How to Live as a Knight After the Ending

Chapter 192: Something for nothing (1)

The commander of the paladins and priests, Alpheos, collapsed and the survivors lost their fighting spirit.

Just seeing Osian and Martinez walking slowly towards them, burning with an unimaginable battle spirit, made their breath catch in their throats.

For a moment, the two appeared like giants, giving the impression that they were looking down on them.

Even the paladins, who should have fought most courageously, were pushed back, breaking out in cold sweat under their overwhelming presence.

“W-we can’t win. How can we stop them?”

“Where did these monsters even come from?”

Unable to bear their fear, the paladins and priests fled.

Osian and Martinez did not deliberately chase after them. Anyway, as long as they continued to move forward, they would inevitably meet again.

Osian picked up the firearms from Alpheos’ corpse.

From a sleek white pistol to a shotgun and a sniper rifle, they were all custom-made firearms that had undergone special processing by the Petra Order.

Even Osian, who didn’t use guns, found them somewhat interesting and intriguing.

Especially the large pistol Alpheos had fired last seemed to exude a sense of romance, despite being a firearm.

‘It’s in better condition than I thought.’

Although firing large-caliber bullets inside would typically cause significant wear and tear, it seemed undamaged, perhaps due to the divine power imbued in it.

‘It can’t hurt to take it. I won’t use it myself, but there’s someone who can use it better than anyone.’

Osian thought of Lorraine.

Her previous injuries were probably almost healed, but he knew there was an indelible scar in her heart.

Although she tried to put on a bright face and say she was okay, he knew that wasn’t true.

He was worried about not being able to do anything for her, and if this could provide some comfort, it wouldn’t be bad.

Osian placed the firearm in the subspace of his bracelet.

“Shall we go? To rescue the children.”

“Yes.”

As they continued walking towards the direction where the paladins and priests had fled, a large door blocked their path.

It was a door boasting excellent security and durability to control entry, but it was useless before Osian and Martinez.

-Kwang!

The door panel fell off, unable to withstand the impact.

Stepping over the fallen door, an entirely different scene unfolded.

The underground facility from just moments ago had been dirty and damp, invisible to most eyes.

But from here, it was as if the order was boldly declaring its territory, suddenly bright. Light poured down from the ceiling, and the walls and floor were made of smooth marble.

“How dare they!”

At that moment, Jechiel Malaspina, the head of the 29th district and the mastermind behind all of this, appeared with a furious shout.

Around him were the paladins and priests who had just fled, along with newly deployed personnel.

Upon seeing Osian and Martinez, Jechiel’s wrinkled face contorted with rage.

“While these infidels were coming here, what were you all doing! Where is Alpheos! Where is he!”

“Lord Jechiel. Ah, Lord Alpheos is dead.”

With the news that their most reliable Alpheos was dead, Jechiel’s face subtly changed.

‘Alpheos is dead?’

The word was hard to believe, Alpheos was nowhere to be seen, and instead, these two intruders had arrived.

Jechiel had to face reality.

“I’ll commend you for not running away and making it this far.”

Though they had lost Alpheos, Jechiel’s voice was relaxed.

Around him were the clergy of the 29th district. Their number was more than double those Osian and Martinez had fought underground.

“However, you dared to come to the order and do this. The pain you’ll experience from now on will be too much for just the two of you to bear.”

“You must take responsibility.”

Martinez rebuked Jechiel in a cold voice.

“Arbitrarily kidnapping children, sacrificing them in suffering, committing such evil acts under the name of the order. You will suffer in the flames of karma even after death.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to come directly here.”

Jechiel remembered Martinez’s voice from their previous encounter.

He was none other than the youngest 13th Judge.

He was covered in a blood-stained robe to hide his face, but he couldn’t hide his voice, physique, or even his gaze.

“Or were you planning this from the moment you came to Tirna? Did headquarters detect our suspicious movements?”

Jechiel couldn’t help but think Martinez had some ulterior motive for coming here.

Their underground facility, which had been well-hidden, was now exposed, and enemies had even burst in.

“From the start, it was suspicious that a paladin who was once the 13th Judge was staying in the 41st district.”

“I am nothing now. Just Ashes.”

“Haha, is that so? Conscious of others’ gazes, handling things secretly? The Holy One seems to have quite an insidious side.”

Jechiel was misunderstanding something, but Martinez didn’t bother to correct him.

It was not strange that Jechiel thought this way.

The actions of Osian and Martinez had been beyond his comprehension.

If they had killed Alpheos, they could have escaped and reported everything about the 29th district to headquarters.

But they didn’t. Instead, they boldly burst in here.

Why? If they had captured even a slightly suspicious circumstance, their mission would have been complete.

In any case, Jechiel had to kill these two.

“Just tell me one thing. What confidence brought you here? Just because you killed Alpheos, did you think we were easy?”

Jechiel thought Martinez was arrogant.

Having become the youngest 13th Judge, he probably thought he could solve everything by force, as he had done before.

But Martinez’s response was entirely unexpected.

“To rescue the children.”

“…….”

Jechiel momentarily thought he had misheard.

Rescue the children? The children used as a ‘choir’ in the order’s underground?

The other paladins and priests also found it unbelievable that they would risk their lives coming here for such children.

They couldn’t believe they had stepped forward for seemingly insignificant children.

“Are you asking us to believe that now? Or are you trying to deceive us?”

“You’re quite the suspicious old man.”

Osian interjected in their conversation.

Jechiel’s wrinkled face turned towards Osian. Though Martinez, who was the 13th Judge, was also to be wary of, this white knight was the real person of interest.

His outdated attire could not be taken lightly.

Martinez had not brought a crowd but only one person.

And most of the underground forces, including Alpheos, were dead.

He had to consider this knight’s skills as equal to or close to Martinez’s.

“Who are you?”

“A wandering knight passing by.”

“Heh. One’s Ashes, the other a wandering knight. What an unusual combination of nobodies. What brings a wandering knight here?”

“As you can see, for the same reason.”

“To rescue children? Are you planning to make our 29th district an enemy for such a reason?”

“We already made you an enemy.”

The moment they attacked the underground facility and killed Alpheos, Osian and Jechiel’s relationship had crossed an irreversible line.

“And saying it’s ‘just’ for such a reason.”

Osian gazed through his helmet at the paladins and priests assembled around Jechiel.

“When someone is abusing children, someone must rescue them.”

Though he didn’t display any murderous intent or hostility, some paladins and priests couldn’t meet Osian’s eyes.

Deep within their inner selves, the conscience they had suppressed with rationalizations was crying out in painful anguish.

But feeling pangs of conscience wouldn’t change anything.

They had made their choice and committed irreversible acts.

From that moment until now, this conflict would not end unless one side was eliminated.

“Hehe. Yes. These words sound so noble.”

Jechiel half-sneered at Osian and Martinez.

Their claim of coming to rescue children seemed like nothing more than a bluff.

Those intoxicated with a trivial sense of justice, believing themselves to be right.

Even if Osian and Martinez’s words were true and sincere, nothing would change.

“Prepare.”

At Jechiel’s signal, the waiting priests began to move busily.

They held large cross-shaped staffs.

After standing at certain intervals and planting the staffs into the ground, a golden divine power began flowing from the cross ornament at the staff’s end, spreading out in waves.

Osian and Martinez frowned, feeling these waves.

“What is this?”

“This is a Sacred Formation.”

“Just hearing the name, it seems like a superior version of a sacred formation performed by multiple people.”

“Yes. That’s exactly right. Multiple priests gather and resonate their divine power to exert an incredibly powerful force. Originally, it would be impossible with these priests’ abilities.”

“Is it different now because they’re receiving support from the choir?”

If one were to be precise, it was similar to the golden barriers previously deployed by Alpheos and the paladins.

Combining powers to create a unified ability was the basic principle of the Sacred Formation.

“If we don’t block this, it will be dangerous.”

“Then we’ll have to break it.”

Osian moved first. He intended to strike the enemies’ necks before the Sacred Formation could fully activate.

But the enemies had no intention of letting that happen. They were well aware of the vulnerabilities of priests activating the Sacred Formation.

However, this time, it was not the paladins who stepped forward.

With a clicking noise, something walked out, surrounded by pure white steam.

“Indeed.”

Osian stared at the massive figure blocking his path.

Three steam suits appeared, each holding large hammers.

“The paladins are shooting guns, so there’s no rule against using steam suits. Still, to have three of these hidden underground, that’s quite a peculiar taste.”

Steam suits, no less.

These weren’t something one could simply own by having money.

In the 29th district, which wasn’t even a high-crime area, secretly bringing these in meant there was an external supplier.

The 29th district consistently earned massive amounts of money and lobbied various district officials.

Thus, acquiring steam suits was no big deal.

Moreover, these steam suits were different from standard models.

Unlike other bronze-colored steam suits, these were painted pure white, with several additional heavy armor plates added.

It wasn’t just a simple paint job; subtle divine power could be felt flowing across the machine’s surface.

They had even modified the supplied steam suits to suit their needs.

Osian had deeply felt the synergy between paladins and science while fighting Alpheos, but he never expected something even more advanced here.

Osian spoke to Martinez.

“Ashes. I’ll handle this. Your role is to block the Sacred Formation. Can you do it?”

“Of course. Wandering knight.”

“Then let’s go. To rescue the children.”

Osian approached the order’s steam suits.

The paladins inside the steam suits burned with fighting spirit while looking at Osian.

[Revenge for Commander Alpheos! We’ll settle this here!]

It seemed the paladins who had previously fled were now inside these suits.

Osian silently gripped his sword and shield, facing the steam suits.

Leaving Osian behind, Martinez held divine alchemy weapons in both hands to block the Sacred Formation.

The paladins swallowed hard looking at Martinez.

At that moment, Jechiel walked forward, passing through the paladins.

“How unexpected. I thought you’d just give orders from behind and watch.”

“As you age, you sometimes need to move. Besides, having come this far, I’m uneasy about leaving it to others.”

Alpheos was dead. That loss alone was painful for the 29th district.

To prevent creating more casualties, it was right for Jechiel to step forward.

This wasn’t about not wanting to lose subordinates.

It was simply about preserving pieces to be used for future plans.

“And it’s best not to underestimate me. How do you think I got here? They might say I’m past my prime, but I’m still a high-ranking priest of the Petra Order, holding the position of district leader.”

Jechiel now had the choir’s power backing him.

Powerful divine power began swirling around Jechiel’s body.

Even in sheer scale, it was larger than Martinez’s.

“Right now, I’m stronger than the Holy One.”

His voice was full of self-confidence but Martinez was entirely unmoved by this display.

He simply regulated his breathing, recalling his first meeting with the Holy One.

“How coincidental.”

And the praise the Holy One had given him about his talent.

-You will surpass me.

“I think so too.”