Chapter 54 – Rebellion (2)

Belloc did not answer immediately. Instead, he took a bite of the cookie on the plate and looked at the old man. Adel also crossed her arms and twitched her eyebrows, while Kara took a sip of her tea.

A moment of silence flowed into the room. Their common thought was one.

Why on earth was this old man doing this? Because they had saved the members of the church? Because Adel was a paladin? Even so, was their relationship of trust deep enough to bring up such a story right away?

When the three of them did not say anything, Hynek smiled slightly. His eyes turned toward Adel.

“You seem to doubt my words? I understand. However, this Hynek has not fallen so far as to tell a lie to the Great Warrior of the Goddess.”

“Great Warrior? Are you calling me that because I received holy power from the Goddess?”

At Adel’s question, Hynek slowly nodded his head.

“I heard the story from the surviving members of the church. They said that you not only dealt with the servants of the Great Demon, but also purified the church of Hameln and were chosen by Her. In fact, the reason I appeared before the three of you like this was because I wanted to see the renowned Great Warrior in person. If it is not a discourtesy, could you show me your holy power once?”

“What should I do?”

When Adel looked at Belloc to ask for permission, he nodded his head.

In Hynek, who had been watching the relationship between the two with a strange expression, widened his eyes when flames rose around Adel’s body.

“Ohh! As expected, it is tremendous holy power. To think it is the authority of flames. O Goddess!”

The impressed Hynek drew the sign of the cross. After that, he babbled about something by himself.

Things like how receiving holy power directly from the Goddess was extremely difficult. Or how ordinary priests and paladins received holy power shared not from a god, but from an archbishop or a paladin commander.

It was miscellaneous talk. What? Was it like a mutual exchange? Anyway, to summarize the archbishop’s words, Adel was a quite amazing person. At least, the church serving Helena seemed to treat her as an honored guest.

While Hynek was distracted by Adel, Kara tapped Belloc’s shoulder and gave him a look. It meant things had gone well.

Belloc also agreed. If they were going to join hands to face an enemy, it was always good for the relationship with their ally to be friendly. Belloc ate a few more cookies on the table and said.

“Archbishop. I would like to give an answer to the proposal you made earlier. Is that alright?”

“Of course. If the Goddess’s Sword, a faithful knight, and the mage… would help us, it would indeed be reassuring.”

Hynek showed a look of displeasure upon seeing Kara, but soon smiled faintly. Belloc said.

“Before that, I have one question… If we participate in this Holy War, will we be fighting under the Sun God’s Church?”

Though called a Holy War, it was a rebellion and a large-scale military operation. If the party belonged to one group, they would have to follow their orders whether they liked it or not. Belloc did not like that.

In this damn world, he could not trust others at all except for his companions.

It was better to look for an opportunity to act on their own instead. Did he understand Belloc’s mind? Hynek shook his head.

“For now, it would be so. But it does not have to be us.”

“What does that mean?”

“Although it is a bit regrettable not to be with the Goddess’s Sword… we do not force it. It is because there are far too many forces gathered on this land right now.”

Hynek smiled benevolently. But his eyes glistened once more. Belloc read the emotions latent within the old man’s eyes. It was a sense of duty, and greed.

Even if the sense of duty was to act on behalf of the Goddess’s will, what? Greed? Did he want to drive out the king and the demon from this land and become king himself? He was quite a secular old man. Hynek said.

“To participate in this Holy War, not to mention the churches including ours, dozens or even hundreds of nobles brought their own armies. There will be hundreds of knights and thousands of mercenaries. On top of that, if we include the back-alley thugs and militia who set out to make a fortune? This is a storm. An unstoppable vortex of change.”

“Are you saying all this is happening tonight? To pull down the king and the demon?”

At Kara’s question, Hynek readily nodded his head.

“That was also why we proselytized. To gather our strength. Since most of the king’s subordinates were inside the royal palace, it went smoothly.”

Belloc chuckled. So the story of raiding the royal palace tonight was an open secret in the first place. Was that why he told them so easily?

Belloc took a sip of his tea. It had gone cold. An army of thousands was raiding the royal palace.

Even if two knights and one mage slipped in between them, it was clear they would not leave a scratch of a trace. When each person acted to satisfy their greed, they just had to move too. He said.

“We will participate in the Holy War. However, we will act separately.”

“Do as you wish.”

Hynek still smiled benevolently. Although it was a bit regrettable, it did not matter. Even if it was not the three people in front of him, there were many swords that would become his hands and feet.

#

Belloc’s party asked the church for understanding and obtained a small room. Since the decisive battle with the Great Demon or the king possessed by him was only a few hours away, they had to make their own preparations.

The light passing through the only window shone upon Kara. A color as bright red as the height of the setting sun shone upon Kara’s red hair.

Kara took off the robe she was wearing. Then she hung the robe over the window to cover the outside and snapped her fingers. As a red force field spread around them, her tone of voice changed slightly.

“It is a spell to prevent our conversation from leaking outside. Shouldn’t we at least have this to plan in peace?”

Belloc replied while maintenance-cleaning the greatsword leaning against his shoulder.

“A plan… While the noble bastards and the church fight against Astaroth’s servants and the king’s army, we kill him?”

“You are indeed correct. A knight must target the gaps from time to time.”

Adel said as she fiddled with her plate armor. Due to the battles in the meantime, it was dented and scarred here and there. She would have to entrust it to a blacksmith for repairs.

She could do so after this matter was over. She truly believed that. She thought she could come out alive after going to face the Great Demon.

That belief was soon a belief in Belloc. Her cat-like eyes opened wide and stared at Belloc for a long time. Eventually, that gaze turned back toward the red-haired mage. It was because of the sound of a sigh.

“If only it goes as you say, there would be nothing more to wish for. However, there will be numerous variables in the meantime. What if the Great Demon’s servants are stronger or more numerous than expected? What if the king’s armies have all become monsters that accepted the demon’s power? Would it really be possible to face them with only human armies? Moreover, a group made of nothing but greed without any grand cause or will?”

“Isn’t there the church?”

At Belloc’s words, Kara snorted.

“From what I see, those folks are equally untrustworthy. The person called the archbishop from earlier is like that, and so are the bastards who were proselytizing earlier. How much would the holy power wielded by those guys, who are stained to the bone with secularism, actually work against demons? I guarantee you. The church has weakened.”

At Kara’s sharp criticism, Adel raised her eyes and said.

“What are you trying to say? Have you gotten scared again?”

“No, since we have come this far, weakness would only drag us down. My point was to prepare thoroughly. Let’s at least keep our minds straight.”

Shaking her head, Kara opened her backpack and fumbled around to pull something out.

Most of them were scrolls, but occasionally a few things like potions could be seen.

Kara handed a few deep red bottles to Belloc and Adel.

“For now, these are recovery potions that work on wounds. Since there weren’t many ingredients, I could only make a few. Drink them or sprinkle them on the affected area. They are made from troll blood, so the effect will be good.”

Wait, troll blood? Hearing Kara’s words, something came to Belloc’s mind. It was the memory of defeating the beast at Luke’s forge long ago and bottling its blood. No way? Kara smiled slightly.

“That’s right. I made them with what came out of your bag. I picked up what was rolling around the room when we stayed at the inn last time. So it’s not stolen, right?”

Belloc, who was wiping his sword with an oily cloth, smiled awkwardly. She had managed to process something that had almost rotted in his bag. He was nothing but grateful.

“I forgot about it.”

“Well, that can happen. And these are scrolls. They are the ones found in the Archmage’s ruins. Since I am a mage, you guys should use them. How to use them is simple. Just tear them in front of the enemy. Now, I will explain. This is Arcane Arrow, and this is about Illusion Magic. Simply put, a clone exactly like you…”

She explained the scrolls she had for quite a while, then distributed them to Belloc and Adel. Then she kept one scroll for herself. Seeing that, Adel asked.

“What scroll is that?”

Kara looked at the scroll in her hand with slightly complicated eyes. If possible, she hoped not to use this…

“A Teleportation Scroll.”

“You mean the one obtained from Karven.”

Kara slowly nodded her head, and her expression sank coldly. Combined with the surrounding darkness and the reddish energy coming from the force field, this looked quite bizarre. Sensing her strange mood, Adel glared at Kara and said.

“Are you, by any chance, going to run away and abandon us…”

Kara said in a much lower voice.

“If the situation gets bad, I will tear this while bringing both of you, no matter what. Because we only have one life.”

In the darkness, the witch’s brown eyes looked straight at the two knights, no, her companions.

“The probability of arriving at a proper place is eighty percent, the probability of being bounced into some dimensional rift is ten percent. The probability of having the entire body torn apart is also ten percent. It is a gamble with fairly high odds, but it is just as unsettling. So…”

“Then we just have to make sure such a thing doesn’t happen.”

Chuckling, Belloc tossed the cloth in his hand. Then, putting the sword on his shoulder, he stood up from his seat. He reached out his hand.

Kara stared up at him blankly. Eventually, she held his hand firmly. Then, Adel, who had been watching his reaction, also tentatively reached out her hand.

This time, Kara took her hand in return and helped her up.

The red robe draped over the window was pulled back with a rustle. Outside the window, a dark blue moonlight was already pouring down.

The time had come. It was time to execute the Great Demon. The black-haired knight, the paladin of Helena, and the red-haired witch stepped out of the room side by side.

#

Under the sizzling torches, thick military boots trampled the flagstones without hesitation.

Since their number reached a whopping thousands, it was natural for even the sturdiest stone floor to shake and crack here and there. However, they did not care.

Because what they were trying to do now was a holy crusade, and a trial to judge a ruler who had lost honor and authority.

“Everyone, follow me! Tonight, I shall rewrite history.”

A noble, so fat that his armor did not even fit well, shouted loudly. Numerous soldiers followed behind him.

Next, a middle-aged man who had grown a stylish mustache shouted to follow him.

Sure enough, there were numerous soldiers behind him as well. With the shouting of those nobles and the clattering sound of the soldiers, the night in the capital was noisy.

Instead of participating in the great task, some citizens who valued their own lives more were peeking at the march of the soldiers beyond the window gaps with drawn curtains.

It was an army that lacked proper control in the first place. This was the same for the church’s army, which consisted of paladins and priests.

Their footsteps were disorganized; some fell and were trampled by their allies, while others looked around and plotted to desert.

Nevertheless, they were eventually able to arrive in front of the firmly closed royal castle.

A noble spoke. He was one of the great lords who owned the most land and private soldiers among them.

“Something is strange. To think there is such fog…”

Behind the firmly closed castle gates, instead of guards, a chilling fog wriggled on top of the castle walls surrounding the royal palace. It was as if it refused to allow their approach. However, the great lord paid no heed and gestured.

“Bring the ladders!”

A few soldiers quickly placed ladders near the gate. Soon, a few nimble-bodied ones climbed up the ladders and leaped over. It was to infiltrate inside and open the closed gates.

The great lord turned his head. The church was doing the same, and so were the other lords. The great lord chuckled.

No matter what, he would surely be the fastest. However, it did not take long to realize that such a thought was a miscalculation. He tilted his head.

“Why is not a single person coming out?”

Not a single word of news came from the soldiers who had gone over the wall and entered inside. There wasn’t even a scream.

Belloc’s party was also caught up in the surrounding soldiers, observing the current situation. Kara, who glared at the fog with her shining brown eyes, spoke in a frustrated voice.

“I expected as much, but as I thought, a barrier has been cast. Do you see that fog over there? That is all the demon’s secret art. If we cross the castle walls, there is no telling what will happen to us.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Mages or priests might be able to dispel that fog, but the easiest way is…”

Kara turned her head slightly. Only one place without fog could be seen. It was the castle gate, reinforced by layering thick wood and iron plates. She gestured with her chin.

“To break through the castle gate head-on. Of course, a siege engine will be needed, but…”

“I see.”

Belloc replied briefly and stepped forward.

“Huh? Wait… Don’t tell me you…?”

As Kara looked at him with a puzzled face, Belloc silently gripped his greatsword tightly.