Erica took a deep breath, her expression going from completely dead to alive again.
The two of them stared blankly at Jerel, who had suddenly appeared.
The pure white light, like a powerful energy, was emanating from the sword Jerel held, illuminating the darkness.
Erica realized that he had sliced the tentacles with his sword.
“Why are you here?” Jerel approached them and asked, looking at Heron and Erica alternately.
The two of them couldn’t answer and could only stutter.
It was because they had secretly entered the forest against the adults’ orders.
Jerel quickly understood the situation and tended to Heron’s wounds, which were swollen due to being tightly squeezed by the tentacles, though not broken.
He examined the wounds and then put his hand on them, emitting the same pure white light as his sword, healing the wounds instantly without a trace.
The healing speed, which was far faster than the recovery magic of the monastery’s priests amazed Heron and Erica.
“Thank you, Sir Jerel,” Heron said, getting up from his seat.
Jerel looked at them with a reproachful expression.
“You didn’t have permission to come here, did you? Did you do such a dangerous thing just to find your friend?”
Erica nodded while Heron avoided Jerel’s gaze.
Jerel let out a small sigh.
They knew very well that coming into the forest was not only dangerous, but also would not be helpful. Yet they couldn’t just stand by and wait, so they had entered the forest.
Humans were creatures whose emotions precede reason, and they were still children. Jerel could understand why the two had come into the forest with such emotions.
Of course, understanding was one thing, but the fact remained that they shouldn’t be here.
“As you can see, this is a suspicious forest. You two shouldn’t be wandering around like this.”
Jerel looked down at the tentacle corpse on the ground as he spoke.
Erica and Heron also looked down at it with stern faces.
The identity of this monster and why it existed in the monastery forest were questions that passed through their minds with doubt and fear.
The monster that Jerel had just killed was noticeably different from the typical monsters they had seen in books.
“W-What is the identity of this monster?”
“I don’t know either.”
Jerel shook his head.
He also had no idea why such a being existed in the forest.
He had fought countless monsters in the past. Of course, he had encountered much stronger monsters than this. However, it was not a matter of how strong they were, but how grotesque they were.
It was like something that would come out of a demonic realm...
'Maybe a demon.'
He thought to himself.
Jerel had felt a strange sense of alienation since he first entered this monastery.
The sense of unease grew stronger when Jerel faced the abbot, Dehod, and now that he was in the forest, it was even more pronounced.
At first, he thought it was just a misconception, but Jerel was now convinced that something lurking in this monastery’s forest was undoubtedly related to Abbot Dehod.
Therefore, Jerel decided to explore the forest first.
Of course, first, he had to send the two children out.
“Is there any problem with your body moving?”
“Yes, yes... I think I’m completely fine.”
“Take him outside. Wait quietly in the monastery building.”
At Jerel’s firm tone, Heron nodded quietly.
Since he had just been threatened by such a monster, he didn’t even want to wander around the forest.
But Erica didn’t follow his words obediently.
“Please let me search with you, sir.”
Erica was feeling the same fear as Heron.
Even though she had seen a monster like that for the first time in her life, she couldn’t help but be scared.
But now, her worry for Tom was much stronger than her fear.
Now that they knew there was actually a monster in the forest, it was almost certain that Tom’s disappearance was related to it.
“No, you can’t.”
Her strong will impressed Jerel, but there were things that couldn’t be done.
Since she didn’t show any signs of listening to him obediently, Jerel spoke more firmly.
“If you don’t listen, even if I have to knock you unconscious to take you out, I will.”
“....”
Erica had no choice but to back down when Jerel spoke in such a manner. She clenched her fists with a gloomy expression.
In any case, it was the moment when Jerel was about to lead the two of them out of the forest...
“...!”
Suddenly, Jerel turned his head to one side and fixed his gaze.
Erica and Heron also looked where he was looking.
There was nothing there, but soon a human shape slowly emerged from the darkness and revealed itself.
“...Abbot?”
Heron muttered blankly as he confirmed the person’s face.
The identity of the person who suddenly appeared from the forest was none other than the monastery’s abbot, Dehod.
Erica and Heron were suspicious of why the director had come here all of a sudden.
Jerel grimly picked up the sword he had retrieved and brought his hand closer to it.
“You were here, Sir Jerel. What happened to those two?”
The director stopped about ten steps away from the three of them and smiled brightly as he opened his mouth.
Jerel replied calmly, “They sneaked into the forest and I discovered them. We were just about to leave.” He looked down at the monster’s corpse again and asked, “Director, do you know what kind of monster this is?”
At the question, Dehod shook his head. “How could I possibly know? I was truly surprised to hear that such a monster really existed in the forest.”
Even Erica and Heron could feel the clear sense of alienation at his words. His attitude was too casual and peaceful for the situation.
“When you see a monster like this dead, it’s not strange to be surprised and unable to speak, right? Why did you come here alone without any knights in the first place? So, Abbot...”
“Yes, Sir Jerel.”
“What is your identity?”
Jerel’s voice froze coldly.
Startled by his chilly tone, Heron and Erica looked at Dehod.
Dehod, who was standing with a poker face, smiled again.
But it was a creepy and grotesque smile, quite different from just a moment ago.
“It’s become quite a nuisance. We were almost done, and now one of our sacrifices is causing trouble.”
Dehod waved his hand.
Then the monster’s corpse turned into black smoke and dissipated into the air, absorbed by him.
Jerel drew his sword right away.
“As expected, you are a demon contractor.”
“Well, it might be a familiar sight to you, sir. You were someone who directly experienced the war with the demons in the past.”
Dehod, who had recovered the monster’s energy, shrugged and reached out his hand again toward Jerel.
“Anyway, since you’ve seen what you shouldn’t have seen, you have to die here.”
A black, ominous energy gathered in Dehod’s hand. It was darker than the darkness of the night that had fallen in the forest.
The mass, like a giant ball of thread, quickly extended toward Jerel in dozens of directions.
Erica and Heron, standing behind Jerel, shrank their bodies with their eyes tightly closed.
Watching the scene calmly with his calm gaze, Jerel drew his sword like lightning.
Flash!
In an instant, a brilliant and intense white energy covered the forest, much brighter and stronger than before.
Dehod’s attack was engulfed by the white flash and vanished in an instant.
“...Aaaah!”
Dehod, with a giant black mark on his chest, kneeled down while coughing out blood.
He had no trace of his previous relaxed demeanor, instead he looked pitiful and miserable as he struggled in pain.
After picking up his sword, Jerel walked towards him.
“Where are the missing children?”
Jerel asked in a cold and merciless tone, staring down at him.
Dehod, trembling, lifted his head and looked at him in confusion. He was extremely bewildered because he had no idea that one blow was enough to decide the battle.
The other was the strongest knight of the Order of Radiance, but he had no idea that the difference in power was so great.
“This damn fanatic...ugh!”
As Dehod tried to mutter nonsense, Jerel thrust his sword into his shoulder.
As if that wasn’t enough, he ignited another pure white energy, just like the one before, and drove the sword deeper into Dehod’s flesh.
Dehod’s scream echoed throughout the forest.
Heron and Erica, who had been watching the situation in a daze, were shocked.
It was completely opposite to his usually gentle demeanor, and it was a brutal and gruesome sight.
Of course, it wasn’t Jerel’s true nature.
Jerel knew from his numerous experiences that showing mercy and leniency to demons and those who sold their souls to them for selfish gain was nothing more than a luxury.
“Where are the missing children?”
Jerel asked once again.
Dehod, who was writhing in pain, let out a half-mad, hysterical laughter.
“Kuk, kuk-kuk... You’re really strong even when you’re in a stupor.”
“...”
“But nothing’s going to change. Eventually, you’ll die here...”
Jerel furrowed his brow and pulled out the sword that was stuck in Dehod’s body.
It seemed difficult to get a proper answer from him right now.
Jerel turned his head and looked back at Erica and Heron.
He didn’t forget his top priority. First, he had to get these two out of this dangerous place.
Saaa.
Energy of pure white gathered in Jerel’s hand and instantly wrapped around Dehod’s body, completely immobilizing him.
Jerel was about to motion the two to come closer when suddenly a massive force from one side caused him to quickly turn his head.
At the same time, a wave of bloody red struck the spot where Jerel was standing.
Erica screamed at the sight.
“Jerel!”
Fortunately, Jerel was unharmed, and a pure white barrier was spread around him.
The level of destruction was on a different level than what Dehod had just unleashed.
Jerel looked at the barrier that barely held up with a stiff expression, then turned his gaze to where the attack had come from.
There was a man standing there with a grotesque appearance and gray skin.
It was a demon.
