The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Sakura, what's wrong!?"
"On!"
"Um... it sounds like someone's fighting up ahead."
Kanade translated Sakura's bark for us.
Chiffon tilted her head.
"Maybe it's another group of adventurers?"
"That's quite possible... but there's also a chance we've stumbled onto what we're looking for."
"Let's go check it out first."
"On!"
"Sakura, let's keep it down, okay?"
"Kyuun..."
Apologizing as I patted the dejected Sakura, we headed toward the source of the noise.
Before long, we heard the clash of swords and the roars of monsters.
Someone was definitely fighting monsters.
Carefully peeking around the corner...
"Hah!"
A red-haired knight was battling the monsters.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties.
Though her features had a somewhat androgynous quality to them, she was undeniably a beautiful woman.
Judging by the armor she wore, which resembled Stella's, she was probably a knight.
However, the craftsmanship was different in the finer details.
And on her shoulder was the emblem of the Church.
The red-haired female knight was surrounded by several monsters, but...
"Sei!"
With effortless skill, she wielded a massive greatsword as tall as she was, cleaving one monster after another clean in two.
Her strength was incredible.
But it wasn't just brute force—her technique was equally remarkable.
She never allowed the monsters a single opportunity to counterattack, defeating each one in a single strike.
Even an A-rank adventurer would find it difficult to replicate such a feat.
"...Phew."
The battle came to an end shortly afterward.
Letting out a quiet breath, the red-haired knight returned her greatsword to her back.
"Hm?"
Only then did she notice us, wearing a puzzled expression.
"Hello."
The red-haired knight smiled and greeted us.
The sudden greeting caught me off guard, but thanks to it, my guard immediately lowered.
"Um... hello. Sorry if we interrupted you."
"Not at all. The battle had just ended."
"That's good to hear."
From the looks of it, she seemed to be exploring the dungeon alone.
Still...
It was only a hunch, but I felt she had some connection to Mina.
Not that she was one of Mina's companions, but I doubted they were complete strangers.
So I decided to keep the conversation going a little longer.
"Are you here by yourself?"
"Yes. There are certain circumstances that brought me into this dungeon, but... um..."
"Ah, sorry. My name is Rain Shroud."
"I'm Kanade. And this is Sakura."
"On!"
"I am Stella Emplace."
"Um... I'm Chiffon."
At the end, Chiffon gave only her first name.
She probably thought revealing that she was the Hero would complicate things...
But in that case, shouldn't she have given her surname instead?
She could be a little absent-minded sometimes.
Well, that was very much like her.
"I see. So you're the Hero of Horizon."
"Huh? You know who I am?"
"Yes. You're quite famous."
"Um... thank you... I think?"
It was a little embarrassing.
"I am Eris Randall, a Holy Knight of the Church."
A Holy Knight was similar to an ordinary knight, yet fundamentally different.
They were the Church's own military force, and I'd heard that each possessed strength comparable to an A-rank adventurer.
Unlike adventurers, they didn't take on requests.
And unlike ordinary knights, they rarely fought to maintain order in cities.
Their role was to act according to the will of the Church.
For example, eliminating cults that worshipped demons.
Or executing fools who defiled the gods.
...Among other duties.
They moved under the Church's orders, wielding their power wherever it was needed.
Holy Knights were rather rare, and this was the first time I'd ever met one in person.
"...What is a Holy Knight doing in a place like this?"
"That is... hmm."
Eris hesitated, her gaze wavering.
After a brief moment, she seemed to have made up her mind and looked back at me.
"Please forgive my rudeness in answering your question with one of my own. What are you all doing here, Mr. Shroud?"
"Well..."
Should I tell her the truth?
Or should I avoid the subject?
Normally, I'd choose the former...
But if Eris really was a Holy Knight, perhaps we could establish a cooperative relationship.
That said, it wasn't something I should decide on my own, so I looked at everyone else.
"Nyaa, I'll leave it up to you, Rain."
"On!"
Kanade and Sakura had no objections.
"If she truly is a Holy Knight, this could lead to something favorable."
"Mm-hmm. I think so too."
Stella and Chiffon agreed as well.
Alright.
In that case, we'd let her in a little further.
Of course, I had no intention of revealing everything.
If she learned that our objective was to capture—or, if necessary, eliminate—Mina, there was no telling how Eris, a member of the Church, would react.
So I kept that part vague and simply told her that we were searching for Mina.
"I see... When I encountered you here, Mr. Shroud, I felt as though it was fate. It seems that feeling was correct."
"What do you mean?"
"My objective is also to make contact with Mina Lusage, a priest of the Church and former member of the Hero's Party."
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