Chapter 281
Chapter 281
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: Chapter 6-4. Azure Lance Knights
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Kwaaaaa!
An explosive pillar of light surged up from the ground toward the sky. The light pierced a massive hole through the clouds in an instant. As time passed, the pillar of light gradually thinned, and just as it was about to vanish completely, an even more intense beam descended from the heavens to the earth in reverse.
That light was different from the one before.
It was bright but not blinding. Looking at it brought tears to the eyes unbidden.
It was a light that evoked holiness and reverence. If a sinner witnessed it, they would likely drop to their knees right there and repent. Even the sinless would do the same. Any human would simply kneel before the light, close their eyes, clasp their hands, and offer a prayer. In fact, the knights who beheld the light were doing exactly that on the spot.
"......"
An elderly man watched the scene. With his white hair neatly combed back and wearing glasses adorned with chains, he was Calyxter, the supreme commander of the Azure Lance Knights. He sat on a flat rock atop a small hill, a slim cigar between his lips, gazing down uncomfortably at his knights performing the utmost reverence they could muster.
"Hmm."
His brow furrowed involuntarily. The Azure Lance Knights should kneel to no one but the emperor and the benefactor. The sight of them bowing to this light felt wrong no matter how he thought about it. His mind understood, but his heart could not.
The light was undoubtedly holy.
If the entity known only in legends as the Holy King appeared before them, it would surely be haloed by just such a light. In truth, even Calyxter had nearly set aside his cigar and bowed the moment he saw it. But the only ones he would ever kneel to were the empire's emperor and its benefactor. That thought stayed his knee.
However, the other Azure Lance Knights seemed to feel differently. Frustrated, he drew a deep breath.
───.
The cigar burned quickly between his lips, flooding his lungs with harsh smoke. The violent sensation scraping down his throat made him exhale it back out. Thick gray smoke billowed forth.
"The Iron Labyrinth...?"
The place where the light had risen and fallen was none other than the Black Land.
And hidden there was the Iron Labyrinth, which sealed one of the great demons known as the Seven Deadly Sins.
Only a handful in the Byron Empire knew of its existence—the emperor and a few high-ranking officials. That was, until the recent visit of that saintess. The memory made his eye twitch. His already grim face grew sterner with furrowed brows, but since his adjutant and all the knights were kneeling, no one saw his expression.
'That woman.'
The saintess from the Holy Empire of Crakhas across the two continents.
The one who served the First Holy King, Metatron.
Because of her, a top-secret matter that should never have been known to others was revealed to the ministers. The empire had guarded that information meticulously for over a century, and seeing it exposed so casually was profoundly unsettling.
He had been holding the front lines when summoned by the emperor and rushed back to the capital via the nearest magic tower's teleportation circle, but it was too late. After a late dinner with a friend, he went to meet the emperor the next day and was shocked.
He had assumed the summons was due to monsters swarming the labyrinths sealing demons within the empire, but he never imagined the nobles would know about the "Iron Labyrinth" and bring it up themselves.
The nobles, having realized the demons were sealed with fragments, demanded immediate dispatch of troops to assert control over the Black Land near Ahman Kingdom's border. Most even offered their own knight orders willingly. Anyone could see it wasn't out of volunteerism or loyalty to the emperor—not even a three-year-old.
At that moment, the saintess who had leaked the information about the labyrinth sealing the Seven Deadly Sins intervened. Standing beside the emperor, she stated that while she didn't doubt the nobles' knight orders, given the gravity of the situation, the Azure Lance Knights' main force and the imperial guard, the Spear of Judgment, should handle it directly. She advised and requested as much, adding that the saintess herself, along with the Holy Knights and Bishops who had accompanied her, would join them.
She promised that any fragments obtained would be yielded to the empire, and this incident could forge a solid alliance with the Holy Empire. Of course, there were likely other deals Calyxter wasn't privy to.
The emperor approved, and Calyxter immediately used a magic communication orb to summon nearby Azure Lance Knights to monitor the Black Land. He then came here with the saintess, Holy Knights, and Bishops.
"...I don't like it."
He muttered while gazing at the holy light. The cigar's harsh smoke seemed to soothe his agitation.
Cough!
He suddenly hacked up the smoke he had inhaled.
'Damn, it's really harsh.'
He had quit for health reasons long ago, and his body rejected it after such a long break. He had barely taken a few puffs since lighting it, but throwing it away felt wasteful. He sighed, staring down at the cigar still smoldering gray smoke from his hand.
"What doesn't sit well with you?"
A soft voice accompanied light footsteps approaching. Calyxter, looking at the cigar, shifted his gaze sideways. The saintess, clad in a priestess robe so revealing it was embarrassing to stare at openly, approached nonchalantly and looked up at him with sparkling eyes. Her smile was beautiful—everyone would think so—but to Calyxter, no matter how lovely, it was just a hypocritical mask.
"Don't you pray?"
"Prayers should be short and concise. The heart must be devout. That's enough."
"Admirable."
The saintess, who still hadn't revealed her name, let out a small laugh and repeated her earlier question.
"If it's not too rude, could you tell me what you meant earlier by not liking it?"
"It's certainly rude, but since you ask—it's you."
"Why?"
"Why? A single woman claiming a divine oracle made the empire spill secrets kept hidden for over a century like it was nothing. How could that sit well? Honestly, saintess or not, I'd love to kill you right here."
He spoke as if in casual conversation, but the sincerity in his words was unmistakable. The saintess didn't change expression and let out a small laugh.
"Oh dear, that would be troubling. I still have much to do for Lord Metatron. Duties to fulfill, you see."
"...Ha!"
Calyxter let out a hollow laugh and put the cigar back in his mouth. He wanted to inhale, but after coughing earlier, he had no desire to. He just chewed on it idly.
"Why not direct that killing intent you harbor for me toward the Seventh Deadly Sin about to be unleashed... or whoever is trying to break the seal and bring chaos to this world? For the empire's sake."
"If a foreigner hadn't meddled in empire affairs and had shown a bit more propriety, I wouldn't have spoken so harshly."
"Are you apologizing to me?"
"No."
"Then?"
Calyxter stared silently at the saintess tilting her head, then turned back to the pillar of light. He didn't know how much longer he'd live, but this holy light unlike anything he'd seen in his lifetime was now thinning to the point of vanishing. He ground out the cigar—still more than half remaining—against the rock and let it go.
"Consider this a warning. Praying to the Holy King that my lance never turns toward you isn't a bad idea."
"......"
Calyxter stood up. In his light attire, his gaze fell on the knight order still kneeling and praying toward the light.
"Adjutant!"
Though his hair was white with age, his voice was as robust as any youth's. It boomed down the hill, piercing the knights' ears.
"Yes!"
The adjutant, also quite elderly but not as much as Calyxter, sprang up and hurried over. Having witnessed the holy light, his eyes shone clearer and more resolute than usual.
"Fire the signal. Assemble all nearby units at the Black Land."
"And the Holy Knights and Bishops?"
"They'll follow on their own."
"Yes! Mobilize! Assemble the units!"
Calls of "Assemble the units!" echoed repeatedly, and signal flares trailing blue smoke shot into the sky. From not far off, response flares began firing one after another.
It didn't take long for the Azure Lance Knights resting scattered near the hill to gather. Except for Calyxter, they all wore gleaming silver armor and helmets, their blue cloaks fluttering.
"...Let's go."
As Calyxter stepped forward, the Azure Lance Knights fell into formation behind him.