episode_0159

Currently, the main people remaining at the 8th Gate are the deputy commander of the Imperial Army, Wolfgang, and the kings and commanders of other partner countries.

The emperor, commander-in-chief, etc. had already moved to another place.

It’s not good to have all the important people gathered in one place, and they can be contacted through video mirrors.

Anyway, I need to talk to them.

After defeating Ganesha, they stormed into the command room.

As expected, there was an uproar.

A surprise attack by the advance force and the ‘Black Lion’, which lost contact in various places.

Ganesha suddenly appeared in front of the 8th Gate, the report, the confusion that followed the report, etc.

The chaos ended for a moment when I appeared.

“Ian-!”

Mercy, who was inside, came running in a huff.

“Trigram, is it okay? I heard you got hurt, huh? There was a loud, loud noise… . Your complexion is not good either. Don’t you need to rest?”

It’s crazy to pour out so much.

I waved my hand and answered.

“Not to that extent. Did you have any problems here?”

“This is the most important place in the gateway. Could there be a problem?”

Wolfgang also came up and asked.

“Ian, are you okay? It looks bad. Wouldn’t it be better to get treatment first?”

“We can talk about everything while receiving treatment here. The current situation is more urgent than my wounds.”

“Okay.”

Immediately following Wolfgang’s order, two priests came in and joined me.

“As the situation is an emergency, I will talk about it right away without waiting. Please let the people here listen and pass it on.”

I don’t have time to wait and check whether they are listening to me or not.

“First of all, this is good news. 1st Corps Commander, Knight Centaur, 2nd Corps Commander, Ganesha. Two of the main forces of the Demon King’s army died.”

There are changes that are worse than expected, but there are also good changes.

It is especially encouraging that two corps commanders died from the start of the war.

The assault corps is very cumbersome due to its mobility, and infantry is, needless to say, an essential class in war.

Of course, even if those two die, it does not mean that the cavalry or infantry of the Demon King’s army will be annihilated.

Even so, it is true that their most important focal point has disappeared.

“The bad news is that the 6th Corps commander has already started to move. I understand that there are reports of ‘black lions’ coming from all over.”

Affirmative answers were heard from several video mirrors.

“That guy is the commander of the 6th Legion and the leader of the Dark Legion, Manticore. Are there any additional sightings?”

A few people responded, but there was no meaningful information.

Even after further confirmation with Mercy, it was said that he showed up a few times and then hid it.

That guy is something I can’t detect even with my keen senses, so I have to be especially careful.

“Now that the Manticore has appeared, all aggressive and active tactics will have to be abandoned. For the time being, we must remain stationed at the gateway and proceed while establishing a stable base camp.”

I only know fragments of future information and am not a military expert.

So providing information and a little advice is all I can give.

“And maybe… . What happened to the isolated advance party?”

Wolfgang gave the answer.

“It is said that they are making a comeback from various places. A retreat order was also issued.”

“Thank goodness.”

“It is said that the first party of warriors who cleared the Uninhabited Land is marching west and returning safely at high speed.”

“… Is that so?”

Just then, I received a call from my video mirror.

I took it out right away and received a call.

-uh!

The faces of three fruits huddled together were revealed in the video mirror.

-It’s Ian!

-Hey Ian!

-Ian… !

Judging from the scenery behind it, it appears to be a different gateway.

These are also safe.

“Ha… .”

I unconsciously wiped my face and sighed.

I was pretending not to do my best, but ever since I heard that the advance force was isolated, I had been worrying to the point where my head was dizzy.

-Ugh, huh… . Yiaaan… !

Vivian burst into tears in the video mirror.

-I miss my sister a lot. It must have been difficult.

Lucia said while patting Vivian.

-… I miss you a lot too.

“Yes?”

I couldn’t hear clearly because of Vivian’s crying.

-I had a hard time too.

-Well, me too!

-Hehehe!

Still, I’m glad that there don’t seem to be any serious injuries.

-Ian, are you okay? I heard there was some trouble there too… .

“There was a problem. The commander of the 2nd Corps attacked us openly.”

-yes?!

-… Huh, what?

Vivian suddenly stopped and asked a question.

“Kathi came back quickly and took care of it, so you don’t have to worry.”

Not only Ganesha, but even the 1st Corps Commander told me that Kati had cleaned it up.

-Wow… .

The three were impressed but a little embarrassed.

It seems to be because of the comparison between their isolated lives and Kathi’s actions.

“Don’t be discouraged. Something like this. If you come back alive, that’s it.”

-Are you worried?

“Then you won’t worry.”

-Hehehe… .

-Hmm, hmm!

-How much?

Lucia asked playfully.

“Well?”

-This is shameful.

“What happened more than that?”

How did you become isolated and what was the situation before that?

I needed to listen.

I heard everything, but unfortunately, there was no particularly meaningful information.

The fruits were quite far ahead of the advance party, so they didn’t know how they were cut off in the middle.

‘Well, if he came back alive, that’s okay.’

And, it is said that they each received help from the first warrior party.

Kati also added a word.

“I also received help from Beatrice.”

“Beatrice?”

“Yes. Additionally, he was wearing an unusual-looking prosthetic arm and leg.”

hmm. is it.

It appears that the prosthetic arms and legs that the imperial family requested from Scarlett have been completed.

In the latter half of the second war, special prosthetic hands and legs were developed for those whose bodies were damaged in the Magic Tower.

It looks like it was completed quite early.

Fruits are said to be the 13th gateway.

After reporting his return, he said he would come here and cut off communication.

“Master.”

“Huh?”

“… Weren’t you worried about me?”

“What?”

When I asked a question in bewilderment, Kati quietly averted her gaze.

what the.

“Why am I not worried about you?”

“… … .”

“No matter how much stronger you are than others, you never know what will happen on the battlefield. Of course I was worried.”

Kati’s face turned red little by little.

He must be misunderstanding again.

That’s not what I meant… .

“Mr. Lee! I am! I-!”

Mercy suddenly intervened.

“Did you forget that I said everything was fine as soon as I saw you?”

“Mmmmm. It was like that. okay! That’s it!”

“Just.”

Mercy stuck out her tongue and laughed playfully.

At that time, the command room door opened and someone came in.

“Ian.”

It was Emperor Julianus.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

*

The Emperor had clearly moved to the Fourth Gate.

The fact that he suddenly came to see me means that something is going on.

The emperor did not even come alone.

We are together until the end.

I don’t think this is an ordinary situation.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard that the commander of the 2nd Corps came to visit.”

“Yes. There were quite a few injuries, but fortunately we caught them without any fatalities.”

“That’s a good thing.”

He nodded a few times and spoke again.

“There is a rumor going around that Ganesha recognized you. They say they even know the exact name. Is this true?”

“… yes. Yes.”

Somehow, the atmosphere is unusual.

“I say it in a harsh manner. There is a force that doubts you.”

“What is your suspicion?”

“I suspect that you are a spy for the Demon King’s army.”

A spy for the Demon King’s army.

A spy of the Demon King’s army.

“… … .”

Apart from getting angry, you need to think calmly.

I understand your anxiety.

This is the first time a war on such a large scale has taken place, and with the corps commander storming right in front of the gate that was firmly believed to be safe with victory in the air, one would be tempted to have vain suspicions.

Because that’s the human heart.

‘No matter what, it is. ‘Isn’t there a rumor going around that I risked my life to fight Ganesha?’

I couldn’t ask the emperor such a question.

“Let me tell you in advance, we are on your side. We are actively suppressing such rumors to prevent them from spreading, but I called you separately because I thought you should be aware that such forces exist.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“However.”

Seonghwang added.

“Among believers, those who suspect the apostle of being a heretic are quite polar. Razuri is in control, but you must be careful.”

“Be careful.”

Do you need something to change my public opinion?

It’s really annoying.

“Rather. Ian.”

The emperor called.

“Was this invasion of Ganesha the future you saw?”

“… That’s not true.”

“I see.”

The emperor, who was banging on the table, looked into the distance and asked.

“Will humanity win?”

It was a difficult question.

Should I talk about hope or reality?

The worries didn’t last long.

“You will win.”

This is not something I can do alone.

So, I have to encourage everyone to make that happen.

“… Yes.”

The emperor nodded as if he understood.

As the Emperor and the Holy Emperor were gathered together, I informed them in advance of the information about what would happen next.

This is information that will later need to be shared with the Aegis leader, military unit leader, commander-in-chief, Lazuli leader, etc., but it is necessary to inform these two in advance.

Information and forces of the enemy that will invade again after the war starting point has been passed.

The attitude you should take at that time.

Even the expected locations, routes, action radius, and patterns of other corps commanders were provided in more detail than before.

With this, the work is done for the time being.

When I left the conference room, fruits were waiting outside along with Kati and Mercy.

“Ian!”

“Ian niiim-!”

Helena found me and came running to me.

“Uh, wait… . Billion!”

“Ian! I heard you had a fight! Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“It looks like you got hurt where you just bumped into Helena.”

“Ah, ah… . Sorry, I-that was… .”

“It’s a joke. I’m fine.”

“… … .”

I slowly took Helena away from me and looked at her behavior.

Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any injuries.

Vivian and Lucia too.

“Ian, I’ve heard strange things people say… . Are you okay?”

“Hmm. It will probably be like that for a while.”

Although we were caught in an unexpected surprise attack, the result of the first battle was quite successful.

If this victory is maintained, strange public opinion will not grow.

“It is not a problem for you to worry about. Don’t worry.”

“Yes… .”

“But why do you only hug Helena?”

Lucia suddenly asked.

“You didn’t hug me, you were hugged?”

“Then blame me too. It’s not fair.”

“What on earth… .”

Without any time to refute, I was hugged by Lucia.

Now Helena and Lucia are stronger than me and cannot resist.

“… I’m glad you’re safe.”

Lucia spoke in a rare serious voice.

“I’m glad you’re all safe.”

And behind Lucia, Vivian, Kati, and Mercy were standing in line.

Vivian, who made eye contact, scratched her cheek in embarrassment and then laughed.

“Hehe, hehe… .”

“… Do whatever you want.”

In the end, all three hugged.

***

The leadership decided to follow Ian’s plan.

The method is to operate troops as defensively as possible and set up base camps in each advantageous terrain.

But even so, we couldn’t just act defensively.

So the Human Coalition used the four members of the first warrior party as aggressive and active scouts.

They were constantly dispatched to dangerous areas to observe and understand the enemy, and did not hesitate to fight when the time called for it.

Dangerous operations continued, such as destroying the Demon King’s army’s concentration points and causing confusion, or attacking moving soldiers.

Still, they did it.

Didn’t even express any complaints.

I just quietly fulfilled my duty.

The antipathy toward Ian was much more muted than expected.

It was because of the first warrior party.

Every time I heard something like that, they came in with tired faces and threatened me.

“If I hear that bullshit one more time, I look forward to what will happen.”

The other three, including Sylvia, also did not stay still.

Although they are semi-criminals, they are strong.

Now that they have regained their past skills, they are an irreplaceable force.

At a time when the anxiety of war is eating away at humanity, their overwhelming inaction was hope itself.

While the first warrior party roamed around the dangerous area, spying on it, and occasionally clearing the border of the Eastern No Man’s Land.

Humanity moved steadily forward, dealing with minor disturbances.

Humans once lived in the north beyond the Wall.

Accordingly, there was also an abandoned human village there.

The place that the Human Alliance used as its base camp was such a human village.

In an abandoned village, Ian and his group also participated in building a camp.

Helena found an abandoned cathedral in a corner of the village.

Ian was also there.

The two were looking for a large building to use as a food warehouse.

Helena said as she looked up at the abandoned cathedral.

“If there was such a thing as a demon, I don’t think it would have left the cathedral unharmed.”

“Hmm. That’s what I heard.”

The two of us went inside.

As seen from the outside, the cathedral was quite small.

It seemed like it had been used for a long time, it was full of dust, and there were a lot of spider webs in every corner.

“Oh.”

Helena, exploring inside, found a narrow room.

Two wooden doors connected one room.

“What is this place?”

“This is a confessional. Would you like to take a look?”

The inner room was divided into two spaces by the middle wall.

The dividing wall had a thick grid pattern, allowing you to see the other side.

One separate room was narrow enough to barely fit one person.

“This is a place for confession, but shouldn’t anonymity be guaranteed?”

Helena, who entered the room on the other side, answered.

“That’s because it is a place to test each other’s trust.”

“That’s tricky.”

This meant that even if both people could see each other, they could only truly repent if they did not see each other.

“What is this door here?”

There was also a door in the wall dividing the rooms.

“Sin and apology exist in the sense that they must communicate with each other.”

“It looks quite dangerous.”

“So there is a lock on this side where sin is heard. It is said that it arose after several cases of believers attacking priests, unable to overcome the shame that came after confessing their sins.”

“… okay. Let’s go out and explore some more places.”

“Um, Ian?”

“Yes?”

“If you are guilty, I can listen to you.”

Suddenly she took on the role of a priest assisting in the sacrament of confession.

The exaggeratedly serious tone was rather playful.

Ian chuckled and said.

“My sins are too many to confess.”

“… Then, will you accept my sin?”

“Helena’s sin?”

“Yes… .”

There’s nothing wrong with joking around, but because of the location, Ian felt uncomfortable for no reason.

“Isn’t this something someone who has taken a priest’s class can do?”

“If you are Ian, you deserve it.”

“What… All right. Let’s listen.”

“Okay… .”

Clearly, the room where Ian is is the confessor’s room, and across from it is the priest’s room.

Somehow the roles have changed.

Ian shook the dust off the chair and sat down.

On the other side, Helena cleared her throat and spoke.

Her figure was vaguely visible through the grid, but Ian did not see it.

“I, Helena, swear to tell only the facts as they are, without addition or subtraction. It’s been quite a few months since I committed a sin. However, it was not that long ago that I became aware of this sin. Please give the hand of salvation to the lamb who has lost his way in blasphemy.”

Helena’s voice and attitude were serious enough to embarrass Ian.

I say “. I started coveting something I should not covet. He did this even though he knew that greed is the root of all sin. Even though he knew that his greed would ruin his relationships with his colleagues, he did not reject it. Sometimes I was even jealous and envious of the closeness of the objects of my greed and my colleagues.”

I say “. I lusted after something I shouldn’t have lusted after. That is blasphemy. It is a selfish complaint and rebellion against the One who makes everything in my world. Believers and God cannot stand on the same level. But, I dared to hope for that.”

I say “. I said something I shouldn’t have said. The object of my greed is a fruit as dangerous as the tree of good and evil that led to knowledge of original sin. I am not the only one who covets that object, and daring to express my feelings for him is an arrogance that could destroy many relationships. It’s deception. However, I cannot bear it anymore and am now telling Him my heart, my sins, and my love.”

The strange feeling of discomfort I felt from the middle reached its peak as I reached the last part.

It may have been a joke when he first said he would accept my sin, but what he said after that was definitely not a joke.

“I hope.”

Suddenly, the door opened.

The door separating the priest’s pew and the confessional pew was slowly pushed open.

Helena appeared.

She was wearing a nun’s uniform, her face was very flushed, and she was breathing heavily.

A narrow space that can barely accommodate one person.

Before Ian could stand up or stop, Helena got on his lap, pressing down on his shoulders tightly.

She looked down at him and said in a trembling voice.

“Please forgive my sins.”

“… … .”

“Ian became my god. I dare, I love you.”

Helena, with a disheveled face, gradually lowered her head towards him.

He held his body and arms tightly with his legs, as if tying them together, and his arms hugged the nape of his neck deeply.

Helena slowly presses her lips together.

“Umm… .”

Helena let out a strange sound from her slowly folded lips, and let out a hot snort.

They rub their bodies closer as if to bring them closer, and dig their lips into theirs so hard that it seems as if they are taking away their breath.

With the momentum to suffocate Ian, Helena then did not fall for quite some time.