Chapter 112
Chapter 112
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Holy Order (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Even seeing it again, it’s an incredible place.”
The outer walls alone were so tall and sturdy, yet inside there were two even more massive walls protecting the stronghold. The fortress was shielded by triple-layered walls.
The moats surrounding the walls made sieges all the more difficult. They were called moats, but in truth, they were practically rivers.
In his previous life, even Dorgo had to deploy his entire undead legion to breach the headquarters.
“Shall we go in?”
Demian led his horse toward the headquarters. He crossed the bridge over the moat and stopped before the gates.
Flanking the gates stood two colossal statues holding spears.
As Demian approached, beams of light shot from the statues’ eyes.
Then they swung the spears in their hands to block his path.
The spear blades were so enormous it felt like a wall had risen before him.
Surprisingly, these two colossal statues were not mere structures but a type of golem.
‘It’s been a while.’
These were the golems known as Achilles’ gifts.
Created by the saint Achilles over his lifetime, they were one of the Holy Order’s war machines.
They possessed tremendous combat prowess and could even be mass-produced. In his previous life, a single one had racked up achievements equivalent to tens of thousands of undead.
-Halt. The headquarters does not welcome strangers.
A voice emanated from the golem. Demian addressed it.
“I am Demian Haksen. I’ve come to receive the reward promised by the Order.”
-Wait a moment. I will fetch someone to verify your identity.
The golems fell silent for a time. Then suddenly, they withdrew the spears blocking Demian’s path.
The towering gates creaked open slightly, and someone emerged from the gap.
Her hair was cropped short like a man’s, yet her beauty was so striking it drew the eye instantly.
It was Agnes, the great disciple of Cyan, one of the Order’s Five Great Saints.
“Lord Demian!”
Agnes hurried over. Joy lit up her usually expressionless face.
“Why did it take you so long? I’ve been waiting for you all this time.”
“I had a lot on my plate.”
“Ah, I heard. You rooted out the black mages who infiltrated the Apple royal family? And you even fought a demon sword in the process.”
Anger flickered in Agnes’s eyes.
“Truly, they’re like cockroaches. Spreading plague wherever they go. It’s a relief you dealt with them, Lord Demian. The gods will be pleased as well.”
Agnes made the sign of the cross.
“Please, this way. I’ll guide you.”
Demian followed Agnes into the headquarters.
* * *
As the two walked together, gazes poured in from all directions.
“Who’s that guy?”
“He doesn’t seem to have any divine power, so probably an outsider?”
“What? How did an outsider get into the headquarters?”
Most of the looks were filled with wariness.
The Holy Order’s headquarters fundamentally prohibited outsiders from entering.
“How is some outsider walking with Lady Agnes…?”
“I’ve never seen Lady Agnes’s face so relaxed before.”
“Damn, he’s an eyesore.”
Demian ignored the murmuring Holy Knights as he took in the headquarters.
Roads paved with marble. Buildings exuding an antique air from their age.
It was all a familiar sight. He had visited the headquarters once in his previous life.
Of course, not for any good reason. He had come to breach it on Dorgo’s orders.
Dorgo had thrown his entire undead legion at it and still failed to take the headquarters. Losses mounted with each passing day.
In the end, Dorgo had no choice but to urgently summon Demian from a distant dispatch.
Following Dorgo’s command, Demian returned and conquered the headquarters in a single day.
The cries of the parishioners massacred by the undead legion that day still echoed vividly in his ears.
“Lord Demian?”
Agnes, walking ahead, turned with a puzzled look.
“Your expression looks grim. Are you perhaps tired?”
“It’s nothing…”
Demian forced a smile. Agnes gazed at him with evident concern.
“To enter the annexes, you must first meet with His Holiness and obtain permission.”
There was only one being in this world addressed as His Holiness.
The leader of the Holy Order, the Holy Sovereign.
“His Holiness is currently away for a consecration ritual. If it’s all right with you, would my master be willing to make time in the meantime?”
Agnes’s master.
She meant Cyan Brigandin, one of the Order’s Five Great Saints.
“My master wished to express his gratitude to you personally…”
Among the master-class foes he had fought as a Death Knight, Cyan had been particularly formidable.
As a memorable adversary, Demian couldn’t help but be curious.
Just what kind of man would Cyan be as an ally rather than an enemy?
“Let’s go see him.”
Demian followed Agnes, curiosity piqued.
* * *
The place Agnes led Demian to was the northern sector of the headquarters.
“The buildings here are all used by sect members.”
No wonder the auras emanating from the Holy Knights walking nearby felt anything but ordinary.
“Isn’t that Lady Agnes?”
“Who’s that with her? Who dares walk beside Lady Agnes?”
“Looks like an outsider? No way, he couldn’t be Lady Agnes’s… Nah, impossible.”
The sect’s Holy Knights reacted much like those outside, in on some conspiracy.
They eyed Demian warily as well.
“This is the building our sect uses.”
Agnes soon arrived at a building and opened the garden gate, ushering Demian inside.
There, an old man was watering the flowerbeds.
His back was hunched, his limbs shriveled and thin. Wrinkles layered his face.
He resembled an ancient tree, so weathered it seemed it might snap at any moment.
“Master, I’ve brought Lord Demian.”
Agnes bowed to the old man. He slowly turned his head.
Demian felt a strange sensation. Though an old man now, he matched perfectly the image in Demian’s memory.
This was Cyan Brigandin, one of the Order’s Five Great Saints.
“Oh, Agnes. Thank you for humoring this old man’s request.”
The old man smiled kindly and approached the two.
No matter how you looked at him, he seemed like any kindly neighborhood grandfather. Nothing about him screamed one of the Five Great Saints.
“So you’re Demian Haksen.”
“Yes. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Cyan offered a handshake. Demian clasped his hand.
‘Solid.’
Cyan’s palm was covered in calluses. Even a light grip felt like being shackled in irons.
“Seeing you in person… you’re quite handsome, aren’t you? No wonder our Agnes can’t keep her wits about her.”
“M-Master! You can’t say such strange things! Lord Demian will misunderstand!”
“What misunderstanding? The rumors are already everywhere. Agnes, you…”
“St-Stop! Stop it!”
Agnes cried out in haste. Cyan clicked his tongue.
“To yell at your old master over a man. What am I to do with this insolence?”
“Master!”
“Fine, fine. Go fetch something to eat.”
At those words, Agnes flinched.
“Master… you’re not thinking of doing that, are you?”
“Don’t worry. Lord Demian is a benefactor to our sect. Do you think I’d treat him roughly?”
Cyan spoke firmly. Agnes shot him a dubious glance before shuffling off reluctantly.
“Have a seat here.”
With Agnes gone, Cyan sat at a wooden table in the garden.
Likely prepared for receiving guests.
Demian took the seat opposite, and Cyan spoke.
“The reason I asked to see you, Lord Demian, is to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, my disciples returned safely.”
Cyan bowed his head as he spoke.
For one of the Five Great Saints—practically a king within the Order—he showed his crown far too readily.
“My disciples… they’re truly special to me. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’re my entire life.”
Cyan spoke with affection.
“There’s no need to thank me. Anyone would have saved them in that situation.”
“Modest, too. Truly as splendid as Agnes described.”
Cyan nodded, moved. Then he handed Demian a silver badge.
The hexagonal silver badge bore a complex seal.
“It bears my personal seal. If you ever need my help, present it at any church. Word will reach me immediately.”
The Five Great Saints stood far above master class.
They were always mentioned alongside the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman when naming humanity’s strongest.
Such a powerhouse was pledging aid to Demian at any time.
“I’ll treasure it.”
Demian pocketed the badge.
He always prepared for the worst. This badge might prove vital someday.
Suddenly, Demian sensed Cyan staring intently at him.
“You’re quite the enigma. I’ve never met anyone so hard to gauge.”
Cyan examined Demian’s face with interest.
“Not to boast, but I pride myself on my eye for people. Yet with you… I see nothing.”
As expected of a master class.
Demian had concealed his abilities, masquerading as mid-class to others.
Cyan couldn’t discern his true power, but he wasn’t fooled either.
“Forgive my rudeness on our first meeting, but could you grant me one request?”
“What is it?”
“I have a bad habit. When I see a young man with exceptional talent, I itch to test him myself.”
A bad premonition flashed in Demian’s mind.
At that instant, Cyan kicked at Demian’s head.
For a strike from a seated position, it was astonishingly swift and powerful.
Demian reacted instantly, crossing his forearms to block.
The impact sent him flying back. He crashed into the flowerbed, ruining it as he skidded.
“What is this?”
“My apologies. But I was simply too curious about your skills.”
Cyan bared his teeth in a grin. He resembled a beast.
‘That temper of his never changes.’
Among the Five Great Saints, Cyan was the fiercest.
Feared and dreaded even among black mages.
“Since it’s come to this, no helping it. Let’s have a proper taste.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Cyan charged.