Chapter 91

The giant staggered to its feet.

The giant, robbed even of its crying voice, stared at the sky.

The being was a calamity.

A disaster that brought cold and wind, freezing everything that lived and breathed.

His mind grew distant.

A more primordial existential terror than the pair of stars he had witnessed near the Margrave's castle was choking his throat.

He simply wanted to kneel before it and offer his body.

He wanted to worship that being and escape from the terror it brought.

At the same time, he felt the urge to pluck out his eyes and tell everyone about this entity.

Would death release him from these impulses?

No, death would not give peace to the soul.

Even if his entire body rotted away and his bones turned to ashes, this memory would be etched into his soul like a curse.

As he was staring blankly upward, Russel tightly gripped his arm.

His resonant voice flew through the wind.

"It is a wicked and unclean being! Don't be enticed by such a thing. No matter how great it is, it is nothing before God's wrath. Be brave, Your Grace!"

Russel stood up while holding Jonas.

Though the fierce wind had subsided, it was still equally violent.

Yet he stood there, staring straight at the giant amidst it all.

Russel shouted again.

"Jonas has returned to God's embrace, but the blood on the hands that killed an innocent child has not yet been washed away! If you permit me, I will execute this wicked monster that disrupts providence!"

In his hazy mind, only one thing came to mind.

The fact that among the remaining people, only Russel could act with a clear mind.

He had already gone mad once.

No, he had gone to the brink of madness.

Madness does not stack, and it is impossible for someone who is already mad to go mad again.

Therefore, paradoxically, only Russel, who was already close to a state of madness, was the only one who could confront the giant.

He gathered all his reason, his will, his soul that felt like it would shatter, and squeezed out a shout.

"Go!"

Russel picked up the bow he had been carrying.

In his blue eyes, blind faith and madness toward God shone vividly.

* * *

The fairy tale did not describe how the hunter-turned-monster was hunted.

However, Russel instinctively thought that it would go searching for its next victim.

So it was natural for the monster to climb up the mountain.

A high place where the surrounding area could be seen at a glance.

From this natural observatory created by nature, the monster was trying to find people nearby.

Russel did not know exactly how far the monster could detect the presence of people.

But if the monster could detect incredibly far.

If the Margrave's castle fell within its detection range.

Russel had no way to stop the monster.

The giant screamed as it smashed the cumbersome trees.

Crushed fragments and snow flew, and a small avalanche occurred from the vibrations caused by the falling trees.

When the giant paused momentarily, Russel, who had been hiding behind a broken tree, nocked his first arrow and pulled the bowstring with all his might.

-Ping!

But the giant easily knocked away the arrow.

Even though northern arrows were made very heavy to prevent their direction from changing, the arrow shattered as if it were a twig.

The next moment, Russel rolled across the snow to avoid a fist flying upward.

-Boom!

[Aah... Aaaaaaah!]

The giant's scream echoed throughout the mountain.

Russel desperately suppressed the urge to cover his ears from the vicious sound it was making and recited a verse of doctrine in his mouth.

It was the faith he habitually recited when facing demonic beasts.

'Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude.'

The giant raised its hand and struck the pile of snow and rocks beside it.

Russel pulled the bowstring again.

'This battle is not yours but God's.'

The second and third arrows flew through the rock fragments and snow, but they missed as the monster twisted its body.

Russel chased after the monster, which was climbing higher and higher, gasping for breath.

If God was looking down on the earth from above, He should rightfully grant him the power to confront the monster.

Jonas was an innocent child, and Russel perceived himself as someone who had to protect Jonas.

That monster was not Jonas's father but the evil soul that had killed Jonas.

The reason he was here was because his God had arranged for him to be here.

His purpose was to execute the giant and proclaim the will of the great God.

But.

[Aah, aaah! Uaaaaaaaa!!]

It climbed, and climbed again.

The enormous giant crawled up the mountain, howling from time to time as if announcing its presence.

Russel pursued the monster closely, aiming for its heart, but the fourth and fifth arrows also either missed or broke, unable to penetrate the tough and durable skin.

The path up the mountain had long disappeared.

But for the giant, which was large enough to embrace the mountain, paths no longer had meaning.

Russel realized that no matter how fast he was, he could not catch up to the giant.

The wind and snow under the giant's control interfered with and blocked Russel's path.

'At this rate.'

The giant would surely reach the summit first.

In a situation where he couldn't wastefully spend more arrows, there was nothing that could attract the monster's attention.

Russel looked down at the snow piled up to his knees.

With each step the giant took, a faint impact was transmitted to the ground.

When he raised his head, he could see the giant already high above.

There would be more snow accumulated up there than where Russel was.

Russel knew that weakened ground could easily cause an avalanche with just a little impact.

If the giant could create a slightly larger impact.

The sixth arrow left his hand.

The sharp cutting sound headed toward the giant's head.

The arrow, which hit a thin antler like a side branch among the haphazardly grown antlers, succeeded in breaking one of the giant's antlers.

The giant shook its head as if it were a nuisance, then let out an infuriated howl.

An ominous, rumbling sound was heard as echoes reverberated through the hazy fog.

A white wave came rushing from above.

Not a wave carrying light foam, but a tremendous wave capable of easily burying every being climbing the mountain.

The giant, who had been distracted by Russel, suddenly collapsed.

Russel tried to jump to the side, away from the direction of the approaching snow. But the wave of snow was not so accommodating.

Just before Russel was swept away by the snow, he spotted a black horse dashing fearlessly over the falling white snow.

The rider extended his hand to him, his hair fluttering like a flickering torch.

"Grab on!"

"Your Grace!"

The strange black horse that the Duke called Sleigh let out a loud neigh.

The horse, which scattered red light as bright as its master's hair, avoided the falling snow and raced up toward the summit without hesitation.

As they approached the summit, the form of the fog seemed to become thicker, as if it could be grasped.

The grayish-white cloud that had been covering the entire north seemed to be right above their heads.

Russel could see with his eyes the flow of clouds rapidly moving, pushed by the strong wind.

When Sleigh reached the summit, the two of them could search for the stars from below.

A pair of stars were shining brilliantly from the direction where the avalanche had occurred.

Russel reflexively rummaged through his quiver to shoot an arrow toward those stars but then stopped.

In the empty quiver, only one arrow remained.

This would be the last arrow he could shoot.

If this arrow were to miss as well.

Russel saw the stars climbing up.

Through the fog, he could see black nails scratching the snow, accompanied by eerie screams.

The skin of the evil monster was as hard as solid iron.

The monster's hands were strong enough to destroy any weapon.

Russel remembered the six arrows that had been broken by the monster.

Though it is said that God always gives trials that can be endured, doubt raised its head in a corner of Russel's heart, which had been frustrated six times.

He thought he was here by God's arrangement.

But in reality, it might not be him who was meant to defeat the monster.

What if the last arrow also missed?

Maybe it would be better to go down faster than the giant and inform the mercenary band at the castle...

There was a hand firmly gripping his wrist, which was tightly holding the arrow.

"Russel."

"...Your Grace."

Arenheit was by his side.

The young Duke spoke to Russel.

"Don't put yourself through a test. What will happen will eventually happen. Whether you hit it or not, it's not all your responsibility for failing to stop the giant."

"But."

"Don't be afraid. Believe in yourself. You're the only one who can shoot that. Trust in your abilities, and trust in me as I say these words."

Arenheit took the arrow from Russel's hand.

The pale hand that overlapped Russel's hand nocked the last arrow.

"Even if you fail, there's still a chance. Even if there isn't, I'll somehow create that chance for you."

In Arenheit's words, Russel recalled something.

Long ago, when he had just sought permission from a priest to enter the Holy Knight Order.

The priest blessed him and said.

-The Lord knows the way you take; when he has tested you, you will come forth as gold.

His God had always shown him the way.

The God he believed in was cold yet merciful, stern yet loving.

When his heart, broken six times, was about to give up, God encouraged him to rise once more through Arenheit's words.

How wondrous was this.

Praise and worship the great God.

The providence of all things that God shows truly saves me.

Russel's back and arms tensed, and the bowstring was drawn taut.

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength."

The elastic bow, unable to withstand the force, gradually bent. A creaking sound came from Russel's shoulder.

"Almighty Lord, listen to my prayer. All authority and power in the world belong to You,"

The stars shone brightly.

A cave-like mouth revealed its contours, and a face that seemed like a mixture of deer and corpse raised its head.

"Make me act according to what the Lord believes, and do not let me stray from your guidance. I am your sheep, and you are my shepherd."

A fierce wind blew.

Through the flowing clouds, a beam of light was revealed.

A sky where the sun and moon coexisted.

The night became a dark day, and the day became a bright night.

When the white night fell, light reflected off Russel's arrow and flashed.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!]

"Watch over what I accomplish from above!"

Just one shot.

The light flew.

A long golden tail followed like that of a meteor.

Like an arrow shot by a hero in mythology to bring down a dragon,

Despite the fierce wind, the arrow did not change its trajectory and hit its target.

The left side of the giant's chest, right above the frozen heart that pulsated blue.

A noise like a glacier cracking was heard from the giant as it tried to rise.

It was the sound of an evil spirit escaping from a broken body.

The gigantic body fell down, down, and hung over the middle of the mountain like a puppet with its string cut.

Russel, who had been looking down at it, looked at Arenheit.

He couldn't believe it was all over.

He was sad for not being able to protect Jonas, amazed at having defeated the monster, and felt as if he had witnessed a miracle with his own eyes.

Overwhelmed by all sorts of emotions, Russel, who had gone blank, finally opened his mouth.

"...Your Grace."

"Yes?"

"Did the Holy Spirit come upon Your Grace?"