Paradigm Parasite

The sun goes down and the night falls.

I slowly raise myself up and step out of the shadows of the trees when it is dark enough around me.

I keep my eyes peeled and alert.

The patrolling soldiers... are there, but they haven't noticed me.

Okay, let's go.

I have a rough idea of the terrain here.

Beyond the wall - on this side is a flat stretch of land, with the lord's mansion across the river in front of the gate.

On the map, there should be a wilderness beyond that, but huge trees stand in a row blocking the view, so I can't see it from here.

At least there are no fields in sight, so the crops must be beyond those trees.

There are currently two obvious and suspicious places. The fields that may be inside the house and the fields beyond the trees.

Which should I check first?

The field is relatively safe to investigate. The mansion is too dangerous.

First, check the fields to see if there are any suspicious objects. If it is a type of monster nest, there must be something there.

If there are any other suspicious buildings, then there is nothing to say, but is there anything that blatantly obvious?

Incompetent lords enclose monsters and gain all sorts of benefits from them. It is quite possible to think of it that way.

The place is completely isolated from the outside world, so no matter what they do, they cannot be seen.

And Fatima must be in the firing line to hide it.

...Okay, let's check the fields first.

After deciding where to go, I start moving quietly while maintaining [Shimmer].

This kind of covert action is not as good as Hermann's, but it's something I'm good at.

If you use it in conjunction with magic, it's not difficult to perform this kind of trick.

I bypass the house and enter the woods.

The footing is lightly levelled, so walking is not a problem, and the air has a lot of green air in it.

A little further on, I stopped.

I feel a creepy, unpleasant sensation, and I quickly adopt a fighting stance.

...Are they watching me?

I deactivate my [Shimmer] and raise my weapon.

My own personal weapon, given to me after I became a Knight of the Cathedral.

The upper half of the long handle is made of pure silver, and there are several expensive magic stones embedded in it, shining faintly in the moonlight shining through the trees.

Spotted Lance.

As the name suggests, it is a multi-functional weapon that combines the characteristics of a staff and a spear, and although it looks like a spear, it is an excellent weapon that simultaneously assists in the composition of magic and enhances its power.

The golden full-body armour I am wearing is the Light Armour of the Harvest.

It is a useful piece of armour that can store magic power, and can take the wear and tear of magic when it is invoked.

It is also light and sturdy, with a certain degree of protection against the enemy's magic. Both are first-class items made from expensive, eye-popping materials.

I haven't lost a battle since I got these.

No matter what enemies appear, I will not be defeated.

My breathing is good, I am not overawed, and my mind is calm.

I hold my staff and spear in both hands, sink into my body, sharpen my senses, and use magic to increase my physical capabilities.

...Come on, come from everywhere.

A moment later, several red lights on the tree tops.

At the same time, I felt intensely drowsy and wondered what was going on, but my doubts were soon put to rest.

It was dark and hard to see, but something like powder was drifting in on the wind.

Once I realised this, it was easy to deal with it.

Magically deploy a wind barrier. The range is minimal and it is deployed as if it were cloaked around me.

The mysterious powder is blown away by the wind, loses its effect and at the same time the drowsiness leaves.

I release [Wind Blade III] in return.

I would have liked to use the fire system to flush it out, but I want to avoid being conspicuous.

The invisible blade cuts through the mysterious light without mistiming the aim.

There was a response. There is an indescribable scream, the sound of blood spurting out, and the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground.

The air trembled. I felt on my skin that the atmosphere around me had changed.

Perhaps this is anger. It probably means that the enemy has become serious.

The light becomes stronger for a moment. I sense danger and jump diagonally backwards.

I feel as if my body is bound to something, but the armour glows thinly and the discomfort disappears.

It is a sign that the armour has prevented some kind of magical attack.

...Some kind of binding magic?

Analysis will come later. I return the favour with a [Wind Blade].

A faint scream of pain and the sound of blood spraying. I hit, but it was shallow. Stopping movement is a bad move.

I run and close the gap.

The enemy showed a pretence of running away to hide, but perhaps because of the wound, it moved slowly.

I flash my staff spear. I slice through the enemy's back as it tries to flee into the trees.

The slain enemy bleeds and crumples to the ground.

Without checking the fallen enemy, I quickly turn the staff spear with one hand.

A beat later, multiple hard sounds echo from the spear. I knew by the sign that something had been sent flying, because I could see it.

I thought I had played it, but the response was strange.

I frowned slightly inwardly and saw that the spear had tangled something thread-like.

It is fatal to create an opening. Without checking, the spear is pulled at once.

Something is dragged down from the tree.

Once you know where it is, it's easy to kill it.

[Earth Rise III] The ground rises like a needle and penetrates the shadow.

The skewered shadow does not even have time to scream before its entire body is covered in holes and it stops moving.

I hold my weapon at the ready and search the surroundings without caution.

...No sign of...

Did I manage to fight it off?

To be honest, it was a close call.

The armour and weapons saved me, but a victory is a victory.

"What was that?"

I slowly and carefully approach the defeated enemy.

It was humanoid in shape and small in stature.

For a moment, I thought it might be a goblin, but the huge feather-like thing on its back negates that.

...what the hell are these things?

A new kind of monster? The characteristics don't match what I've heard.

Then -...

"!?"

As soon as I turn away, something passes by where my head used to be a moment ago.

It pierced the tree with a strangely clear sound.

I glance at the flying object with only my eyes, and out of the corner of my eye I see something like a hatchet biting into the tree.

From the direction from which it flew, several well-built figures could be seen.

Number five. The outfit is not visible because of the moonlight on its back.

For a moment I think they might be guards, but my mind immediately dismisses the possibility.

Human eyes do not shine that brightly. In addition, their shape is slightly different from that of humans.

And then there is the smell of the beast that hits my nose on the wind.

All of my senses tell me that they are not human.

Besides -.

A stabbing, murderous rage and indignation welled up from the shadows.

The biggest shadow in the middle let out a beastly cry - or roar.

That seemed to be the signal for the remaining four shadows to close in on me, weaving through the trees with wind-like speed.

I instantly realised that I was at a disadvantage. Their movements were clearly accustomed to this obstacle-strewn forest.

After a small cluck of the tongue, I turned on my heel and ran.

My target was the exit of the forest. The north side of the territory.

Magic can be used in the open.

That's where I'm going to make a break for it. The shadows were moving fast, but because of the distance, I was the first to exit the forest.

I exit the forest as if I were jumping out of a tree, and then I come out into an open area.

At the same time, a sweet smell tickles my nostrils.

It is similar to the smell of pumila, which I ate before I came here.

"This is..."

The whole area that was a wilderness on the map has become a vast field.

I see, with this much land you can ship as much as you want.

But the management... The question has crossed my mind, but now is not the time to be thinking about that.

I readied my staff spear and prepared for the enemy behind me.

A little later, shadows leap out of the forest.

Illuminated by the moonlight, they are an odd sight.

Light armour that did not impede movement.

Several hatchets hung from their waists, and each of them was equipped with a large sword, spear or battle-axe in their hands.

All were of such high quality and well cared for that they could be recognised at a glance, and their beautifully polished blades reflected the moonlight and shone bewitchingly.

If that were all, they might be mercenaries or adventurers, but it is their bodies that are the problem.

The bare parts are all covered with dark hair, and most bizarre of all is the head, which is not that of a man but that of a beast.

The closest thing to their shape is a lupus, a four-legged walking monster that attacks in packs, but the ones in front of me are different in every way.

They are completely bipedal, like humans, and are clad in equipment.

And they surround me in a semi-circle with natural movements, clearly assuming coordination.

The threat level is only slightly higher because they handle it by imitation, but the people in front of me are different.

The movement and appearance of the men in front of me are clearly trained, and their posture is seamless.

In addition, their gazes are filled with anger and murderous intent, but there is definitely a spark of intelligence behind them, and I could tell that they were calmly looking for an opening to kill me.

A feeling similar to horror wells up in me.

I have killed monsters before.

They are vermin that do harm to people, and the method of defeating them has been established.

It is easy to kill them if you follow them, and even if it is difficult, it is easy to plan countermeasures.

I have killed people.

They are vermin that harm the weak, and as they are also human beings, they know how to kill, etc., and it is not difficult to ascertain their strength by looking at their movements.

Then what about those who are neither?

I didn't know. As long as they are in human form, it is understandable that it should be possible to kill them by chopping off their heads, but it is difficult to read how they move.

Do they mix falsity and truth like a person? Come with force like a beast?

Or both? I don't know. That's what worried me.

The fact that I have no allies adds to it.

Thinking about it calmly, I have always had subordinates and predecessors around me, and this is the first time I've ever been truly alone.

Again, a chill crawls up my spine and a feeling of unease fills my heart.

The hilt of the staff spear makes a dull thud against my armour, as if I'd put a lot of effort into it without realising it.

The sound startles me out of my thoughts, and I refocus.

I slowly exhale a thin breath and calm down.

What am I? Cathedral Knight Marslan Louis Ludovic.

The most powerful Gnostic knight of the Holy Order. One of them.

What are you doing here?

To capture a new kind of monster and expose the incompetent lord for what he is.

When I thought that far, calmness returned to my heart.

What am I supposed to do 'now'?

Annihilate these people and tell the outside world about this.

Oratorium is a fiendish place, infested with deformed monsters.

This place is too dangerous. Cooler heads prevail over the dangers of this place.

I must bring back information to the outside at any cost.

Fortunately, there are not so many opponents.

As long as there is no sign of a follow-up, I can escape if I can defeat those who are here.

If I can talk to Hermann and Cristela, I should be able to lead my men to attack this place.

The biggest monster, who seems to be the ringleader, looks tough, but I can do it.

First of all -.

When I tried to move to open the battle, it happened as if to spoil my start.

Behind me - as if between me and the field - a wall made of ice rose up from the ground.

"What!?"

An [ice wall]? It's this big and this ...... big.

The wall is about three times as high as I am. It is also wide. I'm not sure how thick it is, but I don't think I have time to check.

"I heard that someone had broken in, but I didn't expect you to come alone."

Suddenly, a voice echoes.

I open my eyes and turn my gaze in the direction of the voice.

The owner of the voice slowly emerged from behind the monster - from the depths of the forest.

Fatima Rose Liard, the Acting Lord of Oratorium.