The sun vanished.
Light disappeared, leaving only darkness to cover the sky. Following that, stars began to fall, and red dots started filling the sky.
“What is that!”
Was it perhaps a prank by a god?
In the face of this unprecedented sight, people were in chaos.
Was it the feeling of insignificance before the grandeur of nature?
People looked at each other, their faces filled with fear. And then, they remembered a forgotten fact.
“N-No way!”
The existence of the catastrophe that had plunged the continent into terror hundreds of years ago.
They realized that the being, dismissed as legend with the passage of time, had returned.
“Everyone, run!”
The fear etched into their memories began to stir.
In the ensuing panic, people shoved each other, desperate to escape.
Adults tightly grasped their children’s hands, but they were already entangled with the crowd, creating a scene of utter chaos.
Amidst this pandemonium, a child who had lost their mother’s hand cried sorrowfully.
But no one paid any attention. Instead, the frantic sound of footsteps only drowned out the children’s cries.
This phenomenon wasn’t confined to just one city.
Chaos spread across the entire El Dorado Continent.
* * *
Meanwhile, before the anomalous phenomena began.
Princess Irena had also swiftly concluded her ritual.
Although she had offered a fingertip for the ritual, it was a sacrifice she felt was in no way regrettable, considering the grand undertaking that lay ahead.
Still, she needed to stop the abundant bleeding.
The princess brought her hand closer to the candle.
“Kuhuk…”
The flame cautanized the princess’s wound.
The pain surged.
“Haa… haa.”
Her breathing grew ragged.
A moment of intense pain passed, and the wound finally stopped bleeding to some extent.
Princess Irena quickly wrapped a bandage around her left hand. Then, she put on a generously sized glove, concealing her hand.
At that moment, the space within the room distorted.
“…”
Having experienced this many times, the princess remained unfazed.
A moment later, two figures appeared from the distorted space.
One was a shadow, serving as Celia’s messenger.
The other being was someone Princess Irena had never seen before.
“Oh my, you had a visitor?”
Overall, the figure clearly resembled an adventurer.
However, their head was covered by a helmet made of iron.
A leather armor for the torso and an iron helmet…
Even for a princess, the appearance felt jarring.
Still, knowing that this person had come to help her, she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she quickly checked the note delivered by the shadow.
“Your name is… Maru. Ah, I shall call you Lord Maru.”
The name was written on the note.
It felt like a cute name.
She could also confirm what kind of abilities Maru possessed.
– Capable of using Holy Power.
Just this much was enough for her to guess what plan Celia had orchestrated.
Now that she had met the messenger, it was Princess Irena’s turn to prepare.
Princess Irena armed herself with silver armor.
If she were to properly don it, she would have needed the maids’ assistance, but at present, it was merely for show.
Therefore, Irena roughly put on the flashy silver armor.
“Everything I do from now on is for the sake of the Kingdom.”
Princess Irena muttered to herself before leaving the room.
Having completed all preparations, the princess left the room with Maru.
“Princess, everything is ready!”
Outside, the escort knight, Lennon, was waiting. He reported immediately upon Princess Irena’s appearance.
“But who is that…?”
And then, he looked at Maru, who was behind Princess Irena, and asked.
In response to Lennon’s question, Irena presented a pre-prepared excuse.
“This is Lord Maru, who will help us. While he is an adventurer now, he once served as a Paladin.”
If he were just a mere adventurer, Lennon might not have been so surprised, but hearing he was a Paladin, Lennon bowed his head.
He didn’t know why he was coming out of the Princess’s room, but it wasn’t the time to question it.
Moreover, if he was a Paladin, he would undoubtedly be a great help in this matter.
After a brief introduction, Princess Irena gave the order.
“Lord Lennon, let’s go.”
Led by Lennon, Princess Irena headed towards the place where the knights were gathered.
The entire knight order was lined up, awaiting the Princess’s command.
Among them were five Royal Mages.
This undertaking involved the Church’s intervention.
Thus, to prepare for any eventuality, they had even brought along Royal Mages.
“…”
Princess Irena surveyed the knight order.
As knights belonging to the Royal family, their skills were not a cause for concern.
She could feel the determined resolve in the eyes of all the knights.
Most importantly, the Royal Knights were the King’s direct subordinate force.
It could be said they were a unit that pledged loyalty and acted solely for the Royal family.
Princess Irena raised her sword high.
“We will surely achieve victory! I will not forget your courage and loyalty!”
Her intention was to boost the knights’ morale before their departure.
“Our first destination is Count Beerton’s mansion. Let us depart immediately.”
The destination was decided from the start.
It was the mansion owned by Count Beerton.
Princess Irena mounted the white horse prepared for her.
“Departure!”
With the cheers of the knight order, they set off beyond the palace gates.
As soon as the knight order emerged from the palace, they surrounded the Princess, providing escort.
In the first place, the Princess was not here for combat, so there was no need for her to lead from the front.
Except for the mages and a small contingent of knights, everyone moved on foot.
‘As expected, it’s inconvenient without a finger.’
However, for a princess, walking was preferable. Having lost a little finger, riding a horse was uncomfortable.
But she had to endure.
For the greater cause, such pain was nothing.
Lennon approached Maru amidst the moving procession.
“Lord Maru. You do not need to walk like this.”
Lennon offered Maru the chance to ride.
This was a measure taken for Maru, a high-ranking individual with a Paladin background, not just an ordinary adventurer.
However, Maru refused Lennon’s offer.
Maru had never ridden a horse before.
What if he showed an awkward side once he got on?
His past as a Paladin might be exposed as a lie.
Therefore, he shook his head, expressing his refusal.
“Understood. Please let me know anytime if you require assistance.”
Lennon did not press further and bowed his head.
Instead, he raised his assessment of Maru.
‘He is truly a knight.’
While riding would have been comfortable, he chose not to.
Lennon was impressed by his silent dedication to his task.
The knight order’s procession was peaceful.
Everyone simply walked forward, eyes fixed ahead.
Princess Irena organized her thoughts while traveling.
‘I heard there’s a Titan Priest there.’
Through the shadows, she received all of Celia’s messages and news.
And Celia had learned the information through the butler of the Count’s family.
As a result, the envoy from the Church, with whom the Count clashed, currently included a Titan Priest and Commander Gerard.
A Titan Priest, a former Inquisitor. And Gerard, the commander of the Church’s sword, the Knights of the Church.
‘I suppose I must hurry.’
She thought it to herself but did not issue any command.
Even now, it was difficult for her to grip the reins.
Instead, she maintained her current pace and pondered how to deal with the Church envoy when they met.
What to do from now on was important.
First, as the initial hurdle, she had to speak with the Titan Priest and Commander Gerard.
As they were effectively the power brokers of the envoy, resolving the issue through them was the priority.
It would be best to resolve the issue of Count Beerton with the Count himself.
If the Titan Priest were to hold the Royal family responsible as well, it would become a headache.
Princess Irena hoped the Count would buy them some time before her arrival.
Well, even if that didn’t happen, she wasn’t too worried.
In fact, she was at ease.
‘By now, the Deputy Leader must be moving separately, right?’
Liana, the Deputy Leader of the Knights of the Church, whom Celia had recruited.
Deputy Leader Liana would also be raiding the nobles’ mansions.
With skeletons infiltrated into the mansions of nobles belonging to the Aristocrats faction, framing them as heretics was easy.
Of course, not every noble’s mansion had traps laid.
A long tail would eventually be stepped on.
In fact, the number of skeletons was smaller than those infiltrated into Count Beerton’s mansion.
That wasn’t all.
Princess Irena employed the same tactic with some nobles belonging to the Royalists faction.
If all the connections pointed only to nobles of the Aristocrats faction?
Someone might become suspicious.
When cornered, even a mouse would bite a cat.
Someone might criticize the cruelty if they learned of this.
However, Irena had made a resolution for the sake of the newly born Kingdom.
Any act of defiance against royal authority was inherently worthy of execution as treason.
But look at the actions of the Aristocrats faction. They were openly mocking the Royal family.
Irena couldn’t help but be enraged by their attitude.
She needed to reduce the nobles’ power by seizing this opportunity.
In addition to their territories, the nobles each owned mansions in the Royal Capital.
The land in the Royal Capital was Royal property, so it wasn’t permitted, but owning mansions was allowed.
Irena found that fact unsettling.
Of course, there was nothing unusual about that alone.
Other kingdoms and empires also had nobles owning mansions in their Royal Capitals.
If something were to happen, it was necessary for the nobles to be able to enter the palace quickly.
However, the Sail Kingdom was different now.
The distance from the Royal Capital to the palace was short.
What if the nobles decided to rebel?
The nobles’ mansions in the Royal Capital would undoubtedly become swords aimed at the Royal family.
‘I must reduce the nobles’ power this time.’
Thinking of the nobles, Princess Irena’s expression hardened.
If this matter concluded successfully, the next step would be a large-scale purge of the nobles.
The nobles’ territories would lose their masters and most would pass into Royal possession.
Or perhaps, they would be bestowed upon those who have rendered great service in this matter.
‘I should only do this much for now.’
Princess Irena broke free from her thoughts and looked around.
A considerable amount of time had passed since they left the palace.
Indeed, as they moved further away from the palace, the atmosphere of the streets changed.
Instead of being neatly organized, it was a chaotic mess, as if ravaged by monsters.
“Kyaaak!”
At that moment, a man screamed and ran from afar.
The entire knight order was forced to stop due to the unexpected situation.
“Halt!”
The Royal Knight shouted at the approaching man.
The Princess was in this procession.
For the Princess’s safety, they had to find out why he was running towards them.
“Identify yourself!”
Even though the knight drew his sword, the man didn’t stop.
Instead, the number of people running behind him increased.
Everyone was screaming and running.
No, that wasn’t just running; it was a stampede.
“W-We’re saved! It’s the knights!”
“Please, save us!”
They were fleeing.
“What is this…?”
Who were they being chased by?
Behind the running people, the figures of monsters were visible.
Numerous Skeletons.
As the fleeing people passed the knights, Lennon shouted.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Although he was the Princess’s escort knight, he had received temporary command authority, allowing him to issue orders.
The knight order, finally grasping the situation, also drew their swords.
“Knights, defend yourselves with all your might against the monsters! Mages, support from behind!”
Lennon also drew his sword.
“We must protect the Princess!”
He didn’t know why Skeletons had appeared in the Royal Capital. But he had to protect Princess Irena.
The knights at the front drew their swords.
Those at the rear drew their bows, preparing to fire.
The mages were also gathering mana, chanting spells.
A moment later, the knight order clashed with the horde of Skeletons.
* * *
“Clack clack!”
(Moving to the next!)
The first to invade the Sail Kingdom was Necros.
He walked slowly, holding a thick notebook.
“…”
Following him without a word were the Dullahan, ‘Berter,’ and the rest of the Skeletons.
Necros’s initially assigned monsters were just one Dullahan and fifteen Skeleton Knights. However, his current horde was much larger than the initially formed numbers.
This was thanks to one of Necros’s skills, ‘Corpse Revival.’
While a 4-star Lich could only cause corpse explosions, a 5-star Arch Lich had the skill to revive corpses as Skeletons.
Although they were low-ranking Skeletons, they were excellent for increasing the size of his army.
“Clack.”
(There are humans.)
Just then, more humans came into view.
Celie, the Chief Administrator, claimed to be saving the Kingdom. And there was the ultimate goal of spreading the Master’s will.
But at present, the Church was already present in the Sail Kingdom.
They couldn’t avoid the Church.
Ultimately, to fight against the Church, the assigned monsters alone felt insufficient.
Therefore, Necros killed humans and turned them into Skeletons.
Even now, Necros’s army continued to grow.
And he meticulously recorded the process in his notebook, without exception. Even after becoming the Guardian of the Layer, his role as an Inspector continued.
– Necros, saved humans by turning them into Skeletons. This is deserving of praise.
– Death Knight’s appearance is not seen. Tardiness is grounds for penalty.
Necros nodded.
He planned to face the White Church after slightly expanding his forces.
He had indeed formulated such a plan, but then…
BOOM!
An explosion of tremendous sound occurred.
The Skeletons that had advanced ahead were caught in the explosion and disappeared.
“Clack?”
What was this?
Necros surveyed the battlefield.
He could see the knights ahead.
“Clack!”
And between them, he could identify a being.
Maru’s figure amidst the knight order.
‘Clack clack.’
(This was unexpected.)
Celie had said that Maru was the key to this matter. And he had met Maru too soon.
“Clack clack!”
(Everyone, fall back!)
Necros’s actions were swift.
For now, retreating was the priority.
At his command, the remaining Skeletons began to withdraw.
“Over there… the owner of the Demonic Sword-”
The Dullahan closed its mouth when Necros looked at it and retreated.
– Shows a tendency to obsess over the Demonic Sword. This requires correction.
Even in potentially tense situations, the act of recording in his notebook did not stop.
– Maru, just as a knight serving the great Master should, infiltrated well. This is deserving of praise.
– Death Knight, still not showing its appearance. This is a severe disqualifying factor as a Sub-boss.
As Necros diligently recorded in his notebook, the sky grew dark.
A moment later, red dots filled the sky.
Necros could feel it.
It felt similar to when he had become the Guardian of the Layer.
He could even sense the source of the power from the sky.
Necros nodded.
– Death Knight, indeed doing a good job. This is deserving of praise.
* * *
“You filthy dog! Have you truly betrayed humanity!”
Titan the Priest, clutching his wound, glared at Count Beerton.
“No, that’s not it-”
“No excuses!”
The Count wanted to say something, but the Priest did not allow it.
“Priest! We must leave this place quickly!”
Gerard, the Commander, urged Titan the Priest to hurry. But Titan the Priest remained in his position.
Clearly, the situation had been favorable for the Church just moments ago.
However, the current situation was entirely different.
Most of the Church’s Paladins had been annihilated.
The same was true for Count Beerton’s knights.
Initially, the banquet hall had merely gone dark.
But afterward, darkness descended upon the sky. The stars in the sky fell, and countless red dots replaced the stars.
Neither Titan the Priest nor Commander Gerard could be unaware of what omen that was.
No, everyone present knew.
That the great catastrophe of the past had returned. But by the time they recognized the situation, it was already too late.
“Why…!”
Titan the Priest lamented with a voice full of despair.
And then, he observed the being next to the Count.
‘Dangerous… this is not a being I can oppose.’
A being exuding death stood beside the Count.
When that being appeared, the Paladins fell.
All of them died instantly.
“Krugh…!”
Just by looking at that being, he felt like he was going mad.
If he lost his sanity here, he would meet his death immediately.
“I can’t believe this catastrophe was awakened…”
A 7-star monster that had terrorized the El Dorado Continent hundreds of years ago.
The Empress of Darkness, Salsetra.
Although the being next to the Count was not the Empress of Darkness, it was certainly comparable.
How did the Count know and orchestrate this?
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t find an answer.
“Oh Goddess…”
What should lost lambs do?
The Priest muttered dazedly.
That terrifying being, difficult to describe, held a pickaxe.
But that wasn’t important.
The sword strapped to its back.
He could feel a chilling power from that sword throughout his entire body.
How much blood had to be swallowed to possess such a dreadful aura!
Could the entire Church confront it?
He shook his head.
He couldn’t be sure.
And then, Titan the Priest’s gaze fell upon the shield in his other hand.
On the shield, there was a maid outfit, as if worn by a maid.
“Oh… Goddess…”
Are you truly abandoning us? In this moment, Titan the Priest was still worried about the future of humanity.
