CHAPTER 125…………………………………..
The Best and the Strongest
I recognized it immediately.
Divinity (神聖).
The power of the gods borrowed through faith.
Though it sounds grand to call it “divine power,” in reality, what one borrows is only a fragment of it.
After all, true divine power is not something a single individual can handle.
Even so, the divinity radiating from that knight running behind the bandits was enough to overwhelm the entire group.
Even if it weren’t divinity…
“…If they’re chasing like that, it makes sense to run.”
“Is that… really a paladin?”
The paladin ran across the sand, holding a lance longer than her own body in one hand, her long hair flowing high into the sky.
The golden light of divinity emanating from her entire body made her look like a bolt of lightning in motion.
Above all, her expression was breathtaking.
“…Not a demon, right?”
Her raised eyes blazed with the light of divinity.
Ronan and the others looked at her with slightly intimidated expressions.
“She hasn’t changed.”
Leonis chuckled quietly.
“Do you know her? That paladin.”
“I know her well. Everyone would know her if they just heard her name—Elnor.”
“E-Elnor?!”
“Elnor?!”
“…?!”
Upon hearing the name Elnor, Zahart jumped in surprise, and Hog shouted it out without hesitation.
Ronan said nothing but widened his eyes.
I, however, remained calm.
“…Who is that?”
“…Really? How can you not know Elnor… Well, I guess you didn’t recognize the royal crest either…”
Leonis sighed, clearly exasperated.
“She’s the highest-ranking paladin of the Solius Order and is called the strongest paladin on the continent. Red Claw or something… There’s no way that bandit group could match her.”
“Uh… They’re getting closer, though?”
Hog said, watching the Red Claw bandits approach.
I wanted to see the skills of the paladin known as the best and strongest, but the bandits would reach us first.
Reluctantly, I raised my hand to prepare a spell.
Swoosh.
Ronan drew his sword with determination.
The black aura rippling along the sword blade…
“I’ll go.”
It burned even more intensely than before.
The Red Claw Bandits
They were the ones who had spread terror across the eastern Saharam Desert.
“Yah! Yah!”
They were literally running for their lives.
“Th-… monsters…!”
At the front ran the bandit leader, Aduhar.
He had once been a guardian of the tombs of kings, a protector of a tribe.
Although guarding the tombs had been a fabricated lie, the power of the guardian tattoos on his body was real.
He had faced numerous renowned knights of the continent.
Quad, Penta Chain… even they could not match Aduhar.
Yet…
…Elnor, what the hell is that crazy woman?!
Among Aduhar’s guardian tattoos was the .
The fists he threw and weapons he wielded dispersed mana forcibly.
The mana emitted by the knights of Quad and Penta Chain was no exception.
Many knights who had confidently attacked, wrapped in mana, fell at a single strike.
He thought it would be the same for Elnor.
Even if it was divine power, it was ultimately still mana.
He thought he could cut her down at once using the power of .
It was a huge mistake.
Even against Aduhar’s attacks, the intense divinity emanating from Elnor did not falter at all.
If anything, it seemed to envelop her even more securely.
…Why?! How?!
It is true that the essence of divinity is mana.
However, divinity moves mana not by order or rules, but solely through faith.
Even if disperses it, if the faith is strong, the mana will flow again.
Elnor’s faith was so unwavering that Aduhar’s had no effect.
“Stand there, Aduhar!”
“Y-You crazy woman! Stop her, quickly! I said stop her!”
Aduhar shouted, but no one obeyed him.
From the moment he turned his back to flee from Elnor, the bandits had completely lost morale.
“Argh!”
All Aduhar could do was flee as fast as possible.
If the lagging bandits naturally blocked Elnor’s path, he could escape through the gap…
“What are these guys…?!”
Aduhar clicked his tongue at the group in front of him.
Judging by their appearance, they were not knights.
So, there was no need to stop.
“Move! Step aside! If you don’t want to die!”
Aduhar swung his ridiculously long straight sword with a whoosh, planning to break through with momentum.
But instead of stepping aside, a black-haired man blocked his path.
And he wasn’t even on a horse.
Swish.
The black-haired man lowered his sword.
It was an unspoken declaration: if Aduhar ran, he would be cut down immediately.
From the tip of the blade fell a pitch-black aura.
“You fool…!”
Aduhar charged to trample him.
No matter how much mana he put in, it would disperse the moment he swung the sword.
Whoosh—!
Aduhar swung his sword at the man confidently.
The sword rising from below was faster.
Shhhh—!
“…Huh?”
The pitch-black aura, flashing sharply, did not scatter.
It sliced through the horse’s head and Aduhar’s body simultaneously.
Hearing the sound of his body tearing apart…
“W-Wh… how…?”
Aduhar collapsed futilely.
Even at death, he did not know.
Because aura follows the “will,” even he could not scatter it with .
“L-Leader?!”
“W-Who is that guy?!”
The bandits’ faces turned white as they looked at the half-cut Aduhar.
Ronan, instead of answering them, swung his sword horizontally again.
Shhhh—!
The sword, infused with aura, drew a boundary line in the sand.
“No one crosses beyond this point.”
“W-What?!”
“Ridiculous!”
“Push through… agh?!”
The bandits tried to ignore and cross the line.
Boom—!
Elnor, the paladin, leapt from above like lightning, striking the bandits’ heads.
As the lance drove down, divinity fell with it.
The sheer force made the bandits roll off their horses, unconscious.
Even the horses could not withstand it and collapsed.
Through the dust of sand stirred by the shock,
Whoosh—!
A golden lance thrust toward Ronan.
Clang—!
Ronan swiftly deflected it with his sword.
The sharp lance flew far away.
“…?!”
Simultaneously, the opposite end of the lance cut through the dust, flying toward him.
Clang, clash—!
Ronan lifted his sword to block, narrowing the distance by sliding along the lance’s shaft.
Thwong! The shaft tried to push the sword down, but Ronan pressed it tightly, advancing.
“Hah?”
The paladin chuckled faintly.
Fwoom—!
At the same time, a surge of intense divinity fell from the sky like lightning.
“Guh?!”
Ronan enveloped himself in aura to defend but could not block all of it.
His body tingled as if struck by lightning.
Whoooosh—!
The paladin swung the lance at the retreating Ronan again.
Just as Ronan lifted his sword to block,
“Enough, Elnor!”
Leonis, watching from behind, shouted in a booming voice.
“Huh?”
The flying lance halted midair.
“Leonis?!”
Elnor’s face, previously fierce, relaxed into a dumbfounded expression.
Leonis, watching her beyond the settled dust, let out a quiet laugh.
“You were supposed to bow, you insolent thing.”
Elnor, Paladin of the Solius Order
The woman clad in pure white metal armor looked rugged and plain.
Her sun-kissed skin had a reddish hue, and her tightly tied brown hair reached her shoulder blades.
She wore no jewelry typical of women, and her exposed skin bore numerous scars.
There was nothing feminine about her, but what stood out most was…
“Ha! I never thought I’d meet Leonis here!”
Her rough, boisterous tone was the best.
“How long has it been? Huh?!”
“Last time was when you were called to the Order… about four or five years ago. And again, watch your manners.”
“Ah, whatever! Between us…”
“You’re not alone, idiot!”
Leonis clicked his tongue, pointing behind her.
Beyond the fallen bandits stood Elnor with other paladins and soldiers in white armor.
“Our kids are fine. You’ll understand, right?”
“…I can guess from your usual behavior.”
She leaned beside Leonis and asked,
“You two seem very close.”
“What? That fancy gentleman was rude to you? Are you okay?”
Whoosh— Elnor pointed her lance at me.
Despite her innocent expression, I sensed no malice, but…
“Wh-what…?!”
It wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Seeing me frown, Leonis and the others chuckled.
These guys are desperate because they can’t tease me…
“We’re close, close.”
Leonis still giggled.
“We’ve known each other since childhood. The Saint visited the royal city when she was young. That must have been the first time.”
“That’s right. I was still an apprentice then.”
Elnor smiled lightly.
“Elnor became a paladin thanks to the Saint’s recommendation.”
“R-Recommendation?”
Hog tilted his head at Leonis’ words, and Elnor bristled.
“Hey! What do you mean by that?!”
“You became a paladin because you were close to the Saint.”
“No, that’s true, but it wasn’t just a recommendation! It’s all skill, skill!”
Not wrong.
The divine power that had just pushed Ronan aside was real.
By raw power alone, it rivaled Sirina’s magic.
“Don’t misunderstand! I’m tasked with protecting the Saint…”
“A guardian paladin, right?”
The paladins and soldiers approached from behind.
Among them, a neatly built man stepped forward, rebuking gently.
“How many times have I told you not to go alone, Captain?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
He shook his head, then turned to Leonis, bowing respectfully.
“I am Bartheon, high-ranking paladin of the Holy Light Order. It is an honor to meet you, Prince Leonis.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Prince Leonis.”
The accompanying paladins also bowed in unison.
“Now, lift your head. It is an honor for me as well to meet your brothers and sisters.”
Leonis nodded with satisfaction, gesturing toward Elnor.
“See? Commander of the Holy Light Order?”
“…What?”
Elnor’s reluctant expression appeared as Leonis quietly laughed.
“This is what respect looks like.”
