Chapter 235 - Chapter 234: Side Story - The Creeping Crisis
【The Holy Land Uup Saktu, the Great Cathedral】
In the Pope's office, two figures sat on the sofa, speaking with serious expressions.
One was the Pope, the master of this room.
The other was Scholstov, the Knight Commander of the Gronoir Empire.
"............I wanted to tear them apart to pieces because of their utter incompetence......!"
"Lord Scholstov. There is no need to dwell on such thoughts. This too is a trial bestowed by the gods."
"Your Holiness, Pope Metzdelt! But......! This...... this is too pathetic...... I......!"
The Pope spoke to Scholstov, whose body trembled with rage, in a gentle voice.
The content of the conversation was the recent invasion of Ektrem.
The plan had worked perfectly, and the tide of battle was turned in their favor in the blink of an eye.
They had actually broken through the protective wall, achieving an invasion of Ektrem for the first time in sixty-three years since the Fifty-Year War.
When this news reached the Empire, the whole nation erupted in excitement.
Many believers flocked to the Holy Land Uup Saktu, and the entire country celebrated as if a divine punishment would befall the nation of heretics.
However, just a few days later, unexpected news arrived.
Just recently, the Imperial army, which was thought to have won, had been annihilated.
Instead of the afterglow of victory, a bucket of cold water was poured over them.
The target of Scholstov's anger was not Ektrem.
It was the generals and knights of the Imperial army who had once held victory but had shamefully returned home.
"It must be because my prayers were insufficient that we did not receive the gods' protection. I painfully feel my own lack of power."
"Such a thing!? Your Holiness is doing very well! It is not Your Holiness who is lacking, but us! Above all, that little mouse......!"
"Lord Scholstov. That is enough."
The Pope cut him off as Scholstov spat out "little mouse" as if spitting out his own Emperor.
Originally, the Emperor had been hesitant about the invasion of Ektrem, but upon hearing the news of a decisive victory, he had shouted with joy.
He immediately sent out the next army, trying to make the victory more certain, but just then, a report of a rout was delivered.
The Emperor, trembling far more than anyone could have imagined from his previous elation, decided against deploying additional troops.
"We cannot simply leave that nation of heretics as it is! Why did we not attack in one blow and destroy Ektrem!"
Scholstov clenched his fist so tightly it trembled, his face contorted with frustration.
The Pope stood up from the sofa, took a bottle of red wine from the cabinet, placed a glass before Scholstov, and poured the red wine to the brim.
"Now, Lord Scholstov. Let us calm down a bit. Our prayers will surely reach the gods. Trials are difficult things."
Smiling with a smile befitting a clergyman, he offered the red wine.
Scholstov, admonished by the Pope, hesitantly reached for the red wine.
He made a sound in his throat and drank the contents of the glass in one go.
"Yes. That is good."
"............Your Holiness, Pope Metzdelt."
Scholstov stood up from the sofa and knelt at the Pope's feet.
"Your Holiness...... please...... please guide us."
Drops fell at Scholstov's feet.
Pata...... pata......
Those were Scholstov's tears.
Looking down at Scholstov, the Pope also descended from the sofa.
He took Scholstov's hand.
"Of course, Lord Scholstov. We are always together. And the gods are also...... together......."
"Your Holiness......!"
Scholstov looked up at the Pope.
Forgetting even to wipe his overflowing tears, he simply prayed for salvation with all his heart.
To calm the agitated Scholstov, the Pope spoke of some trivial matters.
Thus, when Scholstov said he would drink with fellow Knight Commanders next time, the Pope promised to gift him a box of red wine and sent him off.
Scholstov had a friend who was the Captain of the Imperial Guard, and it seemed this friend drank a lot.
Scholstov was quite strong with alcohol himself, but it seemed the job required one to be a heavy drinker like the Knight Commander.
Judging by the conversation, a dozen would not have been enough.
Therefore, arrangements were made to deliver about two dozen.
Afterward, the Pope took out tree wine from the cabinet and poured two fingers' worth into a glass.
He gulped down the tree wine in the glass in one breath, enjoying the burning heat in his throat.
"I never thought we would lose like that....... The Imperial army seems surprisingly weak."
Should this be lamented?
Or should it be taken as good news in a way?
It is quite difficult to judge.
"Well, a clash using [Divine Wrath] was a scenario we anticipated......."
The Pope played with the glass in his hand, gazing at the few remaining drops.
"......Why did they not use it from the start?"
If one were to take only the result, one could say Ektrem's tactics were successful.
If they had clashed at the very beginning, both sides would have suffered comparable damage.
But this time, only the Empire used [Divine Wrath] first, leading to a development where they hammered Ektrem unilaterally.
Then, while they were in a state of elation, they struck the main force in the rear, which was the most careless, with [Divine Wrath].
The soldiers who returned to the Empire were merely a few thousand who scattered and fled.
Most were killed, and surely fewer than ten thousand became prisoners.
One hundred thousand soldiers were sent in, yet only a few thousand returned.
It can be called a great defeat.
Ektrem's casualties were thirty thousand from the initial [Divine Wrath], and perhaps no more than forty thousand.
In the subsequent battles, it was at most one to twenty thousand.
Fifty thousand casualties is indeed a great loss, but this time the Empire suffered double that amount.
"Kuh kuh kuh....... Not a bad pace, is it?"
The Pope could not help but let out a laugh.
This was a small-scale battle, yet still, two hundred thousand were deployed between both armies.
Fifteen thousand of them died.
"In that case, quite a bit of 'Will [Voluntas]' should have accumulated."
"Fire [Ignis]" should be checking the situation of the "Black [Artorum]" in Sarbengeal and the capital city.
"Earth [Humus]" has been ordered to check the "Black [Artorum]" placed near the Daburandoru Plains.
He was looking forward to the reports.
The Pope poured tree wine into the glass again.
This time, about half the glass.
He lightly shook the glass, gazing at the smooth amber trail.
"But...... now that it has come to this. I feel like deciding everything at once......."
That little mouse is surely hiding deep in the castle, trembling and shaking.
Even though that little mouse was already slow to move, now that he has completely lost his nerve, no amount of slapping his rear will make him stand up.
In that case, moving on to the next step might be a good idea......?
"Both preparations are underway......, but if it ends with just one clash, it is somewhat anticlimactic."
It is hard to call it a result commensurate with the trouble.
However, the preparations currently underway will also have meaning for next time.
One could even say that what is being done now is merely preparation for that.
Although I would have liked to savor the appetizer a bit more slowly.......
"To bite directly into the main dish....... What a vulgar thing to do."
Muttering that, he drank the contents of the glass.
Exhaling hot breath, his body shivered.
Even so, he wished for the situation to turn out this way.
It seemed he was pushing forward the "Son of God [Filius Dei]."
Quickly, run, climb, ascend.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
The Pope could not hold back the rising laughter, threw his body back, and laughed loudly.
The exhilaration boiling endlessly from within himself.
The omnipotence overflowing.
Intoxicated by the uncontrollable sense of omnipotence, the Pope simply got drunk on it.
He laughed for a while, yet the laughter continued to rise.
Was this "Will [Voluntas]" flowing in directly......?
"............This is not bad in itself, but one must stick to the quality."
The Pope moved to his desk, crossed his legs, and fell into thought.
(It would be interesting to use "Wind [Ventus]"'s children. There seem to be quite a few of them, so perhaps I should try throwing them in.......)
At that time, "Fire [Ignis]" must also be deployed, and the confirmation of the "Black [Artorum]" must be ordered.
(By the way, is "Water [Aqua]" still unable to move......?)
A year ago, due to arrangements from Ektrem, he had to abandon his identity in the Am-Tast Trade Alliance.
He had to build a new identity and create an organization from scratch for various underground operations, but surely he should be able to move by now.
Thinking that far, he suddenly realized.
"Without a fixed new base, I cannot summon them."
What a trouble.
Well, perhaps he was too busy to worry about that, but he needed to start moving seriously soon.
It would be inconvenient if he did not show his face soon.
"Really....... If you don't hurry, the delicious parts will be gone?"
Muttering that, the Pope laughed again.
■■■■■■
【Capital City Istora, somewhere】
A pale-skinned man with black hair tied back at the nape of his neck walked down the main street.
The man's first impression was undoubtedly his sickly face.
His complexion was pale blue, his cheeks were sunken, his eyes were sunken, and his eyeballs, which moved wildly, were bloodshot.
Although, according to himself, "I've put on quite a bit of flesh."
The man wiped his sweat and sighed.
"Haa, that was tough."
Walking down the northern main street, he looked around for a shop to rest in.
Since his head, "Fire [Ignis]" had not been very lucky.
The fact that the new body was falling apart was fine, well.
He struggled a bit to train his body, ate until his stomach was full, and became able to move reasonably well.
Then he came to the capital city Istora saying, "Well then, time to work," and was surprised.
The "Black [Artorum]" was gone.
"Ah?"
The "Black [Artorum]" in Sarbengeal was normally still there.
The other town where the "Black [Artorum]" was set up was planned for the next stop.
"What to do? Should I go back?"
The fact that the "Black [Artorum]" in the capital city was gone was unexpected.
"But, if the next town's is also gone, I have to bring that amount too, right?"
He would need to confirm if that one remained first.
Therefore, he put aside the matter of the "Black [Artorum]" in the capital city for now and went to check the next town first.
That one was safe.
"Hmm, what to do?"
The war with Ektrem is near.
If he fails to set up the "Black [Artorum]" in the capital city at this timing, it will hurt quite a bit.
Above all, Ru-chan will surely get angry.
I'm not at fault.
"I thought of something good."
He would move the "Black [Artorum]" in this town to the capital city and bring over the "Black [Artorum]" set up elsewhere in Ektrem.
If he sets those up in the capital city and repositions the rest in a nice way, surely no one will notice.
"I'm smart. Maybe I'm a genius?"
And, I know that U-chan is actually hiding "Black [Artorum]".
U-chan has been skillfully deceiving people for a long time, accumulating numbers.
Apparently, it is quite convenient as material for experiments.
I don't know how he uses it.
Once the general policy was decided, "Fire [Ignis]" returned to the capital city, taking detours here and there.
Then, he gathered the "Black [Artorum]" and set them up in places different from before within the capital city.
After that, he decided to return to the Seven Duchies Federation once to borrow "Black [Artorum]" from U-chan.
Therefore, "Fire [Ignis]" headed for Sarbengeal first.
Inside the forest of Sarbengeal, there is a very ancient ruin, and using it allows one to travel far in the blink of an eye.
However, not many ruins can be moved.
There are plenty of ruins that have stopped moving.
Even in ruins that have stopped moving, "Power [Potestas]" seems to be produced.
Hmm, I don't really understand.
There is one movable ruin each in Ektrem and the Seven Duchies Federation.
Two in the Am-Tast Trade Alliance, and three in the Empire.
Between these ruins, one can jump instantly by manipulating "Power [Potestas]".
But.......
"Ah?"
Using the ruins, he went to the Seven Duchies Federation and borrowed "Black [Artorum]" from U-chan.
U-chan gave me exchange conditions, but it was easy, easy.
However, while I was in the Seven Duchies Federation, the war started, and when I tried to return to Ektrem urgently, for some reason, the ruins stopped moving.
"Why?"
The ruins in the Seven Duchies Federation are moving normally.
Could something have happened to the ruins in Ektrem?
"Uwa, what to do."
The entry checkpoints can be handled somehow.
There are forged documents, and besides, I could force my way through from places other than the checkpoints.
But moving is troublesome.
The Seven Duchies Federation and the capital city Istora are far apart.
In that case, flying to the Am-Tast Trade Alliance first and then going might be closer?
"Both are about the same, huh?"
Still, if I check the ruins in Sarbengeal, it would save trouble to fly to the Trade Alliance first and then head there.
"Ugh, so troublesome."
Grumbling that, "Fire [Ignis]" moved between the ruins.
Arriving at the ruins in the forest of Sarbengeal via the Trade Alliance, "Fire [Ignis]" made a strange face.
"As I thought, it's broken."
There were many corpses of the Hydra.
And the corpses of the Naga were rolling around.
In fact, it was clearly a situation where a battle had taken place.
It seems that the battle caused some fatal damage to the ruins.
Well, the ruins were already so tattered that it was strange they moved at all.......
"Hmm?"
However, the monsters that usually stay deeper inside came out in droves. Was it because of the petrified remains rolling around?
Stone remains that are likely knights of Ektrem.
All of them were eaten by monsters to some extent.
"Did these guys kill the Hydras?"
There are traces of being cut with swords.
However, most of them felt less like cutting and more like crushing with force.
"Can't A-chan fix it?"
A-chan is very knowledgeable about ruins.
How knowledgeable? So knowledgeable that asking him yields nothing understandable.
Even so, surely he cannot fix a broken ruin.
"Gaku......."
From now on, moving will be troublesome no matter what.
"Oh, but."
To move, I need to go to the Trade Alliance.
And the Trade Alliance has many delicious shops.
"It might not be that bad."
I have gone to the Trade Alliance from time to time before.
Sometimes I got caught by "Water [Aqua]" and scolded.
"Don't leave your post too much," he said.
"No choice, right? It's for moving."
From now on, I can make excuses openly.
"Yeah. That's good."
"Fire [Ignis]" became cheerful and walked out of the forest with light steps.
Then, he re-set the "Black [Artorum]" in several places in the kingdom, and "Fire [Ignis]" returned to the capital city.
"Ah, so tired......."
With the previous body, this kind of movement was no problem, but this body lacks stamina too much.
"Fire [Ignis]" entered a bright cafe and ordered five cakes and tarts and tea.
This body has a small eating capacity, making it quite difficult.
I want to eat more.......
"Itadakimasu. Ahm......."
He stuffed his cheeks with the cream-filled cake that arrived immediately.
"Fire [Ignis]"'s expression became "howa-wan".
"Hmm, delicious. Ninety-five points."
This is a shop with a quite high score.
Shops at this level are rare even in the Trade Alliance.
"I found a good shop."
It seems I will be visiting this place for a while.
After enjoying the cake and tea for a while, he took a breath.
Recently, he had to move busily, so he hadn't had much time to think slowly.
That said, "Fire [Ignis]" only had two things to think about.
Beheading the knight who beheaded "Fire [Ignis]".
And why the "Black [Artorum]" in the capital city disappeared.
"If I ask Te-chan, he might tell me."
That knight seemed to be an acquaintance of Te-chan.
And Te-chan is the one who knows about the "Black [Artorum]".
"Yeah, let's make Te-chan a Son of God [Filius Dei]."
Yes.
That would be good.
If so, surely he will tell me about that knight.
He will also help find the one who did something to the "Black [Artorum]".
"If it goes well, let's take out the [Dispeller] user too."
"Fire [Ignis]" nodded vigorously at his own wonderful idea.
He did not know where the [Dispeller] user who appeared in Ektrem was, but Te-chan would surely help find him.
"If you don't hurry, there isn't enough time, right?"
Even if making Te-chan a Son of God [Filius Dei], "Fire [Ignis]" can only give a kick.
After that, maybe just teaching a little trick.
But surely Te-chan will become a Son of God [Filius Dei].
"Alright, let's work hard and prepare."
"Fire [Ignis]" stood up with a smile, paid the bill, and walked down the main street.