Chapter 165
Chapter 165
Chapter 165
Luuren (3)
Saint Britian had collapsed.
Though the exact reason for her collapse was unknown, it was said that Luuren's greatest military forces had gathered here in Lu Gloria afterward, preparing for a major battle.
"Uh... hmm..."
Rudian and Rowen quickly grasped the situation.
"It's probably because of us, isn't it?"
"Even though we spared her life back then, we never gave a definitive promise to spare her until the end..."
Moreover, the party's destination was Luuren.
For Britian, it was a situation where she couldn't help but misunderstand.
'I was hoping to catch my breath a bit before starting, but with this atmosphere...'
The deeper they went inside, the stricter the security became, and soldiers and Knights began appearing everywhere.
Naturally, all the shops where they could leisurely enjoy a meal had closed their doors...
"Grrrrr!"
FLINCH!
Yev's dissatisfaction was tremendous as her anticipation turned directly into disappointment.
Well, even if they somehow managed to procure ingredients and cook something, what could they do when the stores selling those ingredients had closed themselves?
It wasn't just Yev—Evangeline also seemed greatly disappointed, pouting her lips while holding back her anger.
They didn't know how many days this martial law would last, but it was certain that their leisurely rest time had vanished.
"...Grrrr!"
Watching Yev desperately holding back her anger, Rudian chuckled softly.
Having lived a life cut off from food since the Great Forest, how frustrated must she be now that her chance to release that pent-up frustration had disappeared?
Rudian patted Yev's head and said:
"Let's go see Britian first. She's a saint in name, so she should at least provide us with proper hospitality."
"If there's a misunderstanding, we should clear it up."
Rowen also nodded in agreement.
It was said that countless Knights and heresy inquisitors were already deployed at the central papal court...
Honestly, no matter how strong they were, they wouldn't be a match for even Rowen alone, so their presence was meaningless.
***
The papal court Lura Curia, built with Luuren's wealth and the finest craftsmanship.
As it served the function of a royal castle, the papal court contained numerous buildings constructed for the nation's affairs.
From the entrance, countless Knights were positioned to strictly prohibit outsiders from entering, but...
Rudian and his party lightly ignored them and slowly passed through the papal court's entrance.
Indeed, the authority of concealment was the most useful among Diablo's powers.
"...How curious. Even though we're entering so openly, no one notices."
Once they had entered deep inside where there were no signs of people, Rowen released his held breath and muttered softly.
It would be one thing if they had snuck in unnoticed, but they had passed through boldly from the front, so Rowen must have found it absurd.
"This convenience probably won't last long. When we reach the core where Britian resides, we might have to fight once."
No matter how powerful the authority of concealment was, this place was a temple imbued with divine power.
The entrance they had first passed through was merely recognized as part of the papal court after repeated expansions over the years.
The true 'core' of the papal court, first built hundreds of years ago, would have strong defenses against intruders through the direct protection of Ruura, the goddess of love.
Though it was only a short space of a few hundred meters in diameter, that place was the real trial they would have to overcome to meet Britian.
"You know a lot about Lura Curia. It took me several visits to learn that much..."
'I'm quite the setting enthusiast...'
Rudian swallowed those words internally without answering and moved forward.
Sure enough, before long, a massive central temple covered in pink light came into view, and at the same time, the papal court's real powerhouses began to appear.
"Britian must be in there."
In terms of combat power, experts in the 4,000-5,000 range were positioned throughout the area.
Among them were even a couple of master-level fighters exceeding 10,000, making it a defense that could rival the Nevan imperial castle.
...Though any one person from here could easily annihilate them all.
'The moment we enter that inner area, our concealment ability will be immediately detected.'
A faint but perceptible divine presence of Ruura emanated from the entire central temple.
Before the power of divinity, the authority of concealment would surely be negated, so here they had no choice but to make contact—whether through dialogue or combat.
"Who goes there!"
"Intruders!"
The moment Rudian released his concealment, the Knights immediately detected the intruders' presence with their sharp senses.
But then...
"...Huh?"
"What, those kids?"
The Knights who had quickly drawn their swords frowned upon seeing Rudian's party.
In appearance, there was the lover Yev, who looked like a child, Evangeline, who also didn't look older than her mid-teens, and Rudian, who was still under twenty by birth date.
Even Rowen, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, appeared relatively youthful due to his realm of expertise.
"Don't let your guard down! These are the ones who deceived our eyes and senses to approach this far!"
"Don't be fooled by their appearance!"
"Firearms unit, forward!"
Unlike what one would expect from a religious nation, Luuren had developed magical engineering, possessing firearm technology that went against the era's mainstream of swords and magic.
"Identify yourselves! If you don't, we'll open fire!"
"We've come to meet Britian."
Rowen stepped forward and faced them.
"My name is Rowen Elaid. If you inquire with His Holiness the Pope or any of the cardinals, they will remember my name."
"...!"
As one of the Seven Seats, Rowen had some acquaintance with Luuren's leadership.
However, the fatal weakness was that except for the very top leadership, no one knew Rowen's true identity.
"Silence! His Holiness the Pope has commanded us to exclude all outsiders approaching the saint!"
The master-level knight who appeared to be the captain shouted angrily and raised his hand.
Click, click!
With that signal, the firearms units positioned on both sides of the Knights aimed their gun barrels at Rowen.
"Fire! Those people are definitely the great evil, so there's absolutely no need to show mercy!"
"Wait, let's talk..."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
With loud explosions, fire erupted from what appeared to be musket barrels.
"...Damn it."
Since they were infused with magical power, they would have enough force to penetrate most barriers in an instant, but...
CRACKLE!
They were easily blocked by the lightning barrier that Rowen had deployed.
"...Wh-what?"
"Sorry, but we have our circumstances too. We'll break through by force."
True to his epithet of "Swift as Wind and Thunder," Rowen approached right in front of the knight captain with just one step.
"Gasp! What kind of speed...!"
CLANG!
The flustered knight tried to respond by manifesting his aura, but the difference between Rowen, whose combat power approached 100,000, and his mere 10,000 was not a level that could be overturned even with heavenly luck.
Rowen lightly dodged the aura blade, then extended his index finger and aimed it at the knight captain's temple.
"...Huh?"
CRACKLE!
A slight electric shock pierced through the aura guard, and the situation ended immediately.
After leaving one stupid remark as his last words, the knight captain collapsed, and when Rowen went on a rampage, the rest of the personnel also fainted without being able to resist.
Even though they should have been a force capable of facing Delphione's Glory Knights or the imperial guard, they were helpless before Rowen.
"Well done. Very clean work."
"You're too kind... It's embarrassing, like a sparrow boasting about its wingbeats in front of a dragon."
At Rudian's praise, Rowen scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed expression.
In any case, having subdued everyone around them, Rudian's party slowly opened the door to the central temple blessed by Ruura.
'Hmm, but did Britian really collapse? Why?'
As soon as he heard the rumor, Rudian felt something was off. It was hard to believe that Britian, who knew the strength of Rudian and his party, would prepare with just this level of force.
It must have been an independent measure by the Pope or the college of cardinals...
But considering her combat power, were there other experts or secret organizations in Luuren capable of harming her?
'Well, we'll find out when we get there.'
Rudian's party slowly headed toward the inner part of the central temple.
***
"...It's been a long time, Sir Rowen."
"Yes, it's been a long time, Your Holiness."
As expected, inside the central temple, the Pope and all eleven cardinals were gathered.
"I knew there was a battle outside, but fortunately it was Sir Rowen and not them. This must be proof that the goddess has not abandoned Luuren."
"Fortunately...?"
The Pope was not unaware of Rowen's defection.
Yet for him to say such things meant...
Something had really happened to Britian's condition.
Rudian stepped forward in front of Rowen and faced the Pope.
"You are..."
"I am called Rudian. This is our first meeting."
"Ah, so you are..."
The Pope's eyes could be seen trembling slightly.
It was an emotion that could have been anger or lamentation.
As the very person who had annihilated the Seven Seats to which Britian belonged, the Pope couldn't treat Rudian with peace of mind.
"That person...!"
"The evil one who threatened the saint...!"
Several cardinals glared at Rudian with hatred and rage.
It wasn't exactly wrong, so there was nothing to refute.
He had no intention of refuting it either.
Rudian ignored their gazes and fixed his eyes on the Pope.
"I'll ask directly. Where is Britian?"
"..."
The Pope did not immediately answer that question.
Instead, he slowly approached Rudian and knelt down.
"Y-Your Holiness!"
"...!"
Not only the other cardinals but even Rudian couldn't hide his bewildered expression at the Pope's action.
"Please help us."
"With what?"
"The saint is currently gravely wounded by evil ones."
"...?"
Were those evil ones not referring to his own party, but some other entity?
Rudian's expression hardened as that thought occurred to him.
"Let me hear the details first."
***
Rudian heard from the Pope about the events that had occurred before his party arrived in Luuren.
Originally, major affairs of the Seven Seats should not be shared with 'subordinates' like the Pope, but as the Seven Seats collapsed and Britian's mental state also collapsed, she sought someone to lean on and confessed everything to the Pope.
After hearing from Britian about what had happened in the Great Forest and what was currently occurring, the Pope coldly concluded that the possibility of Rudian executing Britian was low.
"Unlike the other members who have no national foundation, eliminating the saint would mean eliminating our Luuren as well. Eliminating an entire nation is not something that can be easily decided, even in the world of transcendents."
"R-really?"
"The war between Rohans and Morian has not yet ended. The same goes for the northern Ergon Kingdom. There's no reason to touch Luuren, which is staying quiet when the war hasn't ended yet. Moreover, Lord Sigmund's Zeta Duchy is also intact."
"Right! Now that I think about it, that's true! It must be so!"
Just as they were trying to somehow console Britian, normalize her duties as a saint, and prepare to receive Rudian's party...
A completely unexpected incident occurred.
"North and the Garganta sect... attacked?"
At Rudian's incredulous words, the Pope nodded heavily.
"That's right. There were only five of them, but Saint Britian, who went out to intercept them, suffered fatal injuries, and the three master-level Knights who assisted her all died."
The ones Rowen had defeated outside were said to be those who had been guarding other dioceses.
"Although Saint Britian managed to defeat them somehow, they disappeared with words that they would return to destroy this place."
After saying those words, Britian returned and collapsed in front of them.
The Pope and the college of cardinals had no choice but to declare martial law in the capital and urgently gather troops.
"This way."
The moment the Pope opened a door in the temple wide...
"Mmm!"
"..."
The figure of Britian lying as if dead in a coffin appeared.
Though it looked like a coffin, it was actually a sacred object imbued with Ruura's divine power.
It seemed they had deliberately placed her like that for treatment, but...
'...The wounds aren't healing.'
Rudian frowned as he checked Britian's condition, who was barely breathing.
Originally, Britian had received Ruura's divinity and possessed superhuman regenerative abilities that transcended common sense.
She had enough defensive power to maintain her form even while withstanding Maria's fierce attacks...
"She was struck by divinity."
Two types of divinity—black and red—were eating away at Britian's interior.
There was no doubt.
North and Garganta had quickly struck first before Rudian arrived.