Chapter 15. An uneasy feeling ②

　There is a vast swampy area in the northeastern part of the kingdom. Although it is treated as part of the royal capital, in reality it is nothing more than a vast expanse of untouched land with no houses or fields.

　Beyond that is the Ureri River, which originates from the Northern Mountains.

“The coastal area along the Ureri River has often been haunted by demonic beasts in the past. It would not be surprising if undead monsters that were hunted down in the northern part of the river washed up there. Well, we were lucky that it happened in a place where no one could get hurt.”

　Lloyd, a senior knight astride his horse at the head of the line, muttered to himself as he looked out over the marshland that stretched out before his eyes, and let out a small sigh.

　Now that it is the dry season, there are places where the soil is dry and cracked and bare. Fortunately, the horses can go some distance.

　The king and the prime minister are in a luxurious carriage that seemed out of place in the situation and it was hard to believe they had come to exterminate the invaders

　Most of the soldiers sent out to protect the king were Kingsguard, and only Holy Knight Elliot and his assistant, Senior Knight Lloyd, were dispatched from the Kingdom’s Knights.

　It is said that the king’s decision was made with the aim of deepening the knowledge of the Kingsguard, who had no experience in battles with the undead, immortal magical beasts.

　The Prime Minister was also planning to bring  in dignitaries from home and abroad, but Lloyd made a desperate protest to stop this, as it would be impossible to guarantee their safety if the number of people increased too much.

　─ ─ ─ This isn’t a spectacle at all…

　Feeling depressed, he turned around to see Elliot on horseback, marching out in his garish ceremonial military uniform, completely unsuited for combat.

“You’ve got it tough too…”

“The report said it was one. If you don’t mind a little dirt, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

　Feeling relieved at his nonchalance demeanor, Lloyd looked out again over the marshland.

　Out of the corner of his eye, behind a large rock by the riverbank, he could see the silhouette a large black beast.

　It resembled a dog or a wolf in shape, but was much larger. What was most unusual was that it had a number of eyeballs covering its forehead and that its body was covered with a reddish-black mud-like substance.

　It seems to have sensed Lloyd and Elliot, who had broken away from the ranks and gone ahead, but it showed no signs of making any move.

“For an undead beast It’s on the small side, I guess. But it’s strange…”

　As they looked around, they heard the sound of horses’ hooves coming from behind 

“Hmm… Since His Majesty is here, I have had everyone check the perimeter just in case, but it looks like it’s just one of them.”

　Turning around, he saw the Bishop of the Royal Capital Church, Powell, standing on his horse with a thoughtful look on his face. Powell was quite elderly, but he rode a horse with such ease  and has an air of dignity that belies his age.

Since this was an expedition to slay the undead, several clergymen, including the bishop, were accompanying them in addition to the soldiers.

　 Emily was wearing a dress, so she was allowed to ride in the king’s carriage.

　Many of the clergy are purifiers, and because of their blessings, they can visually confirm whether or not there are any undead beasts lurking within their range of vision.

　After checking their surroundings, the clergy carefully set up a barrier to ensure the king’s safety.

　Elliot, Lloyd, and Bishop Powell dismounted quietly from their horses and, after making sure that the King’s carriage was far enough away, they slowly closed in on the black mass that was their target.

“It’s… not yet…”

　Just as Bishop Powell muttered something under his breath, a wolf-like head with multiple eyeballs swung around and looked at him. It opened its large, distorted, fanged mouth and kicked the ground.

“Here it comes!” 

　Almost at the same time that Lloyd drew his sword and shouted, Elliot also kicked off the ground and ran out, pulling his sword from its sheath.

　But———

“Ugh…!?”

“Elliot…?!”

　Elliot, who had drawn his holy sword, lost his balance greatly as he tried to swing it. It was an uncomfortable sight, far removed from the image of Elliot that Lloyd had seen on the battlefield up until then.

　Still, Elliot managed to regain his balance and headed towards the wolf-like creature, swinging his sword down at the creature’s neck.

　*Clang* There was a dull sound of something hard hitting something.

　The sword stopped halfway down the neck of the reddish-black wolf-like figure.

　Elliot’s brow furrowed as he gritted his teeth and swung the holy sword with all his might. With that, the head was finally separated from the body, and the head fell to the ground, shattering with a loud sound.

“This thing, just as I thought.…… it’s not… it’s failed.” 

　Bishop Powell muttered as he inspected the corpse. The remains were indeed covered with reddish-black, muddy, decomposed flesh, but in some places there were still parts covered with black fur – likely the original body of the original magical beast, with parts resembling a dog or wolf remaining.

“Could …… that also be the reason why the holy sword didn’t seem to light up earlier?”

　Lloyd asked in a whisper, and Powell, with a grim expression, shook his head as if to say he didn’t know.

　Elliot was standing to his side, breathing heavily and with a pale face. His arm was hanging down, still clutching the holy sword, and trembling.

　Lloyd threw a concerned glance at Elliott, but suddenly gasped.

“Elliot, you …… the ……-“

　The blade of the beautiful sword engraved with an ivy relief symbolizing the goddess, was now chipped and broken.

Tl note:

For context, bishop Powell says*な・り・そ・こ・な・い・だ」(it failed) :なりそこない’ refers to a state where one has made an effort to reach a goal or objective but ultimately could not achieve it.

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