Ch.461War of the Congregation

After finishing the meeting with the cardinals, Ehrnritter Zaiseus summoned Ceylon and issued detailed suppression orders.

“Return Archbishop Wilhelm to the Holy City, and personally quell the chaos in Arad. Such an uproar couldn’t possibly arise from a mere manifesto. There must be a ringleader who instigated this riot. Find them and escort them to the Holy City. I will interrogate them personally.”

Zaiseus viewed this riot not as a simple civilian uprising, but as a conspiracy involving someone’s intervention.

It was too sudden and large-scale a conflict to simply declare it an eruption of citizens’ discontent due to harsh rule of law.

The one who distributed the manifesto urging action, the one who orchestrated the organized protests, and the one who threw torches at Wilhelm.

In Zaiseus’s view, they were the evil sparks who targeted the Church of Astraea and brought about this chaos.

“Yes, sir. However… I fear that even if we capture the ringleader, it would be difficult to expect the current situation to calm down…”

Ceylon carefully objected.

In his judgment, the riot in Arad had already gone beyond the point where it could be stopped by cutting off one or two heads.

“Then show them all the severity of the scales. Judge the disorder and chaos, and restore proper order. That is the sole purpose for which a judge exists.”

It was an order to continue suppression until the protests stopped, even if capturing the ringleaders didn’t end them.

Ceylon bowed his head and saluted the cardinal.

It was time to fulfill his duty.

For justice.

—-

Cardinal Rosoff of the Church of Ceres summoned Archbishop Shernel and ordered him to lead the Paladins to Nashiriya.

Of course, this wasn’t a force assembled to forcibly seize the city.

It was merely a force to maintain control and security in the reclaimed Nashiriya.

After all, how could they possibly attempt to seize anything from those who had annihilated the Church of Grimnir?

Even with the full might of the Church of Ceres, it would be questionable, let alone with just the Archbishop and partial forces.

‘There’s no need for that anyway. We just need to give that woman what she wants.’

Cardinal Rosoff planned to negotiate by offering to recognize the continued existence of the Imperial Archdiocese in exchange for the peaceful return of Nashiriya.

The independence of the Imperial Archdiocese was already all but confirmed, but that fact likely hadn’t reached Lacy in Nashiriya yet.

Therefore, he intended to gain maximum benefit through this.

In his judgment, it would be impossible for Lacy to reject this proposal given her position.

For a woman who had so strongly advocated for the necessity of the Archdiocese to now reject this condition would prove that the value of the cause she espoused wasn’t even worth a single city.

It was a perfect plan.

At least, in Rosoff’s view.

However.

The information that the forces of the Church of Ceres were heading to Nashiriya became a long-awaited opportunity for revenge for “someone” who had been watching the Holy City.

Upon hearing reports from spies dispatched to the Holy City, that man burst into passionate laughter and rejoiced.

Because the moment had come to somewhat resolve his grudge against Rosoff.

—-

Cardinal Carnius Gustav of the Church of Saulite held a private meeting with Cardinal Raiher of the Church of Imela.

Though they were political opponents, they had one thing in common.

“Even in Arbil, there’s no guarantee that the same thing won’t happen as in Arad. We can’t leave this unattended, can we?”

The commonality that they both governed the same city.

“We can’t use extreme methods like Zaiseus, but… I think we need to investigate the actual situation in the city. What’s your opinion?”

Raiher hesitated briefly but ultimately had to agree with Carnius’s proposal.

Until now, they had half-tacitly allowed it, but they could no longer ignore the seeds of unrest.

‘I had planned to entrust this to Stardolf… but given how things have turned out, we have no choice but to resolve it ourselves. She’s now tied up in Nashiriya.’

It would be difficult for her to head to Arbil now.

Besides, her original purpose had already been achieved for all intents and purposes.

“…I agree. If a small spark is left unattended, it will eventually return as a great flame. It would be wise to extinguish it before getting burned.”

Raiher nodded.

It was a moment when the interests of the two churches aligned.

===[ Church of Ceres, Archbishop Shernel’s Forces ]===

The forces of the Church of Ceres heading toward Nashiriya advanced smoothly through the snow.

Their marching speed was quite fast, but this was to be expected.

Since they weren’t a force prepared for combat, they were moving with only basic armaments.

The Paladins and priests marched with smiles on their faces, exchanging pleasantries.

“When we retreated because of those Grimnir bastards, I thought we’d never return, but now I wonder if we should thank Elmaine.”

“Haha. That’s right. But don’t say such things in front of His Eminence the Cardinal. He would surely be furious.”

Most were excited.

As most of them had been born in Nashiriya and had managed it, they were so happy to return home that even the ill feelings between the churches were fading.

A javelin cut short their joy.

– Kwaddddeuk!

The face of a laughing Paladin twisted and crumbled into pieces of flesh.

Brain matter scattered. Eyeballs popped out and burst, spraying vitreous humor.

The javelin, carrying a gray storm, exploded the Paladin’s head.

The spearhead, continuing forward, pierced through as many as ten church members before losing its force and stopping.

“Ambush! Take defensive positions! We must protect the Archbishop!”

“A javelin of gray storm. Could this be…!”

In the face of the sudden catastrophe, the Paladins who had stopped breathing in shock drew their swords and spears with screams.

It was an attack method all too familiar to them.

The Opening Spear.

The power boasted by the Church of the War God.

A destructive javelin that was virtually the mark of a high-ranking Crusader.

“It’s Volberg’s Crusaders!”

The Paladin in command shouted, pointing to the snow-covered forest in the distance.

From where he pointed, countless Crusaders began pouring out all at once.

“Finally you’ve come-! We’ve been waiting for you to show up. Rosoff’s pawns, you frauds of Ceres!”

A one-eyed man standing at the head of the Crusaders raised his spear wrapped in holy light with a fierce roar.

Cardinal Wolfgang Kapraich of the Church of Volberg was there.

Spewing his hatred for Cardinal Rosoff, the main culprit who had framed them for assassination and expelled them from the Holy City.

“Charge-! The time has come to deliver due retribution to the vanguard of the fraudster who drove us out! The wrath of the War God shall descend upon this place!”

With another Opening Spear unfurled, a thousand Crusaders roared and charged.

Toward the members of Ceres who were emitting blue holy light with faces turned pale.

Shouts and curses, screams and laughter intermingled as blood and death intersected.

A power difference of two to one. A thoroughly prepared ambush.

Archbishop Shernel’s forces fought to the end, crying out for martyrdom, but it was a battle without hope from the beginning.

They scattered their lives on the snow and fell in miserable condition, growing cold.

There were no survivors.

=======[ Haschal ]=======

As I rode toward Arad, I imagined protesters hiding throughout the city engaging in guerrilla warfare, with Paladins searching every corner of the city trying to catch them.

Or perhaps… the heads of the completely suppressed protesters lined up on the city walls.

After all, when the uprising of the weak meets harsh suppression, that’s usually how it turns out.

However, the scene that unfolded before my eyes was on a completely different level from what I had expected.

“Curse be upon Astraea!”

From behind hastily erected barricades, protesters in full plate armor rained down javelins and arrows.

Flaming oil barrels cut through the air as curses and roars echoed loudly.

An entire district of the city was burning.

“How dare you, rioters!”

Astraea’s Paladins endured the flames and arrows with armor of holy light as they charged toward the protesters.

Firmly gripping swords and spears flashing with golden radiance.

The moment they reached near the barricades, the ground before them turned red.

“Where do you think you’re going, butchers of the scales!”

A man who stepped forward from the protesters roared with red holy light.

A knight with a burning sword. The Paladins of Astraea who faced him ground their teeth and stopped.

“Damn it, fall back! It’s the ‘Rising Inferno’!”

The next moment, the red-tinged ground ruptured as a massive pillar of fire shot up vertically.

With heat that could melt even rocks.

Rising Inferno.

An attack miracle of the Church of Kranus that only high-ranking Paladins could use.

“O Astraea! Illuminate their sins!”

Light of judgment that cut through the air collided with the pillar of fire and scattered.

The flames, their momentum broken by the pouring light, gradually subsided. Fragments of holy light flashed brilliantly.

“How dare you speak of sin! O Kranus, grant me endless flames to burn them!”

“Those insane Kranus bastards!”

Paladins of Kranus in azure flame armor charged forward with burning swords, leaping over the barricades.

Paladins of Astraea, armed with blades of order and armor of protection, swung their swords against them, emitting golden holy light.

“…Fuck.”

I bit out a crude curse and chewed on the cigarette in my mouth.

The scene unfolding before me was truly the midst of a war.

What the hell is this?