Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Part 2 Chapter 6: Destination (1)
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Emac, the saint of the Drian Church, collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood.
“Keok... keok... keok...”
It felt like his heart was being torn out.
His lungs had shriveled up, making it impossible to breathe, and blood streamed from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
His vision was stained bright red, and as it blurred into chaos, a wave of intense anxiety crashed over him.
What the hell happened?
Emac stared at the pool of blood forming beneath him before laboriously lifting his head.
The sky, once choked with crimson clouds, was now spotlessly clear, as if nothing had ever happened.
Despite offering up blood and corpses from this land as sacrifices for over five years, where was the Basilisk?
...The connection with it was forcibly severed.
An unsanctioned reverse summoning normally placed an enormous burden on the summoner.
And the Basilisk was the divine beast most cherished by the Drian God. For such a being to vanish so abruptly—even a saint like him couldn't withstand the backlash.
He was in no state to properly draw on his divine power.
“That light... its influence?”
The blinding light that had suddenly engulfed the sky.
He had no idea what it truly was, but it carried a power that made his body instinctively shrink in fear.
No matter how mighty the Basilisk, it would have taken serious damage from that light.
But not enough to force a reverse summoning.
Damn it. No clue what's going on.
What the hell was Helm doing?
The High Priest couldn't even lead the faithful, and there was no sign of him anywhere.
If he was going to slack off like this, he shouldn't have handed the descent ritual to him in the first place.
This mess was all because of that.
It was starting to feel like the saints' authority at headquarters was far too low.
The moment he got back, he'd form his own faction—something to ensure he never got pushed around by the High Priest again.
First things first, head back to headquarters.
With the Basilisk reverse-summoned and even a saint like himself in this state, the Harmonia situation was now the High Priest's problem to handle.
Whatever he was off doing, he'd know how critical Harmonia was and sort it out himself.
Emac dumped every issue onto the High Priest in his mind and prepared to leave.
“So here you are.”
At that moment, a chilling voice came from behind.
It was like the edge of a freshly sharpened blade.
In that instant, Emac sensed death.
...Damn.
The saint of the god of violence and plunder, defenseless against violence.
He bit his lip and turned around.
There stood a man in a white mask, curved sword drawn.
He'd received reports on him multiple times, so he knew exactly who it was.
“Jin of Moonlight.”
“You know me.”
“Hard not to. You're a Sword Master from the Frontier—and a warrior of 'Rye,' just like Han from the same outfit.”
Far from the continent lay a small one.
Unlike here, it had unique styles of clothing and culture—and no magic whatsoever.
It had no contact with originally, but about two hundred years ago, an explorer uncovered its existence.
Cold weapons had developed to extremes in place of magitech civilization, and it boasted warriors who could stand toe-to-toe with the Ran, the mightiest race by force.
That land was 'Rye.'
And Jin, like Han from the Frontier, was a Rye warrior who had settled in .
“They call Sword Masters 'peak experts' back home, right?”
“You know more than I expected. Folks around here barely know Rye.”
“Your Frontier's been a thorn in our side, doggedly interfering with our plans. We couldn't ignore standout existences like you.”
Emac scanned his surroundings with a weary face.
He was dragging out the conversation to buy time for an escape.
Jin adjusted his mask and spoke.
“Guess I can't underestimate the Drian Church's intelligence network.”
“Heh. So why'd you come all the way to this backwater? No reason for it.”
“None of your business.”
“That so? What a shame!”
With those words, Emac squeezed out his remaining strength and summoned black divinity.
“One correction.”
Then, Jin cut in curtly, leaning forward.
In a stance ready to lunge at any second, he continued.
“In Rye, we call Sword Masters from this place...”
Moonlight bathed his head—
“Not 'peak experts,' but simply 'experts.'”
Pfuk!
Jin, who had appeared behind Emac, smoothly sheathed his curved sword.
Emac's head tumbled to the ground beside him.
His eyes were wide open, his face showing he had no idea what had just happened.
“Peak is a whole level higher. Try not to mix them up in hell.”
With that, Jin vanished into the moonlight.
Jamie awoke from a long slumber.
“...How long was I out?”
It felt like hours, or maybe days.
One thing was clear: his fatigue hadn't fully lifted.
Using the power of the 9th class was still a heavy burden.
To be precise, it was 'holy light' that was the issue.
9th-class magic alone was taxing enough, but blending in holy light amplified the strain several times over.
The power was undeniable, but after a few uses, his body couldn't take it and he'd black out like this.
Lucky the Basilisk descended weakened to flea level.
If it had come down at full strength, his current level wouldn't have stood a chance.
Truth be told, even weakened, taking it down at early 9th class had been no easy feat.
He might have landed a few hits, but he'd have run out of steam first and ended up as chow.
Put simply, it was a favorable matchup.
Since his black mana was made to slay gods, it could neutralize the beast's power.
“And I confirmed holy light chews through divinity like nothing.”
He'd researched it for five years, but aside from knowing it was potent energy, he'd learned little.
His conclusion had been that, born at the pinnacle of black magic, it was a natural counter to divinity.
Come to think of it, Black could have figured this out easily.
“Black. You need to wake up soon.”
Five years ago, Black had absorbed the black mana aggregate and produced holy light in the process.
But whether that new power was the cause, it had been in a deep sleep ever since.
He'd tried waking it countless times, but whatever state it was in was beyond Jamie's skills.
For now, Black waking on its own was the only option.
At that moment, familiar footsteps approached from outside.
Jamie realized who it was and glanced at the door.
The door opened, and a cute girl stepped in. Spotting the awake Jamie, her eyes went wide.
“Master!”
It was Anne.
She rushed straight to her awakened master.
“Are you okay? Any pain? Dizzy? Fever?”
“Anne. I'm fine.”
“Phew. Do you know how many days you slept?”
She fired off questions like a machine gun, then sighed in relief at his reassurance, her face full of worry.
A whirlwind of emotions in that brief moment.
Jamie chuckled at the sight, and Anne tilted her head, not getting why.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It's nothing. So, how many days was it?”
“Three days.”
“...That long?”
Jamie's face showed slight surprise.
More than he'd thought.
He'd figured at most a day or two.
“Hang on. What's the situation now?”
Three days meant plenty could have changed.
He'd slept safely here, so things seemed to be going well, but he wanted the details.
“I'll fetch someone who knows.”
Anne wasn't the type to bluff knowledge in areas she didn't grasp.
She darted out to bring back someone informed.
Moments later, the door opened and several people filed in at once.
“Master!”
“Elder, are you alright?”
“Haa. You're awake. What a relief.”
She'd said someone who knew, but it looked like she'd rounded up everyone who knew him.
Four besides Anne, one a total stranger.
A wildly rugged man with a hammer at his waist—an odd sight.
Jamie glanced at Anne, who grinned mischievously with her tongue poking out from the doorway.
Jamie shot her a helpless look before addressing the group.
“I just slept extra deeply. No need to worry.”
“Knew you'd wake right up, Master!”
“Lennon. Cut the flattery and stay quiet.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Was that flattery?”
“What do you want from me?!”
Jamie feigned a knuckle rap, and Lennon clutched his head, fleeing backward.
He tsked at Lennon, incorrigible in his own way.
“Glad you're okay.”
Hera finally relaxed a bit, sighing deeply with a faint smile.
Jamie felt awkwardly sheepish and cleared his throat.
“Sorry for the worry. Must've been tough wrangling the kids.”
“Didn't feel like I did much. If anything, I got more help.”
Hera smiled warmly at the two kids standing blankly behind her.
Lennon and Anne beamed back.
They'd been a bit awkward before, but whatever happened had bonded them tight.
Feeling good about it, Jamie smiled at the man beside Hera.
It was Neo Fatal.
“You're safe.”
“Thanks to you, I kept this neck on my shoulders. My gratitude, Junior Welton.”
Neo started to bow, but Jamie held up a hand to stop him.
“Don't bow to me.”
“...Pardon?”
“A future king shouldn't bow lightly to anyone.”
“Sir! Words like that...”
“Enough. The people in the know already do. Who's gonna lead a power-vacuumed Harmonia if not you? Right, Liberation Army man?”
Jamie casually eyed the rugged man standing nearby—Hawks.
Didn't know him, but the aura screamed strength.
Hawks blinked in surprise at being singled out.
“M-Me?”
“Hawks! This is Seldam Kingdom's Master, Junior Welton. Mind your tongue.”
“Ah, so you're Jamie Welton?”
“Hawks!”
Neo called flustered, but Jamie waved it off.
Hawks, looking pleased, planted a hand on his hip.
“Your disciples did me a solid. Raised 'em right. You can tell a master by his pupils—you must be top-notch. Honor meeting you.”
“Your name?”
“Hawks! No family name for a commoner like me. Haha!”
“I like you too. Help for my disciples means they helped you. Thanks as their master.”
“Hahaha! Talk about climbing the ladder! Even got thanks from Seldam's master.”
Hawks guffawed in delight, and Jamie pressed on.
“So, what's Count Fatal like in your eyes?”
“This guy?”
Hawks grinned sidelong at Neo.
Neo flinched but coughed awkwardly, trying to shift gears.
“Well, you need more rest, so we'll...”
“Haven't answered yet, Count.”
“...Quit messing with me!”
“Haha. Simple answer: Neo Fatal's the man for the job. In a country that treats its people like dirt, he's the one righteous soul who actually gives a damn.”
“There you have it, Count.”
Neo's face was beet red, like it might explode.
He clearly hated the spotlight.
Jamie smirked.
“Guess I don't need the outside rundown after all.”
“...Situation's wrapped up. The Drian Church's hidden saint was beheaded by Jin. As for Marquis Helm...”
“I killed him.”
“Yes. The remaining corrupt nobles were all rounded up by the Liberation Army and locked in the underground prison. The king was deemed incapable of deciding his own fate, so we exiled him to the boonies last night.”
Without their leadership, the Drian remnants were scattered rabble, swiftly crushed by the Liberation Army reinforcements.
Harmonia had changed dramatically in just three days.
“Everyone but Count Fatal, step out for a bit.”
At Jamie's abrupt request, they exchanged puzzled glances. Hera led the way out, and the others followed suit, gauging the mood.
Alone in the sickroom, they stared at each other in silence.
Jamie spoke first.
“Plans for running the country?”
“Not sure yet. Cutting out the rot comes first. Worried it'll take years.”
“Tall order. Corruption means comms between regions are shot. Plenty of villains will wipe their mouths clean and play nice.”
“Likely. Expecting a long purge.”
Jamie nodded, then met Neo's eyes squarely.
“Seldam won't skimp on support until Harmonia regains its former stature.”
“...”
Neo's expression hardened slightly.
The moment he'd accepted Jamie's aid, Harmonia had essentially become Seldam's vassal state—no exaggeration.
Revolution or not, a gutted nation needed great power backing to survive.
And that meant meddling in governance.
He could end up a puppet.
No wonder he couldn't smile.
Not until Jamie continued.
“But.”
“...?”
“Seldam won't interfere in Harmonia's affairs one bit. We'll send a delegation soon for the treaty, but that's it.”
“You mean...”
“Run it your way. Isn't that what the revolution was for?”
Jamie grinned with a boyish lilt, and Neo's stiff face eased.
He hadn't seen Seldam playing it this straight.
“However.”
But Jamie wasn't done.
His smile vanished as he issued a warning.
“If you drag Harmonia back to its old ways... then I'll...”
He left the rest unsaid.
The warning hung heavy enough.
Neo nodded solemnly.
“I won't disappoint my benefactor, Junior Welton.”
“Promise between you and me.”
“Of course.”
Jamie extended his pinky, and Neo hooked his own.
A childish pact, but a secret oath between an archmage and a future king.
And so, Harmonia became Seldam Kingdom's newest ally.