Chapter 111 – The Value Of The Holy War (5)

When the holy war was declared.
A fierce battle was raging on the outskirts of the city. Monsters, appearing out of nowhere, had suddenly surrounded the city and were launching a fierce attack.

When the first wave of monsters began their assault, the city quickly sent out messengers to request support from all directions, while simultaneously closing its gates and preparing for a desperate fight.

Fortunately, the sudden appearance of the Saintess, who had requested elite soldiers, had prompted the city’s nobles to call in renowned mercenary groups from the surrounding areas.

The mercenaries, who had arrived from various places, and the guards, who were on high alert to control them, were able to respond quickly to the appearance of the monsters, preventing the city from falling in the early stages.

On the other hand, the unfortunate fact was that just two or three days prior, dozens of the most elite mercenaries and guards had gone down into the underground waterway with the Saintess, creating a significant gap in their forces.

The Saintess had appeared as suddenly as she had gone to the underground waterway. She had appeared in an instant, caused a ruckus demanding elite soldiers, and then, after taking only the best of the best, had quickly disappeared into the underground waterway. Thanks to her swift actions, rumors that no more mercenaries were being recruited had spread before the most famous mercenary groups in the area could arrive in the city.

Even a mercenary group renowned for its elite status from a distant land had arrived in the city, only to realize they were too late. The citizens of the city had to clutch their stomachs at the laughable news, but in the end, it turned out to be a great stroke of luck. If they hadn’t been there, the city of Huran’s flimsy walls would not have been able to hold back the monsters.

The Saintess.
The daughter of God.
The blessed woman who receives God’s greatest love.

Those who live close to death are cynical about religion, yet at the same time, they are devout. Living with death always by their side, they naturally develop a deep interest in the afterlife, and that is why it was difficult to find anyone among those who lived by the sword who did not revere the Saintess.

For this reason, over a thousand renowned mercenaries had poured into the city from all over, and this became the greatest strength that allowed them to defend the city walls to the end when the city was surrounded by monsters.

However, just as hope was beginning to wane in the face of the endless monster onslaught, a sound was heard from the center of the city. And then, a majestic pillar of light poured down from the sky into the city center.

How powerful is a human being who has hope? Those who had been desperately defending the city were able to hold out until the reinforcements, who had come from all directions, had finally defeated the monsters on the outskirts and arrived in the city. Despite the occupied walls and the collapsed gates, they were able to defend the city by fighting in the streets.

And they became the ones who decorated the first page of the glorious holy war.

“Commander, it is reported that another army has appeared to the west.”
“What is their banner?”
“According to the herald, it is the Margrave Crassus of the kingdom.”

The commander of the Exorcist Order, Carl Donaros, turned his gaze from his horse. A vast array of troops stretched out before him.

How absurd had it been to receive the news that the Saintess had gone missing from the Holy Nation of Hespote? It was clearly the work of that brat, Urian. That young pup, running wild just because he had the Saintess’s favor.

Carl Donaros had reported this to the Cardinal several times, but each time, the Cardinal had ignored his report.

And this was the result. The Saintess’s disappearance. After a discussion among the key figures of Hespote, they had decided to keep the matter a secret, considering the repercussions that would follow if this fact was made public. But even this was not to Carl Donaros’s liking.

Even if the repercussions were great, the Order should have taken a proactive stance. However, the Cardinal and the other leaders of the Order had strongly opposed it, so they had to secretly track the Saintess’s whereabouts. In Carl Donaros’s opinion, this all seemed like a decision by the Order’s leadership to protect that brat, Urian.

Whether it was intentional or due to unavoidable circumstances, it was a decision to protect Urian, a member of the Saintess’s Guardians and the de facto leader of the Guardians, from the major incident of the Saintess’s disappearance.

If this fact became known, no matter how much the Order’s leadership wanted to protect Urian, they would have to punish him severely due to public opinion. The crime of endangering the Saintess as a Guardian was severe.

‘Just what is that brat’s identity? Even after looking through the records, he’s just an orphan taken in by Hespote. He couldn’t possibly be someone’s illegitimate child. What is it? What is it that makes the Order’s leadership so desperate to protect him!’

The whereabouts of the missing Saintess were still unknown, and as Carl Donaros sensed a growing sense of skepticism among the Order’s leadership about secretly searching for her, he felt that it was finally his turn to step forward.

With a little more time, the Order’s leadership would eventually be unable to tolerate the Saintess’s mysterious disappearance. That would be the time to impeach the leader of the Guardians, the brat Urian, who had caused this situation.

Considering the power of the Order, which was spread throughout the world, it was clear that the Order would be able to find the Saintess faster than any hostile forces could harm her if the rumor of her disappearance spread.

This was an opportunity to weaken the position of the incompetent Order’s leadership and get rid of the brat Urian. And then, I, Carl Donaros, the commander of the Exorcist Order, would stand by the Saintess’s side.

Just as he was burning with anticipation, he heard that the Saintess’s whereabouts had been discovered. Far away, in the temple of the city of Huran in the Kingdom of Falken, beyond the Empire, the Order was thrown into an uproar by a message sent through divine magic.

Carl Donaros let out a hollow laugh when he heard the news. Of all times… why now? If only he had had a little more time, his plan would have worked!

He gnashed his teeth in frustration, but he couldn’t just ignore it. He quickly moved to persuade the Order’s leadership.

Now that the Saintess’s whereabouts had been revealed, they had to bring her back as quickly as possible. And since the Exorcist Order was the only force that could move immediately from Hespote, he, as the commander, would go and bring the Saintess back himself.

As soon as he received permission from the Order’s leadership, Carl Donaros summoned his direct subordinates and headed to Huran, the city where the Saintess’s whereabouts had been revealed.

It was quite a distance from Hespote, and even though all 200 members of the Exorcist Order were elite and skilled horsemen who could endure a forced march, it took a long time for them to arrive in the vicinity.

After passing through that vast empire, several kingdoms and duchies, and entering the Kingdom of Falken, when they finally reached the city of Huran, Carl Donaros and all 200 members of the Exorcist Order were in a disheveled state.

Still, the thought of soon being able to escort the Saintess and crush the brat Urian’s pride made Carl Donaros head towards Huran with a light heart, only to be faced with an absurd situation.

“…What? Monsters? What about the monsters?”
“It is reported that a horde of monsters has surrounded the city and is attacking fiercely every day. Huran barely managed to send out messengers in all directions before being surrounded by the monster horde, and thanks to that, the news spread quite quickly, and now reinforcements are heading towards the city… What should we do?”
“Huh. Heh heh. Hehehe… Hehehehe! Monsters? Mon~sters? In Huran, where the Saintess is… what? Monsters have appeared and are attacking the city? And they’ve even surrounded it like a pack of dogs? Am I hearing things?”
“…”
“Hey, friends. What do you think? This isn’t the time of the ancient Divine-Demon War, nor is it the time when the Demon King was causing chaos hundreds of years ago. A horde of monsters has surrounded the city? Am I… dreaming?”
“No, it’s true, Commander.”
“Oh… hehehehe. Really… what a doggone situation.”

Regardless of Carl Donaros’s dismay, the Exorcist Order advanced to the vicinity of the city and confirmed the monster horde with their own eyes.

Even though they were elite, they were only 200 men. It was not a small force, but it was daunting to try to break through that swarm of monsters, so they were stuck in a state of indecision.

That was when reinforcements began to arrive from all directions. Carl Donaros planned to join them and break through the city’s encirclement.

“Sekrom, Shellan, Mitran, Howells… there are many. And even nobles and the royal army. With this much, we can give it a try.”

The forces that had been hastily gathered were lacking in numbers, but when combined, they were quite large. As Carl Donaros and the others were engaged in a fierce battle with the monster horde on the outskirts,

He felt a familiar divine power.

“…This is? The Saintess’s divine power? Such a widespread divine power. Has something happened in the city? Koelli, didn’t you say the city was holding out well?”
“Of course. The monsters have not been able to breach the city walls even now.”
“Then why is the Saintess’s divine power so widespread… no, wait. What is… the intention?”

While those who could sense mana were bewildered by the widespread divine power, a voice was heard.

『Today, we have gathered here. Perhaps those of us gathered here today will be the last survivors left in this city.』

…That voice. It’s that brat’s voice. What is he up to? What is he trying to do?
Carl Donaros, swinging his mace at the monster attacking him and crushing its head, turned his sharp gaze towards the flimsy walls in the distance.

The monsters continued to charge without paying any attention to the voice, but the people chose to retreat for a moment rather than continuing the battle indifferently.

As the lines gradually fell back and the battle subsided, Urian’s voice became clearer and sharper, piercing their ears.

“…What are you up to, Urian?”

Carl Donaros felt a strange sensation. A strange unpleasantness. It was difficult to define exactly what it was, but… it was a very unpleasant sensation, as if he was being led along by the other party’s intentions.

“A speech to boost morale… perhaps.”
“It seems like it, but there’s something strange about it. It lacks the vigor of a speech to inspire soldiers, and it’s too childish and crude to be a speech to assert legitimacy like the nobles.”
“I have an uneasy feeling.”

As his subordinate said, Carl Donaros felt uneasy. And finally… the holy war was declared from that brat’s mouth.

“He’s crazy! He’s completely crazy! Who does he think he is to declare a holy war! He’s not even the Pope, or even a Cardinal, but a mere priest declaring a holy war? He’s completely out of his mind!”
“…Um, Commander?”
“Ha! Urian, that brat. It seems like his mind has gone haywire because the war situation has become difficult. Good. This is the end for him. He’ll be severely punished just for failing to properly assist the Saintess, but he’s declaring a holy war as a mere priest? He’s finished!”
“…Commander.”
“What is it!”
“The atmosphere… the atmosphere is strange.”
“…What?”

The members of the Exorcist Order were all elite individuals. They were all superior to most priests in terms of not only martial prowess but also knowledge of theology.

Therefore, the Exorcist Order may have been shaken by Urian’s speech and the holy war he proclaimed, but they did not show any great agitation. In their opinion, Urian’s speech was not enough to inspire people, and he was just a mere priest with no authority to declare a holy war.

That was why Carl Donaros, surrounded by the Exorcist Order, did not know.
He did not know how the majority of the people below were reacting, regardless of what their superiors thought.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

“…What is that sound?”
“…The sound of stomping feet. And the sound of weapons hitting the ground, Commander.”
“Why? Why are they falling for such low-level words? Where does a mere priest get the authority to declare a holy war! Are they all lunatics!”
“But… the soldiers… are cheering.”
“…What??”

A roar… a huge roar was heard.
Only then did Carl Donaros realize what was strange.

Urian’s speech, that brat’s speech… it was childish, crude, and sloppy enough to make one scoff, but… it was enough to elicit the enthusiasm of the soldiers, the ignorant underlings.

“This is… this is impossible!! It’s impossible!!”