Chapter 98: Tending the Garden (1)

[Lowest-Ranked Holy Knight Moritz Bartenberg – Qualified as Low-Ranked Holy Knight]

[Lowest-Ranked Holy Knight Aaron Meyer – Qualified as Low-Ranked Holy Knight]

[Lowest-Ranked Holy Knight Jack Schwager – Holy Knight…]

A system window appeared before my eyes.

[Lowest-Ranked Holy Knight 30/30]

[Low-Ranked Holy Knight 5/5]

The system window that had been ringing noisily soon organized itself.

Of the lowest-ranked Holy Knights, five had been promoted to low rank, and the empty spots were filled by Gideon Hughger and the others.

Yes, it was a cause for celebration.

“Ho—r!”

The soldiers of the castle, their faces flushed, exalted the god.

“It’s a Miracle!”

“Hor has embraced us!”

The soldiers who had been acting as if they would die at any moment now shouted with joy.

No more fear could be seen on their flushed faces.

Though I had spent ten million Faith on a single Miracle, it was by no means a losing bargain.

After all, a person’s heart is not something you can buy with any amount of gold.

Their deepened Faith was worth more than ten million Faith.

I looked down at the castle from atop the wall.

The shining light that swept across the castle not only erased filth but seeped into every corner.

Land emitting holy energy, the fortress and walls imbued with sacred power.

The castle, which had just been caked in filth and was worse than a sewer, had vanished without a trace.

As I was surveying the castle for a moment, I made eye contact with the masked Elves below.

I pressed my lips together, silently conveying my meaning.

With this, the leveling of the ground was finished.

From here on, it was their turn to work.

Fortunately, it seemed my intentions had been conveyed well, as the masked Elves nodded.

***

The light had erased germs and filth, but not the Monster corpses.

The bodies piled in front of the castle still reeked with foul stench.

If left as they were, another Plague would surely break out.

Furthermore, there were many men who had been gravely wounded in the fierce battle.

Though the flesh-eating Plague was gone, the serious wounds remained.

At that moment, masked and hooded figures appeared.

[Healing Light (E)]

They scattered in all directions, rushing to the most critically injured.

Warm green light shimmered from their fingertips.

Twenty lowest-ranked Priests.

As Elves, they were skilled magicians; as believers, they were Priests—precious assets.

At last, it was time for them to shine.

“Hoo…”

The Captain of the Knights of the Royal Guard, Count Gastain, widened his eyes.

Their faces and bodies were hidden by masks and hoods, but the faint scent of mana tickling his nose was not common.

“So it was Elves after all…”

Mana, the very essence of nature.

There are none who handle it so expertly but Elves.

Why those who had vanished from the world were walking with the Saint was a mystery none could solve.

Thus, with the wounded attended, Riot Castle began to clean up the battlefield.

“Hurry, hurry up!”

The commander of the Union barked orders.

But even before he finished, the knights were already moving.

“What on earth is going on?”

The soldiers were quite taken aback.

Of course, they had assumed men like themselves would be doing the menial labor.

Never would they have imagined that the precious knights would step up without a word of complaint.

“What kind of knights clean up a battlefield?”

The soldiers whispered in bewilderment.

“At Riot Castle, whether soldier or knight, we are all just one of the faithful.”

Avart spoke as he passed by them.

“…Tsk.”

The soldiers exchanged glances.

Then, before long, they awkwardly rubbed their cheeks.

Soldiers and knights.

The unbridgeable gap between ranks sparked an inferiority complex.

Yet the knights treated even the soldiers as fellow believers, no different from themselves.

“…Let’s get this sorted out quickly.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Flushed, the soldiers hurried their steps.

At that moment, the sense of inferiority that had grown between them felt strangely embarrassing.

With everyone except the wounded joining the effort, the battlefield was cleaned up quite swiftly.

Though clearing Monster corpses was an arduous task, the lingering holy light across the castle was a rare opportunity.

Before long, all the Monster bodies had been gathered in one place.

Dozens of knights doused them with Holy Oil, while the Elves used magic to set them alight.

However, not a single person looked toward the burning pile of Monster corpses.

Whoosh—!

In front of the assembled troops, over a hundred bodies, set aside, were engulfed in white flames.

These were the comrades lost in this battle.

The atmosphere around them grew heavy.

It felt as if the cries of the fallen could almost be seen.

Some soldiers clenched their teeth, tears streaming down their faces.

Others called out for comrades who had died in their stead.

Most were soldiers, not yet accustomed to such loss, showing their weakness.

The Union knights watched the grieving soldiers in silence, then opened their mouths.

“Shine a light in the darkness.”

“Let the light shine.”

A gentle, comforting chant.

Those who were weeping raised their heads.

“Who will save that brother?”

“Brother, why do you slumber?”

“You must see the light quickly.”

The Union’s song was calm and unadorned.

Yet within those voices was something that gripped the heart.

A song to honor the comrades who had departed.

Not a hymn, but a song of mourning.

“After the dark night has passed.”

“The sun rises like a lamp.”

“Brother, why do you slumber?”

Whoosh—

The flames swirled, wrapping around the dead.

[Brother, you have already slumbered.]

[Your eyes can see no more light.]

[But may you at least feel the warmth with your whole body.]

The final verse belonged to the choir of Riot Castle.

As the song ended, a brilliant light burst forth and consumed the flames.

The fire then turned pure white.

From all around, silent sobs broke out.

The song, meant by the knights to comfort, instead touched the hearts of the soldiers all the more.

It took quite a long time for those sobs to subside.

***

“The Monsters themselves weren’t particularly threatening.”

“But in terms of horror, they outdid the undead. Of course, that’s only if you ignore the contagious disease.”

The high command gathered in the conference room began their review.

“There were slight differences between individuals, but even a squad of regulars could take one down.”

“Shouldn’t we make more use of cannons and siege weapons? To minimize the damage from the Plague…”

Even though they had just fought a bloody battle, the discussion was fairly hopeful.

The leaders exchanged opinions with bright faces.

I simply leaned back in my chair and listened.

“Do we really need to just sit and defend?”

Then, someone voiced a dangerous suggestion.

It was the Captain of the Knights of the Royal Guard, Count Martin Gastain.

“Let’s select an elite force among the knights and raid the enemy camp!”

His gaze burned with the intensity unique to martial masters; his manner was full of valor.

He laid out, one by one, the reasons to support his argument.

Each point sounded plausible and convincing.

Of course, that’s only if you just listened.

So I spoke up.

“The ones we fought were first generation.”

Thud—

Count Gastain, who had been speaking without pause, closed his mouth.

Was the word “first generation” truly such an ominous one?

All eyes, their faces hardened, turned to me.

“Are you saying there are second and third generations as well…?”

“Yes. The Monsters will keep growing stronger and attacking.”

You thought a squad of regulars could handle them.

Unfortunately, that’s only true for the first generation.

With each new Generation, the Monsters’ brutality will intensify, and the Plague they carry will only become more vicious.

“In that case, we should all the more form an elite force and launch a strike. Now, while their strength is weak, isn’t this our chance?”

Count Gastain’s voice grew more forceful as he argued.

The other leaders nodded in agreement.

“This kind of war only eats away at the Kingdom. The country is already in a precarious state—we can’t let this misfortune grow any larger.”

“We lords will step forward! Though death is certain, even if our bodies are torn to shreds, we will topple the enemy’s fortress and die there!”

The heads of the Union showed their courage.

Their declarations to go and perish with the misfortune were no less than the spirit of heroes.

I was about to open my mouth to respond when—

“Absolutely not.”

The Lord of Riot Castle, who had been silent all this while, interrupted.

“As you said, Baren’s situation is not good. If you lords die at a time like this, who will support Baren?”

Exactly what I had been about to say.

Just because the Plague is weak now doesn’t mean Baren is strong.

Baren right now can’t even hope for help from other nations, nor has faith in the capital spread to the other territories.

“Since when has Baren’s only enemy been the Plague?”

I spoke loudly, so all could hear.

Behind the wall called Plague stands the Southern Continent, with whom you have long fought.

And the Southern Continent too must have suffered from the Plague.

Whom will they blame for the disaster?

Strictly speaking, it is the Plague that flowed from Baren’s land.

Moreover, they have always been Baren’s main enemy.

Baren must not forget that.

“…Right. The Southern Continent.”

The leaders fell silent.

They realized the Plague, which they thought was the wall they had to break down, was in fact a shield blocking their true foe.

“We will stand here and stop the Plague.”

The Lord of Riot Castle spoke with determination.

Yet, for some reason, his burning gaze was fixed on me.

“Other countries, because of the Plague, cannot abandon Baren.”

He swallowed and paused.

At the same time, he gave me a subtle look, so I had no choice but to finish his thought.

“The Southern Continent, too, cannot attack us while the Plague remains.”

The leaders opened their eyes wide, as if a great realization had dawned on them.

If ever there was a time for the phrase ‘turning a crisis into opportunity,’ it was now.

“Baren must, behind this nightmare, seize the chance to restore its crumbling spirit.”

I offered the men who had lost their way a clear direction.

So that the game board we had painstakingly prepared would not go to waste.

For the place where we could soar freely was nowhere else but here.