Chapter 487
Chapter 487: Almost There (2)
While Ghislaine was meeting with the nobles and attending to various matters, the Northern Army waited near the capital.
The forces of the Northern Army, which had separated from the Penris Mobile Army, finally met Parniel.
Everyone was overwhelmed by her colossal stature and presence.
After staring blankly for a while, Alfoy asked,
“Is this… the Saint? Not a giant?”
That was an incredibly rude remark, but everyone just brushed it off. He was known for his lack of manners.
Parniel gazed at Alfoy indifferently. She was accustomed to such reactions.
Claude, who had some awareness, poked Alfoy in the side.
“Hey, why poke me? That doesn’t make sense! How can the Saint look like this?!”
It seemed the image of a saint that Alfoy had in mind was in serious conflict with reality.
Alfoy forcibly grabbed Piote’s wrist and brought him over.
“Why, why are you doing this?!”
Even as Piote protested wildly, Alfoy awkwardly positioned him next to Parniel.
“Um…”
Everyone crossed their arms and stared at the two.
Piote, red-faced with embarrassment, contrasted sharply with Parniel’s still indifferent expression.
Undoubtedly, Piote did seem more feminine.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Alfoy looked at Piote and burst out laughing, making Claude unable to hold back and join in.
The two of them loved teasing Piote, so they just couldn’t contain themselves.
After a hearty laugh, Alfoy suddenly pointed at Piote and shouted,
“This guy is the Saint!”
“……”
Everyone fell silent. Claude immediately clammed up, realizing how far Alfoy was crossing the line. The atmosphere turned uncomfortable.
But Alfoy kept on chattering away.
“Just look at Piote, she’s way prettier and more delicate! So from now on, Piote is the Saint!”
It certainly seemed that way based on appearances alone; Piote looked more beautiful and petite.
Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, she was blushing. There was no doubt that she was a girl through and through.
Yet, to say such nonsense right in front of the actual saint.
Everyone was baffled and chose to remain quiet. They had a strong premonition that they shouldn’t agree.
“Why is everyone so quiet? I’m right, aren’t I?!”
Even as Alfoy kept chatting, Parniel simply ignored him. Her discipline was too high to react to such nonsense.
In fact, perhaps because it had been a while since she’d seen someone so brazen, she found him somewhat cute.
Feeling a strong divine presence from the priest beside her, her curiosity piqued further.
“I am Parniel, serving Lady Moriana. You have quite a strong divine power.”
“I am Piote, serving Lady Juana. It is an honor to meet the Saint.”
The two exchanged awkward greetings. Watching this, Alfoy couldn’t help himself and jabbed at them again.
“From today on, Piote is also the Saint! I, ‘the man who defeated the gods’, declare her so!”
Parniel, who had been ignoring everything, suddenly turned her head. She couldn’t ignore such a statement.
As she stepped forward, an overwhelming aura radiated from her. Everyone took a step back.
“What did you just say?”
Alfoy flinched slightly but didn’t want to lose the battle of wills and yelled,
“That she’s a saint too!”
“Not that.”
“The… ‘man who defeated the gods?’”
“How dare you.”
Parniel approached and raised her fist. She intended just to give a light smack since they were allies, but to those watching, it looked much graver.
Her massive fist descended from high above. The thought of being struck by it sent chills down their spines.
“I-I’ll use a shield!”
Alfoy, who was already at the peak of mana manipulation in his territory, quickly summoned five overlapping shields above his head.
However, his opponent was no ordinary person.
Thud, thud, thud!
The shields shattered mercilessly as Parniel’s fist connected with Alfoy’s forehead.
“Phwack!”
With a heavy sound, Alfoy’s face contorted into an ugly shape, blood gushing from his nose as he fell unconscious.
“Wow…”
People gasped in admiration.
Despite his nagging personality, many occasionally forgot that Alfoy was a 5th Circle Mage. In other words, he was comparable to an elder in a mage tower.
While he didn’t know many spells, his battle experience was unparalleled.
To knock out Alfoy with just a single smack.
She truly was a saint (?). It was unimaginable how strong she could be.
Belinda, who had been watching, shook her head and dragged the unconscious Alfoy away.
“Sigh, when will this guy ever grow up?”
It had been noticeable for a while, but he really was a handful. Since Ghislaine’s childhood, he’d been the first to need so much attention… Well, no, with Claude and Kaor around, there were quite a few troublesome ones.
Watching Alfoy being dragged away, Ereness chuckled. It was a strangely refreshing feeling.
Then she was startled.
‘Wait, did I just laugh?’
My goodness! How could this happen! The person who always suppressed her emotions and lived so gracefully had just laughed at that fool!
Ereness quickly managed her expression. She couldn’t accept that she laughed at such an idiot; it deeply hurt her pride.
But just then, Claude, who saw Ereness smiling, started teasing.
“Hey! The Great Chief smiled!”
“I did not.”
“You just smiled! I saw it! Is that funny? Have you not lived a dull life in the forest? Perhaps everything looks funny to you! What’s your laughter resistance like? Hahaha!”
The atmosphere turned tense. Wendy immediately covered Claude’s mouth.
“……”
Ereness glared coldly at Claude. Quick-witted Claude immediately backed down.
“I must have seen wrong.”
Claude turned away. He certainly didn’t want to end up like Alfoy for senseless chattering.
Clearly, in terms of awareness, Claude was better than Alfoy.
The newly introduced figures of the Northern Army caused a small ruckus as they waited near the capital for several days.
Ghislaine participated in the reorganizing efforts of the Kingdom Army and the Allied Forces.
While their numbers had dwindled significantly, they captured nearly 50,000 prisoners throughout the battles.
Debates about merging them with existing forces and how to split the legions went back and forth. It wasn’t until several days later that the meeting concluded.
“Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Now let’s get moving.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Claude inquired,
“What are your plans?”
“We’ll put pressure on the Southern region alongside the Allied Forces as soon as the Kingdom Army is reorganized. It will take some time, but we must do it right.”
There was no way to rush troops as they moved and prepared; one couldn’t just reorganize haphazardly.
The Northern Army was set to occupy strategic positions, resting and resupplying while maintaining order.
Ghislaine grinned and continued,
“And once all preparations are complete, we’ll advance southward simultaneously. Make sure the Western Army is ready before that. Until then, we must rest properly.”
No other army had been as busy as the Northern Army. Having fought like this, it was finally time to rest and regroup.
‘We’re almost there.’
It was different from his past life. In his previous life, Ghislaine fought alone; now he was accompanied by countless allies.
Of course, simply dealing with the Duke Faction wasn’t the end. The Salvation Society needed to be uprooted from the continent, and the rifts had to be eliminated as well.
But Ghislaine was confident.
‘It will soon come to an end.’
Yes, there wasn’t much time left. A properly organized army would corner the South all at once, leaving no escape for the Duke Faction.
‘This time for sure…’
Ghislaine’s eyes gleamed with a fierce light.
He had failed in his past life. There were far too many variables, and hidden factors kept surfacing.
But not this time. He was the variable to the Duke Faction now, building everything step by step according to plan.
So, without a doubt,
This time, he would achieve victory.
*
In a dim and silent room, illuminated only by a few candles.
The room was vast and ornate, but the darkness obscured its shape.
In the center lay a gigantic bed where a gaunt old man was resting.
“Penris… Count…”
The old man murmured with a voice that sounded as if he were on the brink of death.
A middle-aged man beside him bowed his head slightly in response.
“Yes, Your Majesty. He has successfully held back all the forces of Duke Delphine.”
The old man was none other than Berhem Radlan II, the King of the Ruthania Kingdom.
And the one tending to him was the Chamberlain of the Royal Family, Baron Domont.
Baron Domont was the king’s most favored and trusted aide. He had served as the chamberlain for many years and was the only one who could converse with the king.
Berhem, unable to move properly, could only hear news from the outside through him.
“Indeed… Every time the royal family is in peril, someone rises to protect it… Just like that woman from long ago…”
“Your Majesty…”
Berhem’s gaze was not sane; it shimmered with madness akin to that of a lunatic.
“After all, Count Penris… is someone who serves Marquis Branford… What use is a noble who does not pledge loyalty to me?”
“Your Majesty, they all pledge their loyalty to you.”
“Such foolish talk… A person wielding power without your permission… What loyalty does the Marquis Branford possess…? He is merely the heir that she has set up…”
Berhem raged, spewing nonsense that made little sense.
Baron Domont said nothing. He could understand the king’s heart.
Weak since childhood, Berhem had never been able to properly govern the kingdom. With age, that deficiency grew, twisting his personality beyond recognition.
Given that all power lay with Marquis Branford, his mindset was bound to become increasingly warped.
But what could be done? It was impossible to entrust state affairs to a king who lay here waiting to die.
While mumbling to himself, Berhem firmly grasped Baron Domont’s hand and said,
“The only ones I trust are the Knight Commander and you… I trust no one else. You are my only loyal ministers…”
There were only two people at the king’s side, so it was only natural. Baron Domont looked at Berhem with pitying eyes.
Even though he was born a king, he had never truly grasped power. His frail body prevented him from achieving anything.
Berhem continued to mumble with hollow eyes.
“The Crown Prince Faction and the Duke Faction… Are they not merely squabbling for power without me…? Who on earth are they fighting for…?”
He fidgeted with the necklace hanging around his neck.
It was a very simple and plain necklace adorned with a small gem. It seemed entirely unfit for a king.
Yet he treated it like it was precious, carefully fiddling with the gem.
“This kingdom… what the House of Duke Delphine desires… I am aware…”
Baron Domont quietly listened. He’d heard this tale hundreds of times already.
In fact, he was likely the one who knew the royal family’s secrets the most.
It was only natural to have daily conversations with the king. For him, that was the only joy in life.
Berhem kept staring at the ceiling and muttering to himself.
“Too much time has passed… The tales passed down by the royal family and the Duke family… Most have been forgotten… The two families’ promises have been neglected… they have forgotten their roots…”
Berhem’s rambling continued unabated. While there were many things that made no sense, Baron Domont did not ask him to clarify.
After all, one could say the king was half-mad.
At first, listening to a madman’s ramblings was a chore, but now it was of no consequence.
However, today something different slipped out of Berhem’s mouth.
“Salvation Society… is that what they were called? Those who move alongside the Duke’s House…”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“They can be wounded and cut… yet recover instantly…”
“Yes, they say they possess such power. Thus, it is very difficult to kill them.”
“But… it was designated as a cult…”
“Yes, the four major churches and Marquis Branford…”
“Those bastards… how dare they do so without my approval…”
Berhem trembled as he spoke. Baron Domont quickly grasped his hand and soothed him.
“Your Majesty, please calm yourself. Whatever you say, it can be changed at any time.”
In truth, that was impossible. In the feudal Ruthania Kingdom, even a king had limits to what he could decide at will.
Moreover, with the four major churches of the continent involved, how could anything be reversed by just the king’s decree?
Baron Domont was fully aware of this but spoke lies to calm Berhem’s heart.
After a long rage, Berhem’s voice dropped.
“I envy the priests of the Salvation Society… They say as long as their heads aren’t cut off, they won’t die… To possess such power…”
“Your Majesty…”
That truly was an enviable ability for Berhem. The fact that the Salvation Society was a cult meant little to him.
For someone who might die at any moment, what did it matter if it was a cult or not?
Suddenly, Berhem fell silent. As if pondering something, he abruptly grasped Baron Domont’s hand and said,
“Please do me a favor…”
“A favor? That is something you need not speak of. Just command me.”
“Promise me you’ll carry it out…”
“I swear on my life that I will fulfill it.”
Berhem grasped Baron Domont’s hand tightly, laboriously speaking. His eyes were filled with an inexplicable longing.
“Bring before me a priest of the Salvation Society… someone with that power… I long to have that power…”
Baron Domont’s face hardened. The king was now making an extremely dangerous request.
It was difficult enough to bring a priest of the Salvation Society, but even if he did, Marquis Branford would never allow the king to meet him.
If discovered, he would surely die.
Yet there was a way, albeit a slim one. He just needed to persuade one person.
He, being loyal, wanted desperately to fulfill the king’s request.
For the sake of the king, who had lived such a pitiable life.
“I shall… fulfill your command.”
Baron Domont stood up. His gaze was filled with firm resolve.
