Chapter 193

Chapter 193

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 193: Yearning (3)

Another ten days passed, and the envoys from the Imperial Palace who had left for the Holy Kingdom returned to the capital, accompanied by Holy Knight Monua.

As soon as she arrived in the capital, she met with the six members of the task force without even having time to unpack.

A task force that included no less than four leaders of the Top 10. This showed how seriously the Empire was taking this situation.

Having confirmed this, Monua couldn’t suppress the shame rising within her. As soon as they realized that the divine power, which they believed to be absolute, didn’t work in the Holy Kingdom, they intentionally ignored the incident to avoid tarnishing their prestige.

Thus, despite the imperial decree to dispatch Monua, the Holy Kingdom insisted it was entirely Monua’s personal decision. A very selfish attitude, wanting to save face while avoiding responsibility.

Monua deeply pondered whether this was truly the right stance of the Holy Kingdom in spreading the will of the divine.

Was it enough to simply make the statue of the Holy Spirit shine, regardless of what lay beneath?

Was the mercy of the Holy Spirit merely for appearances?

Indeed, what was the Holy Spirit?

She moved to find the answers for herself.

Even if it meant opposing the opinions of the Holy Kingdom.

…The Holy Kingdom is not above the Holy Spirit.

In the subjugation force, there were two familiar faces to her.

One was Group Leader Viola, and the other was Group Leader Allen.

In truth, when she faced Allen directly, she found it difficult to suppress the embarrassment rising within her.

“I have forgotten the discomfort from before. So, please, do not hold it in your heart either.”

Allen gently held Monua’s hand and spoke kindly. The Holy Kingdom had slighted him over mere pennies, yet he forgot it all for the greater cause.

Why was it that the teachings of the Holy Spirit were closer to the mercenary leader than the Holy Kingdom?

“It may be harsh for you, but we’ll set out tomorrow. The matter is urgent, so I ask for your understanding.”

To the Prince’s words, Monua replied that it was only natural. After all, she only needed to guide them.

Thus, she joined the group leaving the capital for the mission, carrying her baggage just as it was.

The stench that stings my nose… to the West…

“We’re heading West.”

The expedition to rid this land of the Finger of God headed West.

There was no place on the continent untouched by the hand of immortality.

There were even entire villages completely overrun by the immortals. They had become mindless monsters, unaware of having completely destroyed their own hometowns. Perhaps more terrifying than ghouls.

“Burn them.”

Of course, burning the immortals did not grant them complete rest, but at least they would no longer cause harm.

Aaaahhhh.

The immortals, engulfed in flames, screamed like humans. They screamed until their throats were completely burned and shriveled. Even after that stopped, their agonized struggles continued for quite some time until they could no longer move.

Witnessing such a horrific sight, the subjugation force was quite shocked. At the same time, they painfully realized just how dreadful a curse the God’s immortality truly was.

Of course, the city’s situation was not optimistic either. In fact, the rumors about immortality spread more rapidly and powerfully, aligning more with the intentions of the so-called Liberation Army.

The inherent optimism of thinking oneself different from others made the longing for immortality even more relentless. Some swindlers even created cults, dragging the poor and unfortunate further into despair.

All because of the mere concept of immortality, the continent was crumbling.

The Prince, despite some overexertion, urged a forced march. He wished to save the continent from this crisis as soon as possible.

Thus, after barely a month of leaving the capital with such strain, they finally entered the cliff path leading West and soon set foot on Western land.

Although it would be ideal to move along the river-laden city, the scent pointed not to fertile lands by the river, but to the endlessly sprawling desert terrain. Well, for the immortal Liberation Army, thirst was probably a sense of little significance anyway.

Of course, for the non-immortal resistance group, thorough preparation was necessary to cross the desert.

Thus, after stocking up on supplies as much as possible from the metropolis, they began to walk the barren wasteland where their feet sank deeply.

They fought against the scorching sunlight during the day and the bitter cold that pierced their skin at night. The ever-changing environment of the West was unbearable for those not native to the area. Especially the occasional fierce sandstorms that made it impossible to open one’s eyes, undoubtedly the worst of the extreme Western conditions.

Nevertheless, there were often groups living around an oasis in the middle of the wasteland. However, they too could not escape the curse of immortality.

In the devastated village, there were bloated corpses floating in the oasis and immortals still wandering here and there.

…Perhaps this was the most extensive influence of heretical power on the continent since history was recorded.

The subjugation force organized the village as before and resupplied food there. Of course, it made no sense to supply drinking water from the oasis teeming with all sorts of bacteria, so they luckily drew uncontaminated groundwater from the village well.

They used the abundant water source to wash their dirty bodies for the first time in a while. Their bodies, which had suffered from heat, cold, and sandstorms, finally gleamed again.

“The smell has gotten much stronger now.”

Holy Knight Monua announced that their destination was not far from here.

The Prince, bedraggled from the long journey, encouraged the courage of the subjugation force that had come all this way.

“If nothing else, the heat of the West is really unbearable!”

The North native, Group Leader Monster Ryga, endured the night’s cold well but trembled at the day’s heat.

If even the Top 10 felt this way, how would the rest of the Northerners fare?

Especially Ryga’s beautiful daughter, Mari, who would strip off her furry clothes at midday and flaunt her sensual figure in a revealing sleeveless top.

…However, everything else was fine, but when her dark armpit hair was visible, it was a bit off-putting, even for a beauty. Perhaps because Allen’s aesthetic sense was based on modern Earth, unlike the other mercenaries, he couldn’t find body hair attractive.

Nevertheless, even if Mari didn’t manage her armpit hair, she shot an arrow so incredibly well that he wanted to recruit her into the mercenary group just for that skill alone…

Anyway, after roughly resupplying in the village, the subjugation force resumed tracking the scent.

Monua was now losing sleep over the stench that pierced her nose. Especially since it was closer to an aura than a real smell, she couldn’t get used to it.

However, she didn’t show any sign of it. This was a special ability given by God, and she had no doubt it was a divine revelation.

How dare I complain about the blessing of God!

It had been roughly a fortnight since they wandered the wasteland.

Yet, the subjugation force consisted of individuals well-known in the mercenary world, so they endured this forced march with ease. Of course, Allen found it quite grueling to keep up with their pace, but thanks to the special tonic concocted by Group Leader Grenzo, he managed to endure.

Indeed, a magical potion made by a great mage is distinctly different!

Surprisingly, the two men connected in such areas. No matter how great a mage, the essence of a man didn’t change!

After walking and walking along the desolate sandy path, the subjugation force finally witnessed a new landscape from afar as they crossed the high sand dune.

It was a place where withered old trees stood sparsely. It seemed this place was once a forest.

The subjugation force descended the sand dune once more.

The Ghost Flame and the Milk-Jug Mage, sensitive to energies, felt the air change at a certain point.

It was similar to standing at the edge of the world after opening the Mana Gate.

Dimensional distortion…

The Ghost Flame, convinced of it, abruptly raised his hand to halt the group. Perhaps they had already crossed the boundary.

“What’s the matter?”

“The energy has changed. From here, the dimensions are intermingling.”

Grenzo’s words created a ripple.

The Prince nodded in understanding and instructed the group to prepare for battle. They checked their equipment once more, ready to engage in combat at any moment.

Allen also looked around at his mercenary group, encouraging the members. Especially the newbies who were still inexperienced.

“Don’t worry too much. As long as you don’t panic and act rashly, you can complete the mission safely and return. Believe in yourself and your comrades!”

Monster Ryga gave a brief command to his squad.

“Destroy them!”

-Whoa!

A true Northerner indeed.

The prepared expedition force slowly moved towards the place where dead, withered trees stood eerily.

And the ominous aura began to seep into Allen’s soles as well.