Chapter 361
Chapter 361
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Saint and the Completer (17)
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“Thank you for your cooperation. I am Darwen, the knight serving Marquis Parbalti.”
“Water mage, Ottman Bodler. Your records note that you're somewhat lacking in combat magic but exceptionally skilled in other areas. Follow Sir Palmer, and he'll guide you to the contaminated water source.”
“Elf Idrasil, Troll Notum. By order of the commanders, non-humans are forbidden from entering the military operations zone. We are fully aware of the contributions you've made for humanity, but this is a battlefield where the fate of our species hangs in the balance. Most elves hate humans, and trolls eat them. I trust you understand.”
“Holy personnel have a separately assigned area for concentrated protection and efficient purification efforts. Even those from the Radiant Church's main headquarters.... Ah, it's the Saint! Latura. It's an honor to meet you. We heard you were coming, and the allied forces' commanders have requested an audience. I'll escort you personally. This way, please.”
The clearing near Kuern where the airship had landed under their guidance.
Soldiers and knights radiating disciplined tension.
Upon arrival, they were immediately assigned zones based on their specialties and aptitudes, as if everything had been pre-planned, and dispersed accordingly.
‘....Look at these bastards?’
Parking the airship outside like that. Bringing an entire battalion and strutting around with an aura that screamed no-fly zone, scattering everyone.
It was a blatant display of their control over the situation.
A perfectly oiled system... used to scatter my companions everywhere.
The threatening mages were isolated in a zone clustered with other mages.
The holy knights were dumped with infected patients to keep them busy, scattering everyone until only the Saint remained! Then they'd toss me onto their prepared stage and swarm me like a pack for an Indian burial.
‘Nobles are just like street thugs no matter what they do. Scatter the little siblings and ask where you went alone! Then when you get there, they're all piled up. Wonder where they learn this crap, or if it's just in their genes....’
“....Saint?”
When I didn't move, the knight took a step closer and glared.
“Ah, just thinking. What if we don't follow Kuern's lead?”
“Apologies, but we cannot permit entry into the city. The allied forces are desperate for supplies and support too, but after six months of chaos from a disjointed command structure—more than anyone—they've decided that rather than risk disrupting the barely stabilized allied system with a new force, they'll bear the regret, as the commanders put it.”
If we don't obey, we can't even enter the city. The ones who'd regret it are the Church and Lordric, not their nation. The Church needs to pool every ounce of strength for the holy war's victory, and Lordric is one push from vanishing from history. They figured we'd have no choice but to bend.
‘Idiots.’
That's why you don't put guys who've never smelled blood in charge.
The first thing I did after disembarking was to heighten all my senses to full power. Mana, aura, holy power—every sense I had—to check if Kuern had a human nuclear bomb, an Argalian Sword.
Something even a combat superhuman like an Argalian Sword could never do. A faint flaw born from terrifyingly immense aura and an equally immense ego.
‘That guy can't hide anywhere.’
An Argalian Sword can't conceal their presence. They're superhumans so innately powerful they can't even deny their own strength.
If I couldn't sense it even near the walls, it meant at least there wasn't one around Kuern.
No Argalian—in Kuern.
What did that mean?
“Hmm. Very well. I was thinking I needed to meet the commanders anyway. Since you've kindly invited me, I suppose I should go.”
“....Thank you for your cooperation, Saint.”
Heh.
‘Thanks my ass.’
It meant that even if I went berserk in Kuern right now, it'd take them time to respond. With multiple hero units stationed here, going full rampage wouldn't be easy. But I only needed a moment anyway. Just enough to create a board where multinational heroes couldn't easily intervene.
‘Security doesn't stop congressmen from brawling in parliament, right?’
“Gregorius?”
“Yes, Saint.”
At my call, Gregorius—who'd been standing by with a face like stone—stepped forward.
“I'm a bit confused. Who am I?”
Clank!
“You, Saint, are the instrument touched directly by the guiding hand of Light that illuminates all creation. This means every path your foot touches is pointed by His hand, and as the one conveying His will, you hold all instruments of Light.”
“And?”
“You've already proven your sanctity through actions. All the Church's activities now revolve around you. Because you spoke of the importance of Lordric's western front, three thousand holy knights and fourteen hundred priests raised torches to light this place. After rescuing the Mercy Saintess, we judged your intent and signed a pledge with the Mercy Church to nullify all past frictions, condemnations, and grudges. Both religious leaders knelt and swore oaths at each other's headquarters.”
“And?”
“The Empire accepted our headquarters' view and agreed to record you in their founding history not as the 'Emperor's Witness' but as the 'Radiant Saint.' This stands as historical proof of the Radiant Church's contribution to the imperial founding myth, doubling the privileges granted to us within the Empire compared to before. Though the Empire's state religion remains the Church of Valor, our privileges now rival theirs. All this, thanks to you, Professor Saint.”
“Ah, and the legendary feat of slaying numerous fiends and progeny of evil gods is too momentous to speak lightly—nor does it fade without mention—so I'll skip it.”
“Thank you, Gregorius. With the Empire, the Church, all sorts of fiends and whatnot.... I get so tangled up I forget sometimes! Hahahahaha!”
Kuern's soldiers and knights filled the clearing, along with our disembarked personnel, but no one laughed with me.
“Ha, ha.... Ha. I see. Called the Light of the Light-serving Church, rescuer of the nearly lost Mercy Saintess, brothers in arms with the Empire's new Emperor.... Objectively speaking, doesn't that make me pretty amazing? That.... knight over there?”
“....Saint. This behavior right now—”
“Ah, Parbalti. Darwen serving Parbalti! Knight Darwen. Wonder where you learned manners—only naming your lord and yourself, no affiliation or house, so who knows whose bastard son Knight Da-rwen is...!”
“Th-this...!”
Sensing danger, the knight tried to pull away from the Saint, but the arm casually draped over his shoulder held like a fortress wall. As his pauldron crumpled in the Saint's grip, Knight Darwen instinctively knew his feared scenario had arrived.
“I'll... warn you one last time! Any further threats will be deemed hostile acts against Kuern and the allied forces—”
“Deemed hostile and what? Banned from entry?”
“E-even for the Church—”
“You'll block the path of Lordric's state church, which provides the most troops, endures the most sacrifices, and still strives desperately to save Lordric and eradicate the evil gods' hordes? Brothers! Did you all hear that?”
Clank! Clank clank!
“This man claims with his own mouth that the allied commanders harbor intent to obstruct the works of Light.”
Step. Step. Step. Step.
Clank—
Thud!
In the heavy atmosphere, Gregorius and the holy knights drew shields and maces, approaching with stern faces.
“....We heard it clear as day with our own ears.”
“I swear by my primary Light, I concur they harbor evil thoughts.”
Thud. Thud. Thud! Thud!!
They were clerics serving God. They'd pledged their entire lives and deaths before the name of Light, ready at any moment to prove it.
How overjoyed were they when ordered to serve the Saint, touched directly by Light's will? They admired his humility as a model for clerics, yet agonized over his unawareness of his own nobility. How frustrated they were by the ignorant masses' blind eyes?
Yet the Saint accepted it, so they did too. Clerics must endure. He is always right, so discomfort with his humility was their own unreadiness for greater Light—they whipped themselves and bore it.
“Brothers. I understand them. They are undoubtedly allies fighting fiends alongside us. But rolling in pools of fiend blood for over a year... their brains might rot.”
“Latura. No doubt in your true words.”
“The commanders invited me just in time. I'll visit them personally to pray that Light's grace settles in their rotten minds.”
“Latura. May Light's grace follow every step.”
“....We'll go first. Don't be late for the prayer meeting.”
『Latura Ro-Haram. Worship to our primary Light.』
-Pew!
And in this moment, the Saint—who'd only shown discomfort at serving in Light's name—uttered the blessed words they'd longed for.
Guide those tainted by evil thoughts.
Follow Him.
In the Church's name, aid His works.
....Clank.
Gregorius rose from his kneel and, in a blink, leaped to the ramparts, smashing the mages' barrier with bare hands, etching the Saint's receding figure heading into the city.
“Brothers. The Saint says they're just pitiable fools lost in bad thoughts.”
“How tragic.”
“Without faith, they're easily swayed.”
Kuern's priests and holy knights had already heard the Saint's golden words. How could they exclude other brothers from his blessed utterance? Though only from midway, it sufficed to grasp the intent.
The holy knights' fervent eyes turned to the fallen knight and the soldiers blocking their path.
War-hardened soldiers.
Knights of extraordinary caliber each. Truly the allied forces' elite.
“Guide without killing.”
“Latura!”
But they too were holy knights handpicked by the Church to serve a being beyond norms. The Church with humanity's strongest forces, forged in the Dark Age craving power against evil—fifty swords of light chosen from countless to serve the Saint. Minus eighteen lost with desert brothers, thirty-two unit leaders remained.
The Radiant Church's pinnacle force barring the Saint. In the footing-limited desert, they fought multiples of mutant elites and returned over half alive—the essence of the Church's tenacious vitality and iron defense!
If Kuern's forces were 'unmatched anywhere' and 'impressively fine,' these were each 'one-in-fifty-years' 'legend-engraved' caliber.
“Yo-you're insane! If you charge the walls like this.... The heroes will—”
Crack!
“If your 'insanity' is our devotion, then so be it!”
Gregorius anticipated the consequences of storming the walls and knew the human elite-guarded ramparts couldn't fall.
But the Saint spoke.
So they acted.
“Radiant Holy Knights, advance. Join the Saint before he utters the first prayer.”
“Latura!”
The zealous holy knights charged, and soldiers struck by reverse-gripped maces flew like autumn leaves.
‘There must be intent. If the Saint's words point here, even meaningless death is Light's will.’
The charge of thirty-two holy knights beyond the walls.
Riot from garrisoned holy knights and priests inside.
Holy knights leaping walls gripping weapons backward was chaos enough for any warrior. It looked primed for horrific infighting....
“Make way.”
“Hmm? Latura! Brothers who haven't lost their spirit remain!”
“Nah, not really.... I came to kill monsters, not get dragged into noble games.”
In truth, it was a bizarre scene: fighters clashing and spectators watching from afar.
Rampaging holy knights blocked by knights and soldiers.
And onlookers observing.
- Hero Carlisle Party -
“Riot inside and outside Kuern. Our kids are on standby—intervene?”
“Let 'em be. Who's the one starting unauthorized military action outside assigned zones? Suspicious as hell how they were clucking like headless chickens since morning.”
“Just watch? Internal strife in a wartime city?”
“Never united to begin with, so what split? No orders from home, we observe. Nobles are 'support' in name only—sucks they pulled their troops to the rear. No duty to help their rice-bowl fights. Tell Epial and Shodar too. We're just defending Kuern. Won't stop if you wanna jump in.”
- Mage Sector -
“Oooom.... Y'know....”
“I know, Galryud. Mages of the Latteol Flame Tower don't meddle in politics.”
“O-Ottman Master!!”
“You're alive! Our school's flow hasn't stopped!”
“Yes! Spread the word to other mages as you said!”
“Good! Don't get dragged into crazy fights—keep pumping water here faithfully! Not getting swept in fierce currents is the Water Flow teachings!”
Similar scenes unfolded across Kuern.
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