Chapter 343 - Assembly (1)
In the primitive environment to the west of the Beldirn Republic, the so-called "Untouched Forest".
Because of colossal trees averaging about eighty meters in height, the sky is blocked, and sunlight scarcely reaches the ground.
Darkness fills every direction.
It is a world of the strong devouring the weak.
Though the cries of prey occasionally echo through this nature, today was decidedly different.
A ruin seated within the Untouched Forest, which long ago lost its original form.
Inside it, a war was unfolding.
Thud, thud, thud.
With the priests' support, the paladins advanced.
Wreathed in the miracle of light, they tore the shadows to shreds.
Holy power is, by nature, the nemesis of black magic.
As light brightly illuminated every side, the air began to warp grotesquely.
The black magic circles, affected by it, were vanishing.
At last, as the hidden structures revealed themselves, the beings belonging to the Glory of the Dead appeared.
Combat began at once.
...
Though it was a surprise attack, there was no sign of agitation.
As if they had been waiting, black magic of the material plane and elemental magic poured down like a torrential rain.
Black magic of the mental sphere was excluded, for it is particularly weak to holy power.
Boom, boom, bang!
The massive holy barrier quivered irregularly.
Yet it remained firm.
Before long, the faithful succeeded in closing to their intended range, and assumed an offensive stance.
"By the Immaculate Radiance!"
Shouting for the glory of God without hesitation, the paladins dashed in, their blades flashing with holy light.
They shattered and slipped past the incoming magic, and entered close quarters.
"Ghk!"
Not long after, a blade of sanctity shattered a breastbone and pierced through.
Given their opponents, the paladins were also taking damage in real time, but it did not hinder the battle.
"O Luas, please safeguard Your sword."
Led by Bishop Lena, the priests in the rear prayed for healing miracles, supporting with meticulous care.
And then,
Summoned servants of light absorbed the impact from range.
Offense, defense, support,they excelled in all aspects.
Thus, having no clear weakness is precisely the Luas Church's way of battle.
Of course, it is by no means invincible.
Crack!
A cursed spike, which they failed to evade while blocking an Undead's strike, pierced a paladin's throat.
"Grrk, grrk..."
Because blood pooled in the midst of prayer, a phlegmy rattle sounded.
Breathing was impossible.
Bone and nerves were damaged, and a curse hindering healing had burrowed deep into the body, so even miracles would not properly take effect.
Thud.
Then the Undead's sword carved a deep gash in the abdomen.
Clutching his neck, bleeding, he collapsed.
A nearly instant, fatal wound. Ordinarily, he would have died within seconds without managing anything at all.
But here stood an archbishop.
"Do not yield to their malice."
A miracle unfolded from Joseph's fingertips.
Solemn holy power erased the curse and the nearby Undead alike, and completely restored the paladin's wounds.
In an instant, whole again, the paladin took up his sword and leapt back into the line.
Archbishop Joseph, of sacred service.
He is, in himself, a wall that cannot be taken.
If Joseph does not fall, those with him will not fall.
A presence who, alone, steers the tide of battle.
This is the miracle possessed by the seven archbishops, spokesmen of the world's religion.
"O Luas!"
The undying paladins pressed the assault even more fiercely.
The distance closed.
Having expended considerable magic power, the black magi's resistance began to weaken.
"Do not fall back! Kill them all! Slaughter those who believe in that false faith!"
"Guh-aaah…!"
"For the great Glory of the Dead!"
Death screams grazed their ears.
Soon after, a quiet stillness returned.
In the end, with not a single death, the Luas Church succeeded in razing one base held by the Glory of the Dead.
Step, step.
The paladins secured the inside of the ruins.
After a thorough search, Paladin Railver, reported to Joseph.
"As ordered, we allowed several black magi to flee during the engagement."
"Good work."
They had not completely annihilated them.
The base raid was, after all, a distraction.
While others carried out their respective plans, it needed to be as noisy as possible.
"...By the way, did you find any trace of 'it'?"
The things the Glory of the Dead is searching for.
The reason the Luas Church must stop the Glory of the Dead, the reason Joseph was dispatched in person to the Eastern Continent by the Pope and the Saint.
To the archbishop's grave question, Railver shook his head.
"It was not here."
"I see. Given this was a base already exposed to Haldirn, that is only natural. Still, it is certain it has not yet fallen into their hands..."
Joseph stroked his necklace, and set his feet in motion.
"Before the seal is broken, we must recover it. Whatever they are plotting... the subjugation of the servants leading the Glory of the Dead comes after that."
"I will keep it in mind."
***
The carriage Verden controlled flew through the sky.
Only Adrian rode inside, Jack had not yet been released.
'It will not be late even if we talk after we arrive.'
Explaining the situation, and hearing his side of it, once would suffice.
Besides, there might be some unidentified black magic lodged within Jack that neither Verden nor Adrian had grasped.
Taking him to Archbishop Joseph was the best, and the wisest, judgment.
Then, Adrian asked.
"My lord, do you perhaps know this man called Jack?"
It was a reasonable question.
From presence and aura alone, Verden had been certain Jack was sealed.
"Yes, I know him."
They had not merely crossed paths.
Sword and magic,they had even faced off officially when Verden had been at fourth tier.
"Two years ago, I entered a tournament hosted by the Duchy of Riviant. I met him in the finals."
"Of course, my lord must have won."
"As the champion's prize, I obtained this."
Among the rings adorning Verden's hand, one was the Ring of Permafrost (counterfeit).
Ever since he obtained it, ice magic had been strengthened without cease.
Well, at the level he had reached now, its effect was slight.
"And Jack, who took second place, received the Belt of Strong Arm."
From the ducal prince of Riviant, he remembered vividly who had received what.
He also remembered, just as clearly, the last conversation he shared with Jack.
Then, waiting before the castle gate of the ducal capital, Jack had asked Verden this,
───By any chance, do you have plans to go to the Beldirn Republic?
───None.
It had been a sudden proposal.
Naturally, Verden refused.
He was already in friction with Gluttony, and there was no reason to go to the Republic.
'But to think we'd meet like this.'
An unexpected encounter.
Not that it was particularly pleasant. They had never built such familiarity in the first place.
At any rate, if they simply brought Jack back to Quorail, that would be the end.
Verden and Adrian's tasks would be complete.
The rest was for others to handle.
***
A map of the central Eastern Continent.
Tracing a finger down from the city of Surdmil in Kailiens along a blue line, another city appears.
Because it was a hub where the Hein River and several other rivers connected, it was a bustling place where all manner of ships and goods came and went.
That made the stench of fish heavy in the air, but for the residents who had long since grown used to it, it was daily life.
Only the winter weather was an exception.
"Goodness, so cold…!"
The harbor manager rushed into the office.
Before even taking off the thick fur coat, he inserted a magic stone into the household magic item he had splurged on last year.
Stamping his feet as he waited, the room gradually began to warm.
"Phew. Now I can finally live."
Only then did he remove the coat, and sink comfortably into his chair.
Grrrgle.
A moment ago, just being able to warm his body was enough, but now that he had done so, hunger struck.
"So this is what they mean when they say human greed has no end. Mmm, if only I had a spicy fish stew right now, I could die without regrets…"
There was a restaurant nearby.
But it required considerable courage to leave this cozy place and step outside.
The dilemma of a lifetime.
"Fine, let's go."
The harbor manager, having decided, sprang to his feet.
Once resolved, nothing could hold him back. As he stretched long and turned his body, it happened.
"…Huh?"
A shadow blocked his way.
At the same time, a cold metallic touch clasped his head.
He had no time to scream, no time to react.
"Bring me the complete list of ships from Kailiens in the past few months."
The curse burrowed into his core.
His mind seized in an instant, the harbor manager slowly nodded.
"Yes…"
The three documents he brought were lifted by
'This must be it.'
He found the missing ship.
The one that, according to record, should have carried demi-human and human corpses from Riverungr, but was destroyed by Asher and his group.
Just as he had heard, the log recorded it as carrying oil.
"Bring me everything regarding this ship."
"Yes…"
The harbor manager stumbled as he rummaged through the office.
At times he even fell.
If Haldirn's proficiency in mental black magic had been higher, efficiency would have been better… but unfortunately, his mado specialized in another branch.
Still, he had a lead.
The Piarty Merchant Guild.
They were the ones who directly transported the ship's cargo.
The harbor manager said they used specially modified giant carriages, which made sense.
'To move something like an Ogre corpse, ordinary carriages wouldn't suffice.'
The guild was located in a quiet village away from the city.
Huff.
Melding into darkness, Haldirn left the city at once.
DarkWarton's innate black magic.
Though inefficient at short range, for long-distance travel it surpassed the fifth-tier
Before long, he arrived.
Under a night sky filled with stars.
Identifying the guild's building, he entered without hesitation.
'…Quiet.'
No trace of the living.
Cobwebs covered every corner. Human presence faint.
Had it been abandoned?
'No, it was made to be abandoned.'
Removing his gauntlet, Haldirn placed his hand upon the corridor's center.
He opened his mado.
Drops of blood seeped up from deep within the wooden planks, staining his fingertips.
Rubbing the blood, he sensed the death within.
'Murder, by black magic.'
It seemed they had been silenced.
That was all he could glean immediately.
Next, he would gather and track information on the Piarty Guild.
But who was Haldirn?
The sole disciple of a Transcendent, known as the Interpreter of Death.
He had inherited some of the magic derived from that mado.
'Still insufficient, but…'
As long as the target had not awakened prayer, magic power, or holy power, and had not been dead too long, it would be enough.
Resolute, Haldirn closed his eyes and focused his mind to the extreme.
Softly, he spoke to the blood.
"Show me, your memories of life."
Sinister magic whirled.
Soon, red light gathered at his fingertips, enveloping the blood, and then seeped into his skin.
Something surfaced in his mind.
He did not resist, but accepted it.
Haldirn's consciousness delved into the memory of the dead.
***
Verden's party returned to Quorail.
Though it had been the farthest of the three plans, because the matter at Southern Pit ended in a single day, the time had been greatly reduced.
Without delay, they headed to the fortress at the deepest point.
Compared to before, the Luas Church's numbers seemed fewer.
"Did we arrive first?"
"Seeing as there are paladins who had been involved in the base raids, that does not seem to be the case…"
Could it be there had been casualties?
That thought came at once, but inwardly he shook his head.
Not with an archbishop present.
'Then it's reasonable they split the forces.'
It was a situation not in the original plan.
Seeing the archbishop absent here… had some incident occurred?
Walking the halls, they searched for the Luas Church's overseer.
Then, commotion reached their ears.
───No matter! No matter if it's the Luas Church, this is too much! This is an affront to the Republic!
───P-please, calm yourself, Councilor Angrang!
───Calm, you say!
A familiar voice.
Naturally, they opened the door, and first saw two figures.
A middle-aged man, long moustache drooping, scowling deeply.
And Bishop Lena, sweating coldly, flustering her hands.
Verden asked.
"What is happening?"
"Ah…? L-Lord Asher! You returned early!!"
Caught in a bind, she beamed when she saw Verden and Adrian.
Her eyes even grew moist, as if she had seen a savior.
Then the man locked eyes with Verden.
And he shouted.
"Who are you to barge into a councilor's chamber! Hah! Can't you see I'm in official talks with the Luas Church! Hey! Get them out this instant, and don't let them set foot here again!"
He barked with spit flying.
Though meeting for the first time, he showed no courtesy.
"Yes, Councilor Angrang."
At his command, men dressed like the Executioners of Southern Pit strode forward.
To drag Verden out.
"You bastards…"
Veins bulged on Adrian's forehead.
You can read more chapters in organised way on my website:- https://revengernovel.com