Chapter 86: The Prophets of Baren (1)

Through divine revelation, the world was shrouded in a thick darkness of Demonic Energy.

I looked down upon the capital city.

The expressions of the people living their daily lives were always tinged with anxiety.

Among them, some displayed incomprehensible acts of violence.

It was due to contamination by Demonic Energy.

Such phenomena first appeared among the lower classes.

Harsh realities naturally pushed humans to the brink.

The moment one crossed the line drawn in their heart, they would become a complete Demon.

Unfortunately, once someone turned into a Demon, no matter what they did, there was no returning to their original self.

‘The plague will spread soon, so worrying won’t help.’

With that thought, I shifted my gaze over the Baren Kingdom where I was staying.

In an instant, the scene blurred before my eyes, and this time, the image of Riot Castle unfolded.

“Ugh, uuaaah!”

A scream filled with fear.

“Who the hell shouted? Get out here right now!”

A commanding officer shouted loudly, leading the soldiers.

Riot Castle, to put it plainly, was far from peaceful.

The plague had not yet broken out.

They were merely preparing for it.

“D-Don’t be afraid! Let faith spread far and wide!”

Knights and soldiers sent by the royal court ran around the gates of Riot Castle, singing hymns.

If the nobles or the king of the royal court had witnessed this, they might have grabbed their necks in frustration.

The knights of Riot Castle, who were utterly blind to politics, faithfully followed my advice.

No matter how well the newly dispatched royal forces performed, in the end, they were amateurs.

They had never personally fought covered in Demonic Energy.

Still, since they couldn’t just throw untrained soldiers into battle empty-handed, they were at least undergoing courage training like this.

Thanks to that, the new soldiers were even named after me and God.

From my point of view, it was quite humble; from Baren’s perspective, it was a ridiculous situation.

The royal court was trying to maintain royal authority and even revising laws, yet here they were, coming to me without filters.

Well, the situation was the situation, so even the heads of the alliance couldn’t oppose it.

‘There’s not much time left.’

The Demonic Energy coming from the direction of Polin Castle felt ominous.

Soon, the monsters called the plague would reveal themselves.

A long, relentless war would break out.

No low-ranking divine blessing could purify Polin Castle.

Legion Commander Kalgos’s curse was too powerful.

‘But that doesn’t mean everything is bad.’

Baren was a nation suffering from one disaster piled on top of another.

But it wasn’t all that simple.

There is an old saying that crisis is also opportunity.

At least to me, Demonic Energy and Polin Castle were opportunities.

Ah, speaking of opportunities, there was yet another crisis to be turned into one.

‘Allan Marks.’

I shifted my perspective again.

Feeling the concentrated faith, I stared intently at the world reflected in divine revelation.

“Fireball.”

Flames!

A fireball the size of a saint’s body blocked my view.

A magic spell tainted by a black aura mixed into the bright red flames.

It was Allan’s handiwork.

“…Damn it.”

Allan stomped his foot, clearly frustrated at having used dark magic, looking like he despised himself.

“Hang in there.”

Allan’s mental strength was stronger than expected, absorbing the Demonic Energy from two high-ranking demons and maintaining a calm spirit.

“When the hell is the damn revelation going to come….”

Allan muttered while pulling something out of his pocket.

Looking closely, it was a neatly preserved leaf.

Thanks to the many revelations he had received, Allan was holding on well, but his complexion grew paler by the day.

I silently watched over him every single day.

Since the first revelation, I hadn’t tried to contact him once.

Revelation was not an ability to be used often, so I had to get a definite result with each use.

It’s really unfortunate, but for that to happen, Allan needed to become more desperate.

And slowly, I could see his mental strength nearing its limit.

***

I paused the divine revelation and sought out the believers.

I planned to deliver a revelation to Allan tomorrow.

The timing was ripe, and watching someone suffer was an exhausting ordeal.

“Richard!”

The sharply angry voice of Moritz rang in my ears.

When I looked his way, he was scowling deeply.

“How long are you going to waste time here?”

“We’ve only just arrived.”

“It’s already the third day! Even now, the brothers in Riot Castle must be trembling in fear…!”

He couldn’t even look after himself but worried about others endlessly.

But was it only Moritz?

“I’m a little worried, too.”

“I am too… I’m worried whether the knights are eating well.”

Aaron and Mary approached me, making their concerns known.

The faces of the believers behind them were similar.

“They’re not children left by the water’s edge, so why like this?”

“Because we don’t know when the battle will begin.”

“They’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”

“How do you know that?”

How could I not?

I had just seen it with my own eyes.

I flicked my fingers dismissively behind Aaron’s confused expression.

“What we should be worried about is not the brave knights, but the people of Baren trembling over there.”

“The people…?”

The Snowfall believers, including Mary, lit up their eyes.

It was as if they had spotted prey.

“Right. We decided to evangelize the Hor Church in Baren. They are desperate for the Light.”

Excitement

More than me, it was the Snowfall believers—that is, the evangelists—who were excited.

Like when they were appointed as prophets, they clenched their fists tightly, burning with a sense of mission.

“What? That’s what this was about?”

Moritz suddenly turned red.

“Why are you only telling me now? No, why did you decide this on your own?”

“Because I am a Saint and you are just a Lowest-Ranked Evangelist.”

How could Moritz understand my thoughts?

Since it had come to this, I decided to gather the Hor Church believers and explain the current situation.

“As you know, half the territory of the Baren Kingdom is covered in Demonic Energy. We’ve lost countless knights and soldiers, and politically, the situation is difficult.”

To make matters worse, demons were appearing everywhere across the kingdom.

If I were to sum up Baren now,

“Our body is sick, our arms have fallen off, yet the enemies we face are countless.”

Yes, that’s accurate.

Mary opened her mouth brightly in response to my apt description.

“Ouch! That’s a straightforward way to put it!”

“…Exactly. Anyway, the Baren Kingdom faces many problems beyond just Riot Castle.”

The believers’ mouths opened wide as if discovering new facts.

“As expected of the Saint!”

“I didn’t understand the deeper meaning.”

“Why not go out to the streets and evangelize now?”

Those praising me wiggled their backsides as if ready to head out at once.

“No. We will evangelize only to the nobles gathered separately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“There’s a reason.”

Today just happened to be the day those nobles were supposed to come.

“Mary and about ten evangelists will stay with me. The others should rest.”

It was then that I felt a gaze watching me closely from right beside me.

“Gide?”

Stripping off the formal attire of a steward, clad in light armor, was the veteran warrior Gide Meyer.

Since leaving Bartenberg, Gide had become much quieter.

“…May I go with you as well?”

“If you don’t believe, how can you evangelize?”

“Opposed. This Lowest-Ranked Evangelist wants to share the same purpose as the Saint.”

Gide’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t given him a detailed explanation about God.

This would be a good opportunity.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

“Thank you.”

***

“Let’s go.”

The Trantis Marquess stepped forward.

The nobles followed behind him.

“We have been granted a noble mission.”

“That’s right.”

Having been appointed by the king, they quickly understood their place.

Whether there is a God or not, Richard’s Light certainly drove away the Demonic Energy.

Also, through Riot Castle, they had come to understand the tremendous power religion held.

What the Marquess and nobles must do was to find a way to spread Richard’s Light and religion without affecting the royal authority.

For today, they decided to take the first step by learning the doctrines of the Hor Church.

“Everyone, stay sharp. If you let your guard down even a little, you don’t know what kind of brainwashing you might fall into.”

The Marquess kept warning tirelessly.

He was naturally suspicious and considered Richard someone he could never fully trust.

Of course, it was certain that Richard was the guardian of Riot Castle, but that didn’t mean suspicion vanished.

“You have arrived, Prophets of Baren.”

The ten nobles soon reached Richard.

Behind Richard stood the original believers.

Holding banners emblazoned with the cross symbol, they were clearly believers of the Hor Church.

“Before hearing the doctrines of the Hor Church, Evangelist Mary will give a sermon.”

The evangelization began immediately without any formal greeting.

The Marquess swallowed nervously.

After all, this was the only way to save Baren now.

If the Light was not urgent, it would be a lie.

“Greetings. I am Mary, an evangelist of the Hor Church!”

Mary stepped forward.

Her graceful face held a fierce passion that only one who enjoyed evangelization could possess.

All eyes turned to Mary.

Shaa—

“Hu, huuh!”

A subtle halo radiated from her body.

For the nobles who thought only Richard could shine with light, it was a stunning sight.

The Trantis Marquess looked down at himself.

What he felt was warmth.

It wasn’t as strong as Richard’s Light, but the halo Mary emitted also contained a warmth that drove away Demonic Energy.

The most important fact was that this Light was not Richard’s exclusive possession.

‘…I have to learn how to draw out that Light!’

Once they learned how, the royal court could spread the Light themselves.

Then the royal authority would rise higher than ever before, and the turbulent public sentiment would stabilize.

It wasn’t just Richard’s idea; the nobles burned with enthusiasm in unison.

The purpose of learning the Hor Church doctrine had already taken a back seat.

“Baren is now in a dangerous situation. But don’t worry! The light of Hor, Saint Richard, leads the way with the Light…”

Mary clutched the banner of the Hor Church tightly and delivered a long speech.

“Oh! The power of the Hor Church is truly great!”

“Already, my heart feels at ease. That you have brought the Light of Hor to us…!”

“With such brilliant Light, no darkness can cover Baren!”

Watching the situation, Richard gave a faint smile.

It was just like before.

He praised and admired in words, while secretly aiming for his own desires.

But now was not the time for that.

“Mary, stop.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We definitely need to start with mental education.”

He stepped back from Mary, who was in mid-sermon.

The nobles’ minds were filled more with how to exploit the Light than with faith itself.

To them, the sermon was just nagging.

“I understand, but isn’t this a bit much? I don’t want to be a pushover.”

If they didn’t have enough faith from the start, they wouldn’t be able to wield the Light.

Richard decided he really needed to instill true faith.

That was his thought.