Necros counted the gold coins he had received from Sharia.
Thus, the paladins were granted a brief moment.
“Goddess, what in the world is this sight….”
Paladin Rainel lamented at the sight unfolding before his eyes.
Having ascended the Silent Mountain Range, what revealed itself was none other than grotesque undead.
Moreover, it was a massive legion formed into a horde.
Skeletons composed of gaunt bones and ghouls with rotting, decaying flesh.
Before them stood a skeleton exuding an aura of death, and a being clad in blue robes.
“Sir Rainel, the aura is far too sinister. They do not seem to be ordinary undead.”
Another paladin behind him, Dracon, opened his mouth.
Dracon had not long become a full-fledged paladin.
Until recently a trainee, he had formally become a paladin and was currently carrying out his first mission.
Of all things, from his very first mission, he had encountered the worst situation.
The aura they emitted was formidable—far too much to call them ordinary undead.
“…Perhaps a Death Knight and an Arch—”
“Enough.”
Rainel covered Dracon’s mouth.
He, too, had already surmised as much.
Those two beings were no mere undead.
‘This is bad.’
As Dracon had been about to say, those beings were most likely a Death Knight and an Arch Lich.
No, it was certain.
‘Why is this happening…’
Rainel had ascended the mountain range for an investigation.
It was an investigation into the incident of priests and paladins disappearing in the Silent Mountain Range.
Originally, the order had even dispatched a delegation for the investigation, but with the sudden appearance of the Seven-Star Calamity, most had lost their lives.
From the White Order’s standpoint, it was a devastating loss.
They should have pressured the Seil Kingdom by using the incident regarding the calamity, but as ill luck would have it, Queen Irena’s exploits had spread across the entire continent.
—Princess Irena of the Seil Kingdom has vanquished the calamity!
That rumor had elevated Princess Irena to queen, and the people rejoiced, proclaiming that a new saint had been born.
As Queen Irena rose to a position equal to a saint, the order could no longer treat the Seil Kingdom carelessly.
Even though the queen’s official coronation had not yet taken place and the order had not formally declared Queen Irena a saint, there was nothing they could do.
Even within the order’s leadership, there had been talk of implicitly treating Queen Irena with courtesy befitting a saint.
Under such circumstances, the reopened investigation also had to be mindful of the kingdom’s stance.
Only a small team of paladins—not on the scale of the previous delegation—was active in the Seil Kingdom and the mountain range.
And now, the mountain investigation was a team of seven paladins in total, led by Rainel.
Even with their small numbers, they had not been greatly worried.
They possessed combat strength qualitatively different from the previously missing paladins.
Moreover, no matter how few they were, who would dare touch the order?
The moment one provoked them, there would be nowhere to live on the continent short of the demon realm’s soil.
But it was a complacent notion.
To think monsters would appear.
Of course, since it was the Silent Mountain Range, they had already assumed there would be monsters.
But never had they imagined the appearing monsters would be of the 5-Star rank.
“Sir Rainel, would it not be better to attack?”
While Rainel stood in a daze, Dracon offered his opinion once more.
“Look at them. There are people among the undead.”
In the direction Dracon pointed were those who appeared to be mages.
Of course, an aura of death could be felt from them as well.
This meant their identities were black mages.
“Sir Rainel, have you ever heard of such a situation? The current state of affairs is far too strange! Surely those wicked black mages have offered sacrifices to summon those beings!”
“Yes, you have a point.”
Dracon’s opinion was valid.
They had never heard of, nor seen, a Death Knight and an Arch Lich appearing at the same time.
Perhaps it might be possible in the demon realm’s lands, which humanity had failed to conquer, but this was near the entrance of the mountain range.
If such situations were frequent, would the Seil Kingdom be safe?
Even to Rainel, the current situation seemed contrived.
It made more sense to think that the black mages had summoned the monsters, as Dracon said.
“……”
But whichever the case, the fact that this was the worst possible situation remained unchanged.
‘If they can summon a Death Knight and an Arch Lich, they must surely be high-ranking black mages.’
Perhaps they might even be apostle-class black mages trying to revive the evil god.
Rainel suddenly thought of Eclipsis, an organization formed by black mages in the past.
‘Could it be that Eclipsis has revealed itself again!’
Eclipsis was an organization of black mages with the goal of reviving the evil god.
Wicked beings who did not hesitate at cruel acts.
They were a people who had abandoned their humanity for black magic.
However, quite a long time had passed since Eclipsis disappeared.
At some point, their activities had ceased entirely.
Thus, the order had gradually lowered its guard against Eclipsis and now paid them no heed at all.
The paladins, too, had only learned that such a group had existed in the past when they were trainees.
“Dracon, the enemy is presumed to be Eclipsis.”
At Rainel’s words, Dracon made a surprised expression.
A group he had only seen in books before becoming a paladin was now before his eyes.
“D-don’t tell me they disappeared all this time for this day…?”
Eclipsis had not been inactive.
It was reasonable to believe they had been acting in secret for the revival of the evil god.
And in the end, had they not summoned a Death Knight and an Arch Lich?
“Yes, they must have offered massive sacrifices to summon those beings.”
“……”
At Rainel’s words, Dracon was enraged.
Were the beings summoned by the black mages ordinary monsters?
There were two of the 5-Star rank.
How many sacrifices had been offered to the evil god to summon them?
Surely among them were the missing brethren—priests and paladins.
It was possible that countless people had been sacrificed there.
In the end, it meant innocent lives had been lost to the black mages.
As a sword of the holy order serving the Goddess, this was absolutely intolerable.
Dracon raised his holy power with an angry expression.
The moment a faint white light enveloped his sword.
“Hold.”
Rainel shook his head and stopped Dracon.
He understood that having just become a paladin, his blood ran hot. But reality was different.
If one failed to read how the situation was unfolding, a result more meaningless than a dog’s death awaited.
Even with just one Death Knight or Arch Lich, there would be no chance of victory—and now both were present.
There was no other way here.
“Everyone, listen well. Maintain formation and fall back slowly.”
Rainel commanded quietly.
For now, the best course was to gradually widen the distance and flee.
“Escaping from here and informing the order is the priority!”
“Ugh… Understood.”
Dracon reluctantly sheathed his sword and slowly stepped back.
Anger surged within him, but Rainel’s words were correct.
It was impossible to face them with their current strength.
Rather, it was wiser to plan a retreat and muster a holy crusade.
Dracon looked at the abominable undead legion and slowly fell back.
The undead and black mages looked abominable.
Above all, his gaze was drawn to the Arch Lich recording something beside them.
An Arch Lich was an undead mage.
The thick book it was currently recording in was undoubtedly a grimoire.
‘Surely it is filled with wicked black magic.’
While Dracon was lost in his own assumptions, Necros was diligently recording something.
— Must not judge by outward appearance alone. A failing as an inspector. Must remember that even the poor may carry gold coins.
Necros was reflecting.
He would become a better inspector by taking today’s events as a lesson.
“Done.”
Necros nodded and finished his record.
Having earned money, it was time to do the next task.
He saw the figures of paladins slowly retreating in his sight.
“Now!”
At Necros’s gesture, ghouls and skeletons rushed toward the paladins.
* * *
Arch Lich, Necros.
As he raised his hand, a wave of death engulfed the paladins.
“The dark creations are charging! Everyone, prepare to defend!”
At Rainel’s shout, the paladins who had been retreating stopped and formed a battle line.
Ghouls ran so hard their rotting flesh shook, and a skeleton legion moved with clattering bones, charging at their targets.
‘Damn…!’
Seeing the swarming undead legion, Rainel despaired.
It was not because he feared death.
Rather, he could gladly wager his life for the Goddess.
But the number of undead was far greater than he had thought.
At first, he had believed they could somehow escape.
But that had been an arrogant notion.
‘At this rate, we’ll be surrounded.’
Ghouls and skeletons were already deploying widely around the paladins.
If things continued this way, everything that happened in the mountain range would be buried.
The moment of choice arrived for Rainel.
Including himself, there were seven of them.
At least one needed to escape.
Then who should it be?
The answer had been decided from the start.
“Dracon! From this moment, run with all your might to the kingdom!”
Rainel called for Dracon, the most recently knighted among them.
If even one was to survive, the remaining six had to buy time.
Dracon, who had been a trainee until a few days ago, would not be able to buy much time even if he stayed.
So he decided to send Dracon, the youngest.
Fortunately, the distance from here to the Seil Kingdom was relatively short.
If they bought even a little time, Dracon could escape fully.
“When you reach the capital, find Vice-Captain Riana! And tell her that Eclipsis has revived!”
Above all, in the Seil Kingdom was Riana, who served as vice-captain of the paladin order.
Furthermore, Inquisitor Jeremiah, famous within the order as a powerful figure, was there; if Dracon could escape somehow, he could request support.
But Dracon objected.
“…Yes? What do you mean! I, too, am a righteous paladin. I will remain here to the end!”
“Come to your senses!”
Rainel barked at Dracon.
There was no time left.
“Dracon! This is an order! If you are a righteous knight who truly serves the Goddess, inform the order of the entire situation. Do not waste our time!”
Boom-!
At that moment, the Death Knight that had appeared before they knew it shield-slammed a paladin.
The armor the paladin wore was crushed.
“Guwaaack! Goddess!”
Simultaneously, ghouls latched onto the shrieking paladin.
The ghouls bit savagely and ended his life in an instant.
“……”
“Dracon! Go now!”
Rainel slapped Dracon’s cheek.
Only then did Dracon come to his senses, holding back tears and bowing his head.
“…I am grateful.”
The farewell was brief.
If there had been enough time, perhaps, but now even a greeting was a luxury.
Dracon turned and ran.
Having confirmed the youngest was running, Rainel poured forth all his strength.
‘Five left, then?’
Just a bit—if they could endure even a few minutes.
At the very least, if they could only widen the distance between Dracon and the undead, it would be a success.
But that thought did not last long.
Boom-! Boom-!
Paladins exploded without even being able to scream.
The skeletons exploded the moment they charged.
“Brother!”
But it was too late.
Where the skeletons had exploded, only bloodstains and gruesome traces remained.
“Arch Lich….”
It was the skill ‘Corpse Explosion’ possessed by the Arch Lich.
It was a mistake to be distracted by the undead and fail to watch the Arch Lich.
Now only Rainel remained.
“Is this the end….”
No. It could not be.
He had to buy more time.
Dracon had to safely descend the mountain range and inform the order.
“Goddess, grant me the strength to stand against evil.”
Rainel poured all his holy power into his sword.
He squeezed out every last bit of remaining strength.
“Kuhuk!”
He had overdone it.
Even so, ignoring the blood gushing from his mouth, he channeled all his body’s strength into the blade.
His heart blazed with faith toward the Goddess.
In this moment alone, he himself was the very embodiment of justice.
“…….”
A brilliant light flowed from the sword.
It was a power unlike anything he had ever felt before.
This was the end.
As the sword that protected the Order, he prepared his final strike.
“Goddess, I offer you all my strength! Have mercy on this poor lamb and deliver me from evil!”
Rainel’s cry was like thunder.
As though the goddess’s blessing were with him, a sacred aura enveloped the surroundings.
Rainel swung his sword with all his might.
“May all my strength cast out evil!”
His final struggle.
It was a blow in which the faith of Paladin Rainel had been condensed.
The strike of a lifetime from one who offered up his life for justice, for his comrades, and for the goddess!
Boom—!
A tremendous roar shook the forest.
A blinding flash filled the woods.
“Did I get them…?”
It was an attack unleashed with every ounce of his strength.
A sacred power he had never felt before.
He was certain that, with that attack just now, he had at least swept away the ghouls and skeletons.
“Perhaps the goddess heard my prayer.”
Was it the aftermath of using such tremendous power?
Extreme fatigue struck Rainel’s entire body.
Powerlessly, he lifted his head.
The forest was still filled with white light.
“Ha… please, survive….”
He would now go into the goddess’s embrace.
All that remained was to hope that Dracon safely conveyed this truth to the Order.
A bitter smile touched Rainel’s face.
But then.
Thud—
A sword pierced Rainel’s heart.
“……?”
As though the sacred light were fading, Rainel’s body began to collapse.
What was happening?
Before Rainel, whose face was full of doubt, stood the Death Knight.
And soon, the light that had filled the forest began to fade.
“!”
From the very beginning, he had not thought he could defeat the Death Knight and the Arch Lich.
He had thought that, at the very least, that last strike would be enough to eliminate the skeletons and ghouls.
But it had been an illusion.
“Why….”
It had surely been a powerful blow.
“Why!”
It had been his desperate attack.
An attack he had unleashed while earnestly beseeching the goddess!
And yet it had not dealt a single bit of damage to the undead legion.
Rainel felt empty.
“…….”
His gaze turned to the shield embedded in the ground.
Had that blocked his strike just now?
But everything was a mystery.
The shield looked ordinary, and there was nothing special about it save for a maid outfit fluttering from it.
“…….”
Was this the end?
It felt as though his faith in the goddess, his struggle for justice, and all the time he had spent as a paladin until now were being denied.
“Krgh….”
The beating of his heart was growing slower and slower.
Even amid the excruciating pain, only one thought filled Rainel’s mind.
‘Were all the years I lived and the faith I held nothing but vanity?’
His faith collapsed, and justice was trampled.
‘Were all the things I devoted truly meaningless?’
He felt hollow.
Rainel’s heart filled with emptiness.
At the very end, as he lay dying, his blind faith in the goddess crumbled.
“Heh… haha.”
Rainel laughed.
What had all of this been for?
There was no hope in that laugh.
Only despair and disbelief.
Negative emotions ruled Rainel.
‘Goddess! Do you not watch over us?’
A single tear ran down his cheek.
It was not a tear of sorrow, but a tear of realization.
The world was darkness itself, and light had never existed from the beginning.
The goddess he had believed in and followed until now, the justice he had pursued—all of it had been nothing more than an illusion.
The truth was the brutal reality unfolding before his eyes.
Rainel’s eyes trembled.
Within them, madness, despair, and rage were all mixed together.
At last, darkness swallowed him.
The paladin’s end was stained not with faith, but with regret and disbelief as he closed his eyes.
And from the Death Knight’s sword that had pierced his heart, an aura of darkness rose.
“……!”
The paladin, filled with disbelief as he had turned his back on the world, opened his eyes once more.
- Paladin “Rainel” evolves into a Chaos Paladin (★★★★).
* * *
Dracon ran with all his might.
Though his breath was ragged and his legs had no strength, he ran and ran again.
“I must… I must tell them the truth!”
He had to inform the Order that Eclipse, the organization of black mages, had appeared once more.
That was the grave mission he bore.
And in order not to let the deaths of Rainel and his paladin brothers be in vain, he kept running.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that no undead horde was pursuing him.
Surely that meant they were buying him time well.
For a moment, tears almost welled up, but he held them back.
Just as Dracon continued running and was about to escape the forest—
“Brother, where are you hurrying off to?”
An existence wearing paladin armor appeared in Dracon’s sight.
‘Were there others investigating?’
For a moment, he was puzzled, but that was not important right now.
“B-Brother! S-Something terrible has happened! Over there… black mages appeared over there!”
Dracon shouted, informing the other party of the current situation as well.
After all, he was not an outsider, but a paladin of the same Order.
The more people who knew this fact, the higher the chance that it would be relayed to the Order.
“Ha, that is quite serious. It seems to be an urgent situation, so let us change locations.”
The other party nodded with a subtle expression.
Then he began to introduce himself.
“Ah, my name is Eric. I work solely for the Great One.”
The one Dracon had met was named Eric.
He was a paladin being controlled by a banshee.