The village chief's anxious expression turned into joy at the appearance of the saint with a benevolent smile on her face.
Of course, it was as if he had met an angel, seeing a girl with a beautiful appearance that was hard to find even among nobles, and a halo behind her back.
"Oh, Estella…!"
She bowed her head deeply and called out the name of the angel.
It was even more touching since I was the one she had just met. It was a little annoying.
"Are you having a hard time? The grace of the angel is equally given to everyone. As her priest, I can never overlook this."
"Oh my, priest! That's right…!"
However, the girl's expression was not ordinary.
Her face was so determined that it seemed like she had a sense of mission beyond simple interest. Looking at that, I remembered a junior officer who had a similar expression to her on the battlefield.
He was a guy who had just been deployed to combat and was brimming with passion and pride.
I remember him as a pretty good guy, but his end was by no means good.
In the heat of the battlefield, he forgot what his duty was. It was the role of a soldier to stand back to back with his comrades and fight the enemy in front of him, not the role of a commander.
'Well, I'm not in a position to say anything.'
It was a bitter memory that still lingers in my memory.
Now, I couldn't even remember the guy's name, but Ophelia's appearance strangely overlapped with his actions, so I quickly intervened in case the girl made the wrong decision.
If I left that brat alone, he would listen to the village chief's detailed explanation as much as possible and then throw a tantrum, saying that he would go help her himself.
Although I am not a proud adult, I am not foolish enough to overlook a child's mistake.
"That's it. There is no need to repeat the explanation I gave you."
"Huh? Sir Wolfgang? But I still need to hear the details…"
"No, that's enough testimony."
I raised my hand to block Ophelia's actions and put an end to the incident in the firmest tone possible.
I wasn't saying I wouldn't help. The level of support I had originally thought would probably be enough.
"I will send a separate unit to your village to help search for the missing person. So, I will go now."
"Oh my! Thank you, sir! Thank you! Angel!"
"Ah, an angel. Oh my…"
Even so, the girl looked very dissatisfied, but soon she started fanning her red face like an idiot at the village chief's embarrassing speech.
When I saw her, I couldn't help but laugh. It was fortunate that she was just a simple kid.
In the end, we decided to send the village chief with one of the ten men, three priests, and a magic tool for communication.
It was impossible to communicate with each other, but it was possible to communicate simply through a set signal, so it should be fine for receiving reports.
I thought we had finished the job, but it was not.
"Ugh... I wanted to help them directly. The lower you are, the closer you should come and reach out! It's a phrase from the Bible. Sir Wolfgang is really cold-blooded, huh!" "...."
This brat?
From the way he spoke, if I hadn't stopped him a moment ago, this large procession would have been stuck in a mountain village.
No matter how much of a scarecrow he was, the final decision-making authority on the mission clearly lay with the saintess.
If she had declared that she would help everyone without thinking, everyone would have had no choice but to follow her orders.
I shook my head, resisting the urge to slap a chestnut on the innocent girl's forehead.
There was no need for me to speak harshly. There was an old man sitting next to me, listening to this ridiculous conversation with a worried expression.
"Saint. Would you like to talk to me for a moment?"
"Huh? Cardinal. What are you suddenly…"
After listening to a three-hour sermon from the Grand Inquisitor, a veteran who had been through countless battles, the saint stuck her head out the carriage window, looking like a hamster that had lost a sunflower seed.
—Thump!
"I'm sorry, Lord Wolfgang… I was wrong…"
I couldn't help but put my chin on my head, watching that unfunny sight.
She really was a little girl who needed a lot of care. I felt like a nanny.
Agnes, who happened to be there to report, chuckled and muttered after watching the farce.
"Hehe. I miss that look. I used to be like that too."
"No, you?"
However, when I imagined Agnes, who had the exact opposite impression of Ophelia, acting like that, I felt awkward, so I asked her without thinking.
"What, what! That reaction? When I first received my appointment, I was cute and foolish like that! Even now, if the captain wants, I can do it normally..."
"Hmm? Why are you getting angry all of a sudden?"
"Ugh... That's enough!"
For some reason, she seemed a little offended, so I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed.
After experiencing such a minor incident, the group spurred on their journey that was almost over.
They were able to safely reach their destination, the headquarters of the Knights of Ropes, before it got dark.
The Argon Territory, located in a basin surrounded by large and small mountain peaks.
There was an uneasy atmosphere in the nearby Knights of Ropes, who had settled in the mountains.
First of all, there were too few people. Basically, a knighthood is a large military facility with hundreds of superhumans and their supporters.
Of course, considering the fact that the Black Lion Knights were a relatively large unit and that the Knights of Ropes were a relatively small unit with a stronghold in a rough area…
The only signs of life here were a mere one hundred and fifty people. This was clearly not normal. Except for the minimum number of people to maintain the unit, everyone was either on a mission or on a mission.
It was a stark contrast to the situation I had heard in a letter just three days ago.
"Welcome, Saint. My name is Helga, the vice-captain of the Knights of Ropes. The current situation at headquarters is not good, so I ask for your understanding that our hospitality may be a little shabby."
"Don't say that. We came here to carry out a mission, not to expect hospitality."
"Thank you for your understanding. Since there are many people who are absent, there will be no shortage of accommodations. Then…"
The one who greeted the party was a red-haired knight with dark shadows around his eyes. I heard that the Knight Commander of the Ropes is a bold man with a strong sense of justice. Is he currently away?
The leadership of the party decided to hold a meeting immediately in the situation that seemed ominous in many ways.
The only core executives of the Knight Commander of the Ropes who remained in the unit were Vice-Commander Sir Helga and Captain Hobbs.
As the meeting, which was more like a briefing, began, their gloomy faces began to brighten up a little.
"Sir Helga. Where is your unit's Knight Commander, Sir Fractal?"
"Yes… The Commander is currently leading the main force on an operation to grasp the movements of the monsters that suddenly started to run wild again last night."
However, the group could not help but remain silent as the knight spoke, pretending to be calm and speaking as if spitting out words.
The people who had gone out yesterday had not yet returned. The meaning of those words was clear.
The one who broke the silence and finally asked a question was Cardinal Malleus.
"May the brave warrior be blessed with good luck in his fight. Excuse me, are you able to contact the main force?"
"The last contact was made around 11 PM yesterday evening. After you told us that a fierce battle was expected at that time, contact was cut off."
"Oh, my. Heaven."
The priests made the sign of the cross and prayed, while the knights bowed their heads in silence.
Given the circumstances, it was clear that the main force led by Knight Commander Ropes had been completely destroyed or suffered a similar amount of damage.
Now I understand why the atmosphere here was so gloomy.
Ophelia cautiously approached Sir Helga, took her hand, and began to radiate warm divine power while reciting a prayer.
"As long as the heavens look down on this land, the light of hope will always be with us."
The divine power that the high priest exudes has the power to calm people's hearts. That act will bring greater peace than the shallow comfort that could easily be heard as deception.
But, at that very moment.
The moment Ophelia's radiance filled the room. A truly coincidental phenomenon occurred.
—Chijik, chijik…
"Wait, wait! Everyone! This is a call from the main unit!"
"Huh, huh?"
At the crackling noise characteristic of communication tools, Sir Helga pushed the girl away with a bewildered look and hurriedly took out a small wooden box from her bosom and placed it on the table.
Then, the lamp inside the box slowly blinked blue three times.
The meaning of that signal was so simple.
[Returning]
"Ah, ahh…!"
The red-haired knight who witnessed this covered her mouth with one hand and held the saint's hand tightly with the other, and began to shed hot tears.
"Oh, my God…"
Everyone gathered here quietly chanted the name of God. Of course, I did the same.
It was truly a small miracle.
"Ha, how nice to meet you! Reinforcements! You came at such a good time!"
The Knight Commander of Ropes returned late at night, leading his tattered subordinates.
He opened his mouth, hugging his subordinate who rushed without hesitation to the product contaminated with blood and flesh.
------------------
You can read +110 Advance Chapters on my Patreon
p@treon(.)com/NightNovels
TIER 1 you'll get +20 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 2 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 3 you'll get +70 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 4 you'll get +110 ADVANCE CHAPTERS