Chapter 116

The trembling eyes looked at Freide like frightened beasts.

“Uhh… Uhh?”

“Ahh…”

The sounds were not human language but animal cries.

The term “breeding ground” was indeed a clear expression.

The reason why not a single woman was seen in this village lay here.

Doing such things inevitably leads to the birth of children.

Though the mothers would not want it.

Their solution was simple.

Male children were raised in the village to become part of the community.

To maintain the village, a continuous supply of young labor was necessary.

On the other hand, if a female child was born?

The breeding ground was the space for them.

A place where they were born, raised without any education, and discarded when they grew old, like livestock.

Twelve women, big and small, huddled together in the corner of the room, holding babies who couldn’t even walk yet.

They trembled and shrank back, wary of the unfamiliar intruder.

Their limbs were intact. There was no need to cut their tendons.

They probably didn’t even know the concept of resistance.

The word “rescue” didn’t apply to them. This small basement was their entire world.

If you tried to take them out, they would likely resist.

It was a disgustingly systematic method.

Hard to believe it was orchestrated by mere village bumpkins.

‘Devil worshippers.’

Freide recalled a story she had heard long ago.

Evil cultists who worshipped malevolent deities, committing atrocities and performing bizarre rituals.

Especially the followers of Lilith were known to engage in such acts.

Perhaps such individuals were involved in the founding of this village.

Though now, it was just a bunch of weak villagers.

“Gyaaaah…!”

The sound of crying interrupted Freide’s thoughts.

The women, holding their infants, growled like animals.

Freide watched them with a heavy heart, then closed the door and stepped outside.

It was a pitiful sight, but these women had to be left alone for now.

It wasn’t a situation that could be resolved by just four people in a short time.

Freide’s eyes slightly twitched.

—

The playroom was very… thorough.

The inside was still hot and steamy, with the stench of sweat and blood thick in the air.

Wooden restraints. An old bed. A table covered with wet cloth.

Bottles scattered everywhere, crumpled pieces of cloth, liquids pooled on the floor, and sticky stains on the walls.

Freide didn’t even want to step inside.

There were supposed to be twenty women locked in the basement.

But according to Paul, not a single woman remained here.

The village men had taken them back to the breeding ground before heading to the chapel.

At that time, they hadn’t yet imagined the gruesome fate that awaited them.

Freide looked around the room, searching for anything that could cover their bodies.

A couple of vests that the men had likely discarded. A tablecloth that looked slightly less dirty.

A piece of female armor that seemed to have been left behind because it didn’t fit.

That was all.

The rest of the cloths were too filthy to even touch.

Using them to cover the women would have been an insult.

—

The education room was still filled with cries when Freide returned.

The adventurer woman leaned against the wall, gritting her teeth and crying, while the woman holding her daughter pressed her cheek against the child’s head, her shoulders shaking.

Freide silently approached the mother and daughter, patting the woman’s shoulder.

She looked up at Freide, her face drenched in tears.

“Ah…! Knight… Jane… my daughter, she won’t speak… What should I do…!”

“…I’ll take her to the priestesses later. They’ll take care of her.”

Freide didn’t have anything more to say.

She wasn’t used to comforting others.

Freide took off her fur coat and shook it out.

The blood that had soaked into it splattered against the prison walls.

‘…At least the lining is still intact.’

The black fur warmly wrapped around the mother and daughter.

“Thank you…”

“I’ll bring someone to help, so just wear this for now.”

Freide adjusted the coat around them.

Though it reeked of blood, it was still better than the villagers’ clothes or the tablecloths they used as mats.

To the adventurer woman, she handed the armor.

“This armor…”

The woman stared blankly at the armor in front of her.

“Isn’t it yours?”

“Yeah… it is my armor…”

The adventurer, with a mix of hatred and longing in her eyes, looked up at Freide.

Her tear-filled eyes shimmered with regret.

“…Thank you for saving me.”

“Give me your arm.”

As if she hadn’t heard the earlier words, Freide calmly picked up the armor.

With her tendons cut, the woman wouldn’t be able to put it on herself.

Especially since it was armor, not just regular clothing.

The adventurer woman extended her trembling arm.

Freide knelt on one knee and helped her into the armor.

“How am I supposed to live like this now…?”

“I don’t know. Just live however you want. We’ll figure out how to fix your tendons.”

Thinking it was just a simple consolation, the adventurer woman let out a bitter laugh.

But Freide was serious.

‘I’ll have to ask White Hair.’

If she was a candidate for Elpinel’s saintess, it should be possible.

Though her values were a bit questionable, her divine power was already at the level of a saintess.

To the remaining women, she handed out vests and tablecloths.

With not enough cloth to go around, three of them ended up wrapped up like bundles.

“Wait here for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

Freide headed above ground.

It would be better to have Hashalleur’s help to move this many people.

—

======[Hashalleur]======

…I should probably get going.

After tossing the finished cigarette, she got up from her seat.

The raging flames were slowly spreading to this area.

The maggots left on the street seemed to have been roasted to a crisp, as the eerie screams had completely died down.

After roughly brushing off the human remains stuck to her body, she dashed westward.

The headwind felt refreshing against her cheeks.

The blood that had soaked her body…

He gets pushed off the edge, shaking off the mud stuck to his shoes like using an air gun.

By now, Milia must have finished her “Kobold hunt,” right?

Teaching that the enemy is not human but an animal, and engraving that in their minds by making them repeat it in extreme situations—it’s the fastest way to turn clueless recruits into soldiers.

I learned it that way during my rookie days too, and since I’ve used it a few times since, I was sure of it. Those who trembled even with a gun in hand turned into elite soldiers who would spray machine gun fire at the sight of the enemy after just one session.

Though sometimes the side effect is not being able to distinguish between enemies and civilians… but that’s something Damien or I can handle.

—

Not long after, a noise resembling children’s cries started piercing my ears.

I turned my head toward the direction of the sound.

On the eastern hill, a girl on horseback was looking down at us.

It was Milia.

In front of her, the bodies of the village folks were scattered everywhere.

Meat chunks with holes in their heads, dripping blood and brains.

It was a satisfying sight.

At this point, I could say Milia had also steeled her heart.

As a knight, that is.

I ran up to her in a single stride.

Seeing me, the children who had been crying hysterically fainted, foaming at the mouth.

It was an expected situation, so I wasn’t too flustered.

We had to take them to the chapel anyway, so it was actually easier if they didn’t struggle.

“Ah, Ha-shal-leur! You’re here.”

“You’ve worked hard, Milia. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. They were just Kobolds, after all.”

Milia smiled warmly.

She was completely convinced the enemies were Kobolds. So much so that she was deceiving herself.

At this point, the enemies probably looked like actual Kobolds to Milia.

She had taken my advice too well.

Hmm… is this okay?

Usually, when adaptation is too fast, it tends to cause side effects later…

But well, this is still an early stage. It should be fine. With some time and care, she’ll be back to normal.

“That’s a relief. Let’s head to the chapel now. Freide and Damien should be almost done too.”

“What about these kids?”

Milia pointed at the unconscious children.

“…You’re not suggesting we leave them here, are you?”

You know they’ll all burn to death if we leave them here, right? Are you seriously suggesting we just abandon them?

That’s a bit of a serious symptom…

Smooth-chinned young boys who might be innocent.

If being born itself is a sin, then I can’t argue, but… by my standards, they weren’t criminals who needed to be killed immediately.

“No, of course not…! Ha-shal-leur, really. I was just wondering how to carry the unconscious kids.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant? I thought you were saying something else.”

It was just my imagination.

I thought maybe Milia had developed some ominous belief like “All humans are Kobolds.”

“Well, we can just tie them to the horse and take them.”

“Ah, that should work.”

Milia nodded, got off her horse, and neatly stacked the kids on its back.

I tore some clothes from the corpses to make a makeshift rope and handed it to Milia.

“Here, use this to tie them.”

“Thanks, Ha-shal-leur.”

Milia tied the kids securely so they wouldn’t fall off.

—

Holding the horse’s reins, Milia and I walked toward the chapel.

Leaving the blazing village behind.

“…By the way, Ha-shal-leur, how are we going to put out that fire?”

“Fire? It’ll burn out on its own once it’s done, right?”

It was a fire I started impulsively out of old memories and rising irritation.

I hadn’t thought of a way to put it out.

But there was no need to worry.

At most, it would burn the village and its surroundings before dying down.

“Where will the remaining people live once the village is burned down?”

Huh?

Now that you mention it…

Milia pointed out something I hadn’t considered.

She wasn’t wrong. The state of the women we rescued probably isn’t normal.

Even if we bring people to take care of them, it would take at least a few days.

So, during that time, both we and the women would have to stay here.

…In the ashes of what I burned down.

“……”

Milia narrowed her eyes and stared at me, who couldn’t answer.

“Did you really not think about it…?”

Yes. I really didn’t think about it.

Sweating, I pointed at the sky.

“Uh… should we pray to the heavens? We worked so hard, maybe the gods will help us out?”

“Ha-shal-leur……”

Milia’s eyes turned slightly cold, as if telling me not to talk nonsense.

I know it’s nonsense, but…

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I fiddled with my long sideburns, avoiding her gaze.

Just as I was about to say something to calm her down…

*Boom!*

Thunder rumbled.

Milia and I both looked up at the sky.

The sky, filled with ash and smoke, was now covered in thick dark clouds.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

No way. Really?

I was just joking…

Astonishment filled my mind.

Rain started to fall.

One drop. Then another.

Cold raindrops tapped my face, growing heavier.

Soon, a downpour began.

The waterfall-like rain gradually extinguished the flames engulfing the village.

“Wow…”

Milia, stunned, stared at the sky with her mouth open.