74

I have to run.

Immediately.

As far away as possible.

As quickly as possible.

Tick

The running man stumbled over something and tumbled hard.

“…Ugh.”

Russell, the steward of the Glenval family, looked at the object that had knocked him down.

It was an armored soldier.

The man who had been nodding to him moments ago lay collapsed, a cold corpse.

“….”

Russell’s face contorted.

He’s dead here too.

How many have died in total?

‘No.’

Russell sprang up and shook his head.

Now was the time to focus only on fleeing.

He had to, to live.

Then, at that moment.

Clank clank

From the direction he was running came the footfalls of a knight in full plate armor.

‘Were there still more…!’

Russell let out a silent scream and began to run back.

He had to hide somewhere.

If he turned that corridor, there would be a few rooms.

‘The best room to hide in among them is….’

It was the moment Russell rounded the corner.

Thud

Russell collided with something, staggered, and fell.

“Ah.”

Raising his head, Russell let out a short sigh.

A guard knight of the lord, cloaked in black fur, stood before him.

His eyes glowed red as he held his sword raised.

“…Why?”

Russell mumbled quietly without realizing it.

Only for a moment; the question mixed with sobs and turned into a howl of rage.

“Why in the world! Why are you committing this madness!”

“….”

The knight gave no answer.

He simply held his sword up in silence.

Russell glared at him.

He didn’t want to die with his back turned.

The knight was about to thrust his sword at Russell.

Crack!

A dagger flew from somewhere and embedded itself into the knight’s helmet.

It was a familiar-shaped dagger.

It was certainly the dagger the master craftsman had presented by the lord’s order recently.

“I’m sorry.”

Screech

With a sharp cutting sound, the knight’s neck flew off along with his helmet into the air.

The priest who swung the sword calmly brushed the blood off and asked.

“Are you all right?”

“Ah… ah….”

He had come.

The one who had saved Lonelybirch.

The one who captured a super-class demon and is called a saint.

“Lord Gilmore! Please save the lord.”

Russell couldn’t hold back his sobs and buried his head in the floor.

“….”

Hamel Gilmore, the lord of Haidern and an Exorcist priest, looked down at him for a moment before speaking.

“What is the situation in the castle?”

“The guards who left with Sir Rupert have seized the castle. The knights inside were defenseless against the guards’ ambush… and right now the lord is fighting that group.”

Hamel wore a pensive expression briefly, then nodded.

Then he put a hand on Russell’s shoulder and said.

“I have a request.”

“…Yes?”

Russell looked at him blankly, and he said calmly.

“Immediately gather as much of the castle’s valuables as you can and bring them to where the lord is. Also, we need one raven for the letter.”

“….”

What on earth did that mean all of a sudden?

Russell’s face filled with confusion.

What use was money in a situation like this?

Above all….

Russell was afraid.

He wanted to get out of there immediately.

But he was told to return to the battlefield where the fighting raged.

Russell couldn’t answer easily and avoided Hamel’s eyes.

At that moment.

“If it’s now, we might be able to save the lord.”

“The lord….”

The trembling in Russell’s body subsided.

He felt his mind clear.

“Recall your oath.”

The one who had made him steward when he had nothing.

The one who entrusted him with the castle’s management based solely on his ability.

That day, Russell had sworn before the lord and God.

That as long as he cared for him, he would be loyal until death.

“…I’ll try. No, I’ll definitely do it.”

“Hurry.”

Hamel rose at Russell’s resolve and looked around.

He then turned toward the sound of clamor and said.

“If it’s too late, nothing can be saved.”

---

“Will this do, Mr. Ono?”

When Hamel turned and asked, Ono, arms crossed, frowned.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, then sighed and nodded.

“Probably… yes. It should be correct.”

Ono, unusually, lacked confidence in his words and trailed off.

Then he focused his mind as if to make a final check.

Then the Golden Tree mark on his hand began to emit a faint glow.

With a burning pain, the mark on his arm started to flare golden.

Ssshh

The sound of pages turning echoed in his head.

Why something like this was possible did not matter.

How it could be done wasn’t important.

That thing, the ‘Root of All Wisdom’, had entered his mind in the dungeon long ago.

Ono had become able to ‘just’ do these things.

It was like not needing to learn how to breathe when born.

It was simply natural.

‘Raven.’

[Raven. Bird. Body length 50cm, wingspan 32–38cm….]

Turning the pages, he found the dictionary-like description of the raven on the outermost part.

It wasn’t what Ono was looking for.

He delved deeper.

Related terms: ‘mark’, and ‘demon’ and ‘divinity’.

The book began to turn pages for a long while.

Ono leapt through thousands, tens of thousands of pages and dug deep into its core.

Drip

A trickle of blood ran from his nose.

Ono lightly wiped it away.

It was only this much now, but the first time he had delved this deep, he had nearly died.

A moment later.

‘Found it.’

Ono found the information he had been searching for.

[Form of the raven. An ancient being. Also called the Lord of Black Cries, the Three-tongued Prophet, the Deceiver of Black Wings. Its name is ■■■….]

“Ugh.”

Ono groaned and twisted his body.

Again this time, he could not see the name.

However.

‘Just a little more.’

[The raven’s mark is a medium to increase the causal rate of the string.]

‘Just a little….’

[Possession using the mark, curse haeju method. solemn/majestic exorcism, or perhaps….]

“Hah!”

Ono released a deep breath and snapped out of his concentration.

Sweat poured down his body like rain and his eyes were bloodshot.

Maybe from clenching his teeth, he tasted a faint metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

“Are you all right?”

Hamel asked with concern, and Ono slowly nodded.

Then he spoke with certainty.

“Yes. There’s no other way. If this doesn’t work….”

“It will work.”

“…Yes. It must.”

Ono staggered to his feet and said.

“I’ll follow the steward’s trail as is. Once you’ve finished preparing, go there.”

“Yes.”

Ono staggered but hurriedly followed the steward.

He knew as well.

That time was short.

Anxious, Hamel bit his lip.

‘Will we be able to synchronize the timing?’

He did not know.

Hamel suppressed the sudden rising anxiety.

For now he would simply trust and do his part to the best of his ability.

“It’s just ahead. Everyone, prepare.”

Hamel, running, tightened his grip on his sword and shouted as he drew near.

Rena and Daniel, following behind, gave slight nods.

They were already prepared.

Hamel kicked open the locked Great Hall door without hesitation.

Bang

The wooden door was ripped from its hinges and flew off.

The commotion drew the attention of those inside the hall to Hamel.

Hamel entered the silent hall and slowly scanned the surroundings for a moment.

The Great Hall was hardly recognizable from its former state.

Rain poured through the collapsed ceiling, and the walls were broken in places.

Broken desks and shattered remnants of swords and armor were scattered across the floor.

Finally….

‘…Thank goodness. He’s still alive.’

Hamel looked at a bleeding Raikard, cornered in a nook.

Countless stab wounds marked his body, and a broken sword jutted from his back.

Elderly and infirm people of the castle gathered behind him.

Even in that state, he had been protecting the people.

Yet there was no hint of defeat in Raikard’s eyes.

In fact, the knights surrounding him were reluctant to close the distance.

The reason was simple.

There were already a dozen or so bodies of guard knights lying around him.

‘Amazing.’

Hamel was genuinely impressed by Raikard’s martial prowess.

In Raikard’s hand was an iron sword on the verge of breaking.

If the weapon in his hand had been his cherished Stormbringer….

‘By now, the knights might have been on the defensive.’

As Hamel quickly assessed the situation.

A man mixed among the knights stepped forward toward Hamel.

“…You’ve come after all.”

“Sir Rupert.”

Hamel looked at him and quietly swallowed.

He could tell at a glance.

He was consumed by demonic energy.

It was surely the power of Lunacornus that had poured out the curse, but another energy could be felt.

It was clearly the raven form, an ancient being said to have contracted with Lunacornus.

How had it come to this?

If he’d been a little more attentive, could he have prevented it?

Hamel pondered incessantly as he ran.

And then he realized.

What had driven Rupert to such anxiety.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t understand your feelings at all.”

“….”

Rupert’s eyes twitched and trembled.

There was no answer, but Hamel continued calmly, as if offering a prayer.

“You must have been anxious. And frightened as well.”

Hamel believed that time would solve his problem.

But Rupert had already been driven to the edge of a cliff.

There was no time left for him.

The next step would be into an abyss.

Hamel did not know that.

He had trusted his judgment too much and overlooked misunderstandings and ill fate among people.

“Won’t you stop even now? The things you’ve done are not your fault.”

Although it may have begun with his foolish jealousy and uncontrolled anger.

Now his actions were not wholly his own will.

All of this was merely a devil’s trick, playing with a possessed person’s heart.

Rupert fell silent at Hamel’s words.

Then Raikard, huddled in the corner, asked in a strained voice.

“Does that mean… that something has possessed Rupert now?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so.”

He nodded as if he had expected it.

In a way, it was obvious.

From Rupert becoming oddly powerful to the guard unit suddenly turning coat.

None of it could be explained without the demon’s power.

“That’s… fortunate.”

Raikard, nodding, leaned against the wall.

At the same time, the blue aura surrounding him evaporated.

Gulp

At once, the blood he had been holding back poured out.

If not for muscles trained like rock, he would not have withstood such blood loss even for a moment.

Simultaneously, Raikard’s body slid down and collapsed.

Those he had been protecting hurriedly caught him from behind.

But he did not open his eyes.

“…!”

Rupert’s eyes widened as he watched the scene.

It was as if his father’s reaction was unexpected.

But the look of surprise did not last long.

Rupert spoke in a cold, chilled voice.

“…It’s already too late, Lord Hamel. Far too late.”

Rupert snapped his fingers.

Then the knights surrounding Raikard turned and rushed toward Hamel.

“I cannot stop. I have no intention of stopping. So.”

A sinister aura emanated from Rupert’s body.

“Just die already.”

Rupert and his knights surged toward Hamel.

Hamel silently tightened his grip on his sword.

---

This is dangerous.

Hamel gauged the strength of the rushing enemies.

It was impossible to win from the start.

The foes were a knight who had reached the realm of sword mastery and five senior knights.

But what Hamel aimed for was not to defeat them.

It was to hold out until the conditions were met.

He judged that, for that, he could somehow keep the balance.

‘Hurry, please.’

Hamel prayed inwardly as he quickly packed dragon’s blood into his mouth.

Then he leveled his sword at the knight charging at the front.

“Light.”

The next moment, something flashed briefly and Rena’s incantation followed swiftly.

“Slip. Slow. Bind.”

The charging knights faltered as if malfunctioning.

Of course, it was only a very brief opening.

After all, the opponents were senior knights who wielded aura.

However.

At the same time, a red light streaked forward.

Daniel, dashing like a flash, leapt between the knights and swung his sword.

Clang!

Surprisingly, the knights still managed to block lethal blows even in that situation.

But Daniel did not stop.

Once, twice, three times; it’s impossible to block a relentless series of strikes forever.

Shick

In the end, red spray followed the slash Daniel delivered.

Two knights, their shoulders and thighs cut, staggered back.

Just as the other knights finished regrouping and prepared to counterattack.

“Accelerate. Lightness. Run like the wind.”

Daniel, empowered by Rena’s chant, sprang backward.

He narrowly slipped out of sword range.

The swords of the knights who had missed Daniel swung emptily through the air.

“…Sir Daniel?”

“Leave the knights to me. Hamel, you handle Sir Rupert.”

Daniel adjusted his grip on his sword and said.

Their opponents were five senior knights.

Normally Daniel could never hold them alone, but with Rena they somehow balanced it.

It would be hard, but there was no choice.

‘Here, we can only trust them.’

He nodded.

Hamel expressed his thanks and stepped forward.

Rupert, who had been watching the fight for a moment, also approached Hamel.

They stood tall.

The two paused for an instant.

Hamel’s blue pupils and Rupert’s red pupils locked in the air.

And in the next moment.

There was no first move.

Both men swung their swords at each other with full force.