The Subjugation of Heibrun (9)
Sheath.
Gaon slowly lowered the sword he had been gripping tightly with both hands.
Behind him, a long trail left by the dark red flames stretched out.
Extending all the way to the horizon, the path carried the majesty and terror of a divine punishment that had carved out the earth itself.
"..."
Crackle, crackle!
Jacques's corpse had melted beyond recognition.
Looking down at it, not a single emotion could be read on Gaon's face.
There was no joy of victory, no sense of relief, not even a trace of fatigue.
Gaon raised his head.
His calm gaze swept over the crowd from Midtemple, scanning the paladins and councilors.
"Jacques von Heibrun is dead."
"..."
"..."
His calm yet resolute voice echoed across the wasteland.
The moment those words fell, the paladins and councilors could do nothing but hold their breath and look at Gaon.
"It was not my sword that killed him."
"..."
"Jacques von Heibrun was already dead the moment he joined hands with the evil god. All I did was confirm that fact."
His voice grew colder.
"In accordance with the laws of Midtemple, his name, having turned to heresy, will be erased from all records and history."
"..."
"The Heibrun family will be stripped of its status as a Holy Family, and all the rights and privileges they have enjoyed for generations will be permanently extinguished."
There was not a single tremor in Gaon's voice.
Like a prophet reading a predetermined fate, he declared the downfall of the Heibrun family in a cold, unwavering tone.
The excommunication of the Holy Family leading the Traditionalists meant the complete collapse of Midtemple's power structure.
It was effectively a declaration that the era of the Traditionalists, which had lasted for centuries, was coming to an end, and a new order would take its place.
"This is the rightful judgment passed upon a traitor."
"..."
"And this is not a story that ends with Heibrun."
The high-ranking officials of Midtemple stiffened.
They instinctively understood what Gaon's words implied.
"The remnants of corruption still linger within Midtemple. Those who claim to uphold the will of the Great Ones on the outside, but are blinded by their own selfish desires on the inside."
"..."
"I have been patient enough until now. I respected the order of Midtemple, and I did my best to correct the issues within its system."
Gaon's voice rang across the entire wasteland.
Though they were at a distance, every single word he spoke was delivered clearly to everyone on the hill.
"But the corruption of Jacques von Heibrun has proven it. The old ways cannot fix this rotten structure."
Jacques von Heibrun.
The leader of the Traditionalists and one of the two pillars of Midtemple. A swordsman who had spent his life protecting the order of the Holy City, and who was considered more devout than anyone else.
The reality that even such a man had ultimately succumbed to the temptation of an evil god laid bare the limitations of the existing system.
"Therefore, I declare here and now."
Gaon's voice grew even more majestic.
"From this moment on, Midtemple will change. We will follow the true will of the Great Ones and walk the path to face the coming end of the world."
Gaon's gaze turned once more to Jacques's melted corpse.
"Of course, there will be those who cannot accept my decision. Some will doubt whether my methods are too extreme, or if this change is indeed the right path."
A brief silence fell.
In that quiet, a tense anticipation lingered as everyone waited for Gaon's next words.
"When that moment comes, remember the sacred covenant I made with the Great Ones."
Gaon made his final declaration.
"I will save this world from its end. No. I must save it. This is more than a personal vow; it is a sacred contract forged with the Great Ones, an absolute duty commanded by the will of the world."
As time passed, his voice grew even colder.
"Since the covenant has been made, I must achieve that goal. Even if I must resort to coercive means."
"..."
"Every obstacle that blocks that path will be removed without exception."
Gaon's words carried something more than a mere warning.
A cold recognition of reality, and an unspoken threat that he could repeat this at any time if necessary.
"The great task of saving the world sometimes demands ruthless and painful choices. But that is the mission the Great Ones have bestowed upon me."
His voice grew heavier, to the point where the weight of the responsibility pressing down on Gaon's shoulders felt palpable.
"The road ahead will never be smooth. In the process of shattering the old order and building a new world upon its ashes, we will face countless trials."
"..."
"Perhaps we will have to deny the truths we once believed in. We may have to abandon comfortable customs and, at times, confront a harsh reality."
Gaon scanned the crowd on the hill.
"However."
Then, he declared once more in a clear voice.
"Even so, I believe."
"..."
"That there are still those who will walk this arduous journey with me. That there are still those willing to burn themselves to ashes to prevent the coming apocalypse."
Whoosh.
The wind blew.
The wind sweeping across the blood-stained wasteland lightly ruffled Gaon's hair.
Viewed from the hill, the scene looked like a painting.
The light of the setting sun filtered in from behind Gaon, painting his silhouette in gold, and his fluttering hair looked like a sacred halo.
The corpse of the monster fallen at his feet. Standing alone above it, Gaon looked infinitely reverent and sublime.
"...Ah."
A soft gasp escaped from somewhere.
It was an exclamation born of awe, a sound that naturally slipped from the hearts of those witnessing the moment of true change they had awaited for so long.
At that moment, everyone realized.
A new era for Midtemple had finally begun.
"I will follow your will, Sir Gaon."
Thud.
The first to kneel was none other than Adelia von Goldheart.
Having witnessed all of Gaon's actions, she swore her loyalty without hesitation.
Her action served as a signal, and others began to kneel one by one.
"I, too."
Sikan Bauer took a step forward and knelt.
"I will follow the will of the Sword Master."
Thud.
As soon as the vow of loyalty was spoken, the dozens of members of the investigation team knelt in unison behind him.
Having always offered absolute loyalty to Sikan Bauer, they followed his actions without hesitation, as if their commander's will was their own.
"The will of the Sword Master is the will of Midtemple."
Arwen von Goldheart was next.
No sooner had his declaration ended than the members of the Goldheart family and all the councilors of the Reformist faction bent their knees.
"We, too, will believe in and follow the Seeker."
"Even if it costs me my life, I will follow that great will."
Vows of loyalty erupted one after another from all sides.
Before long, everyone—regardless of whether they belonged to the Reformists or the Traditionalists—knelt before Gaon.
Rumble!
The sound of the ground shaking echoed repeatedly.
The scene atop the hill was so quiet and majestic that it left everyone speechless.
Dozens of paladins and councilors knelt in unison, bowing their heads toward a single point.
The light of the setting sun dyed their armor and robes in gold. In the center of that silence, only absolute loyalty and awe toward Gaon breathed.
"Hah..."
Heukgol and Pokryong let out hollow chuckles as they watched the scene.
The high-ranking officials of Midtemple, who had tried so hard to pressure and control the Sword Masters, were now looking at Gaon with genuine awe.
The emotion felt in each kneeling posture was not forced submission, but true respect arising from the depths of their hearts.
An achievement no one had accomplished for hundreds of years: unifying all of Midtemple.
The Holy City, which had been endlessly divided and in conflict between the Reformists and the Traditionalists, was completely unified by the power of a single person.
"...He really is something else, isn't he?" Pokryong smirked in admiration.
With every member of Midtemple kneeling, only Gaon stood alone.
As the victor, the judge, and the pioneer of a new era.
Finally, the situation was over.
Silence reigned all the way back to the Holy City.
No one spoke first. The people of Midtemple simply followed quietly behind me.
Sigh.
I let out a sigh in my mind.
It had been a truly long journey.
Inducing Jacques von Heibrun's corruption, defeating him, and bringing all of Midtemple to its knees.
Everything had gone according to plan, but it was just as exhausting.
As we passed through the city gates, the guards hurriedly cleared the way. Their eyes held a mixture of awe and fear.
Along the streets leading back to the estate, people peered out from behind their windows.
The sight of dozens of paladins and councilors following a single man, and walking silently with their heads bowed, must have made the citizens realize that something extraordinary had occurred.
"This way."
Arwen led the councilors toward the temple.
It was to begin the administrative procedures regarding the handling of the Heibrun family.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
The initiative had already completely shifted to me, and no one raised any objections to my decisions.
The Traditionalists are finished.
With Jacques's death, the faction that had lasted for centuries dissolved.
The remaining remnants would either be absorbed by the Reformists or step down on their own.
Midtemple would now move with a single voice.
And at the center of it all... was me.
Creak, thud.
I arrived at the guest room.
As the door closed, the noise from outside was cut off. Finally, my private time had come.
Lying down on the bed, I checked the notifications I had put off one by one.
There were countless alerts, but the one that caught my eye first was...
[You have acquired the trial prepared by '■@■#!?■%'.]
...I succeeded.
The biggest reason I had killed Jacques.
It was to obtain this trial.
"..."
I pulled a dark red marble from my inner pocket.
Breaking this would immediately plunge me into the "Trial."
As I had mentioned several times, the trial of an evil god was completely different in nature from the trial of an Elder.
It did not test or evaluate the challenger; it was closer to a curse that existed solely to kill.
However, if one could overcome it, the rewards would be correspondingly immense.
"..."
Of course, I had no intention of challenging this trial right now.
Throwing myself into the trial of an evil god without sufficient preparation was nothing short of suicide.
...For now, let's get some rest.
Having finished that thought, I turned my gaze to look out the window.
The sun was setting, dyeing the entire Holy City in red light.
A lot had changed today.
Midtemple's power structure, my standing, and my future steps.
Yes.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
"Excuse me, Sir Gaon."
Knock, knock.
The next morning, Sikan Bauer visited the guest room and handed me a sealed letter.
"It is a letter from the master of the Durdamel Merchant Guild."
"..."
Receiving the letter, I silently tore open the envelope.
The contents of the letter were brief.
It reported that the investigation into the corpse of the Sky Dragon Bird was complete, and they were finally moving on to the auction phase.
And at the end of the letter, the name of the group representing this auction was written.
The Ruins Merchant Group
"..."
The faction that operated the largest black market on the continent.
And their guild master was...
...Lea de Karayan.
The time to meet her after all this time had finally arrived.