Ch.147Return

I woke up after a full day of having fainted while standing.

In a private room of the temporary infirmary.

I finally regained consciousness after a day and looked around while lying on the bed.

A dark and quiet room with only moonlight shining through the window.

A dwarf was sitting on a chair next to the bed, nodding off.

“Asha…?”

“…Ah, Haschal! You’re awake? How are you feeling?”

Her voice was half-drowsy.

“My body… better than I expected.”

My limbs felt tingly, but I could move well enough, perhaps thanks to the priests who had taken care of me while I was lying down.

After all, I had fainted from exhaustion, not from serious injuries.

Maybe thanks to Asha’s armor.

Asha smiled with relief and told me about what had happened during the day.

—-

At the end of the battle.

While Leopold’s army was barely holding on in a circular formation with their stamina depleted before their lives, Ernst’s army, which had arrived as reinforcements, swept away the remaining monsters at once.

Even so, there were only about three hundred enemies left at that point, so it wasn’t much of an achievement.

Ernst, who entered the castle after confirming the annihilation of the monsters, didn’t look particularly pleased with the less-than-expected results.

“He has reason to be disappointed. Bringing all his elite troops only to find so few enemies left makes him look like he came for cleanup rather than rescue…. So what happened after that?”

He probably sent scouts, but he couldn’t have expected us to reduce the enemy numbers so quickly.

By the time he rushed over, only the dregs of the monsters remained.

Too few to even take credit for.

“Prince Leopold stepped forward to greet Prince Ernst. The atmosphere between them seemed like they might fight at any moment.”

– I see you’re still alive, brother.

– Thanks to the valiant efforts of the imperial soldiers and the Holy State’s support troops. The candidate for Saintess of the Church of Elpinel and… even Count Richard, the commander of the Holy Knights, came to our aid.

“They said that to each other?”

“Yes. Then after glaring at each other for a while, Prince Ernst ordered his army to clean up the battlefield. Collecting bodies, treating the wounded… checking the number of remaining troops, things like that.”

Asha didn’t seem to notice, but it was a rather chilling story.

It meant I could have died while unconscious.

The meaning behind their words was simple.

When Ernst showed signs of contemplating a massacre and blaming it on the monsters, Leopold countered.

To do that, you’d have to kill the entire 3rd Corps and the important figures of the Church of Elpinel—could you handle that?

If Ernst hadn’t backed down after understanding… a slaughter between humans would have unfolded right there.

Such ruthless creatures.

Both Leopold, who led thousands to their deaths for his own position, and Ernst, who contemplated killing the survivors.

They say the losing side gets purged… but still, that’s going too far.

Perhaps their father’s bloodline was rotten from the start.

—-

It took four more days for the situation to be completely resolved.

I also focused solely on recovering my strength for those four days.

With Ernst’s army controlling the situation, this place was essentially enemy territory.

He probably wouldn’t make a move against me… but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

On the morning of the fifth day.

Leopold decided to return to the capital with his forces.

Although there was still work to be done, such as repairing the castle and investigating the source of the monsters, he claimed his forces no longer had the capacity for such tasks.

If he returned with Ernst’s army, they would look like a defeated army even back in the capital.

That’s not wrong.

Half of his deployed forces had been wiped out.

I also decided to return with them.

The horse I rode here was already dead, and Asha’s bike had no fuel left.

“What? You’ve already lost that horse? What kind of horse was it?”

Marquis Ludwig scolded me with disbelief.

It was certainly a good horse.

It would have been better if it had been strong enough to resist dark mana.

In the end, I received a spare military horse and rode with Asha, following Marquis Ludwig toward the capital.

All the carriages were being used for the severely wounded.

During the march, the glances from people around me were quite different from before.

Whether due to Lacy’s ring or my exploits leaving a deep impression on them.

Probably both.

Gone were the fear, suspicion, and uncomfortable aversion—their eyes were now filled with reverence and admiration.

Like boys looking at dinosaur fossils.

A faint smile crossed my face at the satisfaction brushing my cheek.

These were the kinds of looks I had secretly hoped for.

—-

There was no grand victory ceremony.

Neither the dying Ferdinand nor Isabella were the type to hold such welcoming events.

Besides, Leopold’s army’s losses were too massive to call it a victory.

The number of Holy Knights who survived was nine hundred. Sixty paladins.

Nearly half had returned to heaven.

The Empire’s losses were even more severe.

Of the eight thousand troops, only four thousand survived, and a thousand of those could no longer fight.

Of the two hundred imperial knights, only seventy remained.

Plus, two Masters had been sacrificed.

For a monster subjugation rather than a war with another country, the losses were unprecedented.

Of course, suffering such losses against five thousand undead was still an impressive achievement.

But… it’s embarrassing to say myself, but honestly, if I hadn’t come, they would have lost.

“I thank the Princess for her salvation. I will surely repay this debt someday.”

“I look forward to it.”

Leopold, who had greeted me respectfully, led his army toward the imperial palace.

His complexion wasn’t bright, but he didn’t look desperate either.

Perhaps because they had managed to win somehow.

Given the scale of the enemy, he could argue that it wasn’t a mistake but rather a quick response and heroic struggle, if presented well.

He’ll manage. If he was planning such a gamble, he must have thought about the aftermath.

After seeing off the prince, I also said goodbye to Marquis Ludwig.

“You said you needed a coachman? I’ll tell the mansion in the capital. Contact them if needed. And please continue to take care of Sir Nigel.”

“Sure. Sorry about losing the horse.”

The Marquis said he would return to the east immediately after resolving this matter.

Apparently, he had left Berengaria unattended for too long.

Asha headed back to her workshop, and I parted ways with Lacy before reaching the special quarters.

“I’ll visit you later. There are things I need to tell you about that sword.”

Lacy smiled lightly, bowed to me, and left for the church headquarters with Richard.

She too will be quite busy for a while.

The holy war she had forced through. All the responsibility would fall on her.

With half of the Church of Elpinel’s forces in the Empire gone, the influence of the Church of Saulite would grow stronger.

While her fame would rise from this achievement… the actual military power had been halved, so it would take a long time to recover.

By the way, things to say about the sword…

She must have noticed Durandal.

Well, after fighting so spectacularly, someone of her caliber as a Saintess candidate would certainly notice.

Honestly, I’m a bit worried.

I can’t guess what she’s going to say.

Surely she wouldn’t say something absurd like returning Durandal because it’s a holy relic of the church.

—-

Finally back at the special quarters.

Frider was nowhere to be seen.

I heard he had gone on a dispatch with the others.

He said he’d rest for a week, and it seems he rested for exactly a week. I’m not sure if that counts as diligence….

Let him be. He knows what he’s doing.

He acts prickly all year round as if every day is that day, but he’s actually kind-hearted….

And there’s no one else I trust as much in terms of skill and experience.

I’ll think about it later, but first I need to rest…

My tired body demanded rest, even after nearly five days of rest at Ainfelt Castle.

I threw off my armor, washed up, and collapsed onto the bed.

I must have been quite exhausted, as I fell asleep the moment I closed my eyes.

====[□□□ □□□ □□]====

In an ancient ruin deep underground, unknown to anyone.

At last, the transformation of the world began from the innermost sanctuary.

“Finally…!”

Hundreds of runes glowed ominously, illuminating the inside of the sanctuary.

The First Apostle looked up at the altar with undisguised ecstasy.

At the hexagram engraved in the center of the altar and the golden chalices placed at each of its vertices.

Five of the chalices were empty… but the first was filled with something unidentifiable.

A dark red liquid resembling wine rippled.

Bubbles resembling human faces swirled, emitting spine-chilling screams.

And finally, the holy grail overflowed.

One drop. Then another.

Soon it became a stream, wetting the surface of the chalice and trickling down.

Small cracks began to spread across the grail, which had lost its color, stained by the flowing vengeful spirits.

The blood from the grail seeped into the hexagram engraving.

An enormous radiance erupted.

A magical light bright enough to illuminate the entire underground ruin.

Unprecedented magical power concentrated on the altar penetrated the first chalice.

The shattered chalice scattered its contents across the altar.

And then, magical power vast enough to cover the entire world shot up toward the heavens.

The entire ruin shook violently.

“At last, at last we’ve reached this point! The first chalice has been destroyed!! Are you watching, false gods!”

The First Apostle, Feirus, burst into maniacal laughter.

Though invisible, they could feel it.

The moment that abominable celestial wall blocking them began to break!

“With this, we shall reclaim our chance to ascend!!”

His passionate roar echoed throughout the ruin.

—-

On this day, the laws of the world were distorted.

—-

The World Tree, silent for nine hundred years, finally spoke.

– It’s getting closer.

The elven elders looked at their god in shock.

The priests of the 11 gods felt their power suddenly grow slightly stronger.

As if the gods had taken a step closer to them.

The strongest Masters who had reached their limits felt the wall blocking them disappear.

A new realm awaited them.

—-

And monsters boiled up across the world.

From village graveyards, dark forests.

Caves, barren plains, and in the middle of battlefields.

Reports of monster appearances followed one after another from various regions.

At more than three times the usual frequency.

The world had changed.

Everyone sensed this fact.

Though few knew the cause.