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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 62: Demon Hunting (3)
Once again, a chilling silence fell over the crowd.
And the one who broke this silence was none other than Lord Edmuir.
"A demon?! What nonsense is this!"
The enraged lord jumped to his feet.
His face flushed red as he roared,
"Knight Commander! Seize this madman at once!"
Galahad, receiving the lord's command, hesitated for a moment and looked at Hamel.
Sensing his gaze, Hamel gave a slight nod.
The time wasn't ripe yet.
He needed to wait a little longer.
Understanding his intent, Galahad raised his hand and ordered,
"Guards! Detain Baron Gilmore immediately."
"Yes!"
Dozens of soldiers on duty instantly leveled their spears at Hamel.
As some of the soldiers slowly advanced towards Hamel...
Whoosh!
The subsided azure flames flickered back to life.
"These flames are my unique ability, called azure flame."
Hamel declared, displaying his blazing blue hand.
The people hesitated, listening to Hamel's words.
"And this Azure Flame..."
Hamel flicked the flames from his hand towards the approaching soldiers.
The soldiers, suddenly engulfed in fire, screamed in terror.
"U-uwaaaah...?"
But their screams quickly died down, and silence enveloped the surroundings.
"This isn't it hot?"
One of the soldiers touched by the azure flame tilted his head in confusion.
As he said, the soldiers engulfed in the flames were completely unharmed.
Looking at them, Hamel explained,
"As you can see, it doesn't harm humans or ordinary objects."
"...Then why did the grapes burn earlier? What does it burn?"
Rupert, seated with a tense expression, inquired.
Hamel crushed the burnt remains of the grapes with his foot and replied,
"Demons. And only things tainted by demonic power. Azure Flame burns only those."
"..."
A chilling silence fell over the crowd.
People's gazes shifted towards the lord, as if demanding an explanation.
Driving the point home, Hamel declared,
"In the name of the Holy Gods, I hereby commence the demon hunt."
The azure flames flickered like a serpent's tongue.
The lord, after a moment of silent observation, slammed his fist on the table.
"What gives you the audacity to act so presumptuously in my domain? By what right?"
"This is my duty. Authorized by the order and His Imperial Majesty,"
Hamel retorted calmly, refusing to back down.
Edmuir's veins bulged as he shouted,
"You...!"
Trembling with fury, Edmuir stormed off the platform.
"Fine. Do as you please. Who will you investigate first? Me?"
Edmuir flung off his ornaments and cloak, drawing his sword.
His well-trained physique, typical of a northern warrior, was revealed under the light.
At his menacing appearance, Hamel calmly nodded.
"You are the host of this tournament, and the one who offered the demon-tainted fruit as a reward. Naturally, you are a suspect."
Moreover, he was the one who distributed the pendants to the residents and healed his wife from her incurable illness.
All the evidence pointed to Edmuir being the demon.
"Then prove it. If, and only if, I am not a demon, you will pay the price."
Edmuir plunged his sword into the ground.
He slowly extended his hand, seemingly expecting Hamel to proceed with the azure Flame test.
But at that moment...
"No."
Hamel shook his head resolutely.
The onlookers, watching with bated breath, gasped.
Even Edmuir seemed taken aback by Hamel's response.
"You are not the demon. There's only one demon in this territory."
As he spoke, Hamel kicked over the black container Lena had brought.
The container toppled over, its lid flung open.
With a fluttering sound, something poured out from within.
"Wh-what's that?"
While the people were bewildered, 'they' flocked towards the azure Flame, revealing their true form.
Brown wings, resembling tree bark, fluttered gracefully in the air.
But unlike butterflies, they flapped their wings long and fast like birds... a swarm of insects.
The insects swarmed around the azure flame for a moment, then began to fly towards a specific direction.
That direction was...
"Kyaaa!"
...towards the baroness.
"What is the meaning of this!"
Edmuir exclaimed, turning towards his wife in horror.
As others jumped from their seats to help the baroness, Hamel stopped them.
"Everyone, stop! These insects are not harmful to humans."
"...?"
"Their name is Grapevine Moth. They are pests, natural enemies of grapevines."
Carnosa Vinea.
The name 'Vinea' meant 'grapevine.'
"They are also something that the higher demon Vinea, whose true form is a grapevine, extremely dislikes."
The larvae of Grapevine Moths feed on the fruit and also act as vectors for fungal infections.
They were pests even to farmers, but never as much as now.
"Kyaaa! Stop it!"
The baroness screamed and flailed her arms, but then...
Splat!
A sudden crushing sound echoed in the air.
The moths, drawn by the sweet scent emanating from Carnosa Vinea, were being smashed to pieces.
"That's..."
Rupert gasped, trailing off.
"Found you, Carnosa Vinea."
Hamel's eyes were cold as he stared at her.
Dozens of vines sprouted from her hand, writhing in the air like living whips.
The baroness, no, Carnosa Vinea, slowly turned her head towards Hamel and gave a slight smile.
"Oh dear... I've been found out."
***
"Don't move."
"Grr, you!"
Hamel held his sword to Lord Edmuir's throat and restrained him.
The baroness had been revealed as a demon.
Now it was Hamel's time.
"Sir Galahad! Now's the time."
"Yes!"
Galahad nodded, drawing his sword and shouting,
"Now is the time, brave warriors of Lonely Ridge! The moment has come!"
"Waaaaaaagh!"
The soldiers who had been pointing their spears at Hamel instantly turned and aimed them at the baroness.
This was the result of Galahad discreetly manipulating the guard duty roster for the banquet.
None of the soldiers guarding the banquet hall were under Vinea's control.
"Sir Rupert!"
Hamel turned his head and called out Rupert's name.
As if waiting for this cue, Rupert jumped to his feet and drew his hidden weapon.
"The priest's words have been proven true. In the name of God, everyone, follow me!"
"By your command!"
Dozens of knights following Rupert sprang up, drawing their swords.
In an instant, a dense wall of spears and swords was thrust towards the baroness.
Only the other participants, unaware of anything, were left bewildered.
Hamel glared at the baroness and declared,
"It's over."
"This situation is certainly dangerous."
Vinea chuckled, feigning distress.
Hamel frowned.
'Smiling?'
Even among demons, none were truly indifferent to death.
They feared what lay beyond.
Whatever awaited them...
Hamel stared at her with a puzzled expression.
Vinea, noticing this, asked,
"You've made quite a few preparations. But if this is all, I'm disappointed."
"...?"
An unknown sense of dread made Hamel flinch.
Before he could fully grasp the meaning of her words...
Thud!
"Gah...!"
Screams that shouldn't have been heard erupted from behind him.
"What in the world...!"
"You... why?"
Knights, stabbed by their own comrades, stumbled and widened their eyes in disbelief.
Rupert's knights.
Half of them had turned on their fellow knights.
Their pupils were already dyed black.
"...When did she...?"
Hamel murmured.
As if answering his question, Vinea replied,
"I offered wine at the banquet yesterday. A very special wine, mixed with my fruit."
"...!"
Rupert, despite his reservations, had heeded Hamel's warning.
He had forbidden his knights from consuming any fruit offered by the lord.
But wine was an exception.
In the end, all but half of the knights on guard duty had drunk the wine provided by the lord.
"I've already wasted two of my fruits, which only bear a few each year"
"I trust you'll compensate me well for that."
"..."
Instead of replying, Hamel assessed the situation.
The surprise attack had dealt a heavy blow.
The remaining uninfected knights, caught off guard, were falling one after another.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of Lonely Ridge were faltering in the face of this sudden turn of events.
They were no match for the knights in the first place.
'As expected, it's never that easy.’
Just then...
"Waaaaaaagh!"
The residents, who had been spectators, began to move.
Some had completely transformed into puppet-like treants.
The problem was...
"The lord is under attack! It's a rebellion!"
"Heretics are attacking the lord! Seize the heretics!"
Even the seemingly normal residents were turning hostile towards Hamel and his group.
'...They must be under the influence of an illusion.'
It probably wasn't as powerful as the pendant worn by the treant disguised as an old woman, but it was enough to deceive those wearing the pendants.
Vinea, looking at Hamel, gave a sly smile.
"Now, who is it that's finished?"
The situation had reversed all too easily.
Hamel reminded himself once again that his opponent was a higher demon, a being capable of single-handedly destroying an entire domain.
"My apologies. I was a bit careless."
He didn't think his preparations were lacking.
Hamel had done his best since arriving in the domain.
However, it simply wasn't enough against Vinea, who had already taken root here.
Therefore, what Hamel had to do was simple.
Click!
Hamel pulled the stopper from a flask at his waist.
Then, he downed its contents in one gulp.
"What are you suddenly...?"
Vinea, watching him with a puzzled look, suddenly froze.
A revulsion that any demon would instinctively feel.
An eerie, dreadful aura emanated from Hamel.
Clang!
At the same time, Hamel plunged his sword into the ground and grabbed a nearby oak barrel.
He effortlessly lifted the barrel, which would normally require three grown men to carry.
With a swift twist of his waist and a turn of his upper body, he hurled the barrel into the air.
"Sir Daniel!"
"Leave it to me!"
He sprang up like the wind and sliced the oak barrel in midair with his sword.
Saltwater poured down from the sky like a waterfall.
The knights who were splashed with the saltwater, or more precisely, the knights who had consumed Vinea's fruit, abruptly stopped moving.
Then, they began to writhe violently, as if in agony.
"Aaaaagh!"
The way they convulsed, as if they had been splashed with hot oil, clearly showed that they were deeply corrupted by demonic energy.
Without hesitation, Hamel struck off the head of one of them and declared,
"Sir Daniel, Sir Galahad, take down the infected ones. Ono and Sir Rupert, please block the approaching residents, but try not to harm them. Miss Lena, I entrust you with tending to the fallen."
The panicked square quickly began to calm down.
Hamel's eyes glowed blue like flames as he growled,
"I will take care of the demon."
His menacing voice involuntarily made Vinea take a step back.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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