[Vol. 8] Chapter 258: The Foreigners of Radiant Light
Suddenly, Violet seemed to sense something. She looked up at the sky, where faint golden threads appeared like bridges stretching from the distance, casting a soft glow that slowly rose around her.
A gentle smile appeared on the girl’s face.
“They’ve finally arrived. The timing isn’t bad.”
Sethlin quietly watched from the side. She hadn’t interfered in anything so far, nor did she comment on Violet’s strange ability to rewind events. She simply smiled teasingly and said:
“I thought you said you wouldn’t step in this time?”
The priestess nodded, the corners of her lips lifting slightly, but she didn’t give a direct answer.
“Of course. When have I ever lied~?”
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Saint Tyr City – Xavier Hotel
Sasha never imagined that the chain hotel the merchant group built for storing goods and housing members would one day become their final fortress to protect lives.
“Don’t try to keep fighting, pull back while defending!”
Thwack!
Another arrow flew out, pinning a charging flesh-beast to the wall. Standing on higher ground, Sasha shouted as she slowly retreated, her eyes scanning the entire area to judge the right timing and give commands.
Her voice, once strong and clear, had turned rough and hoarse from exhaustion. Her arms were sore and numb from drawing her bow so many times. Even when she was being chased by those mysterious assassins in the past, she had never been in such a desperate situation. But fighting alone and protecting others, those are two completely different things.
She was lucky, but also unlucky.
One major reason the trade route had passed through Saint Tyr City was because the Xavier Merchant Guild had a chain hotel here. As long as they entered the city, they could go straight to their own hotel to rest and resupply. So, from the moment Sasha entered the city, she had already decided where to go.
Sure enough, after the strange outbreak in Saint Tyr and the city gates were sealed, she and Ricardo had to move deeper into the city. Following the recorded hotel location, they soon met up with the main merchant group stationed there. From them, Sasha finally learned why reinforcements hadn’t come.
It turned out that after splitting up from Sasha, the merchant group hurried to Saint Tyr. The leaders of the group had immediately gone to the city cathedral, trying to explain the situation and ask the bishop for help.
But instead, they were completely turned away.
In a poor and chaotic border province like Theo Province, very few groups can bring in goods from the outside. Large associations like Xavier, who come regularly and bring stability, are extremely rare, especially one backed by a powerful noble family like Cecilia, a key pillar of the kingdom. Normally, the bishop of Saint Tyr should have welcomed them with honor and respect.
So, when they were refused entry the first time, some members of the group already felt that something was wrong.
After being rejected several more times, it became clear that the excuse “the bishop is busy” was just a lie. Thinking back on how the mysterious assassins had openly attacked them on the road, the group realized something terrifying might be going on. So they completely gave up on asking the cathedral for help and began searching for support from other places.
Even though the Xavier Merchant Guild had grown very large and had branches in many countries, it was still just a business organization. Most of the people staying at the hotel were office workers. Without help from the authorities, it was very hard for them to gather enough fighting power.
At first, the merchants thought that if even the officials didn't want to get involved, it would be nearly impossible to find anyone else willing to help. But after trying a few things, someone from the group actually found a lead.
There was a very special group living in Saint Tyr.
This group was made up of foreigners. Even though they also believed in the Primordial Light, they never spoke with the church and rarely showed themselves to the other people in the city. Since moving here, they lived quietly in the countryside outside the city, rarely bothering anyone. Only a few of them would come into the city to buy supplies. They were very mysterious.
Of course, the Holy Empire was in the center of the world and welcomed all kinds of people. With so many different races living together, it wasn’t unusual to have small foreign communities. As long as they followed the law and didn’t cause trouble, no one paid them much attention, even if they came from outside the empire.
But the problem was that this group was Behemoths.
Right now, the Holy Empire was at war with the Austre Empire. Most people knew deep down that the war was really about power and profit between the two empires. However, the reason for the war that everyone talked about was the surprise attack by a group of tribes from the buffer zone, who invaded Austre Empire’s borders.
The war had already gone on for some time. Even if people didn’t know many details, most had heard about the invading tribal army. They had attacked along the way, killing hundreds of thousands of Austre Empire soldiers and civilians. The ones leading that invasion were the Behemoths.
Later, the tribal army was defeated and scattered by the Austre Empire’s main forces. Some of them were still fighting in small groups, while others had escaped into the Holy Empire, and disappeared.
And strangely enough, the time this group of Behemoths settled in Saint Tyr matched perfectly with the time when the tribal army vanished. So of course, people started to wonder about their true identity.
Still, despite being mysterious and possibly dangerous, this group of Behemoths suddenly came forward at a critical moment when the Xavier merchants needed help. Somehow, they found out about the situation and offered their assistance.
Naturally, the merchants were suspicious. “No one helps for free,” they thought. They wanted to know why the Behemoths would offer to help.
The answer shocked everyone.
“In the name of the Goddess, rise to heaven, lost soul!”
Shouting a holy prayer, the giant man named Tairnak, who was even taller and stronger than the other Behemoths, slammed his huge hand down. With a flash of golden light, he crushed the twisted head of the [Flesh Eater] monster in front of him, sending its soul to the skies.
Standing nearby, Sasha watched with a strange look on her face as Tairnak, who was said to be the leader of the Behemoths, tore through the battlefield like a human blender. Even though she had seen him fight before, she still couldn't help but flinch a little.
“Why does it feel like ever since I met Miss Violet and her group, the weird things happening around me just keep getting stranger...?”
Yes, this Behemoth leader, Tairnak, seemed to be a truly devoted follower of the Holy Goddess. He claimed that the reason he came forward and offered to help the Xavier Merchant Guild was because he had received divine guidance.
The story sounded hard to believe… but it might actually be true.
After all, anyone can lie with words, but Holy Power, especially when shown through a Behemoth like Tairnak, is something no one can fake.