Episode 385: At those words, all the officials of the Holy Kingdom in the room were shocked.
“No, Aran! What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
The high priest who was treating her was so shocked that he stopped praying and even the face of Harman, who seemed to have made up his mind, cracked.
But Eilen sighed and continued speaking calmly.
“Please remember what we originally promised, Captain. We are tied up somewhere else. We have a duty to prioritize our own safety.”
Eilen’s eyes passed by the group with bandages all over their bodies and turned to Harmon again.
The meaning of that gaze was so clear that Harmon had no choice but to bite his lip.
“It only takes one time. If we can just stop the final battle, which is expected to involve the addition of several more legion-level forces, the Empire will no longer have to strain itself.”
There was confidence in his words.
Although the premise was very dark from the start, five of the seven western corps of the empire were already involved in the war, and two of them had lost their leaders.
If the empire is defeated even after additional troops from the mysterious imperial central army are dispatched, public opinion on the entire continent will change.
The successive victories in unfavorable circumstances were still raising Noviens’ morale to the sky.
– The gods are with us.
Praise to the gods pours in from all over Noviense.
It may have been a bit unfair for the protagonists of the victory currently receiving treatment here to hear it, but the people of the Holy Kingdom believed that even their help was truly God’s will.
That will change the mood.
– No matter how prosperous the country is, the enemy is an empire…
– How dare you go against an empire?
– Religion must remain only religion….
There may be troops who were tied down by the direct pressure of the empire, but there were also many local archdioceses that were not moving due to such loose ideas.
Those who did not send reinforcements according to the inclination of the diocese.
If they, too, are swayed by the public opinion that it is a ‘temple directly protected by the gods,’ they will head to Noviense even at the risk of making some sacrifices.
In the distant past, losers in times other than empires were in such conflict with the Holy Kingdom that they wasted their national power and collapsed.
‘It can happen this time too.’
Although the quality of its troops may not be known, it is a country that prides itself on being second to none in terms of total number. Harman was confident that if hundreds of thousands of Holy Legions armed with crazy faith gathered in Noviens, it would become the strongest weapon that even ten sword spirits could not block.
Above all, there was information delivered not by the person in front of me, but by the kingdom.
“…If the emperor is really thinking about a war of conquest, he will not want to suffer any more damage in this war. As history has proven, the Holy Kingdom does not want direct territorial expansion.”
“What you said, Captain, is not wrong. However, we have already pushed ourselves further than expected. Especially in the case of Lord Rope, as you can see…”
Eilen paused for a moment as he looked at Ronian, who was sleeping as if he were dead.
Injuries serious enough to make the wounds of oneself or another party appear as minor. If this was not Noviens, full of high-ranking priests, and Ronian was not a mid-level Auror user, he would have definitely lost his life.
My husband clearly told me to check on our well-being first, but what would he say if he saw this?
‘Everyone was overexerting themselves.’
A situation where everyone believes that the next war will occur in their hometown.
So, each of them went to great lengths to somehow reduce the power of the empire.
It was the same for me right now.
Killing two of the empire’s corps commanders was an enormous achievement, but I was painfully aware of the regret that I was unable to completely end the sword fight even after taking the opportunity.
Eilen smiled bitterly and continued speaking calmly.
“…It’s a situation where we can’t guarantee whether we’ll be able to walk until the next war. We can’t push ourselves any further. I’m sorry, but Novien is not the place we have to risk our lives to protect.”
Harmon’s complexion darkened at the words, which clearly drew a line, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly sank. Losing the strength of five superhumans in a situation where it is expected that more troops will arrive than now will feel like a death sentence to them.
‘But you shouldn’t give up completely. The Holy Kingdom must consume as much of the Empire’s power as possible.’
In response, Eilen left room for Seongguk to not lose his fighting spirit.
“But we also need time for treatment. And there is no guarantee that we will be completely cured until the next war begins.”
The time for additional troops from the empire to arrive was estimated to be less than a month at best. And although the rest of the party may not know, Rope’s injury, that is, Ronian’s injury, was a serious injury that could never be fully recovered within that period of time.
“What do you mean…?”
“If the war starts before then, we will gather on one side and clear a path for our return. In order to do that, we will have to attract at least one corps commander, deal with them, and break through to avoid being caught.”
“ah…!”
Harmon’s complexion suddenly brightened.
In fact, with the skill of the party, it is not difficult to quietly escape even the most complex battlefield.
To Eilen, it was a proposal to reduce the empire’s power until the very end, but to Harman, it could not help but sound like consideration for the castle. Moreover, since it was right after I was told that I would just go back, I was only willing to offer a small helping hand.
“…I understand. No matter how I think about it, I think it’s for the best.”
I still felt a bit of regret, but for now I have no choice but to assume that and come up with a solution.
Harmon strengthened his resolve again, and a spark of hope returned to the faces of the remaining priests who were listening to the conversation.
When the conversation seemed to be settling down, Victor, who had been silent, suddenly stepped forward.
“Commander. Are you okay with the Pope?”
“yes?”
“At the end of the battle, he gave me his blessing and collapsed from exhaustion. I haven’t heard from him since…” ”
Ah, His Holiness is still recovering his strength through prayer. Although he overexerted himself a little, he is in good health. “There is no problem. Thank you for your concern, Lord Miller.”
“No, that’s… I…”
“…?”
“No, no.”
Do you know that the saint is strange?
Viktor forced himself to swallow the question rising in his throat.
It’s still just a guess, but the ‘things’ the saint said were blasphemous words that wouldn’t be surprising if a person from the temple took out a sword. This is absolutely not something to say in a gathering of many people.
Harmon, perhaps interpreting the hesitating expression differently, nodded with a light exclamation.
“Now that I think about it, Sir Miller has had a relationship with His Holiness before. Don’t worry, I will let you know as soon as he finishes praying.”
“Ah… yes. Thank you.”
When Victor with an awkward expression took a step back, Harmon let out a small sigh and bowed his head towards the group again.
“Please just focus on getting yourself together. We will take care of all the other preparations.”
In a way, this is an extremely natural statement.
However, Harmon seemed very confident as he said those words. Even if the group were to take charge of one area of superhumans, their overall strength would still be inferior.
“It may be presumptuous to say this, but do you really think you have a chance of winning with just that?”
Eilen was curious about that confidence and suddenly asked.
“Of course. I will have fully recovered by then.”
The answer that came out without delay was simply absurd.
No matter how famous the divine sword is, it’s probably just an individual, right?
After defeating the sword spirit, I wonder if there was some wind in my lungs.
Eilen couldn’t help but have serious doubts.
Of course, I wasn’t so thoughtless as to actually say those words out loud.
That time when you are naturally speechless.
– It’s urgent! Additional troops have been dispatched from the Empire…!
The complexion of everyone in the hall changed at the urgent voice heard outside the door.
“already?!”
* * * The shocking defeat of the imperial army.
The impact it had on the world was truly enormous. This was because the majority of the people on the continent expected the defeat of the Holy Kingdom.
There were some who reevaluated the power of the Holy Kingdom, saying that its potential could not be ignored, but the conclusion of most of the magistrates was to ridicule the empire.
– You lost with that army? Did you take command? If I did it, I would win.
As expected, the difference in power between the two countries was so obvious that it was evident on the surface.
Moreover, with the news that Tris Hornsby, who had been praised as the best sword on the continent until then, was actually defeated in a battle with the Divine Sword, people began to doubt the status of the empire one after another.
They say it’s the strongest empire of all time, but there’s nothing special about it. Aren’t we all a mixed bag?
In the end, these rumors began to spread quickly, as if someone had spread them on purpose.
And the empire, or rather the emperor, pulled out a powerful move that no one expected even before the rumor spread throughout the empire.
– The imperial central army deployed well over 200,000 troops. Size of 4-5 legions.
– Seven supermen of the Imperial Guard are dispatched.
– Five of Aserian’s seven major magic towers are dispatched.
A large military force that was equivalent to, or even surpassed in quality, the troops of the Western 5th Corps that had already been dispatched, began its campaign in Aserian.
– Punish the corrupt priests! I will establish the right will of God on this land.
A large army began its march with the emperor’s shout. The news of the advance of a massive army that seemed capable of wiping out not only the Holy Kingdom but also other surrounding countries was enough to silence the magistrates who had ridiculed the empire.
But right after that.
A crystal ball was delivered to the empire’s party hall, a gathering of influential nobles, and the palaces of the surrounding kingdoms. A crystal ball containing a video of black masked people suddenly appearing in the air and constantly attacking a ‘black-haired, black-eyed young man.’
At the end of the video, the young man appeared with a haggard complexion and said this.
[These are assassins who are agents of the Empire’s Imperial Special Inspection Department and are collectively known as ghosts. The emperor of the empire tried to kill his own son to create a justification for invading the Holy Kingdom. I, Baros van Ares, swear by my honor and my great blood, and this is undoubtedly true. The empire seeks to devour the Holy Kingdom as a cornerstone for conquering the world.]
A major incident that stopped the advance of the imperial army.
These were words that not only destroyed the justification for the invasion of the Holy Kingdom, but also horrified anyone with even a shred of conscience.
– Is the empire really fighting a war of conquest?
– No matter what, you tried to kill your son?
– Conquer the world!
The empire was boiling over, and all the countries located to the east and west of the empire reacted sensitively and began to move.
Then the imperial family quickly issued a statement.
– As already mentioned, it is simply the result of the Black Snake wizards kidnapping the prince and brainwashing him. The video was also manipulated. The emperor of the empire never committed such an outrageous act. All of that is a lie concocted by the Black Snake wizards and the corrupt priests of the Holy Kingdom!
However, the international community’s reaction was cold.
The existence of ghosts, which had been known as rumors only to a few powerful people, were clearly visible in the video, and above all, the eyes of the prince in the video were very clear by the standards of mental magic known to ordinary people.
In addition, the judgment of each country’s magic tower regarding the video was the same.
– It is clear that it was edited, but the video itself was not manipulated.
As a result, the empire’s army stopped advancing and a backlash against the empire began to blow.
