Goblin Knight - Chapter 384



Only Krnovel

EP.384 Only One Way

After walking around in a daze for a while.

Finally, Nellyvia spoke first.

“… … This is impossible. I can’t track the rats anymore.”

“Why.”

“Because of the distance.”

Nellyvia said, pointing to the ground below.

“Until now, I could follow the magic trail the rats left underneath, but even underground, the rats continued to move downward. Now… they’re too far from the ground.”

“… … .”

“If we wanted to pursue further, we would have to dig down and advance, but isn’t that not a situation in which either of us can do that?”

“Yeah… yeah. That’s right… … .”

It was a valid point.

Blanc answered almost mumbledly, and crept closer to the trees by the river.

Blanc, who reached out feebly to the tree trunk with his chin, bowed his head deeply.

My own shadow felt infinitely dark.

‘I am…….’

Origin.

No, it’s not even the origin.

He could not keep his oath, and the price of his failure was irreparably high.

Now there was not a single werewolf left by their side.

‘Did I… misjudge something?’

I think about the situation carefully.

At that point, the saint’s persuasion could not have been faster, and her judgment that she had to evacuate was also correct.

The strategy to recover those who had been captured also worked appropriately, and they even managed to defeat a formidable opponent that they would normally never have been able to defeat.

But what is the result?

‘Wasn’t it supposed to be like that…?’

Everything was so strangely out of place.

Unfortunately, the attack occurred just as Thirasia was trying to persuade the other werewolves and begin to escape.

Unfortunately, just when we were rescuing those who had been captured and were about to seize the opportunity, the executioners’ support arrived.

Of all things… it had to be Mephis.

In retrospect, perhaps what was needed was not persuasion, but deception.

If they had been able to leave the forest before that day was over, either by tricking or threatening the saint, they might not have been attacked during their escape.

Not going to the fortress was definitely an option.

If I had used Yael’s secret as a weapon to stop her from going, and if I had arranged for only a minimal number of people to go, then-

‘No, it’s a result.’

Blanc shook his head to clear his mind of distracting thoughts.

I’ve experienced the frustration of failure enough, and the conclusion to this problem is always the same.

He always chose the best and did his best.

If there is something you cannot reach, it is not because you made a wrong choice, but because you lack the strength and knowledge.

This time, it was a mistake to not be able to respond to absurd variables… … .

‘What you need to do now is not to blame yourself.’

It is now impossible to build up the strength to fight against them.

If given time, I don’t know, but right now he doesn’t even have time.

Therefore, what is needed is… … .

‘Think about it. Focus on what you have gained, however small, rather than what you have lost. You need to figure out why this has happened.’

Blanc gritted his teeth as he recalled.

‘In fact, if we look at the cause of all these variables, it’s Mephis’ support. Because he suddenly appeared, the raid plan that was going smoothly all fell apart.

Then… why was Mephis here?

Apparently, according to what the guy said, he was chasing a monster called… and he stumbled upon us. But what was that monster?

It’s a name I remember. But I didn’t hear it. I saw it written in the records. Yes, Noil. I think it was the monster that attacked the village when Sir Noil was falsely accused and was in danger of being burned at the stake.

The identity of that monster is… clearly… … ?’

“Rats, a bunch?”

“huh……?”

Nellyvia, who was sitting nearby resting with a tired expression, looked up at him.

There was a hint of worry in her questioning voice, but I couldn’t give her an answer right away.

It felt like something was connected.

‘Tirascia believed that Sir Noyle would save the werewolves, because Dorothy, who called herself the Great Wolf’s predecessor, said so.

However, Lord Noil could not come. He was caught up in a conspiracy, lost all his positions and subordinates, and was driven to the brink of death, but escaped with his life after a sudden attack.

If that attack was actually to protect Lord Noil’s life… then that monster is on the same side as Dorothy! Then the werewolves who were taken away… … !’

The grown Yaul spoke as if he had personally witnessed his friends and family being slaughtered by sword.

But since young Yaul was asleep the entire time during this battle, the massacre did not happen now.

Until some point in the future, those who were taken by the rat pack were able to survive.

I wasn’t taken away… I was saved!

“haha…….”

“… … Blanc.”

Nellyvia seemed to have interpreted the fact that I let out a short breath because I wanted to laugh but couldn’t find the strength in my body.

The girl approached him with a worried look on her face.

“I can guess what you’re thinking… Don’t blame yourself too much.”

“Nelivia, that’s it.”

“Yes, I did oppose your decision. I said it was tantamount to suicide. But I was wrong. It wasn’t meaningless. You definitely… came close to saving them as you intended.”

“That’s not it-”

“Yeah, if only that monstrous enforcer guy hadn’t suddenly appeared… … .”

Blanc, who was about to deny her words, suddenly stopped.

Unresolved questions still remained.

If the unidentified rat monster, ‘Hanmari’, really wanted to save the werewolves… the best option it could have taken was not to evacuate the surviving werewolves underground.

‘If that was really your intention, you shouldn’t have come here in the first place… …!’

The reason why the executors, including Mephis, suddenly stormed into the fortress was because they were chasing one.

If one had not appeared here, the executioners would not have come, and Ira’s punishment and escape from the fortress would have been accomplished without much trouble.

Didn’t you know that the executioners were chasing you? That makes sense, but it’s far-fetched. You knew where the werewolves were running away to, but you didn’t know their whereabouts?

‘I understand… I don’t understand.’

If one of them is an ally of the werewolves, there is no reason to come to the fortress, and if one of them is an enemy of the werewolves, there is no reason to save Noil and keep Yaul alive until the future.

contradiction.

There are two possibilities that can be considered.

One is that, as is the case with all plans, some element unknown to Blanc went awry and nothing happened as planned.

And the other one is… … .

The fact that one of them had other intentions from the beginning-

– Kwakwaang!!

“eww!?”

As they were thinking that far, a huge explosion of dirt suddenly occurred from the direction of the forest they had come from.

Blanc, who was not used to it and felt really awkward, but Nelivia was trying to comfort Blanc somehow, and the moment she looked at the source of the shock,

Again, an explosion of similar magnitude to the previous one occurred.

It was clearly coming towards Blanc.

“What, what is that… … !”

“Nelivia, you must dodge! This way!!”

Blanc grabbed Nelivia’s hand and tried to evade her hastily, but the chain of explosions was approaching much faster than the already exhausted them.

There was not even time to cross the river. Almost as soon as the cold water touched my feet, an explosion went off at close range.

He instinctively hid Nellyvia behind him and tried to get splashed by the water… but the color was strange.

‘blood……?’

– Kikiaaa …

When the explosion erupted again, accompanied by a strange roar from down below.

This time, what rose was not a simple cloud of dirt, but hundreds of thousands of rat corpses… and the millions of drops of bloody rain they spewed out.

“──What!?”

“Bah, bah, I’m going to put up a barrier!!”

A torrent of blood and rats poured down on the purple orb that Nellyvia opened in terror.

When the rain of rats that had been pouring down for nearly a minute stopped, the river Blanc had been dipping his feet in was blocked by a dam made of rat corpses.

Blanc suddenly looked at the corpses of the rats and was shocked.

‘Everyone… all of those things were cut down and killed… … .’

Every single one of those rats appeared dead, cut down with a sharp sword or something.

There weren’t many things Blanc knew that could do something like this.

and.

Of those people, the one closest was… … .

“… … Ugh, ugh… ugh… … .”

Not far away.

From a huge pit filled with rat corpses.

Tired and hurt.

But above all else… I heard a young voice.

“It is… unfortunate… to be swept away by the… strange words of the fallen… and… unnecessary, disadvantageous… … .”

Chul-chul.

It crawled through the ground covered with a mountain of rat corpses, barely managing to escape from the pit.

It seemed as if he couldn’t see well, whether it was because of the blood that flowed out or because he had no energy, and he reached out his hand towards Blanc-

“I’m sorry… people over there… could you… please… treat me? I don’t have… the strength… anymore.”

Mephisto is still young.

Mephis, who was sure to die if not treated immediately, was asking for their help.

Only then did Blanc understand.

One of them was right in coming to save the werewolf.

However, those werewolves are the future werewolves that he saved, and do not include the werewolves of the present.

The reason one came here was… to deal with the greatest threat that would come in the future.

The White Executor, Mephis.

That decision was correct.

Mephis reconciles with the Golden Executor in the not-too-distant future, single-handedly annihilating countless monsters and demons and leading the war to humanity’s victory.

There must be a connection between the reason why Nellyvia had to give up all of her identity and become Anneli, and the reason why she wanted to become Nellyvia again.

and…….

The executioner was now too weak to offer any resistance and was holding his neck in his hands.

My heart was pounding.

For a moment, I forgot the saying that ‘the time line does not change’, and only one thought came to mind.

If you kill me now.

If we kill this now, we can end all this tragedy.

Without the monsters and demons being exterminated, and without the shoemaker’s countless conspiracies unfolding.

All the tragedies I’ve seen so far!

Before he knew it, Blanc was placing his trembling hands on the handle of the silver sword.

Of course, Nellyvia didn’t stop him either. There was no reason to stop him. Even if we set aside the future events, Mephis was the culprit who caused countless werewolves to meet their useless deaths.

Srrrrung, the silver sword was pulled out and raised high.

Just give it some force and strike it down.

If I just cut off that neck like this!!

“… …Before the light fades…I…have…to…get…more….”

As if all strength had finally run out.

Even though I lost consciousness with such faint muttering.

Blanc couldn’t bring down the sword.

There was absolutely no way that could happen.

The young executioner who collapsed before my eyes was an enemy, but not evil.

Because his sword, his damned sword, was only meant to cut down evil-

“Ah …

Blanc holstered the silver sword with a bang, took out some potions instead, and ran towards the fallen Mephis.

“What, what are you doing!? This guy-”

“I’m doing what I have to do!!”

Blanc simply… … shouted at the astonished Nelivia, as if to say, “Let it be.”

I repeated the sentence over and over again.

Respect and protect the good.

In no case should you turn a blind eye to the persecution of the good.

Those who help those in trouble and become shields for the weak, such as church members, widows, and orphans.

He is called a knight.