The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 61

Chapter 61: Hatching

“What are you all doing!?” Ganard shouted, but the rampaging knights didn’t stop. Suddenly, even the sane knights fell to the ominous blades, lost in the chaos.

“Tch!”

I struck one of the rampaging knights with the Warhammer, knocking them away. But when I hit the jaw of another knight who attacked from behind…

“Ugh!”

The knight I punched in the jaw glared at me with crazed eyes and swung his sword. I immediately blocked it with my shield and pushed him away with a tackle.

(I’m sure I knocked them unconscious, but…)

Looking at the rampaging knights, it was evident that they had all lost their sanity. Their attacks, even when countered, seemed driven by some malevolent force.

I struck the head of an approaching knight with my Mace, and as his helmet crumpled, a cross necklace, the symbol of the Orthodox faith, rolled out from under his neck.

“This is…”

I picked up the cross, and my eyes caught something specific about it. As I saw it, a possibility came to mind, and I began to understand the reason behind this situation.

“You bastards!”

In the center of the cross, there was a small recess that appeared to have held something. But now, it was empty, except for a few remnants of what had been inside.

“It wasn’t imbued!”

When Ruskdite had noticed this earlier, he had thought it was some kind of magical stone. That’s why I hadn’t been concerned when I saw it lacked any imbued effects or sigils.

But I was wrong. What had been embedded in the cross was not some simple magical stone.

“This thing is a disguised egg of a demonic creature!”

Most demons appear in a predetermined form and state. However, some demons belong to a category that starts as eggs or infants and grows into adults. The eggs or offspring they produce are separate entities and won’t die even if their parent is defeated.

Among these demons, there are some that have the ability to parasitize and manipulate other creatures or demons until they reach maturity.

The knights were likely being controlled by hatched demons. Even when they received damage that should have made them lose consciousness, they could move because they were forcibly controlled by the demons.

(But even in such a state, an organization like this shouldn’t be able to function! Someone is controlling these demons!)

In my mind, I recalled those who had attacked Victoria, the ones who could use demons in such a way. If someone related to them was behind this, then who could it be…?

“Ohhh…!”

“Screaaam!”

“S-stop it!”

Screams and cries for help echoed from the city. It seemed that this wasn’t confined to just this place; it was happening throughout Heinlberie.

“…I have no choice.”

I sprinted through the rampaging knights, striking their knees and ankles with the Mace as I passed.

Knights with their knees and ankles shattered fell to the ground, still attempting to crawl towards me, but their speed was significantly reduced.

“Now’s the time! Knights with your sanity intact, gather and reorganize! Protect each other and seek refuge inside the buildings! Hurry!”

“Y-yes!”

The sane knights rushed to follow my orders, leaving the square. First, we had to neutralize the knights being controlled by the demons.

“Kuh! Uuugh!”

Ganard was also dealing with a knight who had attacked with a shield. It was right after he had neutralized the knights in the square.

“Huh!?”

Something came down at high speed into the square. Emerging from the billowing dust and dirt, it headed straight for Ganard, deflecting his shield and piercing him with an eerie spear.

“Guh…”

“…Finally, Ganard.”

The one who pierced Ganard was a being just as otherworldly as the spear. Its entire body was covered in carapaces of various colors. It had insect-like wings, horns, and antennae. It was a bizarre humanoid made up of various insect parts.

Opening the part of its helmet that corresponded to the face revealed the creature’s true countenance.

“Ordi…o?”

Ganard spoke this name as he looked at the creature’s face…