Chapter 52: You Need Some Help
Knight Wolf took the task of subjugating that creature very seriously.
In addition to himself, there were three prospective knights and six seasoned squires clad in half-armor.
All ten of them were mounted on horses.
A knight could maintain three horses, though whether they engaged in breeding in secret was unknown.
At the very least, after the lord issued the order permitting horse breeding, the horses within these knights' families immediately completed mating and, within a day, gave birth to three to five foals, which quickly grew to a rideable size.
Of course, the taxes they paid that day could cover Piero's desk.
Besides these knights and cavalry, there were nearly sixty warriors.
They were all meticulously trained by these families.
Physically robust, wearing finely crafted leather armor, their shields were studded with iron nails, wielding war spears, and carrying close-combat weapons like flails, hand axes, and short swords at their waists.
An ordinary lord's territory would undoubtedly be crushed by such a force.
"Priest, can you ride a horse?" Knight Wolf asked while mounted.
He had a young squire lead a horse over.
"This is a gentle fellow; the priest can give it a try."
Hearing this, Corleon took the reins and, with the squire's assistance, mounted the horse.
"It should be fine," Corleon said.
"Then the priest shall ride; the journey isn't short," Wolf said, instructing his squire to watch the horse carefully to prevent Corleon from falling.
"Depart," Wolf ordered.
They marched in silence; all were specially trained for combat and war, adhering to strict military discipline.
"Priest, I've received some information. This creature might be a demon from hell known as Gluttony," Knight Wolf said, as the squire assisting Corleon guided the horse closer.
"It's the embodiment of the desire for gluttony, a being that can never be satisfied."
"Any material will be devoured by their large mouths, turning into their nourishment."
"If necessary, they would even consume soil as food."
"To completely kill them, one must destroy each of their mouths."
"If the mages and scholars were still around, perhaps it would be much easier to handle."
"These individuals always have some special methods."
"But now, for some reason, this creature has become entangled with a necromancer."
"Have these necromancers already turned to hell?"
A pure Gluttony or a pure necromancer wouldn't be troublesome, but the combination of these two truly was problematic.
"I requested the lord to have his advisor mage take action, but the lord refused."
"'My mage is currently engaged in some important matters. You should seek help from the church; this is their area of expertise,' the lord told me."
"That's why I came to seek the priest's assistance."
After speaking, he glanced at Corleon.
"In the Seven Deadly Sins chapter of the Holy Scriptures, the Lord says, Gluttony is a sin. Because of greed, one forgets righteousness, abandons my path, and burdens the soul," Corleon said, taking out the Holy Scriptures.
"Gluttony is a great sin decreed by the Lord, and naturally, its embodiment is evil."
"As a servant of the Lord, I must purify this sin."
"And the necromancer, this is the sin of manipulating life."
"Please rest assured, Knight Wolf. I will do my utmost to help you subjugate that evil," Corleon said.
"The Holy Scriptures? I've heard of them. Are they the teachings of the Lord you serve?" Wolf asked.
"Yes, these are the revelations the Lord has bestowed upon me, which I have recorded—the Lord's words, the Lord's gospel."
"Is this cross the symbol of the Lord you serve?" Wolf inquired.
"Yes, it represents heaven and earth, past and future, others and oneself—a cross that links all into one."
"What about the original stone?"
"It has already been replaced."
"Replaced? If it's no longer useful to the church, Priest Corleon, could you sell it to me? Old Henry was my friend, so I wish to keep the faith he upheld throughout his life close to me," Wolf said.
"I'm sorry, Knight. That was a sacred relic previously enshrined by the church. I have already buried the stone together with the old priest."
"Very well," Knight Wolf sighed and then continued.
"Then, in dealing with this creature, how can the priest assist us? Or rather, how should we coordinate with the priest?"
"I will pray to the Lord to bestow blessings upon the warriors," Corleon said.
"The Lord loves the world, but He is also the Lord of Hosts. Those who receive blessings will become warriors of the Lord of Hosts."
"You will receive the Lord's protection, making evil unable to approach, and your sharp blades will be able to dispel evil."
"Under the protection of the Lord of Hosts, you shall surely triumph."
...
In Fur's underground cave.
"Hungry, so hungry, I'm starving..." Fur, now completely monstrous in appearance, lay on the ground wailing, uttering indistinct words.
His belly bulged, with a large mouth on it, opening and closing, swallowing the white bones on the ground.
"No, get away, this is my body..." he uttered coherent words again.
Blue flames continuously burned on his body, as if using his body as fuel.
"Eat, eat, eat, devour everything..."
"Go to hell!" he roared, his withered arm punching into the large mouth on his abdomen, directly piercing through it.
Ignoring the pain, he kept stirring inside.
"Ah, ah~" It sounded like a suppressed scream of pain, yet also like a moan enjoying the pain.
"Ah~ my poor child, entangled by demons from hell." Suddenly, a voice echoed in the cave.
The scholar curled up in the corner of the cell widened his eyes in shock.
He saw the torture rack hanging in the air, as if controlled by some force, releasing the restraints on the processed mage's body.
He opened his mouth but, seeing the already insane Fur, closed it again, merely covering the girl's mouth in his arms.
The girl trembled, her eyes wide open, filled with fear as she looked at Fur.
"Who! Who are you?! That voice, you're that mage! You're not dead after all." Fur suddenly looked up, staring at the mage's body floating towards him.
Under the light from the cave's ceiling, the bloody body appeared somewhat sacred.
"Yes, it's me, the one who created your father," a hoarse voice sounded.
"Get away, just a lowly mage. I am the glorious Gutiérrez," Fur roared in anger. However, the next moment, distracted, his withered arm was bitten off by the large mouth on his belly.
There was no pain, only a surge of power continuously emerging from his body, spreading, covering his bitten withered arm, and then growing.
Soon, the withered arm regrew.
"Yes, you are indeed the glorious Gutiérrez. But I think you need some help now," the mage's hoarse voice continued.
"You feel the pain, don't you?"
"This is the necromancer's masterpiece, protecting you from being polluted by Gluttony's will."
"You should know."
"Even though necromancers are despised by nobles, they are still on humanity's side. Their power is repelled by hell."
"Of course, you are my child, a natural ruler. Go and feel the power I have given you."
The mage's arms remained open as he slowly floated towards Fur.