Chapter 99: Tending the Garden (2)

Three days had passed since the victory, and there had already been three meetings.

Today, yet another meeting dragged on all day, draining all my energy.

The same issues every time, the same arguments, and always the same conclusion.

These damned meetings were monsters—eating up time without any real progress.

“Lets stop here.”

Just as I was about to stand, weary from boredom, the Lord of Riot Castle grabbed my arm.

He looked like he had something to say, so I reluctantly settled back into my seat.

“Why do you ask?”

But even after keeping the tired man back, he wouldn’t get to the point.

The reason was obvious.

He was pretending otherwise, but the real problem must be the Evangelists with their ears perked up, eavesdropping.

“So meddlesome.”

“Ahem!”

Those Evangelists only left after the Lord and I had thoroughly rebuked them.

Soon, only the two of us remained in the meeting room.

I gazed at him, signaling that now he could speak.

“How long do you think it’ll take for the Hor Faith to spread to the lands around the royal capital?”

But his question caught me completely off guard.

Why would he suddenly be curious about that?

Surely, he wasn’t just innocently interested in the Hor Faith’s missionary progress.

If that was the case, then there was only one answer.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

The more people believed in Hor and prayed to him, the stronger Hor’s power became.

He must have realized that.

The Lord nodded, confirming my guess.

“I became certain after the last battle. It was nothing like when we were hunting the undead. It was something else entirely.”

A light so vast it covered all of Riot Castle.

A power even the nightmare of the undead could not display during the alliance’s hardest days.

With even the slightest attention, one could sense the difference.

It was clear what had changed since then and now.

“That’s right. Thanks to the Hor Faith spreading in the capital, His power has grown.”

I acknowledged it without resistance.

I heard they plan to select Evangelists in the capital and dispatch them all over the realm. It won’t take long.

While I was at it, I gave him a brief report on the capital’s religious state.

Upon hearing this, the Lord’s face brightened.

He didn’t bother to hide his delight, saying it was good news indeed.

“Then I’ll be off.”

Leaving the Lord behind, I exited the meeting room.

Heading for the armory, I collapsed onto the sofa, and felt my body start to go limp.

Part of me wanted to nap, but despite my sagging body, my mind was a tangled mess.

The Demon King’s demonic energy remained on the continent like a scar that wouldn’t fade.

Now, with everyone cowering before that ominous force, this heart of the continent was roiling with upheaval.

Baren was slowly transforming into the Church State, and Plague Castle was swelling with prosperity.

That wasn’t all.

“The defeat of the Magic Alliance…”

The Magic Alliance, devastated by the Liches, had been forced to move their rally point from the center of the Valter Plain to the south.

Not long after, when the wizards quickly noticed unusual events at Polin Castle, they scrambled to gather their forces and reinforce their defenses.

Even those who had just watched during the Undead War were now on full alert, doing everything they could.

But in the end, they lost to the plague monsters—creatures unlike anything they’d ever seen.

They managed to kill all the monsters, but stopping the plague itself was impossible.

I didn’t witness the battle myself, but the message relayed by divine revelation said as much.

“Well, considering, they actually held up pretty well.”

Of the two thousand wizards stationed there, half survived.

Of those, three hundred had their skin turn black and were abandoned by their comrades.

In other words, the remaining seven hundred were completely unaffected by the plague.

In contrast, even though we had won a great victory, weren’t we all stained pitch-black with sin?

This meant that, compared to knights, wizards had an easier time dealing with the plague.

Thud, tap—

I rapped on the table next to the sofa.

“If even Alan joins them, we won’t have to worry.”

Alan would soon arrive at the elves’ southern garden, Mar Garten.

Once things there were settled, I planned to send him straight to the Magic Alliance.

The future arrangement of Riot Castle, Plague Castle, and the Magic Alliance was already becoming clear in my mind.

But soon, I remembered what really needed my attention wasn’t the southern continent.

The real problem was the land right here under my feet.

Indeed, neither the knights nor soldiers had any way of defending themselves against the plague.

Unlike wizards, they couldn’t create barriers, nor did they wield magical artifacts of any sort.

They were more about courage than wisdom, and were less about preparing and more about enduring.

Like swords, truly.

They didn’t change shape or purpose, only knowing how to cut something down.

That’s why it was necessary to change the environment itself.

So the plague wouldn’t rust the swords of Riot Castle.

Like a blacksmith tempering a blade—

***

Leisurely, I wandered the ramparts, observing the soldiers.

Some were standing guard on the walls; others were hauling supplies here and there.

It had only been a few days since the first battle.

Compared to then, the atmosphere in the castle had changed dramatically.

The gloom that hung in the air was gone, and the fear once written on the soldiers’ faces had vanished.

Their faith in God had become their shelter.

The effect of pouring a thousand acts of devotion into them was truly remarkable.

There was not a single soldier among the garrison who was not a believer, making for a favorable situation.

“Praise—Hor!”

Sor

A soldier standing guard greeted me.

I casually waved my hand as I walked along the ramparts.

Every soldier I met greeted me brightly.

From the lowest soldier to the alliance leaders and the Lord himself, there was not one who didn’t put their hope in the miracle of Hor.

Now, all that was left was to devise strategies to face the monsters; no one seemed especially worried about the plague itself.

Just as I had hoped.

Even if they did fear the plague, there was nothing they could do about it.

It would only dampen morale.

I turned my gaze to look beyond the ramparts.

The miracle’s light seeped through the entire battlefield as the plague burned.

The once scorched earth of Riot Castle, turned to ashes in the last battle, was now rich soil, nourished by countless prayers.

With this much, the Garden Keepers would have no trouble tending their garden.

After circling the castle for a while, I descended the walls.

Then I headed straight for the chamber inside the castle.

“You have arrived.”

Tasar, the leader of the remaining fifty elves, greeted me politely.

Behind him, I saw elves busily at work.

They had completely taken over the spacious room, drawing magic circles without pause.

So many magic circles had been drawn by now that the room was thick with the scent of grass.

“The frame will be complete soon.”

As I watched yet another freshly drawn circle sink into the earth, Tasar spoke up beside me.

His voice betrayed no worry or anger.

I couldn’t tell if he was hiding his feelings, or if he truly felt nothing.

“It’s all the will of the Great Mother.”

Had he sensed my thoughts?

Tasar answered the question I hadn’t asked.

“We only follow the Mother’s decisions.”

“Even if it means losing what you value more than your own lives?”

“If you are with us, could there ever be reason to hesitate?”

The same trusting gaze he used when looking at Adele.

It wasn’t the gaze of a man seeing Richard, but of one beholding the god Hor.

That look still weighed on me.

But I didn’t let it show.

“The plague has almost reached us.”

I simply gave a warning.

“…We will hurry.”

With a deep bow, Tasar left.

As he departed, I felt the flow of mana swirling around me.

The elves were preparing not one but multiple barriers.

Hundreds of complex formulas intertwined like gears in a clockwork.

Careful not to disturb their delicate structure, I moved slowly to the center of the room.

“Daddy!”

In the center, where a green magic circle glowed, sat Adele.

Seeing her there felt oddly like watching a child on an operating table.

“What’s with that face?”

She saw my expression and giggled.

Tch, if only she’d always act like the child she looks to be.

“Are you really alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s just moving house, that’s all.”

Moving house.

Not exactly wrong.

The problem was that she would have the plague as her neighbor.

“No, it’s not even just moving. I’m building a lovely villa! Only half of me will be coming over here anyway.”

Though she couldn’t move a muscle atop the magic circle, she was still as innocent and cheerful as ever.

I sat down right in front of the circle.

“It rains more blood here than treasure.”

The plan was proceeding well, but my mind wasn’t entirely at ease.

This was a battlefield, where blood and death reigned.

A soldier could freeze while carrying hot oil, or a stray spark could set the wood ablaze.

It wouldn’t be uncommon for some running knight’s boot to kick her by accident.

“It’s fine.”

But even so, Adele insisted she was alright.

She was not the mere little girl she appeared to be.

She was the World Tree, a being of the highest order, and the weight she bore was immense.

To guard against Plague Castle, which threatened the foundation of the world.

To support Baren, holding back the tide of nightmares.

Adele declared she would move half her body to this place.

Ever since I had resolved to leave Bartenberg, she too had made her own enormous decision.

All I could do was make the land as fertile as possible with faith.

From here on, it was up to the Garden Keepers, the elves.

“Don’t worry too much. Do you think those children are suffering for nothing?”

“Of course not.”

At Adele’s question, I slowly shook my head.

Elves are the finest Garden Keepers in the world.

From time immemorial, any who set filthy feet in their garden met destruction.

To their enemies, the garden was a terrible Dungeon; to their allies, it was a fortress that bestowed blessings. The garden was, to elves, nothing less than their legacy.

In short, it wasn’t something fragile enough to break easily.

“Riot Castle is going to become a true impregnable fortress!”

The World Tree grinned brightly as she spoke.

Her confident tone made me chuckle too.

Indeed.

Who could possibly take this castle?

It had faith, it had the World Tree, and soon even a garden that was the legacy of an entire race would bloom here.