Krrrrruu…

The twin-headed ogre—the king of monsters—advanced through the water. Its movements were dampened because it was underwater, but the twin-headed ogre crossed more than ten meters with each leap, and groups of fish scattered in surprise every time. Larger creatures of the sea hovered around and either poked or bit the ogre, but the ogre didn’t care. There was no way for any of the fish to actually penetrate its steel-like skin when even swords and spears were incapable of doing so. More importantly, the ogre was without self-will. Only the voice of its master, Eugene, continued to completely dominate its soul.

- Get on the island and kill everything that attacks you first. Don’t touch anyone that leaves you alone or runs away.

- Take a good look. If anyone is wearing anything similar to this, leave them alone.

- And if you do see people wearing something similar to this…

The twin-headed ogre kept its crimson eyes fixated in the distance to fulfill the three absolute orders of its master. The creature’s eyes were filled with Fear, instead of evil energy.

***

The sun was starting to be buried behind the darkening sky of the west, in the direction of the Pilo Cape.

“Huaaaah!” A pirate gave a long yawn while guarding the entrance to the small bay into the island, where more than ten galley ships and small boats leisurely floated.

“You’re going to rip your mouth at that rate, you little bastard. Don’t doze off and focus on keeping watch.”

“I wasn’t dozing off, you crazy rat. And I can’t see jack shit. There’s nothing around here except seagulls, so what am I supposed to keep a watch for?” the pirate responded in an irritated voice to his colleague’s criticism.

“Motherfucker… How long do I have to keep up with this bullshit? It’s because of those fuckers crazed about the three gods…” the pirate muttered.

“Bastard. Could you say the exact same words in front of those fanatics?” his colleague said.

“Are you crazy? I’ve never seen anyone so haughty. Hostages my ass. Fuck! I hope they get out of here as soon as possible. Fuck the ransom,” the pirate responded.

“I heard they called for five thousand imperial gold coins, right? If they succeed, we will be getting twenty each,” his colleague said.

“Ehehe! Fuck, I could go to the port and fuck around with a prostitute for half a year with that money,” the pirate said.

“Keke! Maybe if you’re into cheap women with gonorrhea. You’ll be robbed clean in a month if you keep an expensive girl like Leache.” The colleague pointed out.

“Crazy bastard. And do you really think a girl who acts hard to get like Leache deal with you?” the pirate asked.

“The power of gold is great, my friend,” the colleague replied.

“Well, that’s true. Gold can make even monsters dance. Anyway… Huh?” The pirate abruptly stopped speaking with surprise in his eyes. He frowned at the reflection of the sun in the waves, then stretched out his neck before muttering.

“The water. What’s wrong with the water?”

“What? Why?” his colleague asked.

“Look over there,” he said and pointed.

“…Huh?” The colleague’s eyes widened when he turned his gaze. The waves had been moving strongly toward a single direction until not long ago. However, the direction of the waves had changed at a certain spot.

But that wasn’t all…

A straight line could be seen on the surface of the water toward the bay where the ships were floating.

“What is that?”

“I-I don’t know… Is it a shark?”

It couldn’t be a shark. The water around the island was only three to four meters deep. There were many hidden reefs and strong currents surrounding the island as well. As such, even predators like sharks and killer whales did not recklessly approach the island. The only creatures capable of freely crossing the rough current were the colleagues of the pirates: lizardmen, and mermen.

“How strange. You don’t think it could be a monster, right?”

“What are you talking about? There aren’t any sea monsters around these parts. We haven’t seen a single one in over ten years, so what monster are you talking about?”

“Right?”

It was one of the reasons why the pirates had taken the island as their base. There weren’t any marine monsters residing in the vicinity. There was no way that a monster would suddenly appear after more than ten years of complete absence.

“And sea monsters don’t usually come onto land either. And we have those three god fanatics, right? If something happens, those great holy knights will slice and dice for us, so what’s there to worry about?”

“Uhehe! Those leeching, pompous folks can finally… Huh?!” The pirate started to giggle before sharply inhaling. A black stone had suddenly appeared on the surface of the water.

“W-what is that? Is it a turtle?” He said.

“Uh… Isn’t it a little fast for a turtle? And have you ever seen two turtles move side by side like that?”

The gazes of the pirates remained glued on the two unknown dark objects as they cut through the current.

Suddenly…

Shuaaaack!

The two turtles suddenly burst into the air.

“Agh!”

“Uaagh!”

They weren’t turtles after all. Rather, the figure that burst through the air while cutting through the currents was a monster with two heads and four arms.

“W-w-what is that?!”

“Huah…”

The pirates had lived most of their lives on the water, so they had no way of identifying the monster. However, they could be certain of one thing. Their island—their base—was about to get fucked.

***

Dong! Dong! Dong!

“Huh? What is that?” Laerina raised her head with a surprised expression at the sudden sound of a bell. She had just finished praying.

“Isn’t that the sound of a bell?”

“I think it’s the pirates.”

“Could something have happened?”

The priests and the holy knights had been kneeling in front of her in prayer. They also buzzed at the sudden commotion.

“I will look into it,” The holy knight Parma hurriedly pulled out his sword and departed with two of his fellow knights. The bell continued to ring nonstop, and even screams and shouts began to resound in the far distance.

The expressions of the priests grew grim as they became restless.

“High Priest, shouldn’t we go out there as well?”

“Yes, let’s do that,” Laerina answered, noticing that something was unusual. The members of the Holy Empire’s delegation crowded outside.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

The bell continued to ring frantically.

“It’s a monster!”

“Uahh! Uaaagh!”

“Run away!”

“Where are we going to go? Fight, you bastards!”

Pirates were running chaotically while screaming and cursing. The entire island was embroiled in chaos.

“Great priest!” Parma and the holy knights rushed back to Laerina after forcibly capturing a few pirates and inquiring about the situation

Laerina asked in a hurry, “What’s going on? What’s wrong with these people?”

Parma answered, “A monster appeared from the sea.”

“Ah! Do you mean a sea monster?” Laerina asked.

“That seems to be the case since it apparently came from the water. For now, please get to a safe place with the high priest, everyone. Sirs, protect the high priests and the others. I will deal with the monster with Sir Letom and Sir Moliva,” Parma said as two holy knights moved to his sides.

“Oh. I am glad you are here with us, sirs.”

“May the blessing of the three gods be with you sirs!”

The priests finally took on relieved expressions. Unlike the holy knights of the other kingdoms chosen based on their families and connections, the holy knights of the Holy Empire were chosen purely based on their faith and qualities. In a sense, they were true holy knights.

“No. I will be going with you, sirs.” Laerina stepped forward while shaking her head.

“…!” Parma’s eyes widened.

“Never. We don’t know what monster we are facing. The high priest—”

“Sir Parma. If one of you sirs falls into trouble, who can help you?” Laerina asked.

“Hmm.” Parma flinched before easing up.

She was correct. Although she was a young maiden who seemed feeble and weak on the outside, there was one crucial reason why she became a high priest of the empire and a ‘saintess’. It was because of the powerful mystery she exclusively possessed.

“I will aid you with Sacred Song. Of course, it would be best if it doesn’t come to that,” Laerina said.

“…I will do my best to prevent that from happening.” Parma bowed politely before unsheathing his longsword and turning around. “Let’s go, brothers!”

“Please be careful, High Priest!”

“The three gods bless you! The holy faith be with all of you!”

Laerina and the three holy knights ran toward the dock, leaving behind the priests to climb the mountain with the other holy knights.

***

Huaaaaaghh!

The monster burst into a grotesque roar.

“Huaag!”

“Kuagh!”

Many of the pirates fell on their buttocks and pissed their pants just from hearing the monster’s roar. Pirates were rough and cruel after having experienced all sorts of things in the sea. However, none of them had ever seen a monster as terrifying as the twin-headed ogre. It felt as if their very souls were escaping their bodies when they met the gaze of the horrifying monster. The eyes of the monster were each as big as a fist, and they glimmered with a red light. Any thought of retaliation disappeared when the pirates saw the four maces held in the four thick, trunk-like hands of the monster.

“You cowards! Fight! Fight!” Several senior pirates rushed at the twin-headed ogre alongside Ukre.

Fwoosh! Shoosh!

The ogre’s four maces moved in all directions.

Bang! Thuuck!

The pirates struck by the deadly weapons were thrown back; they weren’t even able to scream as they splattered.

Pew! Pew!

Dozens of lizardmen pirates fired their crossbows and threw their harpoons.

Titing!

However, the projectiles were deflected as if the monster was wearing armor inside the strange priestly garment, which looked even more bizarre after being soaked in water. Immediately afterward, the twin-headed ogre charged the lizardmen while roaring and swinging its weapons.

Kuaagh! Keek!

“Ugh! No! No way!”

“Run! Get to the mountains!”

The pirates lost their will to fight and were about to flee.

“S-sirs! Holy knights!”

“Please help us! Help us!”

“I will convert immediately! Sirs!”

“High Priest!”

The pirates shouted desperately when they saw Laerina arrive at the dock with the holy knights. They had considered the priests and the holy knights to be nothing more than bloodsuckers draining their supplies. But now, the holy knights had become no different from their saviors, or the manifestation of the three gods themselves.

“If you want to live, get lost.”

“Yes, yes!”

“You will be blessed! God will protect you forevermore!”

The pirates shouted whatever came into their minds out of their desire to live, then fled in a hurry. Parma and the two knights took on a triangular formation and observed the monster.

However…

“A twin-headed ogre?”

“But this is an island.”

The holy knights took on stupefied expressions. They lived in an era where religious disputes were mostly nonexistent. As such, the main task of the Holy Empire’s holy knights had turned into dealing with intermediate and high-ranking monsters. As a result, they knew monsters well and were well aware of their unique characteristics.

“Where did it come from? Was there an evil land here?”

“N-no, sirs. That’s not the problem right now. Look, isn’t it wearing clothes?”

“Huh…!?”

The eyes of the three knights filled with shock. It had been hard to identify since the monster was covered with unidentifiable sea creatures and blood, but the twin-headed ogre was definitely wearing clothes. However, that wasn’t the most shocking...

Huaaaaghh!

The twin-headed ogre had become Eugene’s thrall after receiving his blood, so it felt an instinctive sense of repulsion toward the weapons of the holy knights, which were filled with divine power. It beat its chest with its four arms while trembling. As a result, an object hidden during its journey across the sea was revealed.

“A holy artifact? A monster has a holy artifact?!”

“W-what? How could this be?!”

The holy knights were stupefied when they saw the object, which was embedded with a red jewel at its center and glistened silver.

“L-look closely at its clothes! It’s the mark of the church!” Even the determined Laerina was shocked.

Indeed, the terrible monster in front of them was dressed very similarly to a holy knight.

“…”

Laerina and the holy knights took on dazed expressions. It was as if the very reality of their world was being shattered into countless pieces. And although they were ignorant, the moment of hesitation allowed them to keep their lives.

It was because of the three orders Eugene had given to the twin-headed ogre.

- Get on the island and kill everything that attacks you first. Don’t touch anyone that leaves you alone or runs away.

The holy knights had stopped trying to attack the twin-headed ogre in disbelief and shock.

- Take a good look. If anyone is wearing anything similar to this, leave them alone.

In addition, both Laerina and the holy knights had the ‘holy artifact’ the twin-headed ogre had also received from Eugene, and it was hanging around their necks or engraved in their armor.

And lastly…

- And if you do see people wearing something similar to this…

Huaaaanng…

The twin-headed ogre was absolutely obedient to the commands given by its master. So, once it saw Laerina wearing an object almost identical to the one it had received from its master, it drew the holy symbol in the air in a polite, reverent manner as if it was a priest.

“…!!!”

It was already unbelievable that a terrible monster was wearing the clothes of the clergy, but when the monster even drew the holy symbol, Laerina and the holy knights were thrown into a new realm of confusion and shock.