One week had passed.
During that time, the Union had thoroughly completed their preparations.
“Finally, we’re heading to the last battlefield.”
“Damn bastards. I want to see what kind of deal they’re making.”
The Knights clenched their fists, burning with battle fervor.
After tormenting them for over half a year, it was only natural their teeth would grind in anger.
“Hor!”
Some among them closed their eyes in prayer.
Begging to be by their side in this battle.
Of course, I intended to answer their prayers.
“Did you pack enough water?”
“Yes. All thirty supply wagons are fully loaded.”
Leon answered straightforwardly by my side.
His attitude was so different from before that it made me smile.
‘It was only recently I realized that the more faith these guys had, the more sincere they felt towards me.’
Why is that?
Is it because I am a god named ‘Richard’?
Anyway, it’s truly surprising.
Loyalty is crucial to a knight, and if I could inspire even a fraction of that feeling, it would yield results far more valuable than any miracle.
Of course, Leon’s faith wasn’t that deep.
He had become a believer, but he probably only prayed once or twice, spending forty or fifty mana each time.>
“Young master! Please make just one promise to Aaron!”
Just then, Aaron suddenly rushed over and spoke with a desperate look.
“What promise all of a sudden?”
What on earth was he trying to say?
He swallowed hard with a serious expression before speaking.
“If I perform well in this battle… please grant me the qualification of a Saint Knight. As your direct knight, it’s unacceptable for me not to be one.”
Sorry, but that’s not something I can decide on my own.
How should I put it?
“Alright. Hor will watch over you. So do your best.”
Luckily, it seemed like a satisfactory answer, as Aaron pounded his chest with a resolute look.
That was until Leon chimed in with a jab.
“I think that’s a bit much for the 863rd believer. Haha!”
His words were like a dagger hitting a sore spot.
Aaron wanted to become a believer out of loyalty to me, not because he had strong faith.
And Leon was no different.
He sang loudly about becoming a believer purely out of curiosity.
That was just the kind of guy he was.
“The 1691st believer doesn’t have a say in this.”
“Ugh? Even so, I am the commander of the Union army. That kind of careless talk doesn’t sit well with me.”
Leaving the two in their playful bickering behind, I took a walk around the castle.
Half the wagons were parked here and there, and the other half were ridden by battle-mages clad in armor.
The vast Riot Castle suddenly felt cramped.
“Shall we get moving?”
What use were boring speeches?
The men, who must have steeled their hearts over the past week, needed no lengthy words.
***
The large army began to move.
[In the dark of night—]
[He will deliver good news through the lantern—]
[Soon, the dawn will break.]
The song of the choir echoed from the wagons carrying them.
Their voices were filled with even more beautiful and sacred energy.
It was because they drank the holy water like it was water.
“Have faith!”
“Now, the dawn—”
The Knights sang along as they marched.
Their chaotic and off-key voices carried a surprisingly good energy.
“Hmmm…”
Riding high on Narre, I glanced back.
The resolute faces of the men came into view.
Determination, confidence, battle spirit.
Expressions filled with every possible emotional detail for combat.
How long would that last?
Of course, high morale was good.
But the hellish demonic energy unfolding ahead tortured my senses without pause.
The advance itself wouldn’t be easy.
There was no better environment to tighten the long-standing tension.
We kept moving forward.
Clash!
The reckless undead horde charging at us was cut down in an instant.
The uncontrollable undead would eventually be pushed back by us anyway.
It was like running headlong into fire.
After destroying the village several times, the forest blocked our path.
Or rather, a boundary line.
According to Moritz’s testimony, the demonic energy felt from beyond there was of a different kind.
“Let’s go.”
***
We crossed the Dead Forest.
Soon after, the Dead River.
“….”
The Union, which had advanced vigorously, was now silent.
With pale expressions, they merely swallowed their saliva.
The demonic energy beyond the boundary was… how to put it?
Yes, borrowing Moritz’s expression:
If the inside’s demonic energy was mana, then outside’s was aura.
A fitting metaphor.
It was so apt that it was almost obscene.
Some of the harsher knights respectfully glanced at Moritz.
To have come alone here, and to have surveyed the enemy’s territory all by himself.
“H-Hik!”
Moritz himself shivered in fear he could never get used to.
“Young master. At this point—”
“No.”
I shook my head at Leon, who was trying to speak gently.
Not yet.
I intended to wait until we reached the limit of retreat.
“Heh heh. One tough bastard.”
“Are you alright, Sir Vallach?”
Our reliable variable grinned.
When I asked Vallach, he shrugged nonchalantly.
“Have you ever guarded the rear of a wolf pack? There’s barely any difference between that and this.”
“Ah, that’s a fitting metaphor.”
I sighed and looked ahead.
We advanced for quite some time more.
Hic hic hik—!
Eventually, some of the purebred warhorses stopped one by one.
No matter how many hymns were sung, no matter how much holy oil was applied to their armor, they refused to budge.
“At least they’ve endured this much.”
With demonic energy raging so fiercely, forcing passion on the horses was cruel.
I looked back at the Union once again.
Each knight wore a determined expression.
The good thing was, their morale hadn’t dropped.
Rather, their firm resolve blazed fiercely in their eyes.
Just the state I wanted.
They had to fully feel how dangerous the place we were heading was.
Fwoosh—!
Quietly, I emitted a radiant halo.
The pitch-black surroundings brightened in an instant.
The Knights’ gazes toward me blazed even hotter.
At this rate, the horses would move again.
We resumed our advance.
“Do not be afraid!”
“They cannot harm us!”
“Today will be remembered in history!”
The hymn ‘It is well’ exploded like a marching song.
Whether monsters or anything else dared to come, we shouted defiantly.
“Ohhhh! Hor commands it!”
“Faith will spread far and wide!”
Amid the booming march, the Union passed countless villages and territories.
***
“We’ve arrived.”
After how long?
After marching for days and nights, the Union came to a halt all at once.
The First Fortress, Polin Castle, was right before us.
Its appearance was so grotesque it was hard to call it a castle.
An ordinary person would have thrown up just looking at it.
“Hah… I still can’t believe I went in there alone.”
Moritz muttered quietly with distant eyes.
“Haha! Moritz, you really were a tough guy. I couldn’t have done it.”
“That’s just because you probably wet yourself crossing the forest.”
The Knights bantered with the enemy just ahead.
The commanders, including myself, didn’t stop them.
It was just their way of adjusting their tension.
“Chwik, amazing warrior! When are we charging? I’m burning up here!”
Among them, Huger was the most excited.
They say an Orc’s nerves are like iron strings, and this guy seemed made of adamantium strings.
“We’re not the ones charging in.”
I chuckled.
Was there really any need to charge the enemy?
Just getting this far was a statement to the castle.
“Adele.”
“Hmm.”
I grabbed the hand she extended.
Then I poured in almost all my faith.
Adele, who accepted my faith fully, stomped her foot.
Thud!
A massive tree trunk shot up from the ground.
It twisted and wound, stretching long across the earth.
Its shape resembled a sturdy, high castle wall.
Goooh—
At the same time, a pale green light flowed from the tree trunk.
It was a combination of Adele’s ‘life’ and my faith.
“Hold your ground.”
“Make it unbearable for them to come through!”
The Knights, having already heard the plan, moved swiftly and in order.
Now that they had become immersed in the battlefield, the optimal environment was created for them.
[The lantern passes on faith—]
[We stand as lanterns in that bond.]
[The darkness can’t even swallow a faint faith—]
[Eventually, it just consumes itself.]
The choir, having dismounted from the wagon, and the Elves sang from behind the tree roots.
“What do you have among you?”
“We have lanterns!”
“What lies ahead of you?”
“Darkness!”
Boom, boom!
The Knights struck their chests and shouted.
“Soon the darkness will vanish!”
“Waaah!”
As if startled out of fear, a fierce war cry rang out, and I drew my dark sword.
“Being a mage doesn’t always mean you’re smart.”
Despite all the noise, there was no response from the Liches.
It seemed they had completely cut themselves off from the outside world.
They must have set multiple layers of powerful barriers.
“You’ll regret this.”
They greatly underestimated us.
They also overestimated their own plans.
Maybe they were pushed here hastily by the Demon King’s army.
But what did I care?
I took a deep breath and shouted.
“Attack!”
Immediately, holy oil-coated arrows filled the sky in an instant.
Following them, the Elves’ magic fiercely swept in.
Crash, crash, crash!
The bitter smoke rose from the hit Polin Castle.
Before the smoke could settle, the bombardment continued.
Still, there was no response from the enemy.
How long would the demons’ shallow patience last?
“Perfect timing.”
I looked up at the castle’s highest tower, barely visible through the hazy dust.
If the demonic energy had been even a little less intense, it would have been a disaster.
In the end, the conclusion is what matters.
In other words, the Liches were in a situation where, even if they realized the ambush, they couldn’t do anything about it.
If their focus wavered even slightly, all the effort they put in would be for nothing.