I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: 7 Paladins （7）

The uninvited guests arrived at dawn.

“I smell fish and rot. …It seems they’ve found us.”

Rake was the first to notice.

She, who was sleeping soundly next to me, opened her bright yellow eyes and jumped up, grabbing the Meteor Sword.

━ Hmm.

This whole sequence happened so quickly. It had only been a few seconds since I regained consciousness.

“Ambush!”

“The monsters are approaching the fence!”

Half asleep, I heard the villagers’ shouts as I was tied to Rake’s waist. Seeing the cold sweat dripping from their heads and their trembling lips, I woke up completely.

The expression of a terrified person was that powerful.

“Damn it, what’s going on? I was trying to get some sleep…”

Hanna came out grumbling in her pajamas. It’s a good thing she’s holding a sword and shield.

“Which direction are they coming from?”

Dina’s Special Forces appeared next, all fully armed. It seemed they started getting dressed as soon as they heard about the ambush.

“There are about twenty of them.”

I confirmed the sight of Rake and the enemies who had already reached the fence. Sea monsters armed with various weapons were coming this way, pushing through the reeds.

Seeing them proudly wearing ornaments made of human bones made my blood boil.

Black Coral Tribe, my ass. They’re just cannibals. There’s no more fitting title for these guys than sea monsters.

━ …

There were too many reasons to ask how they found us.

They might have heard Beatrice’s voice from the city, or seen Rake or Dina’s Special Forces arriving at Martba yesterday. The reeds we trampled on our way here might have been a clue.

“Should I kill them?”

Rake asked, her eyes shining brightly. They were as blue as the blade of the Meteor Sword, which had taken the form of a curved sword.

━ Go ahead.

At that moment, I was a little disappointed in myself for thinking ‘Master, should I take care of them?’ and gave the permission command.

Goja Buro, get out of my head!

Whoosh━!

Rake lightly jumped over the fence and charged at them, followed by Hanna and Dina’s Special Forces, their weapons glowing.

Did they say that the average combat power of the sea monsters is about that of a lower-ranked demon? These seven members are the elite of the elite who have hunted down lower-ranked demons to their heart’s content.

“Kyaaak!”

Even Hanna, the weakest among them, easily sliced them up. Not to mention Rake and Dina’s Special Forces.

Slash!

Rake moved around freely, decapitating them with a single swing of her sword.

“Light’s Snare!”

“Light Explosion!”

“Shock Reflection!”

Dina’s Special Forces also shouted their skill names diligently, stirring up the battlefield. I still can’t get used to that.

I heard from Noah that shouting the name makes the skill more effective, but I still can’t help but cringe like I’m watching a 2000s Japanese shonen manga.

Is that the Goddess’s taste? A fujoshi, no, a female otaku?

“We’ve taken care of this side.”

The more than twenty sea monsters were all dealt with in a matter of minutes. No one was injured.

“I caught one.”

Hanna pointed to the last remaining sea monster. It was kneeling, its leg pierced by Hanna’s sword.

…I don’t think hostage-taking will work on them.

“M, Malak-nim…! Why!”

The sea monster, who had been glaring at Rake and me, opened its mouth.

No, honestly, I’m not even sure if it was glaring. Its crab eyes were round and shiny like beads.

“I am a follower of Tuga, of the Loa! I heard that you have been united with Asha-nim, so why have you joined hands with these civilized people?”

No, united my ass. She unilaterally declared, ‘Let’s get married! From now on, I’m your bride, oh ho ho,’ and informed us.

━ You and Tuga are disrupting the surface.

To put it bluntly, you’re in the way. You’re also hideous and disgusting.

“Betrayal…This is betrayal! How can a Loa do such a thing!”

The monster spewed out its anger. It was so indignant that it was even foaming at the mouth.

━ You who have abandoned your humanity. I am not your Loa, and you are not my follower. You are nothing but a being no different from a demon. It is better for the safety of the surface that you disappear.

There’s no way a cannibal can be my follower. They would only bring conflict and unrest, and divide the Tribal Federation.

Malignant seeds must be uprooted.

“T, That can’t be…! Ugh…!”

The shock must have been too great, as it could no longer speak properly. Is this what the feeling of loss is like for a human rejected by a god?

I didn’t say these words simply to inflict psychological shock on the monster.

“…”

Look at the expressions of Hanna, Dina’s Special Forces, and the Martba villagers who are quietly observing this situation. They are looking at me with eyes full of faith and trust.

This is how you do impression management.

“Grrrr…!”

The monster, foaming excessively at the mouth, started to shake. I think the Vibration Totem is this guy, not me.

Did Asha take some kind of magical measure? Is it going to self-destruct? …This could be dangerous.

━ It seems we can’t get anything out of it. Finish it off.

We knew their numbers and their base. We don’t need hostages.

Rake’s Meteor Sword swept past the monster’s neck. The monster’s head was cut off with a clang and rolled on the ground.

I ordered Rake to cut off its head cleanly in case something happened, even though I need the head to make it a zombie.

The body, having lost its brain, convulsed for a moment before collapsing. Fortunately, nothing unusual happened.

“…We’ll have to change our plans.”

Dina made a troubled expression.

Well, I wasn’t particularly surprised or upset. It’s always been like this.

Whenever I try to do something, bastards like the Tunnel Demon, Shadow Demon, Dark Cloud, or Karon pop up and interfere.

It was the same on Earth, not just here. Even if I carefully planned and executed things step by step, it wasn’t uncommon for a small, unexpected variable to mess everything up.

In times like this, you just have to accept it quickly and move on.

━ The war has begun.

If more than twenty of them don’t return, even an idiot will realize that there’s an enemy here. It’s not like they don’t know where their tribe’s warriors are wandering around.

‘…Malak-nim.’

See? Asha is already contacting me.

‘Why did you make such a decision…?’

Her voice was laced with a little anger and a lot of disappointment. She must have used some magical means to figure out what was going on here.

‘Twenty. Twenty of my comrades, warriors who would pledge their loyalty to Malak-nim, heroes who would vanquish demons, have lost their lives. ‘

I let out a hollow laugh. Those damn cannibals, heroes my ass.

Of course, from Asha’s perspective, they were heroes. Even murderers and dictators are good fathers and husbands when they go home.

‘Why…? They were the ones who wished for the revival of our people most purely. They were brave warriors who would have been the first to fight if it was Malak-nim’s order.’

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to use Divine Possession to connect with Asha and answer this nonsense.

It’s unpleasant, like listening to a pervert’s breathing up close.

Asha’s rough breathing could be heard. She must be really pissed off.

‘Fine. It’s also the duty of a wife to correct her husband’s mistakes. I will show you clearly how weak the civilized people are, and why your choice was wrong.’

With those words, Asha’s prayer ended.

She’s really angry. She’ll probably come in person. She’ll also call all her warriors.

━ Get ready. We don’t have much time left.

We have to assume that Asha will come to this village before morning after completing her preparations. There’s no time to rest.

“Well, at least we had a light warm-up.”

Gukbap grinned and wiped the blood off his hammer with a cloth. It was the skill of a seasoned killer, no, a hero.

“Ah…Then I’ll go put on some armor.”

Hanna, realizing she was the only one in pajamas, blushed and went back inside, and Dina exchanged glances with her comrades as if to steel their resolve.

“I can’t wait to crush that arrogant crab bitch’s head.”

As for Rake, she’s always calm and collected.

Maybe it’s because they’re all professionals, but they didn’t show any fear even in this life-or-death situation.

These are the real heroes. Noah and Siu should learn from them.

━ People of Martba, to maintain peace, we must prepare for war. I…

I started talking to reassure the restless villagers and helped the Paladins get ready.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

“They’re coming. They’re pushing through the reeds now.”

Rake, who has extrasensory perception that even Dina, a Level 8 user, can’t match, announced the appearance of the enemies.

━ Can you estimate their numbers?

“At least a hundred.”

As expected, she brought everyone. Asha was planning an all-out war.

“…”

Everyone waited for the signal inside the fence, their faces full of tension. It’s a crude fence, but I’ll make the most of it to buy us some time.

Soon, they appeared.

“Malak-nim.”

Asha, bigger and stronger than when I first saw her, was there.