Chapter 116 - Senior Holy Knight and Sunny Land [7] (1/2)

116. Senior Holy Knight and Sunny Land [7]

The royal castle towering over the northern end of Dagrio.

Stacked with gray bricks, it looked more like a『church』than a『castle』.

The man who took control of this royal castle as its lord was – Rain Glad, one of the Thirteen Knights of the Oracle.

He sat quietly on the throne, with his eyes shut.

In the throne room which was devoid of any other life,

All he could hear was the sound of the endless downpour of rain.

One second, one minute, one hour – as time passed silently, Rain suddenly hardened like a stone statue.

Because, he heard flurried footsteps from outside the royal castle.

「R-Rain-sama!」

The man, dressed in a black cloak, was one of the underlings who was dispatched by the organization.

「…What?」

Rain opened one eye, with a slight frustration at having his silence disturbed.

「The Senior Holy Knights are coming north all at once…! Their number is approximately『one hundred』! They are serious this time! They are seriously trying to recapture Dagrio this time!」

Although the man reported the state of emergency in a panic,

「…What of it?」

Rain’s reaction was indifferent.

「…W-We are utterly unable to stop them. They have already broken through Lao village in central Dagrio. Rain-sama, please help us with your power…!」

The underling bowed his head and requested – he had no other choice left.

Dagrio was effectively controlled by Rain’s power solely.

It was impossible to intercept the highly skilled Senior Holy Knights without the great power of one of the Thirteen Knights of the Oracle.

And the reply that greeted the man who bowed desperately was,

「I refuse.」

A clear refusal with no chance to negotiate.

「W-Why…?」

Rain sighed deeply at the man who was being persistent.

「Haa… Use your head to think a little. Thus far, what have you done to the people who cried for help?」

「T-That’s…」

Rain answered, instead of the man who fell silent.

「You hurt them, cut them, and torture them to death, didn’t you? You have never lend an ear to the voices asking for help, have you?」

「……」

「Don’t behave like a spoiled child, idiot. Believing you deserve to be helped is way too selfish.」

An angry voice echoed in the quiet throne room.

「…S-So, what should we do?」

The man, who had been severely reprimanded, asked timidly

「Don’t know. Whatever happens to filthy『brutes』like you, it’s none of my concern.」

「B-But…!」

Rain flatly refused the persistent man.

「I won’t move from this royal castle. You can run away or whatever. Do as you please.」

Then, as if to say『there is nothing more to discuss』, he quietly shut his eyes.

The man’s patience reached its limit, seeing Rain’s approach of not wanting to discuss further.

「…I-Is that right!? Then I’ll run away as you say!」

「Do as you please.」

「…Certainly, you’re insanely strong. But this time the other party is also insane! The enemy is Allen Rodore! You got the report, didn’t you? He is the『Special Class Force』that defeated one of the Thirteen Knights of the Oracle, Fu Rudras! And there’s another – the host of phantom spirit, Fafnir – Ria Vesteria is also present!」

The underling of the Black Organization left a sharp parting remark -『You’re finally going to meet your end!』and ran away at full speed.

In the throne room, which had returned to silence once again, Rain whispered.

「Do I have to kill again…?」

Staring at the void with a sorrowful look, he laughed with self-pity.

「Just what am I hesitating for…」

He recalled what he was doing in Dagrio, and held his head with both hands.

「What am I even saying… I am even less of a human than those brutes of Black Organization. What’s the point of feeling guilty now…!」

The wailing of an empty man echoed in the isolated royal castle.

「…Allen Rodore and Ria Vesteria. Capturing those two should bring everything to an end. A quiet Dagrio can be created.『A paradise for just the two of us』!」

Even now – Rain was fighting for his own justice.

■

We departed from Lao village, and went due north.

On the way, I saw a village controlled by the Black Organization, but…

For some reason, they ran away as fast as their legs could carry them the moment they saw me.

Thanks to that, we arrived at the towering royal castle at the northern end of Dagrio – without wasting time and strength.

I opened the large door and went through the hallway illuminated by candlesticks – into a vast room.

There was a man sitting on a dusty throne.

「-Thanks for coming, uninvited guests.」

Ben-san, the temporary branch chief of the Holy Knights Association of Dagrio Branch, responded to the voice.

「Sorry, but we came in without knocking. You’re one of the Thirteen Knights of the Oracle, Rain Glad, aren’t you?」

「Yes, that’s right.」

The man in front of me answered so.

Rain Glad.

Seems to be in his late thirties.

With a giant frame of nearly two meters.

Swept back, short dark blue hair

He had high eyebrows, an intimidating eye and a large mouth with a beast-like wild face.

A damaged grey scarf was wrapped around his neck. It looked awkward because it didn’t fit his size.