## Chapter 1017 – Aristocrat Kim Kat

Let’s start by chopping some things up.

I placed my hand on the hilt of the Gri Vugal.

“Haa… I apologize. It’s just my personality. Of course, if what you say is true, I am willing to comply. If a paladin from the royal church has come to investigate… naturally, we must cooperate. But I can’t trust you. Please understand. Living in a place like this, we can’t help but be wary of outsiders.”
“Oh, is that so?”

Of course, that’s understandable.

“Living in this jungle, do you often have reason to be wary of outsiders? I thought people rarely came here.”
“You wouldn’t know it, but robbers and criminals frequently come here. So we have no choice but to be cautious.”

Good heavens.

“Hehehe, to come all the way through this jungle. They must be quite formidable. And you, who often encounter such people, must be quite skilled yourself. Just what kind of people live here?”
“Are you suspecting us?”
“I told you, I’m here to investigate. Since you won’t disarm, I’ll conduct the investigation verbally here. So, answer me. Who lives here?”
“People like us… hunters who are a bit stronger live in this village.”
“So, hunters who have gained divine power live here.”
“Divine… we don’t have such things. Haa. Of course, we do have our indigenous beliefs. Doesn’t the church recognize our faith?”
“What god?”
“The god of hunting, Impulntizer.”
“Oh, the god of hunting!”

I’ve never heard of that before, no lie. But it doesn’t sound like some evil god. Is he just spouting nonsense?

“So you’re not heretics!”
“That’s right. We’re just hunters.”
“But those heretics ran away here, you see.”
“So, what kind of heretics…”
“They’re crazy bastards called the Brothers of Cabalstro.”

At my prompting, he paused for a moment.

“…”

I mobilized all my honed senses to observe his complexion. Will he react? I’ll try to talk a little more, but if anything suspicious comes up, there’s no need.

“A group of morons who mistakenly believe that a monotheistic god, that ridiculous god, exists. They believe that god created the world or something. Those idiots who wouldn’t believe such childish lies believe it and think they’ll go to heaven, and they’ve run away here. Hehehe. They’re supposed to be quite strong, and it seems they’re using this place as a base.”
“…”
“Those guys came here, but surely you know?”
“…I don’t know.”

Without any particular change in expression, he shook his head. The young guys behind him are just glaring at me with the same attitude as before.

I insulted these guys’ god, but the reaction is lukewarm.

Are these guys a type who don’t really mind disguising their religion? Actually, that’s probably likely. The Brothers of Cabalstro have been around for over 100 years. If they couldn’t do that kind of disguise, they would have all died a long time ago.

Didn’t something similar happen in early modern Japan?

In order to persecute Catholicism, they gathered people and made them step on portraits of Jesus as a method of detection, and it was carried out on a large scale.

I don’t remember the name of the detection method in detail, but anyway, just making people step on portraits was enough to identify countless Catholics, and a literal massacre occurred. Even though they knew that they could live by hiding their faith and stepping on the portraits, they couldn’t do it and all died.

As a result, Catholicism failed to properly take root in Japan.

That’s how it is.

If you can’t hide your faith, that’s what happens. In other words, if you can hide it, you can somehow survive. But are only those who died in that way true believers? Are all those who stepped on the portraits and disguised their faith to preserve their lives apostates?

Everyone has different thoughts, but at least these heretics in front of me didn’t seem to think like the former or the latter.

“Anyway, it’s best not to run into those heretics. Those crazy bastards seriously believe that if they kill someone, they’ll go to heaven. You guys will be killed in an instant. Criminals often come, right? Then the heretics will come soon too.”
“I’ll have to let the village know. Thank you for letting me know.”

The middle-aged man showed no change in attitude.

Should I shake him up one more time?

“So, hunter-nim, what do you think about that monotheistic faith?”
“…Monotheism? The kingdom would never recognize such a thing.”
“No.”

This bastard.

“Don’t beat around the bush like that, and say it properly. Monotheism is bullshit. The Brothers of Cabalstro are crazy morons. Like that.”
“…What are you asking me to say?”

He frowned slightly and asked back.

“I can’t investigate unless you say this. Come on, hurry.”
“…”

He glared at me for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“…Monotheism is bullshit, and the Brothers of Cabalstro are crazy morons. Is that enough?”
“Very good! That’s exactly the right way to think! Yeah! I’m glad! To think you had such a correct faith! That’s right! You can just treat that monotheism, which is just a crazy evil god, like a fucking bastard!”

I clapped and shouted.

ㅡClench.

The middle-aged man clenched his teeth and began to glare at me. At my level, I can see such minor changes in attitude. Right now, his body is trembling slightly.

“…!”

The young guy behind him is also trembling in a similar way.

This.

They handled it well, but they’re not guys who have received extreme training. They’re trying to hold back, but at my level, I can tell everything.

They are currently agitated with anger.

“…Now that the suspicion has been cleared, can we go back?”

The middle-aged man, who seemed to have calmed down, asked me, regaining his calm attitude.

“Where are you going when it’s just starting? Criminals appear a lot nearby, right? I’m thinking of reverse-calculating the heretics’ entry route based on that, so let’s go together for a bit.”
“I can tell you the location of the village…”
“I already know everything. Let’s go together.”
“…What.”

He looked surprised.

“I’m thinking of investigating the village too, so let’s talk even then.”
“…We can’t let just anyone into the village. Please understand.”
“In that case, I have no choice but to use somewhat coercive methods.”

Let’s finish this soon.

“I didn’t want to say this, but I’ve already figured out the location of your village, and I properly revealed my identity, circumstances, and intentions in a polite manner. But if you keep refusing, suspicion can only increase.”
“…”
“Don’t you think so? Ah. If you think I’m ordering my colleagues to attack the village and holding you back with words so you can’t help, that’s really unrealistic. Hehehe.”

Silence fell after I said that much.

“…”
“…”

The young guy and the middle-aged man are glaring at me and rolling their eyes, pretending not to. This was a behavior subtly revealed by people plotting a surprise attack or something similar.

“Why are you closing your mouths?”
“…”

The middle-aged man exchanged glances with the young guy.

ㅡCrack.

His foot moved slightly.

“Could it be that you want to run away?”
“Run away? Why would we run away? We have to go back to the village.”
“Oh my. Then come with me for a bit. We’re going to the village together. Let’s investigate the village together and look at the items inside. You said you believe in the god of hunting, right? If we just confirm that, the suspicion will be cleared. Rather, I want to help you. Because I have to stop the crazy, garbage-like delusional heretics from harming innocent people.”
“…”

Still, in the silence that had fallen.

The atmosphere changes rapidly.

ㅡ…

Their feet begin to move little by little, and strength begins to enter their muscles. My senses, having reached the level of a superhuman, read their murderous intent.

“Okay.”

Shall we begin?

“I won’t stop you if you want to run away, heretic. Run if you want to live.”

The moment I said those words.

ㅡPaaat!

“Kuaaaaaaaaah!!!”

The middle-aged man screamed and rushed at me, and the young guy ran away in the opposite direction. The speed? It’s at a scrub level. Even if they both run at full speed, they can’t escape from me. It seems the middle-aged man is sacrificing himself and the young guy is going to tell the village, but it’s already over.

ㅡTutatatat!!

The middle-aged man’s movements as he charged were similar to those of a paladin or knight, but they were lower in class. Wow. By the way, a bastard who worships an evil god has this much ability. At this rate, no matter how much the general villagers form a self-defense force, they won’t be able to cope.

They would have no choice but to be unilaterally massacred.

The same goes for an army composed of ordinary soldiers. If they run away, they can’t be caught. A paladin could catch them, but they wouldn’t be able to catch them in this jungle terrain.

ㅡWhirlick!

In an instant, a divine power-like aura swirled from the man’s blade.

He was a guy with real skill.
Then he must know a lot too.

“You pathetic heretic bastard. Is that all you could think of?”

At the same time, the man’s blade, which had approached me, came down.

“You’re the heretic!!!!”

ㅡSwring!

I immediately drew the Gri Vugal and raised my sword. The black blade, wrapped in sword energy, cut through the space and collided with the heretic’s descending sword.

ㅡKwaang!

With the collision, the heretic’s arms rose upward as if he were raising his hands in surrender, and he dropped his sword. The dropped sword flew into the sky. The difference in skill and power is absolute. As I raised it, I also released the Gri Vugal and struck the man’s forearm with my right elbow.

ㅡKuoong!!

“Gueok!”

The man’s arm, with its bones broken, twisted strangely. It was as if another joint had been created in his arm.

Indeed, the heretic was a heretic bastard!!!
He obtained an extended joint with the blessing of an evil god!!!!

ㅡShwook!

In that state, I shot out my left arm, grabbed the man’s neck, pushed him, and slammed him into the ground.

ㅡKuoong!

“Keheok!!”

He was crushed and slammed down with the power of a superhuman. The middle-aged man, who vomited blood at the same time as his back hit the ground, rolled his eyes. However, as expected of a skilled warrior, he immediately regained his senses.

“Ugh, ugh…! Kahak!”

But it was already over.

“This fucking bastard, you said you believed in the god of hunting, you heretic bastard. Your god would be very happy to hear that. You’re going to hell, you bastard.”
“Shu, shut up!!!”
“Do you admit the charges? Brother of Cabalstro?”
“How dare you…!”

In an instant, the man tried to move his body, and I immediately aimed at the man’s shoulder and struck down with my fist.

ㅡKwajik.

The shoulder bone is easily crushed.

“Kkeuaaaaaaak…!”

After incapacitating the man’s arm like that.

“You’re dead, you bastard.”

Immediately getting up from my seat.

ㅡKwajik!
ㅡKwajik!

I trampled on the man’s intact knees and crushed his bones.

“Iheaaaaaaaaaaak!!!”

No matter how much of a superhuman he was, blessed by an evil god, he couldn’t withstand this pain, and he rolled his eyes and screamed. Anyway, I blocked his movements. When dealing with a superhuman, it’s better to crush their bones to subdue them than to tie them up or something.

He won’t die from shock, and he’s so strong that he’s unlikely to die. No matter what, if I cut him, he’ll die from bleeding.

“Hehehe, you bastard. Are you screaming in pain?”
“Kehaeuk…! Yo, you goddamn heretic bastard!!!”
“You’re the heretic, you bastard. I know that you Brothers of Cabalstro destroyed a village where ordinary people lived.”

They have repeatedly committed murder disguised as proselytizing. Torturing and massacring innocent farmers is basic, and raping women or enslaving children is the most basic of the basics.

ㅡWriggle!

The man tried to move his body, but with his shoulder and knee bones crushed, all he could do was move his neck and back.

“What do you think is going to happen now?”
“Keueuk…!”

The man glared at me.

“Hehahahaha!!!”

Suddenly, he burst into laughter.

“Are you crazy?”
“Haha…! How many years do you think we’ve been running away!”

I know it’s about a hundred years.

“That’s right…! I’m going to die! As expected of a high-ranking warrior of the heretics, you’re strong! But can you kill all of us in the village? I guarantee that if you catch even 10% of us, you can put your name in your scriptures!”
“You’re very confident.”
“Because that’s the truth! As soon as my brother reaches the village, everyone will run away! No matter how much you run around, you can’t catch us here!!!”

The man shouted and laughed wildly again.

“Hehahahaha!! You pitiful and evil seed who doesn’t know heaven!!! In the end, we will win!!! Thank you, heretic! For sending me to heaven! I will wait there for the day you fall into hell!!!”
“You’ve gone crazy.”

I grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him up with one hand.

“What?”
“Do you think your brother can escape from me?”
“What the hell are you talking about…”

ㅡKwaang!

I kicked off the ground like that.

And I sprinted through the jungle.

“Th, this speed is!!!”