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Chapter 322: 169. The Farmer (Part Two)

Translated by A Passing Wanderer

Edited by RED

The Farmer waited for the Crimson Cross members to scream and beg for their lives. No other sound was as pleasing to listen to as some measly livestock’s tragic cries.

Their screams were directly linked to the creature’s own enjoyment, after all. But oddly enough, the crimson-robed ones didn’t scream.

“This is nothing more than a trial Gaia has bestowed upon us.”

“Pain is proof of our devotion, our belief.”

The muscles around the Farmer’s eyes twitched. These humans, they were all insane!

The toxins from the ghouls must’ve spread throughout their bodies by now and caused intense suffering, yet they were converting all that pain and fear into the fuel for their belief, instead.

-You’re all crazy. Death swiftly approaches you, yet you still dare to put on an act like this?-

The Crimson Cross members clenched their teeth under their masks. Their legs were punctured, and their arms were being ripped off. The Aztal Rune continued to heal their wounds, but the recovery speed was well behind the rate of enemy attacks. If this continued, they would soon be devoured by these monsters.

It was at that moment that they saw something within the forest over yonder. Gentle rays of pure light were gathering there.

The members of the Crimson Cross were momentarily dazed by that sight, only for the corners of their lips to curl up.

“Death, you say?” One of them glared at the Farmer while not even bothering to stem all the bleeding on his body. “That’s coming for you, not us.”

-What did you say?-

At that very moment, part of the Farmer’s head exploded.

A gunshot belatedly rang out in the air, and only then did the monster show some reaction. It screeched monstrously, but it couldn’t even touch its damaged head due to the sheer pain and could only reach out with trembling hands.

Thud!

Boots made out of bones and metal stomped on the grass-covered ground.

Clack, clack-!

Wielders of muskets maintained a formation and took aim with their weapons in perfect unison.

The Farmer flinched in shock and hurriedly looked behind itself at them. -What, what is the meaning of this?!-

The Crimson Cross members collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and muttered softly, “In the presence of the great Holy King...”

The undead legion, glowing with a bright light, was standing in rank and file in the forest, taking aim with their muskets.

“...greet your demise, vampire!”

The Farmer’s eyes trembled the moment it heard the strained muttering of the Crimson Cross, who were closing their eyes now.

The muskets began unleashing their volley simultaneously. Loud gunshots rocked the surroundings.

Holy bullets spun around energetically inside the lengthy barrels before exploding forth. The blinding flashes of light escaping the muzzles, along with dense puffs of smoke, pierced straight through the ghouls and flew towards The Farmer.

Dozens of ghouls were destroyed in an instant. At the same time, the Farmer’s legs were also shattered, causing its body to crash to the ground.

The dozens of eyes on The Farmer’s body trembled in shock.

-This, could this be...!-

“Struggle in vain from the pain.” A man was striding out of the forest, also wielding a musket. He was breathing into the weapon. “Die and be incinerated into a pile of ashes.”

He raised the musket high up in the air, then lowered it to point at The Farmer.

“Beg and plead for your life. Crawl on your face and beg for your pain to go away.” Allen smirked and threw what The Farmer had said right back at the monster. “If you do, I shall grant you an opportunity. An opportunity to die without further pain, that is.”

-You, a measly human dares to...!-

The musket’s trigger was pulled, and The Farmer’s head exploded completely.

The creature’s arms flailed about all over the place where its head used to be. It struggled and kicked wildly, like an overturned insect, thrashing about in an ungainly manner.

“...It’s now! Everyone, evacuate!” Seran cried out while jumping out of the forest.

A few of the ghouls had pounced on her and took a swipe with their claws, but she lowered herself and evaded the attack smartly.

She quickly yanked out a rapier, and its slender needle of a blade accurately stabbed into the front of the ghoul’s skull.

Rotten blood splattered on her face, but she didn’t even bat an eye, pulling her rapier out and shoving the ghoul away with her foot. “Hurry, everyone-!”

Her shouts woke up the soldiers from their stupor and they urgently guided the villagers to Seran’s location.

In the midst of the fleeing villagers was a woman holding a baby. She was breathlessly running away just like everyone else. The fabric wrapped around the toddler came loose and his outer appearance was revealed to the world. It was a baby with dark, scorched skin and a small, withered torso.

The woman and the baby ran right past next to Allen, and he got a good look at both. He even used [Mind’s Eye] right at that moment and accurately saw the baby’s information.

“...Huh.”

“Allen. Allen?” Seran behind him shook his shoulder. He looked back at her as she asked a question. “All villagers have evacuated, but... what’s the matter?”

She made a worried face, so Allen smiled brightly and replied, “Nah, it’s nothing major.”

He then breathed into the musket once more, while glaring at the Farmer squirming and writhing around on the ground.

-Kkyaaaahk!-

Ghouls were trying to rush towards him, but his holy skeletons pounced on them first. They proceeded to kick the rotting undead away, aimed with their muskets, and fired their bullets mercilessly. Bayonets attached to the muzzles of the weapons were driven deep into the undead to shove them away.

Meanwhile, holy water was summoned forth from the ground as Allen walked past, spreading out seemingly to everywhere. This flood of holy water poured into the hole in the ground The Farmer had dug through, melting down every ghoul trying to emerge from there.

This allowed Seran to quickly approach the hole and look inside the wide opening. That was when she discovered the survivors inside the underground cave urgently running towards the hole.

“Hurry and rescue them!” Seran ordered the soldiers, and they dropped a rope into the hole. They worked together and pulled up the struggling victims one by one.

Allen stepped on the Farmer’s large spider-like head as the survivors were being rescued. “Was it enjoyable to torment my subordinates?”

The creature’s lower abdomen, where its large spider’s head was located, split open to speak.

-You bastard! Yes, I’ve heard the rumours about you. The Holy King who drove away the Vampire King!-

The Farmer was shuddering now. Dozens of its eyes were now focused on Allen.

-D-don’t kill me. I beg of you. I’ll do anything you want, so p-please...-

“I’m not stupid enough to trust a bug that likes to prey on people.” Allen aimed the musket at the Farmer and retorted snarkily, “We are hunters. And you...”

He pulled the trigger.

The creature’s body was pierced straight through and it got flung away from the impact.

“...You are merely a lowly beast about to get hunted, that’s all.”

The Farmer howled as its body was instantly enveloped in bluish flames. It burned down to ashes, and was extinguished from the world.

Allen slung the musket over his shoulder and walked up to the five downed Crimson Cross members. They were currently lying in the pool of holy water. He addressed them, “How are you all feeling?”

One of the downed Crimson Cross members brought his trembling hands together and assumed the praying position. “...Let there be Gaia’s favour and Lord Saint’s glory...”

Allen smiled bitterly at that reply. “I guess you’re feeling alright, then. You did well. Get some rest.”

At the end of those words, the praying hands of the Crimson Cross member fell to the ground. The holy skeletons placed the unconscious crimson-robed men on their backs.

Seran stared at The Farmer’s body burning down to ash. She nervously chewed on her fingernails while scanning the faces of every person emerging from the underground cave.

‘...There is nothing?’

Her irises trembled unsteadily as she continued to confirm each and every survivor.

None of them possessed divinity.

She wondered if one of them was a hidden talent or someone possessing the status of a Saint, just like Allen. At the very least, she thought that this person, whoever it was, was still in the middle of their growth and therefore, not noticeable yet.

But there was no one like that.

Every survivor was an ordinary person.

“None of them... But, why? How come...? Without a doubt, the hint to stop the end of the world... Could it be that the Foresight was... wrong?”

If that wasn’t it either, then maybe she had simply failed to recognise the hint in the first place?

Just as Seran started to hurriedly climb down to the underground cave, Allen rushed in and grabbed the hem of her dress to stop her.

“Allen?”

“Sister, there’s no reason for an esteemed daughter of a Duke’s household to get covered in dust. Well, getting splattered in blood is the part of the job description of being an Imperial Family member, so that part can’t be helped, I guess.”

Allen used his handkerchief to wipe the blood from Seran’s face. He then nodded briefly at his holy skeletons, directing them to enter the underground cave to rescue any still-trapped survivors down there.

“B-but, the hint to stop the end of the world is still...” Seran stuttered out her reply.

Allen used his [Mind’s Eye] to scan the rescued people. He then noticed a man hurriedly running towards the evacuated villagers by the nearby forest.

“Alina?! Oh, dear goddess! Are you safe? Oh, thank you. Thank you Goddess Gaia!”

Allen stared at the man’s wife, then back at him.

[Name: Laurence.

Age: 45.

Attributes: Benevolent, high degree of empathy, unshakeable will, gift of gab, deep faith.

+ Alina, wait just a bit longer for me. I’ll definitely protect you and the baby!]

Allen silently observed the man named Laurence and the woman he walked up to, plus the baby held in her arms.

“Laurence! Oh my gosh, you are safe! I’m so relieved. Look, our baby is also safe as well. He’s even smiling!”

Allen watched this scene for a bit longer before opening his mouth, “Well, we found it, alright.”

Seran flinched in surprise and looked at him.

A deep smile formed on his face as he continued on, “...That hint you were talking about, sister.”

< 169. The Farmer (Part One and Two) > Fin.