Starting with the defeated female knight

She raised her head and looked into the darkness before her, her body tensing slightly, and her expression no longer as composed as before.

It was as if something was flowing silently in the darkness, its dark green eyes watching her intently.

The night is still long.

It was just a little chilly.

Volume 1: Chapter 35: Bad Kid, Want to Eat Him

The root removal work went smoothly.

Even the next morning, Uri took the initiative to come and congratulate Elise, praising her and saying that she didn't expect her to be so capable.

So many things were removed in just one night.

However......

"That's not what I did."

She spoke calmly.

“Something infiltrated their settlement last night and made its move before we arrived.”

"...Are they reinforcements?"

Uli blinked, her smile starting to look somewhat forced.

"The capital city provided more support, right?"

silence.

But silence itself is an answer.

"Then, what did it?"

"A demonic tide? Monsters? Madmen?"

As Uri pressed her for answers, Elise twirled the blade in her hand, her mind flashing back to those flowing eyeballs.

Then, he shook his head slightly.

"neither."

"It's an ancient god... another ancient god."

Uli was no longer able to laugh. She grabbed her hair with both hands and screamed in frustration.

"I want to go back! I want to go back! What kind of job is this? What happened to investigating the demonic tide? One ancient god wasn't enough, they have to send another one!"

After venting her anger, Uli calmed down.

"The one the church was talking about?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask."

Because she knew that even if she asked, she would only get ambiguous answers at best.

Although they are both human beings, and the nobles and the church are arguably the strongest allies in the war against the Old Gods, they do not agree on how to deal with the Old Gods.

The nobles' stance can be summed up in one word: 'Kill!'

The Church, on the other hand, is far more complex. Although it behaves in the same way as the nobility when faced with those beings who enter the human empire and attempt to spread their faith and rule over humanity.

However, if the other party does not do so, the church's attitude will be very subtle. Although it will nominally say that it will punish the gods, its various behaviors will become strange.

Elise didn't know how to describe the strangeness of it all, but she was certain that the church and the nobles were not of one mind and had their own plans.

Therefore, although they are willing to fight the ancient gods together, they do not always fully trust each other.

As for the Magicians' Association...

To put it simply, the nobles and the church would rather follow each other's lead than collude with the Mage's Association.

Because these academic lunatics are just too damn good at courting death!

Therefore, even if Elise had any information about the other party, she would rather go to Edith than reveal it to Uri.

Giving a general description is already a favor, considering we're teammates.

As for more information, even if she knew, she couldn't tell her, lest these academic fanatics come up with some crooked ideas and do something nasty to her.

"However, judging from the other party's performance, He should not be our enemy."

After a pause, Elise added a sentence.

"At least, not now."

"That's the same as saying nothing at all... Never mind."

Uri knew the reputation of the Magicians' Association, so she didn't press the matter. After a few simple complaints, she left.

After returning to the magicians' camp, Uri sat back in her chair, opened the crystal ball in front of her, and started munching on potato chips while rambling on.

"Yes, that's right, it's confirmed, she definitely didn't kill her."

"If they can't get more information out of me, I don't know if it's because they're wary or because they don't know anything at all."

"We can't confirm the other party's attitude and ability. The church is as tight-lipped as if its mother had a gag in her mouth. We can't pry it open at all."

"By the way, this time there are two ancient gods. When we get back, I want double the allowance—and paid leave too!"

"Don't worry, you know I'm terrified of dying, I definitely won't do anything reckless."

"Isn't that why you sent me?"

“Dear President.”

......

Time continues to pass.

Thanks to the secret 'efforts' of a certain girl, the work of uprooting the plant went very smoothly.

In a very short time, before the giant centipede could react, the believers, their families, and even the church all disappeared silently, one after another.

During this time, the Mage Guild secretly attempted to investigate the situation of those 'unknown helpers', but to no avail.

As for Elise, although she encountered traces left by him a few more times later, he had already disappeared each time she went there, and she never saw him again.

But she could feel that the other person was right beside her.

Always there.

And almost constantly, His flowing, viscous gaze licked her body like a tongue, filled with undisguised greed and malice.

Nausea, vomiting, and anxiety.

He twirled the blade, using his talent to track the opponent's trail, but each attempt ended at a perfectly timed point.

It was as if the other party knew her very well, as if someone was secretly cooperating with her.

Finally, one day, the other party left too obvious a trace. The bloated gaze and body that had accumulated over time became difficult to conceal, giving her the opportunity to track them down.

After wandering around, she followed the traces left by the other party and tracked them all the way to the vicinity of the investigation team's camp.

Then, I saw a pair of familiar little feet.

Slowly raising her head, she saw her beloved younger sister standing there, a faint smile on her face. Her pure white robe fluttered in the wind, and her whole being exuded a pure and beautiful aura, like an angel walking among mortals.

"What's wrong, my dear sister?"

She spoke slowly, her voice as sweet as honey.

You don't seem very happy.

Elise stopped and looked at Edith, who seemed perfectly normal, while sensing the break in her body where she had stood.

It's a sunny and beautiful day today.

But under the sunlight, looking at her younger sister who seemed perfectly normal.

She felt a little cold.

......

The giant centipede is now very confused.

He looked at the scattered children in front of him and couldn't understand why so many had suddenly disappeared after just a few days.

He was not very good at counting, and could not even count how many feet he had, but even so, the sharp decrease in numbers was so obvious that He could perceive it.

【Strange...so strange...】

The children...have disappeared...

Did it escape? Or was it eaten?

[They went out to play and got lost, unable to find their way back...]

He didn't know, he was just a little sad.

Its enormous body trembled slightly, and tears dripped down its carapace, corroding large, smoking craters into the ground.

The surrounding plants withered rapidly, and even poisonous insects died one after another.

No... you can't be so playful...

[Lost... I need to find my way back...]

Thinking this, He raised His body and began to search everywhere for the missing children.

The earth shook violently, poisonous fog spread, plants withered and died, and animals cried out in agony.

He searched and searched, but could not find any trace of the children.

On the contrary, the number of children who followed Him in the search gradually decreased.

He was even more confused.

Did I... do something wrong...?

Do the kids...hate me?

I don't want to be disliked...

I can... change...

Don't...leave...

His movements became increasingly frantic, as if he were running wildly through the mountains.

But in the end, nothing was found, and the land that had recovered somewhat from the destruction of the demonic tide collapsed as well.

Finally, He got tired of running.

Finally, He stopped.

Finally, He turned back.

But there's nothing left there.

The children's bodies lay on the ground; some were killed, but many more were trampled to death by Himself, or exhausted to death trying to keep up with His pace.

He looked at the children's corpses, and the confusion in his eyes deepened.

[Strange, why... are they all asleep...]

He shook his head, leaned over, and poked the sleeping children with his arthropods, but instead of waking them, he tore them apart.

Blood and entrails were spilled all over the ground.

He looked at the corpse on the ground, then raised his head and gazed at the church that the children had built for him in the distance. For some reason, he felt a void in a certain part of his body.

The children are missing.

The children left.