Chapter 243
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: Blind-Eyed Shrine Maiden (1)
Even with two members of the Decagram stepping forward, the Crusade Army on the central front suffered a crushing defeat.
The losses were beyond words. Not only had countless soldiers been slaughtered en masse, but most of the Knights of Elga and field priests were either killed or taken prisoner. Even the Ninth Seat of the Decagram, the "Star that Calls Peace," had perished, and the Third Seat, the "Star that Pierces Truth," had defected to the allied forces entirely.
The defeat stung all the more because it came just before they could annihilate the enemy and claim victory. The remnants, having lost all their core strength, chewed bitterly on their despair like bile.
Every coin has two sides, every crushing defeat has its grand victory on the flip side, and every sorrow hides joy in its shadow. By the logic of a world where opposites harmonize, the allied forces—who had won and gained immensely—ought to be throwing a feast.
But war is a human calamity that defies ordinary logic.
Despite their great victory, a heavy air hung over the allied camp led by General Goltaran.
Roar... Roooar!
Flames roared fiercely across the barren plain. Jagged teeth of fire gnawed at the fuel, spewing acrid smoke into the sky.
The pyre's fuel was the allied warriors who had fallen in this battle.
There were more corpses piled in that inferno than there were survivors.
The Wilderness Shrine Maidens sat by the fire, performing rites to soothe the souls of the dead. Warriors of the Indomitable Legion and soldiers of the Crusade Army mingled chaotically around it in a circle. Those who had survived side by side had long transcended barriers of origin and race, becoming like one bloodline.
Of course, their survival was entirely owed to the sacrifice of those now turning to ash. Most quietly faded away, but now and then, corpses twitched with convulsing muscles. The soldiers knew they couldn't possibly be alive, yet they couldn't stop their shoulders from flinching repeatedly.
The funeral was led by Goltaran, head of the Indomitable Legion and supreme commander of the allied forces. He gazed at the bodies with shadowed eyes, then approached as the flames died down.
"......"
Warriors who had stood fearless before the storm of battle had become ash scattered by the slightest breeze. Their end was as fleeting as it was unworthy of the name "Indomitable Legion."
There were no long eulogies recounting their shared struggles from Agon to here. Goltaran spoke briefly.
"I swear on Atala's name: the days I struggled alongside you were the golden era when my axe blade shone most brilliantly."
He pounded his chest hard enough to crush his ribs, then murmured his farewell.
"......Someday, may we meet again in that paradise where war and revelry never cease."
"May we meet again in that paradise where war and revelry never cease."
"Surely, in that paradise where war and revelry never cease......"
Atalains and allies alike echoed the words without distinction, pounding their chests in unison.
Goltaran tore his reluctant feet away and departed. The mingled warriors and soldiers solemnly dispersed, and the Wilderness Shrine Maidens gathered the remains before leaving last.
Even after the funeral ended, the oppressive air in the camp lingered for a while.
Yet the soldiers and warriors ultimately rose above despair. They looked to the hope born from the sacrifice of those who had gone ahead. What they had lost ached to the bone, but what they had gained was immense enough to make their hearts tremble.
High-value prisoners like field priests and bishops, precious spoils like food and holy relics, the merit of holding the fiercest central front line, the pride of defending the alliance—and above all, the support of the "Demon Slayer" and the addition of a Decagram member to their ranks.
The "Demon Slayer's" infamous reputation, which made the entire Crusade Army quake, had not only toppled a star of Elga but poached one into their own ranks. And not just any—a top-tier star whom even "Border Slaughterer" Goltaran had subdued in a single blow.
Though he had lost Elga's blessing and stigmata, his profound experience and built-up "aura" remained intact. The soldiers all agreed: with the new ally "Star Backed by Light" and the "Demon Slayer" joining forces, counterattacking the Empire and ending the war in one fell swoop wasn't an empty dream.
But their leader couldn't shake off his worries.
He had wandered with the weight of the world's sorrows on his face for ages. As he sighed and turned back to his tent, Goltaran ran into the one person he least wanted to see.
"Long time no see. Fake Great Warrior."
"......Gr-Great Warrior?"
"Let's talk. Briefly."
Kadim impassively summoned the arena champion who had once falsely claimed the title of Great Warrior.
*
The reason Kadim sought out Goltaran was simple. He had questions.
How had he found the "ruins" and made them his hideout? Why were there people dead from the relic's backlash around the "ruins"? And after the "ruins" were destroyed, what happened to the old shrine maiden's needle and ritual objects?
In the quiet tent, Goltaran first expressed gratitude for repelling the Crusade Army. Then he began answering the questions one by one.
Warriors who had received relics in the past kept them...... They died blocking the "Star that Calls Peace"...... The ruins were found by the "New Wilderness Shrine Maiden"...... The old shrine maiden was already gone when they arrived, and the ritual objects' whereabouts would likely be known to the shrine maiden who found the ruins......
Kadim listened silently, then furrowed his brow.
"......'New Wilderness Shrine Maiden'?"
"Ah... My apologies. You must not have heard yet. Perhaps due to your return, Great Warrior, Atala's divine power has returned to the world, and new shrine maidens have been chosen. They're still far from the old ones, but they can at least perform simple tattoos like this."
Goltaran subtly revealed the tattoos etched on his body.
"......"
Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered hearing from Inspector Enrico. Something about Atalain women becoming like Atala's priestesses. If divine power had truly returned, the birth of new shrine maidens wasn't all that surprising.
However, one of them finding the "ruins" was noteworthy. Finding the "ruins" without any proper ritual objects meant she had connected with the old shrine maiden on her own......
......She might hold the key to finding Cyril's whereabouts.
"What's the name of the shrine maiden who found those ruins?"
"......Yevril. Yevril. The daughter of the wilderness with the finest aptitude among the new shrine maidens. If you wish, I can summon her here right away."
"No, I'll go to her. Just tell me where."
She was in a tent at the eastern edge of the camp, he was told. Kadim immediately turned to leave.
But just before exiting the tent, he stopped.
"Why are you moping around like a pitiful wretch?"
"......Pardon?"
"You don't look like much of a frontier general. Is it the subordinates you sent ahead first? Or that this victory wasn't by your own strength?"
"......"
The sharp question pierced deep. Goltaran clenched his teeth without a word.
To be frank, both were right. Losing subordinates he'd shared long years with, and the fact that even victory wasn't his own achievement—both were shattering the heart of the warrior once called "Border Slaughterer."
But what tormented him most was failing to properly fulfill the "mission of salvation" bestowed by the Great Warrior.
'Then, that 'mission of salvation'...... Can I take it as a mission personally given by the Proxy of the War God?'
'......Think what you will.'
After being forgiven for falsely claiming the Great Warrior title in the arena, Goltaran had received the "mission of salvation." Kadim had tossed it out casually, but he couldn't take it lightly. It was a mission from the Great Warrior, Proxy of the War God, and his only path to atone.
So he picked up his axe again. He made it the reason for his life, starting a second life. As a general leading the allied forces, he charged the front lines to save his allies.
But the result was...... this pathetic.
What was he, head of the Indomitable Legion? Supreme commander of the allied forces? "Border Slaughterer"? He'd barely survived thanks to his subordinates' sacrifices and the Great Warrior's aid......
He had saved no one, and failed in the struggle. It was no different from when he'd laid down the name "Agon's Furious Horn." He was still just a worthless coward, Goltaran.
After this frank confession, Goltaran fell into bitter silence.
"......"
"......"
Kadim let out a hollow chuckle, as if it was utterly pathetic.
"What do you mean you saved no one? Does that mean everyone still in this camp is just a walking corpse?"
"They...... The survivors all owe their lives to you, Great Warrior, and the 'Star Backed by Light.' Without your reinforcements, they would surely have been annihilated by the Crusade Army......"
"No, your premise is wrong. Without you, they wouldn't even be alive this long to begin with. The Atalains would have died like dogs in the arena, and the Crusade soldiers would have had their throats slit by Elga's forces breaching the border long ago."
His fierce eyes widened further. The indifferent lecture continued.
"And even without calling it a 'mission of salvation' or whatever, you've done more than your share."
"......?"
"Earlier, I couldn't even tell who the barbarians were. You even turned those Crusade soldiers into your subordinates."
And it was true.
Sun-scorched skin, tattoos from the shrine maidens, pounding chests in respect—the Crusade soldiers looked no different from Atalains. Some even revered Remillion as their utmost idol and were starting to sincerely believe in Atala.
Influenced by the "Border Slaughterer," who always fought at the forefront and felled countless Knights of Elga.
Goltaran had worried about condemnation for tainting his people's purity. But the follow-up words were the opposite of what he expected.
"Keep it up. Increase the sons of the wilderness regardless of origin or bloodline. It'll be even better if you recruit strong ones worth their salt, like I did."
"......Pardon?"
"That will likely be...... the way to save 'my life' and topple the false god the Empire worships."
More followers would elevate Atala's "divinity," which protected him.
Kadim skipped the details. Goltaran had no room for more explanation anyway—he was completely stunned after hearing about saving "his life."
The "mission of salvation": saving the valuable instead of drowning in the deaths of the worthless.
Its ultimate goal must be...... saving Atala's Great Warrior, who carried on the noble "mission of struggle."
Reasons didn't matter. This command had to be followed with life and soul. The worries and anguish vanished from his face. Goltaran pounded his chest with overwhelming emotion and shouted.
"I swear on the noble name of Atala!! On the glory of the undefeated master of ten thousand troops, vanguard of the Indomitable Legion, eternal arbiter of war!! No matter what, I will shatter my bones and make all the continent's people serve Atala!! Glory to Atala!! Glory to the great and mighty Great Warrior, sharpest of his axes, bearer of the mission of struggle!!"
"......"
His fervor was so grandiose it nearly made Kadim regret speaking. He waved his hand dismissively and finally left the tent.
For the time being, no need to worry about that mad barbarian sinking back into despair.
*
But the shrine maiden wasn't in the tent Goltaran had directed him to.
"Y-Yevril...... ma'am?"
"Yevril...... Ah, no, Lady Yevril...... went out alone this morning......"
"She insisted no one follow, so we don't know where......"
"......"
"S-Sorry! We'll go find her right now! It won't take long, Demon Slayer! P-Please spare our lives......"
All the women attending the shrine maiden desperately searched, but to no avail. Kadim didn't slaughter them for responsibility as they feared. He just sighed and turned away.
It wasn't a chance miss. She had deliberately left.
Not surprising. Wilderness Shrine Maidens were like tangled skeins in speech and wildcats in action—unpredictable. In the past, all but one...... Even as Atala's Great Warrior, controlling their whims was impossible.
Of course, he could track her if he tried. But meeting like that would just yield excuses: "It's not time yet," "You're not ready," refusing answers and spouting nonsense.
He gave up on meeting the shrine maiden right away. Just then, another urgent matter arose.
He walked far from the allied camp. Only in a secluded plain at least ten kilometers away did he stop. Kadim lit a campfire and sat on a tree stump.
Crackle, crackle, crack...
His pupils held a reddish glow. Not just from the firelight. His heart raged wildly, impulses thudded dully, and since his memories fragmented, the blood craving—unquenched by even a drop—had reached its limit.
Kadim stared at the scattering embers, shaking his canteen with a slosh.
"......"
Just before the heavy impulse struck his chest again, he gulped down demon blood.
A fishy swallow spread. Scorching irritation scraped his throat, foul stench tore at his nostrils with every exhale. Vitality surged dizzyingly, his mind teetering into thick blood mist.
Suddenly, a whisper from afar.
"......How does it taste?"
His bloodshot eyes snapped wide in a chill.
His mania-submerged mind snapped awake. A distant forgotten past overlapped the present. Three hundred years ago, first meeting the Wilderness Shrine Maiden who would save the world. Amid mangled human and demon corpses, her first question.
'How...... does it taste?'
He turned. There she was: the same poignant expression, disheveled white hair.
And...... cloth tightly bound over her eyes.
"......"
Crackle, crack—
Whoooosh...
The campfire flared heat, cold wind scattered chill. Amid clashing excitement and calm, Kadim spat through gritted teeth.
"Who...... are you?"
They locked sightless gazes briefly. The woman bowed gracefully and introduced herself.
"My name is Yevril."
Along with a familiar epithet.
"The Blind-Eyed Shrine Maiden, Yevril."