Going back in time a few days—
The western region next to Dragon City was a land called Freshwater Desert. Its name originated from the fact that it was once the site of an enormous lake, home to countless creatures.
But after tens of thousands of years, the lake had completely disappeared, leaving behind a huge desert.
No one knew why the lake had disappeared. Some said that it was a natural occurrence, but others said that gods had once fought there, causing the lake to become a desert. So far, no one knew the real reason why the desert was formed.
With the Freshwater Desert in the middle, the eastern part of the territory belonged to the Subila Empire while the central to the southern region was part of the San Soliel Mountain Range, which was now under the jurisdiction of Dragon City.
“Watch out! It’s a mummy!”
A young warrior loudly warned his comrade while raising his huge sword to block the old mummy in front of him.
This evil creature might look dried up from the outside but its strength remained great. With a swing of its arms, it flung away the warrior, but fortunately, a shield took the warrior’s place, blocking the mummy’s pursuit.
“Be careful. Don’t let the mummy scratch you. Its claws contain poison. Someone, prepare the antidote.”
The warrior who had been sent flying seemed to be experienced as he commanded.
A bard recited an incantation with his singing, summoning out a swarm of insects to hinder the mummy. This was one of the spells that bards could learn after advancing in rank. Unlike mages who relied on learning to learn magic up to the ninth ring, a bard was only limited to casting six-ringed spells.
After finishing his incantation, the bard raised his sword to join the battle.
At this time—
“[Holy Judgment]!”
A high-pitched female voice echoed and in an instant, the mummy roared in pain. In the blink of an eye, it was covered in smoke and disintegrated in the desert.
“Phew…”
The adventurer squad breathed a sigh of relief as they slowly put down their weapons while maintaining vigilance.
This was a small adventurer group that consisted of a warrior, a wanderer, a bard, and a ranger. Except for a mage and a priest, it was a standard party.
In the era where the gods weren’t seen anymore, priests were rare and mages were more reclusive. It would be hard for an ordinary adventurer party to have them.
But apart from the members of this party, there was an extra woman.
This was a beautiful young girl that looked like an iris. She wore white robes that looked solemn in this desert. She did not smile at all and even looked so pure that even the sand did not dare stain her robes.
This person was a paladin, an extremely powerful paladin.
“Thank you very much for your help, Miss Roselia!”
The young warrior was the leader of the party, Bowen. He felt a bit ashamed and gratefully thanked this holy maiden.
The adventurer squad met this holy maiden in the desert. When this paladin walked alone in the desert, Bowen boldly struck up a conversation with her. After knowing that both of them were heading to Dragon City, he invited her to join the party.
‘Good thing I was bold enough to invite this paladin, otherwise we might have lost someone on our trip here.’
Bowen sighed. Their journey to Dragon City wasn’t smooth sailing. Not only did they encounter a large number of death dogs, but they also encountered a special gnoll tribe called the Yenogu Poisonfang, and now there were even mummies. It would be good if they didn’t encounter a mummy lord next, otherwise, they would be wiped out even with the paladin there.
But whether it was the mummies or the gnolls, there were no threatening enemies in front of this paladin at all. Miss Roselia easily destroyed them with her holy powers.
Bowin did not dare to guess the lady’s rank, but he guessed that it should be above the seventh rank. A powerhouse of this level was not something a mid-ranking warrior like him could touch, and fortunately, she was a paladin!
“You don’t have to thank me, Mr. Bowen! It is my duty to destroy evil, and it is my duty to protect the good in the face of evil!”
The paladin named Roselia spoke in a noble tone. Her expression looked sacred and the atmosphere around her was awe-inspiring.
Looking at the paladin with gold and silver hair in front of him as well as the contrast between the desert and her white skin and beautiful face, Bowen felt as if he was falling in love.
‘Unfortunately, she is a paladin!’
Bowen once again sighed.
Although not everyone liked the people from the Theocracy, there was a group of people that deserved to be respected. They were the ones called God’s chosen warriors – the paladins.
These were the warriors of the Goddess of Morning. They had noble souls and valued glory more than anything, and they would dedicate their souls and swords to fight against evil. They spread justice and enforced the law, helped the poor and the needy and crushed the evil and the greedy. They were simply the perfect embodiment of the Goddess’ stance towards the world.
Although there were times when paladins were too stubborn to convince, their souls and virtues were absolutely faultless.
However, these paladins did not understand love at all. They believed that it was a selfish thing. Only through dedicating their body and soul to the gods was their existence actualized.
Roselia, the current head of the Iris Knight Order of the Slaine Theocracy was a ninth-ranked paladin. She was going to Dragon City to face the evil dragon and ask for the holy weapon that belonged to them. Although she knew that she had no power to confront an evil demigod dragon, she still went without hesitation.
These paladins were muscle brains that would sometimes ignore the pope’s orders. They were the most trustworthy in the Theocracy, but at the same time, they were the biggest headache.
“Leader, there is a carriage coming from the west!”
The wanderer who was keeping guard of the surroundings quickly reported when he found something wrong.
“Carriage?”
Bowen was a little surprised. How could there be any carriages in the middle of the desert? Even if it was a nobleman, they would never choose to cross the desert. Instead, they would choose to take the comfortable long way around.
Moreover, seeing a carriage in the desert was a strange thing. In an instant, everyone became alert. Even the paladin named Roselia solemnly looked to the west.
“There is someone strong inside.”
She asserted.
……
“Your Highness, there is a group of adventurers ahead.”
“Ho~, it’s the first time we’ve seen adventurers in this Freshwater Desert. Can we stop by and take a look?”
A pure, lively voice that brimmed with curiosity sounded from inside the carriage.