Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: The City of Praise, Andor
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The city of Andor, known as the City of Praise.
It was called the second capital of Aier and was the most beautiful city in terms of area, excluding the Holy See.
True to its nickname, Andor was always filled with praises and glorifications directed toward the Main God.
But that was a tale of the past.
No beautiful music could be heard in Andor now.
What flowed through the entire city was not praise and glorification, but only tension and fear.
“What is the enemy’s position?”
Cardinal Ian, who oversaw the security of Andor and the surrounding territories, asked with a grave expression.
“They’ve reached a day’s march away.”
Ian squeezed his eyes shut at the report from the Holy Knight.
The forces heading toward them were Brobison’s main army.
Their number was 20,000.
It wasn’t an overwhelming force, but the problem lay with Andor’s defending troops.
There were barely fewer than 2,000 soldiers here.
Even the Holy Knights numbered only five, including the loyal one before him.
Andor’s walls were also unsuitable for defense.
They couldn’t hold off Brobison’s army with this.
‘I shouldn’t have sent reinforcements.’
Originally, more than 20,000 troops had been stationed in Andor.
Two orders of knights had been in residence as well, so if properly managed, they could have easily repelled the enemy’s attack.
But that was impossible now.
Most of the forces had been depleted by two rounds of reinforcements.
Moreover, recent forced conscription had dragged away even the remaining able-bodied men, leaving an absurd shortage of defenders for the city.
There was no way they could fend off Brobison’s attack in this situation.
“Tell me honestly. What are our chances of holding them off?”
Ian asked.
But the Holy Knight only kept a somber silence, unable to give any answer.
“Does that silence mean it’s impossible?”
“……I’m sorry.”
With this disparity in numbers, there was no way to hold them back, no matter what they did.
Unless there was a transcendent powerhouse who had reached the supreme realm.
“Still no response to the request for support?”
“They replied that they would send it as quickly as possible.”
Andor was the most important city in Aier aside from the Holy See.
They couldn’t afford to lose such a major city lightly, so the Holy See had promised to send support without fail.
The problem was that no one knew when that support would arrive.
“It seems the Holy See has abandoned us.”
Even though Brobison had come within a day’s march, no sign of the support troops had appeared.
They needed to arrive within at least two days to even pretend to hold off the enemy……
“How is the mood in the city?”
“They’re afraid, but it’s under control.”
It was thanks to Ian’s exceptional governance so far.
Without trust in him, Andor would have descended into chaos with fleeing citizens.
“Brobison is famous for being fair, so that’s a small mercy.”
They didn’t plunder or massacre civilians indiscriminately.
Of course, with the name of war attached, it was impossible to end without any damage.
But at least, things bordering on war crimes wouldn’t happen.
Brobison was that gentlemanly and just of a kingdom.
“It might be better to raise the white flag.”
“Cardinal…….”
The Holy Knight’s expression darkened further.
Under normal circumstances, he would have called for a desperate last stand.
But he couldn’t now.
After all, Aier had been the one to provide the pretext for this war.
And this was a battle where defeat was already certain.
If it was to save even one more life, surrendering as Ian suggested might be the better choice.
Of course, they would pay the price for that decision after the war ended.
Ian agonized repeatedly.
What was the best option currently available to him and Andor.
Only after a long time had passed was Ian finally able to make a decision.
“Open the city gates.”
“Cardinal!”
The Holy Knight cried out in shock.
But Ian showed no change in expression.
He merely asked in a calm tone.
“Is there another way? Other than leading our precious soldiers to their deaths.”
Naturally, he couldn’t respond.
If they fought, they could at least show their resolve.
Perhaps they’d even receive praise later for a brave decision.
But that was it.
Far too many lives would be lost.
“The Main God will understand my decision.”
If he was the Main God he believed in……
Ian sincerely hoped so.
“Since there’s no other way, raise the white flag and open the gates as I said.”
The Holy Knight nodded with a heartbroken expression.
“As you command, we’ll open the gates…….”
“What if there is another way?”
At that moment, someone’s voice cut off the Holy Knight and rang out.
It was a voice as rough as that of an elderly woman.
“Who’s there!”
Startled by the sudden situation, the Holy Knight drew his sword.
This was the cardinal’s office, one of the most heavily guarded places in Andor.
It was the innermost sanctum, where no one could enter without permission.
And no one had received such permission now.
Thus, Ian thought the voice’s owner must be an assassin sent by Brobison.
But he soon realized something was off.
‘What if there is another way?’
An assassin come to kill him wouldn’t ask such a question.
“Stop.”
Ian unwittingly raised his hand to halt the Holy Knight’s action.
Then he turned his head toward the direction of the voice.
In the dark shadows where no light entered.
He sensed someone standing there.
“Reveal yourself. I have no desire to speak with one who hides their face.”
Ian spoke firmly but courteously.
If his guess was right, the voice’s owner might not be an enemy.
And Ian’s intuition was correct.
“To think the brat who cried and rebelled against becoming a priest has become a cardinal. Time has certainly flown.”
With words as if she knew Ian, the figure who revealed herself was an elderly woman.
Yet she gave no sense of frailty.
Instead, an unimaginable vast power emanated from her.
It was too immense for that small body to contain.
‘Like an ocean…….’
An endless ocean of divine power.
And Ian had felt it once before.
“No way?”
His eyes widened.
The face of someone he had never expected appeared.
The face of a being he thought he would never see again.
“……Hadn’t you returned to the Main God’s embrace?”
Ian asked, his eyes brimming with tears.
“He hasn’t permitted it yet. Thanks to that, I got to see how much you’ve grown. Isn’t that nice?”
At the old woman’s words laced with laughter, Ian finally shed tears and called her name.
“Captain Freya.”
Aier’s guardian knight, thought to have died and vanished, had revealed herself.
* * *
“My heart is heavy.”
Count Bertoan, leading the Brobison army, wore a poor expression.
“To think the Holy Kingdom has fallen into such ruin…….”
There was one reason Bertoan was troubled.
Aier’s situation was far worse than expected.
He had brought 20,000 troops, but they hadn’t fought a proper battle yet.
The only thing that could be called a battle was once.
When crossing the border.
After that, it had been nothing but marching.
“What about the other kingdoms?”
When Bertoan asked, the staff officer in charge of intelligence approached.
“Trian reports the same situation as us.”
“And Leninstang?”
“It seems Aier’s main forces are all concentrated on blocking Leninstang’s army.”
The kingdom that had mobilized the most troops was Leninstang.
Objectively, it was far stronger than the other two kingdoms, so it was understandable.
“I hope they haven’t suffered great losses.”
“Fortunately, since ‘he’ stepped in, Leninstang’s casualties are almost none.”
“……Is that so?”
Even hearing that the allied forces had suffered almost no losses didn’t improve Bertoan’s expression.
“But Aier’s sacrifices must have been great.”
“Regrettably, around 3,000 have fallen.”
It was no small number.
“Innocent lives lost to the Holy King’s tyranny.”
Bertoan found it deeply regrettable.
“So we must end this war quickly. Only then can we stop this meaningless bloodshed.”
Bertoan nodded at the staff officer’s words.
They had started the war, but it was for the greater good.
They had drawn their swords because leaving mad Aier alone would plunge the world into chaos.
Of course, such justification didn’t ease his heart.
“We can only hope Andor makes the right choice as well.”
The cities Brobison’s army had encountered so far had chosen surrender or flight.
They must have lacked any confidence in fighting and winning.
Bertoan hoped Andor would do the same.
“According to intelligence, Andor has only about 2,000 troops stationed. They won’t even dream of resisting with that number.”
2,000 against 20,000.
No matter how you looked at it, the outcome was decided.
Andor’s ruler, Cardinal Ian, was known to value life and be rational.
So he would make the right decision this time too.
“Distribute ample food to the soldiers and order them to rest.”
The distance to Andor was now less than half a day.
They needed to recover from the march’s fatigue today and prepare for tomorrow.
Since they didn’t yet know what choice Andor would make.
“Understood.”
As the staff officer bowed politely and moved to relay Bertoan’s orders.
“The scouts are returning!”
In the distance, a soldier was seen galloping swiftly toward the main camp.
From his attire and flag, he appeared to be one of the scouting party.
But his movements seemed urgent for some reason.
“Find out what’s happened.”
Bertoan felt a twinge of unease.
Scouts normally operated in groups of twelve, yet only one had returned.
After a short while, the scout arrived before Bertoan in a disheveled state, panting.
“What’s going on?”
Bertoan asked with a stern expression.
The scout began his report, gasping for breath.
“An invincible entity has appeared in Andor! Identity unknown! It’s heading straight this way!”
At those words, Bertoan and the staff officers’ eyes widened.
An invincible entity.
That phrase meant only one thing.
“Does Aier have a transcendent who’s reached the supreme realm?!”
One of the staff officers asked, and the scout nodded.