Episode 426 The start of the operation was ‘almost’ going awry from the beginning.
“Is that what your Holiness said? No matter what, if it helps Director Harmon, of course I should give it to you. Here it is.”
Contrary to expectations, the old priest Zail was very willing to hand over Terra, a sacred object in the form of a rosary.
The problem was next.
“If Director Harmon wants it, of course I… Ugh!”
The moment I was about to receive the scepter-shaped relic Flamma from Austin, a strange sign appeared. His eyes seemed to glow red and his divine power began to explode.
“Huh!?”
As soon as Harman felt it, he drew his sword.
Skag.
– Finally… Eup!? Inooooooom!
The moment the wrist holding the red glowing scepter was cut off, a scream came out of Austin’s mouth.
Viktor could only frown, feeling uncomfortable at the strange sounding voice.
“Big!”
Harmon suddenly vomited blood, as if he had been shocked by something else.
“Lord Harman!”
“It’s okay, so just do what you have to do!”
His complexion turned pale in an instant, and it looked like he didn’t mind saying empty words, but he didn’t have time to argue with that anymore.
-There’s a strange sound inside…!
– Captain!?
An urgent sound was heard outside the door, and then the door burst open and the Holy Knights rushed in.
However, all they could see was Harman and his companion with a cold expression.
“Nothing’s wrong. Take care of your work.”
Fortunately, Austin, who rolled his eyes after that death sentence, collapsed on the spot as if he had fainted, so it wasn’t that difficult for the big Harmon and Victor to hide the small old priest.
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
Sigh.
Only after the paladins took a step back, closed the door and retreated, did Harmon and Victor heave a sigh of relief.
“Ha… I thought my heart was going to drop.”
“The timing was perfect. Fortunately, I disconnected right before.”
At those words, Victor looked at the fallen old priest again.
He ascended to the position of Pope, but retired after being brainwashed and used by the Kassel Tower. And this time, it was soul encroachment on God….
The thick blood flowing from the cut wrist made the old priest feel even more pitiful.
However, Harmon, who had known Austin for longer than Victor, had no hesitation in his actions.
“Take the holy relics. Austin, I will move them to the bed.”
Ugh.
While Harmon used divine power to stop the bleeding on Austin’s wrist and wiped the blood from the floor with Auror, Victor picked up the small old man and carried him to the bed.
And when he quietly covered himself with the blanket, the pale-faced old man just looked like he was asleep.
“…Is this person not going to wake up anymore?”
“No. I don’t know how shocked I was, but it must have been a few days at most. I couldn’t do anything about my wrist…”
“I had to…”
“I had to do it. This damn necklace didn’t even want to fall off at the sight of me. “If it were my hand, I would have cut it off myself. It’s better for this person too.”
Ugh.
Victor, who saw the holy relic radiating its presence from Harmon’s neck, nodded with a stern face.
Harmon looked at the scene for a moment and said once again what he had said countless times out of curiosity.
“I’ll say it again, you can’t save someone whose soul has been eaten away. You obviously…”
“I know.”
The answer that came out after interrupting Harmon was quick.
But when I thought that I had to go see him now, I didn’t hesitate.
‘With my own hands… Him…’
I thought I had decided so many times, but now why am I doing this?
There was no way Harmon could not have noticed that he was so anguished.
But he instead tapped Viktor on the shoulder.
“If you’re not going to be able to swing a sword, then it’s better to leave here. I’ll try to do something on my own.”
“How?”
“Somehow!”
Victor’s shaking eyes quickly returned to their original position at the firm voice.
Killing the saint now is the real salvation. Harmon’s firm thoughts were once again conveyed in his words.
That strengthened Victor’s heart, which was about to weaken again.
Whoa.
After taking a long breath, Victor spoke firmly.
“Let’s go.”
“Really…”
“I will give him rest. Absolutely.”
“…That’s right.”
The two people quickened their steps and arrived at the Pope’s residence in less than 10 minutes.
The Pope’s residence, which was more magnificent and beautiful than the palaces of most small countries, glowed brilliantly even at night under the influence of a protective barrier.
A palace so luxurious that some past popes refused to live there because it was too extravagant.
But now, there were only two Holy Knights guarding the front of the palace.
As they got closer, one of them, Lieutenant Ryne Harper, lowered his head with a stiff expression on his face.
“Are you here, Captain?”
“What about the others?”
“We are patrolling outside as ordered.”
This meant that these two were the only paladins left in the palace.
“…Aren’t you asking? Why did I make you do this?”
“If it was something I needed to know, you would have taught me.”
There was no hesitation on Line Harper’s face as he answered, and his colleague Jeil also smiled and nodded.
Harmon, who felt even more sorry for his confident appearance, was unable to speak for a moment.
“No matter what you do, we trust you. Please take care of yourself.”
“Please be considerate.”
Their greeting seemed more than polite and even solemn, as if they had predicted that Harman would leave the kingdom after this incident.
“…No matter what happens, tell everyone I ordered it. Because that’s the truth.”
“I think so. So don’t worry and go, Captain.”
Harman looked at the adjutant’s face, which even showed a forced smile, for a while, then bit his lip, patted the adjutant’s shoulder, and turned around.
I couldn’t take any more time.
“egg plant.”
Looking at his eyes shining resolutely, Viktor just walked quietly.
Crash.
The palace was so empty that the light footsteps of the two people seemed like the only noise.
‘It looks like Cassandra and Evelyn did a good job.’
As Victor tried to control his pounding heart and tried to think of something else, the Pope’s bedroom came into view.
And in front of them, two maids were waiting with anxious expressions holding a toolbox full of daily necessities.
– It’s inside.
– The inside was completely empty.
Victor and Harman also nodded silently in response to the verbal report.
Judging from the blood stains on their aprons, it seemed like they had not been let go easily, but they were selected because they were concerned about such things.
Anyway, I hope it succeeds.
The moment Victor thought that, Harman’s voice rang in the ears of the two female knights.
[Exit first and go straight to Macline. Sir Victor and I will return on our own. And the return route should not take the way you came from the beginning. Not even one place.]
A feat of conveying one’s meaning without opening one’s mouth.
Viktor asked how to do it the other day, but he only vaguely said that he could do it if he manipulated the power of his soul. Harmon’s expression looked so bitter as he added, ‘Now your master will have it easier than me.’ I couldn’t ask him any more.
Naturally, the eyes of Cassandra and Evelyn, who had never encountered such a talent before, widened for a moment, but neither of them were shaken.
Soon, they nodded along with Victor’s hand signal and started running like the wind towards the outside of the palace.
Crash.
Only after confirming that their backs had disappeared down the hallway did Harmon open the Pope’s bedroom door.
Okay.
When the heavy door opened, a room so large that it was hard to believe it was a private bedroom was revealed.
As I looked inside, I saw a saintess sitting on a large bed, enjoying the moonlight shining through the window.
Dressed in pure white robes with nine circles drawn on them, and even wearing a judge’s sententia.
‘Were you preparing?’
As Harman’s eyebrows twitched in surprise, the saintess’s mouth opened.
“If Anima’s warning had been a little late, I would have been hit in the back without any preparation.”
As the words flowed out in a calm tone, a blue energy began to waver from her body.
It seemed as if what had cut off Austin’s wrist a moment ago immediately entered Amunda’s ears. That is what created this Sadal.
‘You’re too talkative about the topic of God.’
Crack.
Harman gritted his teeth at Anima’s behavior, which was completely different from the personality of Aria that he understood.
But that didn’t mean I could back out now.
“False gods who arbitrarily take human bodies. This is the only way to stop the war caused by those gods.”
These words were brought up as a provocation and as a warning to someone behind my back.
Immediately after those words, there was no more hesitation to be seen on Harman’s face as he flicked the sword he had drawn.
However, the target of the provocation blithely ignored those words.
“I didn’t know you would have rejected Aria’s encroachment, Director Harman.”
The calm voice seemed to continue…
– How dare you talk about humans!
Soon, the voice changed into a bizarre sound and blue energy poured down like a tidal wave, covering their entire front.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa.
Wow!
A room that explodes with loud drinking without any reward for having emptied it of people. The Pope’s residence, which had been safe for over 300 years, was completely devastated.
Shout out loud.
Rumbling.
Fortunately, the building protected by the sacred law barrier did not collapse all at once, and the two people who split the blue energy came out almost at the same time.
Among them, the person standing in front was, of course, Harmon.
‘Damn it…’
Harman gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword.
If more than half of the soul is consumed and the divine power is not used, the power will drop to less than 20%.
However, after careful testing after that day, it was confirmed that the divine power already within his body prioritized his will over God’s will. It seemed like it was probably a result of being able to manipulate the power of the soul.
And thanks to that, Harmon was now able to exert almost 40% of his original strength. Even though it was his power before being dispatched to McLane, it was safe to say that with 40% of the ‘divine sword’ he had reached the highest level of Auror user.
However, even so, I was losing confidence now. This was because the apostle’s first attack was quite unexpected.
‘Unbelievable power…’
The power he wielded without any hesitation was already far beyond the level of most magicians. The worst-case scenario that he had assumed was that the apostle’s combat power could be at the level of a great mage had become a reality before his eyes.
To make matters worse, Victor, who was following him next to him, was yelling nonsense.
“Ilya! I’m here!”
A young man who looks completely different from before. The voice of the young man, whose blue and red odd eyes and blue hair were revealed by the barrage of overflowing holy power, contained deep sadness.
Harman sighed at that desperate cry.
‘Oh my…’
Have you really not been able to let go of your regrets?
‘I need proper help.’
The enemy’s strength is at the level of a great mage. In order to cut down the apostle as planned, Victor’s superhuman help was desperately needed.
It would be difficult to harm the apostle at only intermediate level, but it would be possible to disperse the attack and withstand it. Above all, he has superior force and regenerative power compared to his peers.
However, if you have that kind of attitude, it may actually be a hindrance.
Life flashed in Harmon’s blue eyes.
I intend to cut down even this young talent if he interferes with the plot.
But at that moment.
An unexpected sight came into his eyes.
– Get out of here!
“Ilia-sama! I have arrived as promised!”
A part of the blue divine power that surged again in an earnest shout that did not suit the situation was scattered.
There was also a sight of a gray aura that was clearly quite weak, cutting through the blue divine power and piercing the apostle’s body.
The apostle’s eyes widened.
Tears flowing from the eyes of a young man wielding a sword.
That disparate and sad scene was completely embedded in Harmon’s eyes.
