Chapter Seventy-Eight: Baptism by Fire (Part Ten)
The sound of iron hooves echoed down the main road of the town, a stampede of horned beasts charging toward the center. White birds flapped through the sky, soaring above them like they had their own agenda. The ruckus from the fight to the east seemed to fade away, and Captain of Knights Lawrence clung tightly to his beast, a serious expression etched on his fierce face.
He followed the trajectory of the white birds, leading over twenty reconnaissance knights, no longer concerned with the battle involving the Pope Knights. They marched straight down the dust-laden road until the unmistakable stench hit them like a brick wall, accompanied by an air temperature that burned hotter than before.
Not a good feeling…
For some inexplicable reason, a sense of panic began to stir within Lawrence. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why.
As a captain in the First Knights Order, one of the knights of the Graceful Scales, he was a resilient warrior, barely in his forties yet seasoned by countless battles, having traversed through hell more times than he could count. What type of scenes had he not witnessed? He had organized many hunts against heretics—this level of bloodshed and heat was just a mere appetizer compared to his past experiences.
But why…
did he still feel this anxious tension?
He hadn’t felt anything like this when facing that troublesome female heretic earlier…
Without realizing it, Lawrence instinctively slowed his beast. He glanced back, assuming he was just being overly cautious and tired after the brief skirmish. However, as he looked at the familiar faces trailing behind him—those brave knights who had faced battle without fear—he was startled to see them all frowning, their expressions ranging from tense to serious, mirroring his own feelings.
…What’s going on?
Where was this eerie discomfort coming from…?
“Captain…”
Almost sensing Lawrence’s unease, one of the young knights couldn’t help but suggest, “Should we inform Pope Sir about the situation here and wait for orders before making further plans?”
…Well, that’s a thought.
His small squad had merely acted as vanguard scouts in this encirclement operation. Their job was pretty much done; they just needed to report back about the situation in the town and safely retreat to regroup with the main force. If any unexpected issues arose, it couldn’t possibly fall on his shoulders.
After all, he had technically acted without permission when he led his team into town… It would be one thing if they returned empty-handed, but if they charged ahead recklessly and something terrible happened, then he’d be the one taking the blame.
So…
Should he really do that?
Lawrence suddenly found himself hesitating.
Yet, the hesitation lingered only for a moment. He weighed his options carefully and then decisively exclaimed, “Enzan!”
The man summoned his messenger knight, his face devoid of emotion, and instructed, “Go report to Pope Aresta and the Old Man. Tell them the situation here: there’s only one heretic, and she’s currently battling with Lord Apheir. There’s also a mysterious bl**d-red sphere in the center of town, likely a new trick from the heretics, probably not to be taken lightly. Lawrence’s squad is worried about any surprises and has decided to scout ahead for support.”
Perfect…
Lawrence believed he was clear-headed. He knew withdrawing wasn’t an option; it wasn’t just about the unfortunate d*ath of one of his squad members in battle. If he retreated with nothing to show for it, he would likely be held accountable, damaging his reputation within the knights. That was important, but at this moment, there was another reason he couldn’t back down.
One that held more weight than his own promotion…
It was the honor and dignity that belonged to the Pope Knights.
What a joke…
They were the First Knights Order after all.
They were strong warriors belonging to the Graceful Scales, the elite combat regiment of the Holy City and the Church. Whenever they stepped into battle, it was like a tidal wave obliterating all enemies in their path. When had they ever…
backed down due to worry and anxiety?
Besides, it wasn’t like they were facing an unreasonably tough heretical foe; it was just a bizarre bl**d-red sphere! The reconnaissance knights weren’t cowardly rats that would run at the first sign of trouble. They hadn’t even figured out what that sphere was up to yet, and there was no reason to retreat now.
Once Enzan departed on his mission, Captain Lawrence turned back with a wicked grin slowly creeping onto his face, urging his beast to quicken its pace. “Everyone, keep following me! I want to see just what that female heretic is so adamant about protecting… what kind of monstrosity it is.”
Of course, it was meant as a cruel joke.
However, Lawrence’s laughter soon faded.
As the knights rounded the corner and reached the central area of town, the most spacious—and fiercely burning—earthen buildings came into view. The sight of a massive, fiery, red sphere hovering ominously above, paired with two grotesque piles of charred bones burning beneath it, made Lawrence’s stomach turn. The foul, nauseating scent of bl**d filled the air…
Suddenly, he found it impossible to laugh anymore.
“What the hell is that…?”
He muttered under his breath, his face drenched in sweat from the scorching heatwaves hitting him like an oven. The burning red fire licked at the sphere like the sun, dazzlingly bright. The clerics from the Faith Organization had no choice but to unleash divine miracles, surrounding the knights with a light barrier just to withstand the infernal heat surging towards them.
They halted their beasts not far away, staring at that sun-like burning sphere, which hovered less than ten meters above the ground, resembling a massive, rolling glob of bl**d. The flames raged like a torrent, constantly dripping onto the ground, igniting the beige earth below.
The spreading inferno ignited the corpses, the flames twisting like living beings, snaking out from the charred remains, dragging forth dark red bloodlines, weaving a dense net in midair, endlessly flooding into the burning sphere.
“Captain…”
“The townspeople seem to be gathered here…”
“It’s horrific…”
“Pure evil…”
Someone clenched their teeth and stuttered, “These heretical beasts, even with just one woman, can create such madness…”
“Truly a scourge upon the earth…”
“What do we do, Captain?”
Someone gulped nervously as he asked, Lawrence fixed his gaze back upon the flaming sphere and looked down at the piles of corpses, his face shifting in the glow of the flames, an expression of utter dread.
…What do we do?
This damned thing—he’d never seen anything like it; heck, he hadn’t even heard of something like this! How the heck was he supposed to know what to do now!?
He pondered for a moment, drew his sword from his waist, and dismounted his beast.
But now that he was here and staring at all of this, they had to do something.
“No matter what that thing is, it looks like something that would eat…”
Yet, somehow…
it didn’t seem too dangerous.
If they got closer, would it really attack them?
Cautiously, Lawrence took two steps forward.
He tilted his head back, his eyes locked onto that blazing bl**d sphere, and waited—nothing happened.
…Now that he thought about it, the goal of this encirclement against the heretics seemed to be for the upper echelon to find something.
What exactly it was, as a captain, he of course wouldn’t know. That was the Pope Aresta and the Old Man’s business, not something to burden the warriors carrying out the orders.
However, ambitious as ever, Lawrence gazed at that bl**d-sucking sphere and suddenly wondered…
Could that thing be the very object they were after?
If it was…
Then, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for him to earn some merit?
