Level up with swords (301)
Subjugation of the evil dragon Vritra.
A month has already passed since that historic event.
As a result, the Allied Forces, which gathered the power of the entire continent, won. The evil cult and the monsters, who lost their focus, immediately lost their will to fight, started fighting each other as if they had been on the same side since when, and then scattered to all directions.
It was a result that could certainly be called a miracle, turning a war situation that had been unfavorable by several numbers, rather than advantageous, into a major victory.
Nevertheless, the damage was enormous.
Unlike neighboring countries that were busy defending their borders, Jugend, a kingdom that mobilized all its national capabilities, lost 80% of its guards and most of its airships in a single battle.
Many of the adventurers and mercenaries dispatched by the guild also died, and even those who survived had to retire or receive long-term medical treatment due to serious injuries.
Among them, the one that suffered the most damage was the Holy Church, which participated in the war with more fierce spirit than anyone else.
“… There are a lot of empty seats.”
Irexana spoke in a heavy voice.
It had to be that way.
Unlike the times when everyone was gathered together, there were not a single empty seat. Chief Cardinal Lark’s empty smile disappeared, and Dominic, who had not yet gotten up from his bed, could not come.
Cron, who was brave as a warrior but also liked taking care of flowers on his days off, could never be seen again.
Berith’s tattered body, along with his shield, was not worth showing to the bereaved family, so the funeral had to be held with only the cremated remains.
“William, who is that little guy?”
Adela closed her eyes for a moment and asked a blunt question.
“You went to the elf forest.”
“What, did you escape? This is why ears… ”
“No way. “It seems like you would like to take this opportunity to relax the closed policy of the elves, who have lived in isolation from other races.”
“Tsk, it’ll still take a while.”
The concept of time of long-lived species is very different from that of humans.
For humans, 10 years is such a long time that we cannot be sure of the future, but for races such as elves and gnomes, it was a short time, not a long time.
It is common for it to take half a year to conduct a single meeting, so it will take at least 10 years to produce results.
The position of the second cardinal, William, was virtually vacant for the time being.
“Well, wouldn’t it be okay?”
Cardinal Anna asked back with a faint smile.
“Cardinal William would have been well aware of this. “He doesn’t have much to do outside of combat.”
“So you decided to persuade the elves?”
“I think so.”
When Adela heard those words, it didn’t seem like they were wrong, so she raised her crooked head and let out a long sigh.
“Whew, winning doesn’t mean all problems will be solved, but there’s too much work to do. Seongcheolsoe is also in dire need of personnel replenishment.”
In the final battle, the Knights of the Seongcheolsae literally fought without giving up, burning one of their own bodies and destroying ten or a hundred monsters.
Each one of them was already a master, and once they were armed with faith and a sense of duty, both their bodies and minds were like steel.
The reason they were in charge of one front of the Allied Forces with only about 100 people was because they were so fearsome that even the monsters who lost their senses to Vritra felt fear.
Of course, in return, more than half of them were martyred on the battlefield without any time to receive treatment, and the rest were seriously injured.
“But one thing that is fortunate is that the damage caused by the evil cult is at an irreparable level.”
“They are all empty shells without the archbishop.”
Adela simply agreed to Irexana’s words.
“There are only two ‘Exorcist Bishops’ who managed to escape with their lives, and among them, there are only two who have a hard time keeping themselves safe, let alone leading the group.”
“It would have been a little more troublesome if Electra had survived.”
“So I beat her up first! “Thanks to me!”
Contrary to her youthful appearance and boastful appearance, Adela did not go as far as to subdue Electra, but even the cardinals who knew this well kept silent with a tacit agreement.
If I poked at her complex here, I would only find out why Adela is called ‘Maeng Jin’.
Irexana spoke skillfully.
“For that reason, we are proposing to replenish personnel and expand the denomination’s branches over the next five years.”
“I agree.”
“I agree too.”
“I also agree. “If 5 years is not enough, even 10 years.”
The cardinals were unanimous, no matter who came first.
In this war, the damage to the Holy Church was truly enormous, but the evil Church, which could be said to be their main enemy, was destroyed.
Even if two bishops survive, they will soon die if their whereabouts are revealed. The Evil Church was an evil force that grew dependent on a single archbishop, and from the moment Vritra was subdued, their future was virtually doomed.
“I have received information from the Emperor of the Clyde Empire.”
“What?”
“We will allow entry into imperial territories that have not yet accepted branches of the church, and we will definitely establish at least one branch of the church in territories above the county territory. “Clyde will cover all construction costs and human resources.”
Ha, Adela smiled and grumbled.
“Are you planning on using us as shields? “From what I heard, negotiations with neighboring countries in Clyde have not gone smoothly yet.”
“There is no way hundreds of years of resentment will disappear in just a few years.”
“I can’t miss this opportunity just because it’s unpleasant. “To prevent further wars that may break out, the church must cooperate with Clyde.”
“You guys are worse than dogs! “If I had the power to do something stupid like that, I would at least join the Allied Forces.”
For the sake of peace and the greater good, not the Clyde Empire, the Holy Church agreed to large-scale expansion within the Empire.
Even if the national power had declined significantly, if the emperor directly supported it, the speed would be significant. I don’t know about the cardinal level, but the vacancies in the Knights Templar can be filled within 10 years.
As the annual meeting neared its end, Adela spoke.
“Now that I think about it, what are you doing, hero? “I haven’t seen you lately.”
“I heard you are staying near the Titan Mountains.”
“ok? What are you doing there? “There is no magic mirror anymore.”
Irexana answered with a faint smile.
“It seemed like you were waiting for someone.”
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Titan Mountains.
The land, which until a few years ago could be said to be the worst demonic world on the continent, inhabited by Titans and disaster-level monsters, has become quiet and peaceful.
This was because most of the monsters controlled by Vritra’s Dragon Fear died, and those who survived stopped clinging to the Titan Mountains as the <Dimension Crack> disappeared.
The Titans were also freed from their obligations with the disappearance of the Demon World, and their reason for being tied to this land disappeared.
“… … .”
Leon was standing on the land that had become Muju Gongsan.
The place where the “Dimension Crack” was opened has long since turned into an ordinary basin. It’s only been a month since El Cid disappeared inside, but the voice that was talking in her head disappeared, and the void is quite painful.
Leon carefully stretched out his hand and stroked something.
“… Mr. Hackapell.”
The only structure here that could be said to be special was the monument erected in the middle.
The first Beast King, Hakapel.
The legendary hero, who surpassed the limits of his lifespan and lived for another 300 years, eventually died before Leon’s eyes. The last words of the man who single-handedly defeated the giant Hrimturus and saved him from the clutches of the rampaging Vritra were,
-is it. I guess Rick went first.
His face was so calm that it felt cold, but he had a faint smile on his face, as if he knew he would be like that.
Always a few steps ahead of everyone else.
I couldn’t stand side by side with him this time either.
It was a face of deep regret and understanding, having shaken off all the lingering regrets from 300 years ago.
-I guess I should go soon too. The goddess’ call, so… For a long time, I looked away… There was… just because… .
Finally, he took one long breath and slowly closed his eyes as if he was falling into a deep sleep.
And then it never popped up again.
Hati simply held Hackapell’s right hand in her palm and sent away her great-grandfather, who had decorated his final days with glory. Perhaps he had a premonition of his death, and he was neither surprised nor saddened.
“Leon, you’re here again.”
At that moment, Hathi approached him as if guided by his thoughts.
Black hair was blowing in the wind, and the ears sticking out of it were pricking and moving as if to express affection.
“Hathi.”
“huh?”
Leon revealed his true feelings without realizing it.
“How did you feel when Hackapell passed away?”
“Great-grandfather?”
Hati tilted her head as if thinking for a moment, then smiled and placed both hands on her waist.
“I thought it was fortunate.”
“… Relief?”
“huh. Didn’t your great-grandfather continue to refuse even his own death because of the lingering affection he had for hundreds of years? Even as a warrior and as an elder of the clan, he endured the ugliness of his appearance.”
And, Hathi started and shrugged her shoulders.
“Because you have barely been rewarded for the long wait. “I can’t help but feel very fortunate in many ways.”
Leon nodded, as expected.
Although it was a slightly different case from El Cid, it could not be said that there was completely nothing in common. In either case, it was the destination that one had desired and had walked to with one’s own feet with satisfaction.
Nevertheless, the reason he couldn’t leave this vacant lot was probably because of the lingering feeling that El Cid would come back at any moment.
“Stand a little longer and then come back. “I heard Ella is preparing the meal.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After the decisive battle in the Titan Mountains, Hati joined Leon’s group as if it had been planned in advance.
For some reason, Ellahan and Karen were quite positive.
The two loved her as their younger sibling, like the youngest child who fell from the sky, and Hati, who rebelled against it, attempted to organize the ranking, but was quickly defeated and was determined to be the youngest.
As Hati’s presence quickly moved away, Leon let out a sigh that had been building up in his ribs.
“Haaaaa——… ”
It was then.
“Are you planning on destroying the ground, priest?”
Even Leon’s super senses were penetrated by the sight of a figure appearing behind him. Cassim spoke while casting a large, long shadow.
Leon looked back with a bitter smile and answered.
“Do you really want to destroy my liver through the death penalty? “I almost swung the sword without realizing it.”
It’s not that it wasn’t, it was just as he said.
The starlight that had gathered together in Leon’s grasp scattered again, fading away like fireflies on a summer night.
Cassim, seeing this, smiled happily.
“The only person in this world who can threaten me is now a priest. “Once you’ve calmed down, let’s at least have a round of sparring.”
“Of course.”
“Have you still not made up your mind?”
Kassim looked at the tombstone with ‘Hakapel’ written in the continental language.
“Damn you, you chased Rodrik before me.”
“Rodrik… ?”
“If it were the Goddess, she would definitely have taken away Hackapell’s soul, so if he comes back someday, we’ll be able to meet him in heaven. “If it were his famous personality, he would definitely have been gracious.”
In a way, it was a statement that trusted Roderick more than Leon.
If the outer dimension were to be a more dangerous place than <Tartaros>, which was across from ‘The Famous Song’, Cassim expected to return without a doubt.
Was that why?
Leon felt his heart become lighter.
“… okay. “He’ll come back someday, that damn thing.”
“of course. “He will brag about himself with a shameless look on his face and mock us with a serious smile.”
“Hmm, just thinking about it makes you angry?”
“So, I guess I’ll have to build up my strength until that day comes. “If you want to give that unlucky top a punch.”
Before I knew it, the two people were united and grinding their teeth together.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t have time to fool around like this, death. “Let’s have a fight.”
“There’s a wasteland about 30 kilometers away.”
“great.”
The two jumped off the ground, instantly breaking the sound barrier and disappearing over the horizon.
There was nothing left in the empty space they left.
No, it stayed.
Perhaps due to a dimensional rift, sprouts of unknown wild grasses appeared on land where not even a single weed could grow. I don’t know if even a single ant can survive, but it is a clear birth of vitality.
I don’t know how many years or decades it will take.
still.
Someday, wild flowers will bloom in this basin, like surrounding a tombstone.