Chapter 287
Chapter 287
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 287
Chapter Title: Chaos in the Grand Cathedral
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Cathedral was once again thrown into complete chaos.
Twenty-four Holy Knights and more than sixty soldiers had lost their lives the night before.
No one knew who the culprit was or how they had been killed.
The fact that so many had died right in the heart of the Grand Cathedral was a problem in itself, but there was an even bigger issue.
"So? You're saying every last piece of Baron's corpse has vanished?"
"...That's right."
Miteon replied with a somber expression.
"Good lord."
He had taken excessive precautions in case something like this might happen.
But in the end, those measures had only led to greater casualties.
"How the hell did you set up security to let something this horrific occur?"
Freyja's expression was far from pleased as she berated Miteon.
The disappearance of Baron's corpse was a major problem.
But the true reason for her rage was the innocent Holy Knights and soldiers who had lost their lives.
"I specifically ordered an organic communication system for the guard posts."
She had commanded them to build a system where reinforcements could arrive within a minute of any incident.
That way, they could respond to unexpected situations.
Yet from the looks of this disaster, her orders had apparently been ignored midway through the chain of command.
"It couldn't be helped. The command structure isn't normal right now..."
Miteon felt unjustly accused.
He had relayed Freyja's orders exactly as given.
Unfortunately, the current state of affairs in Aier was anything but normal.
With the Holy King's seat vacant and a massive number of official commanders having gone to Sion and not returned,
the commanders currently in the Grand Cathedral were mostly green or incompetent.
There was no way a proper system could function under those conditions.
The already chaotic situation kept spawning issues in the chain of command.
"Have you identified the culprit?"
Freyja asked.
What had happened was irreversible.
They had no choice but to punish those responsible and implement measures to prevent a repeat.
But they absolutely had to track down the one behind this.
After all, what had been stolen wasn't just anything—it was Baron's corpse.
"No traces of Demonic Energy were found."
"Hmm."
Holy power was the antithesis of Demonic Energy.
Even the tiniest amount used by the priests would have been detectable.
"A follower of the Demon King who doesn't use Demonic Energy..."
Did such a being even exist?
"Any other clues?"
"A soldier spotted someone fleeing east with the corpse. At the time, we thought it was just a common criminal and didn't take it seriously..."
This too stemmed from a failure in the command chain.
Freyja's face twisted once more as she spoke.
"Gather trackers and pursue them."
"I've already formed a pursuit team. They should be ready to depart by now."
Miteon was highly capable.
Otherwise, he never would have risen to the rank of bishop in the first place.
He possessed faith, exceptional political acumen, and executive ability.
He was quick on the uptake too, which was why he had kept the now-deceased Mardetain close and made good use of him.
"We can only hope they catch the culprit without delay."
Even as Freyja said this, she doubted it would be easy.
This was someone who had assassinated dozens of Holy Knights and soldiers without a trace.
Such a figure wouldn't be caught easily.
"Do you know the latest on the war?"
She shifted the topic.
There was a mountain of work piling up.
Catching the culprit was important, but the ongoing war across Aier took precedence.
"Fortunately, Brobison and Trian have announced their withdrawal. They sent official missives trusting the Holy Land's account and praying for Aier's normalization."
It was a silver lining amid the misfortune.
From Aier's perspective, admitting that the Holy King had gone mad because he was a Demon King's follower was burdensome.
It amounted to denying their faith in the Lord God and confessing their own incompetence.
Yet they had no choice but to reveal it.
Aier's situation was so dire that they had opted to carve out their own flesh.
Only then could they halt further damage and return to being a normal Holy Kingdom.
She had worried the Holy Land's proclamation might not convince them, but both nations had accepted it.
'We owe them a debt.'
Aier would have to repay it someday.
"But Lennistant..."
One problem remained unresolved.
Lennistant.
Unlike the other two nations, they had not abandoned the war.
No, they were accelerating toward the Grand Cathedral.
"Any word from Seo Woo-jin?"
Freyja had asked him to stop them.
It was a verbal promise, but she had offered Aier's reports as compensation.
"He should be facing the Lennistant army by now. Do you really think he can hold them off?"
Miteon asked skeptically.
He knew full well how strong Seo Woo-jin was.
After all, he had triumphed over two Apostles.
That bizarre skill called 'Chaos World' was nightmarishly horrific—something he never wanted to experience again.
Yet even so, Miteon couldn't be certain Seo Woo-jin could stop the Lennistant army.
And for good reason: Diarok, the fire-mad mage, was with them.
Surprisingly, Miteon feared Diarok more than Mardetain or Baron.
The Apostles were mere legends to him.
They felt like monsters from ancient tales—nothing more.
But Diarok was different.
He had clashed with Aier multiple times, showcasing his power each time.
And each encounter had inflicted heavy losses on their side.
It was real, tangible proof of his abilities.
That was why the anxiety gnawed at him.
"Seo Woo-jin is strong."
Freyja stated.
"I know that, but whether he's on Diarok's level is still up for debate..."
"Heh."
Freyja let out a hollow laugh at Miteon's words.
"At his current level, he could trade blows with the Sword Sage, not just Diarok."
Miteon's eyes widened.
Was Seo Woo-jin really that strong?
"Of course, not yet. But considering he's a Hero, it won't be long before he surpasses her. So there's no way he'd lose to the likes of Diarok."
Miteon's unease eased somewhat at Freyja's firm words.
"We'll have news soon enough. I've already ordered surveillance on the area, so a messenger will arrive the moment it's decided."
Freyja nodded.
The top priority now was repelling Lennistant effectively.
Only then could they resolve this chaotic mess.
"Once that's done, we'll need to elect a new Holy King."
"...Yes."
The Holy King's absence was too great a void.
Without a supreme commander, even simple tasks dragged on forever.
Without Freyja and Miteon, it could have escalated to civil war.
Fortunately, it hadn't come to that, but the instability lingered.
They needed to enthrone a new Holy King before something worse erupted.
"Any suitable candidates?"
"Still under evaluation."
They couldn't just appoint anyone as Holy King.
Ideally, the Holy King would pray for 100 days and convey the Lord God's will.
But that wasn't feasible now, so the cardinals were racking their brains to find candidates.
Progress was slow, though.
"If only the Lord God would grant a direct oracle at a time like this..."
But the last oracle had come 200 years ago.
The Lord God hadn't spoken since.
"Best not to expect it this time either."
If it were truly necessary, He would intervene.
The Lord God wasn't so heartless as to abandon those who believed in Him.
"Be thorough in selecting the Holy King's candidate. We can't let another tragedy like this happen—rigorous vetting is essential."
"I will."
Miteon nodded.
Their national prestige had already hit rock bottom.
They had even tarnished the face of the God they served.
He had no desire to repeat the same mistake.
"Alright. Let's go. The cardinals are waiting."
Time for the state council.
They planned to base the meeting on their just-concluded discussion.
From pursuing the corpse thief to monitoring the Lennistant army to Holy King candidates.
There were plenty of topics to deliberate.
For the foreseeable future, their days would be filled with such meetings.
Feeling weary already, they left the room with heavy steps.
And at that moment.
Thud thud thud thud—!
The sound of someone rushing desperately echoed.
It was a familiar face.
A veteran Holy Knight who had served in the order since before Freyja's retirement.
He was panting heavily from how urgently he had run.
"What is it?"
Freyja asked.
For him to come here personally, it couldn't be trivial.
Urged by an anxious premonition that something else had happened, she pressed for an answer.
The Holy Knight began his report without even catching his breath.
"Reports confirm the Lennistant army is retreating!"
* * *
Seo Woo-jin looked down at Diarok writhing on the ground.
'Hmm...'
Frankly, he was a bit surprised.
The bastard had fought far better than expected.
'I knew he was strong, but still.'
His utter defeat at Judain's hands was simply because that guy was ridiculously overpowered.
'Who would've thought he had real skill in close combat too...'
After Judain left.
Seo Woo-jin moved to subdue the remaining Diarok.
Up until then, he figured Diarok was no different from Mardetain.
Though both had reached the superhuman realm, with 'Chaos World' and other aces up his sleeve, Seo Woo-jin believed he could overwhelm him.
So he stuck to the original plan: close-quarters combat.
It was the best way to handle a mage whose physical abilities paled against a knight's.
But incredibly, Diarok held his own in melee.
No, he exceeded that.
He could have easily crushed a top-tier knight.
With magic plus unexpected fisticuffs, Seo Woo-jin was even pushed back temporarily.
Of course, he quickly turned the tables, but it had been a chilling moment.
"Whew—"
After nearly an hour of battle, Seo Woo-jin emerged victorious.
The defeated Diarok glared at him with madness-filled eyes before losing consciousness.
Feeling uneasy under that gaze, Seo Woo-jin scratched his head and dispelled 'Chaos World'.
The jumbled world reverted to normal.
"The barrier is down! Rescue the Duke!"
The Lennistant soldiers, who had been pacing anxiously outside the Chaos World waiting for the barrier to vanish, began flooding in.