Ch.219Chapter 219 – Behold, This is the Heavenly Demon Divine Fist

In response to Cheonhyeryeong’s words, I actively explained that she was a person from the Eastern Continent and didn’t know much about the customs or systems of this continent.

“Ah~ I understand. People from the Eastern Continent sometimes have these misunderstandings. I completely understand.”

Fortunately, the people from the Sun Order nodded as if they understood my explanation.

“I see. I understand too.”

Etherna also seemed to understand what I had said.

“So, you haven’t performed the marriage ceremony ‘yet,’ which makes her your ‘fiancée,’ right?”

But… while Etherna was speaking with a bright smile, I could see some kind of black aura flickering behind her.

No, you’re a saint! A saint shouldn’t fall to darkness!

“Hoho. So you are the being known as the Saint! My subordinates who travel to and from the Western Continent have told me much about you.”

“Is that so? I’m honored that my name is known that far.”

The conversation between Etherna and Cheonhyeryeong seemed like simple greetings mentioning each other… but sparks seemed to be flying between the two.

Feeling like I’d be caught in the crossfire if I stayed between them, I approached the priests.

“I came after receiving Etherna’s message, but what exactly is the problem?”

“We discovered land contaminated by undead energy, and unfortunately, the stream flowing through that land connects to the river that flows into the city.”

From the priest’s explanation, I immediately understood why people had come all the way here.

“The small stream that joins the river flowing into the city passes through contaminated land, so naturally, the water flowing from that stream would be affected.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then the affected water would flow into the city via the river and be used for drinking and daily use, causing people to fall ill. Am I right?”

“You’ve grasped the situation perfectly.”

Well, this isn’t because I’m particularly brilliant… anyone who thinks about it a little would understand.

If you didn’t sleep through geography class, you’d easily know that rivers are formed by the confluence of countless streams.

So, if one stream becomes contaminated, even if the others remain clean, the effects spread throughout the entire river.

That’s why activities that could contaminate water sources are prohibited upstream.

“If someone contaminated this place intentionally, they were quite clever.”

“Why do you say that?”

“They didn’t contaminate a stream directly connected to the river, but one that joins it midway.”

If they had contaminated a stream directly connected to the main river channel upstream, you could simply trace it back and take measures.

But what if one of the many tributary streams branching off from the surroundings becomes contaminated?

Then you’d have to examine each stream one by one to determine where the contamination began.

Moreover, looking at the stream’s color now, there are no visible signs like murkiness or yellowish tints.

In other words, without specialized measuring equipment, finding this would be truly remarkable.

“It’s fortunate we found this. Otherwise, we would have kept searching for the source of contamination.”

“We tried to purify it with our abilities, but the area is too vast…”

I’m sure some people might wonder why the priests couldn’t purify it when they’re right here.

But as far as I know, this “purification” work isn’t so simple.

For a cleric to purify something contaminated, they need to apply an amount of holy power equal to the level of contamination to remove the taint.

In other words, purifying such a large area using conventional methods is virtually impossible.

“Would holy water not be effective?”

“It wouldn’t be. For holy water to be effective… we’d need enough to cover this entire area at once. And the amount of holy water we currently have is at most one barrel.”

The amount of water in one barrel is about 200 liters.

In terms of weight, that’s roughly 200 kilograms, but considering that swimming pools are filled with water measured in tons, it’s woefully insufficient.

That’s why Etherna called for me.

She thought perhaps my ability could restore such a large contaminated area to its original state.

“Do you happen to have an iron stake?”

“An iron stake? Why do you suddenly need that?”

“I need it for this.”

“Ah! I understand. I’ll get one for you right away.”

When I said I needed an iron stake to purify the land, people hurriedly moved to find one.

Why would I need an iron stake to purify the land?

Well, I thought that if I were to strike the ground to purify it, only the area where the hammer touches would be fixed.

My ability is such that when I want to fix something, the appropriate method comes to mind.

Right now, I was thinking of driving an iron stake into the ground and striking it with a hammer to restore the land to its original state.

Some might question the idea of purifying land by hammering a stake with an iron hammer.

But I’ve eliminated a storm with just two hammers before.

If I could eliminate a storm, couldn’t I somehow fix contaminated land?

“Huff, huff… Here, I’ve brought an iron stake.”

A priest came, struggling to carry an iron stake about the size of an adult man’s forearm.

“Thank you for your effort.”

I took it and set it on the ground, then pondered how to drive it into the earth.

I couldn’t order the holy knights to do it since I wasn’t a high-ranking member of the Sun Order.

And if I did it myself, I was afraid the stake might get fixed instead…

“I need to drive this in…”

“My dear, do you have some concern?”

While I was contemplating how to drive in the stake, Cheonhyeryeong had approached my side.

“Could you possibly drive this stake into the ground at an appropriate depth?”

“My dear, speak comfortably. How can a husband speak formally to his wife?”

“But you, Cheonma—”

“Cheonhyeryeong.”

Whew, I almost made a mistake there.

“…Miss Hyeryeong, you’re also speaking formally to me.”

“Huhut. You may speak comfortably. I do not mind if my future husband speaks casually to me.”

“Alrig—alright. Then I’ll really speak casually.”

“Huhuhut. It feels so good to hear you address me that way. I feel like I’ve taken one step closer to you.”

It feels like I’ve been drawn into something, but anyway, that’s not the important thing right now.

“Can you drive this into the contaminated ground over there?”

“How deep should I drive it?”

“About waist-high should be fine.”

“I understand. Wait a moment.”

With that, she casually picked up the iron stake with one hand and trudged toward the contaminated land.

Entering the contaminated area without hesitation, she placed the iron stake on the ground.

“Heave.”

Then she pressed down on the iron stake with her hand, and the heavy metal sank smoothly into the ground.

Is this the physical ability of a Celestial Horse? I definitely shouldn’t get into a marital fight.

Someone like me would have bones separated from flesh with just a light tap.

“My dear, I have done as you asked.”

Cheonhyeryeong returned with a proud look, as if it was nothing.

“Well done. Now I need to purify the land…”

“Lord Pathos, I sense a horde of undead coming this way.”

Whether it was because she drove in the stake, or because something noticed my intention to purify the land, Etherna seemed to have detected undead hordes approaching.

“How many are there?”

“Many. About 1,000 bodies… mostly a troublesome combination of ghouls and skeletons.”

“Saint, are there any villages or cities in the direction the undead are coming from?”

“Not within a day or two’s journey… why do you ask?”

“From which direction are the undead coming?”

“That way.”

Etherna spoke to Cheonhyeryeong with a slightly cold, snippy tone, unlike how she spoke to me.

“Hmm. I see. My dear, would it be alright for a wife to lend a hand to her husband’s work?”

“Um… I don’t think I mind.”

I had a vague idea of why she was asking about the direction of the undead.

“Having received my husband’s permission, it is only natural for a future wife to support her husband!”

Cheonhyeryeong strode forward, positioned herself with the iron stake behind her, and faced the direction from which the undead were approaching.

“Hmm… so this crude energy must be from those undead.”

Taking a stance, Cheonhyeryeong thrust her fist forward…

“But they shall become food for the Celestial Horse Divine Fist.”

—BOOM!

A powerful energy extended from her fist, taking form and sweeping away everything in front of her.

“…My goodness. All the undead energy…”

Etherna and the people from the Sun Order stood with their mouths agape in astonishment at witnessing the Celestial Horse Divine Fist.

“My dear, what are you waiting for? Hurry and purify the land.”

At least traveling with her means I won’t have to worry about threats to my life, which is nice.