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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 55: Attack (2)
Figures carrying torches swarmed in.
From the hoes and shovels they were armed with, it seemed they had gathered with ill intentions.
"Those aren't... village residents, are they?"
"Their response is too quick for that. It's as if they were waiting."
The Inquisitors readied their weapons and blocked the entrance, intending to make a stand inside the church.
"It's a trap... isn't it?"
"It's not unheard of. There are often those who desire the Saintess's life."
"Even so, this timing is quite a coincidence."
Soon, the armed group with torches surrounded the church.
Their numbers were roughly fifty, easily outnumbering the defenders by ten to one.
"Outsiders, hand over the priest!" someone bellowed.
But none of the Inquisitors replied.
"They're buying time. Check if there's a back door."
The male Inquisitor commanded, and the female Inquisitor went to examine the church.
"......"
Meanwhile, Iris stood silently, her eyes closed, before the cooling corpse of the fake priest.
Despite her serene demeanor, as if she were praying in this chaos, no one asked her for help.
It wasn't because they couldn't soil the Saintess's hands; her hands were already covered in the fake priest's blood.
Ultimately, only two people stood guard at the entrance.
"Should we set up some traps? I have some useful things."
"Even just preventing them from easily entering would be effective... What are those things?"
The items Ray pulled out were what are known as caltrops.
If scattered on the ground and stepped on, they could tear a foot, and if someone fell, it would be a disaster.
If one or two of the front-liners were injured, those behind them wouldn't dare rush in, significantly reducing their breakthrough power like landmines.
"Do you usually carry such things?"
"I have a little bit of everything."
As he scattered the caltrops on the ground, Ray pulled out his Helsing Family's Secret Crossbow.
At that moment, the patience of the opposing side ran out.
"Drag them out!"
The heretics, disguised as villagers, swarmed forward.
They immediately began pounding on the church's entrance.
Thump! Thump!
They had hastily blocked the entrance with church chairs, but perhaps anticipating this, the attackers began breaking down the door with axes.
Crunch! Crackle!
The church's wooden door, not particularly sturdy, quickly developed numerous holes from the repeated axe blows.
"Push through!"
The attackers, having widened the hole enough for a person to enter, tried to get past the blocked door.
Whoosh! Swish-swish!
Thwack! Bolts struck home. Attackers hit in the forehead and chest collapsed.
"C-crossbow!"
"Crazy, how many shots did he just fire?!"
The attackers hesitated to move forward due to Ray's rapid-fire crossbow.
They soon found a way to counter it.
"Shield bearers to the front!"
Shields.
And they were iron shields.
They moved cautiously through the narrow, obstacle-filled passage.
"Please handle the crossbow for a moment."
"A formidable weapon," the Inquisitor said.
He aimed the crossbow, which he had received from Ray, at the attackers, but the iron shields blocked all the bolts.
"Hahaha...! You won't pierce us with that puny crossbow!"
Ray's crossbow was powerful only when dealing with unarmored enemies and in its rapid-fire capability.
The Helsing Family's Secret Crossbow, while having rapid-fire, was inherently weaker than a regular crossbow.
The bolt size and draw weight were insufficient.
"Well, I didn't just rely on one crossbow."
Whoosh!
That was when it happened.
A sharp sound reached the shield bearer's ear.
At the same time, something wrapped around the shield bearer's neck.
"Huh?"
In a flash, a sharp blade was pulled taut.
The shield bearer's neck was severed, and the deadly hidden weapon was retrieved.
"A w-whip!"
It was an Iron Whip, made of sharp blades.
It was one of the many holy relic weapons Ray possessed.
Ray's skilled whip handling attacked from the sides and rear with unpredictable movements.
From the front, a rapid-fire crossbow poured bolts, while from the sides and rear, the whip struck.
The attackers were driven to madness, but they pressed on with sheer numbers and finally entered the church.
However...
"Aargh!"
"My, my foot!"
After barely breaking through the merciless attacks of the crossbow and whip, what awaited them were the sharp caltrops spread across the floor.
Unless they were wearing iron military boots, the sharp metal pieces pierced through their shoe soles.
Just then, the female Inquisitor, who had checked for a back door, swiftly rushed forward.
"I'll handle this!"
The sword-wielding Inquisitor impaled an attacker who had stepped on a caltrop.
"Ugh!"
The attacker, whose foot was pierced, was now also impaled through the chest. The Inquisitor's sword danced.
"Argh!"
"Damn it, do something!"
A ruthless slaughter unfolded in the narrow entrance, where crossbows, whips, and swords raged.
Ray was formidable, but the two Inquisitors, a man and a woman, who had accompanied the Saintess, completely overwhelmed the attackers with their combat skills alone.
This was their level of pure trained ability without divine power.
And this was at night, when they wouldn't receive the sun's blessing, unlike Ray.
"Len, the back door?"
"There isn't one, Brother Yan."
"They keep swarming in!"
More than ten attackers had already fallen.
This time, they approached cautiously, covering their comrades with layered shields.
Having been hit hard a few times, they were extremely careful but steadily closing the distance.
"They're quick to judge."
"Their equipment is good too. They're trained."
"Can't the Saintess just blast them with light?"
Iris possessed the Miracle of the Stigmata, the Radiant Light.
With that, such minor close-quarters combat would be meaningless.
A single gesture would clear everyone.
"The Saintess's miracles are only effective against wicked beings. They have no effect on ordinary humans."
"......That's disappointing."
Does that mean Iris was no different from ordinary Inquisitors against ordinary people?
"Here they come."
Just then, Iris's words were barely finished when something burst into the church, obscuring the moonlight.
Crash!
What broke through the wall was a swordsman whose blade was imbued with a sharp, chilling aura.
"An Expert!?"
A knight-level force capable of using an Aura Blade. He glared at Iris and began to run at full speed.
"Saintess!"
It was too late.
It was already sudden, and they couldn't catch up to an Aura user running with their physical abilities enhanced by aura.
The moment the Aura user's deadly blade struck Iris, an impossible clang reverberated.
"Is that the Power of Protection!"
The Power of Protection that Iris deployed perfectly guarded against the Aura Blade. But it wouldn't last long.
"No matter how strong a barrier of protection, it cannot stop an Aura Blade!"
Indeed, the Aura Blade's cutting power was gnawing away at the barrier of protection.
The barrier of protection, which even the Alpha Demonic could not break head-on, had a poor compatibility with an Aura Blade that focused its cutting power on a single point.
But even so, it was a barrier of protection deployed by a Saintess.
If the amount of aura was strong enough to cut through it, then at the very least, it was a mid-level Sword Expert.
To think such a skilled individual had joined in an attempt to assassinate the Saintess.
"You."
Then, Iris shifted her gaze to the Aura user.
Even as her barrier of protection was visibly crumbling, she asked in a cold, slow voice:
"Have you ever been hit at the speed of light?"
"Huh?"
It was a line he had heard somewhere before.
The next moment, Iris's fist surged forward in a straight line.
It was a simple, direct, and obvious attack.
But when it was thrown at the 'speed of light,' it became a spear that could pierce through all things.
Thwack!
When he blinked, the situation was already over.
"Huh?"
The Aura user looked down at his chest, as if he couldn't believe it.
A clean wind hole.
The inner wall, pierced by a fist thrown at an unbelievable speed, was sizzling.
Literally, a fist swung at the speed of light had pierced the man.
"J-Jackson is down!"
"Fuck! You said he was an Aura user!"
The attackers were stunned when their trump card, the Aura user, was helplessly defeated.
Their morale shattered, they immediately turned and began to flee.
Ray should have pursued them, but he couldn't, shocked by the unbelievable sight before him.
"N-no, is that even possible? Is the Saintess's arm alright?"
Could a human body endure such an absurd speed?
Of course not. If a human fist were swung at the speed of light, not only the arm but also the person who swung it would be shredded.
Of course, it wasn't truly the speed of light.
Iris herself had only thrown a 'swiftness' within the range she could perceive.
If her fist had truly been thrown at the speed of light, the surroundings would not have remained intact.
Nevertheless, this speed was impossible with human strength.
However.
"That's why she's the Saintess, isn't it?"
"Why do you think she's fine when she unleashes the Radiant Light in the first place?"
"Ah..."
Iris's miracle as a Saint.
The reason it was a true miracle wasn't just because it was a holy flash that destroyed evil.
It was the miracle that protected the caster from the laws of physics, despite the absurd power and speed it generated.
That was the true miraculous power of the Saintess of Radiance.
"Oh, he seemed like the highest-ranking one."
"I killed him," Iris said casually, as if she had accidentally dropped some food.
"Catch them. Just one or two."
"Understood, Saintess."
"As you command."
With their ace, the Aura user, dead, the battle didn't last long.
Most escaped, but a few were captured, and what awaited them were three seasoned Inquisitors.
"N-no."
"Yes, you will."
***
It took over two weeks for the Saintess's party to arrive at Baron Enfield's territory from the Solar Theocracy.
They were ambushed a few times, and assassination requests of unknown origin were delivered.
Requests offering large sums of money to assassinate a Saint were quite widespread in the underworld, so Iris and the Inquisitors seemed unfazed.
"How did they know where we were heading?"
"Occasionally, there are those who set up watchpoints along the routes leading out of the Solar Theocracy. They're the ones who sell that information if they get lucky."
Were they truly just assassins attempting to kill a Saint? Well, the assassins themselves were ordinary heretics, but...
"Of course, they're warlocks. Who else would target a Saint besides them?"
"Oh? That's true."
Surprisingly, warlocks put bounties on Saints' heads.
The underworld wouldn't care about moral issues, and with hefty bounties placed on them by assassin guilds, there were always those looking for a quick score.
"Anyway, to avoid being discovered heading to Baron Enfield's territory, we'll have to disguise ourselves already."
Iris's carriage was repainted a few times, transforming into a completely different carriage, and the Inquisitors also changed their attire, becoming an entirely different group.
Furthermore, to prevent their destination from being identified, they deliberately took a circuitous route.
"So this is Enfield territory. I heard it was a coastal city, but it's quite nice, isn't it?"
"It's also a resort occasionally used by the Solar Theocracy."
The two Inquisitors spoke respectfully to Ray.
They showed themselves to be escort knights with their stylish formal wear and swords at their sides.
"Lady, young master. We will escort you directly to your accommodation."
Upon arriving at Baron Enfield's territory, Ray reminded himself of his role.
Iris was a noble lady of high standing, despite being blind. Ray's role was that of Iris's young brother.
To maintain the pretense that they were siblings, Iris even wore a black-haired wig.
"Aren't you hot? I should have worn the wig if possible..."
"We don't have a silver wig, so it can't be helped."
Moreover, it was more efficient to have Ray wear the wig since he would be more active.
"We've booked the most expensive accommodation. It's a private place mainly used by nobles. Lady, please stay at the accommodation and wait for now."
"The young master and I will scout the surroundings first. Len, you are to guard the Lady."
"Yes, understood."
As soon as they unloaded their luggage at the accommodation, the Inquisitors immediately began their activities.
Keeping their roles as a wealthy young master and escort knight in mind, they strolled through Enfield territory.
"The scenery is nice, but it feels underdeveloped for a tourist destination."
"Only a few nobles visit; the main industry is still fishing. Its advantage is its tranquility."
Yan seemed more comfortable addressing Ray respectfully and skillfully played the part of an escort knight.
"By the way, young master, are you familiar with local information gathering activities?"
"I've studied up on it. I'm not sure if my acting skills will hold up."
"You have outstanding talent, so you'll be fine. If push comes to shove, leave it to me."
First, they needed to verify the information the Solar Theocracy already had.
The information that a vampire was hiding in Baron Enfield's territory was not precise.
It was merely a speculation based on the strange phenomena occurring in the territory and reported information, suggesting a high probability of vampires.
Ray decided to check this information by stopping at a suitable pub.
"An ale, please."
"Aren't you a bit too young to be drinking?"
The bartender looked at Ray, who was barely sixteen, with a suspicious expression.
Ray flicked a silver coin and said, "Just bring me some proper snacks."
"Oh my, you're a generous one. I'll prepare it right away."
As Ray spent money freely, the bartender grinned widely and began preparing the drinks and food.
The Inquisitor Yan was impressed by this series of actions.
'His acting is very natural.'
When he was told this young boy would act as a noble young master, he felt a little uneasy.
No matter how talented Ray was as a Saint candidate, he was still just a sixteen-year-old boy with limited experience.
However, choosing a pub where people's tongues loosened for information gathering, and skillfully acting the part of a young master... most importantly...
'He just bought the attention of this entire area with that.'
He had deliberately and conspicuously spent a lot of money, practically announcing, "I have a lot of money!" to those around him.
This would almost certainly lead to...
Just who the hell are you, ‘young master,’ to be throwing around that kind of money?
"Why don't you buy us a drink too?"
Flies attracted to honey.
"What are these ill-mannered savages?"
Enticing the flies was not difficult. He just had to be a wealthy mark.
"Alright! I can certainly pay for a drink or two for hard-working commoners. But only if you tell me some interesting stories."
He naturally drew out chatter and gathered information from those intoxicated by alcohol.
His acting was so skilled and natural that Yan didn't even need to intervene.
.........
.........
Slap!
A bearded man's face snapped sideways.
Ray, his face flushed, pointed at him.
"You fucking bastard! How dare a lowly wretch touch me! Do you know who I am?!"
It's... acting, right?
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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