Chapter 22

In the mansion that had been completely burned down, a subordinate reported the discovery of a suspicious person.

I, who had been searching another location, hurried to the scene.

"Who is it?"

"It's the man wearing the hat."

"…Is it him?"

He is a man who seems to be still young, mingling with the onlookers and gazing at the burned ruins. However, his face is not clearly visible because he is wearing his hat low.

"But he has been just looking at the ruins without doing anything. There's a possibility that he's not the one…?"

"No, his presence is different from that of an ordinary person. He is likely an undead."

"Then should we apprehend him immediately?"

"Not yet. If we do, it will cause harm to the surrounding people. We will wait until he makes a move. Besides, I want to wait for the other team members to gather."

It is unclear why he returned to the scene, but he had been standing there, doing nothing, just looking at the ruins. Eventually, he seemed satisfied and turned to leave.

After signaling to the team members, I followed him.

"…You there, don't move."

Approaching from behind, I sharply called out. He obediently stopped.

"Turn around slowly and take off your hat."

While holding the holy spear, I gave the instructions, and he did as he was told, turning around and taking off his hat.

"…As I thought…"

What was revealed was white hair and red eyes, just as reported by the branch of the Costal cult.

"My name is Rimuru. I am a holy knight of the Albert Holy Knights, proud servants of the Holy Melt Church. You are an undead, aren't you?"

"…"

When I asked for confirmation, he nodded without hesitation. His attitude was surprisingly obedient up to this point.

Or perhaps it was a sign of his complete lack of fear.

I could not sense any strong magical power. However, we know that the more powerful and intelligent undead are, the more likely they are to conceal their true strength.

The undead in front of me was undoubtedly one of them. I felt a moment of tension, but I regained my courage by thinking of the weapon in my hand.

That's right.

We have this holy spear.

I declared forcefully.

"As holy knights serving God, we cannot overlook the existence of the unclean undead. I will now purify you!"

To my surprise, he calmly spread his arms wide on the spot, showing no signs of resistance or escape. It was as if he was inviting us to attack from any direction.

Does he have such confidence that our attacks will be ineffective?

"…Don't underestimate us…!"

I felt a strong indignation, as if it was an insult to the god we serve.

Then I will show you!

The power of this holy spear, imbued with divine might!

"Everyone, ready your holy spears!"

"“Yes!”"

"Begin the simultaneous purification!"

In response to my call, the holy knights surrounding the white-haired undead released the power of their holy spears. The purification light was so intense that it could eliminate even high-level undead with a single strike.

There were over fifteen such beams, coming from all directions. Any undead should have been purified for sure—so we thought.

When the light finally subsided, we were faced with an unbelievable sight.

"Such… It hasn't had any effect at all…?"

He was standing there calmly, as if nothing had happened.

"Damn… Don't panic! We still have options! Believe in the power of this holy spear developed by our church!"

I tried to rally my spirits and raised my voice.

That's right.

The true power of the holy spear's purification is unleashed when the tip makes contact with the target.

While it has the advantage of being able to be used from a distance, the previous attack sacrificed power for range. It was more like a shockwave produced by a slash.

This time, I intended to deliver the slash itself to him.

Of course, this required approaching him, knowing the danger. To encourage the team members, who were on the verge of losing their fighting spirit, I shouted.

"Everyone, are you prepared to dedicate your lives to God!?"

"“Yes!”"

"Good response! Fortunately, he underestimates our power and won't move! Show him our faith!"

"“Oooh!”"

The white-haired man, as if mocking our resolve, relaxed his cheeks. He was completely mocking us.

"Fine, I'll show you! I'll eliminate you this time, along with your arrogance…! —Charge simultaneously!"

Everyone kicked off the ground simultaneously and launched a desperate charge. I led the charge, thrusting the tip of my spear into his body.

The shape of the spear has a specific meaning. By thrusting it into the target's body, it is possible to flow the purification light from the inside.

…But the sensation was strange.

It felt as if there was no resistance, as if something invisible was blocking it.

Unfortunately, the blinding light prevented me from seeing what was happening to him, but I could sense the confusion among the others. Could it be that this didn't work either…?

As I felt a bad premonition,

"Haha, hahaha…! Hahahaha!"

Laughter echoed from the center of the light.

He… is laughing?

No… this can't be…

When the light subsided and we saw him standing there unchanged, we completely lost our fighting spirit. The sound of a holy spear rolling on the ground echoed, dropped by someone.

I couldn't even scold them.

Because I, too, had lost the sensation in my hands from fear and wasn't sure if I was still holding the holy spear.

Still, I managed to keep my wits about me.

That's right, I am not just any holy knight.

I am the son of the Pope and the brother of the Holy Knights' commander, and I have received strict training since childhood.

Therefore, I must set an example as a holy knight, no matter what!

"R, retreat! Retreat now! Leave this place immediately!"

"“—Y, yes!”"

"What about the captain!?"

"I, I will hold him off! No arguments!"

The footsteps of the team members faded away. Meanwhile, the white-haired man… didn't move at all.

This makes me look foolish, risking my life to hold him off…!

Perhaps to him, we are like insects, and he has no interest in us from the beginning?

Even as I glared at him, he just stared back, showing no signs of attacking.

In the extreme tension, I decided to ask him a question.

"A, are you an enemy of humanity?"

"Ch…"

…Ch?

Damn, I can't hear what he's saying!

"Can you speak properly…?"

Among the undead, there are those who can converse and those who cannot. It seems this one is of the latter type.

Given that he is undoubtedly a high-level undead and appears to be intelligent, I thought he might be able to speak. Perhaps he is a special type of undead in this regard as well.

"…"

Huh? What is it?

He looks as if he has received a shock…?

But that expression only lasted a moment, and the white-haired man suddenly turned and ran away.

"Wait…! I still have questions—"

I immediately chased after him, but he was too fast. In no time, he was out of sight.

"Huff, huff… He got away…"

I reluctantly gave up the chase and stopped.

However, one thing became clear.

That white-haired undead had no intention of harming anyone.

I recalled the stories of the people rescued from the fire.

"If those stories are true… then he might even be trying to help people…?"

How to report this to the headquarters of the Holy Knights will be a great source of worry for me.