369. Stench
369. Stench
- 1 -
As they left the dead island behind and took to the sky toward the Eastern Continent, the sea beneath Keltarion's massive wings became calm after they had escaped the black storm centered on the island.
Kurrrrrng...!
But not for long.
"This is..."
Suddenly the sky darkened as a storm began to rage.
It was not a mere natural (Fate) phenomenon.
From the heart of the storm, immense magical power swirled, and someone was approaching them.
"It is a lord-level creature, my lord husband."
Ran whispered in a vigilant voice.
She was right.
Kurrrrrng...!
Soon, a colossal figure rose, parting the storm and rain.
- How dare you trespass into Lord Gaph's domain and think you'll leave alive!
Ash-gray skin, steel-like muscles, and lightning crackling across his entire body — a shark-headed giant.
In his hand, he held a massive harpoon made of coral and bone.
- Fools! I shall offer you up at His Fate (緣) gathering!
With a thunderous roar, the shark-man led his army of hundreds of fishmen and charged at them.
Watching this, I furrowed my brow. It was because the stench wafting from him hit me.
At the same time, I knew by instinct.
'He's acting on his own.'
If he were an assassin sent by Gaph, he wouldn't have attempted a frontal assault like this.
He would have prepared a far more meticulous and cunning trap.
'Just a fool desperate to earn some merit.'
How had such a creature gained lord-level power?
No, perhaps it was the result of long, indolent ages.
The 'surface dominion' of the Demon Realm Grand Dukes was that old, after all.
"I shall take him."
It was only a matter of how to handle it; since he blocked my path, the outcome was already decided.
I rose from my seat.
I didn't want to waste time on small fry like this, so it was better to handle it personally.
"「Ash, and Dust」."
Two powers bloomed from my fingertips simultaneously.
A purple flame that burned everything and a black darkness that shattered and swallowed everything.
- You all...!
In an instant, the magic expanded explosively.
The violet blaze seared his steel-like hide, and the black darkness began to crush his limbs and gnaw at him.
- Keeaaak—!!
A sky-piercing scream. But it was already too late.
"We shall go."
"A nuisance, truly."
In the meantime, Saya and Yuran once again summoned their armies.
Lightning like a flash, the bizarre Hyakki Yagyō poured down upon the fishman army.
It wasn't a battle. It was a one-sided 'harvest.'
The fight was over in less than thirty minutes.
In my hand lay the cold core of a lord-level monster.
I pondered briefly, then looked at Saya beside me.
Having twice witnessed the hunt of lord-level monsters, I couldn't let her feel the dismay of seeing a goal vanish before her eyes now.
Motivation must always be solid.
"Prepare for the third. Saya."
"...!"
Saya's eyes widened for a moment, then quickly curved into a bright smile.
"Truly...?"
Her voice trembled faintly. Whether from joy or surprise.
As expected. Even without words, she had been quite disheartened.
"I receive your command, Master!"
I nodded in satisfaction.
- 2 -
At the same time, in the Hylash Royal Palace on the Eastern Continent.
「As we welcome the glory of Heaven (Cheon), people of faith (Shin) who spread its meaning and love far and wide.」
Inside the crystal orb Yurena and her ministers watched, the voice of the Holy Kingdom's Central Archbishop Anselm resonated solemnly.
「We are witnessing the corruption of this age!」
Anselm's eyes gleamed sharply as he swept his gaze over the crowd in the plaza.
「The seeds of that corruption are spreading from the center of this Eastern Continent! Must we simply stand by and watch this corruption!」
「No! No! No!」
The shouts of the people erupted like waves.
The archbishop skillfully fanned the frenzy.
「Must we simply stand idle while justice loses its power!」
「For order! For victory! For glory!」
「Yes! We must not allow those vile seeds of the Demon Realm to walk the continent with heads held high!!」
He raised his hand and pointed at the flag of the Grakheisen Fate (緣) Alliance.
「The Grakheisen Fate (緣) Alliance! After careful judgment and precise investigation, we have confirmed they are heretics!」
The holy knights tore down the national flags of Hysen, Orbis, Leophere, Hilsa, and Kiza.
「They are coercing our Saintess Esther and using her for their foul justifications!」
「Eradicate evil! Drive out the heretics!!」
Amidst the fanatical outcry, Anselm delivered his final proclamation.
「Until heresy is eradicated among them! We have resolved not to recognize them as legitimate nations of the Eastern Continent! Clergy of the Holy Kingdom who agree, please raise your hands!」
The crystal orb showed the high-ranking clergy on the dais.
Most of them immediately raised their hands.
The next moment, the figures of other saintesses joining remotely via communication devices appeared.
Naturally, Esther was not among them.
But.
「I oppose this declaration.」
Adriana's cold, resolute voice cut across the plaza.
For a moment, everything halted.
Tens of thousands of people, hundreds of clergy, and even Anselm himself.
A silence like a dousing of ice water ruled the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Lucia also spoke in a chilly tone.
「I am the same. This is not the will of the Goddess (Shin).」
Clementine kept her silence, but she too did not indicate agreement.
Not a single saintess agreed with the Holy Kingdom's announcement.
The silence deepened, grew heavier.
Murmuring...
Chaos seized the great plaza of the Holy Kingdom.
The saintesses — akin to representatives of the Heavenly Faith among the common people — opposed the declaration of heresy.
It was an event almost unprecedented in the history of the Holy Kingdom, and at the same time, something that should have been impossible.
Because major declarations like this were usually made after coordinating opinions with the saintesses.
Just then, the crystal orb zoomed in on the bewildered face of Anselm.
「...What did you say?」
His eyes wide open, the frail and intellectual impression was utterly gone from his face.
His pupils flashed with a chilling, eerie light.
Deep within those eyes, a very faint pink glow seeped out, but none could see it.
"Elder sister succeeded..."
Yurena murmured unconsciously.
The Holy Kingdom's declaration of heresy had begun just as Libertas foretold.
But due to the saintesses' unexpected opposition, the first crack appeared in their plan.
Yet, there was one undeniable fact.
The vortex of war that would engulf the Eastern Continent was now beginning to reveal its colossal form.
Yurena wore a worried expression.
'Many people will die.'
A deep sigh escaped her.
She knew this was a war that could not be stopped.
And she was confident that, in the end, her faction would win.
But she still hated death.
Whether it was the people of enemy nations or her own.
'Still... this too must be the weight of the crown I must bear.'
She simply did not want to be a hindrance to her beloved Libertas.
- 3 -
On Keltarion's back, I called Genki over.
"Come here and sit."
"Yes, Your Grace."
The old man carefully settled before me.
As I observed his powerless, drooping eyes, I guessed one thing.
'He is ready to die soon.'
They were eyes I knew well.
Eyes that held no regrets even if death were to come soon, having fulfilled every wish in life.
His final moments would, in one way or another, be for Saya's sake.
If so, this was something I needed to say.
Even if it ultimately meant taking advantage of his heart.
"Saya and I have made a promise."
"Yes...?"
"Master?"
At my sudden words, Genki and Saya looked at me with curiosity in their eyes.
With a gentle smile, I took Saya's hand and whispered.
"We promised that the child we bear shall become the 'direct line' of the new Cheon-eung Cheon-gu family."
"...!!"
"M-Master..."
Shock. The emotions in their eyes slowly turned to surprise, then exultation.
Kneeling there, the old man looked back and forth between us and asked in return.
"I-Is that true...?"
"Would I need to deceive you with such words?"
His eyes glistened as if tears would fall at any moment.
"It is true..."
"Yes."
But those eyes soon hardened with resolve.
Firm enough to understand the tales of his warrior youth.
He sank into thought for a moment.
As if counting the bones of Keltarion beneath its legs.
"We were but mid-ranking at best, so we lack deep information."
And then he slowly began to speak.
He had accurately grasped my intention for him to tell what he knew about Gaph.
"It is fine. Their main force is in the sea, making other information difficult to gather."
At my honest words, Genki looked at me again with eyes full of deep emotion.
A lord who unhesitatingly reveals his weaknesses to his subordinates.
He would be a type of figure the demon clan had never experienced before.
"From what I know, Gaph's forces... are smaller in scale than those of the other Demon Realm Grand Dukes."
Genki began cautiously laying out everything he knew.
"However, they have instead succeeded in elite specialization. They built a massive fortress in the deep sea and stationed powerful monsters around it. Hydras, serpents, krakens, of course... and there are also six lord-level monsters."
"Six, is it... So in terms of military strength, they have no notable weakness."
"That is correct..."
A strange intuition struck me.
Including Gaph himself, that made seven lord-level assets.
As a single force, it was enough to easily handle three or four marquises.
"The number of marquises?"
"There are four. All of them... all of them are in a special relationship with Lord Gaph."
Genki spoke somewhat awkwardly. I tilted my head and asked in return.
"A special relationship...?"
"Er, so... there are rumors that he... shares his nights with all four marquises."
I smiled inside.
I could already guess what he would say next.
"Perhaps because of that, there is some... conflict among the marquises. As each tries to gain more of Lord Gaph's favor...."
This was a weakness. A very large weakness.
No matter how strong a fortress was, if there were cracks within, there was a way to bring it down.
Especially if those cracks were jealousy and romantic rivalry — it was all the easier to exploit.
Rather than attacking Gaph directly, it would be far more efficient to stir up the conflict among those marquises.
And in the process, I could resolve the revenge I sought as well.
"My lord husband. Dawn is breaking."
"...Good."
With a sky dyed in red sunset as the backdrop, Keltarion flew toward the Eastern Continent.
In the distance, the coastline of Leophere came into view.
The salty, fishy tang carried on the wind seeped into my nose.
But I was detecting a completely different scent beyond that.
Ash and dust. Fire and iron. Blood and death.
Yes. It was the smell of war.