Chapter 424
Chapter 424: Let’s Use the Most Powerful Force. (4)
Equidema was crushed under a gigantic palm, and its body burst apart.
Crunch!
Where the monster had been, only a mangled corpse and blood remained.
Everyone who saw it froze in shock, unable to comprehend the phenomenon.
At that moment, Ghislaine stomped her foot and shouted loudly.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Ghislaine had always focused on getting her troops to react reflexively to her commands during training.
That training proved invaluable in this scenario. As soon as Ghislaine’s words fell, everyone around instinctively stepped back.
Alfoy immediately hugged Piote, releasing his magic power as he bolted away. No matter what, the guy knew how to run like a champ.
During this time, the giant hand swung down again, slowly slamming the ground.
Boom!
Crash!
The earth split, and the surroundings shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Even those who had retreated a distance couldn’t withstand the impact and fell. The Cracked Beings emerging from the rift burst apart.
The competent individuals, including Ghislaine, staggered and struggled to maintain their balance.
People gazed at the enormous hand that emerged from the rift with horrified expressions.
“W-what is that?!”
“Does something like that really live in the rift?”
“So, the one that couldn’t come out before was that…?”
The rift had significantly widened. Enough giant monsters like Equidema could potentially emerge.
But if a mere hand could barely make it through that vast gap, just how enormous was the creature?
People swallowed hard. No one could find words and just looked back at Ghislaine.
Ghislaine took a deep breath and said, “It’s the Lord of the Rift. We must eliminate it to close the rift.”
Belinda glanced at the rift and asked, “So… do we have to wait for it to come out?”
“Yes, we need to do that to completely close it.”
“What about the expansion of the rift now that Equidema is dead?”
“With Equidema’s death, the territory will gradually diminish. Cracked Beings can operate within the territory… but they probably won’t.”
Even if they emerge, as the territory shrinks, the Cracked Beings will automatically perish. Just dealing with Equidema would relieve a lot of pressure.
Belinda, with a relieved expression, asked again, “So if that creature comes out without a territory, the Cracked Beings can’t emerge anymore?”
Ghislaine shook her head firmly.
“No, once it appears, the territory won’t matter anymore.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“It can move regardless of the territory, unlike Equidema. Just the energy it possesses alone is enough for at least tens of thousands of monsters to roam this world. It will have a massive crowd following it.”
The people looked petrified.
Thanks to the territory being restricted around the rift, they could barely keep the Cracked Beings at bay.
But if that overwhelmingly massive creature could lead tens of thousands of monsters, it would be nothing less than a mobile rift zone.
Ghislaine chuckled lightly.
“If Equidema was the vanguard, then that thing could be called the real main force.”
“Doesn’t it do, like, long-range attacks or something?”
Belinda asked, casting a suspicious glance at the slowly moving hand, and Ghislaine nodded.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t. It fights purely with its body.”
“That’s a relief.”
If that massive size and strength could also unleash long-range attacks, humanity might be wiped out in an instant.
Everyone fell silent, watching the hand slowly re-enter the rift. It was almost too overwhelming to even find the words.
As Belinda stared intently at the rift, she casually asked, “Is it catchable?”
“It can be caught. But our humanity needs to become stronger than now. That thing is not invincible.”
“I see. Have you caught it before, Young Master?”
“Y-yeah! No.”
Ghislaine almost slipped into her remarks but managed to keep her composure.
The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment. Belinda narrowed her eyes, applying pressure on Ghislaine after a long while.
“How do you know so much? You knew about it even before the rift appeared.”
Ghislaine boldly replied with no embarrassment, “Raviere told me. The Priest from the Salvation Society we met before.”
“…You seem to know a little too much for that?”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Belinda’s statement.
Ghislaine had always possessed far too much knowledge by herself.
Since things were going well, everyone had just taken it in stride. Even when questioned, she didn’t explain thoroughly.
But now, given the gravity of the situation, curiosity was inevitable.
This was a scale far beyond the previous encounters.
Back when they captured Raviere, everyone had been together. Ghislaine hadn’t mentioned anything in particular then.
But every time someone inquired, Ghislaine insisted she first heard it during her solo meeting.
Everyone regarded her with suspicion, yet Ghislaine didn’t flinch.
She had another ace up her sleeve—a frequent excuse for Galbarik.
“I saw it in a book when I was young.”
“…”
“Everyone should read more books. Knowledge isn’t for sharing.”
“…”
Belinda crossed her arms. She was the one forced to read because Ghislaine infamously avoided books since childhood.
After growing a bit, he at least started reading some, though most were novels.
In any case, as the head maid and tutor back then, Belinda managed all the books Ghislaine read.
None of those strange books about rifts or anything like that were included, nor the mysterious knowledge Ghislaine had known before.
“Are you still keeping it secret?”
“A man with many secrets is attractive, as you taught me, Belinda?”
“…”
Belinda began to reflect if her teachings had shaped Ghislaine into what he was now.
As everyone kept throwing suspicious glances, Ghislaine chuckled and shook her head.
“Either way, even if I tell you, you wouldn’t believe it.”
In fact, she had mentioned it a few times before, only to fuel their suspicions further. That was quite exhausting.
With a charming smile, Ghislaine said, “Besides books, I’ve gathered some information from various places. I’ll tell you later, so don’t be too upset.”
At this point, sharing would only cause more confusion. She could talk again once the situation stabilized a bit.
Everyone cut a deal and nodded. They didn’t feel particularly offended or disappointed.
So far, they had just been trusting Ghislaine and following her lead. They could continue doing that. Everything would get resolved that way.
Arel, who was with the knights, pulled out paper and a pen from his pocket and started jotting down notes.
“A man with many secrets… Attractive… Memo…”
What a delightful disciple, not missing a beat in learning from Ghislaine. Belinda’s teachings seemed to have reached Arel too.
Kaor clicked his tongue at this sight.
“Hey, even that much…”
“Yeah?”
“No, never mind.”
What kind of conversation would even make sense with a noble and a devout believer? It felt better to just leave it be.
To lighten the mood, Ghislaine clapped her hands a few times and shouted, “Alright, this rift is now done. We’ve dealt with Equidema, so for the time being, the territory will decrease and be safe. The Northern Army will move to the next rift.”
“Wowaaah!”
Curiosity was one thing, but victory was victory. Finally, people erupted in cheers.
The other Northern Army forces waiting nearby would surely be thrilled as well. They had managed to deal with the rift with minimal losses. An achievement no other armed forces in the kingdom could boast.
Even though the so-called Lord of the Rift seemed a bit intimidating, they could think about that later.
‘Surely the Lord has a plan.’
‘Just like now, we’ll find a way to solve it.’
‘We just need to follow the Lord.’
This strong faith was the true power driving Ghislaine to lead the North.
Everyone finished preparations to return to their camp. Perhaps because they dealt with Equidema, the blue mist was getting lighter and lighter.
Right before heading back, everyone exchanged a few words with Piote. In some ways, he was the most significant contributor to this operation.
“That was truly impressive!”
“Indeed, you are the Saint… no, the Saint!”
“I can’t believe you remained unscathed from such an attack!”
Piote scratched his head at everyone’s praise.
In truth, he hadn’t done anything but take a beating.
At first, he hadn’t even known why he was being hit. It was only after feeling the Divine Power using the sacred relic as a medium that he understood his role and the relic’s abilities.
Ghislaine’s close associates approached and praised Piote as well.
Equidema had an unusual fixation on Piote. If it weren’t for him, they might not have captured it so easily.
Alfoy proudly said to Piote, “It was because of your and my efforts we could catch it. Take pride in that.”
“…”
Everyone nodded. Alfoy was bluntly throwing compliments; it wasn’t wrong, after all. All of Piote’s resentment fell on Alfoy.
Ghislaine approached and patted Piote’s shoulder.
“Good job. You were truly a great help. Let’s rely on you from now on.”
“…”
Despite the implication that he would still be used as bait, Piote couldn’t refuse. It was indeed easier to hunt monsters when he played the bait.
While he had no intention of rejecting it, he was curious.
“Why do they only… no, why do those beings hate Divine Power?”
Equidema exhibited an abnormal hatred for Divine Power. It fixated on killing him even while being hunted.
Piote was curious about the reason behind that.
Ghislaine shrugged and replied.
“Who knows? Maybe it’s similar to dark sorcerers or demons? An instinctive aversion. I don’t have all the answers.”
“I see…”
Well, when it came to beings that made no sense and weren’t monsters of this world, there wouldn’t be a reason, after all. They likely instinctively showed rejection because they were things unallowed in this world.
As everyone came to that understanding and nodded, Alfoy chimed in cheekily.
“Or maybe they got tricked by the gods here? Just like many fell for my pairing magic.”
With the blasphemous remark against the divine, Piote pouted. But everyone else burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! In that case, I’d hate it too.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I can see why. Hahaha!”
“We’re fine since we have the Saint!”
What of them hating Divine Power? Piote was going to be bait going forward anyway.
Everyone reveled in the joy of victory.
And Ghislaine… felt that there was some plausibility to Alfoy’s words.
For reasons unclear.
*
It wasn’t just the Northern Army basking in victory.
The leaders of the Crown Prince faction, who were hearing the Northern Army’s news, could hardly contain their joy at the successive victory reports.
“Truly, Count Penris!”
“They’ve already dealt with three rifts. Incredible speed.”
“They say there were almost no losses. Truly remarkable.”
The territories where the rifts had opened continued facing pressure. The lords of the territories where rifts hadn’t opened had to step in to assist.
Even then, they couldn’t even fend off the countless Cracked Beings popping out, let alone Equidema.
In that scenario, the capabilities of the Northern Army, showcasing such overwhelming results, were astonishing to the point of being miraculous.
Maurice thumped his chest and proclaimed.
“I knew he could do it! Just like my nephew, he’s always been exceptional! I cared for him a lot!”
“…”
The nobility in the Crown Prince faction grimaced at Maurice’s words.
Back when they were thirsty for his support, they changed so drastically once things started going well.
Still, since they had the authority to support Ghislaine as a commander of the Kingdom Army, they could hardly dispute it.
Marquis Branford nodded as he received additional reports.
“Good news indeed. The Kingdom Army can focus more on securing the southern front.”
Currently, the armies of each territory were mobilizing to seal the rifts. Therefore, the responsibility of securing the south would fall solely to the Kingdom Army.
In fact, some of the Kingdom Army had to move as well to handle the rifts. However, with the Northern Army’s astounding performance, they could now fully concentrate the Kingdom Army on the southern front.
Marquis Branford looked around at the nobles.
“Currently, no one else can deal with the rifts easily except the Northern Army. So we must grant them all authority and provide maximal support.”
Everyone nodded. There was no reason to oppose. The only hope now lay with the Northern Army.
The territories near the rifts were practically rendered economically paralyzed. The territories trading with them faced increasing problems.
This wasn’t solely due to the trade blockade; they were all heavily investing in their armies.
In other words, the overall economic situation of the Kingdom was gradually deteriorating.
If this continued, their ability to maintain power in the ongoing conflict against the Duke’s faction would inevitably suffer.
Marquis Branford turned to Count Ailzbur, continuing his speech.
“Especially, don’t forget to maximize production of the medicines Count Penris requested and distribute them across various regions. Is production proceeding without any issues?”
The wealthy Count Ailzbur was in charge of medicine production, along with other nobles.
Count Ailzbur took out documents and stammeringly reported the current situation.
“Well… um… the medicine for the epidemic… we’re currently gathering materials as much as we can… and we have dispatched all to the Kingdom Army near the capital… but for several territories… the materials are still lacking… um… my wife mentioned that…”
Despite being the head of the family, Count Ailzbur’s wife, Meriel, was effectively running the operations.
She was managing everything on her own and merely informing her husband.
Noticing the noble’s bored expressions directed at Count Ailzbur, he asked, “What’s the matter? You know my situation, don’t you? Huh? How are you any different?”
“Ahem.”
The nobles cleared their throats and looked away. They had barely done anything other than support for materials, personnel, and funds.
It would have been better if Meriel could attend the meetings in person, but she was currently busy managing medicine production alongside Rosalyn.
Only Branford, who was focused on the reporting content, frowned.
“Why are you saying there is a lack of materials? Did I not tell you to gather them by any means necessary?”
“Well… the fairy’s blessing is a rather expensive and precious material… and everyone seems reluctant to let it go…”
“What kind of nonsense is that! If they can’t even support that, what are they planning to do?”
Bam!
Marquis Branford slammed the table in anger.
The rift was to be dealt with by Penris, while Meriel and Rosalyn were to manage the medicine production. The direction of state affairs was in Marquis Branford’s control.
After all, those remaining had only to sit back and listen to situation reports.
So, other nobles should be dishing out resources, personnel, and money. They needed to unite their strengths to overcome this crisis.
Seeing Marquis Branford growing increasingly furious, Maurice sighed and pulled out a small vial from his possession.
“Is this thing even effective? Is an epidemic really happening? Producing this stuff is going to cost a ridiculous amount of money. The entirety of the Crown Prince faction is already financially straining.”
As he placed the vial down, the purple liquid inside sloshed around. It was the preventive and curative medicine for the epidemic that Ghislaine insisted on making.
They had made it upon Ghislaine’s strong insistence, but everyone remained skeptical about its necessity.
If the epidemic indeed turned out to be a false alarm, they would incur significant losses, forcing them to adopt a passive stance.
A noble beside Marquis Branford said, “But didn’t the Priest from the Salvation Society confess to crafting such a conspiracy? We can trust Count Penris and proceed.”
“Ha, but isn’t this a bit unsettling? It’s a blend of ingredients from an unknown origin, with no proven effectiveness… Who knows whether the epidemic might really happen or not?”
“Didn’t you just say that the Count sounds like a nephew? We should trust him.”
“Oh, in a world where a son could kill his father to seize power, can we trust a nephew just like that? What if I take this and end up in a bad situation, huh?”
‘Ah, what is this guy saying now?’
The noble turned his face away, trying to hide his irritation. Conversations with this ignorant fellow always flowed in strange directions.
Just then, a knight burst in, panting and shouted, “U-uh, the epidemic is spreading in the kingdom!”
Everyone’s expressions stiffened at the sudden news.
Maurice was the fastest to grab the vial on the table and downed its contents.
