assistirfilmes Chapter 161
Chapter 161
“So, where did they say they were meeting today?”
“...At that tall pillar you can see over there. The pillar...”
The Hunter Follower stammered, barely managing to spit out his answer.
From the sheer terror in his voice, it was clear that the shock therapy had worked like a charm.
Moments like these reminded me just how versatile Aftha’s ability to manipulate presence was.
By adjusting its intensity and inducing just enough mental contamination without causing unconsciousness, it broke the target down until they willingly spilled everything.
I smiled, glancing at Aftha, who wore a prim and proper expression as if she didn’t know what had happened.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we’ve gotten some valuable information.”
“...Thank you?”
“Yes, of course.”
For some reason, Aftha said something ambiguous before suddenly turning her body toward me.
At first, I wasn’t sure what she was up to, but then she tried to pounce on me again.
I reflexively stopped her with a hand on her cheek.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“If you’re grateful, aren’t you supposed to let me do what I want?”
“No, no! Hold on! This isn’t the place for that, so calm down...!”
Aftha puffed out her cheeks and grumbled in dissatisfaction, but she didn’t try to push any further.
I guess that meant she didn’t want to do something I disliked.
“...Thank you, Aftha.”
“See you when it’s over.”
“...Oh.”
She pointed at me with a pouty face before disappearing somewhere.
It seemed she had returned to her original spot, her task completed.
“Hm.”
I looked down at the Hunter Follower.
Technically, I could let him go now, but the memory of him badmouthing me earlier still lingered, making me feel spiteful.
Noticing my expression, the Hunter Follower’s eyes widened, and he desperately crawled toward me.
“P-Please! I swear, that’s all I know!”
“Yeah, I believe you. But that’s not the problem here.”
I gave him my warmest smile.
Maybe it was the absurdity of smiling in this situation, but his face quickly drained of color.
“I can’t let it slide that you were rallying people to badmouth me.”
“...!”
I whistled.
Somewhere nearby, the sound of panting echoed as something quickly approached.
To me, it was a soft, bouncy sound, but I suppose it sounded different to him.
Tears were already streaming from his eyes.
“Belle.”
“Human!”
Belle rushed over and sat obediently in front of me.
Don’t get me wrong.
I still had a sense of decency—I wasn’t going to do anything that cruel.
“I’m about to get busy talking with the Knight Order.”
“Woof?”
That meant my ability to summon deities was now restricted.
The most I could do would be to borrow part of their authority. But even then....
“Ah.”
Suddenly, an idea shot through my frontal lobe like lightning.
Usually, overwhelming battles relying on brute force were primarily handled by the Knight Commander and the Vice Commander.
I typically stepped in to clean up critical areas they missed.
In other words, it wouldn’t be a problem if I stepped out of combat for a while to focus on protecting the knights.
As I thought about it, one particular deity came to mind—one who could instantly restore bodies on the verge of death and even enhance physical abilities.
“Commander.”
“Hmm?”
“I think I just came up with a method that’ll kill it.”
At my words, the Knight Commander’s serious expression sharpened, his eyes lighting up with interest.
****
"That was a good conversation, Hunter Follower."
"I think so as well. I've never met someone whose thoughts align with mine so perfectly."
The Hunter Follower representative and the Candle representative clasped hands firmly.
At this very moment, an alliance was formed.
Their interests had aligned flawlessly.
"Of course. After all, you seem just as disgusted by the idea of humans cozying up to external gods."
"...That’s right. It’s something we can never accept."
For a moment, a flash of madness seemed to wash over the Hunter Follower’s expression.
The Candle representative felt a bit uneasy, but since this was a group he’d never have to deal with again after the job was done, he brushed it off.
Leaving the Hunter Follower behind, the Candle leader turned toward the mingled groups of followers and bandits. He raised his weapon high.
"The alliance is sealed! From now on, we will crush the Knight Order of Lontan and ensure they cannot defeat the Giant of the Snowy Mountain! Do you understand?!"
“Uoooohhhh!”
A deafening roar erupted, pounding against their ears like an explosion.
Though it must have hurt, the Candle leader instead found it exhilarating. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his body.
Now, all that remained was to march on Lontan.
The Knight Order wouldn’t have time to respond to a sudden ambush.
The Candle leader was relishing the smooth progress of his plan when—
Boom!
"Arghhh!"
A thunderous crash rang out, splitting the air.
The Candle leader instinctively ground his teeth together, his jaw clenching so tightly it was a miracle his teeth didn’t shatter.
Because standing where the sound had come from were people who should not be here.
“...Raydan Tantan! Why the hell are you here?!”
At the source of the explosion stood Tantan, sword in hand, the ground beneath him shattered from the sheer force of his strike.
Some of the troops nearby had already collapsed, knocked out cold.
The Candle leader knew that Raydan had been showing monstrous growth lately, but even so, the crater his sword had just carved into the earth seemed beyond anything a mere "growth spurt" could explain.
“...A traitor to humanity, walking around so proudly after aligning with external gods!”
The Candle leader sneered, taunting Raydan, but the knights following behind him didn’t even flinch.
They exuded a crushing aura, an atmosphere that screamed imminent destruction.
Running away crossed his mind, but there was no chance of escaping when faced with that. Not with so many soldiers to account for.
A clash was inevitable.
The tension rising between the Candle troops and the Knight Order seemed to make the already frigid imperial land even colder.