Chapter 94: Plague of Kalgos (3)

Riot Castle was preparing for the coming battle.

I sat perched atop the castle wall, where I could take in the whole fortress at a glance, and checked my Status Window.

“Status Window.”

[Hor] [Lesser Divinity]

》 [Church Level – 2]

ㅁ Number of Devotees – 45,512

ㅁ Faith – 22,502,754

ㅁ Authorities – [Devotee Appointment] [Receiving Prayer] [Divine Sight] [Divine Revelation]

Unlocked Positions – [Lowest-Ranked Evangelist] 42/50 [Lowest-Ranked Paladin] 30/30 [Lowest-Ranked Priest] 20/20

[Evangelist] 0/5 [Paladin] 0/3 [Priest] 0/2

Twenty-two million faith.

If this had been not long ago, I wouldn’t have even dreamed of seeing a number like that in my Status Window—it felt like the accomplishment of a successful businessman.

Should I call this Status Window my account ledger, then?

“Not bad.”

Didn’t they say the population of Baren Royal Capital was about thirty thousand?

The earnest prayers of those people had steadily piled up for me, recording the enormous number of twenty million.

Among them, quite a few have become devotees.

Of course, the same was true for the men of Riot Castle—some among the newly added soldiers had become devotees as well.

“If I hadn’t had Divine Sight, it would’ve been a disaster.”

That’s the thought I have most these days.

The efficiency of Divine Sight is simply incredible; even without meeting each one face-to-face, I could turn them into devotees.

Without this power, even finding potential devotees would’ve been a Herculean task.

Positions like Evangelist are automatically bestowed upon meeting the requirements, so aside from the Marquess of Trantis, even the other nobles became Evangelists—a joyous event.

So now, the amount of faith coming in every day is about a million.

I’ve spent millions here and there in the fight against the plague, but there’s still plenty left.

Surely I’ll be able to gather even more faith in the days ahead.

Once the faith of the Royal Capital is firmly established, it’ll spread to other territories as well.

“Fear not!”

“Hor is with us, and the Saint stands among you!”

Familiar voices rang out.

Turning my head toward the castle, I saw the Temple Knights giving speeches.

Aaron had suggested this event, saying it was essential for boosting the morale of the troops before battle.

Thus, the days at Riot Castle passed busily.

Now, even without being told, anyone could feel it.

The stench of death was drawing near.

“I’m less nervous than I thought.”

“You’re so nervous you can’t even feel it, you know your legs are shaking like crazy right now?”

A heavy tension pressed down on the fortress.

No one could say for sure whether the attack from the Plague monster would come today or tomorrow.

More and more people found themselves unable to sleep, anxious about the threat that loomed just ahead.

Watching these soldiers—more like broken remnants than an army—I frowned.

They hadn’t even fought yet, but their faces already wore the expressions of defeat.

But just because they’re soldiers doesn’t mean they’re useless.

If each of them does their assigned role well, we’ll be able to achieve the efficiency of three thousand knights.

“Let them be for now. You know, unless you actually experience your first battle, fear is inevitable.”

“Where would they have seen real combat? All they’ve done is train in nice drill halls.”

The knights from the alliance said this to me with a smile.

They put on airs, as if they’d seen every battlefield and hardship.

That made me laugh too.

“It’s strange. Just a few months ago, you lot looked like sheep too. Sir Leon’s hair turned white, I heard. He had to fight a war with all the scoundrels under him.”

“Argh!”

“Ah, my lord Saint…”

My words turned the knights’ faces red.

Now they shamelessly claimed they were seasoned veterans.

“Well. I suppose you are veterans now.”

I nodded lazily and looked around.

The difference between the alliance knights and the royal troops was obvious, even without the crests engraved on their armor.

Those who’d fought against the Undead were completely different, even in the way they carried themselves.

There was tension about the coming battle, of course, but not a hint of fear. The firm resolve of true veterans could be felt from them.

“But you shouldn’t let your guard down either.”

I warned the veterans.

The Plague is not something to be taken lightly.

“You’ve seen Legion Commander Kal Gos, so you should know.”

He looked ridiculous, limping out of his lines with only half a body, but the pressure he exuded was no joke.

If not for Vallach, we—no, at least the Baren Kingdom—might have written their final history that day.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as Richard von Bartenberg, it’s that carelessness always leads to the worst possible outcome.

If you think, ‘It couldn’t be,’ something always happens. If you think, ‘It should be fine,’ it never is.

It’s just like that famous line, ‘Is he dead?’

Now, even seeing others let their guard down makes my heart tighten.

“The monsters we face now were born from the curse laid by that damned red bastard back then. Don’t think they’re just like Liches or Undead.”

Only after my warning did the veterans’ faces harden grimly.

But they didn’t look scared.

They simply displayed just the right amount of tension.

If only the Baren Royal Family could see this.

They’d be quite proud.

“Snnnff! The stench is coming!”

Without my noticing, Huger had come to stand next to me, nostrils flaring as he gazed beyond the wall.

The bulging veins writhing atop his red, rugged Orc skin reflected his anxious heart.

“Snnf, mighty human warrior!”

He called out to me.

He added in his usual grave tone,

“So now we even fight against the Plague. This’ll be a first in Orc history! I don’t even know where to swing my axe!”

This guy, seriously…

“Heh, well I’m just as clueless, but so is the Plague. I’m a healthy Orc who’s never even had a cold! Snnf!”

He fixed his gaze beyond the wall, swinging his fists as if warming up for battle, looking particularly dim-witted.

No, this guy really was dumb.

Just as I was holding back a sigh and about to kindly explain,

“It’s not an actual disease, you idiot! Just because it’s called Plague doesn’t mean it’s a real disease!”

Someone spoke up for me.

Looking over, I saw it was Moritz.

He spat over the castle wall.

“Ha ha, anyway, the Recon Unit has set up near the plains. I told them to come back if they noticed anything odd, so Lord Saint, you should get some rest.”

“If only I could rest.”

I leaned against the wall as I replied.

The clanging of hammers working on expanding the walls was constant, Temple Knights praised Hor every hour, and

Besides that—

Though it was under my orders, the wails of men enduring harsh training could not be left out.

“Tch.”

But more than anything else, what made it impossible for me to rest was the stench—just as Huger said, it was getting closer.

***

Today was darker than yesterday, and tomorrow would be darker still.

By now, that was just how things were.

Bwooooo—!

The blare of a horn shook Riot Castle.

Even at this late hour, the ever-watchful soldiers tensed.

The very air of the fortress vibrated.

“What’s going on!”

Without even using the stairs, Lord Ord leaped straight up to the wall.

Behind him, the key figures and knights of the castle hurried after him.

“They’re coming.”

Since I’d practically been living on the wall lately, I answered in their stead.

At my words, the command staff pressed close to the battlements.

BEEEEEE—!

In the far distance, something tiny shot into the sky and screeched loudly.

It was an Effigy (\%).

Bwooo, bwooooo—!

Riot Castle blew its horn in reply.

I invoked my divine power.

Suddenly, things I hadn’t seen before at this distance became visible.

The ones who launched the Effigy were the Recon Unit.

They’d set up positions all over the plains, but now were fleeing back, barely even bothering to grab the banners infused with faith.

The knight entrusted with recon wore a face full of urgency, and the recon soldiers were beside themselves with fear.

Whatever happened, it was clearly serious.

The five scattered detachments rushed toward us, regrouping as one.

Sharing glances, their expressions hardened, certain of what they had seen.

“The gates!”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, I spoke to Lord Ord.

He nodded, and the order was given at once.

Creeeak, creeeak—

With a tremendous noise, the castle gates opened.

A minute passed that felt like an hour, and then the Recon Unit burst through the gates.

“They’re coming, they’re coming! Red monsters are swarming at us like mad!”

“There’s a huge number of them! We couldn’t count them all, but… at least two thousand, minimum!”

“They’re closing in so fast!”

In their panic, the Recon Unit forgot even to dismount, reporting with frantic urgency.

Thud.

The gate closed, a beat too late.

Listening to the Recon Unit’s report, I looked up at the sky.

Through Divine Sight, I already knew that a force of monsters not to be ignored was nearly upon us.

My lips tingled.

I wanted to tell them the monsters they’d seen were just the vanguard.

Those two thousand only got here sooner because they were born a little earlier, moved a little faster—the infection unleashed by the Plague was much more than that.

I glanced around at the people assembled and pressed my lips tight.

Half of them looked deathly pale just from the news of two thousand.

Telling them that was just the tip of the iceberg would only devastate morale.

“Do you see it?”

At the edge of my enhanced vision, red shapes began to appear, one by one.

“Battle stations!”

“All troops, to your positions!”

The commanders’ shouts echoed out, a beat too late.

Amid the tumultuous air and scrambling soldiers, Gide came up to me.

“Are you all right?”

“All right with what?”

He hesitated, mouth half-open.

I quickly understood why.

He was worried about me.

Worried I might get hurt in battle.

Even though I’d told them to serve me as their new lord, in a crisis like this, nerves were inevitable.

But really, who was worrying about whom here?

“Riot Castle wasn’t defended by playing children’s games.”

To be honest, the Undead War was even worse than this.

Back then, I was just a Lowest-Ranked Divinity, and faith was scarce.

I had to exhaust myself trying to instill belief in those who didn’t believe.

Compared to that, things are much better now.

My divinity has ascended, believers and devotees have multiplied like snowballs, and I’ve even acquired some excellent weapons.

I’ve never felt this reassured.

“Gide, let me show you properly this time.”

The reason I could let go of Bartenberg without regret.

Thud.

I stamped my foot.

“For the Light passes on its flame.”

“And as we stand within it, we too are Light.”

The knights who had defended the fortress with me raised their banners high to the sky.

“Even the faintest light cannot be swallowed by darkness!”

A holy aura radiated from their voices.

“In the end, it’s only the darkness itself that fades away!”

A surge of light burst from my body.

Sacred power rose from the thirty Paladins.

The malice carried by the monsters could not breach the fortress.

I turned to Gide.

And I smiled.

Is this enough of an answer for you?