Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Kueberberg Subjugation (3)
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I tapped the speech bubble button to talk to Evan, lying on the floor as I stared at my smartphone.
A small chat window appeared on the screen.
Through this window, I could converse with the Apostles I had selected.
It wasn't a conversation based on a fixed script; I could communicate freely, just like talking to a real person.
It was an astonishing result of advancements in AI technology.
Of course, just because I was in an omnipotent position didn't mean I had to strive to maintain a godlike dignity.
After all, whatever I said was transformed into dignified sentences by the 'God Translator.'
I just had to type whatever I wanted to say, and it would somehow rephrase it into a sentence imbued with divine majesty.
Therefore, without any worries, I asked Evan the questions I had been wanting to ask.
"Do you happen to know about Holy Relics?"
- "Are you referring to the Holy Relics, my lord?"
"Yeah. The Holy Relics."
- "If you mean the symbolic artifacts of the Six Temples, I have heard much about them. The majority of the Holy Relics were lost during the great war long ago."
Perhaps because they were categorized as Holy Relics.
It seemed they were all items related to the temples.
The Six Temples. And a great war that happened long ago.
It was the first I was hearing of it since starting the game.
The game's background was filled with complex histories like this that I was unaware of.
Part of it was due to the game being notoriously user-unfriendly, and part of it was due to the overly extensive character interactions.
In any case, what was important now was the whereabouts of the Holy Relics.
If Evan knew about them, the next step was to ask about Ergass's Stake.
"Then what about Ergass's Stake?"
Holy Relic: Ergass's Stake.
It was an item I absolutely had to acquire to evolve the Descent skill.
Hearing about Ergass's Stake, Evan seemed to ponder for a moment.
Was it mimicking a person trying to recall a memory?
The more I played this game, the more I felt I was discovering these incredibly detailed aspects.
After a moment's thought, Evan looked up at the sky and spoke.
- "Ergass's Stake I have heard of it as well. It is one of the more famous Holy Relics."
"A famous Holy Relic, huh. Then you must know it well."
- "According to the records I have read, Ergass's Stake was used in a past war to seal the progenitor of the vampires."
As Evan spoke of the stake, an unexpected word came from his lips.
Vampire.
A different race, also known as vampires.
It was a rather unfamiliar word in this game, where I had only seen humans.
Then again, with an angel like Estacia existing, it wouldn't be strange for vampires to exist as well.
"The progenitor of the vampires?"
- "Yes. Pluto, the progenitor of the vampires, was the ruler who reigned over all of her kind."
- "I heard the stake was used to suppress the Evil God during the great war, but I understand it is now being used to seal the progenitor of the vampires."
In novels and comics, vampires were often shown to fear garlic and stakes.
It seemed this game was trying to faithfully recreate that lore, having driven a Holy Relic stake into a vampire.
If Ergass's Stake was embedded in a vampire, I just had to find that vampire and retrieve the stake.
The progenitor of the vampires, though.
The name alone made it sound like a powerful monster.
To think they couldn't eliminate such a dangerous foe and had to resort to sealing her.
There must have been a reason why they couldn't kill the vampire progenitor during the war.
For instance, a setting where she was a monster that couldn't be killed by ordinary means.
"Is that vampire still alive?"
- "Indeed, it is a story that would pique your curiosity. After all other vampires were subjugated, she alone was sealed."
"Uh of course, I'm curious."
- "Vampires are beings unconstrained by lifespan, so she is most certainly still alive."
- "The reason the Order does not bother to retrieve the stake is likely because removing it would release her completely."
"Removing the stake would release her completely"
It seemed that if I retrieved Ergass's Stake, the sealed vampire would be unleashed upon the world.
The progenitor of vampires, whom even the temples couldn't kill and had to seal.
The moment I heard about Progenitor Pluto, my eyes immediately went to the Select Apostle skill icon.
The progenitor of the vampires must possess immense power.
Besides, there was no rule saying I couldn't target a vampire with the Select Apostle skill.
It was possible I could make her my Apostle as well.
Just like Evan, who was an elite monster, had eventually surrendered and become an Apostle.
Filled with anticipation for the sealed progenitor, I asked Evan about the stake's location.
"So where is this stake?"
- "The location of the Holy Relic I only know it is in the Everint region, in the western part of the Empire. I do not know the exact location."
As of now, I had no way of knowing where that was.
This unhelpful game didn't display the names of regions.
But one thing was certain.
The character closest to the west at this very moment was Yutenia.
Yutenia was currently heading west on a mission to meet Estacia.
If I planned to retrieve Ergass's Stake, it seemed best to entrust the task to Yutenia right after she finished her current job.
After all, I had no idea where the Everint region was.
- "Perhaps if you search the temples near Everint, you might find related documents."
I could just order Yutenia to investigate the temples near Everint for information.
Yutenia would surely finish the research quickly and retrieve the stake.
At least, that's what I believed about Yutenia.
She had never once disappointed me.
"Alright, I understand. That's quite useful."
- "That you would deign to listen to my humble words what greater honor could there be for your servant?"
- "With the same heart as always, I offer this body for the sake of the great one."
The conversation with Evan concluded with his words of extreme praise.
Perhaps because of his background as a Holy Knight who served a god, he was an AI who served me with utmost devotion.
With a personality like this, I thought it might be nice to give him a gift soon.
Of course, that was assuming I got something decent from the gacha.
"I'm getting hungry."
Staring at the chat window with Evan, I rubbed my growling stomach and muttered.
I had been so engrossed in the game that I had lost track of time.
As soon as I acknowledged my hunger, the fatigue that had built up throughout the day came rushing in all at once.
I had gotten some general information from Evan, so I could check the rest after I ate.
"Time to make some ramen."
Having decided to eat dinner, I turned off my smartphone screen and tossed it toward the bed.
Thud.
The smartphone, thrown onto the soft bed, bounced hard off the mattress.
Then it disappeared into the narrow gap between the wall and the bed.
Stunned by the sudden mishap, I blinked and stared at the bed where my phone had vanished.
"Ah"
It seemed dinner would have to wait a little longer.
Right now, I needed to find a coat hanger to retrieve my smartphone.
The battlefield, desolate after a barrage of attacks.
Gedur, axe in hand, stared at the spot where the first platoon had vanished.
Nothing remained there but black soot and torn pieces of cloth.
A single attack from Kueberberg had shattered the subjugation force's formation.
Gazing at the empty space left by the fallen members, Gedur lowered his eyes to the Branch Chief.
The Branch Chief, who had been scrambling on the ground, avoided Gedur's gaze with a flustered expression.
"Insubordination on the battlefield is punishable by death."
"I, I didn't mean to"
All thoughts of promotion had already vanished from Gedur's mind.
He had lost Cloud's elite soldiers right before his eyes.
And the formation for confronting Kueberberg was completely broken.
With the formation gone, there was no way to defeat Kueberberg now that it had broken through the traps.
That wasn't all.
There was also no way to stop Kueberberg from heading toward the barony.
If the fortress was breached, all blame would fall on Gedur, the commander of the subjugation force.
Everything Gedur had built over his entire life had crumbled in this single moment.
"Of course, the only path left for a defeated general is also death."
Most of the prepared traps had been used up.
The Mage Corps's mana would soon reach its limit.
There was a ballista unit on standby at the fortress, but it was doubtful how effective it would be against that colossal monster.
The Kueberberg subjugation had failed.
Continuing to resist would only lead to the annihilation of the subjugation force and the destruction of the barony.
"That's an order. Evacuate the people."
Thus, Gedur aimed the axe he was holding at the Branch Chief and spoke.
He was telling him to evacuate the people in the barony.
Preparations for evacuation had already been mostly completed in case of the worst-case scenario.
The evacuation could begin as soon as Gedur gave the command.
When Gedur ordered the Branch Chief to evacuate, the man asked back with a bewildered look.
"You're telling me to handle the evacuation?"
"Yes. Or do you not want to?"
"I'll- I'll begin immediately. Trumpeters! Sound the signal!"
As Gedur lowered his axe, the Branch Chief scrambled to his feet and began to issue commands.
Woooo! Wooooooo!
The sound of trumpets echoed, and the soldiers at the fortress began to move busily.
As the Branch Chief, having received his orders, began to move with a few subordinates to assist the evacuation, Gedur turned his gaze to the Mage Corps.
The commander of the Mage Corps met Gedur's eyes with a nervous expression.
"It seems the Mage Corps's strength was severely lacking for this subjugation target."
"Yes, sir."
"Next time, it would be better to proceed with the subjugation after securing enough mages."
"Sir? Branch Chief Gedur, what are you saying"
"Mage Corps! This is an order! Support the evacuation procession!"
The commander of the Mage Corps, stunned by Gedur's command, blinked his eyes.
The order had been given only to the Mage Corps, not the entire subjugation force.
But Gedur simply poked the bewildered commander's forehead with his finger and spoke.
"You. Did you not hear the order? I believe I told you to support the evacuation procession."
"We will go and support the evacuation procession."
"Good. If only there was time, I would have beaten the weakness out of you mages. What a shame."
The Mage Corps also began to move with the Branch Chief, following Gedur's command.
Seeing the sudden increase in numbers, the Branch Chief looked at Gedur with a complex expression.
But Gedur simply raised his middle finger at him.
In response, the Branch Chief's face twisted in anger as he spurred his horse toward the fortress at full speed.
By the time the procession that had begun to leave the battlefield was rapidly approaching the fortress.
Gedur, along with his remaining troops, looked at Kueberberg.
"It's approaching."
Kueberberg, now free from its restraints, was advancing toward Gedur and the subjugation force members.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
As Kueberberg began to move, massive tremors traveled through the ground to the feet of the subjugation force.
What little forces he had left had been sent away from the subjugation force to preserve them.
Now, all that remained were the investigators from the Riotis branch, who had followed him from the very beginning of the force's formation.
Watching Kueberberg approach the subjugation force, Gedur let out a smirk and spoke to his men.
"You guys are skilled enough to be knights. Why'd you foolishly join Cloud?"
"Branch Chief"
"No one's answering? You've all gotten soft. Do I need to beat you with an axe handle to get a response?"
Gedur had always taken pride in Cloud.
His subordinates, who never expected him to ask such a question on the battlefield, remained silent.
Of course, seeing the atmosphere suddenly quiet down, Gedur wreathed his axe in aura.
Watching him, his adjutant reluctantly answered.
"I wanted to protect the people I care about."
"Hah, that sounds incredibly foolish."
""
"But I like foolish men."
Seeing Gedur's hearty smile, a few of the men bit their lips.
Everyone present knew instinctively.
Most of the subjugation force members here would not make it back alive.
That was why Gedur had suddenly brought up such a trivial topic.
Perhaps standing on the battlefield had ignited a courage in his heart that wasn't there before.
Hearing Gedur's reply, the adjutant now asked him a question in return.
"Then why did you join Cloud, Branch Chief?"
"That's also a pretty dense question."
""
"They don't accept barbarians as knights, you idiots."
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound of Kueberberg grew louder.
The intensifying tremors made Gedur's legs tremble.
Every time he blinked, the distance to Kueberberg seemed to shrink.
The monster of the abyss was approaching him.
Kueberberg's eerie, massive eye was also continuously fixed on Gedur.
"Still, I'm glad only those who love the Empire remain here."
"Branch Chief."
"Because I'm thinking of leaving an axe mark on that giant eyeball, if I can."
Hoo.
Gedur took a deep breath and aimed his aura-infused axe forward.
Aura, the pinnacle of martial arts that burns the very soul.
As the brilliant flames enveloped the axe, the fire of battle began to ignite in Gedur's heart.
Born a barbarian, he took up an axe.
And he lived his entire life swinging nothing but an axe.
Even at the final moment of his life, his great axe was always with him.
"Final order!"
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
In the face of approaching death, Gedur roared.
The Kueberberg subjugation operation had ultimately failed, but he still had a job to do.
If not for now, then for the next time.
If not for the next time, then to promise the time after that.
Gedur and his men had to swing their weapons until the very moment they died.
"Everyone! Die here!"
The instant Gedur's final command, shouted at the top of his lungs, rang out.
The members of the subjugation force, who had been awaiting the order, let out a war cry and scattered in all directions.