Chapter 164: Temple Knights 4
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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An unusual explosion sound and cries of agony filled the air.
The temple knights, who guard the sanctuary, were the first to spring into action.
As I saw them turning into small dots in the distance in their shining white armor, I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to follow them or not.
That's when Irene, standing next to me, gently tapped my forearm.
You should go and check whats happening.
Yeah, youre right.
I was concerned that my party might be caught in some event-like battle and be in danger, but then I realized we were in the sanctuary of the temple.
No way a 5 Saint Candidate with a specialization in protective shields could get hurt in the sanctuary, so I decided to follow the temple knights and went towards the source of the explosion sound.
As I got closer, a rush of heat hit my face as if sitting in front of a bonfire.
The loud sound indeed came from an explosion, and the scorching air was filled with purple smoke, carrying a sharp, acrid smell with it.
"What is this...?"
Lady, were you attacked by a mage?
The ground around was blackened and scorched, clearly marking the site of the explosion.
If this had been the modern world, I would have thought it was a gas explosion or a bomb.
The temple knights, having arrived first on the scene, were busy administering first aid to the groaning adventurers using their divine energy, all the while asking questions.
The only female adventurer who appeared to be unharmed was in a state of panic, her face pale.
She was just standing there, opening and closing her mouth as if trying to speak but unable to find her words.
It looked like she was the one who had screamed for help, but why was she frozen in place like this?
To be honest, its strange to see such a reaction.
If youre a high-level adventurer, youve seen death before its a part of the job.
From your early days as a novice, youre exposed to the harsh realities of this profession, witnessing the death of fellow adventurers and civilians alike at the hands of monsters.
So to see her panicking at the sight of people injured not even dead is unusual.
Lady? You're in shock, but we need to treat your injuries."
Thats a good idea. Lets give her first aid and then transfer her to the sanctuary. The other brothers and sisters are better equipped to handle her treatment there."
The man and woman caught in the explosion suffered severe burns on their upper bodies, particularly their arms and faces which were unprotected by armor.
Then, there was the female scout, frozen in place, opening and closing her mouth without uttering a word.
The two involved in close combat bore the brunt of the explosion, while the scout, positioned behind them, had likely screamed for help.
The temple knights gave me a glance but didnt say anything, quickly picking up the two injured people and hurrying away.
Given the lack of information from the injured party, I couldn't determine if a fire magic-wielding monster or a crazed mage had cursed this group.
I couldnt see anything else except for the injured adventurers.
"Uh, uh, I, I
Hmm, excuse me.
The female adventurer remained as still as a statue even after the temple knights and the injured had departed.
I didnt hesitate.
Just like I had instinctively used divine energy upon the troll's sudden appearance, the three-adventurer party had thrown all their power into the unexpected assault.
The issue arose from the archer's enchanted arrows.
"It looked a bit unusual, but still, it was a troll, and it had transformed into an undead. So, I figured a flaming arrow would work well. I... I didnt think..."
"Did the troll explode because of your flaming arrow?"
"Yes... I aimed for what I thought was a weak point, the tumor on its head, with an arrow enchanted with flame magic. And then, suddenly, everything just exploded, and because of my mistake, those two..."
In her panic, she used the enchanted arrow without warning her teammates, resulting in the troll's violent explosion.
The warrior, defending against the troll with his shield, and another adventurer, attacking its ankle to hinder its movement, were caught in the blast.
The tank, bearing the brunt of the explosion, had his face horribly burned as he couldnt block it in time.
The sword-wielding vanguard suffered severe injuries to his arms and face.
And so, the female adventurer, with her sharp eyesight, had watched her error lead to her comrades being torn apart by the explosion, leaving her in utter shock.
"...For that gas to cause such a massive explosion."
"I'm glad I didn't use flame magic. Honestly, I was considering setting fire to the pile of corpses with spark magic to clear it away."
After the adventurer shared her entire story while in Irenes comforting embrace, she buried her head in Irene's arms once again.
The expressions of the surrounding adventurers shifted noticeably, reflecting a mix of sympathy and shock.
Typically, when hunting trolls, the go-to strategy is to inflict multiple wounds and then set them on fire to prevent regeneration.
So, for intermediate adventurers who cant channel mana externally into an aura, theres an almost certain chance they would opt to use fire against a troll, just like the female adventurer did.
It appears that divine energy is also effective against undead trolls, similar to fire.
However, the ability to enhance weapons with divine energy is something only temple knights can do.
"We need to quickly share what we've learned here with the temple."
"Brothers, do we have any communication tools here? We need to get the word out to prevent more casualties."
As some adventurers rushed into the tent village with serious expressions, following the words between the temple knight and Irene, Han Se-ah and her viewers began to offer various opinions.
They started to analyze the situation, noting that when trolls are hit with just a single fire arrow, they explode with a force stronger than intermediate-level offensive magic.
This insight suggested a potential new tactic.
The most popular idea was to lure the slow-moving undead into the path of the trolls and trigger an explosion.
"Yeah, if these walking bombs create such massive explosions, they're probably meant to be used in our favor. Since they move as slowly as the undead, they could be useful as long as we keep a safe distance. The only concern is, what if we accidentally set them off and cause the poison pools to explode and spread everywhere?"
-So if melees mess up, will we get a shower of guts instead of gas? Haha, that's funny.
-At least having a one-hit kill strategy is something.
-But do the trolls drop mana stones if they die in the explosion? If the stones also explode, that means we're losing out on both money and experience!
-I can't decide if this gimmick is supposed to help us or just make things harder.
[Explosions Are Art donated 5,000 won!]
Why don't you have Roland throw the trolls at the monsters?
"...That's a good idea."
While Han Se-ah was discussing with the viewers, Grace, who had been fiddling with her quiver with a strange expression, stealthily approached me and asked a question.
"Um, Roland? I also have arrows similar to what she was using... Should I use them on the troll?"
"...It might be best to go to the place where the explosion occurred and decide after checking if there are any mana stones left."
It seems that Grace had been considering shooting an explosive arrow if we encountered a second troll.
I almost had to endure an explosion shower instead of a gas shower.
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