Talca City

The next day, pamphlets denouncing Clovis’s coup were scattered all over the northern part of Talka City.

The pamphlets contained detailed information about the power-related corruption and abuse of subordinates committed by Carol and Clovis.

It also condemned Clovis for trying to seize power by using the Chimera rampage incident at the Talka Research Institute and getting the Inquisitors on his side.

Gargoyle Golems made at the Talka Research Institute flew south over Talka City, carrying loads of pamphlets and scattering them.

Clovis’s soldiers shot down several Gargoyle Golems that entered the southern part of Talka City, but the pamphlets fell straight down anyway.

Clovis declared that anyone who took a pamphlet home would be severely punished.

The soldiers collected and burned the pamphlets that fell in the southern part of Talka City, but the contents of the pamphlets were already spreading secretly among the people.

Those with low faith in the Elia religion trusted the contents of the pamphlets more than the words of the Inquisitors.

Thus, the standoff between the north and south was maintained, and several days passed.

—

The most important thing in war is securing food.

The southern forces produced and procured their own food.

The northern part of Talka City had difficulty procuring its own food.

Fortunately, Stoja City declared its support for Marquis Lucas.

Stoja City exported a large amount of food to the northern forces at a low price by train and dispatched Chimera expert Dr. Jekyll.

Jekyll was a man who looked to be in his 30s with a thin build and a sickly-looking face.

Jekyll was led to the guest room of Marquis Lucas’s mansion.

Marquis Lucas, Silvie, and Ivana were there.

Marquis Lucas greeted him politely.

“Welcome. I heard you have been serving the God of Darkness-nim for a thousand years.”

Only subordinates of the God of Darkness were in the guest room, so it didn’t matter if he said it openly.

Jekyll’s brain structure had been altered, so he worshiped the God of Darkness.

Jekyll replied.

“I have served the God of Darkness-nim as a researcher for a thousand years. I was separated from the God of Darkness-nim due to some matters, but I was fortunate enough to be honored to serve him again.”

“Hahaha. That’s good. I heard you are a Chimera expert.”

“Yes. I’ve handled Chimeras quite a bit.”

“How can you help us?”

“I specialize in insect-type Chimeras and combat Chimeras. I can create Chimeras that will help in combat.”

“I will set up a personal laboratory for you at the Talka Research Institute. I will tell Director Sophia, so please feel free to conduct your research.”

“Understood.”

Silvie called out to Marquis Lucas.

“Father.”

“Huh? Not Daddy?”

“Aish. We have a guest in front of us~”

“Ahem. What’s the matter?”

“Right now, we are outnumbered in terms of both strong individuals and the number of troops. In times like these, we need asymmetric power.”

“That’s right. Keep talking.”

“Currently, our asymmetric power is just the Hero party. But the enemy also has 40 powerful Inquisitors. We need to develop weapons of mass destruction at the Talka Research Institute to change the course of the war. It’s all for the God of Darkness-nim.”

“Good idea.”

Silvie looked at Jekyll and suggested.

“I am a genius in the field of magical engineering. Let’s research weapons of mass destruction together.”

Jekyll’s face turned red, and he cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Ahem. Ah~ That’s good.”

Ivana muttered.

“He’s a complete idiot when it comes to women.”

Silvie tilted her head.

“Do you have a cold?”

Jekyll replied.

“Ah. No, I don’t.”

“I think Jekyll-nim and I are kindred spirits. We have a lot to learn from each other.”

Jekyll was flustered.

‘Eotteot! Am I escaping being single after just one day?!’

“Uh, what kind of kindred spirits?”

“A personality that sees things through to the end when immersed in research. If my magical engineering skills, Jekyll-nim’s Chimera skills, and the Talka Research Institute’s technology are combined, we can create the best weapon of mass destruction.”

“Ah. That’s it. Yes. That’s right.”

“Please take care of me.”

Jekyll scratched the back of his head with his right hand and bowed.

“I look forward to working with you too.”

Silvie was only doing joint research with Jekyll for professional reasons, but her father, Marquis Lucas, took it differently.

Marquis Lucas scrutinized Jekyll with hawk eyes.

‘Is this guy hitting on my daughter? Serving the God of Darkness-nim for a thousand years is worth some points, but I’m not satisfied with you yet. I’m going to dig into every detail about you.’

Ivana watched with anticipation to see how Silvie Unnie, who was romantically inept, and Jekyll would turn out.

‘Hehet~ Is Unnie finally escaping her romantic ineptitude?’

Jekyll was assigned a room in the mansion.

Silvie led Jekyll to the Talka Research Institute.

Marquis Lucas had a displeased look on his face, but he remained silent.

Jekyll followed Silvie’s guidance and passed through the hall, where he encountered the Hero party.

On the surface, it was the first time Jekyll was meeting the Hero party.

Jekyll pretended not to know me and greeted the Hero simply.

“Hello. I am Dr. Jekyll from Stoja City, who was dispatched to the Marquis family this time.”

Park Gyeong-cheol greeted him.

“I am Hero Park Gyeong-cheol, and these are my party members.”

Jekyll passed by us.

Hide contacted me through the Tentacle communication network.

Jekyll was not yet a subordinate, so he could not use the Tentacle communication network.

– [Kyle-nim. Hello!]

– [Hide. Nice to see you.]

– [I’m having so much fun these days because I can talk to Hyung-nim. Hyung-nim has also learned the taste of darkness. Hahaha.]

– [Finally, the brothers have come to understand each other. Congratulations.]

– [It’s all thanks to the God of Darkness-nim. Hyung-nim might escape being single for a thousand years this time.]

– [Why?]

– [He’s going to do joint research on weapons of mass destruction with Young Lady Silvie.]

– [That’s good. Silvie is an outstanding woman. Tell your Hyung to definitely grab her.]

– [I will.]

– [Wait! If she’s Jekyll’s woman, doesn’t that make her your woman too? You have both a herbivore and a macho man in one body? You can push your individuality with this.]

– [Puhahaha! Kyle-nim is right. I’ll try to capture Young Lady Silvie with Hyung and my charms.]

– [I’m a married man, so ask me if you need help.]

– [I’ll try to do this on my own.]

– [Good spirit~]

The Tentacle communication network was cut off.

—

In the southern part of Talka City, the quality of life had deteriorated because the daily necessities that had been coming down from the northern part of Talka City had been cut off.

This was because each force had blocked the border between the north and south.

The connection with the north, which had been purchasing most of the food, clothing, and other items from the south, was cut off, causing the south’s inventory to increase and its income to decrease.

Fatigue and resentment towards the war situation spread among the southern citizens.

The contents of the pamphlets sent by Marquis Lucas were rapidly spreading to the southern citizens.

Demonstrations condemning Clovis’s coup, led by Dark Humans, broke out in various parts of the south.

The protesters held signs and shouted at the top of their lungs.

“Clovis, who brought in foreign Inquisitors, stop the war!”

“We condemn Clovis and Carol for committing corruption and abuse!”

Many soldiers had an unconscious resistance to rebelling against their lord, Marquis Lucas, but the protests began to shake them.

To make matters worse, the Demon slaves, who mainly did undesirable work such as farming, cleaning, and sewage treatment in the south, suddenly regained their freedom.

This was because Marquis Lucas had released all the Demon slaves in the south.

The Demon slaves stopped working and ran away, committing crimes in various places.

Several Demon slaves formed groups, attacked the southern walls, and escaped outside.

This happened because most of the troops were stationed at the border with the north.

With the Demon slaves gone, there was no manpower for agricultural facilities and urban environmental facilities.

Garbage piled up in various parts of the city, and sanitation deteriorated.

Just then, 60 Inquisitors from the Aope County, Seureubaek City, and Eridne City arrived in the southern part of Talka City.

Since the train station was in the northern part of Talka City, they came by land instead of by train.

In addition, Cardinal Benjamin, who manages Morian City in the Holy Kingdom, came to support the southern part of Talka City, leading 3,000 priests, 3,000 Holy Knights, and 4,000 other soldiers.

The Holy Knights are a special troop unique to the Holy Kingdom who wield maces and create auras with divine power.

Among the Holy Knights, the very strong ones become Paladins.

The Reaper is a troop in the Kyle Holy Kingdom that is at odds with the Holy Knights.

The other soldiers consisted of various troops such as swordsmen, spearmen, archers, and mages.

It was not easy for this many Holy Kingdom troops to enter the Hamel Empire.

Eridne City and Seureubaek City joined the Light Human Association and were friendly with the Holy Kingdom.

When the Holy Kingdom explained the danger in Talka City and provided a large amount of gold to the two cities, the two cities allowed the passage of troops.

The Holy Kingdom troops took the train to Seureubaek City and then entered the southern part of Talka City by land.

A total of 100 Inquisitors and 10,000 Holy Kingdom soldiers were a force to be reckoned with, so they exerted a strong influence in the southern part of Talka City.

Cardinal Benjamin made a semi-compulsory proposal to Clovis.

“The main force of the protesters are Dark Humans. And suddenly, Demon slaves are regaining their freedom and causing problems. It’s all a scheme by the God of Darkness to create social unrest and destroy humans from within. All Dark Humans and Demons in the southern part of Talka City must be killed. We must completely eliminate them to secure our rear.”

Clovis stopped Cardinal Benjamin.

“You’re spilling too much blood. The rest of the people will be uneasy.”

Inquisitor Captain Anushe emphasized.

“The first important thing to always do is to be vigilant. Darkness is always lurking around, waiting for an opportunity to exploit our weaknesses. If you don’t kill Dark Humans and Demons because you’re afraid of the aftermath, that’s exactly what the God of Darkness wants.”

Cardinal Benjamin persuaded him.

“Everything is the will of Goddess Elia-nim. We are the children of Goddess Elia-nim and part of the war against the God of Darkness, and we must fulfill our role.”

Clovis had no choice but to accept as Anushe and Benjamin persuaded him with gleaming eyes.

“Ugh. I understand. But the soldiers will mentally resist.”

When Clovis gave his permission, Cardinal Benjamin explained with a kind smile.

“Don’t worry about that. Use Clovis-nim’s soldiers to maintain the front lines. The Holy Kingdom soldiers will be the main force in destroying evil. The Holy Kingdom soldiers have no hesitation in carrying out the will of Goddess Elia-nim. If we preach diligently, the citizens will accept it too.”

Clovis asked.

“What if ordinary people protect Dark Humans and Demons?”

“Protecting evil is an act of denying Goddess Elia-nim. We will try to persuade them first. If persuasion doesn’t work, we will have to purify them in the name of God.”

“Purification means….”

“It means excluding them from this continent through death.”

“But if we kill all the Demons, there will be a shortage of labor for farming and city maintenance.”

“You can have the city residents do the work instead. They are working to fulfill the mission given by Goddess Elia-nim. How glorious is that!”

Anushe and Benjamin had no qualms about killing and forcing people.

They would do anything for Goddess Elia.

If Clovis refused, they could secretly eliminate Clovis.

Clovis felt goosebumps all over his body.

The Holy Kingdom troops had learned from their past experiences, so they did not immediately capture and kill Dark Humans and Demons.

They spread rumors among the citizens that Dark Humans and Demons were causing social unrest under the orders of the God of Darkness.

Cardinal Benjamin selected those among the citizens who had outstanding faith in Goddess Elia and appointed them as the Darkness Eradication Corps.

Cardinal Benjamin held a grand ceremony to appoint the Darkness Eradication Corps in a public square where everyone could see.

The reason for holding a grand ceremony was to instill pride in those who faithfully believed in Goddess Elia.

The Darkness Eradication Corps wore white pointed hats that covered their entire faces and white cloths all over their bodies.

It was like the ghost costumes of the American KKK.

Cardinal Benjamin stood on the platform, and hundreds of members of the Darkness Eradication Corps in ghost costumes stood in rows in front of him, holding ropes, chains, and weapons.

Inquisitors and Holy Kingdom soldiers were nearby.

While the priests were singing sacred songs in choir robes, Cardinal Benjamin declared.

“I bestow upon you the glorious position to carry out the sacred duty given by Goddess Elia-nim! You will become the closest aides to Goddess Elia-nim! Even in death, you will go to heaven and live forever in happiness and abundance! The Darkness Eradication Corps shall exclude all Dark Humans and Demons from Talka City! A-men!”

The Darkness Eradication Corps put their right hands on their left chests and chanted in unison.

“A-men!!!”

The Darkness Eradication Corps spread throughout the southern part of Talka City with the Inquisitors and Holy Kingdom soldiers and attacked Dark Humans and Demons.

Those who were protesting were attacked first.

The Darkness Eradication Corps ran towards the protesters and cut, stabbed, and beat them with weapons.

There were not only Dark Humans but also ordinary people among the protesters, but they were all killed mercilessly.

The protesters screamed in pain.

“Kkeuaaaa! Stop!”

“Don’t hit my wife! No! Euaaaak!”

Clovis’s soldiers were ordered from above not to intervene, so they forcibly ignored the citizens being sacrificed to violence.

The Darkness Eradication Corps branded a cross on the foreheads of the captured protesters with a knife, wrapped ropes around their necks, and hung them from roadside trees.