Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Beginning of Change (3)
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Heinrich Saint Landgard.
After becoming the master of the holy sword and being ordained as a paladin, Heinrich had earned the middle name 'Saint'.
It wasn't just a mere title.
It was a name bestowed only upon those directly chosen by the Main God, such as the saints and saintesses of the Church.
'This must all be thanks to the 'Grand Blessing: Knight of Light' I received during the ordination ceremony...'
The blessings encompassed everything from his existing ones like Strong Body and Leap to others he didn't have, in various forms.
Until now, Heinrich had directly felt the Main God's attention, so it hadn't hit him as profoundly, but it was akin to certain rewards obtained by fulfilling specific conditions.
Transcending the limits of the flesh through extreme training granted the 'Strong Body' blessing.
Embracing divine power beyond one's limits through ceaseless contemplation granted the 'Augmentation' blessing.
Beyond that, mastering techniques using divine power or researching holy spells and surpassing certain thresholds would return as blessings to the practitioner.
'I haven't really felt them much until now.'
But thinking back, aside from 'Blessing: Leap', all the others were blessings earned by giving his all in those situations.
The criteria might have been a bit harsh, but it wasn't entirely unprecedented.
However, the 'Grand Blessing' was different in nature from the 'Blessings' he'd received so far.
'A blessing bestowed solely by the Main God's choice.'
It was something that might not even happen once per generation among the countless followers of the Church of the Main God.
As a stark example, among those who had received Grand Blessings in the current era, the only living one was Saintess Riesta.
There had even been eras where not a single one emerged, showing just how demanding it was to receive one.
'And even gaining the holy sword's approval doesn't guarantee a Grand Blessing.'
Of the roughly ten or so holy sword masters passed down through history, only two had been saints.
One was the hero from a thousand years ago who wielded the holy sword as a saint from the start and vanquished the Immortal King.
The other was the previous generation's hero, like Heinrich, who became a saint after claiming the holy sword.
In other words, the holy sword-wielding heroes who felled the Immortal King in the previous era had also been chosen as saints by the Main God.
'That means the Main God is deeply concerned about matters related to the Abyss. But saint, huh? It kinda tickles.'
It felt like the Main God had recognized his usefulness and was pushing him hard, but it was a bit burdensome nonetheless.
And that was because...
"Oh! It's the saint over there!"
"Indeed, I thought he was extraordinary from the first time he came to the grand temple. But to think he'd be chosen by the Main God so quickly."
"His growth rate was definitely abnormal. Now it all makes sense."
Those who had treated him casually before were now regarding him with awe.
This included not just paladins and archbishops, but even cardinals he'd only met a few times.
'And the newly issued gear is no joke either.'
The pure white armor he wore, 'Guardian of Glory', was a masterpiece among masterpieces crafted with utmost care by the Church's finest artisans in the past.
Rare metals like mithril and orichalcum were a given.
Its inner lining was densely inscribed with prayers, granting high-level holy spells and even a divine barrier—it was practically a 'walking fortress'.
'And the price matches exactly.'
This wasn't for some minor frontier castle, but the cost of a strategically fortified stronghold laden with magical treatments.
Its price was so exorbitant that even the wealthy Church had made only one, leaving paladins to use lower-grade equipment.
It was essentially a holy relic.
'So this is my final gear. The ultimate weapon, the holy sword, and the ultimate armor, Guardian of Glory. No more worrying about equipment.'
Having become a saint, Heinrich was now on his way out after visiting the Pope, who had been recuperating, accompanied by the saintess.
With his gentle features, eyes brimming with sharp vitality that belied his illness, and his body overflowing with immense divine power...
Hatianus II, who had led the Church of the Main God until now, appeared hale and hearty on the surface, but...
'He said his time left isn't much. He can only stay awake for about an hour a day.'
Though he was holding on with vast divine power, the candle of his life was on the verge of extinguishing.
The saintess surely knew this well.
Yet she showed no sign of it, maintaining a bright demeanor throughout as she introduced Heinrich to the Pope.
Only after leaving his chambers entirely did her expression turn somber, but she quickly composed herself and donned a gentle smile once more.
Young as she was, she was still the saintess.
She knew well that openly displaying negative emotions wasn't ideal.
Besides, this was the heart of the world's largest religion.
To them, death was merely another journey to the Main God's side, not an eternal farewell.
As they walked, exchanging light conversation with the saintess who seemed to have fully regained her composure, she suddenly shifted topics as if something had come to mind.
"Oh, right. Now that you've become a saint, Heinrich, we can tackle these duties more seriously together! Ahh, I'm so glad to have a comrade to share the burden!"
...She must have been really struggling all this time.
Though critical and thorny issues were handled by cardinals and staff, with the Pope unable to work, she held the highest position, so the accumulated stress must have been immense.
'The Pope and saintess are in similar positions...'
Symbolically, she might even hold precedence, but the Pope's status—earned through countless proofs over long years at the pinnacle of priesthood—was no small matter.
The inexperienced young saintess was merely the Church's symbol; it was the Pope who truly led them. It was only natural.
'The problem now is the absence of that Pope.'
A new Pope could only be elected after the previous one departed to the Main God's embrace, so for now, the rest had to step up.
Moreover, the current Pope had adopted her despite his advanced age, making him her adoptive father on paper.
Her drive to fill his void, even skimping on sleep to assist with duties, was surely one reason.
"Speaking of which, there's something I wanted to discuss. You've heard about the Immortal King's movements this time, right?"
Upon becoming a saint, duties were handed over to him, and aides were assigned to brief him on external news and assist with work.
Through them, he'd learned recent updates.
"He's showing more overt activity than before. Opening the Abyss to summon undead onto the continent, and now this blatant provocation..."
It was about Immortal King Hans's recent actions.
Moreover, the Church's capable intelligence team had analyzed why he was doing this and relayed it to Heinrich.
They'd detected him signaling the undead to gather and then collecting them.
'Of course, I never thought he'd hide it forever.'
With the Church, Mage Tower, and even most territories plastering advertisements, it was natural everyone's attention focused.
By now, other factions were likely pouring all efforts into gathering more details, in a frenzy.
Not good news for Hans, though.
"I don't know what he's thinking all of a sudden... But the Immortal King gathering forces again like this—we can't just let it slide. It's a chance to strike before he amasses more troops!"
The saintess ranted passionately, her golden eyes sparkling with zeal.
It was something Hans had fully anticipated.
His signal's response inherently risked detection by those deliberately probing.
'That's why I'm deliberately splitting regions... But before they can even gather or be retrieved, some undead are getting wiped out.'
It was happening in real-time even now.
The undead appeared in scattered locations in great numbers, not just uninhabited areas.
Near Church temples, Mage Towers, cities with powerhouses, or territories with strong militaries—once spotted, it was over.
Without an executive-level undead army officer, they were picked off individually.
"Ah! And soon, there'll be another continental summit. With things escalating this far, they can't stay idle anymore. This time, we must establish proper countermeasures!"
The saintess steeled her resolve, eyes gleaming.
Then she whipped around to Heinrich, adding one more word.
"Together!"
...She must have truly been burdened by work.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In truth, though the Church had issued multiple warnings about the Immortal King, other nations on the Ion Continent had limits to their responses.
The current situation differed greatly from past incidents.
Fights against previous Immortal Kings were full-scale wars.
The Abyss energy in their hearts was so potent that the Church could track their locations, playing a key role.
Of course, past Immortal Kings, masters of black magic, could briefly evade the Church's gaze.
But no matter the trick to blur attention, limits existed, and their positions were eventually exposed.
Thus, they raised vast undead armies for protection while opting for all-out war with the continent.
But this revived Immortal King was different.
Thoroughly concealing his location by some means, he stirred chaos from the shadows.
His elusive mobility made gathering intel on his whereabouts impossible.
That was why other factions couldn't act decisively.
How do you fight an enemy whose location and actions you don't know?
All they could do was protect key figures and chokepoints, bolster defenses against future calamities, and reorganize forces.
But with no immediate enemy and endless preparations dragging on for months...
As the situation persisted, hyenas seeking profit in the chaos began emerging.
From bottom-level military supply embezzlement and procurement corruption to covert political alliances at the top.
These dissonant notes from all levels coalesced into the current turbulent state.
Only now, with things escalating, were they scrambling to contain it.
But before they could, a greater change arrived.
A merchant caravan passing through a monster-infested forest path.
As a dangerous zone, they were surrounded by no small number of mercenaries on alert.
Then, one mercenary guarding the caravan quietly spoke to the man beside him.
"Hey, Mike. You sure this is okay? I hear undead are popping up everywhere lately."
"What choice do we have? Can't sit idle forever."
"True, but..."
"Besides, unless we're really unlucky, we won't run into them. With this many, we might even handle it."
Aware of the situation, merchants had banded several caravans heading the same way, hiring more mercenaries than usual.
Confident, they crossed the perilous forest path without encountering a single undead.
However...
"Urk! What the hell are these guys?!"
"Watch out! They're no ordinary—gahk!"
A horde of monsters—innumerable monsters—descended on the caravan.
"Kruk—!"
"Kieeeek!"
Goblins, orcs, gremlins—the attacking monsters varied, but they shared traits.
Faintly glowing red eyes.
Drool dribbling from their maws.
Ferociously swollen muscles.
Recklessness ignoring severed limbs...
And murderous intent persisting until their last breath, even with throats slit or hearts pierced.
"Why are different species teaming up... Gahk!"
"These bastards, they never end...!"
They ruthlessly tore into the humans.
This was beginning to occur across the continent—
The influence of 'Madness' was slowly, but surely, revealing itself.