To Hell with Being a Saint, I’m a Doctor - Chapter 217: Monster Lord (1)

“The perimeter has been reinforced.”

“Good work.”

Head Priest Felji surveyed the surroundings.

He immediately noticed the uneven rocks and entangled tree roots.

It was an ideal camping site.

“Even if monsters come, we should be able to hold them off from here.”

Moreover, the nearby river would help mask their scent.

This was truly the tactic of an experienced strategist.

A priest in modest ceremonial robes approached him.

“It seems we’ll be fine like this, Head Priest Felji.”

“Complacency is forbidden, especially now with the Monster Lord nearby.”

“Eh, why would a Lord target a group like ours? There’s no benefit for them.”

“How can humans understand the thoughts of monsters?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“What about the perimeter? Why are you here?”

“What good would a priest do standing guard? All I know is divine magic… If a monster comes, I’d be dead instantly.”

Making a throat-slitting gesture, Felji laughed pleasantly.

“Hahaha. Now that I think about it, that’s true.”

Having exchanged a few jokes, the priest wiped away his smile and looked up at the night sky.

“How’s your family doing?”

At that question, Felji uttered a strange sound, somewhere between a groan and a sigh.

The priest quickly continued,

“I’m sorry. If it’s too personal, you don’t have to answer.”

“It’s alright. You used to take care of them, after all.”

While talking, Felji casually sat on the mossy ground.

“My wife’s recovery is slow, and my daughter hasn’t woken up. Despite continuous treatment, there’s no significant improvement. In short, nothing has changed from before.”

His voice was tinged with self-mockery.

The priest nodded in response.

“I see. But it’s still fortunate. Divine magic isn’t completely ineffective.”

“A silver lining, indeed.”

“How about asking the saints for healing?”

Felji slowly shook his head at the priest’s suggestion.

“That would be inappropriate. Their power shouldn’t be used for something that’s not incurable.”

“We’re so close. Maybe just mentioning it…”

He firmly cut off the subsequent words.

“I didn’t become Head Priest to use my position for personal reasons.”

He was incredibly strict with himself.

This was true even in matters involving his family.

One might think him cold-hearted, but the priest knew well the pain and struggle Felji endured in making such decisions.

Thus, he couldn’t say anything further.

“If that’s your decision, Head Priest…”

Lowering his head, the priest attempted to smile, which Felji acknowledged with a firm grasp on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. You’re not just a stranger to me. My daughter will wake up soon, so don’t be too anxious. However, let’s not harbor resentment without direction. That only leads to destruction.”

Instead of responding, the priest clenched his fist.

“To be honest, I’d like to kill all the monsters. Those despicable beings that took away the Head Priest’s family and my fiancée. But I lack the strength to do so. Thus, I have to think of this as a trial given by Goddess Priyas. Since it can’t be overcome by human means, we must pray to the gods.”

“If you can keep your resentment at bay as you are now, then this too is a trial by Goddess Priyas to make you grow.”

He returned a weak smile.

The priest, silent for a moment, bid farewell and left. During that time, Felji remained seated on the ground, unable to stand.

Three days had passed since they arrived at the Heprian Mountains.

Now, the problem wasn’t food or water, but boredom.

The knights felt the same, as they started chattering among themselves from the second day.

Initially amused by their conversations, Ray’s interest faded after three days.

Just as he was about to cover his face with a book and sleep, a conversation between two knights caught his ear.

“I was excited about the rumors of a giant island not marked on maps, but as expected, there’s nowhere to be seen at sea.”

“Did you really believe that rumor? Hahaha. Big in size but naïve at heart.”

“To dismiss it as just a rumor seems hasty, considering its perfect location. It’s surrounded by small islands and reefs.”

“If such a giant island existed, wouldn’t sailors know about it? It’s just a baseless rumor, don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm…”

Ray approached them.

“May I hear more about that story?”

“Saint?”

“The giant island you’re talking about?”

They looked puzzled but nodded.

“Yes, that giant island.”

Asking such a question could be seen as disrespectful.

They continued the story.

“The ‘giant island’ is a legend from the West Continent. It’s said to be an enormous island not marked on maps.”

“There are rumors of unseen monsters and weapons roaming there, but since no one claims to have visited, it remains a legend.”

It seemed closely related to the legacy of heroes created by the goddess.

‘It’s too coincidental to hear an old rumor about a giant island; this could be the place I suspect.’

While he needed to hear information from Soyeong and Heukyeong, currently, this giant island was the most suspicious.

The blessings given by the goddess couldn’t be hidden among the culprits.

Their names should have spread unknowingly.

But the fact that their existence remained hidden from him suggested they were hiding in a secret place, not just due to the distance between the East and West Continents.

That place could very well be this giant island.

“Where is it said to be located?”

“No one knows the exact location. Rumor has it that it’s somewhere in the middle of the ocean we crossed…”

Ray muttered as he listened to the knights.

“Looks like I’ll have to take a ship again.”

Hearing his murmuring, a knight cautiously asked,

“Apologies, Saint, but do you intend to search for the giant island?”

“More precisely, I’m looking for someone.”

Why search for a person on a giant island?

It was incomprehensible, but they couldn’t question him outright.

“It’s just a rumor. Some kingdoms from the West Continent tried to find it but failed.”

“One cannot know without trying.”

His determined response made the knight bow his head lightly.

‘It might just be a legend, but if the Saint decides to search, he might actually find it.’

As a Saint who often defied convention and norms, if he seriously set out to search, he might indeed discover it.

It would be interesting to uncover a legend from the Holy Kingdom, not from the West but from the East Continent.

In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep, urgent voices came from different directions.

“Monsters! It’s an ambush!”

“Wake the knights!”

“Put on your plate armor and come out! There are large monsters!”

Woken by the commotion, Head Priest Felji hurriedly ran out.

“What’s happening!”

“It’s an attack! We need to intercept the monsters coming at us in this area!”

“A tribe, or is it the work of the Monster Lord?”

“It seems so! They must think their territory is being invaded!”

“Ugh…! Line up with your backs to the inner side! Do not advance even slightly forward!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Following his command, the knights quickly formed their ranks.

It was a moment that showcased their excellent training.

Orcs, leaping over giant rocks and tree roots, were the first to reach them.

“Koooaah!”

The overwhelming number and brute force of the monsters made them gulp in fear.

“This is going to be tough… Hahaha.”

“…May the blessing of Goddess Priyas be with us!”

As morale seemed to be waning, Felji shouted quickly.

“Send a messenger! Request reinforcements from the east and west!”

“Ah, understood!”

“Front line, hold your shields! We must prevent a melee battle as much as possible! Start attacking the monsters as they cross that line of trees!”

“Understood!”

“We comply!”

Following Felji’s orders, the knights and priests began to cut down monsters that crossed the treeline.

Swoosh-!

“Kaaaah!”

For every monster that fell, two more surged forward.

The scale of the onslaught was tremendous.

Clang! Clang!

Sharp noises filled the forest.

Not long after the attack had started, pools of monster blood had formed.

Individual monsters were no match for the knights.

The terrain was sufficiently advantageous for them.

‘With this number of people, it’s impossible to capture all the monsters. If we assume we have to deal with the Lord, it’s even more unlikely. So, we stall for time until reinforcements come.’

As long as they kept fending off the monsters, reinforcements would arrive.

Felji, thinking this, maneuvered his troops to buy time.

Focusing not on annihilation but on stalling, the knights suffered fewer casualties and could efficiently fend off the monsters.

Just as hope began to emerge, Felji’s eyes widened.

“No! Stop!”

A messenger, trying to escape, was brutally killed by an orc.

Now, someone else had to be sent as a messenger, but leaving any position could be dangerous.

It was impossible to send a physically weaker priest or cleric, as they would likely meet the same fate as the previous messenger.

Felji grasped his head in frustration.

In such an urgent situation, there was no time for hesitation.

“Head Priest! Please give an order!”

“If we keep this up, we’ll collapse! We’ll all die!”

The front line, sounding desperate, appeared to be in a precarious state.

“Retreat a little bit at a time! A sudden retreat will disrupt our formation!”

“Ah, understood!”

“Ugh! Clerics! Cast your blessings!”

“Bl, Bless!”

“Holy Protect!”

The clerics and priests, as they turned their attention more to the battlefield, reduced the number of injured.

Yet that was the extent of their capability.

Though wounds closed under the touch of divine magic, the depletion of their divine power would spell the end of this reprieve.

As they continued to retreat, caught in a dilemma with no victory in sight, a pushback here meant certain death.

Bit by bit, the resolve in their eyes started to wane.