Chapter 66

Celine immediately led Leonhard to the place where the Paradiso Knights had gathered. None of the members, including Bart, were surprised that he appeared intact.

“Where were you?”

“In the swamp.”

“….!”

The blue-gray eyes widened.

“There was nothing.”

Leonhard added simply, but Celine’s heart wouldn’t stop beating. The stage seemed to be activated the moment she, the player, entered it.

‘…I won’t know until I check.’

However, now was the time to focus on defeating monsters. Celine listened to Leonhard’s cold voice, giving her instructions in a familiar manner.

“The first goal is to bring out the boss monsters. If you rush in without thinking, there’s a high possibility that the bosses will hide. To make your strength look weak, fight the monsters only with the minimum.”

Her body stiffened with tension.

This mission was completely different from before. However, the members of the Paradiso Knights all seemed convinced.

“According to reports, among the boss monsters, there are monsters that are as powerful and clever. If we can’t kill it, there’s no point in coming here. It’ll be Lute Celine and me who will be dealing with it.”

Leonhard paused for a moment.

“And… Whatever you do, don’t go into the forest. It’s okay to run away to live though you must not go into the forest.”

Bart bluffed from the side.

“Lord, don’t worry. I will cut down with my own hands anyone who ventures out into the woods.”

“You won’t have to.”

For a moment, a chilly silence fell. There was no one who did not understand the meaning of the words.

They waited for monsters to emerge from the forest, just like during the hunting contest. Nonetheless, until the sun began to tilt westward over their head, not a single monster could be seen. Eventually, Bart spoke carefully.

“Maybe, they moved somewhere after the hunting contest?”

“No.”

Leonhard glared at the dense forest that looked black.

“It will still be in there.”

“Why…”

“Gathering forces. They must be building enough to wipe us out all at once.”

At those words, Bart’s face turned blue.

“Then, shouldn’t we attack before that!”

“How?”

“Enter the base…”

As he said those words, Bart shut his mouth. It was because the monster’s base was that eerie forest… Wasn’t it the place where Leonhard had warned him not to enter?

“Just wait.”

“Yes.”

In the end, Bart only nodded his head. Even a three-year-old would know that it was right to follow Leonhard’s judgment.

It went on for a long time.

As the shadows in the forest had grown thicker and no longer felt like shadows, without any warning, monsters poured out from all sides. Since this was an expected situation, no one in the Paradiso Knights was taken aback.

“Remember! Deal with the minimum.”

Bart raised his voice and shouted without Leonhard needing to remind him again.

At the same time as shouts of affirmation were heard from all sides, the members of the Paradiso Knights moved swiftly. Leonhard kept a sharp eye on the Paradiso Knights’ movements without missing a moment.

The Paradiso Knights’ movements weren’t flashy, but they were orderly and free of clutter.

‘This should be enough.’

Leonhard, who was relaxed, called Celine, who was standing in a daze, not knowing what to do.

“Stay with me.”

At his words, she entrusted her body to Leonhard’s hand, who was pulling her carefully. Strangely, the monsters that were infesting everywhere didn’t even come close to them.

“Why won’t they come?”

“…They are clever. Too much.”

“This must all be because of that boss monster, right?”

Celine recalled the most powerful boss monster he had mentioned.

“Yes. According to reports, it knows how to distinguish between people, and it knows how to strategize accordingly.”

“A monster? No way…”

She remembered Agathirsus. Celine thought it was a base for old monsters though it was actually a base for a hundred-year-old warlock.

Leonhardt shook his head.

“It certainly isn’t.”

“How do you know?”

“There was a wizard who infiltrated deep into the forest and succeeded in getting out.”

An anxiety overtook Celine. It was because Leonhard’s words were in the past tense.

“…Are they okay?”

“I watched them die.”

Leonhardt replied briefly.

“….!”

Her eyes widened in astonishment. They must be quite skilled enough to infiltrate that forest.

“Some say that even that death seems to have been calculated… Just to give me a warning and die right away.”

His words choked her.

“Really, it’s like a human.”

“There isn’t that much difference between a highly developed boss monster and a warlock.”

Leonhard replied bitterly as he went on.

“Sometimes I don’t even feel the need to tell them apart.”

“Still, warlocks were once human…”

“What’s the use of being once human? All they have in their head is the need to slaughter for power.”

Celine flinched. His answer was somewhat sharp.

“I wasn’t saying Warlock was better. It’s just that it’s different.”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

A sigh escaped from Leonhard’s mouth.

“Warlocks were once…”

Still, Celine could guess what was behind the words that she couldn’t hear. Warlocks were once… wizards.

…Like her.

The Paradiso Knights fought hard.

It was never due to a lack of skill. Fighting against the monsters but obeying Leonhard’s order to look weak was harder than fighting the boss monster with all their might. Besides, Leonhard was standing without even lifting a finger.

Doubts and dissatisfaction could have erupted, but no one said anything suspicious of him.

No one knows more about monsters than Leonhard Bernoulli.

The Paradiso Knights had always been a neglected Knights’ Order, and they had grown more substantial for the opportunity that would come one day. Everyone, from Knight Commander Bart to the newbies, explored Leonhard’s every move.

It didn’t take long for them to come to the conclusion that there was no authority like Leonhard in everything from battles with monsters, first aid to injuries suffered by monsters, and disposal of corpses.

The Paradiso Knights trusted Leonhard as a result of strict observation. It was the same now when their life was threatened in return for hiding their skills.

“….!”

“What is this…!”

Suddenly, screams of astonishment erupted from all directions. The sky and the ground vibrated—at least, Celine and the members of the Paradiso Knights felt that way. The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred, and even the trees in the forest staggered.

Only Leonhard glared at the forest with an unwavering expression.

—Thud

—Thud

—Thud

Celine swallowed a gulp. Her hands trembled as she gathered her magic to the fullest. She was able to intuit that soon, a powerful force of boss monsters would appear.

Eventually, all three of the boss monsters appeared in the darkness.

“What is that—”

The faces of the Paradiso Knights, who had easily dealt with the boss monster just a few days ago, turned blue. It was because three different boss monsters, different from the one killed that day, appeared.

‘…Hornet?’

Celine doubted her eyes.

The appearances of the boss monsters she had seen so far were far from sophisticated. Except for one time when they imitated the appearance of a child in front of Leonhard. However, the boss monsters that had now appeared under the sunlight…

It looked like a giant wasp, exceeding human height.

Her eyes wandered frantically over the two twinkling eyes, six legs with sharp spikes, and a huge stinger that could easily be one meter long.

“These, too… Are they monsters?”

An unknown member muttered blankly.

“Looks like they imitated a bee. It’s not what it really is.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Things with high intelligence can turn into children. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Who would let their guard down?”

Bart responded right away. Fortunately, the Paradiso Knights calmly prepared their formations without panicking for a while.

“…Leonhard.”

Leonhard nodded his head very slightly at her call.

At exactly that moment, Celine’s magic power surged up like a geyser. She could feel her feet lift off the ground, and her hair rose. The magic power that enveloped her whole body hummed more powerfully than ever before.

The next moment, she spread her exploding magic all over.

The monsters not far away from where she was standing were burned and collapsed.

Celine suppressed her urge to sweep the fields. It was time for her to conserve her magic. They slowly approached the biggest boss monster. The black, human-sized eyes didn’t move, but she could feel them looking this way.

Leonhard immediately leaped towards it.

The appearance mimics a wasp, but not the original appearance, so it was just a shell. He was thinking of splitting it with a single knife.

“Leonhard!”

A scream escaped Celine’s mouth.

Leonhard’s sword slipped off the wasp’s hard head, and the colossal wasp immediately soared into the air, moving in a streamlined fashion. The place the wasp headed was the Paradiso Knights, who were still struggling.

Celine intuitively realized.

She didn’t know why, but she knew that they realized they couldn’t fight and defeat Leonhardt.

‘How.…!’

Until now, the monsters rushed at Leonhard, unknown whether they cared for their own lives or not. It was obvious. How would a monster with only the instinct to kill know to avoid him?

The two immediately chased after the giant wasp but were quickly blocked by countless hordes of monsters.

“Leonhard, that…”

“I know.”

Rashir drew a curve and decapitated dozens of monsters in an instant.

“Celine, move them to safety while I distract them.”

“To, to go back…”

Celine blurred her words and put her hand in her pocket, and touched the magic stone that was imprinted with movement magic. Even though she used the highest quality magic stone for large-scale movement magic, it was limited to only two uses.

“That’s better.”

“Leonhardt!”

“Send them back.”

“But then I, the caster, too…!”

Her words suddenly stopped.

“…That’s what Leonhardt wants. For me to go back with the knights.”

Leonhard did not deny it.

“Their behavior is bizarre. It’s too dangerous for you and the Paradiso Knights to deal with.”

“Even the knights wouldn’t want it.”

“Even if they don’t want to, they will obey my order.”

At those words, she was silent for a moment. No matter how many monsters she killed in front of her eyes, there was no end in sight as other monsters trampled on the corpses and filled their position.

Leonhard opened his mouth calmly as if he thought Celine was convinced.

“Do not worry. I’m going to cut them all down and go back. If you wait a bit…”

“Leonhard.”

Celine cut a straight line between them and the Paradiso Knights, and she interrupted Leonhard. The new monsters that tried to fill the space by stepping on the corpses were also knocked down by the blazing flames.

“How about catching them in a safer place?”

“What are you talking about?”

“For example… The training ground of the Paradiso Knights.”
RECENTLY UPDATES