Before being called the Eroded, in the time of the predecessors of predecessors.
If you traced the reason for worshipping the Demon-Lord, when those predecessors first settled here, the Demon-Lord helped them, so there was no shortage of reasons to worship.
The Demon-Lord received sacrifices and demanded offerings, but now it was also something they couldn't stop to survive.
'O Demon-Lord.'
They didn't even know the Demon-Lord's name. They carved a symbol into a statue and revered it, but they didn't know if that was truly the Demon-Lord's form.
Atop a long pole, a round wooden piece charred black by fire—the Black Sun.
It was said to be for a god who would one day eliminate all light in this world and establish themselves on this land.
A person commonly called a priest had told them this. That priest was the one who taught them everything to live as they did now.
"Revere him."
The priest said, and they obeyed.
If they didn't revere him, there was only death. There were no others who would protect them in this land.
Naturally, they couldn't return to human society with their current appearance.
Without a subject to worship, they would all simply die.
Even if throughout their lives, neighbors, family, and friends disappeared into the Demonic Realm.
Even if the priest took away some of the children born.
It was all something to endure.
After giving up thinking for themselves and deciding to be satisfied with just living, they'd entrusted decisions, judgments, and choices to another existence.
For that dependency to disappear in an instant was truly a distant prospect.
In truth, you could consider it impossible.
They were people who couldn't live without relying on someone.
Fish cannot live outside water.
You couldn't change overnight a life steeped in inertia for decades.
The village of the Eroded was a residential collective of a completely opposite form from the village of Recluses seen in the Pen-Hanil mountain range.
[ * * * ]
There had been a few people who tried to punish the village of the Eroded under the name of justice until now, but they all died.
The monsters sent by the priest always judged such people.
[ * * * ]
If the Demon-Lord protected them, how far did that protection extend? Did monsters attack if they crossed the boundary? Then were they constantly watching?
That wasn't it.
"A relic is buried."
Even before Jaxen spoke, Enkrid had felt the strangeness. Shinar had also complained of headaches throughout their stay here.
"My head hurts. Fiancé, I need something to lean on."
Though it wasn't bad enough to need immediate support.
Shinar wasn't disappointed even though her trick didn't work. Instead, she guessed and informed them of the identity of the relic Jaxen had found.
Separate from Jaxen's keen senses, the Fairy's senses and ability to handle spirit energy were suitable for identifying the nature of relics buried underground.
Moreover, she herself was a target of a demon's courtship and had been attached to a demon for quite a long time.
It would be no exaggeration to call her the best demon appraiser among Fairies.
"It's a demon."
Firm and definitive words. Not that the relic's identity was a demon, but that it was a relic made by a demon.
"I agree."
Jaxen also concurred.
When they brought Audin to that spot, white light naturally shone from his body. It was a manifestation of divinity like a conditioned reflex.
"It's full of unpleasant energy."
Though he didn't describe it in detail, the atmosphere and environment here weren't good for Audin either.
Was it just for him? No way. Everyone was similar.
They all knew respect, so they knew how to endure and had excellent patience.
'Though looking at how they usually swing swords at each other, it seems patience is only used when needed.'
Enkrid walked around the village and observed the surroundings. Luagarne's words were definitely right.
'Using this as a center would be good for striking wandering-type monsters or small Demonic Realms.'
Since it was a village on land close to flatland, the view around was open. Behind, a forest was visible, and in the distance, you could see a black mountain with reddened peaks.
Above all, this place was an inviolable zone where nearby monsters and beasts couldn't approach.
The buried relic served the same role as a stray dog's urine or a bear's feces—a truly powerful territorial marker.
Now, what needed to be done was obvious, intuitive, and clear.
"We don't need to move around together, do we?"
Enkrid asked. Naturally, it wasn't a question to empty air. He was walking with Shinar on his left and Luagarne on his right.
They were today's walking companions.
Rem was busy excitedly buzzing around the village saying there were many interesting shamanic things, and Audin and Teresa had entered training, saying that in such a place, prayer must not cease.
"That's right."
Luagarne answered.
They'd stayed for several days and gathered information about the surrounding Demonic Realms. The villagers knew a lot.
More precisely, everywhere they judged dangerous had either colony-level monster groups or small Demonic Realms.
Even with the Demon-Lord's protection, if you didn't know the danger zones, it wasn't uncommon to disappear when venturing out, so you could call it naturally accumulated information.
From Enkrid's perspective, this place was somewhat solidified.
There were many monsters and beasts living in a strange balance without invading each other.
'Monsters coming from the south.'
On the continent, you often encountered such monster or beast groups.
Because of that, Baron Harrison, stationed in the southern farmlands of the Naurilia Kingdom, had to spend his lifetime dealing with surging monsters—things that, from his perspective, deserved to be called calamities.
Some of them would be born in places like this and pushed outward.
Anyway, their military strength here was a full Knight Order, so there was no need to move around together.
"We can make Lawford and Ragna one team, and Luagarne, Teresa, and Pel can move as another team."
Rather than deliberately dividing their forces with calculation, these were words spoken relying on feeling.
Enkrid possessed the talent to grasp an opponent's intentions with just his senses even on the front lines of battle.
As time passed and experience accumulated, that ability applied well even in situations like this. Though arbitrarily divided, it was an appropriate arrangement.
"Good."
Luagarne nodded.
What they did afterward was the same as before yet different. In other words, it became easier.
Even if it wasn't easy, they were people who would ultimately find and move. The Lunatic Knight Order immediately struck at the surrounding Demonic Realms.
When the sun rose, they moved, and the fighting ended before the sun set.
"There was a group of Scalers—they didn't use abilities, but their scales were particularly hard."
Lawford's report.
It was after dealing with one Demonic Realm in less than half a day. Ragna's Sunrise tore through a whole swamp area. Burning, scorching, and cutting.
"If we'd collected and taken the scales of the killed Scalers, Lord Krais would have been pleased. A shame."
At Lawford's subsequent words, Enkrid only nodded indifferently.
The volume was large, so it would be difficult to carry anything. If there were other means to transport these Demonic Realm monsters' byproducts, it would be very helpful.
If you processed these scales and made armor, the armed state of Border Guard's standing army would improve.
Looking at what the villagers wore, the feasibility was high. They'd somehow made clothes from leather and scales, and the finish was remarkably excellent.
"There was an interesting beast. A small-winged serpent. Its head was triangular and it spat venomous saliva."
Luagarne also came back and spoke. Teresa had blocked the venom with her shield, approached, grabbed its neck, and torn it off.
"She used the superiority of strength rather than technique, but it was excellent."
Luagarne added.
Just from hearing this, you could tell that Teresa's skill had improved from before. If outstanding strength was her advantage, it was natural to use it. Teresa's tactics made full use of her monstrous strength.
Audin moved with Jaxen. They went looking for one of the wandering-type beasts, and luckily found it in two days.
It was a giant centipede. They said it used psychic powers when caught, but to those two, psychic powers were utterly useless.
"Was it difficult?"
"Not at all, Brother."
Enkrid had asked just in case, but he only saw Audin shake his head and Jaxen shrug his shoulders.
The Demonic Realm residents were all surprised.
Looking at what they'd done, it was difficult not to be surprised.
They literally tore through the surrounding Demonic Realms, monsters, and beasts.
Among them were demons that changed form to lure people, and there were over five Demonic Realms centered on Ghouls alone.
There were also several incorporeal monsters called wraiths. The monster with the moniker Twilight Witch, who commanded Plague Maidens, was the most famous monster in this area.
An existence they'd wondered if it might become a new demon as time passed.
Its presence was so powerful that even the Red Cloak Knight Order had the monster in mind for hunting.
Three men—a large male and female, and a fierce-looking man—left and returned after dealing with it efficiently.
Amusingly, the Frog looked the weakest among them. Though the residents couldn't even know the difference.
Anyway, they could only wonder what on earth was happening.
And through this process, Enkrid newly faced the harshness of the southern Demonic Realm region.
'Land unfit for human habitation.'
Yet it was land where humans lived.
What that contradiction birthed was the village of the Eroded.
In the fantasy, the Ferryman asked. No, for several days the Ferryman had been asking.
"What will you choose?"
Forced choices following cruel fantasies.
Were even they subjects who must be protected?
Or were they subjects who must be cut down?
Or else, would he just abandon them and leave?
Whichever choice he made, would his oath as a Knight remain the same?
Oaths and convictions ultimately valued internal rationality.
If you took even a slightly clumsy step, your Will would be damaged. He knew it instinctively and from experience.
Imperial Knight Valpir Valmung had told many stories, and among them, the most were about the difference between Greenhouse Knights and Imperial Knights.
"Among the Greenhouse Knights on the continent, there are quite a few bastards who take oaths lightly, right? Those who compromise roughly? Such things can't rise higher."
Though it came from Valmung's mouth, it must be words proven by the Empire's history.
If you couldn't keep your oath, your value as a Knight decreased. In other words, your Will was damaged.
So he had to find an answer to the question the Ferryman threw.
The Demonic Realm residents were surprised but didn't drive Enkrid and his group out. Because there was no need to.
In other words, what the villagers expected happened. The Demon-Lord's relic monitored the village and sent a janitor.
Moooo-oooooooo!
The village outskirts didn't even have a proper fence. Passing the fields the residents made, a bull giant entered. The startled sheep herd fled to one side. Several dogs also hid, whimpering.
"Minotaurus?"
Jaxen was the first to discover it. A monster appeared after he felt a scent that oddly stimulated the nose—an animal smell mixed with a sharp fragrance.
The creature announced itself with a roar. The meaning contained in that roar was too clear.
Let's fight.
There was no one who could ignore that intense roar.
It was the time when twilight descended. It was a gloomy sunset. Along with a roar tearing through the damp air, a shadow stretched long beside the creature, crossing the ground. The creature was so large you had to look up to see it, and receiving the setting sunlight, it looked even larger than it appeared to the eye.
The momentum bursting from its entire body was also like that.
"When your head is complicated, there's nothing better than moving."
Enkrid stepped forward and spoke. It was saying he'd deal with it, so just watch.
"You always try to eat the delicious stuff alone."
Rem expressed dissatisfaction. Even so, he wouldn't disobey Enkrid's words.
Behind the setting sun, two moons slyly peeked their heads out.
While everyone watched, the Minotaurus placed its hand on its waist, stretched its neck, and raised its head.
Moooooooooo!
A roar that would numb everyone's knees around.
Its foundation was killing intent and savagery.
Enkrid ignored the bull beast's roar with Will of Refusal that arose naturally, and exerted pressure.
The visualized pressure became a wall blocking the front. An iron wall, a wall for protection.
"Look at this."
Rem muttered. It was somewhat surprising.
Stuck in the bull's waist were two swords with wide blades.
Swords with wide blades like glaives, but the handles were shorter. Modified weapons.
Where did it get such things?
The Minotaurus gripping the two swords took a stance.
Could savagery be imbued with swordsmanship? No. Usually not. But the monster before his eyes wasn't ordinary.
If there were Scalers with hard skin and monsters that used psychic powers, could there be creatures equipped with such abilities?
Or was it that being a Demonic Realm, you could see mysterious things?
A monster that used swordsmanship.
Generally, the power dwelling in its body was said to be stronger than an Ogre's, and along with words that it possessed a threat comparable to a Medusa, this creature even wielded swords.
A stance with legs spread wide, the different heights of both arms gripping swords.
Everything announced that this bull knew how to handle blades.
Enkrid held Dawnforge and faced it.
The Minotaurus also used swords. He understood that, but so what?
Right now, Enkrid was just curious if this bull's scream would also be "Moo-oo."
Separate from its stance, the weapons the bull held weren't ordinary either. They deserved to be called relics. More precisely, should they be called relics imbued with demonic energy or demon swords?
Facing the bull, Enkrid began low, long breathing.
Dawnforge vibrated. It was as if it was saying it wanted to cut the bull monster quickly.
Enkrid decided to grant his Inscribed Weapon's wish.
Silently kicking off the ground, he launched forward. The instant the distance closed, the Minotaurus's arm muscles swelled and its swords flew through, tearing the air. All of that happened in an instant.
BANG! The noise struck the ears afterward.
Before that noise burst, one human and the monster had already exchanged offense and defense.