I, Reincarnate as the Leader of the Villainous Knight Order - Chapter 148: Lamia, the Evil God's Executive

Chapter 148: Lamia, the Evil God’s Executive

The massive, muscular snake body was reminiscent of the anaconda from television in my previous life. It moved with startling agility. Simon hastily deflected its strikes with his sword, retreating quickly.

“Whoa! That was close!”

“Hahaha. Even though you defeated the Griffons’ leader, he was the weakest among us Executives… Now, go ahead and kill each other, you fools!”

Wow, that’s such a classic line! But… wait a minute. Executives? Aren’t they supposed to be the Four Heavenly Kings? Oh, right, since Jeanne is on our side, they must be one short of a full set! But more importantly, did she just say we’re going to… fight each other?

“Ugh… ahh… uoohhhh!”

Suddenly, Simon charged toward me. Now that I think about it, Lamia’s powers are usually mind control or charm magic. I managed to deflect his attack, even though his sword was still sheathed.

“Hmm… this feels kind of weird… It’s like that time I had that strange stone attached to me…”

Jest seemed to be under the charm magic’s influence, too. He was shaking his head in discomfort. Luckily, though, it didn’t look like he was fully controlled like Simon was.

“Jest, get a grip! If such a minor charm spell affects you, you’re no better than Simon. Try focusing your magic here, and push out her influence.”

“Alright! … Haa! I did it!”

“Well done! That’s my child, indeed.”

As Simon continued his fierce attacks, Jest and Jeanne shared a gentle, almost tender moment together. Despite losing his sanity, Simon’s moves were rather predictable. And though they were more aggressive, they lacked finesse.

“Jeanne! Can’t we do something about Simon? I’m not worried about losing, but this is a pain!”

I kicked Simon in the stomach. But instead of getting knocked back, he just steadied himself and attacked again. It seemed like he couldn’t feel pain at all.

“Hmm… he might pass out for a bit, but…”

As Jeanne spoke, a powerful pressure filled the air. It wasn’t bloodlust, so it was probably her magic. Judging from her earlier instructions to Jest, she might’ve been forcibly expelling Lamia’s magic influence.

Simon collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Lamia, who had been watching smugly, seemed shocked as the charm was broken. She immediately lunged at me.

“You…! Why are you immune to my charm magic? Fine, then—I’ll strangle you myself!”

Wait, had she tried to charm me too? I don’t know why it didn’t work. But if both Simon and I had been controlled, we probably would’ve been killed.

Careful not to get Simon caught in the fray, I created some distance and lured the Lamia away. Jeanne and Jest seemed to trust me enough not to interfere. The Lamia’s whip-like tail struck with the hardness of a rubber tire. It made it hard to get close enough to sever her neck.

“Damn… just dodging this is draining my energy!”

If I could hold off her tail for just a few seconds, I’d be able to take her head! If only Simon would wake up so we could coordinate an attack. But he lay motionless.

“Looks like you’re struggling a bit.”

Jeanne waved her hand, and roots extended from the surrounding trees, binding the Lamia.

“Grr…! Damn it! This won’t hold me!”

With strength unimaginable from her slender upper body, the Lamia strained. It caused the thick roots to creak. But by that time, I was already sprinting up the roots. I sliced through her long hair and neck in one swift motion.

Her severed head rolled and stopped right in front of Simon. Feeling a mischievous urge, I gave Simon a nudge with my foot to rouse him.

“Hey, Simon, wake up. …Simon! This is a direct order from your captain—wake up!”

“Y-yes, sir! Huh… AAAAHHHHH!”

Simon jolted awake, only to be greeted by the severed head of Lamia. Her eyes were still wide with anger. He screamed and stumbled backward, while the dragon parent and child watched him with amused chuckles. I hadn’t wanted Jest to witness such a gruesome scene. But she seemed unbothered by the bloodiness of it all.

“Awake now? How are you feeling? How much do you remember?”

“Uh, well… I remember that woman was talking. And then my mind started feeling foggy… Don’t remember much after that.”

“Simon, you were under the Lamia’s charm spell. Master here was unaffected thanks to our familiar contract. And Jest, being close in magical power, could resist it too. Next year, he probably would’ve resisted it outright.”

So if I hadn’t had my familiar contract with Jeanne, I’d have been in danger, too…… Just thinking about it sent a cold sweat down my back.

“I see, so magic power was a factor. That would explain why it was so easy to control Simon. Imagine if we’d come here with the entire knight squad; by the time we realized it, we’d probably be killing each other, exhausted in both body and spirit.”

“Yikes, what a terrifying creature! Lamia, was it? If more of her kind were around, it’d be a nightmare.”

“Well, she did call herself an Executive. So there shouldn’t be others like her. Besides, there aren’t any reports of other Lamia sightings, right?”

“True.”

Nodding, Simon sheathed his sword, giving the Lamia’s head one last wary glance. If this were like the novels, then there should be one more Executive left.

“Alright, from here on out, it’s safe to say this is the real deal. Let’s stay sharp.”

Guided by Jeanne’s detection magic, we headed toward the entrance to the underground.