/
Maldis curiously looked at Scyllia. She hurriedly collected her expression and shook her head.
“Sorry.”
Guardian Maldis, who tilted his head to one side, slowly continued his words.
“We need to find someone with a scar on her shoulder. The shape of the scar doesn’t matter, but it’s not an ordinary shape.”
“What kind of scar should it be?”
“It has a definite shape. Water droplets, fire, or trees. It looks like a scar, but it must be one that doesn’t come from an injury, it has to be present since birth.”
It has a definite shape……
Not to mention the shape, it will certainly be different from her cursed scars, which is twisted at random and radiates black energy. Stigma is a sacred trace of Solar.
Scyllia answered with a self-deprecating thought.
“Yes.”
“If you find any such scars, check their holy power. I said this, but it would be easier to find someone that has some kind of connection with holy power.”
Maldis, who had been talking all this time, seemed to be out of breath, leaning back for a moment he drank the tea.
“Scars from birth and holy power. Then see if they can grab the box of feathers, and if that goes through, use the feather.”
If it does not burn on the feathers of the phoenix, the scar will prove to be a stigma. But if not…….
Scyllia’s face darkened.
“If they are not a Saint, their whole body will be burned to death.”
“It would be impossible to even hold the box if they were not a Saint. People can touch it only when they are at the level of a Commander like you.”
Maldis rubbed his face roughly. He had a tired complexion, but he seemed more relaxed than when they first met. Fortunately, the scented candle seemed to be working well.
“I look forward to the good news.”
He said that without much expectation, it was a face only asking for one more chance.
It was true. Even though there were very few people with holy power, the empire of Grenia was ignorantly wide. There were more paladins stationed in Grenia besides the Silver Lions led by Scyllia, but even taking that into account, they were numerous.
It’s said that phoenix feathers can be easily picked from their nest, but only a Commander can carry those inside the box. It means that only a leader can carry out such orders. It was even a secret mission. It was above all stranger to find someone who met such specific conditions.
And yet, Maldis asked for it. He seemed to be holding on to the last thread of hope.
“First of all, start looking for it. The Guardians who came to make things better are rolling around like dogs.”
Maldis said so and rose from his seat. I didn’t know what he was talking about, and I couldn’t understand the Pope’s secret mission, but as a paladin, I had no choice but to follow orders.
Scyllia grabbed the box he left behind.
***
Despite the assignment, she was unable to leave her garrison for several days. To be more exact, she couldn’t get away from her garrison and the outposts. The daily life of fighting monsters and returning home was repeated until she collapsed from exhaustion.
Still, she didn’t skip taking care of Ran, bringing him animals to eat, and playing with him in the forest. No matter how busy she was, they went to the forest together three or four times a week.
However, it became difficult to do that as the werewolf problem broke out.
‘It’s already busy as is, why werewolves now of all times.’
“When did you say werewolves appeared?”
Scyllia asked, squeezing her aching head. Eric opened the map with a serious face.
“Around January 11th.”
“Habitat?”
“They have already expanded their territory to the border point near our territory. Subjugation seems unavoidable.”
“There’s nothing good about wasting time.”
“Should I tell everyone to prepare for departure?”
“Yes.”
As Eric nodded and was about to leave, Scyllia called him.
“Is your brother okay now?”
“……What?”
“Didn’t you say he was sick? Is everything all better now?”
Eric looked surprised because he didn’t know she would remember it. Scyllia, feeling the stare, stopped looking at the map and raised her head.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
Scyllia still had an indifferent face. A smooth, white face and straight lips. It was a cold face reminiscent of an emotionless porcelain doll.
But just now, she clearly said something that was like worry. Not for Eric, but for Eric’s family.
“Maybe, it’s just my hypothesis but, is the Leader a different person from how you actually look?”
Scyllia’s eyes darkened.
“Are you insulting me now?”
“You misunderstood, Leader.”
Eric laughed like a cunning fox as he left the Commander’s office.
“I mean, I think I’ll respect you more.”
And he left just like that.
‘Strange guy.’
Scyllia shrugged her shoulders roughly.
***
Early in the morning, the Paladins of the Silver Lion went out through the warp gate prepared by the Empire Grenia.
Werewolves were fast-breeding monsters. If the territory was growing, it was only a matter of time before the nearby areas became a mess.
The warp gate was installed in one day as if the Lord had done many preparations beforehand. Werewolves were high-risk monsters but were weak against fire. With the help of the wizards sent by the Empire, the subjugation proceeded quite smoothly. It did……
‘What is that?’
Scyllia was now deep in the forest. It was because she felt the presence of two werewolves in the forest. She chased after them, thinking it might be a small number of individuals that had escaped from the main group, but what appeared was a rather bizarre scene.
A young werewolf who was born not long ago was guarding the corpse of what appeared to be its mother. The mother werewolf was severely decayed as if she had been dead for quite some time.
“Kee-ing, ki-ing……”
It was fine until there. But another adult werewolf was trying to kill the young one.
‘Why would a werewolf want to kill a cub of his own kind?’
Scyllia felt her body involuntarily jump out. She slashed off the adult werewolf’s head with one single stroke of her blade, and looked down at the trembling, but not fleeing, cub.
‘It’s guarding its mother. She’s been dead for a long time……’
The Knights arrived in the forest while Scyllia looked down at the cub with sunken eyes.
“Leader.”
The knights surrounded the wolf cub.
“Wait. Don’t kill, stand by.”
Scyllia raised her hand to block the knights.
‘What should I do?’
Werewolves are humanoid monsters, and since humanoid monsters have reason and personality, paladins refrained from killing them indiscriminately unless they harmed others first. The werewolf cub in front of her was distinctly different from the aggressive werewolves she had subdued this morning.
“Kee-ying, ki-ying……”
The cub pushed the body of its dead mother with its nose. Then the cub’s tail stretched out and it slumped down on the floor. It also knew that its mother was dead. It just couldn’t leave.
Even if other werewolves try to kill it and dangerous humans come, it just trembles in its mother’s arms.
‘Was Ran like that too?’
Scyllia tightly closed her eyes.
“This is strange. Aren’t werewolves monsters with a high sense of superiority?”
Eric spoke to her, tilting his head.
“I know that they treat humans like pigs and slaughter them.”
“……Yes.”
“But this guy is not ferocious.”
And that wasn’t all. When they hurt a human being, their unique energy becomes stronger. However, the energy of this cub werewolf was not deep.
“What should we do?”
“He’s a guy who didn’t hurt anyone. Let him live.”
Scyllia, commanding in a heavy tone, tried to turn her body around when something clung to her leg like a leech. She looked down.
Spiky chestnut hair, eyes like acorns, tanned brown skin. A skinny little cub was dangling from Scyllia’s leg in the form of a human. It was the appearance of a young boy who had been neglected for a long time.
“Sister.”
“……”
“……”
The forest became quiet. There was an illusion that a loud sound of the members rolling their eyes resounded in the air. Whether or not, the child shouted in a dying voice.
“Take Vio too.”
“……”
“Take Vio too. Me too……”
The strength of his grip on Scyllia’s leg was amazing. It was a desperate force as if he knew that it was the last rope that was given to him.
Scyllia, who wants to live more than anyone else, recognized at once the desperate need of the young cub. The hot body temperature felt on her calves kept reminding her of someone. If it had been before, she would have shaken it off. But now she couldn’t. She couldn’t, by any means.
“Sister. Please? Take me too……”
When words didn’t seem to work, the cub widened his eyes. They were eyes that gave a lot of strength not to cry. The child shouted bravely.
“Raise me! I will allow you! I’m a great wolf! I will become stronger than Sister in the future!”
“……”
“Raise Vio, I will gladly protect you! It’s a deal! Humans love to trade! Not a bad condition!”
Eric, standing next to Scyllia, hit his forehead and made a troubled face.
“The bad werewolves adults killed my mother, saying she was a disgrace to werewolves!”
“……”
“Mother said that there are strong and kind humans! She said we shouldn’t kill at random! Vio is a good werewolf! Trust me!”
I knew it even if he didn’t scream his lungs out. That he’s a good boy. That priestess said that depending on how Ran was raised, he could become the will of the heavens or a demon of hell. It was not just about the monsters of the Eastern continent. The same goes for monsters in the Western Continent.
As long as there is reason, all living beings stand at a crossroads.
Will you walk the path of corruption, or will you head down a path that is not?
Vio was like that too.
“Sister, you are the leader of the strong humans, right? You defeated all the wicked werewolf adults!”
“……”
“Then raise me! I will choose Sister as the human to raise me!”
The voice screaming to live mercilessly penetrated the painful part of Scyllia’s heart.