#149
Hero Party (3)
Those who were witnessing the battle could immediately recognize Heinrich’s transformation.
It was no surprise.
The trajectory of the sword slicing through space, the heavy steps, and even the breath escaping lightly were beginning to exude a suffocating intimidation.
“···The saint has crossed the wall.”
“Ugh! Sir Tuskin? When did you arrive···.”
“Shh.”
And those who were in awe included the paladin Tuskin, the symbol of the church’s martial might, who quietly approached after hearing news of the saint’s duel, reflecting on it with a unique sentiment.
Wasn’t he the one who brought Heinrich here from the Talia Shrine after seeing the potential of a youth who used to be a paladin?
And now, that former paladin had swiftly become a knight, achieving great deeds, unsheathing a holy sword, and advancing to saint and hero—how could anyone remain calm in the face of this?
‘Moreover, the warrior from the beast kin who is confronting the saint… impressive. If it turns into a serious fight, it would be tough for me as well.’
The paladins of the Holy Church Order were no ordinary knights who had simply reached the master level.
Reaching their level required not only mastery in martial arts, but also possessing at least a bishop-level holy power and five or more blessings—a truly honorable position.
Naturally, their combat power could not be judged by ordinary standards, and especially in defensive aspects, they were unparalleled.
‘With physical abilities surpassing monsters and wild instincts, on top of the refined combat system of a martial artist… indeed… to become a companion of the saint, one must reach a level like that.’
Tuskin slowly nodded as if acknowledging while looking at Harley outside the duel area.
And in that moment, the vibrant clash of a massive axe glowing with a crimson aura and a brightly shining holy sword resounded once more.
Kuooong—!
With a final clash that shook the protective barrier, both retreated as if they had made a promise.
“Kuhaha! As expected, it’s the hero! I’ve never fought such a strong warrior before!”
In a disheveled state, Harley restored his transformed body back to normal and burst into hearty laughter.
His body was drenched in blood from the fierce battle, but thanks to his enhanced regeneration, there was not a single wound left.
Gurgle!
Instead, he felt overwhelming hunger from consuming too much energy.
He hastily pulled out dragon meat from the spatial dimension magical equipment tied at his waist and devoured it voraciously.
“Hoo—.”
Seeing Harley devouring chunks of meat on the spot, Heinrich let out a light sigh and began to adjust his tattered ceremonial robe.
No matter how much of a hero he was, he couldn’t avoid even the slightest scratch when facing Harley.
But thanks to the powerful blessings and holy power protecting his body, there were no substantial marks left besides his clothes.
Even those were scars from the early to mid stages of the battle, before he had acquired the Path of Martial Arts.
‘I was too focused in that moment.’
Nonetheless, it was a satisfying outcome with unexpected gains.
This event had sparked Heinrich’s Mugol, broadening his perspective on martial arts, which directly led to the evolution of his skills.
The combination of his usual emphasis on reason in battle with Harley’s instinct-focused approach created an unexpected synergy.
Perhaps due to the realization from this unforeseen collaboration, his mind felt clear, and a pleasant exhilaration filled his heart.
“Congratulations, saint! I knew you were strong, but you were still in the growth stage. As expected, you are the hope of this continent!”
“That warrior from the beast kin is impressive too. …With that level, I can’t help but acknowledge him as a companion of the saint.”
“Warrior, do you happen to have a special muscle training method? Our Paladin Order has a unique routine; how about we take some time to exchange tips?”
“That sounds great! It’s beneficial for everyone if the saint’s companions become stronger. Even if we can’t train together directly, we can still assist in this way!”
Muscular warriors who had been observing flocked around them, chattering away.
Naturally, their common topic revolved solely around training, not hesitating to approach Heinrich, who had forged bonds over time through training, and this time, Harley, who had proven his skills.
Then, suddenly, an alternative thought flashed through Heinrich’s mind.
‘Companions… a party to defeat the Demon King and the Undead King…’
That was a sense of unease about the ongoing situation.
In fact, the current circumstances were progressing far more urgently and frantically than initially planned.
If he truly aimed to confront the Demon King, who sought to obliterate the world as a hero, then it made sense to approach it that way.
Rather, by respecting individual opinions and addressing things with a ‘if you don’t like it, so be it’ attitude, he should have pushed harder, negotiating further with his home country or such.
‘Even now, the intelligence division brings various lists, subtly begging for additional measures.’
But from the beginning, his purpose was never to defeat the Undead King, but rather to create a narrative akin to a heroic tale.
And in such a ‘classic story’, the process of gathering companions through overcoming various adversities was a crucial part of the plot.
‘Just like Harley’s grand adventure.’
Living a life akin to a struggle, in the fourth act, Harley had escaped from the evil black magician Hans, who subjected him to biological experiments.
Afterward, he forged friendships with merchant Hubert, elf Harris, and dwarf Howard.
Finally reaching the seventh act, he awakened the blood of the beast kin.
‘And the culmination of that seventh act is happening now. To become a companion of the hero.’
Originally, the direction he had envisioned for the ‘home theater’ was exactly that.
Although a series of events led to the present situation, it flowed this way.
‘At this point, it’s too late to progress the story like that… the Oath of Reversal doing a major operation derailed the plans too much.’
In reality, from the perspective of the locals, it was natural to hurry and prepare for war. Yet, Hans seemed to have lost pace and gone in overdrive with unexpected developments.
At this state, he couldn’t maintain existing policies aimed at minimizing sacrifice.
Given there were likely quite a few skeptics among them, as the narrative progressed, the plausibility of the Undead King would inevitably crumble.
‘When I first came up with the original plan, I thought I could deal with just some bad guys… but now that I’m actually doing it, the presence of the Undead King is too overwhelming.’
Just doing something led to calamity-level commotion, making it hard to steer situations as desired.
On top of that, because of the events initiated by the Oath of Reversal, before long, war loomed close upon them.
‘If that happens, no matter how I spin it, the ‘sacrifice of the innocent for the greater good’ becomes inevitable. Such is the nature of war. This isn’t something I can control.’
So, was there truly no way?
Should he close his eyes and demand the sacrifices of others for his own desires, or be content with this much and fold?
‘That can’t be! Isn’t it possible to avoid war somehow?’
After all, the instigator of the invasion was himself, so there was no need for complicated processes regarding negotiations; as long as he set his mind to it, anything could be accomplished.
However, the issue lay in finding a way to do that seamlessly…
While Heinrich’s mind was clouded with troubling thoughts, he furrowed his brow and fell into contemplation.
“Saint? Do you have a moment?”
An emergency meeting was convened under the auspices of the saintess, gathering the heads of the Rosellia Temple.
*
In a small conference room at the innermost part of the Rosellia Temple.
The room wasn’t large, but everyone gathered inside was formidable.
The saint, the saintess, two cardinals, the head of the inquisition, paladins, and archbishops.
All the heads of the Rosellia Temple were assembled in one place to discuss the future.
“Hoo, this is serious. The task of unifying the continent’s strength is still sluggish, and the Undead King Hans has started to make his moves.”
“The northern forest is not far from the Rohan Principality… This seems to be intended to mock us, doesn’t it? To watch the principality, which he himself destroyed, utterly collapse from nearby…”
“Many lost their lives due to the Rohan crisis. And that sacrifice will continue to increase. All those countless deaths will become the strength of the Undead King.”
The agenda of the emergency meeting was concerning the presence of death energies sensed just a short while ago within the Northern Mountain Range.
While the concealment ability of the Undead King was said to be the worst in history, it was still challenging to completely block such a large flow of energies.
Naturally, the movement was detected by those possessing detection-based blessings, including the saintess, and investigations were promptly initiated, leading to this emergency meeting.
“This is a more serious situation than any we’ve encountered before! This is not at the same level as previous cases!”
Saint Liesta stood up from her seat, raising her voice with a strong tone.
Her detection ability was the best within the order, and others listened with serious expressions.
“Not only the energy of Undead King Hans but also the presence of tens of thousands of undead has been detected. This is their entire amassed power laid bare. This means that…!”
“…A declaration of war, isn’t it?”
“Whew— does that mean in such a situation… no, it must be because of such a situation. And targeting the Rohan Principality…”
‘Huh?’
The expressions of the order’s heads grew grave.
Not long before, they had received reports of difficulties in rescuing refugees due to the constant influx of monsters.
The completely crumbled defense line and the lawless chaos causing confusion within the territory.
The citizens of the fallen nation were holed up in the capital, while others huddled together to find means of survival.
In such a scenario, the undead army revealing themselves nearby was utterly unexpected.
Naturally, in this situation, proper defense was unfeasible.
“With the entire continent already struggling under the rampage of monsters, it is even more difficult to gather troops…”
Pion Cardinal sighed quietly, overwhelmed by the compounded misfortune.
For the greater good, they had to decisively abandon the principality and set up a defense line at the Empire’s border, but how could they ignore the more than a hundred thousand who remained trapped in the principality?
“…The Undead King will surely be watching us, laughing at our choices.”
Whatever choice they made, it was a bad move.
Everyone trembled at his malice.
‘Is it really turning out this way? …No, I was short-sighted. This was bound to happen.’
Except for one person.
The saint of the Holy Church Order, Heinrich, nodded seriously, busily working through his thoughts.
‘Hmm, how do I handle this now…’
Looking at the ongoing scenario, it seemed that his good intentions had turned into hindrances.
Just moments ago, he had resolved to devise other methods, and now a new dilemma was thrust before him.
“…What is the status of the Empire’s troops?”
“The first wave has just crossed into Rohan Principality after gathering at the northern border. Currently, three legions of ten thousand men each are heading towards the capital along different routes. Additional reinforcements are still being sent.”
“If the Empire finds out about this…”
“…They would cancel all operations and try to withdraw their troops.”
The atmosphere plummeted.
If the Empire, capable of mobilizing large forces, didn’t lead the refugees, then the efforts of the order would be meaningless.
However, they couldn’t afford not to relay the information obtained by the Holy Church Order to the Empire.
If the undead army really began to descend, it would significantly shake not only the Rohan Principality but the Empire itself too.
‘No, the Empire isn’t foolish; they’ll realize quickly. They might even be in their own meeting right now… Yeah, there’s no other way, is there?’
By Hans taking place in the north, the influx of monsters in that direction would decrease, but without the continuation of rescue efforts, it would all be in vain.
Ultimately, Heinrich steeled his resolve, closing his eyes to pray.
With overwhelming mental focus, his faith surged, and in turn, the connection to the Holy God expanded dramatically.
Using the “Mental Power Enhancement” that reached a staggering 640,000 points from various incidents and achievements, the effect was incomparably stronger than before.
Then, naturally…
Woowoong—
From his body coursed the amplified holy power, spreading forth with a radiant flame-like aura.
“Eh!?”
“…Saint?”
In the blink of an eye, the conference room was filled with sacred flames, drawing the gazes of the heads towards him.
That energy, which seemed to take shape with a searing presence, was astonishingly pure; it was overwhelmingly magnificent enough to evoke awe unconsciously.
At that moment, everyone’s attention was intensely focused.
Heinrich stood up with a solemn expression.
Inwardly, he prayed for the Holy God to allow him to become a righteous trickster.
“May I have a moment of your attention? …The Holy God has revealed the path to us.”
And the aura shimmering around him, shining brilliantly, was a sign of that permission.
Perhaps.
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