Chapter: 101
The earth embraces all and forms our homeland. Our Lord is the earth, the parent of all creation. How could one possibly express its grace and majesty with words?
How could a scorching sun that merely gazes down from a distance be called the overseeing parent of everything? Only our Lord, Rahandar, is the true god.
This continent has no need for the dawn that heralds the rising sun. When the sun sets and twilight bathes the land, the true Lord will reign once again.
“It’s a pity that we won’t be there.”
In a gathering where all members of the cult were summoned, I spoke as the cult leader something that should never have crossed my lips. But what could I do? It’s cruel, yet it is the reality.
Despite our sincere and devoted faith, our Lord has grown increasingly silent over time. Though each of our beliefs could stand toe-to-toe with the faith of a hundred, when comparing it to the entirety of the continent, it’s little more than a speck of dust.
And the cunning manipulators of the sun showed no hesitation in erasing our names. No matter how fervently we spread our true beliefs across the continent, the Dawn Sect overshadowed our teachings. Truly, they are deserving of divine retribution.
“We have inherited the sacrifices of our ancestors. Now, it’s our turn.”
In the quiet, the elder spoke with a smile. Yes, this too is a teaching from our ancestors. They gave up on witnessing our Lord reign in their time, conceding that glory to future generations. Now, it’s our turn to step back for those yet to come.
The Dawn Sect grows stronger with each passing day while we find ourselves increasingly pushed back. This is the limit. Three years ago, after successfully completing a grand mission, we held a flicker of hope, but it was not enough to shift the tides.
“We will engrave our name upon the continent.”
If we sit quietly, we’ll sink without a trace. If that’s the case, let us become a dazzling flame. A flame so brilliant that the wicked heretics cannot mask our martyrdom.
Thus, we muster all our strength to target the next Saint of the Dawn Sect. The likelihood of success? Not something I can confidently declare as high. But if we simply wait until the odds favor us, we will fall first. Even if the chances seem slim, now is the time to stake everything on a gamble.
Even if we fail, attempting to take the life of the next Saint at the heart of the continent’s strongest nation is undeniably a momentous event. Our name will resonate across the continent. Someone who resonates with our ideals will emerge.
If that happens, then it’s a success. Even in death, our will shall carry on to future generations.
But… what in the world is going on?
“Great Silver Coin! Great Silver Coin!”
“Hand over your neck! Do it before I take you down with me!”
‘Have they gone mad?’
I know they refer to us as fanatics. So, shouldn’t they refrain from using these lunatics? The Dawn Sect seems to be in such dire straits that they’re resorting to indistinguishable madmen.
For a fleeting moment, the ridiculous thought crossed my mind that if we just held on a bit longer, we might have witnessed the collapse of the Dawn Sect. That’s how chilling their mania seemed.
“The one in the brown robe is the leader!”
“Ha.”
I let out a hollow chuckle. Somewhere along the line, the blessing our Lord bestowed upon us had failed to manifest properly. We were prepared for this result from the moment the next Saint candidate entered the picture. Honestly, I’d not even considered a surprise attack; we were going in frontal and bold.
Yet here I am, ensnared in a barrier that feels like a box, mana frozen such that my magical scrolls lay inert, and an oppressively heavy invisible hand weighing down on me. The galling trifecta left me reeling.
‘How despicable.’
To employ such underhanded tactics to bind their foes.
I felled one soldier rushing at me like a rabid dog.
While irritating, mere hardships aren’t enough to deter us. The experiences we’ve accumulated across the continent have fortified us. Weakness signifies certain doom, after all.
At best, those fools will join us as companions on our journey to the afterlife. The more they come at me, the more I’ll slay.
‘What the…?’
And then, an unexpected event unfolded.
A faint green light spread from afar and enveloped the ground, reaching past where I stood and trailing behind me.
“AAAH!”
I spun around upon hearing a comrade’s scream. I saw a compatriot who had previously been downed being stabbed by one of Enen’s soldiers who had also fallen.
‘Up again?’
With his thick armor, I hadn’t managed to kill him in one blow, but he should’ve been immobilized. And yet, he rises once more?
As I took stock of the situation, I noticed it wasn’t just one. The fallen heretics began to stir back to life one by one.
“There goes Great Silver Coin!”
“No way…”
The exclamation by what I assumed was a groaning idiot barely a moment ago made my head spin. Did those bastards in the Dawn Sect dabble in some strange arts?
But these wretched individuals didn’t even spare me a moment to ponder that.
“Leader!”
The elder’s shout snapped me back to reality, and a silver orb sped toward me from the direction the green light had originated. What now?
I might have no idea what that is, but my instincts are practically screaming that it’s bad news if it hits me.
‘Damn it.’
Unrecorded anomalous phenomena poured down upon us.
“Are you the leader?!”
One particularly intense-eyed man charged at me.
“Take my resentment as payment for depriving me of my promotion!”
What the hell is that?!
*
From the Academy defending Tannian to the temporary headquarters stationed by the Masked Unit.
‘This is one twisted game.’
With just a bare minimum of remaining personnel, I couldn’t hold back my praise for Tannian. This game is genuinely brutal, and thank the heavens he isn’t on the enemy side!
“Our Lord said, oh lamb, where do you go? I behold you from wherever, so what do you fear while wandering? To which he replied, Lord, grant your faithful servant the courage to confront your enemies, and with bravery…”
Stealing a glance, I saw Tannian on his knees, unleashing prayers like an automatic weapon. Honestly, it’s borderline terrifying.
But he insists that he must recite the proper prayer to launch the Holy Spell. There’s no actual need to be that fast, yet it seems Tannian is unleashing holy spells without so much as a cooldown!
‘Poor guys.’
Once upon a time, I wished to obliterate the Twilight Cult, and now I feel a tinge of sympathy for them. Given the reports coming from the frontlines, the Twilight Cult isn’t lacking in strength. Notable casualties among both the Holy Knights and Imperial soldiers have also been reported.
Yet here is Tannian, laying down an expansive recovery field. Unless someone is incinerated on the spot, the fallen can swiftly return and pummel the Twilight Cult again. Once in a while, he even hurls some strange, translucent orbs.
“The Saint should not interfere in human conflicts.”
As the operation was set to kick off, I recalled Tannian’s words. If a Saint were to dive into a war, it’d be a nightmare. A supporter equipped with a map hack who can effortlessly lay out enemy locations and establish a battlefield where soldiers can persist unless they face instant death? It’s terrifying just to think about it.
Moreover, that same supporter now unleashes unseen long-range attacks of considerable strength.
‘What on earth is a Saint?’
I assumed he only had map-hacking capabilities. Who could have predicted such a surprising display of holy magic?
“But isn’t the issue with the Twilight Cult just human conflict?”
“Haha, that’s alright.”
A saint must refrain from meddling in conflicts between humans. Indeed, the last time a saint participated at the frontlines was aeons ago, when they exterminated the undead.
Unlike those past instances, witnessing Tannian unleash all his power to thrash the Twilight Cult raises questions, prompting me to inquire.
“The Twilight Cult members aren’t human, so it’s permissible to interfere.”
“…Right.”
So that’s the matter.
Yes, the heretics aren’t human after all, so it’s perfectly fine for a saint to eliminate them himself.
I decided to adopt that mindset from that day forward.
“That’s magnificent.”
“Ah, Your Grace.”
With Tannian actively engaging in the fray, the once-busy Mage Duchess approached me, uttering small praises. Ordinarily, by now, she would’ve been expending her mana to rain down explosive magic.
Nevertheless, the reason the Twilight Cult couldn’t escape, despite being heavily outmatched, is all due to the Mage Duchess. In that respect, she has played her part splendidly.
“There are few records about the Saint. The last time one participated in a war was about 800 years ago.”
“Ah, you mean during the War of the Death King.”
Perhaps out of boredom, the Mage Duchess continued to speak.
The Death King, or the King of the Undead, was once a tremendous headache for the continent. However, he was soundly defeated by the saint of that time and was ultimately turned to dust. Since then, no records have been preserved of saints engaging in combat directly; I never expected such proficiency from a saint candidate.
“If saints can intervene in human wars, we might need to redraw the borders.”
Without thinking, I found myself nodding at that statement. While a singular superhuman might struggle against a collective group, if that singular superhuman can bolster the entire army, then the scenario shifts quite dramatically.
Shortly later, a mix of brown and black lights erupted from the battlefield, enveloped in a thick silence.
“It’s over.”
Tannian emerged from the chaos, wearing a satisfied expression. Simultaneously, my communication crystal flickered to life. Indeed, map hacks are truly terrifying. With everyone falling, it automatically cleaned up the mess.
“It’s the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager.”
— This is Senior Commander Francis Neville. Out of 32, 24 were killed, and 8 were captured. We have successfully apprehended the cult leader as well.
It was a flawless victory.
Twenty-four casualties, eight prisoners including the cult leader. Although it cost me 43 great silver coins, I still have plenty left from the ten gold coins given by the Crown Prince, providing some comfort.
“Good job.”
“I merely did what I had to do.”
And the one basking in the glory of capturing the cult leader was the former army commander. After seizing his lifelong nemesis, he wore an expression radiating sheer bliss. Congratulations, you’ve ticked that off your bucket list.
For now, I handed over the promised coins. No matter how disgracefully he retired, he was still a former high-ranking officer. He’s not a man to be perturbed by a payout of five great silver coins. It likely feels more like a commemorative medal.
“Brother.”
As the former commander returned to the Holy Knights without a hint of regret, Tannian discreetly approached me. His expression radiated warmth.
“I thank you for accommodating my unreasonable request.”
I felt momentarily taken aback by the deep bow he presented.
“Don’t do that. The Holy Knights will create a scene if they see it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with expressing gratitude as a human being.”
Honestly, he was incredibly skilled in choosing words that were nearly impossible to refute.
“If anything arises because of today’s incident, I will do my utmost to defend you.”
“Thanks.”
I nodded appreciatively. Sure, there might be some backlash, but it will probably resolve itself without much fuss. I had already forged an understanding with the two ministers ahead of time.
Still, knowing that I could use the next Saint as a safety net in case of emergencies provided a great sense of peace.
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