Ten days have passed.
“Believe!”
“B-believe!”
Following the faithful, the knights shouted in awkward voices.
Both uplifted hands were raised toward the sky.
“They’re doing better than I thought.”
I stroked my chin as I watched the spectacle unfold.
A full hundred.
In ten days, the number of knights who had become followers was one hundred.
Faith was spreading at a pace that exceeded my expectations.
“Leon and Aaron haven’t even gotten close yet.”
Ironically, those who used to shout the loudest didn’t even make it into the top 100.
I wondered why that was, and an interesting hypothesis came to mind.
“Most of the knights who have become followers are between the lowest and intermediate rank.”
So perhaps the lower a knight’s rank, the more easily he comes to hold faith.
Even within the Alliance, higher-ranked knights had enormous pride.
To put it plainly, they seemed unable to open their hearts to the very act of believing and serving a god.
In fact, some of the highest-ranked knights couldn’t even bring themselves to pray properly after the first day.
Just like Leon did not long ago.
“They’re just not ready yet.”
Still, I wasn’t particularly worried.
There are more high-ranked knights than highest-ranked, and even more intermediate and lower than that.
Besides, they’re making genuine efforts to become my followers, aren’t they?
“O-hor! O Hor!”
“Light… grant us light!”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched the knights shout, their faces flushed red.
Soon, I turned and entered the citadel.
Today was the day of the meeting.
“There is no sign of any movement from the monsters.”
“Hmm..”
As always, the meeting started with a heavy atmosphere.
Ten days had passed since the battle at Poirga.
There had been no enemy attacks since.
Change in a wartime situation always brings tension.
“Could it be that they hesitate to attack because of the divine presence… or perhaps some kind of light?”
Avart cautiously brought up the topic, and all eyes in the chamber turned to me.
I quietly shook my head.
“Avart, if that presence bothers them, they’d just come charging in. They’re not the type to back away.”
“Then, Saint, why do you think the attacks have stopped?”
“Let me ask the opposite. Why do you assume the Undead have to keep attacking us?”
The executives chewed on my question in silence.
“Another word for offense is defense. Those creatures were actually launching counterattacks to keep us from invading them.”
“Just how many people have already been sacrificed to the darkness that swallowed half of the Baren Kingdom?
The ‘living sacrifices’ had already been more than sufficient.
All that remained was the grand ritual to break the boundary between the Demon Realm and this world.
“Then shouldn’t we hurry and give the order to march? Waiting like this just gives them time.”
A valid point.
But not yet.
“There is no reason to leave the fortress and attack the enemy head-on. As you know, we’ve only just gained the advantage of defense.”
“Then what should we do…”
The Lich are cunning—truly, devilishly cunning.
Who could possibly guess how many troops they’ve stockpiled?
If we recklessly attack, it’s only natural that things won’t end well.
“If they don’t come, then we’ll make them come.”
First, we need to scout Polin Castle and its surroundings.
Conveniently, I have just the right person for this task.
“Why, what?”
Moritz, who always attends meetings diligently as a Bartenberg, flinched under my subtle gaze.
That this fellow became the second follower born from within the Alliance…
“The god has given you a special mission.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“At last, I’ve been chosen! Tell me now, what’s the order?”
“Tsk. I said I’ll tell you later.”
Moritz, desperate to know, sat down with a huff.
What a funny guy.
He became a follower with astonishing speed, and now he’s as devout as any of the existing ones.
“Anyway, let’s set aside the matters regarding the Undead for now. Next is Horgyo.”
With that, I swept my gaze across the chamber.
Those in the leadership who met my eyes coughed and looked away.
“How is it that not one of you is a follower?”
It would be a relief if that’s all.
Hardly anyone here even bothers to pray properly.
“We do try every day, but it’s still a bit awkward…”
“I feel the same. I know it in my head, but in my heart…”
Their pride is truly second to none.
Most knights are like that, and the more accomplished they are, the worse it gets.
“Saint. I find it a bit strange.”
“What is?”
Suddenly, Leon spoke to me.
His face was full of discontent.
“Why has He not accepted me as a follower?”
“Why else? It’s because your faith is lacking.”
“But you know I take part in the rituals with devotion every time.”
For ten days now, the prophets had been conducting the rituals.
It’s not as grand as it sounds; it was simply a gathering for prayer.
“Try a little harder. You don’t believe as much as you think you do.”
A deeper scowl formed on Leon’s face.
But what else could I say?
This was all I could tell him.
***
After the meeting.
Richard led the executives out through the rear gate of Riot Castle.
Somehow, Adele had joined their procession.
“Hehe! The children are coming soon!”
Adele clung to Richard’s hand and beamed a bright smile.
Her innocent expression brought a faint smile to the lips of several in the leadership.
“Who’s coming? Has the druid lady made some animal friends?”
“What are you talking about? My children are not animals.”
The leader who’d spoken awkwardly scratched his cheek at the unexpected answer.
“Reinforcements are coming.”
“Saint, what do you mean…”
At that moment,
From beyond the wall came the sound of wild beasts’ footsteps.
Everyone at the rear gate turned their heads that way.
“Who are they?”
About fifty people, faces hidden behind masks and hoods, came racing on carriages.
Perhaps there was some magic at work—the wheels carrying people moved as lightly as the wind.
Clack—
They soon arrived before the rear gate.
Without hesitation, they knelt and bowed their heads.
“We have come at the call of the Great Mother.”
A look of confusion appeared in the executives’ eyes.
Who were these people, and who was the Great Mother?
They couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation.
“Why do you hide such beautiful faces behind masks? I want to see you.”
It was Adele who spoke.
Drawing every eye to herself, she walked up to the kneeling masked figure at the front.
“It’s been a long time, Tasar.”
With her small hand, she removed the wooden mask.
Then, she pulled down the hood that covered the head.
“An Elf?”
“Saint! What in the world…”
The executives murmured in astonishment.
It was understandable—they were all Elves, every masked one before their eyes.
“You were the chief, right? You look so different I barely recognized you.”
“I’d say the same for you. I knew humans grew up quickly, but you especially have grown so fast.”
Richard met the gaze of Tasar, the Elf Chief.
When he’d first seen them, the Elves looked like withered roots.
Now, they had regained their former beauty.
Their appearances were so striking it could stop hearts.
Man or woman, every one of them was outstandingly beautiful.
Of course, Richard hadn’t sought out the Elves for their beauty.
“Listen well. From now on, these people will stand with the Alliance to defend Riot Castle.”
Shocked, the eyes of the knights—Leon included—widened.
Elves stepping forward to help humans.
Given the deep rift between the two races, it was hard to believe.
“Saint—”
Just how had he become close with the Elves?
And what was Adele’s true identity?
As Leon was about to voice his curiosity,
“If you don’t take off your mask, you won’t get any Holy Wine.”
Richard, holding the mark of holiness with a pained hand, spoke while looking at one spot.
At the end of his gaze stood a man who still wore his mask.
“Tch.”
A short clicking of the tongue echoed out, and the final masked man revealed his face.
“When your master goes this far, you could at least pretend to be fooled. Hmph, impudent brat.”
The last masked man was Vallach.
***
“I’ve been waiting for you, Master.”
Richard, having moved to a room prepared in the citadel, spoke.
For some reason, his voice was slightly cold.
“Are you sulking because I came late, like a housewife?”
“Do you even realize?”
He had opened his imprint during that battle with the dragon.
A good amount of time had passed since then, and now he had even obtained his second Star Remnant.
“Handling the Stars is not as easy as it looks.”
“Of course not. It shouldn’t be.”
Grrk—
Richard gritted his teeth.
You should have come by and taught me some techniques at least—he wanted to say, but held it back with effort.
There was still much he needed to learn from Vallach.
“Still, you’ve become quite interesting!”
Regardless, Vallach busily poked and prodded here and there on Richard.
He was amazed once at the transformation, twice at the mana attribute.
“A successor of the Sword Saint with a mana attribute! Hahaha!”
Actually, Vallach himself had more than a few questions.
Just what kind of relationship did he have with the pointy-ears, and what was the light emanating from his body, and so on.
But for now, he simply laughed.
The most important matter was something else.
“Now, bring me the Holy Wine already.”
Holy Wine.
Even after wandering the continent, he’d never found a drink more flavorful.
Vallach licked his lips at the thought of tasting the finest liquor again after so long.
No matter how much he tried to keep up the dignity of a Master, when it came to the Holy Wine, he was like a child with candy.
“Water is healthier than liquor. How about a glass of Holy water instead?”
But Richard wasn’t about to give in.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
A cold silence stretched between them.
At last, Richard opened his mouth.
“If you grant my request, I’ll give you the finest Holy Wine.”
“Let me say in advance: I have no intention of taking part in this war.”
“What?”
At that nonchalant reply, Vallach’s eyebrows twitched.
“Aren’t you curious why?”
As one who wielded multiple Stars, he was on the same level as Ludwig—one of the very strongest.
If Vallach joined the fight, the Alliance’s casualties would be drastically reduced.
To the enemy commander, Serichi, he would be like a natural disaster.
Yet, when such a valuable ally refused to participate, Richard seemed strangely unfazed.
“The darkness that covers the world will not end with this one event. From now on, humanity must learn how to fight against the darkness. We can’t just wait for some fairy-tale hero to appear.”
Even if it means great sacrifice—
Richard murmured softly.
Swish.
Vallach’s eyes filled with admiration.
“That’s right. That’s why your father and I aren’t stepping forward. But I’m surprised you understand the reason.”
He continued,
“It seems the world will soon rally around you.”
He recalled the banner he’d seen before entering the citadel.
He already knew that the energy within belonged to Richard.
A power in direct opposition to Demonic Energy.
Could there be anyone more attention-grabbing than this at such a time?
“So, what’s your request?”
“Do you believe in God?”
“Hah, what’s with this sudden talk of gods?”
Suddenly, the old man’s wrinkled face hardened.
“Become a follower of Horgyo. Until then, there will be no Holy Wine.”
On the other hand, Richard smiled in satisfaction.