Chapter. 16. Saint and Perfectionist (18)
****
Wedge-
Wow!
“Let’s see…”
That time. The professor arrived at the castle with just a couple of jumps from the castle walls, landed on the roof of one of the castles of Cologne Castle, and was looking around the cityscape.
“…If you do well, you’ll really get through it, right?”
I told the paladins to follow my tempo quickly. To be honest, I didn’t expect to break through 10,000 Cologne troops from the main gate to the castle. At the best strategic point on the Western Front, all kinds of hero units and veteran soldiers skilled at the level of Master Knight knights will be flocking to you like ants, but even the best Paladins of the church will be able to climb through it non-lethally.
What matters is the fuss. The fact that Seongja’s staff, who had planned to spread out and cook one by one, overturned the table and began an ‘armed protest’ as soon as they heard this, was itself necessary. The knights, whose armor was white and sparkling brightly, said, “Guide!” Guidance!], but how many people in the world can ignore that? Right now, the sound of thousands of soldiers hitting the paladins is echoing throughout the castle like the sound of a gong.
By now the commanders of Cologne Castle were probably thinking, ‘This wasn’t right!’ It was clear that they would be talking among themselves about what to do and what to do, saying the same thing.
[….Then you told me to follow you thinking you wouldn’t be able to break through anyway? Cause a fuss and then die pointlessly?]
‘Are you going to waste that precious power just because I’m crazy? They won’t die anyway. It’s just that they can’t be penetrated, but they’re not people who can be killed with just a Master Knight and a few thousand soldiers.’
The reason I ordered them to follow me was because I was confident that they would never die while causing a commotion. Didn’t you see them in the great desert, in the sandy sea teeming with only elite mutes, with only a few hundred people, not pushing back the front lines, but pushing them back?
Sometimes he swings his mace while hitting the claws of a third-class Mute that cuts through steel like a rotten radish with his helmet, and sometimes he gets chewed into the mouth of a large Mute and escapes with a squeak. When you think you’ve barely made it incapable of fighting, someone shouts ‘Latura!’ ‘Light!’ At a single word, he would often jump up and rush at me again.
Even if it wasn’t a direct hit in the first place, these are people who survived the aftermath of the dragon’s breath. What kind of skill is Dragon Breath? Isn’t this a technology that, once it falls, distorts the very structure of nearby mana and even creates permanent environmental changes?
Perhaps the place that was the battlefield of the Great Desert at that time has now become a terrifying place, with lightning striking the dry sky and flames rising from nowhere. The paladins brought by Gregory are superhumans who survived while fighting against enemies even in such hell.
‘He jumped into the sandy sea that frys people alive, did a really cool butterfly stroke, and bounced on the sand in front of me like a salmon. A haze was burning on the armor, ‘Are you okay, saint?’ Looking at Gregory who said, “Ah, these bastards won’t die no matter where I hand them over!” ‘I thought so.’
[Oh, I remember that. You had full plate mail and a full tower shield on your back, right? That person was good at swimming. No, is it Sayoung (沙泳)?]
‘Whatever it is, I don’t know about the attack power of those Paladins, but I’m sure that they are comparable to me in defense power. So, I thought that if I threw those humans into Cologne Castle, they would cause a loud and noticeable commotion for a very long time, so I told them to follow me.’
But…
looking down from here, I realized that I was climbing through it better than I thought.
“….cubs. “You didn’t do quite a bit of damage, right?”
For a moment, I wondered what this was, but just looking at the armor of the soldiers rushing in, I got the answer.
Knights yelling at each other and soldiers rushing towards. Their armor shines like new.
On the other hand, the soldiers were indifferent despite facing a similarly noisy knight. Their armor was dented and covered in scratches.
Even without being told, it was clear who the soldiers were from and where.
‘It’s even the same armor… They brought in peasants with no armor and armed them with the shiny new armor that was supplied. I was planning to take care of my own interests very frugally from start to finish.’
The result looks like this now. An army divided even within the same city. When Roderick’s soldiers disobeyed the commander’s orders, a knight drew his sword and a hero appeared to stand in front of them. Why wouldn’t that be the case?
The fact that there are more people going to the battlefield means that they are mobilized more often to fill the empty positions of those who do not show up. This also applies to the heroes who participate in each battle and the
‘Are you still alive?’
‘Hehe, isn’t it thanks to the warriors who rolled around in this trash can, unlike the people in the high castle?’
This means that we see each other often enough to do so. Moreover, one cannot help but compare the people who lived and died on the battlefield, covered in blood every time, with the guys who stayed in the castle and slept, talking nonsense like supply guards and royal guards while they were going through such hardships.
Following the soldiers, the hearts of the hero units gathered here also left the Allied commanders.
The result is right now. Instead of the tens of thousands of war machines that should have exploded because they were unable to crowd the passage leading to the castle, there were noble privates wearing new armor that looked no different from new soldiers even though they had been on the battlefield for a year. And the noble knights scolded those who hesitated.
There seemed to be no need for the Paladins to wield separate weapons. If I push the guy in front of me as hard as I can, he won’t be able to withstand the weight of my weapon and armor and he’ll fall over like dominoes, right? What about the rest of the articles? An auror built with such a rotten mind would not be able to make even a scratch on the paladins armed with blind faith in the light.
bang! Kugwagwagwagwang!
“Oh my. If I keep thinking about this, they will enter the castle before me. As a saint, you must set an example. hmm.”
Seeing the Paladins rushing through the tower shield in a wedge formation, I thought it was not the time to be so leisurely, so I turned towards the castle.
It’s a little early, but the anxiety of our nobles in the castle by now must have been very ripe.
The professor adjusted his pure white robes with a little blood splattered at the ends, pulled out someone’s broken tooth stuck between the knuckles of his fists, and adjusted his ‘saint-like’ demeanor, and flew towards the place where the commanders’ shouts could be heard even from the top of the stronghold.
Hwiik –
Tak!
A meeting hall for nobles located on a high place similar to Hetheln Castle. As I sat down on the balcony, I could clearly see what was happening inside. The appearance of various nobles sitting around a large round table did not seem much different from those in Hetheln. They are noisy, angry, and blaming each other.
If there’s a slight difference… Aside from the noisy ones, there are a few old men who are clearly educated in military circles, watching the nobles with cold eyes.
‘Ah, I found it.’
The professor, who saw the face he was looking for among the red-hot faces, kicked down the door and entered the conference room.
There were several nobles in front of the balcony as well, but whatever. There’s no need to worry.
Quang!
Kwajangchangchang!
The balcony door, which had been roughly kicked in, broke into pieces, and several nobles who had been swept away in front of it could be seen scattering blood.
Jump up!
“Count Pompadou! Baron Bolnerier!”
“Pretty sweet! Oh, it hurts! sick! I’m dying! I’m dying!!!!”
“I got a piece of wood stuck in my chest!” “I’m telling you to call the priest and call the high priest right away!”
Hmm, it’s the sound of a pig being slaughtered with a slight smell of blood. This is a very fitting start to my role today.
“Priests! Bring the priest! Priestess!!!”
After enjoying the attention of the crowd for a moment, I couldn’t ignore the anxious call and approached the two struggling nobles.
“Oh don’t come!”
“Why are you asking me to call a priest? Wouldn’t you know it by looking at these clothes? Even though I look like this, I am a priest among priests. He is the greatest priest among all the priests of the Gwangmyeong Church? Just stay still. “Please treat me cleanly.”
“Are you sure…?”
“So~? “I swear in front of the honorable name of Ro Haram.”
Phew!
“Quite aaeaeaeaeaeaeak-!!!!”
The only thing is that the treatment is done according to the medical knowledge I learned as a wild beast on the battlefield.
He pulled out the wood fragments stuck in the skin of his stomach and stuffed them with the silk underwear he was wearing. That’s how all wounds of that degree are treated. On the battlefield.
Taang!
“Hey… you crazy person! Are they attacking a city at war and ambushing its commanders just because we asked them to accompany us? No matter how great the power of the light is, do you think it will get away with antagonizing all the nations of nobles gathered here?”
While the screams of the nobleman whose raw flesh was torn off along with fragments echoed throughout the venue, I heard a nobleman with a stylishly curled beard slam the round table and berate me.
‘You have good guts.’
Look at them rolling their eyes. This is the problem with nobles. They are creatures in which it is impossible to exclude political calculations when dealing with everything in the world.
His first appearance was probably just a show to show off his aggressive stance, and he probably made the calculation that it was a coercive attitude toward the country to which the noble who was attacked belonged, and at the same time, he was willing to talk to the country that did not belong to the noble. You must have thought that now that I had fully demonstrated my intentions, the aggression would have subsided. If you speak up first in an uncomfortable situation like this, higher-ups may look upon you favorably.
But what can I do? I have no intention of listening with the ‘ears of an aristocrat’ just because they speak the ‘language of an aristocrat.’
“Wow, that’s such a big deal. That is indeed true. No matter how the Gwangmyeong Church’s religious status is the highest it has ever been, if all the nobles gathered here and the country are hostile, a truly bleak future will unfold.”
“Hmm! yes. It looks like you have finally figured out the situation, but no matter how famous a saint you are-”
“Then. I have no choice but to kill everyone here, right? Just like it was at Hetheln.”
“What what?”
“Is that so? I have already done something, but if it spreads, our brothers in Gwangmyeong will suffer. As a saint, how can you write by just seeing that? “I have to do something.”
All the nobles here are nobles from what can be considered prestigious families in each country. No matter how talented I am at speaking, it would be difficult for me to win by verbally defeating a dozen old gangsters who have spent their entire lives in aristocratic society.
‘Then you just don’t have to say it.’
The most basic part of diplomacy. The basis of diplomacy is none other than ‘power.’
strength. Power. The power to fully exert its influence when facing an opponent, regardless of power, economic power, military power, etc. For example, something like a nuclear missile.
logic of power. If they tried to treat me in a noble way, shouldn’t I just deal with them using the logic of power, the most basic form of diplomacy?
“Bran guard! “The knights – gag!”
“Are you a nobleman who has grown up a mustache that is said to be so difficult to maintain during this war? “Listen carefully.”
Jjiik-
“Ugh! Uwaaaaah!”
The nobleman, whose cheek was caught in a large hand, struggled as the hand ripped his beard alive, but was unable to move.
“First of all, we are crazy people. If you are a member of the Gwangmyeong Church, it is natural for you not to care about the public opinion when it comes to doing things for the sake of Haram. “We are crazy because faith is a well-formed communal madness.”
Squeak, squeak,
“Ahhh!” Wow!!!”
“Secondly, I am embarrassed to say it, but first of all, I am a recognized saint of the church. As the being who first accepted the will of light, His touch was touched, and therefore, the ‘extreme honorific title’ should be used for this saint. “It’s not like I said do it or do it.”
Squeak, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle
! Ouch! Ah! Let’s go! “Aaaah!”
“Oh, I’m not interrupting what the saint is saying. Lastly, since I believe that your head is currently tainted with a serious amount of evil energy, this saint will ignore everything you say as you are about to fall into the hands of evil. Do you know, nobleman with the handsome beard!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu … It seems like the divine teachings are having an effect! You already understand everything. I shaved off my beard to symbolize becoming a new person with a new heart. “This is also a souvenir, so take it.”
“Please be considerate…”
When the nobleman returned the bundle of beard dripping with blood, the nobleman just kept holding onto his philtrum with one hand and begged for his life.
‘okay. ‘I wanted those eyes.’
What nobles fear the most. That is ‘another person with whom one cannot communicate.’ A person who thinks about power, wealth, the future, naivety, and nothing else.
They couldn’t help but think of their nickname when they saw the saint pouring blood without hesitation in front of so many high-ranking nobles.
sprout of light. Those who are blinded by the light and cannot see anything.
As the atmosphere that something was clearly wrong slowly spread among the nobles, the sound of clanging armor outside the conference room began to get closer, as if their desperate screams were heard.
Metal sound. Yelling. The sound of hard metal colliding and the color of fire returned, and the nobles looked back at me triumphantly.
Clap,
whoop, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh….
“Ratura, heook, haram, heook, the instrument of light, Gregory and the Holy Knights! “I came to listen to the words of the Holy Son!”
And when white armor with vivid blood stains came rushing in instead of the knights they had been waiting for. The professor finally felt that they were ready to talk to the ‘saint of the church’.
“hmm. Are you a little late? You missed the introduction. Brother Gregory.”
Coo!
“I dare not live up to the saint’s expectations. For this sin, I will return to the church and repent under the clearest light.”
“What is repentance? It’s late because I’m ‘guiding’ some foolish people, but isn’t that also meant to convey the meaning of light? Don’t worry too much. “Oh, please clean up the fallen people over there.”
“Latura.”
Slack, clank, clank.
The paladins dispersed one by one and took their places behind the chairs where each noble was sitting.
One of them cast a healing spell on the fallen nobleman while some of them cleaned up the fallen knights at the door and held them in their place. One of the nobles who had been watching the commotion until now spoke out among the frightened nobles.
“…It seems that the saint is very bad at expressing what he wants. “If it’s to the point where we have to resort to such elaborate means.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. I’m not usually like this either, but since I’m the other person. Isn’t consideration a priestly virtue? “To make these beasts, who are no better than half an animal, understand human language, you have to give them a lot of complex explanations.”
“…Are you confident you can handle it? “Even though they’re really against us all?”
Zigis Palem. The one who brought the most support funds and troops and serves as the de facto commander of the Allied Forces with that much speaking power.
The planner of the world’s most idiotic ‘siege and annihilation operation’. Contrary to the low level of the operation, that guy named Zigis was definitely not a stupid bastard just by looking at his eyes.
Don’t give in to fear…
These people shouldn’t die. Although they may be incompetent and greedy, they are the head of the volunteer army. Each person gives a private’s salary and becomes the reason they came here. If they died, the command system would collapse irreparably, and more than half of the Allied forces could have returned home. Since absorbing them is the only way to fight the enemy, absorbing these noble commanders is not an option but a necessity.
I had to somehow make them my hands and feet, whether by scaring them, threatening them, or coaxing them.
….even if it means taking a somewhat risky gamble.
.
.
.
.
.
Concerns were short and action was quick.
“Gregorius.”
“Yes, saint.”
“I said that no matter what the situation, I am a saint of the church and what I do is what Ro Haram wants.”
“This is a fact beyond any doubt.”
“…Don’t doubt that.”
….Let’s believe it. His sincerity shown in the desert. Their devoted faith.
‘Latura. ‘I don’t know.’
Crack.
After finishing a small prayer, the saint walked up to the middle of the round table of the stiff nobles.
“…Commanders. Would you like to see a small miracle?”
“….uh?”
Knock, knock.
A close fist rather than a distant threat. For a strong person who does not give in to a close fist,
‘a fist with enormous claws comes closer than you could ever imagine.’
Crack! Ttuduk! Sigh!
The white and clean robes were torn, and the hideously swollen body transformed into a vicious red monster that made one guess the power contained within just by looking at it.
“A monster… a monster!”
“Seo Paladin! You guys are paladins! Hurry and kill that monster! “Kill me!”
From saint to mute. From the embodiment of light to the essence of evil. The Holy Knights had stiffer faces than the nobles as they saw the saint changing before their eyes, but they said,
“Ratura… When we wander down the path of darkness, we must not hesitate to hold on to the hand that the Lord extends… ..”
“Even when I wander through a pitch-black night, I have no doubt that there will be dawn at the end…”
“What are you doing! The monster is waking up!!! Paladin! “Paradise!!!”
“Ratura lo….haram. “Believe in the will of light and do not doubt it.”
“Latura.”
“Latura.”
They just kept praying and didn’t move a single step.
“…Latura. Holy Son, the one who guides us. Are you still… with our light…?”
I just want a word from a saint to calm my small tremors.
“….Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg huuuuu.”
In response to Gregory’s question, the red monster that filled the center of the conference room raised its razor-like nails and answered his question reverently.
“Latura.”
“Latura…. Lo…. Haram….”
That was the end. The paladins did not have any questions or doubts.
And even Zigis Palem’s extremely strong heart could not help but be shaken by the sight of the infamous red mute and the leader of the Holy Knights praying to each other.
“…It was a religious order. “The killing of Hetheln’s commanders was all part of the church’s will!”
Twelve commanders assassinated by the Red Mute in Hetheln. And a strange rumor was spreading around. It is said that a disguised saint arrived in Hetheln the day before the Red Mute attacked.
As an aristocratic politician, Zigis Palem could not help but recall a very terrible fact.
‘A fanatic… A fanatic who even forgets his own faith! I don’t know what they are pursuing, but they not only tamed a being that they defined as an evil spirit, but also revered them as saints and made them the center of their faith! It’s crazy. Gwangmyeong… is really crazy!’
A red mute praying. And the numerous evil deeds that the Red Mute is known to have committed. What on earth does the denomination pursue? For what reason does this crazy group deceive themselves, the world, and even their God?
While Jigis’ head was in confusion trying to figure out the purpose of the church, a monster’s head as big as his upper body came right in front of his nose.
I was afraid. I was not afraid of the monster’s sharp teeth and claws, but of the cult’s madness, which I could not tell how far it had gone.
“Brother Ratura. “Do you want to talk about it now?”
Jigis Palem, Duke of Teldrat, could only nod his head in a harsh voice that sounded as if it were scraping metal.
I needed to know. Whatever it was, if I didn’t know their purpose, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to breathe because I would be crushed by the madness that made even the seed of the evil god become their saint.
In his own illusion, the Duke of Palem was suffocating.
‘Ah Argalian Sword…if he comes back, if only he comes back…!’
This was all that Zigis Palem could hope for.
****
