Future Knight [EN]: Chapter 102

Zekeon, who was trying to slip away unnoticed, suddenly found herself the center of everyone’s expectant gaze, and she froze stiffly in place.

She glared daggers at the woman who was calling her name so enthusiastically with such a bright face.

‘Can you believe this?!’

“High Priestess!”

“Show us a miracle, High Priestess!”

“Ah, hahaha… Ah, yes…”

Zekeon smiled awkwardly, regretting her foolish actions and belatedly wishing she hadn’t done it.

But the die was cast.

She began to think of a clever way to overcome this situation. Now that things had come to this, her pride as a dragon wouldn’t allow her to simply run away.

A clever idea popped into her head.

‘Okay, I don’t have to heal them completely, right? There are plenty of ways to heal them little by little!’

With this idea in mind, Zekeon shouted to the believers who had turned into fanatics.

“Could you all find me some sticks about this tall? As many as possible.”

Zekeon’s sudden request for shoulder-height sticks made people look bewildered. But because it was the High Priestess’s request, they scattered without complaint to gather sticks.

Even spears used to kill people were brought before her.

“From now on, lay the injured who are brought here around these sticks that I plant.”

“Pardon?”

Zekeon ignored the puzzled people and walked out of the field hospital, planting the sticks in a flat area.

Then she quietly chanted a spell.

“Mana of the earth, gather in this staff and transform into the light of healing.”

Suddenly, a warm light began to emanate from the humble stick, and a healing mage, recognizing it, exclaimed in surprise.

“It, it’s a Healing Ward!”

“A Healing Ward?”

“Did you say a Healing Ward?”

A Healing Ward was a magical artifact that drew in mana from the surroundings and converted it into healing magic, and there was no mage alive who could create one. [A Healing Ward is a magical artifact that converts ambient mana into healing energy.]

Only relics from the ancient Magic Era were traded at exorbitant prices.

To manifest such high-level magic instantly….

They were flushed with excitement at the sight of another miracle unfolding before their eyes.

And a light of hope dawned on everyone’s face.

“We, we can do it, with her…”

“God is on our side…”

“What are you doing! Hurry and help the High Priestess!”

“Let’s help the High Priestess!”

The faces of those helping Zekeon were full of hope. Now they could heal the wounded soldiers who were flocking in.

Zekeon installed Healing Wards at regular intervals, and the people who volunteered to help her began to lay the injured around the Healing Wards.

Most of them were people who had been healed and recovered by Zekeon’s grace.

Each Healing Ward could accommodate about 50 people.

The Healing Wards did not have the powerful healing ability to instantly heal wounds like Zekeon’s Dragon Words magic.

But it gradually healed wounds and prevented them from worsening, which was a great help to the priests and healers.

* * *

Wolfdale, panting, rushed into the temporary command center and shouted to Duke Sachsen.

“Commander! Have you heard the news?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but can’t you be quiet? I feel like my head is about to explode.”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Commander.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“They say a High Priestess has appeared at the field hospital.”

“What? A High Priestess has appeared? What nonsense are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Duke Sachsen looked incredulous and dismissed it as a joke, so Wolfdale looked at the ceiling as if frustrated and said.

“Am I in a position to joke with you right now, Commander?”

“No, so is it really true?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. She’s saving countless soldiers with incredible miracles.”

In the Arkan Continent, there was a legend that whenever great trials befell humans, God would send a High Priestess to earth to help the people.

However, Duke Sachsen couldn’t believe his words until he saw it with his own eyes.

Wolfdale whispered carefully in Duke Sachsen’s ear.

“Um, and… they say that this High Priestess is so beautiful that the word ‘High Priestess’ doesn’t do her justice. She’s truly a celestial beauty.”

“Ce, celestial beauty!”

That’s right. There was no legend that said the High Priestess was ugly.

Duke Sachsen was troubled by the dark elves’ persistent terrorism, but he was determined to make time to meet the High Priestess, even if he had to squeeze it in.

If she was a true High Priestess, it was his duty as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces to pay her a visit, but one of the reasons he was moving was that he wanted to confirm that she was a celestial beauty.

As the saying goes, a man is not a man if he shies away from beauty.

“I’m going to see the High Priestess right now. And mobilize the guards on standby! We must protect the High Priestess from the evil dark elves.”

“Yes, Commander.”

‘For the High Priestess to appear at such an opportune time! If she is a real High Priestess, her very existence will boost the morale of the soldiers.’

With such high hopes, Duke Sachsen hurried to the field hospital where the High Priestess had appeared.

* * *

Eleven Black Wyvern members descending into the darkness.

Today, they landed deep behind enemy lines for another act of terrorism.

“Captain, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

“It looks like you haven’t slept for two days.”

“Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine.”

Even though he said that, he was indeed tired from the continuous battles.

However, he had the elves’ mana cultivation technique, so he was less tired than the soldiers who couldn’t sleep because of the dark elves, even with only an hour of sleep.

“Okay, let’s give them a good hit today, too.”

“Yes, sir!”

Kang Chan held out his hand, and all the members put their hands on top of his.

“Okay, let’s move out.”

The Black Wyvern members, cloaked in stealth cloaks, disappeared into the darkness one by one.

Today’s target was the Halberton area of the Helion Kingdom, where weapons were mass-produced, and where many blacksmiths were gathered.

This place not only supplied the enemy with high-quality weapons, but also repaired captured or broken weapons, making it one of the enemy’s key facilities that the Allied Forces had to destroy.

Under the dark night sky, the embers of hundreds of furnaces did not go out even at night, and the stocky green elves were constantly hammering and tempering, making weapons.

They were the green dwarves, the hidden contributors to the green elf camp.

They were the children Green had with the seed of the dwarves. [The green dwarves are offspring of Green, an elf, and a dwarf.]

As such, they had far better craftsmanship than humans, even if they were not as good as dwarves.

The high-quality weapons they produced were the driving force behind the green elves’ ability to gain an advantage over the human and orc allied forces.

However, because it was such an important location, defenses against the enemy were more thorough than anywhere else.

Many troll elves capable of fighting Gigantes [Large, powerful creatures] and thousands of soldiers were stationed and waiting.

Moreover, judging from the detecting magic circles surrounding the area, Zekeon’s stealth cloak seemed to be ineffective.

He could have forced his way through, but Kang Chan wanted to deal with it secretly without casualties if possible, so he decided to take out his trump card.

‘The time has finally come to use it.’

Kang Chan checked the wind direction and speed.

‘Computer, check the wind speed and direction.’

-I’ll help you with that much.

‘Thanks.’

Kang Chan was now so used to the sassy computer that he treated it naturally.

It had suddenly gone crazy lately, but it was a grateful presence that always helped in times of emergency.

-Current wind speed: 1.2m/s from southeast to northwest.

‘Then it would be best to use it in that direction.’

“Captain, the security is too tight, what should we do?”

“From now on, it’s a chemical and biological warfare situation. Apply MOPP level 4 (Mission Oriented Protective Posture). [MOPP level 4 is a full protective gear against chemical and biological agents.]”

“Pardon?”

“No, way, are you going to use that?”

Everyone’s face was full of complaints.

“Why? Any complaints?”

“No… it’s just that poison gas is against the spirit of chivalry….”

They were from the Hellainer Knights, who revered the spirit of chivalry, so they seemed to feel a strong aversion to the idea of using poison gas.

To them, killing the enemy with poison was like ambushing them.

However, Kang Chan’s eyes were cold as he looked back at them.

“The spirit of chivalry when dealing with those devilish bastards? You’re all talking nonsense.”

“…….”

None of the members could respond to Kang Chan’s words.

To them, the green elves were devils who did not deserve the spirit of chivalry.

But the real reason they even mentioned the spirit of chivalry was different.

It was because of the damn crude gas masks.

‘Ugh….’

All the members sighed inwardly and reluctantly took out the crude gas masks made of soft sheepskin from the leather bags hanging on their sides.

It was more like a leather mask than a gas mask.

The eye area was made of glass, and several strands of string were connected around the eyes, nose, and mouth.

And finally, a glass bottle filled with greasy oil….

The members’ eyes shook violently the moment they took out the glass bottle.

The purpose of the oil was what Kang Chan had reluctantly chosen to completely block the inflow of poison gas in this place where there was no rubber.

It was a very sticky and viscous animal oil, characterized by a very disgusting smell.

The first time the members wore these gas masks was on the last day of hellish commando training.

That day, Kang Chan put these gas masks on the members who were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, locked them in a small room, and created a chemical and biological warfare situation by creating spicy smoke.

The members, who were experiencing gas masks for the first time, had to experience another hell.

Kang Chan put a thin sheepskin mask on their faces and pulled the leather straps located at the top, bottom, and middle very tightly and tied them.

Then they felt like they were going to die because the blood wasn’t circulating in their faces.

Finally, Kang Chan began to apply a viscous black oil to the leather without leaving any gaps.

In this place where there was no rubber, this was the only way to prevent gas from entering in an emergency.

But the problem was the smell.

The disgusting smell of animal oil that had seeped inside made them feel nauseous.

It was too much of an ordeal for the members who had grown up eating noble food.

In the meantime, Anais, a woman, couldn’t stand the disgust and vomited while wearing the gas mask.

“Uweeeweweeweck!”

In this way, Kang Chan’s special gas mask gave her a beautiful memory of almost suffocating to death from her own vomit.

After that, the members called the gas mask made by Kang Chan the gas mask of hell, and feared it as much as Kang Chan.

And now the situation had come where they had to use such a gas mask in actual combat….

‘Oh, God….’

The members faced each other in pairs and put gas masks on each other with determined eyes.

The expressions on their faces as they put on the gas masks were like those of death row inmates, and the crude gas masks were no different from the masks put on death row inmates.

Then, one by one, they turned around and pulled the top, bottom, and middle strings.