Ch.228Returning to the System

After returning to my lodging and getting some sleep, I met with Ludwig.

He had bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn’t slept at all while handling the aftermath of the battle.

“Well done. Your dedication has been proven, so by the time we reach the capital, no one will question your origins anymore. I’ll also join the Prince’s army with my troops once the cleanup here is finished… but if you wish to depart earlier, you may do so.”

“Won’t the Wall be left empty? Is that alright?”

If Orhan attacks during this gap, everything could be ruined.

“To stop Orhan, we need to end the imperial civil war as quickly as possible. Landenburg’s forces alone are far from sufficient. There’s still quite some time before Orhan’s main force arrives, so we must first excise the festering wound within the Empire.”

“Quite some time left?”

“Considering the size of his army, the Ka’har marching speed, and the distance, it would take at least two months for him to reach the Wall, even at his fastest. This information was obtained from interrogating a captured warrior, so it should be reliable.”

I thought they had killed everyone, but apparently they took prisoners.

Even so, I’m not sure if we can trust what he said…

It’s strange that a Ka’har warrior would talk under mere interrogation.

“Isn’t he lying? I don’t think a Ka’har warrior would sell out his Khan’s information just because of torture.”

“When you pour holy power and recovery potions into someone’s brain, anyone will eventually tell the truth.”

What?

“Um… is that some kind of metaphor?”

“I mean it literally. It’s an old method used by heresy inquisitors.”

…Not a metaphor after all.

Ludwig explained the detailed interrogation method.

They open the skull, remove parts of the brain, and then use healing magic and recovery potions to regenerate it before death, repeating the process.

Until the entire brain is replaced with regenerated material.

After repeating this three or four times, the subject reaches a state where they answer everything they’re asked.

It was an incredibly grotesque story.

“The effect is certain. Since no wounds remain on the prisoner after interrogation, one could say it’s the most humane method.”

Humane my ass.

Wouldn’t my method be far more merciful?

—-

Anyway, we left the Wall.

Since Lacy’s group decided to travel with us, our party grew from four to six.

Me and Renault, Lena and Lacy, Bells and Lilliez.

Lena was uncharacteristically flustered and didn’t know how to act, clearly overwhelmed. Despite their different denominations, she was in the presence of a saint candidate, one of the highest priests in the Holy State.

Lilliez hugged Lena, finding her adorable, and kept stroking her hair.

“Ah, so soft… Your hair is like cotton candy. How cute.”

“Um, Sister Bianchi? Your hand…”

“Call me Lilliez. We may serve different deities, but we’re both priests of the Eleven Gods Church. Understood?”

Lena squirmed uncomfortably on Lilliez’s lap but couldn’t escape from her.

She was just being cuddled like a teddy bear.

Nigel stayed at the Wall. He planned to move with Lord Landenburg’s main force.

That made sense since he belonged to that unit from the beginning.

I had no complaints about this arrangement.

Lacy didn’t want Ludwig to know about her movements, and if Nigel had traveled with us, it would have reached Ludwig’s ears.

When I met Nigel just before leaving, he had a bandage on one shoulder.

It was an injury from his battle with Jargal.

“That champion Jargal had incredible fighting spirit. I never expected him to put up such a fight against three masters.”

Even with half his limbs severed and his heart pierced, not only did he not fall, but he managed to counterattack. Nigel said he couldn’t block the final strike because he hadn’t anticipated it.

Looking back, he was truly a valuable warrior wasted on someone like Amin.

Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to Amin?

=====[Orhan]=====

“AAAAMIIIIIN!”

A thunderous roar shook the tent. The thick leather tore and wooden frames cracked.

“Not only did you incite the White Banner Army to march without permission, but you also led them to a crushing defeat at the Wall!”

Orhan’s fury erupted for the first time in ten years.

His booming voice echoed throughout the encampment, making warriors tremble.

“How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!”

Unable to contain his rage, Orhan struck the messenger who had delivered the news.

The messenger didn’t even have time to scream before disintegrating.

His body, turned to red dust, stuck to the tent wall.

‘One year, one year would have been enough!’

His left foot stomped violently. The shockwave tore through the ground, turning it inside out. The earth split with a scream.

The massive command tent shattered like a sand castle.

Covered in falling debris, Orhan roared like a flame.

Even the champions dared not try to stop him.

“Targiyan! I’ll give you 3,000 Red Banner troops! Find him! Find Amin and drag him back like a dog!”

“Yes!”

Aishan-Gioro Targiyan, Orhan’s eldest son, quickly bowed his head.

He couldn’t reveal his delighted face before the extremely angry Ser Khan.

Although Amin wasn’t particularly threatening, he was still Targiyan’s competitor. His self-destruction was nothing short of delightful for Targiyan.

“Anyone who stands in your way is a traitor! Tear them limb from limb and throw them into the livestock pens! Even if it’s his mother! Cut them all down!”

Orhan’s anger was intense. So much so that he ordered even his wife to be torn apart if she interfered.

She was just a woman he married for political reasons anyway. He never had any affection for her from the beginning.

Now that this opportunity to unify the great plains had been so pathetically squandered, there was no more room for leniency.

He had sufficient justification to crush entire families if they got in his way.

“The rest of you, prepare for battle! Given the situation, we need to return to Ordos as soon as possible!”

He couldn’t turn the entire army back immediately. The other tribes of the great plains wouldn’t miss this opportunity. They would certainly attack from the rear.

So he needed to crush them at least once before retreating.

‘Amin doesn’t have the courage to defy me. He doesn’t have the capacity for it…!’

Although his chest was burning with rage, Orhan’s judgment remained unclouded.

His heated mind raced to find answers.

This couldn’t have been Amin’s idea alone.

Setting aside Jargal, who merely obeyed Amin, Habar was also aggressive but too loyal a warrior to be involved.

Haschal’s subordinates had been adrift since that child left for the Empire, so they were irrelevant.

Besides, Amin would never follow advice from Haschal’s subordinates.

So the only answer was that outside forces had instigated this.

Someone had given Amin the audacity to disregard even his father’s wrath.

‘I will find them and burn them all…!’

With his fist clenched like steel, Orhan swore to the heavens.

He would grind to dust everyone involved in this matter.

His hatred shook the plains.

===============

The journey back to the capital was peaceful.

News of the annihilation of the five thousand Ka’har troops spread instantly, and everyone knew who was responsible.

A warrior who leaped from the Wall to slay a champion, who tore through the battlefield wrapped in a vortex of flames.

No one could deny that this was a warrior blessed by the gods, as it was clearly beyond what any ordinary person could do.

What I mean is… the nickname I had hoped would be forgotten became famous again.

The title “God’s Punishment.”

“At this rate, I’ll end up with more than ten nicknames.”

Ka’har’s Whore, Dane Killer, Were Eater, Goddess’s Knight, Man-Eater, Thorn Princess, God’s Punishment, Whip of Fire.

If you include “Daffodil Princess” and “Prince’s Concubine,” that’s already ten… but let’s exclude those. They’re nicknames I’d rather forget.

Anyway, isn’t that too many titles for one person?

Even the Empire’s First Sword was simply called the Ghost Blade.

“You’ve caused ten times more trouble than others in just half a year, so it’s only natural.”

Renault shrugged.

…I certainly have done a lot, both good and bad.

“I personally like the title ‘Goddess’s Knight.'”

“That’s nice, but wouldn’t ‘God’s Punishment’ be better?”

“Sister Lilliez, punishment is solely carried out by divine will, so it would be somewhat blasphemous for a person to claim such a title. Don’t you think?”

The two priests of the Church of Elpinel exchanged pleasantries while reciting cringe-worthy nicknames.

No, I never claimed such… well, I did write it on a wall. Why did I do such a thing…

“I like ‘Thorn Princess’! Isn’t it cool?”

“Lena is so cute. I understand. You’re at an age where you like cool-sounding words. But that nickname doesn’t have a very positive meaning.”

Lilliez ruffled Lena’s hair.

Come to think of it, Lena was fifteen? That is indeed an age when one likes cool-sounding words.

—-

As we approached the capital, various rumors about the civil war began to reach my ears.

Leopold’s Wien-Faelrun allied forces were sweeping through small rebel armies with overwhelming force.

They had repelled the werebeast army that came down from the Sky Mountains once, but the imperial army had suffered significant casualties. Things like that.

There were also stories about Frider.

He had apparently defeated several werebeast champions with two juniors. He seemed to be growing well. Good for him.

After traveling for several days, we finally arrived at the capital, Extrashafel.

There was a knight conducting inspections at the city gate, but after seeing Ludwig’s emblem on our carriage and my face, he let us through immediately.

That was fortunate. It wasn’t yet time to publicly announce Lacy’s arrival.

First, I took Renault, Lilliez, and Lena to Asha’s workshop, just in case things went wrong.

“Three people this time… Haschal, do you think my workshop is some kind of secret safe house?”

Asha grumbled.

Well, it is a craftsman’s workshop, so asking her to take in three uninvited guests is a bit inconsiderate…

Renault stepped forward and handed Asha a pouch.

“600 gold.”

“Thank you for your patronage!”

A calm statement. Asha bowed at a right angle.

…Seems like that’s too much money to complain about.

—-

After dropping off the three, I headed to my destination.

After about twenty minutes, a towering spire came into view.

The Grand Cathedral of Extrashafel.

The headquarters of the Church of Elpinel in the Empire and the temporary residence of the Archbishop of Trier.

It was time to announce the return of the saint candidate. In a somewhat grand manner.

The carriage rushed forward without hesitation.