Joining (4)

* * *

To describe Leahs in a word, it was grimy. Crude buildings made of steel, and black smoke billowing from their tops… The majority of the buildings constructed here were weapon factories and steel mills.

Because of that, the air wasn’t good. It was already hard to breathe because of the demonic energy, but with dust mixed in, it was quite irritating.

‘The reason Sir Wiseo’s armor is dark gray might be because of the smoke.’

Black dust was already sticking to the back of my hand. I roughly brushed off the dust and looked around at the residents of Leahs.

What set them apart from other residents was that they all wore goggles and cloth masks.

Leather goggles that looked like something pilots would wear, and a cloth mask that came down in an inverted triangle. From that steampunk-esque attire, which could truly be called exemplary, I could deduce that they were workers in the factories. Many of them carried iron wrenches and hammers in their hands.

“Kkeulkeul… The air isn’t good. Should we get some too?”

Shuriel nodded. I turned my feet towards a nearby store.

• Ttangnang.

As soon as the store door opened, a silver bell rang.

“Who is it?”

The store owner, who had been fanning himself in the store, looked at us. Then he smirked at us, who weren’t wearing goggles and cloth masks.

“Are you perhaps outsiders?”

The most frequently asked question in the North. I answered with a fake smile for show.

“I came from the East.”

“Heo, so you’re precious guests. Which one would you like? If you want something expensive and good, you’ll have to go to the shopping district to the South, but would these be alright?”

“It’s fine. I’ll take these.”

“Thirty fairy tale coins.”

I paid the price and put them on immediately. The quality of the glass wasn’t good, so the front was a bit blurry, but I decided to just let it go.

“It’s much better.”

Huu. The breath blocked by the mask escaped from under my chin. I took in the hot air leaking from near the factory and raised my head.

‘The smell of molten metal is awful.’

It was hot air, enough to block out the biting cold. Judging from the smell, the blast furnace must be running. But I don’t know why they’re running the blast furnace this much. It’s three times more than what a typical city produces.

It was too much to just repair the fortress walls. It’s a region with frequent battles, so I could just assume that’s the reason, but there must be another reason that I don’t know about.

I kept the question in my mind and walked for ten minutes, and a tall, golden bell came into view.

“Is that the temple?”

Temple.

Shuriel pouted her lips as she looked at the temple, which looked like it was built haphazardly.

“They made it so simply.”

As the entire city was an industrial zone, they avoided white-colored materials, and there weren’t even any special decorations to make it easy to wipe off the dust even if it piled up. What was born from that was the gray container that was now in front of my eyes.

“It’s incredibly big, though.”

Still, a temple was a temple, so its size was enormous.

• Daeng…….

At that moment, the sound of a bell rang. It had long forgotten its original golden color, covered in dust, but the clear and pure sound of the bell was still intact.

“Still, the inside is fine, so don’t worry.”

Shuriel nodded her head and said. I asked, as if I was interrogating her, at her familiar-seeming reaction.

“So you’ve been here before, huh.”

“I only came here as part of a pilgrimage.”

“Pilgrimage?”

Pilgrimage, huh. Considering that this place was the biggest battleground with the Demons, it was an appropriate expression. Shuriel spoke in a tone that reminisced about the past.

“It’s like a process you have to go through to become an Astra.”

“Was it tough?”

“Very.”

Shuriel shuddered as she recited the eventful memories of the past.

* *

As Shuriel said, the inside of the temple was very clean. Unlike the exterior, which looked so simple it was almost shabby, the inside faithfully had the appearance of a temple. Although there weren’t many decorations, in accordance with the doctrines of the Holy Stream Society, which valued frugality.

Perhaps the temple of Leahs, which had no decorations at all, was the best expression of the Holy Stream Society’s doctrines.

As we passed through the entrance, a guard who was protecting the temple could be seen.

“Welcome to the temple, brothers and sisters. But it’s not worship time right now, so…”

He greeted us warmly, as expected of a temple worker, but we didn’t come here to worship.

• Peolleok.

Shuriel showed the guard her Astra insignia and said.

“I came here in response to the summons. Where should I go?”

The guard’s eyes widened. He recognized that Shuriel was the ‘Angel’ he had only heard rumors about, and quickly bowed his head.

“I apologize for my rudeness. Please come this way. The Angrid and Prukaise Astras are waiting for you.”

Nod. I nodded my head and entered the interior. The place we headed to was the chapel, which had been remodeled into a temporary base.

And, as soon as I entered the temporary base, I had to face a crowd of people.

• Sseueuk.

I made eye contact with someone who had their hand on a war hammer. Tight-fitting plate armor. A morning star with blood on the end of the iron ball. They were inquisitors.

“Who are they?”

A woman with white hair in a ponytail said. She was also an inquisitor. Her gaze was extremely fierce.

“This is a restricted area. There’s a separate chapel for the believers, so please go back.”

“Heung.”

Shuriel only snorted and didn’t say anything. Then she glanced around here and said annoyedly, seeing that there were fewer people than she had expected.

“Is this all the allocated troops there are? To head to Pandemonium? I’d rather go alone.”

“…Reinforcements?”

“I came from Ruchellini. Where’s Angrid?”

The inquisitors buzzed at the news that reinforcements had arrived.

“The Ruchellini Astra… Then…”

“Then?”

“So it really is a holy war. With this many people… I thought you were just putting on a show, but to think that the three Astras would really gather… Ah, no. I’m sorry. Please, Angrid-nim is-“

• Deolkeok.

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

“…It’s noisy inside. We should conserve our strength since we’re leaving soon-…”

Pavin Angrid.

I made eye contact with her.

“…Yujin.”

She had the jewel that I had given her from Ruchellini attached to her waist. As if she had noticed that I had noticed it, she lowered her head slightly with a small smile.

“…Nice to meet you.”

“Sorry I’m late. I had some things to do.”

“…It’s alright. We were just relaxing.”

But her body was covered in blood. The inquisitor I had just talked to was the same, and everyone reeked of blood. But I didn’t show it. It was also an expression that meant, ‘Please don’t ask.’

Pavin talked with Shuriel, who had arrived with me, and then came back to me again. This was also by herself. I opened my mouth, thinking of the other Astra who I couldn’t see.

“By the way, where’s Prukaise?”

“…He went down to the cliff first. We can join him when we depart.”

“Cliff?”

“…It’s the border of the Empire. Beyond that are Demons and monsters swarming… We can head to the outskirts.”

Outskirts.

The reason why Leahs existed, and the reason why the lord of this place held the title of Frontier Count.

The aftermath of the great war with the Demons had not completely disappeared yet. Even after 500 years, the demonic energy and demonic power flowing out from Pandemonium was still uncontrollable.

Leahs was the last space where the human race could set foot. From beyond there, they would be consumed by madness, captivated by the energy of evil. They coveted the lives of other living beings and worshipped pure destruction.

“…The Demons that we subjugate in the Empire are only a very small number. The outskirts are… The evil races are so full that you can see Demons more commonly than goblins.”

What was needed to stop them was the Frontier Count. Unless they were of the Great Demon class, it wasn’t easy to break through the Frontier Count’s fortress walls and invade the Empire. Pavin said that most of the Demons we caught were Demons that the Frontier Count had missed.

“…Prukaise’s divine protection incantation will be completed soon, so we’ll be able to depart in two days.”

In order to enter such a den of evil, the corresponding divine power was needed. The reason why Prukaise went down to the cliff was also to measure the strength of the divine shield.

‘I roughly know how the situation is going.’

Even though I arrived a bit late, the preparations weren’t finished yet.

“Then, is there nothing in particular for me to do right now?”

“…I’m helping the residents with their work. If you have some time to spare, would you like to join me-“

• Kkireuk.

“…?”

At that time, the sound of wheels rolling could be heard. Not the sound of a carriage or machine turning, but a smaller sound than that… The sound of wheels attached to a chair or table rolling.

‘Smell of molten metal…’

What stimulated my five senses wasn’t just the sound of the wheels rolling. The intense smell of molten metal. The metallic smell I had smelled near the blast furnace was stinging my nose.

• Kkireuk…

Soon, when the smell of metal reached its peak.

I could see its identity.

“Sir Wiseo?”

Sir Wiseo, who had defeated the spider and came to Leahs with us.

The North’s best old general, who was in charge of the Frontier Count’s direct knight order.

And.

“…A wheelchair?”

A gray-haired woman sitting proudly in the wheelchair that Sir Wiseo was pushing.

• Cheolkeok.

The wheelchair stopped, and hair as drab as ash swayed. She swept away the hair that was covering her eyes and said.

“You’re Yujin, right?”

Looking directly at me.

• Kung!

At that moment. All the inquisitors around me put down their weapons and knelt down. And one word flowed out.

“We greet the Frontier Count-nim.”

Even though everyone knelt down and lowered their bodies, my knees didn’t even show any signs of going down. That was because the woman in front of me was too young to be the Frontier Count.

No, being young wasn’t the problem. Yeah. That much was a minor problem. I had become an Archmage at this age, too. It didn’t matter how old she was or what her gender was. The only reason why I closed my mouth and remained silent was…

“Are you surprised that I’m the Frontier Count?”

“Uh, um…”

“Ah, my legs are the problem, huh. It’s okay. It’s a reaction I’ve experienced a lot.”

The one who was protecting the North, the Frontier Count.

Was a cripple.

“Keum.”

Sir Wiseo coughed awkwardly. Only then did I realize my mistake and lower my head.

“I apologize.”

“Wiseo. I told you not to give me that look. Haha…”

She laughed awkwardly, then spoke to me again.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Skadia Keuseunil Leahs. I hold the immense position of protecting the dawn of the Empire, but as you know, it’s just an exaggerated way of putting the Frontier Count’s duties. Just call me Skadia.”

Skadia’s eyes sparkled with silver. Like steel. The smell of molten metal flowing from her body was definitely not a mistake.

“Are you perhaps free?”

She laughed at me, who was still spacing out, and said.

“Then come with me. There’s something I want to show you.”