## Chapter 716 – Paladin Kim Kat

I dropped my luggage as soon as I entered the room.

“Risha, did you find anything out?”
“…”

Risha, who had been silent for a moment in response to my question, took off her hood and said,

“He’s hiding something… No, he was terrified. More than anything, he seemed very anxious.”

Terrified, hiding something, and anxious?

“You mean the village chief?”

It’s quite strange that he became like that after talking to me. We didn’t have a particularly serious conversation. At most, we only talked about monsters appearing.

Even if I think it’s a reaction to that, something feels off.

“As you know, this one can read other people’s thoughts to `some extent`. However, it is not absolute, and it varies from person to person.”

Risha explained calmly.

“It is greatly affected by emotional state… The village chief was greatly afraid of something, so I couldn’t read his exact thoughts. And looking around, it seemed like the other residents were the same.”
“They didn’t seem to be wary of us as outsiders.”
“This one thinks so too.”

Could it be a village where bandits live, like those guys we met in the Misty Plains last time? But the villagers here all had decent faces.

“And still… I can feel that suspicious energy. It seems certain that the villagers are hiding something.”

If Risha thinks this way, it’s almost certain.

“So, they’re hiding something, and they’re afraid of being caught by us, who just happened to show up?”
“That’s what this one thinks.”

First of all, this matter wasn’t written in the paladin’s report.

Just thinking about it, it could mean that he didn’t come this far. But if he did come? As a paladin investigating something, there’s a high probability that he came to this village.

But the village chief said he had never heard of a paladin.

Something’s fishy.

“Whatever it is, won’t we know if we spend the night here?”
“That’s true. Shall we rest for a bit then?”

Taking off my gauntlets, I immediately fondled Risha’s breasts over her clothes and rubbed my face against her shoulder.

“Hng, hng-euh… Hehehe, really. In a place like this… It’s troubling. I haven’t even washed yet.”

Risha pushed me away gently, embarrassed.

“Hehehe, it’s okay. I’ll just touch you for a bit. Huh?”
“If so… You must only touch me for a moment. This one doesn’t have the confidence to hold back the sounds…”

Anyway, my wives are camping outside the village right now, keeping watch. Risha and I are in a state of infiltration.

We can just wait and see today.

If these suspicious bastards don’t do anything first, we can check it out tomorrow when the sun rises.

“Haa… But I’m still very concerned about Arie. If I have the chance, I want to settle down near this forest and develop her abilities.”
“Let’s do that if we have time. But Risha, is it really okay if Arie awakens as a true Alraune?”
“As long as this one is here, there will be no problem. Am I not a witch? An expert in handling difficult matters.”

Risha said confidently.

“Then shall I make you a little troubled?”
“Ah, ah… J, just a moment…! Don’t do that…! You know how sensitive this one’s body is…!”

As I slipped my hand under the hem of her robe, intending to tease her for a moment, her panties began to get wet. My hand was soaked with her fluids just from lightly touching her panties.

“Risha? What’s this?”

I asked Risha, showing her my fully wet palm.

Strings of fluid stretched between my fingers.

“Aghh… If you touch me like that, what can I do!”
“I didn’t even touch you for a minute?”
“Didn’t you make this one’s body like this!”

Our Risha’s body is getting more and more lewd as the days go by.

I spent my time lying down and playing around with Risha like that.

* * *

Night fell.

I wasn’t exactly asleep.

I just stopped playing with Risha, lay still, rested, and kept watch all around. I’m not really sleepy or tired. In the first place, even if I have sex until dawn and only sleep for about four hours, my body is still refreshed.

I really am a superhuman.

ㅡSwoosh.

Anyway, as I was keeping watch, I suddenly felt a strange sensation and raised my upper body.

“…It’s getting closer.”
“Yeah. It’s this feeling. Risha, some light.”

ㅡWhoosh.

Risha instantly created a floating ball of fire and lit up the room. I immediately put on my equipment and drew my sword.

I felt a suspicious sign, and Risha felt something similar as well.

ㅡCreak.

We got up from our seats, opened the door of the room, and went outside.

“…”

There was no sign of people in the village.

I didn’t get the feeling that they were going anywhere… They’re probably all inside their houses. The windows and doors were tightly closed.

“This is a village in the mountains, but there’s not a single person on night watch.”

It was dark.

“Hehehe, that’s right.”

There wasn’t a single person on watch with a fire lit.

In a village in the middle of these mountains, it was essential to have a night watch. If even one monster wandered in, there would be many casualties. Usually, they light a fire and watch over the village. There is no village that doesn’t do that. If they don’t, they all die.

“Isn’t this a little too lacking in safety awareness?”
“It might be. But.”
“It would be more reasonable to say that they’re deliberately not setting one up.”
“Hehehe, you’re saying it even though you know everything?”

It seems like the reason is about to be revealed now.

ㅡThump, thump.

I looked where Risha was looking.

That place was the far side of the village. Dark and murky. And a strange energy seemed to be carried through the air.

I don’t know what it is… But there’s something suspicious in this village.

ㅡThump.

The sound I’ve been hearing since earlier was footsteps.

A sound like an old man carefully stepping on fallen leaves as if taking his last steps in life. But it was the middle of summer now. More than anything, there’s no way such an old man would be walking around at this time of night.

“Heu. Heuhaha.”

ㅡA strange laughter is heard.
Risha turned up the fire to make the surroundings brighter.

“Hehaha, hehahaha. Hehahahahaha. Hehahahahahaha. Indeed.”

ㅡWhat appeared was a bizarrely shaped monster.

“As I heard, a very delicious-looking female.”

Its height was over 3 meters.

Tall and wide from side to side. Looking at the monster from the front, its appearance was like seeing a male lion with a rich mane from the front.

That too, with abnormally bulging muscles.

In addition, the body of a feline beast with crocodile-like hooked claws.

Rather than a light and agile hunter, it felt closer to a heavy tank-killer who enjoys high-speed battles using explosive muscles.

“What the hell is that son of a bitch?”

Above all, what was hanging on the splendid mane was not the face of a beast, but `the face of a cruel-looking old man`. The nose was long like a witch’s, and the wrinkles were fine. The lipless mouth was torn wide from side to side, revealing hundreds of fangs.

ㅡIt was a very bizarre monster.

The old man’s face was smiling as if he was very happy. His glittering eyes curved like crescent moons. Looking at it again, the old man’s face had not a single hair on it. His mouth was torn to the base of his ears as well.

A strange energy emanated from its body.

“Hehaha… The male looks tough.”

ㅡThump, thump.

The guy laughed as if he couldn’t be happier and walked very slowly towards us. This guy laughs really well. And he talks really well too.

“A manticore?”

Risha, who had been looking at it for a while, said.

“A manticore?”
“It is a monster that uses magic. It is intelligent and large, so it can be said to be quite powerful.”

It uses magic.

“It used to be a fairly common monster. But now… It has become quite rare. Anyway, it uses high-level magic, so it would be good to be careful.”
“Risha is evaluating it as high-level?”
“Ah, I’ll correct that. It’s only high-level among ordinary humans, it can’t be compared to this one.”

Of course it should be.

“Hey, hey. You, you son of a bitch, did you say this is a manticore?”

After listening to Risha’s explanation, I immediately pointed the Holy Sword Vygál at the manticore and said.

“Ah. You son of a bitch, is it a manticore? I’m asking. Can’t you talk?”
“…”

ㅡHalt.

The old man’s face, which had been cruelly smiling, became expressionless for a moment.

ㅡTilt.

The stopped manticore tilted its head as it was.

“…Why aren’t you afraid?”

A very bizarre voice flowed out.

“You look like a total idiot. Anyway. There’s something I want to ask you, do you happen to know a paladin?”

Could this guy be the monster that the paladin was tracking? There’s a high probability of that. He looked like a total freak.

“…”

The manticore was silent.

“Ah, you fucking frustrating bastard, you were talking so well, why are you suddenly shutting your mouth? Hey, you come here.”
“…Very presumptuous.”

ㅡThump, thump.

The manticore, who said that, slowly walked towards me again.

“Very small human, you are very presumptuous, presumptuous. So presumptuous that I can’t stand it. Is it because you are a male in front of a female? Hehaha, if so, I will chew you alive in front of that female.”

He’s good at talking.

“No, you idiot, why are you talking nonsense without answering the question I asked? Do you know a paladin? Don’t you know a person wearing shiny armor? Stop talking nonsense and tell me that first, you idiot.”
“…”

These monster bastards never answered a question when asked. I should just skin these bastards alive, spread soybean paste on them, and boil them like boiled pork.

Just by looking at it, it’s a monster with a style of being very fast, delivering heavy blows, and spamming magic.

But it’s not a guy I can’t kill.

“…Are you talking about a male wearing shiny clothes?”
“Yeah, you son of a bitch. That person is my friend, and he disappeared around here? If you know anything, please tell me.”

As soon as I asked.

ㅡSmirk.

The guy suddenly smirked and opened his mouth wide.

And he said.

“Verdesiaaaaaaaa!!! Uaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! You evil and filthy demon!!!! Our God will destroy youㅡaaaaaaa!!!!!!”
“What the fuck.”

The voice changed completely in an instant.

It was a human voice full of fanaticism, courage, and anger.

ㅡIt’s the paladin’s voice.

“Kuaaaaaaaaack!!!! Verdesiaaaaaaaaack…!!!!”

With that completely changed voice, the manticore screamed miserably, calling out to Verdesia.

ㅡCough, cough.

“Did you say friend?”

The guy who finished speaking returned to his original voice, and with a satisfied face, he said.

“Is this the voice you were looking for?”
“…This bastard.”

The paladin… has already been eaten.
He was eaten by this bastard.

He was imitating the words he shouted at the end for the purpose of teasing me.

“Heu, hehaha. You’re angry. You’re angry. You’re angry because I ate your friend. Heuha, hehahahahahaha. Hehahahahahahaha. It’s fun, it’s fun. Very. So fun that I can’t stand it.”
“You’re a really fun guy. So, you ate that paladin?”
“Ah. That’s right. That’s right, that’s right. That’s right, that’s right, that’s right, that’s right, that’s right. It was an unforgettable taste, and it was an unforgettable situation. When I think of that time, I naturally become fun, fun.”

I tried to seize the timing to ambush the guy while managing the anger that was bursting out… How dare this bastard eat our paladin? He’s a paladin I don’t even know the face of, but he was my colleague and friend.

“He was a male looking for something. But he came to this barn… Hehahaha. So, after making the humans trick him, I ate him.”
“You made the humans trick him? What does that mean?”
“The humans in this barn have been my slaves for a long time. I use slaves to easily hunt prey.”

Slaves since a long time ago?

“The reason I’m telling you this is because this is just a situation that is nothing more than my amusement. You male will be eaten by me, and your soft-looking female will be violated as much as I can, and then cooked and eatenㅡ”

ㅡCrack!

At that moment, black lightning struck the manticore’s arm.

ㅡBoom!

It exploded as it was, and the guy’s big arm disappeared without a trace.

ㅡThud!

The manticore, who lost his balance with that, fell forward and hit his head on the ground.

Looking back, Risha was pointing her finger with a blank face.

“…Rishades Beam?”