Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 113: "Fire"

[Other Pov]

The Royal Capital Urs Laguna.

It is located slightly south of the center of the Kingdom of Urs Laguna.

It boasts the largest site in the country and is a "territory" directly controlled by the royal family.

Because of its huge size, it has the largest number of resident forces in the country, and has a considerable number of "knights."

Not all of them are stationed in the royal capital, and some of them are dispatched to other territories in exchange for money to maintain security and defense, and they are the swords and shields that govern the defense and security of the country.

However, in order to counter the increasing number of monster attacks, roving bandits, disasters that occur one after another, and man-made disasters, more powerful forces are required, and the shadows of other countries that have recently appeared and disappeared have accelerated this.

The answer to this is the increase in the number of knightly orders.

Regardless of their origins, those who were skilled in battle were recruited and new knightly orders were established.

The result was simply an increase in strength but uneven quality.

The current Royal Order of Knights is a chaotic organization that includes a variety of people, from those who can be called the epitome of noble knights at the top, to those who are thieves and robbers at the bottom, whom one would be hesitant to call knights.

They are probably the lowest of the low.

With their rusted armor and infuriated shoulders, the majority of people who saw them would recognize them as ruffians rather than knights.

They were in a bad mood because the knights of the cathedral had just stolen the girl of Darzain, whom they had found with great difficulty.

The story that some of the other knights had been rewarded for capturing her added to the sour mood.

"Damn you! That son of a bitch! If he hadn't interfered, we'd be there right now..."

"Don't say that. If he hadn't interfered, we might have been killed. Let's just count our blessings that we're still alive."

The place was their office.

The people around him are quieting down the man who is being very angry and hitting everything near him.

"Shut the fuck up! Fuck you! Ah...it won't stop, it won't stop.... What is he, a knight of the cathedral! That power is just another piece of equipment! I'll kill you...I'll kill you..."

Just as the man was about to go on another rampage, a man wearing the same armor as they were came into the packing room.

"Hey, hey, hey. What's the matter with you guys?"

"Well, sir... that's the thing..."

"Ah. You don't have to say anything, I can tell by your face. You must have been lost in the hunt for Darzain, right?"

The man called the leader of the group hit the bull's-eye, and everyone else fell silent.

"Well, I've got some good news for you poor bastards! If it works out, we'll make a lot of money. If you get in, I'll tell you all about it. What do you think?"

They were basically only interested in the immediate future, so they took to the lucrative offer that appeared before them without a second thought.

They were also frustrated by the earlier incident and needed something to vent about.

"All right. Then I'll explain. Actually..."

The leader of the group began to tell them about the profit they could get from the deal he had just brought to them.

[Mc Pov]

"And? You came, but I thought you were going to attack?"

"Shut up and watch."

Vertex brushes off my question.

The location has changed, and we are now on the outer wall of the city.

Below us was the favela, and even in the dimming light, we could see that people were gradually gathering.

I thought we were going to attack immediately, but we've been here since a while ago and it's been like this.

While we were talking, people were gathering one by one.

Are we going to round them up when they're all here?

I glance at Vertex next to me, but he is looking down silently.

If you look closely, you can see that his mouth is in the shape of a thin smile, and you can tell that he is thinking about something rather absurd.

"It's about time."

Was it about time I heard such mutterings?

Before I knew it, torch and lamp lights were gathering one after another around the favela.

Vertex urged with a derisive smile, "Look!"

A corner of the favela went up in flames, followed a little later by screams and strangely high-pitched laughter.

If you look closely, you can see that they look like knights...or rather, knights by all accounts.

They were wearing full body armor, setting fire to the house and capturing one by one after hurting the residents who came out.

...What is this? Is this the start of a roundup?

It's very rough for that. They're completely merciless.

Anyone who resisted was...oh, killed.

And there's even a guy who dragged a woman into the shadows.

Ha-ha-ha. A knight in disguise.

"There was an attack on a brothel during the day. The attacker was unknown. However, items left at the scene identified it as a Darzain stronghold. The prostitutes who escaped have been identified as members of the group and have been ordered to be captured. So word was brought to the Knights that this favela was their hideout."

"The favela is their hideout?"

"I hear so. There are people who do terrible things although some of them don't have anything to do with it."

Vertex laughed quietly.

I know it was obvious, but this guy is really a terrible guy.

Well, thanks to you, some things have become clear.

The reason why he didn't talk about anything other than his two main targets was because he was going to let the knights who had burned up the place take care of the others.

"I'll tell you something good. Human beings are creatures, you know, who seem weaker than you are, who don't fight back, who can't be blamed for hurting you, and who can benefit. They are ...... many things, but if they have a cause to attack, they are willing to trample on the weak, no matter what the facts are."

Well, that makes sense when I see the devastation in front of me, and I recognize it myself.

If there is an easy target to attack, they will happily kick other people's feet.

Those who don't are those who can calculate the disadvantages of doing so.

"The fools who like to drag others down with them will easily dance around the idea of a cause and a profit. After that, we'll finish them off when the real ones show their faces."

As I watched the damage to the favelas slowly spread, I had a sickening mixture of discomfort and titillation swirling in my chest.

It's similar to the feeling I had when... when the goblins were looting their friends.

...Well, I guess I'll feel better if I move my body, right?

I've been looking at this scene and I'd like to do a few things.

I leaned back against the wall.

"I'm going to spend some time down there. If you see a target, call me with a magic stone."

"Do as you please."

I throw myself over the edge.

I let myself be pulled by the sensation of levitation and gravity for a moment, thinking about how I would move from here.

"What... is... this...?"

I, Elisa, who had returned to the favela after running desperately, saw a blazing fire.

I quickly ran into the shadows nearby.

At the same time, a woman who looked like a mother with a child in her arms jumped out of the burnt house.

The knights nearby seized her as if they were waiting for her.

"Stop! At least let my child be...."

The mother was about to say something when she was hit by the knight and stopped moving.

When the knights confirm that she is completely unconscious, they drag her away.

I think they are gathering them all together to take them away.

I know what the knight wants. It's us.

But what are they thinking, taking people from the favelas who have nothing to do with us!?

I'm sorry to the parents and children who are being taken, but I have to get back to my sister and the others first.

If we escaped, they would not waste any more time and would pull out of the area.

We proceeded deeper into the favela, hiding.

Meanwhile, houses are being burned down and people are being taken away.

I think.

How did this happen?

It was a normal day until those people showed up.

I think.

Have we done something to deserve this?

Because if we didn't, weak people like us wouldn't be able to survive.

I think so.

That is why we have been killing.

Because if we don't kill, we can't survive. Because no one will help us.

...Because we can't move forward unless we do something by ourselves.

Residents who resist are slashed to death by knights.

A child tries to escape and is beaten.

An old man is dragged violently away.

"Let go of me! Let me go!"

A familiar voice is heard in the middle of the crowd.

Hiding behind a burnt-out house, I head in the direction of the voice and see one of my "sisters" being seized by a knight.

She is frantically flailing about, but her arms are already bent in strange directions.

...What should I do?

I am lost.

It is difficult to save her. The opponents are three people in full body armor.

I have no armor, and the only weapons I have are a dagger and the throwing dagger I retrieved when I was stabbed earlier.

Abandon her?

How can I say that's the best I can do ......!

I approached them, hiding as much as I could, and ran out at once.

The knight closest to me turned around.

At the same time, I clung to the knight and stabbed him through the gap between his helmet and armor, aiming at his neck.

Fortunately, he was not wearing mail, and the blade sank easily.

The knight fell down, gurgling blood from his mouth.

"What? Where did this fellow appear from...oops!"

I threw the remaining dagger at the other one, whose movement had stopped due to the shock, but it hit the helmet and was bounced off.

"Damn you! You bitch!"

The knight and the other, who had recovered from the turmoil, pointed their swords at me.

I looked at the fallen girl and urged her to run away.

She nodded and tried to stand up with her broken arm.

I pulled out my dagger and held it at the ready, concentrating on the enemy in front of me.

Let's buy some time for her to escape.

"Hey, this one's a hit. If she came all the way out here to help her, she's probably a hit, too."

"Well, I'll hold them off..."

No, I'm not going to let you do that.

I throw my dagger at him, then pick up the sword that belonged to the knight I just killed and run.

I closed the gap between us and sliced him with the sword. I'm not very good with a sword, but that doesn't mean I can't use it.

The difference in arm strength is there, so be sure to avoid a clash of swords.

I remember what Lorena taught me before and swing my sword.

The opponent moves slowly due to his armor. I can manage to hold them off....

"Don't you dare!"

...it didn't work.

The sword flew out of my hand by the knight's forceful blow.

A short distance away, there was a metallic sound and the sword rolled on the ground.

"Don't you dare make it difficult for me...hey!"

With an irritated voice, a thrust came flying at me.

The target was apparently the torso, and he was going to kill me. Blood splattered.

But it wasn't me, it was the girl who should have escaped.

Why did you protect me...why?

The girl who was stabbed clings to the knight.

"What are you doing?"

The bomb explodes. The knight was instantly killed by the black mist without being able to scream.

"Son...ggh!"

A sharp pain in the leg. The remaining knight's sword pierced my leg.

"Hey, hey, hey. How dare you kill my friend? Well, thanks to you, I get a bigger share, so it's okay..."

I felt a shock on my cheek. I was hit.

A kick to my stomach as I fell down.

"Goh...oh...gh."

I writhed on the ground as I vomited.

I realized as I moaned in pain. Ah, this time it's over.

I'm so frustrated...so frustrated...why am I in this place like this?

I was kicked again.

It hurts. I coughed, blood spilling from my mouth.

"I'll break your limbs before I take you away."

The knight sheathes his sword and swings it up.

Impact. One arm is broken.

An inaudible scream erupts from my mouth.

"There, I'll go for another one."

The knight raises his sword again.

It hurts...it hurts...sister...someone...help....

"Gah!"

The storm of violence subsides unexpectedly.

A knight blows up and someone stands in front of me.

I look up and in front of me...

"Are you okay?"

There was a Cathedral Knight from earlier.