“Stay calm! Do not approach recklessly; summon the holy knights of the Emperor’s Cult at once!”
Even amid the urgent tension, Kain responded rationally, drawing on the developer memories still etched in his mind.
The holy knights of the Emperor’s Cult were a sect that worshipped the Felberg emperors and imperial family, who carried the blood of the Star Thrones. Because they could wield divine power by nature, they were capable of powerfully countering black magic.
Knowing this well, Kain repeatedly urged the imperial knights to call for the Cult’s members.
The holy knights of the Emperor’s Cult had long been forced to sacrifice themselves to restore the declining authority of the imperial family.
Though they had lived in seclusion until now, hiding their identities, ever since it became widely known that Kain had awakened a Sigil, they had begun gathering in the capital Granada, starting with Aaron Valerian from Canossa Fortress.
Even at this very moment, a considerable number of holy knights were assisting with the defense of the imperial palace and the Sun Palace.
“Hurry! Go now!”
At Baron Heinrich Denver’s urging, two Imperial Guards rushed out of the audience chamber to request reinforcements, and seven knights from the corridor ran in to replace them.
“KRRRRRRRRRR!”
While Kain’s swift response prompted the knights and mages to act quickly, Baron Hog Melros lost his human form and transformed into something closer to a monster.
Kain looked at him with a complicated expression and thought.
Idiot. Did he really think that was an escape scroll… Right until the end, he danced in their palms.
Anyone with half a brain would know that those who had gone this far would never let their pawn walk away alive.
Kain did not know how they had deceived an upper-rank mage like Melros, but if the baron had truly believed he could commit such foul deeds and escape alive, then his level was exactly what one would expect.
Anyway.
While carefully observing the being that was once Melros, Kain pieced together fragments of memories related to the game’s world setting.
This feels like the effect of one of the DLCs.
Among the currently applied secret DLCs was one titled March of the Dead, which contained various events related to black magic.
But…
This is bad.
Kain’s face stiffened as he bit his lip.
March of the Dead was an unfinished DLC.
Moreover, no balance adjustments had been made, so the power level of the main villain was almost impossible to handle.
He still did not know how it would interact with the other secret DLCs, but it seemed he would have to brace himself even more.
“Do not approach carelessly. That thing has lost its humanity to black magic and become a demon. Until we know exactly what kind of black magic was used, stay back. Maintain formation and wait until the holy knights of the Emperor’s Cult arrive.”
To prevent meaningless deaths, Kain gave calm orders to the knights.
Fortunately, though the knights looked momentarily surprised at his precise instructions, they soon followed his command and calmly began responding to Melros’s mutation.
With the allies’ confusion quickly settled, the transformed Melros—the demon—could not launch a reckless preemptive attack.
Yet the uneasy peace did not last long.
“KRRRRRR!”
Sensing the rapid approach of divine power from the corridor, the demon that was once Hog Melros reacted violently.
“KRRR! KYAAAA!”
“Block it!”
As the demon raised both hands with a monstrous shriek, blades of pitch-black darkness shot from its body.
Before the Imperial Guards could react, the black projectiles flew straight toward Kain’s throat.
An aura blade surged from Baron Denver’s sword, but it looked like it would be too close.
Yet.
[Authority of Brignac, Viscount of Swiftness — Momentary Swiftness activates.]
From the very beginning, Kain had never intended to leave everything to Baron Denver.
The Sigil on the back of his hand glowed.
The Authority of the Star Throne, Momentary Swiftness, manifested.
As Brignac’s Sigil activated and the power of swiftness filled him, Kain felt as though the flow of the entire world had slowed.
Everything moved in slow motion; the black projectiles aimed at him were perfectly visible.
The trajectories of the dark blades raining down on the Imperial Guards were crystal clear.
However, if he simply retreated now, he could dodge the projectiles aimed at him, but the Imperial Guards would be slaughtered by the dark blades.
I won’t allow that.
Kain had already overexerted himself using the Sigil’s power to protect the citizens in the grand plaza on coronation day and had even suffered painful mana depletion.
Yet he could not hesitate, not even once.
While stepping back to evade the black projectiles, he simultaneously injected mana into Vendelhaven’s Sigil and activated it.
[Sigil of Vendelhaven, Baron of Protection activates.]
In that fleeting moment, the power of protection also activated.
A brilliant golden aura gathered in front of the Imperial Guards, blocking the dark blades.
“KRRRRRR!”
When Momentary Swiftness ended and the world returned to normal speed, Kain saw the Imperial Guards safely withdrawn thanks to Vendelhaven’s Authority.
The ferocious black projectiles had passed where Kain had stood and embedded themselves into the wall.
With all its attacks thwarted, the creature that had once been Baron Melros began raging even more furiously.
“KYAAAAAAAA!”
The moment it extended sharp-bladed tentacles in every direction with another shriek, Aaron Valerian of the Emperor’s Cult burst into the audience chamber.
“How dare this blasphemer act with such insolence before His Imperial Majesty!”
With a thunderous roar, Aaron Valerian’s eyes turned golden.
The golden energy forming in his grip took the shape of a greatsword and swung toward the demon.
CLANG!
A deafening metallic sound rang out as the demon’s neck twisted grotesquely.
For an ordinary human, the impact would have been instantly fatal.
Yet the monster, no longer possessing a human structure, did not die immediately.
Instead, it swung its right arm—now transformed into a sharp blade—toward Aaron Valerian with ferocious force.
It was a slash so fast that even Aaron Valerian, who had just stepped into the early realm of Meister, could barely follow it with his eyes.
If nothing intervened, Aaron’s head would fall before he could respond.
But just before the demon’s blade reached Aaron’s neck, another presence made itself known.
“Defend unto death!”
The moment Aaron’s shout erupted, the demon’s body was pushed backward.
It could not withstand the fervor of the devout holy knight.
The mission to protect Kain Felberg—the last descendant of the Star Thrones remaining in the imperial family—no matter what, and the fervent faith in the emperor.
Those two forces combined once more to create a momentary miracle within Aaron Valerian.
To protect Kain, Aaron began wildly swinging a massive golden greatsword, fueled by his sense of duty.
Meanwhile, the creature that had once been Hog Melros screamed each time the enraged holy knight’s golden greatsword unleashed storms of divine power.
Less than three minutes after the real fight began, its neck twisted grotesquely once again.
“GURK!”
“Blasphemer! Receive His Imperial Majesty’s wrath!”
The demon tried to regenerate the moment its neck snapped, but this time Aaron was faster.
Before regeneration could begin, Aaron’s greatsword cleaved the demon’s skull in two.
CRACK.
The demon with the split head collapsed, emitting a horrific noise of agony, and never rose again.
Before the miracle wrought by a holy knight of the Emperor’s Cult, the demon born of black magic met a powerless death.
“Loyalty to His Imperial Majesty and the Felberg Empire!”
Having dispatched the demon in an instant, Aaron Valerian made an exaggerated gesture to emphasize his devotion to the emperor, the imperial family, and the empire.
The atmosphere was so reverent it seemed he might begin prayers at any moment.
Yet even a fanatic like Aaron, obsessed with the emperor, apparently knew when and where to draw the line; he did not actually start praying to the emperor right there.
“I-incredible…”
“So this is the power of the Emperor’s Cult?”
Aaron Valerian had once been a Grand Chevalier, but after witnessing the emperor awaken his Sigil on coronation day and personally performing a miracle, he had stepped into the early realm of Meister.
The prowess of this devout holy knight was overwhelming.
The Imperial Guards in the audience chamber wore expressions of open astonishment.
However, unlike the simple-minded Aaron Valerian, Baron Heinrich Denver’s face was filled with extreme agitation.
The other holy knights of the Emperor’s Cult and the court mages who rushed in afterward began cleaning up the demon’s corpse.
Was it finally over?
As Kain watched the scene, he slowly spoke to Baron Denver.
“Baron Denver. Why do you look so displeased?”
“There will be more.”
At the baron’s stiff reply, Kain gave a small laugh.
“Of course there will be more.”
“I have no excuse.”
It seemed the commander of the Imperial Guard, responsible for the emperor’s overall protection, was blaming himself.
Moments ago, when the creature drew the scroll, Denver should have been the first to act or give orders, yet he had been confused.
While Kain organized the situation and manifested his Sigils to protect himself, Denver had done nothing.
Yet.
Kain understood his feelings, but this was not something worth self-reproach.
Even if this had been a game rather than reality, responding to such a sudden event would have been difficult.
Kain spoke to him in a calm tone, encouraging him.
“Baron. You are doing more than enough. Though an unfortunate incident occurred today, it is not your fault.”
Perhaps the immense duty and responsibility of protecting the empire’s last hope weighed heavily on his shoulders.
That must be why he was reacting so excessively.
“Let us think positively. We have secured traces of black magic… We may be able to borrow the power of the Religious Alliance.”
At the emperor’s words of consolation, Baron Denver’s eyes widened.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Kain’s mouth.
It had been an unexpected variable, but Kain was the kind of person who could always find a way to turn it to his advantage.