Chapter 944: 944: Holy Knight Vigilance

944: Holy Knight Vigilance

Gazing down upon the town square from the top of the walls, I saw Ajisai and Matsuyuki getting into a carriage. Like I thought, those two came riding in Hagane's special carriage.

But which of them is using Berserk? Ajisai, Matsuyuki, or maybe even both? Considering how the user always dies, it's possible they've trained multiple people for the job.

Which means both will eventually be sacrificed to the blade. If so, it might not be a good idea to let Fran get too close to those girls. Even if they'll eventually die either way, I don't mean to say that their meeting was pointless.

Rather, Fran and Ajisai seemed to be a good match for each other. They might even become good friends.

But that only amplifies the pain of loss and the scar left behind.

I just don't want Fran to get hurt.

Maybe it's already too late. In their short encounter, Fran already seemed to feel something similar to sympathy for Ajisai.

As we stared at the carriage with mixed feelings, Hagane's troops began moving. The black-clothed spearmen surrounded the carriage and marched away slowly.

It seems they intended to pull out of the square.

Don't they still have to welcome Silard's return? I guess if they were on such bad terms with each other, such a simple thing might lead into a quarrel.

No wait, greeting them might be seen as lowering themselves in front of the other country. Maybe that's why they decided to withdraw immediately.

The holy knights of Silard made a triumphant return to the plaza, filling the void left behind by the disappearance of Hagane's troops. They were greeted by the citizens' booming cheers.

The holy knights responded with a light wave of their hands. Aside from Adol, the Divine Sword Knight, who moved rather sluggishly. He walked with a slight limp without waving back. The fact that he managed to walk at all was probably a matter of pride. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to be on his last legs.

When I heard he could use Divine Sword Release for extended durations, I had assumed that the recoil would be minimal.

However, I was mistaken. "Possible" was not the same as "easy". If he got this worn out from such a short period, wouldn't he literally die from using it over several hours?

Adol's fatigue was so great, that I couldn't help but imagine it.

(Adol looks like he's in big pain.)

『You think so too, Fran?』

(Nn. Is it because he's too weak for the divine sword?)

『Oh, I see. That may be the case.』

Adol seemed to have prioritized mastering a multitude of skills rather than his own strength, in order to maximize Alpha's powers. Even if he trained constantly, there was a world of difference between him and guys like Ashwrath and Izario.

Maybe that's why the divine sword's recoil became so heavy for him. Shouldn't his country be well aware of this fact though? If so, was Adol disposable to them?

『Hmm. For these big nations, there may be a lot of ugly truths behind the scenes.』

They might have trained up a number of warriors like Adol. Then, they could just transfer the divine sword to the next in line upon the current wielder's death.

『I was kinda hoping to see Berserk activated next......』

(......No need to watch.)

『Yeah.』

「Nn.」

Berserk's activation would mean Ajisai's death. They weren't exactly friends, but Fran clearly didn't want to see that happen.

As we watched Adol and the holy knights from the top of the wall, I heard what sounded like screams.

Looking closer, I saw several citizens shoved aside and fallen on their backs. Apparently, they had gotten too close to the holy knights.

Those guys seemed to believe they were superior to everyone else, so I could easily imagine them doing terrible things if someone got too close. However, the aura they gave off was more violent than I expected.

I could feel oodles of killing intent.

In fact, the aura came from not just the holy knight pushing the commoner, but also the knights around him. Many had their hands on the hilts of their blades.

If the citizens made one wrong move, they would be cut down. Anyone could tell from their aura that this was no empty threat.

They threatened these mere civilians as if they were mortal enemies.

「W-What are you doing?!」

「Silence! Come any closer and you die! Leave us!」

「W-We just......」

「I told you to leave. Is there some purpose that compels you to approach us?」

In the end, their attitudes did not change until the frightened onlookers dispersed. The holy knights simply kept glaring at their backs.

At first, I thought they went way too far, but I soon realized the reason for their vigilance. They were protecting Adol, who was clearly drained by the usage of his divine sword.

After all, he was Alpha's wielder. I can think of no less than a hundred reasons why someone might want him dead.

And if someone really wanted to kill him, now was the time. The knights knew this, so they kept a watchful eye on the surroundings.

Hagane left the square early to avoid causing unnecessary trouble with Silard in this state.

And of course, Hagane was the most likely to attempt such an assassination. They knew it would make them the prime suspects.

The citizens that had been cheering now left the scene with complicated expressions on their faces. The holy knights also had similar expressions, but they did not make any apologies. Winning the popularity of the masses would be fine and dandy, but Adol's safety was of utmost priority.

『We'd better not get too close either. Also, we should tell the other adventurers to stay far away.』

「Okay.」

I can easily see some dumbass adventurer getting mad at the holy knights and picking a fight. The current Silard didn't seem to have a sense of humor.

And if someone ends up dead, we'd have a huge mess on our hands.