A heavy silence fell upon the room.
All eyes turned to the fingertips of Priest Uriel as he elegantly set down his teacup.
“I have heard your concerns,” Uriel began with a smile, both gentle and inscrutable. “The White Church’s grand vision is always clear: to drive out the forces of darkness from this land and allow everyone to live in peace under the Goddess’s light.”
It was a principled statement. Disappointment flickered across the faces of the envoys from each nation.
‘So the Church intends to protect the Sail Kingdom and Irena after all.’
A common thought arose in the minds of all the envoys. They felt the White Church was favoring the Sail Empire. However, Priest Uriel’s words continued.
“As Count Markov said, we lent strength to the Sail Kingdom to eradicate the evil force of warlocks rooted in the Free City Alliance. And that purpose has been achieved.” Uriel paused, meeting each person’s gaze. “However,” his voice lowered slightly, “there is one thing to keep in mind.”
Everyone in the room leaned forward involuntarily.
“Evil does not exist solely in the form of dark magic.” Uriel spoke softly, gazing out the window. “Sometimes, excessive greed, or unchecked lust for power, or betrayal that abandons sacred pacts can bring about a deeper darkness.”
The envoys held their breath. While they might not have understood the betrayal, it was clear who Uriel was referring to when he spoke of greed and lust for power.
Hearing this, Count Markov cautiously asked, “Is Your Grace referring to the Sail Empire?”
Uriel shook his head and gave a gentle smile again. “I am not referring to any specific nation. It is the White Church’s principle not to interfere directly in worldly politics. I am merely stating a fundamental truth.”
He rose from his seat and approached the envoys. “The Church’s sacred command to subjugate warlocks is over. What happens within the territory of the Free City Alliance now becomes a ‘political issue’ between the Sail Empire and its neighboring countries.” He lightly patted Count Markov’s shoulder. “If, by any chance, something happens in the Sail Empire, it will be a matter to be handled according to the sovereignty and judgment of each country, not the Church. For it is also the sacred duty of a king to drive out the darkness that threatens the peace of his neighbors.”
Suddenly, the envoys’ eyes gleamed. Uriel’s words were subtle.
– The subjugation of warlocks is over, so the Church is no longer obligated to protect the Sail Empire.
– If you find any other problem in the Sail Empire besides dark magic and attack, it will be a political issue between you, and the Church will not intervene.
– Rather, it is the king’s duty to protect the peace of his neighbors, so your actions will be justified.
Uriel certainly did not say ‘attack,’ but he had provided the perfect justification and implicit permission to do so. And the fact that the priest was speaking here meant it was also the White Church’s stance.
Then why wasn’t the White Church shielding the Sail Empire and Irena? The envoys did not delve that deeply. After all, the Sail Empire had become the White Church’s hunting dog through this affair. A hunting dog must be well-trained and follow its master, but if it grows too large and threatens its master, it must be disciplined from time to time. That’s what the envoys thought. Count Markov, in particular, understood Uriel’s deeper meaning and said with a moved expression, bowing his head, “I will engrave Your Grace’s noble teachings in my bones. We will never stand idly by as darkness threatens the peace of the continent.”
Uriel smiled with satisfaction at his words.
‘Just as planned.’ The White Church was now revolving around Saintess Helissa again. After all, Helissa herself had spoken before His Holiness the Pope last time, stating that Kanghyeon Lee was behind all of this. If the Saintess had truly received a divine oracle, there would have been no reason to put forward Irena as the next Saintess. Moreover, the Sail Empire’s expansionist policies were problematic even for the White Church. It would be good to make them realize their place once. Therefore, the White Church intended to curb the Sail Empire’s ambitions this time.
***
“That’s why I’ve called you here today, Dambi and Rills.” Celia spread her arms wide and smiled gracefully. Before her, the adventurer duo Dambi and Rills knelt politely on one knee. Naturally, neither of them was human. Dambi, a half-blood of a vampire and a human, had pale skin. Rills appeared to be an ordinary human mage, but within her resided a Banshee. Before being summoned by Celia, these two monsters had been diligently pursuing their adventurer lives and fulfilling requests. They had perfectly disguised themselves and carried out their missions according to Celia’s orders to infiltrate the adventurer world.
– As expected! Dambi and Rills have once again splendidly handled the request!
Praise from the merchants who had commissioned them and the guild officials poured in. Thanks to this, Dambi and Rills became famous figures in the Adventurer’s Guild and soon reached Diamond Rank. In a way, it was only natural. The combination of a 4-Star Monster Dambi and a human mage controlled by a 3-Star Banshee could handle most requests with their eyes closed. However, they had to be careful not to reveal their abilities too much, so they always showed only a portion of their strength and mixed in with humans. It was while they were fulfilling requests as adventurers that Celia’s summons arrived.
“So, humans dare to meddle with Master’s territory?” Dambi asked in a cold voice. Celia’s explanation was simple. As the Sail Kingdom expanded into an empire, it would face considerable checks from neighboring countries. However, Dambi couldn’t understand humans. Why would they try to check on the Sail Kingdom, which had become the territory of their great Master? She saw it as the worst misjudgment stemming from ignorance.
“Then what should we do, Celia-nim?” Rills asked, bowing her head. Her voice was polite, but it held the sharpness of a Banshee. There must be a special purpose for Celia summoning them.
“It’s simple. I’m going to create a ‘fake’ dungeon from now on.” Celia’s red lips curved into a smile. “A fake dungeon, you say?” Dambi tilted her head and asked. “Yes, a plausible dungeon to lure humans.” Celia’s expression turned into a rapturous smile. “Death Knight is secretly working on it, so once the fake dungeon is complete, you two will divert the adventurers’ attention.”
At Celia’s words, Dambi and Rills’ eyes sparkled. They were given an opportunity to serve their Master. Expectant smiles spread across the faces of the two monsters.
***
“Hey, Leo! Are we sure this is the right way?” Ten-year-old Tommy whispered as he pushed aside branches. Behind him, his same-aged friend Leo and his eight-year-old sister Ellie followed cautiously.
“Of course! My dad saw it here last night while picking herbs. They say imperial soldiers are stationed all around the forest!” They were heading to a deep, sparsely populated forest within the territory of the former Free City Alliance, now occupied by the Sail Empire. “Soldiers?” “Yeah! There must be treasure hidden deep in the forest! Dad said the ground was even shaking!” Leo puffed out his chest, as if he knew a great secret. Of course, Leo’s father had strictly warned Tommy not to approach the forest, but ‘places adults tell you not to go’ were the most exciting exploration sites in the world.
“Oppa, I’m scared… Can’t we just go back?” Ellie clung tightly to Leo’s clothes. “Don’t worry, Ellie! Oppa will protect you. Let’s find treasure and buy mom and dad some delicious meat, okay?” Ellie reluctantly nodded at Leo’s words. The three children, taking advantage of the dark night, headed deep into the forest. Imperial soldiers were guarding the forest border from time to time, but the small children managed to sneak past them undetected.
After walking for a while, Tommy suddenly stopped and pulled the children behind a bush. “Shh! Look there!” Beyond the bushes, an unbelievable sight unfolded. In a forest clearing, hundreds of skeletons were digging!
“Monsters?” Leo’s eyes widened. Monsters, like those seen in fairy tales about adventurers, were digging and carrying dirt like ants. The clattering of bones and the scraping of shovels were the only sounds echoing in the forest. “Wow… what is all this?” Ellie, who had been scared, now had sparkling eyes. The children felt more wonder than fear. It was like secretly peeking at a giant puppet show.
Then, the children’s gazes were fixed on one spot. In the center of the clearing, a knight in massive, obsidian armor stood. “Must be the leader…” Tommy swallowed hard. The entity the children were looking at was none other than a Death Knight. “But what are they doing there?” Tommy’s question was immediately answered by Leo. “Idiot, can’t you see? They’re obviously looking for treasure!” “R-really?” Tommy nodded at Leo’s words. Come to think of it, it did seem like it. There was no explanation for so many skeletons digging other than treasure.
“Let’s get a little closer. If we’re lucky, we might get some treasure too,” Leo whispered with eyes burning with adventurous spirit. “B-but won’t it be dangerous?” Tommy didn’t want to volunteer, but Leo had already lowered his body and begun to move stealthily towards another bush. Ellie inevitably followed her brother. “…” Tommy desperately wanted to leave the forest, but he was scared to go alone. Tommy reluctantly followed Leo, moving cautiously. Step by step. The children moved forward, holding their pounding hearts, even holding their breath. The clattering of the skeletons and the scraping of shovels seemed to drown out the sounds of the children moving. Now, if they went a little further, they would be able to see the place where the leader monster stood more clearly. The moment Leo stepped towards the last bush. *CRUNCH-* His small foot had stepped on a dry twig with all its might. The sound was as loud and sharp as thunder, echoing through the forest. “Oppa…” Ellie’s face turned pale. The moment she called out to Leo in fear, all the sounds in the world stopped. The incessant scraping of hundreds of shovels and the clatter of bones stopped simultaneously, as if commanded. Nothing moved. Hundreds of monsters froze in their actions. Silence. A suffocating silence descended.
