Ch.254My Position Has Been Elevated. Quite Significantly.

The Battle of Zeren Plains.

The clash between Leopold’s army of fifteen thousand and the rebel army of thirty-six thousand—what might have been an unprecedented bloodbath—ended with an outcome no one could have predicted.

Leopold’s forces lost barely eight hundred men. Only those who fell from their horses during cavalry clashes or were unfortunate enough to face knights.

The rebels’ casualties, however, were far from small, even with efforts to minimize losses.

Fifteen hundred heavy cavalry and three hundred knights who ignored the surrender offer. Seventeen hundred infantry who died like porcupines from their own side’s arrows.

Regular troop losses alone approached thirty-five hundred.

The conscripts suffered severely as well. About three thousand were trampled to death after stopping suddenly due to the unexpected flames while charging recklessly.

Additionally, another thousand died of heart failure from what was called the “Heavenly Horse Dominion Step.” Though the killing intent was released to save them rather than kill them, many couldn’t withstand even that much.

…It was unfortunate, but unavoidable.

[Those whose vitality was so weak that their hearts stopped from just that level of killing intent would have died from illness or seizures within a few years anyway. So, think of it not as you killing them… but as hastening their natural deaths.]

‘Is that supposed to be comforting…?’

This woman seemed strangely more benevolent since consulting with Lacy, but her thinking was still so abnormal I had nothing to say.

—-

Leopold’s army remained at Zeren Plains for two more days.

Though their schedule wasn’t particularly flexible, it was unavoidable to prepare for the next battle.

Managing soldiers, cleaning up the battlefield, controlling prisoners—there was a mountain of tasks.

Over eight thousand people had died between both armies, and they had captured over twenty thousand prisoners.

The priests who participated in this “holy war” were busy without a moment’s rest.

They burned the bodies collected by soldiers and purified the land contaminated by thousands of deaths.

On top of that, healing the wounded and managing the mental state of captured conscripts—even ten bodies wouldn’t have been enough.

Yet no one complained of overwork or expressed dissatisfaction.

Rather, the priests were all eager to dedicate themselves, taking the lead.

It was natural, of course.

In their eyes, this was undoubtedly a holy war.

A sacred war to subjugate Isabella, the Insect Witch, who had demonstrated unspeakably horrible and vile acts.

With the Archbishop backed by Elpinel’s glory and a transcendent warrior resembling the reincarnation of one of the Great’s Twelve Knights fighting together, morale couldn’t possibly be low.

The Insect Witch.

Due to the horrific images she had provocatively displayed, that name became Isabella’s official epithet.

My suggestion that “Slut Witch” might be more appropriate was regrettably rejected.

Apparently, it was inappropriate vulgar language for historical records.

In any case, this had made the legitimacy of this war undeniable…

Now even those who opposed or remained neutral were considered sinners.

—-

While others were busy with the aftermath, I had to rest in my tent without moving.

Though I had no visible major injuries, once the tension eased, my body wouldn’t move properly.

My soul itself had weakened due to overexerting my body and using Karma beyond my limits.

Similar to what happened during the Great Fire of Jedo.

…At least it was better than then, since I had no major external injuries.

In the end, I had no choice but to lie quietly in bed, looking like a frail girl with no strength—an appearance I had hoped to forget.

Nigel and Renault stayed in my tent to guard me.

…Though they seemed more busy talking to each other than guarding me.

“So it’s like… how should I say it, a ticklish? No, a tingling? Some kind of licking sensation from the shoulder to the fingertips…”

Renault, who had caught some clue about Karma’s power, was seeking advice from Nigel.

“Perhaps you’ve already touched it without realizing. Try to recall that sensation down to the minutest detail, with the feeling of spreading it throughout your body—”

Nigel was earnestly answering Renault’s questions.

Of course, he was holding a heavy dumbbell in one hand while doing so.

Even while I wasn’t paying attention, they were steadily growing stronger.

…The same would be true for Millia and Demian. I wonder how much they’ve developed by now?

They’d need to reach at least Master level to obtain the holy sword.

—-

Anyway, fortunately my strength was recovering quickly.

Lena and Lacy were taking turns applying healing magic.

“Are you alright, sister?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll recover soon enough with plenty of rest.”

“Please don’t overexert yourself and stay in bed. Even my miracle cannot completely restore weakness of the soul, so what you need now is sufficient rest.”

Lacy made the sign of the cross while placing a blessing on my head.

‘Your Grace,’ huh. Since the battle ended, Lacy had begun treating me with extreme deference.

It wasn’t calculated behavior. Quite the opposite.

Seeing my performance, she had become convinced of the destiny she had vaguely sensed.

That I was nothing less than a savior sent by Elpinel to this land, and that my meeting and cooperation with her was Elpinel’s confirmation that her beliefs were correct.

She even appointed me as an honorary Paladin despite my inability to emit even a speck of holy light.

I tried to refuse, but she persuaded me by saying it was purely honorary…

As it turned out, the title she bestowed upon me wasn’t just that of a Paladin, but equivalent to the head Paladin of the Imperial Archdiocese.

The Sword of Radiance.

A title that surpassed even Richard, the commander of Elpinel’s Paladin order—truly the highest title the church could bestow upon a Paladin.

Originally, it was a term that referred to the Great’s Twelve Knights.

…While it’s true I’m stronger than Richard, isn’t this title excessively grand…?

I do emit light during battle, but it’s the reddish, murky light of Murder Karma, far from the radiant, sacred feeling implied by the title.

No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t a title appropriate for an honorary Paladin with no obligations due to not being affiliated with the church.

Yet all the clergy who participated in the battle unanimously agreed with Lacy’s proposal to bestow the title of Radiance.

Anyway, thanks to this, I was being called the “Knight of Radiance” by the clergy.

Non-clergy—ordinary knights and soldiers—called me something else.

—-

“You truly did well, Baron Median! I cannot imagine how much blood would have been shed without you. You are nothing less than a hero who saved the Empire!”

Shortly after Lena and Lacy left to tend to others, Leopold himself visited my tent.

He was busy praising me from the moment he arrived.

Well, how grateful he must be.

Thanks to me alone, what was expected to be a fierce battle turned into an easy victory.

Thanks to successfully persuading the surrendered knights and soldiers to join our forces, Leopold’s total troops had actually increased compared to before the battle.

Of course, they didn’t intend to use the conscripts, so the increase was only about 4,000.

“Your praise is too generous. It wasn’t just me—the other knights fought valiantly too. I couldn’t have stopped them with my power alone.”

This wasn’t false modesty—it was the truth.

If the clash between knights and heavy cavalry hadn’t been resolved so quickly, I wouldn’t have had the leisure to stop and knock out the conscripts.

Rather, a frenzied battle would have ensued with conscripts mixing into the cavalry melee, continuing until everyone died.

The Heavenly Horse Dominion Step… do I really have to call it that?

Anyway, that power might work on conscripts, but it wasn’t strong enough to make knights or elite soldiers faint.

Now that my rage has subsided, I probably couldn’t spread it as widely as before even if I tried again.

Maybe I could only make a few dozen people faint at most.

“Too much modesty becomes a joke. Who could downplay Baron Median’s achievements? Single-handedly making twenty thousand troops faint—even I, watching from a distance, couldn’t help but recall the legends from 800 years ago.”

Baron.

Yes, my title had somehow become Baron!

For now, I was a Baron without any territory.

This was quickly decided by Leopold and other nobles while I was sleeping.

Considering my military achievements and strength, even a Marquis or Duke title would have been insufficient, but… since I was already designated as the heir to the Margrave of Landenburg, bestowing a title higher than Marquis would complicate the succession.

So they decided to grant me a Baron title for now, with consideration to elevate it to Duke when I eventually inherit the Margrave position.

Well, I’ve certainly moved up in the world.