Chapter 113: North and South (1)

In the darkness, a crimson giant sat upon a massive throne.

He sat still, as if dead, eyes closed, then slowly moved his lips.

“O King. It is time for your decision.”

No one stood before him, yet his tone was as if conversing, urging someone.

He was, indeed, petitioning none other than his foolish and fearsome King.

Though his expression seemed calm at a glance, a whirlwind of holy dryness churned beneath.

The Red Plague Giant, Kalgos, recalled what he had witnessed.

The frail, delicate flesh of a human, faintly stained by God.

How pitiful that meager light was.

“Father, Father…”

Kalgos repeated the name he longed for.

Soon, his lower body began to dissolve.

The plague within him began to surge.

The emotions he held for his father were far too vulgar and base, a corrupt desire raising its head.

“Where have you been all this time? Do you have any idea how much sorrow we endured?”

The giant on the throne muttered to himself.

“I wanted to be the one to sully you with my own hands.”

From the deepest depths underground, there were those who could only reach their hands toward the sky.

Born of depravity and unclean nature, they wished to drag their father down to the lowest depths.

But God was always beyond their reach.

So they struggled, desperate to bring Him down.

For a very, very long time.

“Now, I can reach you. You have already fallen from that high heaven.”

The Demon King had seen it, and so had Kalgos.

And he knew, instinctively.

The omnipotent God they remembered was no more.

Since that day, the ancient goal of conquering the Blue World had completely shifted.

Crawling up from below, even the need to lay claim to the sky and earth had vanished.

“Kkhh, kkhhkhh… Your rightful place is not there.”

Kalgos stretched his hand upward.

The vision of his father, draped in feeble flesh, seemed almost within his grasp.

Kyaaak—

A crimson, massive hand gripped the void. At that moment, an enormous wave of Demonic Energy surged forth.

Through it, a darkness deeper than pitch night mingled and spread.

“…Finally, the foolish and terrifying King has given permission.”

Kalgos’ eyes curved into broad crescents.

***

“What is this…”

I frowned deeply.

Suddenly, I was seized by a discomfort, a feeling so offensive I could barely describe it—like an insult spat in my face.

Without realizing, my gaze drifted to a single point.

The Order of the Knights stood guard atop the fortress walls, beyond which Plague Castle shimmered before my eyes.

Why was that?

A warning bell of vigilance rang within me.

I raised my hand to wipe my face.

At my fingertips, an inexplicable layer of dust seemed to fall away.

Something had undoubtedly changed.

“Deliver the order to the Executive—call an urgent Council Chamber meeting.”

I grabbed a soldier and gave my command, then ascended the fortress walls.

“There aren’t any unusual signs yet…”

As always, the Demonic Energy radiating from Plague Castle was sickening, and the air of the Garden was fresh and invigorating.

Perhaps I’d grown so used to the Garden’s shelter that the contrast now felt all the more striking.

“Why do you look so grim, Sir?”

“It’s nothing. Keep up the watch.”

I shook my head at the friendly knight who’d approached.

There was no need to instill unnecessary anxiety with uncertainties.

‘If only I could use Divine Sight right now…’

The Saint’s Aftereffects still lingered.

My Faith had slowly begun to stir again, but it was still too soon to wield Divine Power.

Such a useful strength—these past few days, I’d felt almost blind without it.

Suppressing the surge of frustration, I headed for the Council Chamber.

***

“It’s been two weeks since we fought the Third Generation.”

“That’s right. But why the sudden urgent meeting…?”

“It seems some anomaly has occurred.”

At my words, the Council Chamber instantly fell silent.

I saw Lord Ord’s eyes trembling minutely among the gathered lords.

I fixed my gaze on Lord Ord.

“What sort of anomaly do you mean?”

“For now… I cannot say.”

Nothing was certain.

But I was convinced.

Something had happened.

“The maturation of Plague Castle has exceeded all my predictions. Even its rebirth as a Third Generation—one could easily call that an anomaly.”

Looking each Executive in the eye, I continued.

“And though we achieved a great victory, the enemy’s movements have been far too quiet.”

“You mean…”

“I can’t be sure, but it seems the enemy does not wish to drag this battle out any longer.”

In truth, I’d had an inkling.

The Demon King had seen me. Kalgos had recognized me.

Those two monsters would not remain idle.

From the very beginning, the entire invasion from the Demon Realm had been to pull God down from His throne.

I could only imagine they were now writhing in impatience, like pigs set on fire.

“We need to send scouts and grasp the true situation.”

Moving to the main topic, I turned to Sig.

Sig understood my meaning and nodded without hesitation.

“I’ll go myself. As long as I’m well protected against Demonic Energy, it won’t take long.”

The Executives, including Lord Ord, expressed their thanks to Sig.

But in their faces, there was an undercurrent of vague tension.

***

The Wyvern circled above Riot Castle, then soon veered southward.

The Sacred Emblem of Hor Church strapped to his back fluttered wildly in the wind.

“For now, until the situation is clear, keep this quiet.”

I watched as Sig, now a distant dot, faded into the sky, when Lord Ord spoke beside me.

“Still… it’s a major problem that our original plan has fallen through.”

He sounded genuinely worried, unlike his usual self.

“What do you mean?”

“We were supposed to block Plague Castle and use that to help Baren rise again. But if, as the Saint says, all-out war is imminent…”

“The foundation is already sufficient.”

I understood what he feared.

But it was merely anxiety.

“The all-out war with Plague Castle is coming sooner than expected, but Baren too has changed rapidly.”

Lord Ord looked puzzled.

I smiled quietly at him.

Baren had become a theocratic nation.

As the King’s madness deepened over time, the people’s Faith grew ever stronger.

That alone was more than enough—but Baren still had its old ally, the Prot Kingdom.

Even if relations had soured for a time, so long as it was the King of Barentis, it was certain he would seek peace through the Hor Church.

Even so, Lord Ord’s worry did not seem to abate.

“The greatest problem is still the Magic Alliance. Those shameless, honorless scholars will undoubtedly try to swoop in and take advantage.”

If only they were half as noble as the Elves—

His grumbling, with that addition, sounded particularly hostile.

“Haha. Well, all-out war isn’t certain yet. Let’s just wait and see.”

I smiled as I tried to lighten his worries.

So, four days passed.

In the far distance, a gray Wyvern staggered through the air.

Sig, atop it, did not look at all well.

As soon as he returned, a meeting was convened.

“The concentration of Demonic Energy is abnormally high.”

Sig, clutching his Holy Water, took a deep breath and spoke.

He looked truly disgusted.

“With the Wyvern, I was only able to get as far as Count Poiro’s territory.”

He reported in detail what he had seen.

The Demonic Energy grew denser, radiating from Plague Castle.

But the castle itself looked strangely grotesque.

“A giant human… It resembled a giant. Was it always like that?”

As soon as Sig finished, everyone in the chamber shook their heads.

“Hmm! Whatever’s happening, they’re really doubling down in there.”

“We should have dealt with this before things deteriorated so badly…”

The commanders furrowed their brows.

Martin Gastain, Grandmaster of the Knight Order, criticized the previous decision made at Riot Castle.

The mood grew heavy in an instant, but I let out a light laugh.

All eyes turned to me again.

“It’s an opportunity.”

Indeed, this was an opportunity.

And an excellent one, at that.

“How is this an opportunity?” Avart asked.

I almost wanted to ask back: Then would you rather it be a disaster?

As I’d said before, Kalgos was one of the Legion Commanders under the Demon King.

“With the enemy’s commander sticking his head out alone, it’s a perfect chance to cut it off.”

The men of the fortress looked at me with expressions difficult to describe.

They seemed unable to grasp it.

“As you all know, Plague Castle was born from the Curse of Kalgos. With each generation, it has unleashed even fouler plague monsters. And the end point of that curse is…”

Perhaps they’d guessed, based on my earlier words.

Someone gulped.

“Legion Commander Kal Gos. He is the Curse of the Plague itself.”

Some might call this the worst disaster imaginable.

But that would be utterly wrong.

“This time, let’s take his head.”

It had been so frustrating, not finishing Kalgos last time.

A chance to face him alone was rare.

And now, he’d come to us of his own accord.

“Usually, to deal with a Legion Commander, you have to fight through their whole army. But now?”

The curse was forcing growth at an unnatural pace.

There wouldn’t be time for his thousands of followers to appear.

At that moment, Sig, who’d been quietly listening, spoke.

“It’s certainly an opportunity, but it’s still dangerous. Even if you defeat the commander, the Magic Alliance will be waiting to strike.”

It was just what Lord Ord had said four days ago.

I smiled again.

“By the time the fighting ends, the Magic Alliance won’t have the strength to attack us.”

“Did you think we’d be fighting them alone?”

That would be nonsense.

The Saint of the southern lands and we are both watching with sharp eyes.

And the timing couldn’t be better.

It was just the moment I’d been waiting for to finally face him myself.