Lord of Glory

"Hey, Paladin. What are you thinking about, standing at the door so early in the morning?" At this moment, Kaleqi, who was wearing a fancy dress, walked over with his son Uther. Kaleqi, who was about to open his mouth to playfully say something when he noticed Paladin's unusual grave expression. His previous intent to joke suddenly disappeared. He stepped forward curiously and asked, "Paladin, what's wrong? This stern expression of yours is really rare!"

"Oh! It's nothing serious." Only then did Paladin come back to his senses. He crumpled the envelope in his hand into a ball and twisted it in his palm. Looking at the lively and lovely Uther, he laughed.

"My godson, have you come to pray?"

"Oh, Paladin, I have something to do today. Some of the people I entrusted to manage the ironworks said that recently, some people-" Kaleqi hadn't finished speaking when Paladin, whose mind was still full about the Paladin family, interrupted him by saying, "I'll discuss it with you after I get back, I'm going to visit Edley right now."

"Uh, okay." Kaleqi had no other choice but to do as Paladin said. He then left with Uther, a smile plastered on his face.

It wasn't until Kaleqi and Uther left that Paladin returned to the church. With a straight face, he asked Aberleigh who was on the ceiling.

"How far can you run with me on your back?"

Aberleigh saw his master’s serious expression and imitated a horse's cry, indicating that it was comparable to the speed of a horse. Paladin immediately nodded in satisfaction. No matter whose horse he rode, he would be noticed. When the time came, it was not good for the truth to be known by anybody. On the contrary, by being on such a powerful big man’s back and advancing to the mountains where horses couldn't walk, no one would find out that Paladin was actually going to Fenrir instead of Edley.

"Aberleigh. Carry me on your back to a place. If we arrive there fast, I'll reward you with a big meal!"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Aberleigh nodded excitedly. He immediately jumped down and arched his body. Paladin then climbed and straddled his exaggeratedly broad back. Before Paladin could react, Aberleigh, who was excited by the thought of having a feast, started moving and left the church’s door with a whoosh. However, nobody in the bustling city that gradually became more and more crowded saw this terrifying scene.

Whirr whirr. In addition to the thunderous and violent wind, there was no other sound that could be heard in Paladin’s ears. All he could see was splotches of hazy and distorted green and yellow. Only by the smell that rushed into his nostrils could Paladin recognize that it was the smell of woods and soil. Both of his hands tightly hugged Aberleigh's bucket-like neck. Paladin couldn't quell the growing shock in his heart.

‘This bastard, how can he be so fast?! He said that he was as fast as a horse. Is this the speed of a horse?! This is clearly the speed of a giant dragon!’

Paladin couldn't bear it anymore. He closed his eyes and buried his head in his arms. The whistling wind was like a pair of sharp razors. Paladin even believed that if he stretched out his head again, his face would be scratched and bleed in an instant. Paladin had to endured such pain for a full three hours before he was finally freed.

As soon as Aberleigh stopped, Paladin fell to the ground as if he had passed out. His face was pale and his eyes were red. He was panting heavily, as if he had come back after being dead.

"I-I am still alive, right?" Paladin knelt on the ground and screamed at Aberleigh. Only then did he realize that this place was in the middle of a forest. Long weeds covered the tree trunks, and the lush leaves covered the sky.

Occasionally, one or two unrecognizable birds stood on the branches, looking curiously at the two uninvited guests. Paladin, who propped himself up slightly, walked on the grass and suddenly saw a city standing on the other side of the hill. The city was surrounded by high walls and towers with giant crossbow carts. One could even see the flags flying on the tower. The flags depicted a griffin with a red and blue background.

"The flag of the Marquis of Carmon!"

Paladin recognized it at a glance. This was one of the only three marquises in the Duchy, the flag of the Marquis of Carmon. This happened to be his destination, Fenrir, which was one of Marquis of Carmon’s territories.

"Aberleigh, where did you bring me?" Paladin asked. He held a tree trunk to barely stop his legs from shaking while trying to stand up. Who would’ve known this journey would be a big deal. Paladin suddenly felt his stomach that had calmed down for a moment gurgling, so he hurriedly stood up. His pale face became paler. Eventually, he lowered his head and vomited.

However, the answer Paladin was expecting only came in the form of "Oh oh oh!"

Paladin shook his head, his body was in a sluggish state. He tried to calm down his uncomfortable stomach and said, "It's useless asking you. I'd better go and see for myself." Paladin suddenly turned his head and warned, "You go with me, but you must not let others find your whereabouts, you must not let others see you! Got it?!"

"Oh oh oh!"

Paladin, who was completely defeated by this cookie-cutter answer, simply ignored Aberleigh. Stepping on the muddy and weed-covered grass, he walked towards the distant city little by little.

Unknowingly, Paladin walked into a densely forested area. Paladin, who didn't want to admit that he was at a roadblock, was in a hurry to find a way out when suddenly there was a roar of a beast in the distance. Aberleigh, who had been swinging on a tree, suddenly jumped to the ground in front of Paladin before roaring with a serious expression.

"Aberleigh, what's wrong with you?" Paladin hadn't realized what was going on until he heard a bang and saw the tree trunk in front of him explode. An adult scorpion-tailed beast flapped his degenerated wings and jumped out of the shattered wood chips and leaped straight to the Paladin.

In an instant Paladin could see the scorpion-tailed beast's sharp barb, the golden hair, the pair of ferocious and hungry eyes, and the open bloody mouth. Buzz buzz! There was a ringing in Paladin’s ears. Right now, the eyeballs of his shocked eyes instantly turned golden. From the two of his eyes, a dazzling golden light burst out.

Not only that, but the Almighty Eye, which had not been used since he acquired it, emerged on his forehead. The horizontal golden eyes with a halo like a crown around it faced the flying Scorpion beast while emitting a golden light that was more blinding than both of his eyes.

At this moment, for Paladin, the whole world seemed to stand still. The scorpion-tailed beast his sharp claws out. The saliva from that bloody mouth floated in the air. What surprised Paladin even more was that he seemed to have countless pairs of eyes, looking at everything around him from any angle. Aberleigh, who was behind him, was frantically trying to run up to him, but his pace and expression remained frozen in the air. On a nearby tree trunk, a beetle so small that it was almost invisible was spreading its wings, unconcerned by all the commotion.

Through the slender cuts in the trunk, the beetle was drinking the sap bit by bit. The breeze blew by, carrying some tiny dirt so small that humans couldn't see it, and it fell on the leaves in the shape of a square. The veins of the leaves stood tall like a city wall. The claws of the sparrow flying overhead had rows of tiny cracks, indicating that it had been used for too long.

All of this felt like Paladin was dissecting this very moment into countless copies of moments. Paladin had more time than he needed to take in everything that was happening around him. Paladin half dazedly looked at the scorpion-tailed beast that was still frozen in the air. This magical All-Seeing eye would be the most powerful. Surprisingly, the scorpion tail beast in front of him gradually became transparent, revealing the internal blood vessels, bones, and muscles. With a glance, Paladin intuitively discovered that in the scorpion’s segmented tail, three inches below the middle of the ribs, and five decimeters deep, was where the beast’s heart was located.