Towards the sky (1)
Justia walks into the thick fog.
The boy, who was standing like he was nailed in place and looking at her back, thought.
My wish to get out of the back alley was not simply to survive.
The reason I looked at the old blacksmith’s sword was not simply because I admired it.
It was to move forward.
“You will definitely become a knight.”
We cannot be satisfied with just living.
In order to find meaning in life, you must have something in your heart.
“So you have to understand. “Our sword needs justification and responsibility.”
Gregory pulled the back of the neck of the boy who was about to run away and said with a serious look in his eyes.
“From now on, repeat what I say.”
“What?”
Gregory thought for a moment about the boy’s question.
Maybe it’s still too early.
But I didn’t know that it was even more necessary because it was a little early.
“This is the only cause we can rely on right now.”
Listening to the children’s breathing becoming thinner.
Listening to the sounds of parents crying.
In a small square filled with fog, there was an old rule recited by a knight with a strong beard.
It was a rule created by a man who was the greatest swordsman and knight of knights.
The old and strong discipline was establishing another pillar in the boy’s world.
※※※※
A church made of gray stone.
Justia’s green eyes were looking at the bell tower high above the church.
The children’s breath was gathering towards the highest point of the unclean church.
“Open the door. “This is not your place!”
Despite her calls, the tightly closed doors of the church did not budge.
But it didn’t matter.
No matter how dark it may be, the church in front of you was built on the ground created by God.
As someone who lived in her own home, she had the right to be confident anywhere.
Quaaaaang-!
A blow containing the will of God shatters the wooden door of the unresponsive church.
As Justia entered the church filled with darkness, all she could see were red patterns painted all over.
“······.”
These were signs of terrible blasphemy.
“You came sooner than I thought.”
In the deepest part of the chapel, at the altar, which should be closest to God, stood a priest holding a thick Bible.
Justia raised her sword as she saw a man wearing priest’s clothes and sucking the breath of children.
“Why did you come alone? “The driver and I alone can’t pray for the people here.”
“······.”
At the priest’s mocking words, Justia quickly turned her head and glanced around the chapel.
There was no one there and I couldn’t feel any presence, but it was clear that the man in front of me was the one who was here.
The moment when Justia narrows her eyes at the foreign energy floating inside the church.
Wow-!
There was a deep groan coming from beneath the floor where Justia was standing.
It wasn’t one, it was many.
Everyone was shedding pitiful black tears.
Dang-dang-dang-
The church bell was ringing.
It was the bell that announced the time of worship.
“It was hidden underground.”
Even though it was an urgent situation, Justia responded calmly.
She was determined, anticipated, and prepared.
All she needed was a few days of leisure.
However, Justia knew that God’s will was a narrow gate and that it would require much suffering and patience to pass through it.
“Please hear my prayer.”
Justia hurriedly lit up the dark church with her sword and focused on the sound she heard.
Not alone, but many.
Light things, not heavy things.
It was like the sound of jumping barefoot on a cold stone floor.
Taang-!
Finally, the sounds that came up roughly opened the door hiding the basement, and black hands began to reach out from there.
Child…my child.
It’s too dark…
I can’t see anything!
Women shedding black tears.
These women were filled with only empty darkness where their eyes should be.
They were struggling in the dark.
“······!”
It was difficult for Justia to keep her cool any longer as she saw such a cruel scene that she could not bear to see with her own eyes.
What was more terrible than the crushed eyes of the crying women was their blood-stained lower abdomen.
“Even after doing this…”
The world is always harsh on the weak, but this current situation has gone too far.
This cannot happen if something is out of sync.
Only those who cross the line will be able to do this.
“Aren’t you afraid of God?”
“I am afraid of God…”
The man who always seemed to smile at Justia’s words slowly began to become expressionless.
It was a very natural appearance and a change as if it had always been like that.
“He is definitely a scary person, but he is also someone who doesn’t really matter to me.”
As if there was no need to hide it anymore, the man dropped the Bible he was holding and said.
At the feet of those who are free from death.
“Because I no longer have to return to His arms.”
“······!”
Justia’s eyes twitched as she watched that scene.
Seeing the person who insulted her world, Justia let out her anger and scolded him loudly.
“Saint Loginus, glorious commander of the heavenly armies and next to God!”
In an angry voice, Justia shouted the name of a saint who shined brightly even in the history of the church.
Light began to emanate from her sword.
“Come and save the poor souls from the oppression of evil at a high price!”
Women reaching out their black hands to find something.
These were women who were sacrificed and taken away by someone.
Since Justia could not hold all of their hands, she was trying to open a path of light even in the darkness.
“I will pay the price!”
The single torch shining in the darkness began to burn itself and emit stronger light.
It was a light that could be seen even without eyes and found even in the dark.
Jang-eom-guma (莊嚴驅魔).
A miracle that only a paladin who receives sacred will could perform was thrust upon the unclean church.
“You were a greater person than I thought.”
The false priest turned his head for a moment in the intense light that burned him as the wick.
It was a wave of light without any physical power, but the pillar of light created by Justia’s firm will was violently shaking the unclean church.
Ahhh-!
The warm and glorious light that came down from the sky was wiping away the sadness and resentment of the women shedding black tears.
They were returning them to where they should be.
“Hehehehe!”
However, even in the light that burned unclean intentions, the false priest only smiled.
“No matter how bright a torch is, it has its limits!”
He was a man whose fingertips were being burned by the ever-widening pillar of light, but he was able to laugh at it because he knew the end was clear.
Her skill in performing a solemn exorcism without any preparation was worthy of praise, but in the end, she was alone.
More torches will be needed to fully illuminate the current darkness.
“······.”
As the false priest said, a drop of sweat began to form on Justia’s forehead as she closed her eyes and prayed to God.
It was a spell with strong recoil and a miracle that cost one’s own life.
This world was full of God’s will, but He was actually in the sky far away.
As the cries of the poor women died down, the light from Justia’s solemn exorcism was also slowly fading out.
Seeing this, the false priest pulled out a sword from his shadow.
It was a sword of such a dark color that it felt like you would be sucked in just by looking at it.
“······.”
Justia strengthened her resolve as she saw the man slowly approaching her with a sword.
As a paladin who always had to assume the worst, I had at least prepared a final plan to take the man in front of me.
Paladins were people who prepared for moments like this.
“May your church destroy all enemies.”
This time, Justia tries to recite a prayer to bring about God’s glorious flame with her own body, not her sword.
Every time her lips parted, her green eyes were shaking violently.
The moment she prepares for her final struggle.
Quaaaaang-!
A loud noise coming from behind.
The church door, which had already been broken by Justia, was falling down violently once again.
“Push!”
“Goat! Now you get out!”
There were men breaking through with wild shouts.
With a red-hot carriage.
“······!”
At that moment, everyone’s eyes were focused on that place.
Even blind women.
A new torch was rushing into the church, which was gradually filling up with darkness.
“Now get out of the way!”
When Gregory gave the signal, the two men who were pushing the burning carriage fell away.
“Huh!”
Gregory, who saw that Justia, who was embarrassed, quickly rolled to the side, picked up a carriage and pushed it towards the man in front of him as if throwing it.
“What the hell!”
Seeing a scene I couldn’t even imagine, the false priest struck the carriage with the sword he was holding.
I was so embarrassed that I swung without thinking about what would happen next.
Pow-!
The carriage exploded with a small explosion, and sparks flew out in all directions.
Every part of the church was on fire, and the flames that Gregory had intended began to spread in a space filled with darkness.
There is light here.
“Now!”
In a crashing movement, there was a boy wading through the burning debris toward the priest.
[Suppress the momentum with style!]
“Huh!”
A spectacular appearance, one of the knights’ long-standing traditions.
Vlad was there, his world unfolding with his left eye closed.
The tip of the unadorned sword was shining more vividly than ever.
Quaaaaang-!
Two swords colliding with a sound as loud as if a carriage had just exploded.
Two men facing each other with swords in the spreading flames looked at each other.
“It’s crossing the line to mess with kids. Fuck you.”
“······this.”
The false priest made a truly subtle expression as he looked into the boy’s growling eyes.
“See you here again. “I finally found out.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, just search!”
While Vlad’s blue eyes burned with a false priest, Gregory and Cade quickly formed a formation surrounding Justia.
“Are you okay!”
“If you come here… won’t you be in trouble?”
She looked at Gregory with a sad expression.
A knight’s sword must be as heavy as it is sharp.
Swinging without cause is just violence, and knights dedicate their swords to those who can take responsibility to prevent such a situation.
“I can’t help it.”
Gregory smiled bitterly as he helped Justia up.
“Kids are dying.”
“······thank you.”
Gregory made up a cause based on his own judgment and swung his sword.
Gregory will now have to take full responsibility for that.
Looking at sacrifice, one of the virtues a knight must have, Justia was reminded of the reason she came here.
“We have to go to the bell tower. “There lies the source of the curse.”
“······All right.”
Gregory closed his left eye as he watched the shambling figures approaching them in the dark.
bang-
As soon as he stamped his feet against the floor, a solid-looking brown light began to surround his entire body and spin around.
“There is no time.”
Justia was right.
Even now, children are probably dying out of breath.
‘I guess I’ll have to get away from that kid first.’
Since the situation is urgent, it will not be possible to move up while sorting things out step by step.
In times like this, we had no choice but to separate the people, even if it was unreasonable.
Coincidentally, there was a guy running wild in front of me.
“Hmm!”
Gregory puffed out his neck and swallowed a lot of air.
“I’m here!”
Soon, his new form exploded with a loud roar and attacked the false priest.
Gregory pushed past the unknown man at a speed that made it hard to believe he came from a small body.
Vlad’s surprised eyes passed by him for a moment as he saw Gregory charging in like an angry bison.
Quaaaaang-!
Stones fell on Gregory’s shoulders as he and the false priest were dragged to the end of the wall.
“······Mr. Gregory!”
“Wow, there’s something in the bell tower!”
Gregory shouted loudly, suppressing the struggling false priest.
“I don’t know what it is, but go and destroy it!”
“······All right!”
Vlad, who received the order, nodded.
I wanted to kill the man pretending to be a priest, but my most important goal was to save the children.
Vlad, filled with anger but not losing his senses, hurriedly turned his head and began scanning the darkness.
‘There it is!’
A spiral staircase was visible beyond the darkness of the chapel.
Although it was shaking precariously, no matter how hard I looked, it was the only staircase leading up, so it was probably right.
“Where are you going!”
At that moment, a strange language that humans could not understand began to flow from the mouth of the false priest.
It was both a curse and a signal.
There it is!
My child is over there!
Women who had not yet ascended began to flock towards Vlad.
“shit!”
With each step they take, each child’s breath flies.
Knowing full well that time was running out, Vlad focused all his attention on moving forward rather than swinging his sword.
The boy’s face was scarred by sharp nails, and the white snake’s protection illuminated to block the incessantly attacking evil intent.
‘There are too many!’
Nevertheless, the gestures of the poor women trying to stop Vlad were getting closer and closer.
Sigh!
Vlad suddenly turned his head as he saw the woman’s head exploding in front of his eyes.
A knight holding an arrow imbued with Justia’s blessing.
It was Cade.
“Take cover!”
He urgently conveyed his intention with a nod, put on his belt again, and fired an arrow at another woman who hurriedly rushed at Vlad.
It was a shining arrow that cut through the darkness.
“Hwaap!”
Thanks to the arrows thrown by Cade, Vlad quickly trampled the women’s heads and succeeded in running up the stairs.
Shaking off the black hands reaching out from everywhere, the curse of the false priest echoed ceaselessly behind my back.
The boy found only one path to the sky.
[Hurry!]
A boy with blue eyes was climbing out of the dark-filled chapel and toward the fog-shrouded sky.
The boy who constantly wielded his sword had a star in his heart, and he had to go up to the sky to make it float.
To the place where children’s breath will be.
The boy’s finger, holding on to the dusty railing of the stairs, had a flowerless ring on it.
“Get out of my way!”
The darkness that fills the unclean church.
In the darkness, there was a shout from a boy trying to ascend to the sky.
※※※※
All of this world is precious, but not everyone can protect themselves.
But you are the ones sworn to protect.
So if you are where you need to be.
If you find yourself at the moment of action, don’t hesitate.
To burn yourself and become a torch that brightens the darkness.
That is my second discipline.
