to the discarded armor or bodies.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

"Grweeeeeeeen!"

After quickly passing the cavalry, Shiden came to a stop in front of me to greet the

spirit creature sitting atop my head.

"Chiyome, can you get up on Shiden with the princess? Ariane and I will provide

security."

Chiyome nodded. She wrapped an arm around the surprised princess and mounted

Shiden, sitting Riel down behind her as she took the reins.

Zahar rode up beside Niena and leaned over to whisper something to her. She nodded

and directed her horse over to Shiden. Apparently, she would be keeping an eye on us.

"There are still a large number of undead in the city. Keep your guard up!"

The cavalry responded to Zahar's command with a fierce roar.

With that, Ariane, Chiyome, and I—accompanied by Niena and Princess Riel—followed

the guards into the city. At last, we would be entering the capital of the Nohzan

Kingdom.

Thanks to my carelessness, our contingent of mounted soldiers was easily able to pass

through the large hole torn in the wall near Saureah's southern gate.

I could only imagine just how much it would cost to rebuild the massive gate.

Hopefully, the king would accept my explanation that it had been unavoidable

collateral damage in my attempt to save the capital… and not demand that we pay for

the repairs.

Up ahead, Zahar expertly led the troops into the city. Evidently, the rubble presented

too much of a risk to the horses, so all the soldiers dismounted and led their steeds on

foot.

Once they were inside, they encountered several undead, but Zahar and his soldiers

made quick work of them.

The area was eerily silent, and showed no signs of life.

"They must have fallen back to defend the inner wall. We've no time to waste!"

After securing the perimeter, Zahar shouted out orders. His soldiers quickly mounted

again and started racing down the main thoroughfare. Ariane and I ran alongside

Shiden as we chased after them.

We encountered the occasional clump of undead soldiers as we made our way through

the city, but they were no match for the mounted troops. The man-spiders, however,

were another story entirely.

These massive creatures looked like a grotesque joke. Each consisted of two human

torsos melded to a set of spider legs. They sported four massive arms, equipped with

various shields and weaponry.

Though incredibly powerful, they were unable to attack in large numbers or even

properly flank us here in the narrow city streets, making them easy for Ariane and me

to dispatch.

"Wyvern Slash!"

As soon as I caught sight of one of the man-spiders, I launched a ranged attack to keep

it at bay.

It tried to deflect the blow with its shield, but to no avail. The energy lopped its leg

clean off, leaving the creature unable to escape.

"Holy flame, heed my call! Devour thine enemy and burn it to ash!"

Ariane launched her own ranged attack to put an end to the man-spider's misery. A

blast of fire snaked from her blade and wrapped itself around the creature. Her ability

to put such a swift end to the enemy was impressive.

Chiyome and Ariane used their superior senses to locate gaps between the buildings

and other places where an enemy might hide.

"Body to water, aqua shuriken! Arc, over to your right, up on the roof!"

Chiyome was the first to spot the enemy. She launched an attack without dropping

Shiden's reins.

Fortunately, we were at the back of the column, and I didn't have to worry about any

of the soldiers seeing me use magic to close the distance.

"Got it! Dimensional Step! Shield Bash!"

I teleported next to the man-spider standing watch atop a nearby roof, taking advantage

of his momentary confusion to smash him with my shield, knocking him off the

building.

"What are you?!"

Its multiple eyeballs, strewn haphazardly across its human-like face, glared at me as it

fell. The soldiers quickly put an end to it. The man-spider melted away, leaving nothing

behind but a dark black sludge in the street.

Zahar's soldiers had initially been spooked by the intimidating sight of the manspiders. However, as they managed to slay one after another, with our help, they began

marching through the streets with confidence.

I looked down to find Niena staring up at me, a look of shock on her face as she tried

puzzling overhow I'd ended up on the roof. In my zeal to exterminate the enemy, I'd

used my teleportation ability without thinking about the fact that Niena was

accompanying the princess. Apparently, she'd seen everything.

I glanced around to make sure no one else had seen anything. Fortunately, it looked as

if all the other soldiers were focused on the route forward. Even Princess Riel, clinging

to Chiyome's back, was looking ahead.

Ariane, however, simply shook her head, a hand to her temple, as if she were trying to

suppress a headache. She let out a deep sigh of annoyance and urged Shiden on.

It was little comfort that none of the others had seen me teleport. Niena would almost

certainly tell Zahar and Riel, and the story would spread throughout the Nohzan

Kingdom.

"Ariane's gonna give me an earful," I muttered.

As my shoulders slumped, I could feel Ponta gently tapping my helmet and wagging

its tail in an attempt to cheer me up.

"Kyii!"

"You're right, buddy. I just need to focus on getting to the castle."

I turned to look ahead and caught sight of another man-spider standing on the opposite

rooftop. Sword firmly in hand, I launched another Wyvern Slash and teleported across,

landing a deadly blow to the man-spider's torso.

Its humanoid half let out a blood-curdling scream as it tumbled off the roof, followed

by its spider half.

Up ahead, in the distance, I caught sight of a towering wall behind the tranquil rows of

houses.

"I wonder if that's the inner wall they were talking about?"

Glancing over my shoulder at the southern gate we'd entered through, I gauged the

distance.

"Looks like we're about halfway there, give or take."

Ponta let out a gentle mew of agreement. I teleported down from the roof back to

Shiden's side.

"Kyii."

Niena looked at me in shock once more, but she seemed to have decided that this was

neither the time nor place to confront me about my use of magic. She turned her

watchful gaze back to our surroundings.

We soon found ourselves in a large, open space in front of the inner wall, facing a gate

just a hair smaller than the one we'd passed through earlier. The main difference here

being that the gate remained firmly shut, its thick planks of wood covered with

massive iron bars.

As we made our approach, I caught sight of multiple guard towers filled with soldiers

keeping watch. They'd clearly seen our large force marching through the streets and

slaying undead, because they were cheering for us.

There were also shouts of surprise among the cheers, likely at the sight of Shiden. But

even those took on a celebratory tone as the soldiers noticed Princess Riel waving up

to them from atop the driftpus' back, which in turn lifted the spirits of Princess Riel's

guards.

As soon as we reached the gate, Zahar split his soldiers into three groups to wipe out

any remaining undead and secure the perimeter.

I drew my blade, figuring I could assist in cleaning up the area, but a sound from atop

the wall caught my attention. The clamor spread as a figure—clearly not a soldier—

stepped out from one of the towers.

The man was older, and dressed in nicer garb than the soldiers around him—though

not excessively so. The people accompanying him also appeared to be nobility, and the

soldiers they passed were all quick to pay deference.

I'd never seen the figure before, but judging by the way that Zahar and Niena

immediately straightened up—not to mention the cry of delight from Princess Riel—

I had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Father! I have returned!"

The older man—Riel's father and the king of Nohzan—immediately issued an order.

"Open the gates! Open the gates at once!"

I could hear the sounds of soldiers rushing about, followed by the scrape of metal

against wood as the massive bars were raised. A moment later, the heavy wooden gate

creaked open.

Zahar motioned to Chiyome to continue. "Princess Riel, please hurry inside! The rest

of us will guard the perimeter before following you in."

Chiyome responded with a firm nod of her head and steered Shiden toward the open

gate. Ariane and I jogged alongside. Our little party was met by a massive crowd of

soldiers and citizens, cheering us on as we approached.

"There sure are a lot of people here."

Ariane furrowed her brow. "Yeah, looks like this was going to be their last stand."

With the outer wall breached, this inner wall was the city's last line of defense. Judging

by how closely the people were crowded together, I could tell that they were well over

capacity here. Had the siege continued, I doubted if they would have lasted even a few

days.

We'd brought with us a rather formidable force to bolster their defenses, and it looked

as if we'd arrived just in time.

The regal figure from before appeared, running toward Riel, who quickly hopped off

Shiden's back and rushed to meet him halfway.

"Riel!"

"Father!"

The two embraced tightly, as if to reassure themselves that they were both still alive.

The king kissed Riel's forehead and cheeks before offering a prayer to the heavens to

thank them for returning his daughter. The princess, in turn, looked overjoyed to be

back at her father's side.

After the two shared their moment, the king's gaze grew harsh. His voice was low, but

powerful. "Riel, just what are you doing here? I told you to head to Count Dimo."

He turned his attention to the two bodyguards standing behind her. They both hung

their heads.

The massive gate slammed closed behind us with a satisfying thud. For just a moment,

the world was completely silent as the king awaited a response.

The look in his eyes was that of an enraged father, fearful for his daughter's survival.

Zahar bowed his head low. "My apologies, Your Highness. I take all responsibility for

what has…"

Before he could continue, however, Princess Riel stepped between Zahar and her

father and interrupted the exchange.

"This isn't Zahar or Niena's fault at all! I was the one who decided that we would come

back here. I just… I just couldn't stand by and watch my country fall."

I could hear the sorrow in her voice as she realized how betrayed her father felt. She

might have been a member of the royal family, but she was still just a child.

However, she seemed to realize that all eyes were on her, so she cut herself off before

she broke down into tears. The king smiled gently at his daughter and stroked her

golden hair. He leaned in close and whispered into her ear.

"I'm sorry, Riel. I may be the king of this land, but I'm still a father who worries about

his daughter's safety."

With that, his expression returned to that of a king, and his voice boomed as he turned

his piercing gaze toward Ariane, Chiyome, and me.

"Now, could someone tell me who these people are and what they're doing here?"

I bowed and prepared to answer, but Princess Riel beat me to it. She dragged her

sleeves across her eyes before speaking up.

"I hired them to come help save the kingdom. If it weren't for them, we never would

have made it here."

The king eyed Chiyome and Ariane suspiciously. "A beast girl and an elf…?"

The king cocked his head in confusion, then turned his attention toward me. I reached

up and lifted off my helmet—carefully, so as not to disturb Ponta—and revealed my

face. Of course, I'd already anticipated that this might be an issue, and had drunk some

of the mystical spring water from the Lord Crown to avoid presenting my skeletal

form. Instead, I presented the brown skin, black hair, and red eyes of my dark elf form.

The king looked back and forth between Ariane and me. "You don't look anything like

the elves I've heard stories about. Are you from the Ruanne Forest?"

Ariane, familiar with this question from our previous encounters, shook her head. "No,

we're from the Great Canada Forest. I'm a dark elf, and that dumb mountain of armor

over there is… well, a different kind of elf."

I offered up a weak smile at Ariane's half-hearted introduction and quickly pulled my

helmet back on, before the effect could wear off.

"And may I ask what brings elves, especially those from so far away, all the way out to

our humble kingdom?" The king stared intently at us.

Zahar stepped out from behind Princess Riel. "Your Highness, I believe there's

something we should discuss regarding that…"

The bodyguard slid over to the king's side and whispered something in his ear. A look

of surprise washed over the king's face. He glanced over toward me, then back at Zahar.

"Is this true?" The king spoke in a raspy whisper, his eyes wide.

Judging by his reaction, I assumed that Zahar had told him about how we'd joined their

reinforcements. The king's shoulders stiffened, and a bead of sweat trickled down his

forehead.

The silence seemed to stretch, until a man pushed his way out from the crowd.

"What's going on here, King Asparuh?!"

The man wore elaborate robes embossed with symbols that seemed to identify him as

a member of the clergy. His hair was carefully combed, and he appeared to be in his

thirties. He strode brazenly up to the king and fixed his bespectacled gaze on the other

man.

I was taken aback by the sight of someone walking right up to the king and not even

offering the barest semblance of pleasantries, but the king was quick to respond.

"Cardinal Palurumo, how are your followers in the church doing?"

There were at least two among us that must have felt uneasy at the very mention of

the church, a formidable presence in this region.

Ariane's and Chiyome's ears both twitched as they cast harsh glares in the man's

direction.

The man, perhaps sensing their angry looks, turned toward the two. A look of shock

washed over his face.

Any semblance of civility vanished. "Just what is going on here, Your Highness?!" the

man screeched. "What are a beast girl and an elf doing here, mingling with the rest of

us humans?"

Neither King Asparuh nor any of his advisors attempted to stop the man's outburst,

opting instead to exchange worried glances among themselves.

The power dynamics were all too clear, even to an outsider like myself.

"Lock those dirty things up at once and send them to the Hilk church! I fully expect

that you will provide us with a proper explanation for exactly what's going on here.

Anyone who's involved in this should also be arrested immediately!"

The king, as well as the cavalry, the two bodyguards, and especially Princess Riel—

who'd hired us to save the kingdom from destruction—all hesitated.

Just when I thought that the situation couldn't get any more tense, Ariane erupted.

"Oh, so we're dirty things now, are we? Well, if it weren't for us, then pieces of garbage

like you wouldn't even be alive right now!"

She drew her blade, and Chiyome did the same. The young cat girl snorted as she

raised her dagger and narrowed her gaze.

Niena was the first to react, her blade drawn just a fraction of a second after Ariane's

as she stepped in front of the royal family.

"Back away from the king! Sheathe your weapons, or I will have no choice but to treat

you as a rebel!"

Ariane let out a derisive laugh. "A rebel? I owe no loyalty to your king."

I tried to gauge what Ariane planned to do next. Her gaze never left the cardinal.

"This fancily dressed guy is only pretending to be human. He's actually undead, I hope

you know."

I glanced over at the cardinal in time to see his eyes go wide. As soon as he caught my

gaze, he shot me a look of contempt. Ponta growled back in response.

"Grrrrrruuuuuuu…"

This drew his attention away from Ariane and her blade for just a moment. Ariane

lunged forward, a glint of silver slashing through the air.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaugh!!!"

The cardinal's arm tumbled unceremoniously to the floor, a fountain of dark red blood

spraying from his body. His screams were the only sound in the packed space, as

everyone else fell into stunned silence.

Zahar and the rest of the guards hesitated for a moment before drawing their weapons

as well.

The cardinal's voice came out as a shrill scream. "What are you waiting for?! Kill these

barbarians who dare strike a servant of the Hilk church at once!"

The soldiers slowly began closing in around us.

There was nothing about the cardinal that appeared to be anything but human.

However, there was little doubt in my mind that Ariane and Chiyome were telling the

truth about him being undead. Evidently, I still had a lot to learn about the Hilk

religion.

But I didn't have the luxury to sit around and think about it just then.

Both the king and Princess Riel seemed to be at a loss over this sudden turn of events.

Neither had issued a command. The soldiers continued inching closer, hesitantly

obeying the frantically screaming cardinal.

I needed to show them who this guy really was. I didn't want to harm the soldiers or

citizens around us, much less the king or the princess.

"Well, this all got ugly pretty fast," I muttered to myself as I pulled my sword from its

sheath on my back and effortlessly swung the large blade in a circle to keep the area

around me clear.

The whoosh of the blade as it cut through the air had the desired effect. The soldiers

let out a shout as they jumped back in unison. One of them even dropped to ground,

holding his head in his hands and trembling in terror.

I didn't want to scare them too much, but for now, this would do.

"What do you think you're doing, Arc?!" Zahar finally spoke, his sword held at the ready.

Alas, I didn't think we could explain our way out of this one just yet.

A smile spread across Ariane's face as she turned her attention back to the cardinal.

"How long do you plan on keeping your pathetic little act up? You know that elves and

mountain people can see right through your charade, right?"

The moment the words left Ariane's mouth, she was rushing in for a second slash. This

time, the cardinal was able to leap out of the way. The speed at which he was able to

do so was distinctly inhuman.

Gasps erupted from those watching, their uncertainty over the situation increasing.

Elves were able to see "contamination," and mountain people could smell the stench

of death that hung around the undead. Humans, however, had no such abilities, and

no way of telling if the cardinal before them was living or not.

Even if I was technically an elf as well, I, too, lacked the ability to sense the so-called

contamination. Other than his unnatural leap, I didn't really have any way of telling

either.

However, the only undead I'd witnessed thus far that had any sort of agency of their

own were the man-spiders—and that bizarre creature I'd encountered back in Tagent.

Neither of those looked even remotely human, but as far as I could tell, there was

nothing abnormal about the one-armed cardinal's appearance.

That all changed rather quickly.

Cardinal Palurumo sneered again, hate and resentment thick in his voice. "Gah, you

pathetic, lowly cretins. Today just isn't my day. You've left me no choice but to finish

my plan all on my own."

His mouth contorted. A moment later, a new arm began growing out of his gaping

wound.

"Wh-what's that?!"

Someone in the crowd screamed, eliciting a fiendish laugh from the cardinal.

"Don't worry, little ones. I, Palurumo Avaritia Liberalitas, one of the seven great

cardinals, will personally lead you to your deaths! Relax, and accept your fate!"

Cardinal Palurumo's body began writhing, as if some sort of creature were crawling

about underneath his clothing. A moment later, his body was torn apart.

Two meaty appendages ripped out of the back of the priestly robes, like an insect

bursting from its cocoon, and transformed themselves into what looked like arms. All

the hair covering his body grew longer, and his face began swelling, turning into a

cross between a monkey and an owl.

His nose and mouth morphed into a pointed, black beak filled with sharp fangs. A thin,

nearly two-meter-long appendage that looked like a sandworm stretched out of his

lower back. He was now completely covered in dense muscles and stood an impressive

four meters tall.

His bloodshot eyes looked like a pair of red goggles as they focused pure rage on those

around him.

I thought he resembled a massive squirrel monkey, but without all the cuteness.

To everyone else standing around, the very notion of a normal person transforming

into a terrifying monster must have been shocking. So shocking, in fact, that most

people were either screaming, dropping to the ground in terror, or simply frozen in

place. Several others decided to run.

Even the king and Princess Riel found themselves unable to move, their feet firmly

planted as they stared in sheer terror.

Palurumo turned his attention to the royal family and let out a menacing laugh that

resonated deep in his throat. His massive body slowly lumbered toward them.

"Gyahaha! I guess you're as good a start as any for wiping out your beloved Nohzan

Kingdom."

No sooner had Palurumo said these words than he was lunging toward King Asparuh.

Zahar, anticipating this, raised his sword and shouted. "He's after the king! Guards,

stop that beast and protect His Highness at all costs!"

The soldiers immediately sprang into action.

"Princess Riel, get back!"

Niena adjusted her stance and raised her blade, stepping between the young girl and

the incoming threat.

Despite the soldiers' best efforts, however, they did little to slow Palurumo down. The

cardinal used his hands to slap anyone in front of him out of the way. One of the

soldiers was hit away so hard that when he slammed into the outer wall of a nearby

building, there was little left but a hunk of motionless flesh.

The soldiers' shields were also proving completely ineffective.

Palurumo continued straight for his target. We had to hurry.

Ariane took off after the monster, but he was too fast for her, and the soldiers weren't

even slowing him down.

Palurumo effortlessly dodged Zahar's blade, passing the last line of defense, and finally

reached the king.

"You'll lead this voyage to hell, Your Majesty!" His voice sounded oddly cheerful, and

carried a wet, sticky quality.

Princess Riel screamed and tried to run to her father's side, but Niena restrained her.

"Father!"

Palurumo raised his massive fist into the air.

There was only one way I could make it in time. I couldn't worry about who might see.

"Hang on, Ponta! Dimensional Step!"

An instant later, I was standing between Palurumo and the king, holding my shield

over my head. I felt the monster's fist strike metal, sending a shock wave out in all

directions. The stone beneath my feet cracked, and I felt myself sink into the ground.

Gritting my teeth, I shoved my shield back and threw Palurumo's aside. Using this brief

opening, I thrust forward with my sword.

Palurumo dove backward right as I lunged, causing my blade to miss its target. He

leaped a few more times to put additional distance between us. Every time he landed,

the ground beneath him cracked a little, splintering outward.

"The beast finally shows itself…"

I shook my left arm, still tingling from the blow to my shield.

Palurumo didn't seem to care for my nonchalant response and shot me an angry glare.

His bloodshot eyes somehow managed to become even redder, and his face grew even

more terrifying.

"Who are you, and how do you know the pontiff's teleportation techniques?! Not to

mention that no human should be able to block my attack with one hand like that!"

Thick, sticky saliva flew out of his mouth as Palurumo raged.

Ariane, Chiyome, and I exchanged glances.

Assuming what Palurumo had said could be trusted, that meant that the pontiff of the

Hilk church could also use teleportation magic. This had been an incredible advantage

to me so far, and could prove troublesome if our enemies possessed the same ability.

I'd originally figured that this high-ranking cardinal was the one pulling the strings

behind this undead siege, but from the way he spoke, it sounded like it might go all the

way up to the pontiff, the very top of the Hilk religion.

Considering the massive scale of this invasion, it seemed practically impossible that

the pontiff wouldn't have known about it. An army of 100,000 could hardly go

unnoticed.

I let out a deep breath and focused.

Ariane and Chiyome were trying to slip into Palurumo's blind spot, so I decided to try

a frontal strike in order to keep him occupied.

I responded to the cardinal's outburst with a shrug. "I'm not a human, I'm an elf!

Apologies for being such a 'lowly creature.'"

All the hair covering Palurumo's body stood on end. "An elf?! Yet another elf?!"

He slammed his fists into the ground, sending chunks of rubble flying this way and

that. He grabbed two large stones and threw them straight at Ariane and Chiyome,

who were coming in from his sides.

"Nngah!"

"Whoa!"

They were both able to jump out of the way in time, thanks to their incredible reflexes,

but just barely.

Unfortunately, the soldiers behind the two women weren't so lucky. The rocks smashed

into hundreds of pieces as they found new targets.

The fact that Palurumo hadn't needed to turn his head to throw stones at Ariane and

Chiyome with such startling accuracy suggested that his bulging eyes gave him a

better field of vision than I'd assumed.

This seemed to shake the confidence of some of the soldiers, now fearful that killing

Palurumo might prove impossible.

A malicious smile sprang onto the cardinal's face as he turned his attention back to

me. He blinked several times, as if he'd just remembered something.

"Aaah, yeessss. You, silver knight… You're the one who sent Charros to his grave!"

I cocked my head, unsure exactly what Palurumo was talking about. Ponta mimicked

my pose and let out its own mew of confusion.

"Who's Charros? I don't recall killing anyone by that name…"

Unless…

Could that have been the name of the bizarre monster I fought back in Tagent?

Palurumo must have read my mind, because he let out a guffaw and pointed at me.

"So you do remember! Yes, you were the one who killed Cardinal Charros back in

Tagent! He may have been the weakest of the seven cardinals, but toppling him was

no small feat. Alas, you're still no match for the power I harness!"

Ariane and Chiyome looked concerned. Seven cardinals? That meant there were at

least five more out there who were just as powerful as Palurumo.

It seemed that information about me, at least to some degree, had made it back to the

Holy Hilk Kingdom.

"I see… So, that disgusting oversized potato bug was a friend of yours?"

Was the Holy Hilk Kingdom a country of undead then?

"Potato bug? Gyahahaha! Now that you mention it, he did crawl around in a rather

unbecoming way. But that's neither here nor there. Just what were you elves doing in

the human city of Tagent anyway?"

His face contorted into a mockery of a grin.

The fact that I'd managed to dispatch Charros didn't seem to alarm him. After all,

Palurumo himself was still standing—proof that he'd been telling the truth when he

said that Charros was the weakest among them.

To be fair, the monster I'd fought back in Tagent wasn't particularly powerful, but I

also wouldn't have considered him weak by any means. Cardinal Palurumo here was

apparently even stronger.

Worse, I could still feel the drain on my body from summoning the powerful Paladin

skill outside the city's walls. This would no doubt be a brutal fight.

At least this time, I had my trustworthy allies.

Ariane's golden gaze caught mine. Looking over at Chiyome, she responded with a

simple nod.

"We have our reasons. They're no business of monsters like yourself."

I'd wanted to say something truly intimidating to strike fear into his heart, but that

was the best I could come up with. Either way, it seemed to have worked.

"You… You bastard! How dare a lowly creature like yourself call me, a trusted disciple

of the pontiff, a monster!"

With his cheeks puffed out like that, he looked just like an angry monkey.

He flexed his massive muscles, veins bulging across his body. His bloodshot eyes

managed to grow even wider. Then he threw his massive body straight at me.

Apparently, I'd riled him up.

I focused my attention on the spot where I thought he'd land and brought down my

glowing blade.

"Sword of Judgment!"

A rune of light formed on the ground, out of which a large glowing sword shot straight

up into the sky toward the descending cardinal.

However, Palurumo let out an ear-splitting scream and brought down his massive fists

right onto the tip of the glowing blade, causing it to shatter into a thousand pieces.

"What?!"

I'd figured he might be able to dodge the Sword of Judgement, but I never imagined

that someone would be able to shatter it with their bare hands. I truly thought that

magical attacks were my best bet for victory.

"Gyahaha! I've never seen that one before, but it's still no match for the likes of me!"

Palurumo landed effortlessly with a laugh and once again dove in to attack.

I deflected the first blow with my shield and dodged the second. One of the arms on

his back stretched out for a weak third strike, which caught me in the chest. Fearing

another round, I quickly spun away and slipped out of range.

Just then, Ariane and Chiyome entered the fight in earnest.

"Holy flame, heed my call! Devour thine enemy and burn it to ash!"

Spirit-generated flames grew up along Ariane's gleaming blade before launching out

from the tip toward Palurumo in the form of a large, fiery snake.

He spun around just in time and, with a mighty swing of his arms, sent the flaming

snake flying.

It seems he was able to block other magical attacks with his bare hands as well.

However, it wasn't a complete loss. I could see a dark burn on Palurumo's arm where

he'd made contact with Ariane's snake.

Even if he was able to use physical strikes to defend himself from magical attacks, this

evidently didn't protect him from the high temperature of the flames. What's more, he

seemed to lack the regenerative abilities that Charros had used back in Tagent.

Now it was Chiyome's turn.

"Body to water, aqua lance slash!"

Chiyome's right hand began glowing, and a serpent made of water leaped out of her

hand, transforming into a long spear. She threw it with all her might toward Palurumo.

He fixed Chiyome with an angry glare and howled.

"The beast girl can use magic too?! Why, you little brat!"

As with the previous attack, I'd expected Palurumo to easily deflect the water spear

with his bare hands, but he seemed to be more leery of piercing attacks, and instead

decided to dodge it altogether.

However, Chiyome anticipated this and launched into her second attack, using her

ninjutsu to summon two aquatic wolf companions to attack him from behind.

These semi-transparent water wolves were hard to see from a distance, which was

one of their greatest assets in battle.

She'd led with a flashy spear attack to draw his attention and keep him from catching

on to what she was doing. I couldn't help but be impressed by her fighting style.

Unlike their counterparts who lived in the wild, Chiyome's aquatic wolves obeyed her

every command and attacked exactly where she instructed—in this case, Palurumo's

ankles.

At four meters tall, it was hard for the cardinal to actually see his own legs. Making

matters worse, the wolves were mostly transparent and moved low to the ground.

Palurumo's face contorted as one of the wolves sank its fangs into his ankle.

"Grauuuugh! You little beast freak!"

He swung his leg hard and yanked it free, keeping the other wolf at bay before it could

strike.

However, Chiyome wasn't done yet. She directed the wolves to press the attack while

she prepared to strike where she anticipated her unsuspecting prey might try to

escape to.

Chiyome leaped up to the top of a nearby building.

"Body to water, aqua lance slash!"

Having figured out how Palurumo tended to move around, she unleashed her water

spear at him, stabbing straight through the matted hair that covered his body and

through his shoulder. Unlike with Ariane's flame snake from earlier, the weapon

actually managed to pierce him.

Palurumo let out a pained scream and doubled over. "Guuaaaaagh! You little shit!"

Up until now, it seemed like the cardinal had never come across an opponent who

could hold their own against him.

I couldn't help but smile. Objectively speaking, the way I fought was rather crude. I

wished I could so easily predict what my enemies would do, like Chiyome, Ariane, and

Glenys.

At the end of the day, landing the blow was everything.

It was my turn now.

"Sacred Seal!"

The Paladin attack spells were highly effective against the undead. I hefted the Holy

Thunder Sword of Caladbolg up into the air and swung it down toward Palurumo.

The cardinal twisted his body to try to avoid the blow. Unfortunately for him, he was

far too massive to dodge it so easily. My glowing sword lopped off one of the arms

hanging off his back, sending it tumbling to the ground. The wound smoked and

bubbled, as if acid had been poured on it.

I pulled back to follow up with a horizontal strike. My blade struck his chest, sending

spurts of black blood into the air.

"Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!!!"

The air itself shook as Palurumo bellowed in pain.

I readied myself for another strike, but unfortunately, Palurumo dove out of range

before I had the chance. He wasn't about to let it be that easy.

"Why, you little…"

Thick, sticky spittle dribbled out of his mouth, his large eyes darting around. Finally,

he seemed to find what he was looking for.

I followed his gaze and found the discarded arm I'd chopped off of him.

Ariane raced over and kicked it away with all her might, a defiant grin on her face. She

murmured a spell.

"Smoldering flames, hear my cries! Leave behind nothing but ash!"

The severed arm began burning from the inside out, turning to dust in front of our

very eyes.

Palurumo let out another enraged scream.

Judging by how frantically he'd been searching for the arm, I figured he must have

some sort of ability to reconnect his body parts, even if he wasn't able to regenerate in

the typical sense. But now that the arm was nothing but ash, that option was no longer

available to him.

Palurumo took off toward Ariane. Given how massive he was, there was no way she

could simply stop him in his tracks.

"Ariane, watch out! Wyvern Slash!"

Hoping to give her a chance to escape, I swung the Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg

horizontally, launching a powerful energy wave straight into the oncoming Palurumo.

However, it didn't seem to have any effect other than getting him to change his course

slightly as he slapped it aside.

The deflected slash continued on and smashed into a nearby building, caving in part

of its roof.

Given the narrow confines we had to fight in, it was hard for me to use anything other

than melee attacks.

I chastised myself and teleported in front of Ariane to block Palurumo. She shot me a

wry smile. I instantly understood what she was trying to tell me.

"Mother Earth, hear my call! Take back that which belongs in your earthly embrace!"

Her words sounded almost lyrical as they traveled along the wind to reach my ears.

She raised her sword and stabbed it into the ground. Her blade found its way through

the gaps between the stones beneath us. A large ripple spread out from her sword,

causing the stones to shudder and mud to seep up through the cracks.

Within moments, the ground became a living swamp, sucking everything it touched

down into it.

The effects of the spell continued spreading, reaching the foundations of nearby

buildings and eliciting screams from the soldiers standing watch as they scampered

backward to save themselves.

At the center of this swamp was Palurumo, still in the middle of his charge. The swamp

was now at knee-height, and each step was slower than the last as he sank deeper and

deeper into the muck.

"What did you do?! Dammit, I can't get my legs free! Gyaugh! Something… Something's

climbing inside me!"

His large, bulbous eyes darted back and forth as he screamed.

A white moss had begun growing up Palurumo's legs and enveloping his entire body,

causing him to slow down even further.

The swamp then stopped expanding and began turning back into normal, solid earth.

But the damage to the surrounding homes was pretty severe. I was shocked that

Ariane had used an area-of-effect spell like that in the middle of a city.

"I'm quite impressed that you're able to retain your form after such a powerful spell.

You must be rather strong. But I think it's time you return to the earth, where the dead

belong."

Ariane pulled her sword out of the ground, shooting him a defiant smile.

"Damn you! Damn you fools!" The moss had grown up to his massive chest, and he was

beginning to take the form of a dried-out, long-dead tree. Palurumo's face registered

disbelief as he watched his body crumble away beneath him. Ariane slowly approached.

"Holy flame, heed my call! Devour thine enemy and burn it to ash!"

The spirits responded to her call, and flames grew along her sword once more. The air

shimmered as a snake's head appeared from the tip of the blade. Ariane ignored

Palurumo's screams and drove the sword straight into his chest.

The flaming snake slithered inside Palurumo's body, causing the hulking creature to

burst into flames, like so much kindling. Within a matter of moments, he was a large,

burning pillar.

"Hyaaaaaaaiiiisssss…"

With his last, wordless scream, Palurumo's spell over Saureah seemed to have been

broken. For a time, the only sounds were the crackling and popping of flames eating

away at the lump of flesh that remained.

"Well, I guess we're done here."

"Kyiii…"

I slid my sword back into its sheath. Ponta stood up from where it had wrapped itself

around my neck and gave its whole body a shake to loosen its tense muscles. It then

turned its attention to my helmet and used its large, cotton-like tail to brush the dirt

away.

I smiled to myself at what a considerate little companion I had and looked around to

take stock of the situation.

Fortunately, there was no damage to the inner wall itself, but several of the buildings

surrounding the open field beyond it had crumbled after their foundations gave way.

Compared to the widespread destruction that had befallen Tagent down on the southern

continent, this wasn't that bad. The people who lived here, however, probably didn't

see it that way.

I looked over at my two comrades, who were exchanging a congratulatory fist bump.

"Good job, Ariane! You, too, Chiyome."

Ariane had once described Chiyome as her friend, but right now, they looked like war

buddies.

I had to admit that I enjoyed watching the two beautiful women in front of me

celebrating, but it seemed like I was the only one thinking about that.

The people around us were slowly starting to return, but they kept a wide berth as

they watched on.

Ariane paid them no mind as she walked over toward me, eyeing the smoldering

object that had once been Palurumo, its mouth flapping open and closed.

"I wanted to try something a little on the flashy side. Hopefully, this will help take some

attention off you, Arc."

I understood now. She'd done this trying to rectify my earlier actions outside the city.

Not only had she also damaged part of the city with her own magic, but the image of

her destroying Cardinal Palurumo would almost certainly stick with the people

watching.

However…

"Is that truly why you decided to do something so out of character, Ariane? I mean, I'm

sorry about earlier. But isn't this just going to further reinforce the perception that

we're overpowered monsters?"

Ariane just shrugged her shoulders and averted her gaze. "Who cares? Besides, we're

going to talk to the king about all this anyway, right? Maybe it'll do us some good to

seem even more powerful."

I suddenly became aware of the guards standing around us. At their center stood King

Asparuh, who was watching us with his mouth agape.

An effective medicine can easily become a poison, as is said, but I wasn't in a position

to criticize Ariane's behavior.

She turned back to face me, an intense look in her eyes. "That Palurumo guy said there

were five more like him, and that he was more powerful than Charros. Do you think

that's true?"

Chiyome walked up beside me, her ears twitching, as if she was interested in hearing

the answer too.

I thought back to my fight with Charros on the southern continent.

"I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I think the battle with Charros was more

challenging."

Ariane brought her hand to her chin and nodded. "Hmm, I see…"

"Of course, this time I also had you and Chiyome helping me, so…"

I wasn't sure what she was actually asking, so I tried to give them their due. Ariane

laughed.

"No, no. I'm not worried about that. I'm just wondering if we'll have to do something

about the Hilk."

She narrowed her eyes and looked off into the distance.