episode_0039

The Goddess Order is vast.

Even though they’ve lost their base and been reduced to remnants, their power is still considerable.

Their capacity to establish cathedrals and churches throughout the continent, dispatching priests, and their social influence remained intact.

They could travel through various countries regardless of war and engage in public activities without being restrained by those in power.

“It seems we’ve arrived. I can see the fortress walls over there.”

“Already? We arrived faster than I thought.”

And the Saintess, Joan Ayende.

She was diligently trying to spread her will by fully utilizing this influence.

“It’s thanks to the coachman’s hard work. His distribution of the horses’ stamina is very skillful.”

Her goal was simple: world peace.

It may sound like a pipe dream, but isn’t religion essentially a belief that chases after illusions and utopias?

If she could stop the escalating war, that would be the best.

If not, she wanted to at least make them fight while adhering to certain lines.

They are all the Goddess’s people, so what’s the point of killing each other?

That was roughly the intention behind her journey.

“The countryside looked very rough, I wonder what it’ll be like here.”

“Still, it’s the capital, so wouldn’t it be a bit better? It’s where all the resources and people from across the country gather.”

Leaving the Elaine Kingdom and crossing over to the Kram Empire.

Recalling the scenes she had witnessed along the way, Joan sighed. Even considering the war, it was a continuous series of miserable sights.

‘Even when there was a famine in the Holy Empire, it wasn’t this bad.’

There were no supplies. Literally, there was almost nothing left besides houses and people.

People were farming with wooden plows and stone hoes, just like in ancient times, and the metal rims of the cartwheels had been completely torn off.

People’s clothes were shabbier than ever, and there were very few livestock.

The barns were clearly built to house dozens of animals, but in reality, there was only one or two cows or horses inside.

It felt like everything except the bare minimum supplies needed for people to live and farm had disappeared.

If you asked why, the reason was fairly easy to guess.

The higher-ups probably implemented a conscription system for the war effort.

‘Even so, this is a bit excessive.’

It’s a common occurrence when a war breaks out.

Joan was aware of that much.

Even if the intensity was higher than what was described in history books, it would have been unavoidable in order to secure resources.

The Kram Empire had battle lines formed above and below.

To send supplies to the soldiers at the front lines, they would have had to squeeze the nearby residents dry.

Of course, there was no precedent for conscripting to the point of emptying out villages… but what could she do?

The war that was currently happening was also unprecedented in scale.

If they didn’t win, the country would fall, so they were probably scraping together resources by any means possible.

“I hope it’s as the Bishop said.”

“It certainly will be. According to the plan, a guide was supposed to come out to greet us here… Ah, there he comes.”

Lost in thought, the fortress walls were suddenly right in front of her.

The iron gate opened, and a person dressed splendidly came out from inside. It was a servant dispatched from the Imperial Palace.

“Welcome, Saintess! It is an honor for you to personally grace the Imperial Capital despite your busy schedule!”

“It’s nice to meet you. Your name is…”

“Please, call me Eisen.”

The servant, who revealed his name, got into the seat next to the coachman and guided Joan’s party into the capital.

After passing through several layers of iron bars and gates, the cityscape finally revealed itself.

Perhaps it was because it was the capital where the monarch resided, but it was quite extravagant and dazzling.

It was as if it had maintained its former beauty almost entirely, despite the intense war.

“It’s just as I remember it. I came here five years ago, but I haven’t had a chance to visit since then.”

“The people’s faces also seem relaxed. I can hear a lot of laughter too.”

“Haha! That’s because the Empire is repeatedly winning the war. People have no reason to worry about the war situation.”

The delegation each said a word about the majesty of the metropolis that they were seeing for the first time in a while. Including the bishop, the guards, and even the servant who seemed full of patriotism.

Joan was also inwardly surprised, though she didn’t express it.

‘The atmosphere is completely different from the countryside.’

Perhaps they didn’t exploit resources from where the higher-ups lived.

No matter what country it was, the capitals and cities were always prioritized in terms of food and resources.

Still, it was fortunate that the people seemed to be at ease.

With this, wouldn’t they accept her proposition to wage war morally?

Joan secretly harbored such hope.

…Until they passed through the alley in front of the city gate and entered the main street.

* * * * *

“Everyone, clear the way! We are escorting criminals!”

“Get out of the way and step aside!”

Grim-looking men holding signs with phrases like [Long live the Empire], [Let’s fight for the Imperial Family], and [The Goddess Protects Us].

They marched down the street in formation, wielding clubs or blades in their empty hands.

In front of them, several men covered in blood were tied up with ropes and being dragged along.

They were in such a miserable state that it was questionable whether they could even see properly. If their faces were in that condition, there was no way their bodies were unscathed.

Some were limping from injured knees, while others were wheezing and barely able to catch their breath.

“W-what on earth is that?”

“Are they capturing some kind of major criminals?”

What was even more astonishing was that no one was trying to stop them.

Armed crowds were walking around in broad daylight, but no police or military police showed up.

Did the citizens panic or freak out?

That wasn’t the case either. Rather, they were cheering, applauding, and sending their support, saying they were doing a good job.

Some even joined in the humiliation by throwing stones or spitting at them.

“Punish them more! Just break their arms!”

“Show those ungrateful bastards what’s what!”

What on earth had happened to make them torment people so cruelly? Had they committed a crime so serious that they deserved to be crippled and publicly shamed? Then what exactly was it?

In her bewilderment, the Saintess asked the servant.

“Did those people try to assassinate His Majesty?”

“Huh? Ah, no, that’s not it. Those guys are just cowards.”

The servant glared at the men being escorted with a look of genuine contempt.

“They’re deserters from the army. They ran away after receiving the sacred duty of defending the nation and its people and protecting the Emperor.”

“Is that such a big deal?”

“Of course! To be born as a subject and not be able to give your life for your country, and then to desert! It’s an unforgivable sin!”

“……”

She couldn’t say anything. Since when was desertion such a serious crime?

The military was a harsh place.

It was a group where you were constantly beaten, suffered from poor food and living conditions, and had to worry more about ‘survival’ than ‘living’.

As such, there were always plenty of people who ran away, and even if they were caught, the punishment was just re-enlistment.

Of course, they would be beaten up in the middle, but they wouldn’t be publicly humiliated like that.

“T-then, what will happen to them now?”

“They will be executed as an example. And their bodies will be hung on the roadside trees, just like you can see over there.”

The servant pointed to where large trees were lined up.

They were probably meant to provide shade for pedestrians during the hot summer months with their dense leaves.

But now, they looked like Christmas trees.

A Christmas tree with corpses hanging all over it instead of stars, dolls, and light bulbs.

The corpses quickly rotted in the hot weather, attracting flies, and combined with various insects, it caused a repugnance that made you not want to approach.

‘C-crazy. They’re doing this in the middle of the city?’

She desperately wanted to scream, but she didn’t show it for the time being.

Making an overreaction here would only make her look like a weird person.

Instead, she tried to change the subject naturally by asking about something else.

“What organization do those men belong to? They don’t look like soldiers based on their uniforms.”

“They’re a militia organized by the citizens themselves. They patrol the city, urging people to participate in the war and working with the military to catch deserters.”

In short, they were an organization similar to government-sponsored thugs.

To make an analogy, they were like the Hitler Youth who were active in the rear during World War II.

“Those guys will be going to the front lines soon. They’re healthy and strong, so there’s no reason to let them play around in the rear.”

“…..I see.”

She felt like she was losing the strength to even answer.

She felt like her mental strength wouldn’t be able to withstand it if she reacted to every single thing in this society that had changed so drastically.

“You must be tired from your long journey, so I will guide you to your lodgings right away. The meeting with His Majesty is scheduled for two days from now, so please rest comfortably until then.”

The delegation soon headed to a luxurious hotel near the Imperial Palace.

It was a place where the Imperial Family had rented out the entire building to accommodate their visit and had finished preparing to treat them.

Thanks to the fact that there were no other guests, it seemed that they could at least stay here comfortably.

“Saintess.”

“….Yes, Bishop.”

“It seems like it will be very difficult.”

In response to the words that the Bishop uttered while unpacking his luggage, the Saintess silently nodded her head. It wasn’t difficult to understand the hidden meaning even without the subject.

It seemed that achieving the goal in a country full of madness would be somewhat difficult.

‘Please, I hope there are no more surprises.’

Joan sighed inwardly.

She didn’t want to see any more terrible sights. What was it about war that changed a perfectly normal country this much?

But unfortunately.

That simple wish was not going to be fulfilled.