Chapter 108: Sig Batenberg (2)

Allan Marks gazed at the scene unfolding before him.

Beyond the semi-transparent Barrier encasing the fortress, he could see the bleak, darkened plain and half-burned corpses.

Even though a Barrier had been raised, the stench still assaulted his nose.

“Allan, young master. We meet again.”

“Roland House Lord.”

Allan’s already furrowed brow creased even deeper.

It was because the Roland House Lord, who had supposedly stayed with the Magic Alliance even after the Undead incident, had appeared before him.

But something about the Roland House Lord’s condition was strange.

His face was as pale as a sheet, and his bloodshot eyes were definitely abnormal.

Suddenly, the Roland House Lord lifted a finger and pointed past the curtain.

More precisely, he pointed at an especially large mass among the half-burned corpses.

“That over there is one of the monsters that attacked us. Do you see it, how even after being burnt to a crisp, it still corrupts the land around it?”

The Roland House Lord denounced the horror of the Plague Monster.

Yet, at the same time, it almost sounded like he was praising it.

“Such a fierce obsession of the plague! This trivial Barrier won’t last much longer before it collapses.”

He even went so far as to mention the total annihilation of the Magic Alliance.

Allan said nothing in reply, simply staring at Roland.

He had already sensed that the man was not in his right mind.

But he could not act hastily. Roland House Lord was hardly the only one driven mad by the Miasma.

The stench assailing his nose was coming from inside the Barrier itself.

“By the way, young master Allan, I heard you were injured by the Liches. Have you fully recovered?”

The Roland House Lord’s subtle inquiry was oddly twisted.

Allan’s eyes grew cold.

On the contrary, his aura flared all the more fiercely.

“You’re overstepping yourself, Roland House Lord.”

“Oh my, it seems I’ve been rude.”

With a low warning, Allan silenced Roland, then turned his head back toward the Barrier.

To say that this Barrier would collapse soon and everyone would be annihilated—

What utter nonsense.

At least, not as long as he was here.

Allan stomped his foot.

In that instant, overwhelming Mana burst from his body.

Mana so immense it could easily engulf the entire Magic Alliance fortress.

The Barrier, which had been decaying from the plague, began to grow sturdier.

Two layers, three layers, not enough—within moments, ten layers of Barrier were formed.

“…!”

Watching the astonished Roland House Lord swallow his shock at the marvelous sight, Allan steeled his heart.

Before he could spread the doctrine of the Hor Church, the Riots had to be rooted out.

***

It had been seven days since Sig arrived at Riot Castle.

Though he was briefly unsettled by the unexpected events like the Hor Church and the World Tree, he was quickly adapting to life at Riot Castle.

No doubt Sig’s own gentle nature played a role.

I recalled the conversation from the first day.

When I flatly told him I knew nothing of Servant Lihi’s whereabouts, I remembered Sig’s sorrowful expression as well.

Since that day, he had never once brought up Servant Lihi again.

And neither did I.

It wasn’t possible to see someone whose faith had already been crushed to dust.

“Saint.”

I was standing atop the ramparts, still reflecting on Servant Lihi’s death.

Aaron and Gide approached.

“It’s been a while, aren’t you glad to see your older brother?”

“What’s there to be glad about? Only Moritz is happy.”

I replied nonchalantly to Gide’s question.

In fact, Moritz was always chasing after Sig’s official duties whenever he could, staying incredibly busy.

He was practically an extreme older brother’s follower.

“Prince Moritz has always respected Prince Sig, so it’s a truly heartwarming sight.”

Gide stroked his nose and smiled affectionately.

Nodding along, Aaron opened his mouth.

“Still, isn’t it a great relief? The fact that Prince Sig has come means Great Bartenberg hasn’t abandoned this country.”

This time, Gide nodded as well.

Grandfather and grandson were in perfect agreement.

“Well, as you both say, it’s reassuring. Strong allies are always welcome.”

I cast my gaze into the distance.

From the direction of the Plague Castle, an ominous energy was stirring.

It was a sign that the Curse of Kalgos was about to enter its third generation.

Aaron and Gide fell silent at the unsettling atmosphere.

Not only us—even the soldiers on guard had their faces harden somewhat.

Already four days.

It had been four days since the monsters that used to attack Riot Castle every other day had vanished.

“It’s too fast, far too fast.”

It had barely been three months since the second-generation monsters appeared. Yet now, signs of the third generation were already emerging—something even I hadn’t expected.

Perhaps the Demon King’s Miasma, spreading across the continent, was the root cause.

Unlike the world I knew, this world was now overflowing with Miasma instead of faith.

“Didn’t you say the third generation would bring a major change?”

I nodded at Gide’s question.

After the Plague Monsters evolved into the third generation, unique individuals would start to appear.

Larger and more vicious than any other monster—the “Plague Giants.”

But the true terror of these creatures was not just their size.

Plague Giants possessed intelligence.

Aaron and Gide let out anxious sighs at my words.

They couldn’t help it.

Just imagining these already threatening monsters gaining intelligence was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

“Of course, the third generation isn’t a huge problem.”

“…It’s after that that’s troubling. They won’t just get bigger from here on out.”

“Right. They’ll get smarter and smarter.”

It would be a grave mistake to assume future battles would be like those until now.

By the fifth generation, the Plague Giants would possess intelligence comparable to Orcs.

At that point, it wouldn’t be a mere battle—it would be true war.

“But don’t let it frighten you too much. The Hor Church is with us.”

“Aaron might, but I’ve never been scared, not even once.”

“M-me neither!”

***

Day by day, the air around us grew heavier. The shadows deepened on the soldiers’ faces as well.

Though they hadn’t lost their fighting spirit, the exhaustion on their faces was plain to see.

It was then that joyful news reached them.

“Reinforcements have arrived!”

A large army had come to Riot Castle.

Numerous banners flapped in the wind all along the massive column.

Today’s arrivals alone numbered two army corps, and with more reinforcements to come, the total would reach five army corps.

Considering that the military might had already been concentrated near Polin Castle, this was the maximum force Baren could muster.

Most of the nearly ten thousand troops were common soldiers, but the regulars at Riot Castle welcomed them with open arms.

“Haha… Those guys, there’s no way they’ll survive like that. They’ll die right away.”

“We’ll have to train them hard. Make them into elite soldiers like us. Hahaha.”

The regulars scrutinized the reinforcements with sharp eyes.

Their faces were gaunt and sallow, shoulders and backs hunched and rough.

It was just like when the royal soldiers first arrived at Riot Castle.

“Still, those guys are lucky. Back when we came, we didn’t have the Saint, or the Temple Knights, or even the Garden.”

At the now-seasoned spearman Hans’s remark, the regulars all nodded in agreement.

That was when it happened.

As the regulars gathered and whispered among themselves, a shadow fell over them.

“You lot. Already scheming to slack off, are you?”

It was the hope of Riot Castle—Richard.

“Ah! Saint!”

Hans and the regulars put on sheepish faces.

Riot Castle was in a state of war.

If morale slacked, they could expect a scolding.

But Richard simply curled his lips into a smile.

“These are reinforcements who rushed here after receiving our request. Pay special attention to them.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Help them survive this war and make it back alive. That’s your job as veteran soldiers.”

He didn’t mean they should risk their lives to protect the reinforcements on the battlefield.

“Yessir… Heh heh. We’ll do as you command!”

The regulars laughed heartily.

With such a firm order from their superior, there was nothing left to hesitate about.

Hans’s eyes, in particular, shone especially bright.

***

Riot Castle bustled from morning.

The arrival of the reinforcements was a huge help in uplifting the heavy mood.

Already, the faces of the royal soldiers were lit with energy.

But there was no time for pure celebration.

Even at this very moment, the Plague Castle was preparing to tighten its grip around our throats.

I returned to my room and used Divine Sight.

My view soared high into the sky.

I looked down at Riot Castle, now bustling with reinforcements, then shifted my focus.

Creak, creak—

The Plague Castle, its horrifying structure, filled my Divine Sight.

Just looking at it made my heart pound.

The Plague Castle pulsed and swelled, ready to burst at any moment.

Inside, countless Plague Monsters and Plague Giants must be crouching, waiting.

One week, no—maybe two weeks left?

After canceling Divine Sight, I roughly estimated how much time remained.

Within this short span, I would have to make the reinforcements at least somewhat battle-ready.

And I couldn’t ignore the Magic Alliance, either.

There, the Riots ran rampant.

“I’ll have to wait for the right moment and wipe them all out at once.”

The enemy would only grow stronger, and having Riots mixed in with the Alliance would be of no benefit to us.

Of course, it was Allan’s task to subdue the traitors of the Magic Alliance and win merit.

The more achievements he stacked, the easier it would be for the Hor Church to gain power in the southern continent.

“I hope our southern Saint does well.”

On the other hand, there was nothing to worry about with Baren.

The King of Barentis and the Nobles were steadfastly preparing Baren’s rise.

All we had to do was fight the plague here.

Truly, the more I thought about it, the luckier I felt to have such a partner.