Chapter 170: A Gift from an Avenger (Part Ⅰ)
Translator:Transn
Editor:Meh
The sun had gradually sunk into mountains, and night fell in the Western Region.
The emissary delegation decided to camp in an open field not far away from the main road.
Soon after they pitched their tents in a circle, they lit up a bonfire in the center. Warriors took off their armors and sat around it. They stretched to relax themselves and waited until the water boiled on the fire to cook porridge.
Alicia carried a basin of warm water into a tent and said, "My Priestess, please wash your face."
"Thanks," Mira nodded to her with a smile and then dipped her towel in the water. "We'll arrive at Border Town tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work along the way."
"It's not a big deal, compared with fighting against demonic beasts. On this journey, you're the one impressing me the most. You're such a good rider. I used to think priests and priestesses weren't good at long journeys," Alicia said.
"Hah-hah, I'm not born a priestess. I frequently traveled on horseback when I was a merchant." Mira wiped the dust and sweat on her face with the towel and then gave the basin to the female warrior. "Wash your face, please. How's it? Do you feel any better now?"
"What?" Alicia winced.
"The thing about God's Punishment Army." The Priestess shook her head with a smile. "You've your heart on your sleeve. Is it because of what Abrams said?"
"..." Alicia took the basin without saying anything.
"All of us will encounter difficulties and challenges. If we can't overcome them, the whole world will suffer, let alone the church. In order to stop those dreadful enemies, we have to make sacrifices sometimes. This issue may put you in a dilemma, but don't forget the church's motto," Mira said.
"Of two evils choose the lesser," Alicia said in a low voice.
"Exactly, the purpose of the sacrifice determines whether it's worth doing. Most importantly, participation in the incarnation ceremony of God's Punishment Army is completely voluntary. When Abrams' brother made up his mind to become a God's Punishment Warrior, he was ready to sacrifice himself to the church. It's a lofty ideal, and his name will be engraved on the Monument of Glory and passed down through generations together with the glory of the church."
"Thank you, My Priestess. I feel much better now," Alicia said, with her right hand on her chest.
She stopped feeling gloomy hearing what the priestess said. She thought no matter what, as least, God's Punishment Warriors adhered to their faith and sacrificed themselves for the glory of deities.
"My pleasure," Mira said with a slight smile, "let's get out having dinner. It must be ready now. No kidding, I can't taste now after so many days of eating porridge."
"Luckily, today is the last day," Alicia smiled back and said, "tomorrow, we'll meet the lord and enjoy a splendid banquet."
The chief justice picked out tonight's watchmen after the tasteless dinner. Judgement Warriors not assigned to any task went back into their tents to sleep. Alicia also returned with the priestess to the tent, put out their oil lamp and wrapped themselves in quilts.
Alicia was not sure how long she had slept when she heard a sudden thud in a daze. It sounded like something hitting the ground. Very soon, here came another heavy, dull noise.
And in that noise, she had heard a vague sound of an armor dropping onto the ground.
She opened her eyes at once.
She swiftly got out of her quilt to grab her two-handed sword aside and slowly moved to the door of the tent. When she was going to raise a corner of the tent to see what happened outside, she heard the chief justice angrily shouting, "Enemy attack! Warriors, get up to fight!" The roar broke the silence of the night and stirred up everyone in the battalion.
After that, Alicia heard a loud bang!
Meanwhile, the chief justice's voice suddenly stopped.
She did not hesitate anymore and promptly rolled out of her tent. She saw the chief justice's giant sword being cut in half, no... not only his sword, the chief justice himself was also split, his blood gushing into the sky. In the light of the bonfire, he knelt down feebly and his body broke into two pieces, falling down at a woman's feet.
This woman with a giant sword in hand was the attacker. She wrapped herself in a black gown and covered her face with a hood. In the shadow of the hood, Alicia could clearly see two shinning golden pupils.
Another two Judgement Warriors lunged at the attacker together, but nobody could resist the dreadful giant sword in her hand. She killed each Judgement Warrior with only one strike, cutting both the warrior and his sword in half. First, their swords clashed, making loud bangs and sending sparks and iron filings flying to all directions. After that here came the friction sounds of flesh and bones being cut through by her giant sword. The horrifying sounds like a nightmare curdled Alicia's blood.
"It's a witch!" someone exclaimed.
[There's only one attacker... and she dares initiate attack at Judgement Army on her own. She must the Fallen with demon power!]
When Alicia was absorbed in thoughts, a steady voice suddenly came into her ear. "Take the priestess away!"
She turned around and saw Abrams.
"Are you asking me to leave all my battle companions behind?" Alicia widened her eyes.
"Otherwise, you'll die here for nothing. Don't you understand!" He growled with his eyebrows knitted. "She's not afraid of God's Stone of Retaliation. She must be an Extraordinary. I'll try my best to stop her. You take the priestess to Longsong Stronghold! Remember to take the main road all the time. If you run into any caravan along the road, ask them for help!" With these words, he dashed toward the attacker with his sword in hand.
Alicia gasped. [She's an Extraordinary. It's said that only God's Punishment Warriors can rival Extraordinaries. Meeting them, I should immediately ask the local church for help. Abrams is right. If I stay here, it'll only waste their sacrifices.]
Seeing five Judgement Warriors killed, the remaining warriors changed their tactics. They took advantage of the tents and the terrain to fight a running battle against the witch as a ploy to gain time. However, Alicia knew it clearly that sooner or later, the warriors would die in the hand of the Extraordinary who was way more stronger and faster than them.
She grated and rushed back into the tent. The priestess had already put on her shoes, waiting for information. Alicia jerked Mira up, leading her to the place where the delegation had tied their horses.
"What happened?" the priestess asked in a deep voice.
"An Extraordinary witch attacked the battalion! Please leave with me now!" Alicia mounted her horse and urged. "Be quick!"
Finding out that she could hardly see the road at night, Alicia was afraid that the horses might be tripped if they galloped on the main road. Slowing down the speed to ensure safety was not a good choice, either. The witch could easily catch up with them as they could not run very far.
In the end, Alicia decided to send the horses run along the main road while she and the priestess were burrowing into the forest on the wayside. In this way, it was hard to find them without firelight.
She took Mira's hand, walking away from the main road. Gradually, she could hardly hear the clashes of swords. In the dim moonlight, she stayed alert and aware of the surroundings. Deep in the forest, they might meet beasts or vipers, but at least it was better than encountering an Extraordinary.
Alicia finally heaved out a sigh of relief when they fumbled their way through the dark and got near to the Impassable Mountain Range. It seemed that they were not followed by the witch. Quietness prevailed now except for the tweeting birds over their heads.
"What're we going to do next?" Mira asked.
The priestess did not seem to panic at such a crisis, which impressed Alicia a lot. "My Priestess, we'd better find a place beyond the wind's reach to spend the night. When the dawn reaches tomorrow, we'll go to Longsong Stronghold to ask for help."
"Don't we go to Border Town? It needs at least a day and a night to return to the stronghold."
"No." Alicia shook her head and continued to explain, "It wasn't just a coincidence that we were attacked by an Extraordinary. The lord probably has already been in collusion with witches. If that's true, it's too dangerous for us to go there."
"I see your point..." Mira's mouth was suddenly agape. She seemed to stare at something behind the female warrior.
Alicia's heart skipped a beat. She turned around and saw the woman in the black gown steadily stepping out of the forest's shadow. Her eye shone like stars. An owl swirled down and landed on her shoulder.