The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 9

The citizens passing by screamed in panic, scattering in all directions. It was as if fish were startled by a stone dropping into a calm pond, fleeing in a frenzy.

Veronica stared, her mouth agape, at the headless corpse. Blood flowed crimson across the snow. The neck was torn apart with ragged edges.

She knew immediately what it was. She had seen this, far too much of it, just a few days ago. Those marks, they were unmistakable.

“Get inside.”

It was an order. As Leon drew his sword, the sharp metallic sound filled the air, and the gleaming blade flashed silver. Veronica stood frozen, like someone blinded by the light reflected off the sword.

Standing behind Leon, she listened to the approaching footsteps. She couldn’t move, like a young animal suddenly seeing light for the first time. Her body felt paralyzed, as if something gripped her ankles tightly. Thud. Thud. Thud. The footsteps approached in a steady rhythm, each step heavier than a human’s, dragging slightly.

“It’s Bahamut!”

“Get the kids inside! Lock the doors!”

“Run!”

People shrieked in panic. The chaos spread like wildfire. She could hear a child crying and the sharp clatter of doors being slammed shut and locked. Veronica’s eyes widened in horror.

Emerging from between the narrow alleyways was a figure unmistakably Bahamut. But how? There was a wall. A tall, thick wall. If the wall had been breached, there would have been no way for it to enter the city so quietly and get this far.

Bahamut was busy chewing on something with its neck. It must have been the head of the woman it had just devoured. The red eye on its chest rolled around, searching for its next prey. Eventually, like it had been prearranged, its gaze locked onto Veronica.

The same eyes, sharing the same nature, stared at each other wide open.

Those bizarre, terrifying eyes, as if witnessing something that shouldn’t exist. Veronica exhaled the breath she had been holding.

At that moment, the Bahamut, which had been standing still in the middle of the street, suddenly pushed off the ground and charged. Thud, thud, thud. Veronica couldn’t close her eyes. She stared straight at the monster rushing toward her. It’s coming. It’s coming. It’s coming. Schwing.

The sharp sound of a blade cut through the air, gleaming in the sunlight. The thudding footsteps stopped, and just as Bahamut hesitated, its body was sliced in half, sliding diagonally as a fountain of blood sprayed in all directions.

Veronica watched every moment as the bisected body fell to the ground with a thud, blood seeping into the cracks between the paving stones. It would seep down underground, into the sewers, and then…

A realization, deeper than fear, flashed in her blurry red eyes.

The nauseating feeling she had when they first entered the city. The sensation like the smell of blood, the feeling of countless faces watching her from below. That was—

“It’s underground.”

Because the Bahamuts were indeed looking up at them.

As Veronica’s trembling hands gripped her clothes tightly, Leon turned, wiping the blood from his cheek. Facing his eerily calm expression, Veronica, her voice strained and hoarse like a bird’s cry, shouted with all her strength.

“They came through the sewers!”

Leon’s face momentarily twisted. Then, the sound of drums signaling an invasion and the church’s bells echoed loudly. Faint screams from buildings and streets reverberated like a round, filling the air. It’s terrifying. What should we do now?

“How many?”

“I don’t know. But if this feeling is all Bahamuts, then there are enough to fill the entire city below. No, actually…”

There are even more than that.

Leon stared at the dead Bahamut, seemingly lost in thought, before shaking the blood off his sword. The atmosphere suddenly darkened, and Veronica was confused. The emotion she felt from him was anger, not shock or fear, but a deep, all-consuming rage.

“Go upstairs and get our things.”

He finally gave the order, his voice devoid of emotion, as if he were speaking in a completely different world from the one filled with Bahamut and screams.

“What?”

“This isn’t an open plain, and we can’t deal with all of them hiding in the sewers. We don’t know how many there are, and firing within the walls isn’t an option. If we get trapped here, it’ll be a pointless, meaningless death.”

“Are you saying… you’re leaving? What about the people here?”

Most of them would be eaten by Bahamut. Just like how Bayern had turned to ashes.

Even without hearing his answer, Veronica knew. She turned pale.

“That’s insane. How can you leave them? You could kill them all. That was why you threatened me, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly. Which is why I’m leaving.”

“What? You can’t just leave people here to die!”

“Did you think it was different in the city you escaped from?”

Leon didn’t raise his voice or sound agitated. But Veronica fell silent. His face was expressionless, but it wasn’t a typical expressionless face. It was chilling, inhuman.

“Yes, I could kill them all. But if I do, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“……”

“You can’t save everyone. You just have to choose.”

He had chosen Veronica. He had placed a bigger bet on her than on this entire city. Overwhelmed by the weight of his words, Veronica took several steps back. Leon glanced at her neck and added, “You’re supposed to obey orders without question. I thought you understood that. Do I need to remind you?”

Veronica stood frozen for a few seconds before her face twisted, and she bit her lip, clenching her fists. Just as she turned to leave, she paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked in a dazed voice, “How am I supposed to carry all that heavy armor by myself?”

“You don’t need it. Just take your sword and as much food as you can carry.”

Leon spat the words as if chewing on them. But what about you? Are you going to fight without any armor? She wanted to ask, but there was no time to waste.

Veronica rushed back into the inn, pushing open the door. The woman who had given her food earlier stood right in front of the door, ready to lock it, and fell backward in surprise as Veronica burst in. She shouted an apology and ran up the stairs.

Why did it have to be on the fourth floor?

Cursing her lack of fitness, she grabbed her sword and slung the leather sack filled with supplies over her shoulder. Rushing back down, she tripped on the stairs between the third and second floors and fell.

“Ah!”

Her sword clattered down to the landing, and the bundle of supplies tumbled down, rolling away. The pain in her ankle was intense—had she sprained it? She wanted to cry. Her ears were ringing from her labored breathing.

I have to do this. He’s standing out there, guarding the inn with nothing but his bare hands, and I can’t even manage this? I want to live. I have to live. Whether I like Leon or not doesn’t matter. If he leaves this place, there’s no hope for Aseldorf.

Gritting her teeth, she staggered to her feet, leaning on the railing for support. She grabbed her sword and the pack, ignoring the pain in her ankle, and limped toward the exit.

Other guests were anxiously milling about in the hallway, but she didn’t pay them any attention. Not until she reached the ground floor. Just as she was about to open the bar across the door, one of the guests grabbed her arm.

“Are you crazy? You’re not going out there, are you?”

“My companion is waiting outside.”

“Do you think you’re the only one with a companion out there? My friends left early this morning and haven’t returned yet. We can’t let everyone risk their lives just because of you. Bahamut is out there.”

“I’ll be quick. As soon as I leave, you can lock the door. My companion is right outside.”

The man, whose face was red with excitement, narrowed his eyes at her mention of someone waiting at the door. Everyone inside the inn had seen Leon through the window, standing guard outside.

The man who had sliced through Bahamut with one strike. There was no need to wonder about his identity. His tall figure, even without armor, and his fiery red hair whipping in the wind told them all they needed to know.

He is Leon Berg, the messenger of God. The knight who could take on hundreds of Bahamuts.

“So you’re with him? I see now why he’s standing guard.”

“Ed! Don’t let her out. Look at her pack. They’re planning to leave us behind.”

A shrill voice, belonging to a woman who seemed to be the man’s companion, shouted from behind. Several people’s eyes immediately darted to Veronica’s sack of supplies. The man who had grabbed her arm tightened his grip, sneering.

“What? Is there really a God’s Knight who would abandon the weak and run away? I’ve donated to the church every week, you know.”

Sensing the hostility in the air, Veronica’s expression hardened as she looked around. The atmosphere was turning sour. As expected, even the innkeeper, with whom she had spoken earlier, was stepping closer with a pale face.

“Miss, please stay until the breach in the wall is repaired. Once the wall is secured again, everything will be fine for a while. It’s not just for our sake, we’re worried about you. How can you just leave like this?”

The concerned look on the innkeeper’s face tugged at Veronica’s heart. The woman reminded her of her mother’s worry, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Without realizing it, Veronica shook her head and muttered, her dry lips barely moving.

“No. The wall wasn’t breached. Instead of staying, we all need to leave. I believe Bahamut came up through the sewers, not through the wall. This city… there’s no hope for it anymore. It’s time to abandon it.”