Taming the Evil Saintess

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Knight Commander Austin.

He had an authoritarian and rigid personality, but he wasn’t the kind of scoundrel who thought lightly of his subordinates. Rather, this ruckus was probably a result of his excessive emphasis on chivalry.

Thus, the knights tried to politely dissuade the aging knight, but…

“It seems you can’t understand what I’m saying. I’m telling you to stop babbling and stay in the tent.”

“…What?!”

“What makes you think you can act so high and mighty as a defeated soldier? What responsibility? You need the ability to even have that!”

“Ugh!”

There was a man smiling while degrading his honor.

He was likely the person who could wield the greatest power at this moment.

Hero Elliot’s words were sharp enough to scratch Knight Austin’s ego, and Austin, who lived and died by chivalry, couldn’t let that provocation slide.

“No matter how much of a hero you are! You will have to wash away this insult with blood!”

Austin reached for his sword.

Everyone was bewildered, wondering if he really intended to draw it.

In truth, Austin didn’t draw his sword. He knew what it would mean to point his weapon against a hero.

Therefore, by merely pretending to draw his sword, he was trying to showcase his pride and determination.

However, what he overlooked was that Hero Elliot didn’t give a damn about such empty gestures.

And he decidedly favored fighting and intimidation over dialogue and compromise.

“Well, did everyone see that? You started the fight first, right?”

Seeing Elliot approach with a wicked smile made Austin flinch.

He hadn’t drawn his sword yet.

It was crystal clear who should apologize first. Wasn’t that hero the one who belittled chivalry first?

But Elliot couldn’t care less.

He had no sense of awareness whatsoever.

For Elliot, who had no memories of living as a knight, the way of communication was fundamentally flawed.

Swish!

With a crunching sound, Elliot’s fist slammed into Austin’s face.

Inquisition Officer Yurede sighed and rubbed his face.

The situation was suppressed within a few punches, and with a burst lip and a nosebleed, Austin’s face was a mess. He could no longer stand and was kneeling on one knee.

“If you didn’t want your subordinates to die, then you should have worked hard to ensure that wouldn’t happen.”

Elliot mocked with cutting words.

“Cough! Who the hell are you?!”

“I’m stronger than you. That’s just the way it is.”

Elliot let out a deep sigh and raised his foot, gently pushing down on Austin’s upper body, causing him to fall over.

At that point, satisfied with the height difference, Elliot shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway, I’ve won, so don’t act tough and stay in the tent. If you come out again, then I’ll really have to draw my sword and fight you.”

“I have subordinates!”

“Right. I’m going to go rescue those subordinates, so please, just stay down, old and sickly man. Am I going to have to turn you upside down?”

“…Rescue, are you?”

At Elliot’s words, he nodded.

“Well, I’m not sure if I can actually rescue them, but I’ll at least check on them.”

“…Will you swear on the hero’s name?”

“I don’t really like that kind of talk. I already made a stupid vow promising my life to a lousy guy.”

Elliot seemed displeased, but he nodded and said.

“I promise. I’ll rescue your subordinates one way or another.”

Only then did Austin seem to relax, letting out a deep sigh as he lifted his upper body.

“Hero, I have one last question.”

“What is it?”

“Couldn’t you have made that promise at the very beginning?”

“….”

Austin’s question was very reasonable, but Elliot just tilted his head.

“I just wanted to beat you up a bit.”

“….”

The majority of those present likely thought the same thing.

‘Is that really a hero?’

They thought.

*

The commotion was peacefully resolved.

I felt a bit sorry for hitting the so-called knight commander in front of his lackeys, so if we entered the Eastern Port, I planned to look for that knight’s subordinates.

“Are you really planning to duel?”

Albrecht said, sounding somewhat doubtful, but I nodded.

“You heard just now. Soldiers and knights are already prisoners within the city. As far as I know, that bastard Elgore uses humans as livestock for his meals. If we delay any longer, even your subordinates might become meat.”

Albrecht was with me, but as a person who had risen to the position of knight commander, his own knights had also suffered casualties and taken prisoners.

Naturally, Albrecht’s expression hardened.

“If it comes to a duel, I….”

“No, you can’t win.”

At my words, Albrecht frowned as if his pride had taken a hit, but unlike Knight Austin, he didn’t seem to have the intention to draw his sword.

In truth, Albrecht couldn’t defeat Elgore. If there was anyone more suitable than Albrecht, it would be Azar. And even better than Azar would be me.

“That guy doesn’t operate on techniques. He’s not even a warrior. He’s just a beast.”

Albrecht’s Fluid Sword unleashed nearly an infinite set of moves to wear down his opponent. If the opponent was a warrior wielding a weapon, he could guarantee an overwhelming advantage.

However, Elgore doesn’t use a weapon. But it’s not like he employs techniques either.

His body itself was both weapon and menace, making him completely the opposite of Albrecht.

“Hearing that makes your choice to duel sound highly reckless.”

Albrecht remarked with narrowed eyes.

In truth, it was reckless. However, having realized through the events at the cathedral that retaking the city would be incredibly difficult, especially when dealing with a pirate den swarming with demons.

If we could drive out the enemy through a single battle, wouldn’t it be sensible to attempt even if it’s reckless?

“As a side note, I must ask, didn’t your lover try to dissuade you?”

“She didn’t, but instead, she got really angry.”

“Angry?”

“Well, I calmed her down a bit.”

As I was answering, Albrecht subtly looked beyond the tent and saw Ophelia walking awkwardly, pale-faced, as she patted her lower back.

I wondered if I had overdone it yesterday.

Did Albrecht share the same thoughts? He cautiously opened his mouth.

“Isn’t it better to be more considerate?”

“She’ll be fine if I just use some Holy Magic.”

“…No, that’s not what I mean….”

Albrecht seemed he wanted to say more but, as if reaching the conclusion that it was pointless, sighed heavily and shook his head.

“Anyway, I won’t prevent you from dueling Elgore, but understand that depending on how the battle flows, we might intervene at any moment. If you feel like you can’t win, just ask for help.”

“Ophelia said the same thing.”

*

Half a day later, I crossed the frontline to walk into Eastern Port, fully prepared.

Since the engagement had settled into a lull, there were no soldiers or monsters blocking my path. However, as I approached the walls of Eastern Port, I was greeted by the demon’s siege weapons.

Boom!

“What a rough welcome.”

I barely dodged a massive rock that came flying towards me, then deflected an arrow with my sword. A crossbow bolt that I couldn’t avoid was intercepted mid-air by Erwin’s arrow. As I gave a thumbs-up and moved forward, I could feel the walls above stir. They realized that there was something extraordinary approaching.

Soon after, a high-ranking demon, appearing to be the commander of the demon soldiers, stepped forward and froze at the sight of me.

“You are… Slave Knight Elliot.”

“Did we meet in the North?”

“Yeah. I still remember when you guys slaughtered my comrades.”

“Really? Should I be thanking you for remembering?”

I smiled and raised a finger.

“But sorry, I don’t remember you. I try not to remember the small fry.”

It seemed that my connection from my Black Eagle Mercenary days was indeed a solid one.

The high-ranking demon seemed to tremble in rage at my words. It looked like he was about to order the siege weapons to turn on me, so I quickly made my move.

“I have a proposal.”

“We are demons and pirates. Do you think a deal will work here?”

“Shut up. That’s not for you to decide.”

“What?”

“I’m here to see Elgore. Think of it as a sort of envoy.”

Mentioning Black Water Elgore’s name caused the high-ranking demon to frown.

“Tell your chief directly.”

I took a deep breath and shouted loudly.

“Elgore! Your opponent, Elliot, speaks! Come out from the city gate immediately, you cowardly bastard!”

By the way, the word Elgore hated the most was ‘coward.’ He was someone with an exceptionally strong sense of pride. In the actual game, choosing the option to call him a coward would immediately kick off a battle.

In that sense, he was no different from Knight Austin.

While I was reflecting on this, a massive tremor echoed from within the city, and a colossal shape suddenly emerged in the hazy sky.

A massive being that jumped hundreds of meters with nothing but a sergeant’s jump, its face twisted grimly as it spotted me.

“You! Hero!”

Black Water Elgore recognized me and, baring his teeth, changed trajectory mid-air. With movements as violent as tearing apart the air, a shockwave erupted.

Elgore landed right in front of me, tracing a completely impossible line through the laws of physics. Boom! The ground around the landing point cratered as if a meteorite had struck.

Indeed, the strength of an individual capable of taking on an army. Owen’s assessment was not wrong.

With such a monster rampaging, it was no wonder the Eastern Front had stagnated.

Feeling a bit anxious, I waved my hand.

“It’s been a while. It’s our first meeting since then.”

“Hero, ELLLLIIOTT!”

Elgore shook and stomped his feet. With each movement, the ground sank beneath him, making our height difference even more pronounced.

“I’ve waited for this day!”

“What?”

I scrunched my face. For some reason, Elgore’s reaction seemed more intense than I expected. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like the reason for his anger extended beyond just being called a coward.

Elgore couldn’t contain his fury and kept stomping while pointing at me.

“Elliott! You deceived me! I trusted my brother’s words naively! You bastard!”

“….”

“How dare you mock me and betray me?! Did you think I was that foolish, you filthy traitor?”

“…Ugh?”

What the hell was he talking about?