Chapter 130
<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 130>
Ronpell handed over the parchment containing the information he obtained from Ibthan, and Asmun accepted it.
“They say if we find and cut the roots flowing with the monster’s magical power, we can kill it.”
“Is it really that easy?”
Baint asked in surprise at Ronpell’s words.
“Of course it’s not easy. There are only two swords capable of cutting those roots.”
“Two swords?”
“Fortunately, one is in His Majesty’s possession.”
At his words, the other knights quickly caught onto what sword Ronpell was referring to. Only then did everyone relax a bit and smile.
“It seems His Majesty is favored by luck.”
However, Ronpell couldn’t manage to smile as he looked at those hanging atop the branch, his voice grim.
“…But if we do that, everyone captured by it will die.”
The knights’ breath caught at those words. Baint was shocked and craned his neck up to look.
One, two, three…
Baint, who was trying to count those caught by the tree monster, ultimately gave up and bit his lip.
“It looks like at least several dozen…”
“And they’re from the Fairy Tribe. There’s a superstition that says if you kill a Fairy, a curse will fall on that family…”
“Is a curse the problem right now? People are dying!”
While the knights were flustered, Asmun remained steady, focused on the monster’s information.
— Length: 130 feet / Weight: 20 million pounds
— Plant-type / Top-tier
— The strongest tree monster among existing plant-type monsters, it sustains its magical power by feeding on humans.
It has no offensive power, but once it captures a victim, it never releases them.
It’s a highly loyal creature; when it’s young, it becomes loyal to whoever brings it its first victim and provides the owner with sap flowing with human-extracted magical power.』
It was likely that the owner of this Akalaneta was a subordinate of the Patriar. Or perhaps the Patriar himself.
Asmun’s gaze lingered on this segment for quite some time.
If it were the past, he would have chosen this quick and easy method without a second thought.
The sacrifice of a few for the greater good was unavoidable, especially if it was for his own path.
“Isn’t there another way?”
Baint asked urgently, and Ronpell sighed deeply, a troubled expression on his face.
“There is. There’s a way to deal with the monster without harming them.”
At those words, the knights’ faces brightened.
“That’s a relief! What is it?”
“…We just need to slice it with the Holy Sword.”
Asmun’s eyes were coincidentally drawn to the same segment.
As Ronpell finished speaking, the air, which had barely been lifted with a glimmer of hope, fell heavy again.
“…”
The second method was realistically impossible. Where could they find the Holy Sword, lost for 200 years?
Thus, Asmun was left with only one method again.
But…
“Your Majesty, what should we do?”
At Ronpell’s tense question, the knights turned to look at their lord in unison.
Baint, with a tense expression, glanced up at the tree. A boy’s face, pale and frightened, was hanging from a thick branch in the center.
The knights, having served Asmun for several years, understood his nature well. They knew the coldness concealed behind his icy gaze and the reasoned aloofness that could commit any atrocity for the sake of his cause.
“…”
And they also knew what kind of choice their rational and cold-headed lord would ultimately make.
Of course, if they turned back now, Asmun would realize that the monster had caught him and the enemy would strengthen their barriers, complicating matters further.
So, they had to follow their lord’s choice, whatever it may be, as always.
Everyone, thinking the same as Baint, held their breath, waiting for Asmun’s command.
Asmun raised his head and, while looking at the boy Baint had seen moments ago, slowly parted his lips.
“…Right now…”
Baint held his breath, watching his lord.
Jepar, who had hurriedly returned to the Great Temple through the scroll he provided, found himself facing an unexpected barrier.
“…What did you say?”
“The new ceremony of the Saint is scheduled for two days from now. Once she conducts the ceremony, the current Saint will be stripped of her title.”
The cold-faced priest spoke without a hint of surprise at Eden’s return.
“…She hasn’t been stripped yet, has she?”
“Still, you cannot enter the Saint’s Room. That remarkable room is already preparing to welcome its new owner.”
What the hell. When they were tailing me closely even into the restroom!
If only I could escape from such a dreadful surveillance, I would have welcomed it. If it weren’t for this situation, I would have resigned before even holding the ceremony.
If it weren’t for the Quest…!
“Then please let me meet Priest Roman. I have something to tell him.”
“Sorry, but you need permission from the higher-ups to meet the priests.”
“…When did that start?”
“A lot has changed in the Great Temple since the Saint left.”
So it meant that the Patriar’s influence had reached to the Great Temple.
The situation was severe. If I couldn’t meet Roman, I would lose the chance to meet Asmun, who was away. I needed to find out the identity of the monster spreading plague in Reblem as soon as possible.
“Then can I at least meet the Chancellor?”
“Sorry, but the Chancellor is not in the Great Temple. With the plague spreading in the Empire, he’s not the type to waste time.”
Eden felt a vein pop on her forehead at those words.
‘These bastards…’
Of course, from their perspective, they weren’t wrong, but it was impossible to suppress her rising anger.
Do they think I want to be here!
“So where am I supposed to go?”
“The Saint suggested that you return to your status as an Apprentice Priest and prepare for the official promotion exam. So you should return to the accommodations for the Apprentice Priests that you used before.”
Wow…
At that moment, Eden was dumbfounded at the mercilessness of the Temple.
“Saint.”
At the sound of a breathless voice, as if someone had run in after hearing the news, Eden turned around quickly.
“Captain…!”
Karon’s lips curved into a faint smile at the sight of Eden.
“I knew you’d come back.”
Eden smiled back at him. She hadn’t forgotten Karon’s loyalty for coming all that way to persuade her.
“I’ll accompany you.”
As Eden was about to follow him, the priest who had been trying to make things difficult for her frowned in annoyance.
“Wait a moment! How dare you go without reporting to the Chancellor…!”
“Shut up.”
Eden cut him off sharply, raised her middle finger at him, and turned away, leaving the stern priest in shock.
Not sparing him a glance, Eden immediately followed Karon.
“Let’s go.”
Karon suppressed a grin and guided her.
The Patriar surveyed the crowd with a satisfied expression but suddenly wrinkled his nose at a foul odor that struck his nostrils.
No matter how many times he smelt it, that horrid stench never got familiar.
In stark contrast, the woman standing directly in front of the source of the smell had a remarkably serene face.
“Saint… please, please bless me…”
A patient on the verge of death, recognizable at a glance, clung to the hem of the woman’s dress, pleading. The woman quietly knelt and stretched out her holy hand to caress the patient’s head.
When she finally opened her tightly closed lips, the vast square fell silent as if in a dream.
“May Hamun’s blessing be upon you.”
The woman’s voice spread quietly throughout the square.
Simultaneously, a faint white light began to shine above the head of the weeping patient, and the bruises marring the patient’s face and body slowly faded.
“Huh…!”
“Oh my, Hamun…”
Moans of awe escaped from those witnessing the Saint’s miracle around the square.
“Saint! She is the true Saint!”
As someone shouted with a choked voice, the crowd in the square began to stir and cheer.
“Long live the Saint! Long live His Majesty the Patriar!”
“His Majesty the Patriar brought the Saint! Long live His Majesty the Patriar!”
Amidst the overwhelming wave of praise, the Patriar’s face glowed with satisfaction, but the woman who performed the miracle showed no reaction at all.
The frenzied excitement quickly engulfed the square, so no one noticed that the expression of the new Saint had darkened.
“It seems the blessings of the Saint shine brighter with each passing day.”
The Patriar approached the newly found Saint, whispering secretly while smiling with satisfaction.
“……”
Only then did the new Saint look up and stare at the crowd cheering for her.
“Long live Saint Lydia!”
At the various cheers calling out her name, Lydia clenched her eyes shut.
“Lydia…?”
After exiting the Temple behind Karon, Eden finally got to hear the situation that had unfolded since her departure when she climbed onto the carriage he had summoned.
The new Saint’s emergence, her position in jeopardy, the Patriar extending his reach to the Temple—she thought there could be no more surprises, but it was not the end.
“Yes. She is the woman you rescued from Mabelios.”
