Raising Paladins - Raising Paladins chapter 89
Episode 89. unexpected leader (1)
“I’ve never seen such a deep and large cave.”
“It is the same with this old man, Miss Tyra. To think that there was such a huge space under the coastal cliffs of Derdrang… … .”
Tira and Greenwood couldn’t help but admire.
So did the other couple.
They were on their way to the clan’s nest along the sea lizard Tri-Garta.
He smiled as he guided the group.
“You are a human who has found a home for our sea lizard clan after decades. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Oh oh… … .”
This time, Brand and Terence were impressed.
He just followed Carl and the priests of Mayrium.
But because I got a chance to leave my name on a page of history.
“Two hundred years ago, the great Paladin of the Dawn mediated the fight between the humans and the sea lizard clan. But when we got there… … .”
“I’ll be sure to tell Merilda when I get back!”
Excited couple.
At that moment, the army of thousands of slave soldiers following at a distance from behind stopped.
Koo Goo Goo!
There were so many of them that when they stopped moving, the cave reverberated.
“From here, it is a place where slave soldiers cannot come. It is a place only allowed to the sea lizard clan.”
A deeper cave.
They seemed to have separated the residences of the sea lizards, the ruling class, and the seals, the slave clan.
After walking a little further, I began to see a race that looked exactly like Tri-Garta.
And finally.
“You worked hard to come. This is the place called ‘Heart of the Cave’, the home of our clan.”
An underground city carved out of the stone walls of a huge cave.
The appearance of a huge underground city made up of dozens of floors once again awed the party.
On one side of the underground city, bright as daylight, with luminous stones embedded in places, there was a market for trade.
On top of that, a place where guilds that make various things gather, and a workshop where fish, seaweed, and shellfish are collected and sorted.
It had everything a tribe needed to survive.
And at the highest point of the cave city, a person was looking down.
Tri-Garta took off the hood of her robe and bowed her head at him.
“This is the great leader of our clan, Darnar-Crete, ‘Liberator of Oppression’.”
It was so high that I couldn’t see him properly except for the knife.
It was also because the liberator disappeared into the cave after raising his hand to Tri-Garta’s greeting.
“I’d love to take you on a tour of our sea lizard clan’s civilized city, but as you all know, now is not the time. First of all, I would like you to meet and talk to Darnar-Crete.”
“I think that would be good too.”
Carl nodded.
The party headed to the Liberator’s Room at the highest point of the Cave City.
***
“Come on, guys.”
A room too casual to be a space for the leader of the clan.
There was a man in a place where all he had was a bed with a fur blanket and a small wooden table.
“Uh, uh… … ?”
Surprised, Tyra stuttered, blasphemously pointing at the liberator.
Other people’s reactions were not very different.
“Sah, it’s a person!”
“Yes, I am human.”
“… … !”
It was.
Darnar – Crete. In other words, the leader of the clan called ‘the liberator of oppression’ was not a sea lizard, but a human man.
That too, a good-looking handsome man with a blonde hair.
After briefly enjoying the surprise of the party, he pointed to the seat with his hand.
“It’s shabby, but would you like to sit down?”
“thank you.”
Cal, as usual, was the first to take the seat.
Next to him, Greenwood and the others sat down.
Soon after, Tri-Garta took the teapot boiling from the furnace and gave it to the party.
“It is a tea brewed from dried seaweed. It’s salty, so it’s really good for a meal replacement.”
Hororok.
The liberator took a sip of the tea first.
In case the group arrived in an unfamiliar place might have doubts, it was a consideration to clear their doubts by drinking tea first.
“Then thank you.”
Hororok.
Starting with the knife, the party tasted seaweed tea.
Everyone looks so good.
Carl said as the atmosphere softened.
“It’s unexpected, the leader of the sea lizard clan was a human.”
“I was just following in Master’s footsteps. It’s an excessive title for me. Darnar-Cretarani. ha ha ha. But for you… … ?”
At the words of the liberator, the knife was seated and bowed lightly.
“This is Carlos, priest of the Temple of Dawn in Meirium. This is Lord Greenwood, the Cardinal, and next to him… … .”
The introduction of the group continued.
A liberator who greeted each person politely.
He said.
“Seeing that Tri-Garta has brought you, I can understand. Have you come to help the inhabitants of the Cave City?”
“you’re right. I am here to mediate the war against Derdrang and to help you.”
“Did you hear about the monstrous species?”
“About the river. I don’t know the details.”
“They… … .”
The liberator’s face was pensive.
“They are fish-men with the head of an octopus with a huge body. The scales are so strong that weapons cannot penetrate them. It’s already been a year since I’ve been helpless against them because my strength and speed are amazing. The clan is grieved over the loss of husbands and wives, sons and daughters. They couldn’t withstand their invasion, so they tried to relocate to the surface. I heard that many humans were injured in the battle with Derdrang. I deeply apologize for that.”
The Liberator fell to his knees and slammed his forehead into the ground.
Even if he is the same human being, he is the leader of a race, so he cannot be easily seen.
Tri-Garta, who was watching from behind, had a sad face.
“Wake up. Tri-Garta and Derdrang’s godmother Crena must have agreed on the matter. It’s none of our business, and it’s none of our business to receive an apology instead.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
At Carl’s words, the liberator straightened his back.
Carl asked him.
“By the way, liberator, who is the Master you mentioned earlier?”
“He is a human like me and you. He has business to do, so he’s been away for a while.”
“Did you say human?”
“Yes, he is the master of all clans, including me and Tri-Garta. You taught your clan how to make languages, skills, and tools. If it wasn’t for his wisdom, we would have been exterminated long ago by the fish people.”
“You are a pioneer.”
“yes. He is a hero who appeared out of nowhere one day and saved his family.”
“Where are you now?”
“As I said, you were away because you had business to do. Perhaps it will be difficult for you to meet Master. You have gone on a long adventure.”
The liberator’s face darkened slightly when he said the word ‘long adventure’.
Carl didn’t miss that sign, but he didn’t even ask.
I have urgent business to deal with right now.
‘Were the fish-men the monster species?’
Carl knew the fish-men well.
200 years ago, the ugly guys who first stood on the side of the Lich King during Carl’s war with the Lich King.
They were struck by Carl’s sacred sword and tactics, and the entire race was almost destroyed.
However, after 200 years of hiding and increasing their power, they have now started hunting the sea lizard clan.
“I don’t know if the liberators know about it, but recently there have been reports of monsters on the ground. Our party has already met more than three types of monsters.”
“Seeing that you are fine even after meeting such monsters, you must have great skills.”
“It was nothing. Anyway, as priests of the Sun God sect, we are in charge of the sacred security of the empire. This day, too, came for that reason. Please guide us to the main road where the fishmen attack. We will begin an investigation immediately.”
“All right. But before you go, I have something to tell you.”
“What is?”
“They are savage and ferocious. Please, please cherish your lives.”
***
Carl and Mesa and Hanson.
And Tri-Garta, who claimed to be the guide.
In this way the four passed through a dark, damp cave passage.
Tira remained in the cave city and treated the injured sea lizards, while Greenwood and his priests, Brand and Terence, agreed to help Tira.
“They appear from this hallway, kidnap the clan and disappear. There are countless branches behind this, so even if I wanted to chase after them, I couldn’t.”
“Right.”
Carl lowered himself on one side of the aisle.
Touching the floor and the stone wall, he tasted the tips of his fingers with his tongue.
“The salt remains even high up on the wall. This is a passage that is periodically submerged in sea water.”
“Exactly. It’s even harder to track down as the water comes in and washes away their tracks. Even if you knew exactly which corner of the road it would appear, you would be able to defend yourself quite a bit… … .”
After walking a little further from the large passage, a cave divided into dozens of branches appeared.
A place that is tangled and twisted like a giant labyrinth.
As Tri-Garta said, this was a complex place where it was difficult to find a way even for natives.
Of course, it was easy for Carl.
Whoa-!
As the sword injected holy power into the steel sword, the blade vibrated.
Carl slowly aimed his white-shining sword at dozens of aisles, one by one.
then at some point.
Wing- Wing- Wing-
The sword blade roared louder and louder.
Among the various caves, he pointed to the one in particular that had a gloomy aura and a rotten smell.
“This way.”
“This way? Did you find the route of their invasion?”
“Sacred power is the power to destroy those who defy the will of God, and it becomes stronger in places where their evil energy remains thick. I used that to find it.”
“Ahh… … !”
Tri-Garta flicked her tongue.
It was because his family had been looking for it for over a year.
“We will build a defense line based on this passage. Then you’ll take much less damage than you do now! What a joy!”
“That is just a stopgap. We have to find them and destroy them.”
“Oh, of course it is. But like I said, their scales are like steel… … .”
“We will take care of that.”
chuck!
Before anyone knew it, Meisa and Hanson were standing behind Carl.
There was not the slightest bit of fear towards the fish-men on the confident faces of the three.
Tri-Garta swallowed.
But then.
A loud noise came from the direction the sword was pointing.
It was the sound of something crashing and crashing.
“The sea is coming in. I step back for a while and come back when the water recedes.”
Carl shook his head at Tri-Garta’s words.
“As long as the sea water is full, it is obvious that even the enemy will be caught off guard. Now is not the time to scout.”
“But are you not human? If the sea water is cold, you will be suffocated.”
“You can use that.”
Carl picked up an oddly shaped hermit crab shell that was rolling across the hallway floor.
Then Tri-Garta was startled.
“Do you know the gill hermit crab? It’s something that only the people living in the sea know about!”
Write- Whoa-!
Carl stuck his nose and mouth into the hermit crab shell and exhaled and drank a few times.
“The performance is certain. Everyone, pick up one of these hermit crabs.”
“Yes, chief.”
Meisa and Hanson found hermit crabs that fit their face size and put them on.
Soon, the seawater rushed in and filled the passage.
Pogrure-!
A group whose heads were completely submerged.
However, no one had trouble breathing because they could breathe using gill hermit crabs.
Soon the group started swimming through the aisles.