235. Spring of Hilash (4)
235. Spring of Hilash (4)
- 1 -
Libertas's original plan had been to activate the spies she had planted among the mad followers in conjunction with Argos's summoning.
Using the nobles who had become mimic-type monsters, she intended to make this power seem to belong to the mad cult.
But such efforts proved unnecessary.
"At last—! Behold the giants sent by our master!"
"True judgment shall descend!"
Because the mad followers rejoiced without even knowing what they were truly witnessing.
Libertas welcomed their foolishness.
'It's a little taxing.'
The «Hundred-eyed Argos» was one of the higher-order spells among those that summoned 'darkness that mimics the form of a monster.'
Even for Libertas, who wielded dark magic freely, she could only do one at a time at the elite grade.
As a result, its duration was rather short.
'But there are plenty of things I can use in this place.'
The souls of a hundred criminals, made to pursue the 'sins' committed by humans through a hundred eyes.
Quality was the most crucial factor for a sacrifice, but sometimes quantity could substitute for quality.
The royal hunting ground was a generous, bubbling fountain of resources for her.
Souls could be used as sacrifices, bodies as troops, which further elevated her status as a necromancer.
And once she succeeded in summoning it, controlling the result was nothing to her.
- K-hahahaha—!!
Kwang—!!!
With a frenzied laugh, the eastern giant's two colossal fists slammed down onto the ground.
The earth caved in as if a meteor had fallen, the impact overturned the roads, and countless fragments scattered like a storm.
"Kyaaaak—!!"
"S-somebody save us!!"
People draped in silk fled in panic.
The main residents of the eastern district were wealthy merchants, lower nobles such as the janamjak or fallen nobles, large mercenary companies, and so on.
But right now, there was no one among them capable of properly responding to this situation.
"Rampage to your heart's content."
Libertas cloaked herself in magic and granted 'freedom' to the eastern giant.
She also disguised it with Argos's power and the power of the undead to protect them.
This was the first step in creating two shining stars amid the chaos.
- K-hahaaht!!
The hundred eyes covering the giant's body opened, one by one.
What dwelled in each of those eyes was ashen-gray mana.
When that mana condensed with powerful force.
Kwha-aang—!!
A 'curse ray' that pursued the sins of the living was fired.
Kwha-khwa-khwaang—!!
The rays had weak physical force, insufficient to destroy buildings or terrain.
But once they touched a target, they possessed a focused tracking ability that laid a curse upon all living beings.
As if chasing a human soul itself.
"The eyes...! The eyes!!"
"Aaaagh! A demon is chasing me...!"
Hallucinations that stimulated terror followed the loss of sight.
Citizens began rampaging in all directions, and even the soldiers who had charged toward Argos lost their vision and were seized with fear, leaving no one able to respond properly.
Of course, mere soldiers couldn't have dealt with Argos to begin with...
To counter this monster, a true hero was needed.
"«Grant strength to this servant!»"
"I won't let you do as you please any longer...!"
For example, like the saintess and the princess who were performing brilliantly in the western district.
Watching the two women harmonizing well with the giant she had created, Libertas lifted the corners of her lips slightly.
"«Your servant is here!»"
Hwa-ak—!
A wave of light spread out from the saintess, blanketing the western street.
The fact that her light was slightly darker than that of an ordinary cleric went unnoticed by the people's eyes.
Her 'faith' was a little darker than that of a typical cleric.
Kwha-rrrrrng—!!
The protective barrier covering everything collided with the cursed light that had been slamming down toward the ground.
At least it was a light that protected them from those rays that clearly looked harmful at a single glance.
Even though the collision created a tremor that shook people's heads, they were too busy raising their heads and capturing the saintess's figure in their eyes.
"The Saintess is protecting us!"
"Saintess Esther!! Thank you!!"
People cheered.
Those who had heard her name from certain nobles shouted her fated(緣) name.
Hearing the names calling for her, Esther felt complicated emotions.
After all, the one who had created this situation in the first place was her master.
But now was not the time for sentiment.
"«Holy Lord, let Your light repel this curse!»"
She poured even more power into the flag she held high.
As if she were genuinely praying for divine protection.
"The light of blasphemy blocks the grace of the great beings!"
"Strike down the wanton woman who blasphemes the great Existence!"
The mad followers who had been cheering for Argos began to move again, leading undead to attack the saintess.
Because they thought right now, as she looked to the sky and deployed her protection, was their chance.
"Stop the mad followers!!"
"The zombies are swarming again! Are there no more clerics?!"
"If there were, the Saintess wouldn't be suffering alone like that! Fight to the death and block them!"
The soldiers and adventurers did their utmost to block the mad followers.
The soldiers who had been dying powerlessly, the adventurers who had been fleeing to ensure their own safety — all of them now followed her lead.
The white light shining on their bodies gave them courage.
- K-hyaaak—!!
Kung—!!
The western giant, brimming with fury, slammed down its two black fists.
The shield created by the light-wave rippled, and vibrations spread out.
"Kk-euk...!"
"Saintess!!"
"I am alright!"
The saintess's body staggered, but the adventurers guarding her at her side supported her.
No one recognized that this was an act.
'I did adjust it so she'd genuinely stagger.'
Libertas smiled with satisfaction.
The giant she controlled was exhibiting slower speed and weaker force than its original form.
But because its size was so enormous, it merely appeared to be an overwhelming monster in the people's eyes.
A perfect performance.
While the saintess held her ground like that, the second hero began her exploits.
Ku-ung—!!
The giant's body lurched heavily.
People were startled by that sight and looked to the sky, soon spotting the small human figure flying beside the giant.
"Stop it...!"
A small yet firm voice. There was no grandiose speech, no stylish gesture.
But that voice, full of pure will, stirred the people's hearts even more deeply.
Because it was not an act, but Yurena's sincerity.
A heart that wanted to be acknowledged, a heart that wanted to be of some help.
Libertas had merely created the moment in which that heart could bloom fully.
- K-huooook—!!
And on top of that, she was actually making the giant stagger.
"«Giant's Fist»!!"
Kwang—!!
The people's eyes took in the sight of that small human figure darting here and there, pushing the giant around.
Sometimes with impact, sometimes with vibrations, sometimes with an invisible wall of force.
- K-hyaak—!!
Kwakwang!!
"Not yet!"
At times, her small body was flung far away and buried in the rubble of buildings.
But each time, she rose with an even stronger will and charged back toward the giant.
The young heart that yearned to be acknowledged grew even stronger, receiving the subtle power and messages from Libertas that seeped into her body.
"That person... with such a small body..."
"The youngest princess is fighting for us!"
Those were the words the mad followers — actually, Libertas's limbs hidden among them — shouted while looking at the princess.
Her identity spread among the people.
The two women were already seizing the eyes and ears of the populace.
Kwha-rrrrng—!!
On the other hand, in the east, the Argos that had been permitted to rampage with greater power was mercilessly devastating the streets and buildings.
"Uwaaak—!!"
"Save, save us!"
The screams of fleeing merchants and nobles filled the streets.
The royal mages and knight-commanders were aware of what was happening over there, but the order issued by the royal family was to 'protect the nobles' district'.
And even if they had tried to move, the 'unnaturally strong ones' among the mad followers would have stopped them once more.
By the time they arrived, half the district would already be in ruins. As planned.
"Head toward the royal castle!"
"Let's go to the western district...!"
People ran westward.
Whether to the center or the west, they went wherever there was power to protect them.
Like moths gathering toward a light.
'That should be enough.'
Libertas began gauging the timing to dismiss Argos.
The east had been sufficiently destroyed, and two heroes had been born in the west.
Her plan had already been perfectly realized.
- 2 -
Kwha-khwa-khwa-khwaang—!!
The two white lights and the black darkness clashed.
The repulsive force generated between them was so immense it blanketed the entire western district.
It was the result of the mana and holy power fired simultaneously by the saintess and the princess.
After that light vanished, the western Argos melted away and disappeared.
"It's over!!"
"They protected us to the very end..."
The citizens gathered in the western district showered the two heroes who had protected them to the end with praise close to veneration.
The princess, who had fought against the giant with her small body, and the saintess, who had shielded the citizens until the last moment.
They had not fled for a single moment and had stayed by the citizens' side. As a result, the western district suffered no major damage apart from a few buildings damaged by the aftermath of the bombardment.
In contrast, the east was horrific. According to someone's design.
"It's all ruined! Our wealth... our mansions...!"
The mansions were razed to the ground, and the shopping district was nearly reduced to rubble.
The voices of nobles and merchants lamenting their property losses were filled with rage and despair.
The commander and vice-commander of the expedition knight order, who had belatedly rushed over, cut the giant into pieces in mere seconds and severed its massive head.
"If you could deal with it that easily...!"
"Why on earth were you so late?!"
But that clean and swift disposal instead made the damage they had suffered during their absence come to mind even more vividly.
"Didn't we at least save lives..."
"What use is it when you come after everything's already over?!"
"No matter how important it is to protect the royal family..."
Whispered conversations circulated among lower nobles like the janamjak.
They were disappointed by the late response and indifference shown by the royal family's forces, and envied the heroic feats performed for the people of the west.
"If only such people had come to us too...!"
"Even the elite adventurers all fled, there was no one!"
They turned their gazes toward the west.
"Long live Saintess Esther!!"
"Princess! Please look this way!"
Over there, people were still sending cheers toward the two heroes.
"Thank you. Is everyone uninjured?"
"Ah... w-well, that is..."
The saintess received the people's acclaim with practiced ease.
For her, it was nearly a daily occurrence.
The princess hid behind the saintess out of embarrassment, but people raved that even that was pretty and cute.
"Such a small girl, for our sake..."
"Indeed. To think the youngest princess would fight so bravely..."
"The saintess too... a truly beautiful and noble person."
Praises for the two heroes continued from every corner of the street.
In reality, if one looked closely, they had exerted less than half the effort compared to the exploits of the knights in the east, but what mattered was the performance.
Their feats were already being talked about like a living legend.
"Why would His Majesty treat such heroes like this..."
"There are rumors that the Saintess was held captive by His Grace Duke Astermark..."
"No way! Then, what about the Princess?"
"She was originally of illegitimate birth, was she not. So they prevented her from performing feats..."
And on top of that, rumors spread in between.
The seeds planted by Libertas's limbs were beginning to sprout.
Let it run its course.
Such voices disappeared after the royal family's men came out and began to gag people, but by then the people's eyes were already deeply awash with distrust toward the royal family.
"So you were here."
"Kill them!!"
Remnants of undead and mad followers still lingered here and there.
Soldiers and knights roamed all day, rooting out the remnants, but the people's eyes could not contain a warm light at all.
While the royal family was trying to quell the unrest that had yet to settle.
A white shadow slipped in between.
- As expected, she was alive.
On the battlefield near the main gate of the royal castle.
On this battlefield where the Chief Chamberlain, Shue, and Saya had clashed, 'Seolhwa' sniffed the air.
- Some small fry seems to have erased it... but my eyes cannot be deceived.
The scent of ancient, decayed dragon blood.
A fallen great yokai who had become the dog of the Han imperial house but could not forget past glories and refused to be used as a political tool.
The scent of the power she used.
Her blue eyes, retracing the traces of that power, glowed ethereally.
Without yet knowing what lay at the end of it.