Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Zero - Volume 4 - Chapter 1

Chapter I: War and an Unexpected Reunion

The White Scarred Plains. Technically, it was a region that lay within the militaristic Odion Federation’s borders, but everyone knew that the area wasn’t actually in the Federation’s control.

As for why, the answer was simple. The White Scarred Plains lay on the border of the Pale Forest. As a result, they were covered in a thin layer of mist year-round. Of course, the mist that leaked out of the forest wasn’t thick enough to really obscure anyone’s vision, or beguile their senses. But whenever someone threatened to invade the forest, the fog covering the plains suddenly thickened. Everything for kilometers around became encased in the same mist that covered the forest. Any army hoping to push into the forest first had to win the battle at the White Scarred Plains. But even if they did, once they entered the forest the mist grew so thick that one could barely see a few meters in front of their face. Whereas on the plains, even when the mist was at its worst, there was at least fifty meters of visibility in all directions. Worst of all, the mist did far more than just obscure people’s vision.

“Haaah... Haaah... Dammit!”

A young soldier cursed. He was stationed on the southern fringe of the White Scarred Plains and belonged to the fourth platoon of the Odion Federation Army.

Screams and booms and other sounds of battle could be heard all around him. His heart raced, and cold sweat poured down his face. Some of it got into his eyes, and he took his hand off his hilt to wipe it away. The moment he did, a black shadow entered his field of vision.

“Shaaaaaa!”

“Gah!”

A sword suddenly came at him, and it was only thanks to his countless hours of training that he was able to block the side swing in time and keep his head on his shoulders. However, the shock of the impact was so strong that it bent his sword and sent him flying. As he sailed through the air, the young soldier realized the blow had dislocated his shoulder as well. He crashed against the ground, the pain snapping him out of his reverie. Though he wanted nothing more than to lie there and whimper, the screams of his comrades motivated him to keep fighting.

“Fireball!” he shouted, raising his one good arm. He was aiming for the tigerman warrior who’d just cut one of his fellow soldiers in half.

Unfortunately, the tigerman had heard him casting. He turned around to face the young soldier, who was still lying on the ground. Though the fireball was nearly upon him, he didn’t bother raising his massive claymore to protect himself. Almost as if to say he didn’t even need to block.

“Dammit!” the soldier shouted as he watched his fireball sail harmlessly past the tigerman. Just as the tigerman had expected it to.

This was the real danger of the fog that covered the Pale Forest. It provided a barrier to all the beastmen within it. Said barrier protected them from all long and mid-ranged magic as well as arrows. Anything shot at beastmen within the fog was redirected, no matter what direction it came from. And the thicker the fog, the more potent the barrier’s effects. Within the depths of the forest, there were even times where soldiers couldn’t swing their swords in the direction they wanted.

Naturally, the beastmen themselves were unaffected by the fog’s misdirection. In fact, their heightened senses meant even the lack of visibility wasn’t an issue for them. The Pale Forest offered the beastmen a massive geographical advantage, while debilitating the offensive potential of any invader. And that wasn’t even the worst part.

“Damn invaders,” the tigerman muttered, stalking over the young soldier to finish him off. But just then, someone came to his rescue.

“Don’t underestimate us, you filthy half-breeds!”

“Captain!”

A man large enough to rival the tigerman in stature swung his massive halberd down. The young soldier’s captain was a master of strengthening magic, and he’d earned himself the title Strongarm within the Odion Federation. Moreover, the tigerman was completely defenseless, since he’d just raised his sword to attack the soldier lying on the ground. The Odion captain had every advantage, and by all rights, he should have cleaved the tigerman in half.

“You owe me for this!”

“Impossible!”

Another beastman slid in between the tigerman and the captain, blocking the captain’s halberd. The surprising thing was she was a petite cat girl barely half the captain’s size. But her two crossed shortswords had stopped his halberd completely.

On average, beastmen were a lot stronger than humans, but catmen, in particular, didn’t have that much more physical strength than humans, so the captain’s surprise was natural.

“Uryaaah!”

“Wha—!?”

There was a thunderous boom as the girl kicked the captain in the stomach. Though he weighed over 120 kilograms with all his plate armor on, he was sent flying. That was how powerful her kick had been.

“N-No way... What the hell are you people? When did the beastmen get so strong!?” another soldier shouted.

The young soldier the captain had tried to protect had already been slaughtered by the tigerman. This was an absolute nightmare. Everything the Odion Federation thought they knew about beastmen had been turned on its head. That was just how strong the soldiers of the beastmen republic were.

“Don’t falter, men! We’re soldiers of the noble federation! The church is counting on us!”

One of the federation’s commanders tried to rally the men’s flagging morale. Thousands of Odion soldiers answered with a rousing war cry and charged the girl and her tigerman companion. The tigerman looked coldly down at the charging mob and raised a hand into the air. A second later, hundreds of beastmen of all races appeared from the fog.

“Pass down the forest’s judgment on these disgraceful invaders!” he shouted, and the beastmen answered with a roar that drowned out the Odion soldiers’ war cries. Then they charged forward, colliding with the Odion army’s line. The battle soon devolved into a melee, where the mist’s effects hurt the Odion army the most. Since they couldn’t be sure their arrows or spells would fly true, they couldn’t fire for risk of hurting their own men. Though even if they could have, pinpointing where the enemy was in a melee this chaotic would have been impossible.

The Odion soldiers had no choice but to rely on strengthening magic and their sword arms. Unfortunately, all the formations and tactics they’d devised were useless in this thick fog, especially since the beastmen were far stronger than they’d anticipated. The beastmen were unbelievably fast, seemingly had endless stamina, and possessed superhuman strength. Most weapons couldn’t scratch them, magic wouldn’t hit them, and their punches and kicks were strong enough to crush plate armor.

“Use our numbers to our advantage! Swarm them!”

That was the only tactic that stood a chance of working against the beastmen. The Odion soldiers needed an entire squad to take down even a single foe. Unfortunately, the beastmen also happened to have impeccable coordination, and they ran circles around the Odion army.

“Gah! Where are our reinforcements!?”

The Odion commander started to panic as he saw his units get taken out one by one. Just then—

“You’re mine!”

“Shit—”

The tigerman from earlier slipped past the commander’s guards and charged at him. He swung his claymore at the commander with inhuman speed. In the few seconds before the claymore parted his head from his shoulders, the commander’s life flashed before his eyes. He despaired, knowing that everything he’d accomplished was about to come to an end.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Wha—”

But just before the claymore reached him, the tigerman vanished right in front of the commander’s eyes. Or rather, the tigerman was kidnapped. By a pale white dragon, which swooped down out of nowhere.

The tigerman screamed and tried to struggle out of the dragon’s jaws. He barely managed to avoid being bitten to death by using his claymore as a wedge, but one of the dragon’s fangs still sunk into his back. As he opened his mouth to curse—

“Don’t struggle. It’s unsightly,” the man riding the white dragon said. He was wearing the armor of the Templar Knights. He said something else the commander couldn’t quite catch, and the dragon flicked its head upward.

“Uwoooh!?” the tigerman shouted as he was flung into the air. Another white dragon shot out of the fog, and this time the tigerman couldn’t protect himself. It bit down on the hapless beastman, killing him instantly.

Blood rained down onto the plains below. The dragon carelessly tossed the tigerman’s corpse away, like it was nothing more than trash. The girl who’d saved him earlier looked up furiously at the dragons, as did the other beastmen. Once everyone’s attention was on the dragons, a loud voice rang out across the battlefield.

“Brave men of the federation! We have come to reinforce you! Let us crush these filthy animals together!”

The mist in the sky behind the Odion soldiers was blown away in a sudden gust of wind, revealing who had spoken.

“That silver dragon... I-It’s the Paragons of Light...”

The Paragons of Light were one of the three strongest pillars of the church. And the silver dragon that the soldiers were looking at was the dragon lord Adra, one of the holy symbols of the Elbard Theocracy. Riding atop it was a knight wearing a monocle and ostentatious battle robes. There was a massive white bow slung across his back. His short black hair was parted to one side, and he was smiling jovially to the soldiers. He was none other than Mulm Allridge, commander of the Paragons of Light.

Pure white mana swirled around him and his twenty-meter long dragon, making him look even more gallant. He looked every bit like a storybook hero. Adra flapped its wings once, and the resulting gust blew the fog away. The battle lines of the beastmen republic and the Odion Federation were now exposed to all. It was now clear that the beastmen were only fielding 3000 soldiers compared to the federation’s 10,000.

“Tch... Scatter! Don’t clump up or you’ll be targeted!”

An old foxman who was presumably the commander of the beastmen quickly started barking orders. However, at roughly the same time, Mulm began his assault.

“Adra! Show these heretics what it means to oppose Ehit!”

The dragon let out a roar and spread its wings. As it did so, its massive body began to glow. Wrapped in an aura of light as it was, the silver dragon was so beautiful it captivated the entire battlefield. But despite its beauty, all it brought to the beastmen was death and destruction. The light concentrated around Adra’s mouth, and it opened its maw wide to unleash a powerful breath attack.

Sound vanished from the world as it was enveloped in an aurora of light. Seconds passed. Finally, sound and color returned to the world. The aurora of light slowly dissipated, revealing a massive hole in the ground.

A crater three hundred meters in diameter now existed where the beastmen army had been. With just one attack, Adra had slaughtered thousands of soldiers. The men of the Odion Federation saw for the first time what the strength of the church’s three pillars was really like. However—

“Good grief. They sure don’t make it easy. I see they really are stronger than normal.”

Mulm furrowed his brows unhappily. His dissatisfaction was understandable. The beastmen’s losses were lower than he’d expected. Instead of the thousands he thought he’d killed, barely 500 beastmen had been hit. The others had scattered the moment the foxman had commanded them to.

Though it had taken barely a few seconds for the aurora of light to reach the beastmen forces, most of them had been able to get hundreds of meters away. The fact that all of them were that agile was unnatural. And of the 500 soldiers Adra’s light had struck, only half of them had been killed. The rest were just wounded. The beastmen’s toughness was as unnatural as their agility.

Still, the shockwave from Adra’s blast had been enough to knock most of the beastmen off their feet. A third of them had been hit hard enough that it’d take a few minutes before they could rejoin the fray.

“Now then, let’s wipe them out before they manage to regroup,” Mulm said with an arrogant smile, and Adra roared in response. A flock of white dragons rose up behind Mulm. The church’s holy dragon knight unit had arrived. At roughly the same time, a group of knights riding giant white wolves thundered onto the battlefield as well. With the addition of their ground unit, the entirety of the Paragons of Light had entered the fray. Just as he was about to give the order to charge, Mulm noticed a silhouette closing in on him from above.

“Wha—”

“Dang, he saw us.”

A slender, blue-haired harpy wearing a white robe shot out of the clouds, his spear aimed at Mulm. He narrowed his slit-like eyes and shouted, “All units, charge! Show these bastards who the sky really belongs to!”

Several hundred harpies suddenly appeared from the fog, all diving toward the Paragons’ dragon unit. Some of them had slingshots, which they used to hurl small objects that looked like fruit at the dragon knights. They burst in midair, dousing the knights and their dragons in a fine powder.

A few seconds later, the dragons started screaming in anguish. It seemed the powder was capable of burning the dragon’s noses with its scent. Taking advantage of the knights’ momentary panic, the harpies rained spears down upon them. Some unseated the knights, while others pierced the wings of their dragons.

“Damn half-breeds!” Mulm shouted. He then ordered Adra to blow the powder away with a flap of its wings and unslung his bow. He didn’t seem to have any kind of quiver, but the moment he pulled the string back, an arrow of light appeared on the bow.

“Die, you inferior scum!”

He loosed, and the arrow of light streaked toward the slit-eyed harpy. The harpy immediately dodged to the side, but to his surprise, the arrow changed trajectory to follow him. Not only that, it split mid-flight, turning into a barrage of ten arrows.

Mulm wielded one of the seven holy Artifacts of the church, the Divine Bow. It allowed him to create arrows of any element and imbue them with all sorts of special effects. On top of that, the arrows would split mid-flight and chase their target for eternity. Best of all, though, the bow strengthened the user’s base stats and upped their perception abilities as well, including giving them the Farsight skill.

Most people would have despaired in the face of such overwhelming might, but it seemed this harpy was a cut above the rest. As the arrows bore down on him, he turned to face them and opened his eyes wide.

“Howlstorm!”

Unlike most other beastmen, he was able to use magic. His name was Nirke Zouk, and he was the commander of the republic’s aerial division. The special magic he possessed was called Galeforce, and it allowed him to manipulate the wind. One of the many abilities he’d developed with it was Howlstorm, an attack that allowed him to shoot a tornado out of his mouth.

The spiral of wind destroyed the barrage of light arrows with ease. But Mulm wasn’t the slightest bit perturbed. He had Adra fly above Nirke and fire its aurora breath at him. Though the fact that Nirke possessed magic hadn’t surprised him, Mulm was still incensed that a mere beastman could use even a fraction of Ehit’s holy powers. As he watched the light bear down on him, Nirke began to panic. But just then—

“Commander!”

One of his subordinates rushed forward and tackled Nirke out of the way. Unfortunately, that meant he took the full brunt of Adra’s aurora blast instead.

“Kyle...” Nirke muttered, grieving for his fallen comrade before he turned angrily to Mulm.

“I guess I should have expected as much from one of the church’s strongest orders... He’s on a different level than those federation chumps.”

Still, Nirke had achieved his objective. Namely, to buy time.

“Hrm? That blasted fog again!?”

Mulm’s expression stiffened as the fog he’d blown away started creeping up again. He ordered Adra to blow it away with another flap of its wings, but this time the fog remained.

“Tch... So it really can’t be eradicated... What a pain.”

The gusts of wind Adra created did nothing more than cause the fog to swirl around itself and thicken further. Even the Paragons of Light weren’t immune to its disorienting effects, and Mulm was well aware of that. Shaking his head, Mulm ordered his knights to group around him.

“No, simply calling it a pain would be a disservice. This is clearly the work of Ehit’s magic. Truly, it is a sight to behold.”

There was a fanatical gleam in Mulm’s eyes. His calm smile vanished, replaced by a mad grin. Meanwhile, Nirke and the others faded away into the fog. The beastmen on the ground recovered their wounded and did the same.

“We’ve dealt them a severe blow, which is good enough for now! Group together and retreat!” Mulm shouted, his voice amplified by magic. Before his unit could be completely enveloped in the fog, he turned Adra around and led them back to camp. He looked back over his shoulder as he retreated, making sure he hadn’t lost anyone. As he gazed out toward the forest he couldn’t see, he muttered, “Fear not, beloved child of god. For I, Mulm, shall save you.”

Another battle, the largest one of the opening engagements, was still going in the central area of the White Scarred Plains. Thunder rained down from the sky, scorching the plains all over.

“Wait for me, child of god! I’m coming to save you!”

The source of that thunder was Lilith Arkind, commander of the Templar Knights. Though she was their commander, she was out on the front lines, shooting bolts of lightning at every beastman she could find. Her originally long blonde hair had been cut short to make her look more ferocious, and she truly was a terror on the battlefield.

“Who’re you calling a child of god, you damn fanatic!”

Ten beastmen leaped at Lilith from all sides. They were all wolfmen, and they moved with expert coordination. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough.

“Sh-She’s too fast...”

Before they could swing their swords and spears down at her, she cut through all of them.

“My lightning is the wrath of Ehit! No filthy beastman will ever touch me!”

Lilith stabbed her sword into the ground in front of her. Lightning shot out of it in every direction, electrocuting all the beastmen around her. Then, with a flash, she disappeared and reappeared within another formation of beastmen. Lilith swung her sword in a wide arc, shooting lightning all around her in a circle. The beastmen were sent flying before they even had time to shout. Even the federation soldiers couldn’t help but shudder at Lilith’s display of might.

It was this special magic of hers, Thunderclap, that had allowed her to rise to the position of Templar Knight commander at the young age of 27. Not only could she cast lightning magic instantly without incantations, but she could also cover herself in lightning, allowing her to move at near light speed.

“Dammit! That woman’s a monster! Is the mist not ready to be redeployed yet!?”

“There’s someone who keeps getting rid of it. What the hell is the scouting unit doing!? They need to find who’s responsible!”

There was indeed someone on the church’s side who was thinning out the fog in the area. They weren’t using wind to blow it away, so whatever their methods were, they weren’t physical.

Lilith and her unit timed their strikes for when the fog was at its weakest, and the beastmen army was slowly getting pushed back. Of course the beastmen had sent assassins out to find who was weakening the fog and kill them, but so far they hadn’t succeeded.

“Fugyaaah!?”

A bunny girl suddenly careened into the beastman camp, as if flung there by something.

“Sui!”

“What happened to the caster!? Did you find them!?”

“You could worry about me a little too, you know!” the girl named Sui shouted.

The white combat uniform she was wearing was rather tattered, and her ears were drooping. Though she was part of the weakest beastman race, she’d managed to rise to the top of the republic army’s scouting division at the tender age of sixteen. And right now, she was fighting for her life.

“Oho. Did you really think I’d let you assassinate Zebal?”

“Eeeeeek!” Sui screeched and scrambled backward, not even bothering to get to her feet. Staring scornfully down at her was Lilith.

“Do you honestly believe I would let a mere beastman take out the commander of our third division? And a puny rabbitman at that? Are you insulting me!?”

“I’m sorry, I got ahead of myself! I promise I won’t do it again, so please forgive me!”

Sui prostrated herself before Lilith. Though she was a commander of one of the five army divisions, she had not an ounce of pride. Even her beastmen comrades groaned in exasperation. However, they were used to this behavior of hers, so they didn’t reprimand her.

“Really, I mean it! I realize someone like me can’t possibly beat you guys now! Do what you want with me, I surrender! I should have known I wouldn’t be able to beat the famed Templar Knights! Who would have thought you guys had someone who could assimilate into the fog and take partial control of it!? Well, it looks like he can’t attack while he’s in that state, but he’s really good at hit and run tactics involving becoming solid for just a second, then vanishing into the mist again! Really, you’ve got one hell of a—”

“Silence!”

Even as she prostrated herself, Sui told her comrades everything they needed to know about their quarry, Zebal Igan, as fast as she could. Furious, Lilith stepped forward to cut Sui’s head off, but her sword missed its mark.

“This as far as you’ll go, church bitch!”

“You’re finally here, Valf!”

To be more specific, a wolfman suddenly jumped in front of Sui and blocked Lilith’s sword with his gauntlets. He had long grey hair and a wild, unkempt beard, both of which actually accented his rugged good looks. He was also the man Sui had been waiting for, the commander of the republic’s commando unit, Valf Rugal.

Lilith harrumphed dismissively. She doubted any filthy beastman could stand against her lightning. She sent sparks down her body and into the wolfman barring her way.

“What!?”

But before they could reach him, her body suddenly tilted to one side, as if the ground was trying to suck her toward it.

“Raaah!”

As Lilith’s stance broke Valf batted her sword away with one hand and swung his other down at the Templar Knight commander, his claws aiming for her neck. If his blow connected, she would undoubtedly die. But Lilith’s title wasn’t just for show. She was a seasoned fighter who’d fought countless fierce battles. She quickly sent lightning shooting off in all directions, her body glowing with electricity. Tough though he was, Valf couldn’t prevent his muscles from momentarily spasming as lightning coursed through him. Of course, he resumed his attack almost instantly, but that split-second delay was enough for Lilith. She brought her sword up just in time to block his claws. With a roar, Valf unleashed his full force and sent her flying, but Lilith was able to use her lightning abilities to magnetize herself to the ground and land safely a short distance away.

“That just now... Was that special magic? A mongrel like you doesn’t deserve such power.”

“Who knows. Why would I tell human scum like you?”

Valf grinned ferociously at Lilith. However, Lilith’s guess was right on the mark. What Valf had used to make her lose her balance earlier was indeed special magic. His special magic was Float Field. Though it had an extremely limited range of one meter and could only be activated for a few seconds at a time, Valf could orient the gravity of anyone within his sphere of influence. His special magic synergized perfectly with his hit and run tactics, and it made him the strongest close-combat fighter in the republic. But right now, cold sweat was pouring down his back. Because the Templar Knight commander had managed to block his strongest, sure-kill blow. Not only that, she’d escaped from it unscathed. Of course, he didn’t let his fear show.

He glared at Lilith, his bloodlust a match for her own. But just then, a panicked voice called out to the Templar Knight commander.

“Commander, behind you!”

Lilith reflexively turned around and saw Zebal’s back, shrouded in mist. He was close enough to be touching her, his twin daggers raised up above him, blocking another dagger aimed at Lilith’s head.

“I’m sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” Sui shouted as she tried to drive her dagger past Zebal’s guard and into Lilith’s brain.

“Be careful, Commander! That rabbitman has some kind of special magic that lets her turn invisible!”

Indeed, Sui’s special magic, Refraction, allowed her to bend the light around her, making her invisible. On top of that, she was a rabbitman, a member of the cowardly race that was most adept at hiding their presence. Her innate abilities, combined with her special magic, made her nigh impossible to detect. Lilith might have been distracted by Valf, but even then the fact that she’d lost sight of Sui meant her skills worked on even the church’s best.

“It’s just one after another, huh? How dare you blaspheme Lord Ehit like this!”

She couldn’t stand the fact that two beastmen of all people possessed Ehit’s gifts, and that she was actually being pushed back by them. In a fit of rage, she attempted to throw out another burst of lightning, but Valf stopped her.

“Sui, it’s do or die!”

As he shouted that, he activated his Float Field and completely destroyed Lilith’s sense of balance. Then, he rushed forward, intent on ending this.

“Annoying pest!”

“Leave this irksome rabbitman to me!”

Zebal used his own special magic, Liquefaction, to turn his arm into a blade of water and launched a counterattack against Sui. However, Sui somersaulted backward, making full use of her race’s natural agility. And, as she dodged to safety, she activated her special and started turning invisible. Then, at the same time, she shouted, “I don’t wanna dieeeeee!”

Then, she pulled a small flask out of her pocket and sprayed green liquid everywhere.

“You coward! How dare you use poison again!” Zebal shouted, his expression furious. He quickly cast water magic to swallow up the green liquid. The reason he hadn’t been able to warn Lilith right away was because she’d actually got him with the poison vial last time, and he’d had to waste precious minutes detoxifying himself. The fact that a member of the weakest beastman race had managed to one-up him, an illustrious Templar Knight, galled him to no end.

“Don’t blame me! I’m just following orders! Please, try to understand!”

Not only did Sui have no pride, but she also had no compunctions over shifting the blame onto others. But despite her apparent cowardice, she collected accurate information on the Templar Knights’ key figures and disseminated that information to her comrades with surprising alacrity. Plus, she’d even slowed them down with poison and other cheap tricks. All of this was possible because she was extremely adept at running and hiding.

“I’ll kill you, dammit! I’ll fucking kill youuuuuu!”

Zebal’s anger finally got the better of him. But before he could do anything—

“If we all work together, there’s nothing to be scared of! Plus, that means it’s not just my fault!”

The earth started to rumble. The rest of the scouting division suddenly appeared, launching a surprise attack on Zebal. All of them were highly skilled at manipulating their presence, so no one had noticed them until now. And while they couldn’t deal any fatal blows, their combined harassment was extremely irksome. Plus, their leader was famous among the republic for being a genius at pissing people off. The worst part was that despite how annoying she was, her comrades couldn’t deny she was extremely good at producing results.

“Hawawawawah!”

But eventually, Zebal managed to land a blow on her. No matter how skilled she was, she couldn’t match up to a Templar Knight division captain.

“I’m gonna cut those disgusting ears off your head!” he shouted as he stalked over to where Sui was laying on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, Sui saw Valf finally get beaten down by Lilith and drop to his knees. Her other comrades were also being pushed back by the Templar Knights as well.

“Bahahahahahaha. My work’s done!” she said with a triumphant smile. Before Zebal could ask her what she meant, a thick fog rolled in.

“Blast, not this mist again.”

Within seconds, the battlefield was covered in mist. This time it was so thick that Zebal knew his special magic wouldn’t be enough to dissipate it. Within seconds, the tables turned.

“You filthy mongreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel!”

In the brief instant that Zebal had been distracted, Sui had vanished once more. The other beastmen had found a second wind as well, and they started pushing the federation soldiers back.

“Captain Zebal! We need to retreat while we still can!” one of Zebal’s subordinates shouted.

“Ngh, not until I’ve made mincemeat out of that rabbit bitch!”

Zebal knew that it was dangerous for his unit to stay in this fog for long. But even so, he couldn’t leave until he’d ripped the guts out of that girl who’d run circles around him. As he gritted his teeth in anger, Lilith suddenly appeared by his side in a shower of sparks.

“Retreat, Zebal.”

“B-But...”

“There’s no need to rush. It’s not like they have anywhere to run. Besides, locating the child of god takes priority.”

Pushing on here would only incur needless casualties. The main goal of this war was to gain information, so there was no need to fight when they were at a disadvantage. Zebal knew that as well, and so, after a deep breath, he nodded.

Leaving the hapless federation soldiers as bait, the Templar Knights organized an orderly retreat.

On the north end of the White Scarred Plains, the Odion Federation’s first division was embroiled in a fierce engagement.

A circle of white fire covered the battlefield. It beat back the mist, creating an arena within the plains that was free of the forest’s influence. The flames had been created by one of the Holy Templar Knights’ division commanders, Araym Orcman, using his special magic, Divine Blaze.

“Ngh, damn knights. Without the mist, we’ll have a hard time fighting them even with Her Majesty’s buffs...” A three-meter-tall bearman muttered, gritting his teeth. His name was Sim Gato, and he was commander of the beastman army’s infantry, which was their largest unit. Not only that, he was the head general of the entire military.

At first, he’d done a splendid job of pushing the federation soldiers back, but then the Holy Templar Knights had joined the fray and burned the mist away with their fire. Now his army was on the back foot. Though it wasn’t the flames that were Sim’s biggest problem.

“Here he comes again. Everyone who isn’t a squad captain, retreat! Brace yourselves, guys!”

Sim’s deep voice boomed across the battlefield. A second later, a huge shadow blocked his view of the sun. A giant warhammer was coming down on him. He raised his halberd to block the meteoric blow.

There was a resounding crash of metal against metal, and shockwaves rippled out from the point of impact. The ground Sim was standing on depressed a few inches, creating a tiny crater and cracks in the earth around it.

“Uwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”

Sim’s muscles screamed in pain and a feral roar escaped through his gritted teeth as he weathered the blow.

“As I suspected... you possess special magic that lets you control the force of impacts. Furthermore, your strength is unnatural, even for a beastman,” the owner of the massive warhammer, Laus Barn, mused. He stood in the air, using the power of his enchanted iron boots to create footholds for himself.

As he’d guessed, Sim’s special magic, Shock Wall, allowed him to redirect the force of impacts, as well as amplify the force of his attacks that relied on shockwaves or penetrative force. By all rights, Sim should have been completely immune to any attacks made by blunt weapons, especially since Sim’s physical strength was greater than anyone else’s in the beastmen republic. However, despite being a human, Laus was seemingly beating Sim in a contest of strength.

Of course, that was because he was using his ancient magic, spirit magic, to use an advanced version of Limit Break that powered up the soul as well as the body. The fact that Sim was able to survive Laus’ blows in the first place was what was really deserving of praise. But while he could survive Laus’ onslaught, Sim was by no means Laus’ equal. The reason Sim had told everyone else to retreat was because he knew what would be coming next. Laus pushed down harder with his hammer, then unleashed another burst of spirit magic.

“Soul Shock!”

“Ngh!”

Laus’ jet-black mana rippled outward, delivering shockwaves directly into the souls of anyone nearby. Many of the weaker beastmen were knocked unconscious and toppled to the ground. Even the squad captains and lieutenants staggered from the force of the shockwave.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“So you can resist even this!?”

With another bestial roar, Sim thrust his halberd forward. Laus was forced backward, and a brief look of admiration and surprise flitted across his face. That being said, Sim’s full-power thrust hadn’t even been able to hurt him. Laus quickly regained his balance and brandished his trusty warhammer once more. Like Mulm’s bow, Laus’ hammer was one of the seven holy artifacts of the church.

A tail of back mana trailed behind the hammer as he swung it down this time. It all happened so fast that Sim didn’t even have time to activate his special magic to protect himself, and the blow sent him flying.

“Gaaah!”

Sim struggled to his feet, using his halberd as a crutch, and surveyed the battlefield. Thanks to Lyutillis’ buffs, most of his men were still alive. However, the rank-and-file soldiers had been rendered unconscious by Laus’ Soul Shock. And even the stronger ones who’d managed to weather it had been severely rattled. As a result, they were barely able to protect themselves from the onslaught of the Holy Templar Knights.

“Your Majesty... do you still need more time? Ngh, did those church bastards wait for the moment she was exhausted before attacking?” Sim muttered.

The church’s knights had launched a few raids before today. But every time they came, the fog barrier had assisted the beastmen in fending the church off. While most of the beastmen couldn’t go toe-to-toe with the Holy Templar Knights even with the fog’s help, the stronger ones were at least enough of a threat that the church was forced to retreat. But it seemed the church had realized it was quite taxing for Lyutillis to control the fog with such pinpoint precision and had waited for her to exhaust herself before committing to another assault.

Sim refocused his attention on more immediate concerns and shouted, “We can’t keep this up. Abandon the first defensive line, guys! Retreat to the second defensive line at the forest entrance!”

The beastmen had only chosen the White Scarred Plains as their battlefield to keep the forest from being harmed. However, the fog was not nearly as strong on the plains as it was within the forest, and they couldn’t use their poisons, traps, and other guerilla tactics nearly as effectively on open ground, meaning they were fighting at a disadvantage here.

The federation soldiers were weak enough that the beastmen could take them here on the plains, but now that the church’s strongest warriors had arrived, they’d have to accept that the forest would take some damage. Besides, the Holy Templar Knights had pushed the beastmen so far back that the trees were already visible in the distance. Realizing there wasn’t much to lose, the beastmen immediately retreated.

“Laus-sama! Have you found the child of god!? If not, allow me to set fire to the forest and smoke her out!” Araym shouted, eager to burn the heretic beastmen.

Burning down a forest that enemy forces were hiding in was a simple but effective tactic. Up until that point, no army had even made it to the forest, so it hadn’t been attempted before, but now the humans finally had a chance. However, Laus hesitated. He watched as some beastmen carried away their unconscious comrades, while others desperately tried to protect their incapacitated friends. The sight moved him, and as he stared at the forest that was the beastmen’s home, his words stuck in his throat.

“Laus-sama?” Araym asked, doing his best to keep his voice even.

With a quiet sigh that no one heard, Laus replied, “I cannot sense the soul of the ancient magic user! Permission to burn down the forest granted! Push their battle lines as far back as possible!”

“Roger!”

Araym’s lips curled into a twisted sneer, and he raised his hand. The flames keeping the mist at bay vanished, and a sphere of burning white-hot fire appeared above him.

“Not on my watch— Eruption!” Sim roared as he swung his halberd down into the ground. Using his special magic, he sent the shockwaves racing across the earth, directly toward Araym. Laus quickly swung his own hammer down, canceling Sim’s attack with a shockwave of his own.

“Ngh. Lieutenant Nascis, stop him!” Sim shouted as he did his best to fend off Laus.

A young elf stepped forward and changed the angle of his bow. He was Nascis Fluke, leader of a 1000-man unit. A dozen or so of his best archers changed targets as well, and they launched a volley at Araym. However—

“Repent, sinners!” Another volley of arrows struck down the ones heading for Araym. Unlike Nascis and his men’s arrows, these arrows were made of steel and they cut through friend and foe alike as they swatted down any threat to Araym. Furthermore, once they were done, they made a sudden U-turn in the air and headed straight for Nascis.

This was the special magic of the brigade commander Lelaie Argeson, Arrows of Atonement. She was one of the few who’d survived the disastrous invasion of Andika, and her frustration at her loss there had motivated her to train harder than ever. Her homing arrows had grown much stronger since she’d fought Miledi and the others, and it took a team of dwarves with tower shields to block them. Though they managed to keep Nascis and his men safe, it was too late to stop Araym.

“Be purged in the holy fires of Ehit, you filthy beasts!”

Araym unleashed his mini-sun, which was over twenty meters in diameter, at the forest. The air crackled as it passed, burning from the flames’ immense heat.

“Retreaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!”

The beastmen were already scattering before Sim said anything, but there were still a good deal of unconscious warriors left where the sphere was going to land. Just as Sim braced himself for the loss of hundreds of his men, as well as good chunk of the forest—

“The time for judgment has come— Egxess.”

A man’s voice rang out across the plains, and the sphere of fire suddenly started to shrink. In seconds, it was no bigger than a small child. The agile beastmen could easily get their unconscious comrades to safety against a fireball that small. By the time the fireball landed, there was no one in the area. Plus, it was so small that it set fire to only a minuscule fraction of the forest.

“Wh-What the!?” Araym screamed as his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. He had absolute confidence in his special magic and couldn’t believe that anyone had stopped it. The other Holy Templar Knights were shaken as well. A moment of silence fell over the battlefield as everyone tried to process what had just happened. Only Laus had the presence of mind to leap back to safety. He warily eyed the forest.

“Good grief. I guess it was arrogant of me to think I could eat all of a division commander’s special magic. Still, I put a lot of effort into that one. Now I’m depressed.”

A lone man casually walked out of the forest’s fog.

“...A human?” Laus mused as he raised an eyebrow in surprise. The man had none of the physical features unique to beastmen. Everything from his long black hair, to his sparse beard, to his sharp eyes were no different from a normal human’s.

But it should be impossible for anyone but beastmen to navigate that forest... Laus thought to himself. The other knights were thinking the same thing.

Enjoying their confusion, the man said, “Oh yes, I’m human alright. Down to the very marrow of my bones.”

Grinning, he swung the massive jet-black scythe resting on his shoulders. It whistled through the wind, the blade nearly as big as he was.

As the gust of wind created by his swing passed over the tiny fire created by Araym’s shrunken fireball, the flames flickered, then got sucked into his scythe. It glowed indigo as it absorbed the flames, and Araym’s jaw dropped open. His flames were supposed to be unquenchable unless he willed them to disappear. The knights stared warily at the newcomer, unsure of how to respond. It was Sim who eventually broke the silence.

“Virtus... Thanks for the save! You guys, hurry up and get outta here!”

The remaining beastmen snapped out of their reveries and vanished into the trees. One might have expected the Holy Templar Knights to recover their wits as well and give chase, but they were too terrified to move. Of course, their fear was understandable. They’d heard the name Virtus before.

“You’re... the Knight Hunter, aren’t you?”

“Damn, busted already? And here I wanted to act all cool and mysterious.”

Badd Virtus, the famed Knight Hunter, shrugged his shoulders. He was the church’s most wanted heretic, but at the same time, he was also the enemy every knight feared. Over the past few decades, he’d slain hundreds of knights and never once been caught. Many of the church’s smaller temples and monasteries had been completely annihilated by this man. His famous scythe, Egxess, was a special artifact that could absorb the mana of any spell it touched and send that spell back at its caster. Even those who didn’t belong to the church called him the Grim Reaper.

“What is a human like you doing here?” Laus asked, his sharp gaze making it clear he wouldn’t take kindly to lies. Thanks to his spirit magic, he’d be able to tell right away whether or not Badd was telling the truth. Badd knew that as well, and his expression grew serious.

“I’m looking for a wife.”

“......”

Silence fell over the battlefield once more. Araym’s face trembled in rage. He couldn’t believe Badd had given Laus such a flippant answer. He and the other knights turned indignantly to Laus, but to their surprise, they saw that he looked shaken. Thoughts of asking him to let them turn Badd into mincemeat flew out of their minds.

“L-Laus-sama?”

“I don’t believe it... I sense no falsehood from your soul.”

“Of course you don’t! I’m 100% serious here!”

Badd had indeed come to the forest to look for a wife. And his expression as he said that was resolute. It was as if searching for a wife was a more serious matter than a duel to the death with Holy Templar Knights.

After a few seconds, Araym muttered, “Damn, Knight Hunter. I can’t believe you have the power to deceive even our commander.”

“Hang on, Araym! He’s probably using some kind of artifact to hinder Laus-sama’s powers! His own magic can’t possibly resist Ehit’s might!” Lelaie shouted in reply.

What!? He already has one artifact that’s on par with the seven holy relics, and you’re saying he has another that’s capable of resisting even the commander!? Truly, you are a force to be reckoned with, Knight Hunter... Araym thought. Many of the other knights seemed to be thinking similar things, judging by the fear on their faces.

“Is it really that hard for you guys to believe I’m actually just looking for a wife? Do I really look that hopeless?” Badd muttered softly to himself, looking somewhat depressed. But a second later, his grin returned.

“Yo, Sim. Looks like everyone’s finished retreating. And the barrier’ll be back in a few seconds. You should get out of here too.”

“Hmph. Crafty as ever, I see.”

At Sim’s reply, the knights suddenly returned to their senses. They’d let Badd’s sudden appearance and his strange mannerisms take up all of their attention, so it was only now that they realized he’d managed to buy time for everyone without even lifting a finger.

A thick fog rolled out of the trees, covering the plains. This time the mist was so dense that not even Araym’s Divine Blaze could burn it away. The tiny patch of forest that he’d managed to burn regrew in an instant as well. As Badd and Sim vanished into the fog, Lelaie let loose a volley in anger.

“Don’t fuck with me, you beasts! I’m not letting you escape!”

Her arrows were made of metal, so Badd’s Egxess wouldn’t be able to eat them. She loosed three arrows at a time and fired nine shots faster than anyone could blink. She also boosted her arrows with wind magic, increasing their speed until they were just streaks of light. However, Badd didn’t seem the least bit daunted by Lelaie’s volley.

“Whoa there...”

He simply thrust Egxess in front of him and started rotating it with one hand. Lelaie’s arrows were diverted to either side as if they feared even touching the scythe. Badd deflected Lelaie’s full-power volley without even breaking a sweat. He used his scythe to absorb the homing magic imbued in them as well, preventing them from changing directions.

Just then, another knight burst from a thicket to the side of Badd, hoping to catch him by surprise. Like Lelaie, she was one of the survivors of the Andika debacle, Apri Erebos. Her special magic, Revelation, allowed her to intuit at any given point in time what the optimal course of action would be. And so, she thrust her rapier directly at Badd’s heart.

“You sure are a lively one.”

“Wha—?”

Badd parried her rapier with just his index finger. Though Apri was shocked, she didn’t let that slow her down. Instead, she immediately drew the dagger hidden in her surcoat and tried to stab Badd with it. A second later, her instincts started screaming at her to run. Trusting in her gut, she leaped back as fast as possible. A gust of wind brushed past her bangs as she landed. Badd’s scythe had passed by where she’d just been standing.

“Oho. You’ve got a sharp intuition, young lady.”

As Apri was struggling to regain her balance, Badd followed up with a roundhouse kick that boasted as much power as a warhammer. He hit her square in the stomach, and she was sent flying. But before Badd could finish her off, Laus charged.

“Hrmph!”

“Hot damn!” Badd shouted as he looked up at the warhammer bearing down on him. But while Laus’ blows had been strong enough to keep even Sim, the beefiest beastman, pinned in place, Badd just chuckled and blocked the hammer with his spinning scythe. Egxess seemed to suck Laus’ hammer into itself before sending it careening off to the side.

“Here, you can have this back.”

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Badd spun Egxess around again, a trail of black mana following after the scythe. He used the force of Laus’ own blow to accelerate his scythe and swing it diagonally down at Laus. Laus used brute force to fight against the laws of inertia and forcibly pulled his hammer back up in time to block. However, Badd just flicked his wrist, subtly altering Egxess’ trajectory. The scythe slid past Laus’ hammer and headed straight for his shoulder.

Laus pivoted on his back foot to dodge, then whirled around and lunged forward. He was hoping to catch Badd off-guard with a shoulder tackle. But Badd dodged to the side and circled around behind Laus.

The two fighters had switched places. Knowing another attack was coming, Laus whirled around and swung his hammer in a wide, horizontal arc.

Badd swung Egxess up from below and lifted Laus’ hammer up so it passed harmlessly over his head. He spun the scythe again, creating fleeting black circles in the air. Laus’ holy hammer and Badd’s demonic scythe clashed, the peal of metal on metal ringing out across the battlefield.

Laus continued hammering down on Badd from all directions, seemingly ignoring the laws of physics. On the other hand, Badd kept increasing the speed of his scythe’s revolutions, deflecting every blow Laus threw at him. Badd’s scythe was spinning so fast it looked like a circular black barrier. A miniature typhoon sprung up as Laus’ blows energized the wind created by Badd’s spinning scythe, and the scythe’s rotations amplified the force behind Laus’ hammer.

“Impossible... He’s fighting on even ground with Laus-sama?”

Araym and the others watched on with unabashed awe. But after a few minutes of fighting, Laus finally saw an opening to use his spirit magic. He knew Badd’s scythe could absorb magic, but he was hoping it wouldn’t be able to do the same to ancient magic.

“Soul Shock!”

“It’s harvest time, Egxess!”

Laus’ jet-black mana shockwaves were cut apart by Badd’s scythe, which started to glow indigo once again. However, Egxess wasn’t able to eat all of Laus’ spell, and vestiges of the shockwave still reached Badd.

“Heh... I already know I can stop that spell of yours by moving the mana in my body around in a circle,” Badd said with a smirk. His mana control was nowhere near Miledi’s level, but he was still skilled enough to resist a weakened Soul Shock.

Badd licked his lips as he blocked Laus’ signature move. Laus quickly leaped back, putting some distance between him and Badd. The Holy Templar Knights, who’d been able to do nothing but watch, let out the breaths they’d been holding.

“Your martial skills are truly impressive... Though that artifact may be aiding you, you’re able to match me despite not possessing any special magic.”

“I’m honored you think so highly of me,” Badd said as he shrugged his shoulders casually, keeping Egxess spinning all the while. While he seemed composed, Badd was actually breaking out in a cold sweat. Thanks to Miledi’s reports, he knew exactly what Laus was capable of. Including the fact that Laus could exponentially multiply his stats using spirit magic. Though he was fending off Laus with ease for now, Badd was already fighting at full strength.

Man, ancient magic should be against the rules... he thought with a bitter smile.

On the other hand, Laus was amazed. In the decades he’d served the church, he’d never once heard reports of Badd using any kind of special magic. Meaning his ability to deflect any and all physical attacks came purely from his skills as a fighter. Not only that, he was even able to use the force of his opponents’ attacks to empower his own. Godlike was the only word that accurately described his skills. Or in his case, perhaps devil-like. Either way, he’d long since surpassed anything normal humans were capable of.

Badd watched out of the corner of his eye as Araym and the other knights finally started surrounding him.

“On the other hand, you’re not much of a threat, huh?” Badd said with a provocative sneer. Though it sounded like he was trying to goad Laus, these were actually his true feelings.

“Seems like you’re conflicted about something.”

“Ah—”

For the briefest of moments, Laus’ gaze wavered. His hesitation passed in an instant though, and only Badd saw it.

I knew it. From the moment I saw him, I could tell he was different from those other church idiots... Well, that’s good for me! During their battle, Badd had started seeing signs of Laus’ internal conflict. He was certain that Laus was wavering. But more importantly, he was certain that Sim had finally completed his retreat. The mist was growing thicker by the minute, and both the Holy Templar Knights and the federation soldiers were starting to think it was time to retreat.

“Now then, I think it’s time we called the curtains on act one. All this fighting’s gotten me tired, and it’s time I went home.”

“Like hell you’re going anywhere! We’re gonna bury you!”

Incensed, Araym started gathering his holy white flames. The other Holy Templar Knights readied their weapons as well. Even Laus stared sharply at Badd, waiting for the slightest opening.

But Badd just grinned and shouted, “It’s time for a slaughter, Egxess!”

The jet-black scythe was suddenly enveloped in a massive aura of power. Realizing what was about to happen, Laus shouted, “Everyone, protect yourselves!”

A second later, thousands of indigo-colored blades of mana shot out of the scythe in all directions. Badd hadn’t used the mana he’d absorbed from Araym’s Divine Blaze to restore his own, he’d kept it in the scythe. Not only that, he’d been feeding Egxess his own mana during the fight. And now all that mana was raining down on the Holy Templar Knights. But they were called the church’s strongest for good reason. All of them either put up defenses in time or canceled out the mana blades with their own special magic. However, Badd’s onslaught succeeded in keeping them pinned in place for a few seconds. And once the storm was over, Badd was nowhere to be found. In the silence that ensued, Laus sighed.

“Let’s retreat.”

Grinding their teeth in frustration, his men followed.

“Rescue the child of god who has been held prisoner by the barbaric beastmen.”

That was the mission the church’s knights had been given, and that was the reason the Elbard Theocracy had declared war on the Haltina Republic. A month had passed since the start of hostilities.

The theocracy mobilized 11,000 knights for this war. Lilith’s first division consisted of 5,000 templar knights, as did Zebal’s third division. On top of that, Laus had brought 500 Holy Templar Knights with him, and Mulm had brought 500 Paragons of Light. Cardinal Baran Distark had also brought fifty priests with him to take care of the child of god once she was safely rescued from the beastmen. Rescuing the child of god was a mission that had been granted to the knights from Ehit himself, according to the oracle who conveyed his will.

Honestly, the church should have mobilized every single knight in their order for this war, but they couldn’t leave the theocracy completely undefended. And so, the templar knights’ second and fourth divisions had remained behind, as well as the paladins who guarded the pope. That being said, each division of the templar knights was strong enough to be a match for the entire armies of other countries. Each of the church’s three pillars boasted similar strength, though their numbers were much smaller. Though the theocracy had mobilized only a fifth of their total forces, they were clearly serious about this invasion.

Moreover, they’d enlisted the help of half of the Odion Federation’s total forces, a whopping 100,000 soldiers. The church had the right to requisition troops from other countries in the name of Ehit, and they’d made use of that authority here. Since the Pale Forest was a natural fortress, the church had known this war would drag on, and that they’d need a base of operations, which was why they’d gotten the federation involved.

It took ten days to reach the forest from the theocracy in the church’s latest airships. While the church’s knights were en route to the Pale Forest, the Odion Federation’s army had been ordered to begin fighting. The federation knew they wouldn’t be able to push their way into the forest, but they were confident they’d be able to complete the mission assigned to them at least—namely, to scout out the republic’s forces and thin their numbers if possible. Lastly, they were to try and pinpoint the whereabouts of the child of god.

Judging by their early skirmishes, and using what knowledge they’d gleaned from past wars, the federation had surmised that the republic had around 100,000 soldiers or so. Barring a few exceptions, none of them were capable of using magic. While the beastmen were physically stronger than humans, the federation’s troops had received extensive training. Moreover, they were all capable of using strengthening magic, so the federation had been confident they could at least go toe to toe with the beastmen. Though the fog would prevent them from invading the Pale Forest, the federation had believed the beastmen themselves wouldn’t be a threat. They just had the lay of the land on their side, nothing more. Indeed, that was how it had been in the past. But then the federation actually had begun their invasion and got their asses handed to them by the beastmen.

“To think we’d barely even make it to the edge of the forest despite dispatching of the Paragons of Light and the Holy Templar Knights...” Baran Distark muttered from his seat at the head of the table. He was sitting in a meeting room within the castle in the capital of the Odion Federation, Agris. The castle had been converted into a temporary military headquarters and the church members and federation generals were currently holding a war council.

Laus and Mulm sat to either side of Baran, followed by Lilith and Zebal, then the respective knight orders’ vice-captains, then the priests Baran had brought with him, then finally the federation’s generals. Baran sat at the head of the council because he was currently acting as the pope’s representative. Normally, Baran hid his crafty nature behind a mask of good-natured kindness, but his frustration at the lack of progress was causing his mask to slip. His priests and the federation generals were all pale-faced, worried that their faith was being brought into question because of their failures.

“Th-This is all the federation’s fault! If they weren’t so useless, maybe we might have made some progress!” one of the priests shouted.

“He’s right! For all their talk about having a strong military, they sure didn’t do much! I bet they were holding our glorious knights back!” another claimed.

“Don’t those federation fools understand that this is a mission from Ehit himself!? They must be lacking in faith if they let themselves get done in by a pack of barbaric mongrels!”

In an attempt to assuage their own fears, the priests were making the federation into a scapegoat.

“I’m terribly sorry... but the beastmen proved to be stronger than our estimates—”

“Don’t bother making excuses!”

You sure talk big, for a bunch of incompetent pencil pushers who did nothing to help! Detref Ernst, the king of the Odion Federation, as well as the general of its armies, thought to himself. He was well past sixty, but he cut almost as imposing a figure as Laus. Despite being a pure-blooded human he was two and a half meters tall, with a heavily muscled frame. His hair and mustache were white, and he wore an eyepatch to cover the eye he’d lost in a previous war. Not only was he a great general, but he was an accomplished politician as well.

Unfortunately, his display of humility only emboldened the priests to berate him further.

“Ancient magic must be the cause of this,” Laus muttered in a heavy voice, and the room went silent. Everyone turned to him. His eyes were closed, and his arms were folded across his chest, but he remained intimidating.

The priests realized they were being reprimanded, and they shrunk back. Upon looking around, they realized Mulm was giving them exasperated looks, Lilith seemed to be doing her best to control her anger at them, and Zebal was tapping his finger on the table in irritation. Even Araym and the other vice-captains were giving the priests ice-cold glares.

Baran cleared his throat. “This is a war council. I understand you’re frustrated, but if you want to play the blame game, do it somewhere else,” Baran proclaimed as if to express the wishes of all the knights present.

“W-We’re terribly sorry,” the priests murmured, chastened. But what they and Baran didn’t know was that Laus, Mulm, and the other knights’ anger stemmed from something else completely.

“Lord Barn. Could you please explain what happened?” Baran asked.

“There isn’t much to explain, Lord Distark. The beastmen’s strength was far greater than it should have been... but they should be incapable of using body strengthening, and even if there is one among them with special magic of that nature, that person wouldn’t be able to strengthen the entire army. Ancient magic is the only thing that could achieve such a feat.”

“So what you’re saying is the ancient magic this child of god uses is related to strengthening?”

“Yes. But it’s not just any old body strengthening. My knights encountered multiple beastmen who could use special magic, and their magic surpassed ours as well.”

Which means this “child of god’s” ancient magic lets her enhance people’s magic as well as their physical abilities. In fact, it might allow her to enhance all of someone’s parameters...

His voice heavy, Laus added, “Though I do not know how the beastmen are being strengthened, that strengthening is as powerful as my second tier Limit Break.”

“So their stats have been doubled...”

Laus’ spirit magic allowed him to remove the limiters on his soul and buff himself in the same way Limit Break would. The most he could amplify his stats by was fivefold, but going that far caused immense recoil once the magic wore off, so Laus had different tiers he went up to depending on what the situation called for. There were eight tiers in total, and his second tier only doubled his stats.

“I agree completely with Laus. The harpy that I fought possessed special magic strong enough to take down a holy dragon. And the rest of his unit was just as fast and agile as my dragons.”

Mulm’s special magic, Consecration, allowed him to both brainwash monsters and enhance their abilities. Not only that, he could grant them the power to use light magic. As a result, every beast the Paragons of Light used were protected by barriers of light magic that could only be penetrated by advanced-class and above spells.

“Though it galls me to admit this... there’s a rabbitman girl in their scouting legion who’s a serious threat. Once she vanishes, I suspect no one but Laus-dono would be able to find her,” Zebal added through gritted teeth. His frustration was obvious. Lilith, who seemed just as irked, also spoke up.

“Not only can she disappear, but she can also make her presence disappear as well. The mists don’t part as she passes, either. You can’t even see her footprints anywhere. She’s probably the beastmen army’s most dangerous assassin.”

Lilith went on to talk about the wolfman who could momentarily manipulate gravity in a small radius around him.

Sighing, Laus said, “Considering how hard-pressed we were, it’s not surprising that the federation would suffer losses. Especially since we had no information on the beastmen’s new abilities until now. If anything, we should be thanking the federation soldiers. It’s only because of their support that we weren’t surrounded. You have my gratitude, Detref-dono.”

“...You honor me, sir.”

Detref blinked in surprise. Then he realized this was Laus’ way of apologizing for the priests’ uncouth behavior, and he smiled to himself.

“Incidentally... you mentioned the fog was different from usual?” one of the priests asked awkwardly, trying to change the subject.

Baran replied, “After going over past records, I’ve concluded that this fog is no natural phenomenon. It’s being artificially created.”

Normally, the fog only covered the forest, but whenever the beastmen were threatened, it expanded to cover the plains as well. This happened consistently over the past few centuries. And so, logically, it made sense that there was someone in the forest capable of controlling the fog and that the power to do so was passed down from generation to generation. It followed that said someone was the ruler of the republic.

“That being said, in the past, the fog never came back thicker in the exact spots where it was cleared away, nor was it capable of eluding our attempts to push it back.”

Frowning, Araym added, “The speed at which the forest regrows is unnatural as well. Past records state any trees that were burned or cut down returned within a day, but...”

Armies had tried burning down the forest in the past too. However, the damaged vegetation would return within a day, after which the soldiers that had tried to burn the forest down inevitably found themselves trapped in the center of the woods and systematically eliminated. But this time, the section Araym had burned with his Divine Blaze had grown back in seconds. Lilith crossed her arms and lapsed into thought.

“If the child of god’s power is to enhance all other powers, then...”

“She must have used her powers on the beastmen republic’s king. Or perhaps she is their king.”

Mulm turned to Laus as he finished Lilith’s sentence. Under normal circumstances, the church’s knights would have gladly fought to the death, martyring themselves for the cause. But this time around, they’d been far more cautious, retreating whenever the fog got too thick. The reason for that was because they were preserving their forces until Laus could pinpoint the location of the child of god. Not only could he see the souls of others, but he could also tell when people were lying, so he could interrogate beastmen on the battlefield. As a result, he’d discovered that the ancient magic user was most likely manipulating the fog and that she had yet to step foot on the battlefield herself.

“None of the beastmen have said a word to me. It seems someone has informed them of my abilities.”

The possibility that there may have been a spy within the church sent the meeting room into an uproar, and everyone’s eyes filled with suspicion.

“I know who told them. It was the Knight Hunter.”

Laus’ tone was forceful, as if he was reprimanding the others for suspecting their own. But his rebuke fell on deaf ears. The words “Knight Hunter” had grabbed everyone’s attention.

“What!? Laus, the Knight Hunter is here!? Hang on, if he’s the one who leaked that information... then does that mean he’s working with the republic!?”

“I believe so.”

Mulm’s eyes widened in surprise. The Knight Hunter had wiped out one of his platoons a while back, and he’d sworn revenge. But right now, Mulm was more shocked that the republic had allowed a human inside.

“Tch, that bastard... He probably came here because he smelled blood in the air,” Zebal hissed, slamming his fist onto the table. Like Mulm, he’d lost a lot of his men to the Knight Hunter, as had Lilith, who was silently fuming.

Still, that solved one mystery. No one doubted that the Knight Hunter, of all people, would have somehow managed to figure out Laus’ abilities.

“Getting back on topic, I think it’s almost certain the child of god is the beastmen republic’s king. Or queen, rather. Even if the beastmen remained silent, I could read their reactions to my questions. Their queen is an elf who can use ancient magic.”

Everyone in the room fell silent. Not because they were stunned, but because they were overcome with joy.

“Finally, some good news. Splendid work, Lord Barn.”

“I was simply fulfilling my duty, Lord Distark, nothing more.”

“Shrugging off praise like that really is a bad habit of yours, Laus,” Mulm said with a cheerful smile.

At any rate, the knights now knew who to look for. The time had finally come to save the child of god. At long last, they would be able to complete the mission granted to them by Ehit. But while everyone else looked ecstatic, Laus just closed his eyes.

“Now then, all that remains is to figure out how to deal with the fog,” Baran mused. So long as the fog remained, the church couldn’t invade. It had been bad enough on the plains, but they knew it’d be many times worse within the forest.

“The holy dragons’ wind gusts, Zebal’s Liquefaction, and Araym’s Divine Blaze were all able to clear away portions of the mist, but none of them were able to harm fog that was being directly controlled by the child of god...”

“How about an aerial bombing raid from above?”

“We don’t know where the child of god is hiding! What if we hurt her by mistake!?”

“I see what you mean, but... her strength rivals Lord Barn’s does it not? Surely she could survive a bombing strong enough to kill beastmen?”

“Even so, attacking a child of god would be blasphemy!”

The priests and federation generals argued back and forth for quite some time. The Pale Forest was a natural fortress that hadn’t been breached for centuries. Finding a viable solution wouldn’t be easy.

“Hrmmm... Vexing though it is to admit, I believe a frontal assault is our only option.”

By which, Baran meant continuing as they had been so far, and duking it out on the White Scarred Plains. Even if they couldn’t push their way into the forest, consecutive battles would exhaust the republic. Though the forest was a perfect fortress, it was also their only sanctuary. The beastmen had nowhere else to run. On the other hand, the theocracy could gather troops from all across the continent to drag this war out for as long as necessary. In a war of attrition, the theocracy had the upper hand.

During the last battle, the knights had ascertained that it took some time for the thicker fog to roll in after they cleared the usual mists away. Seeing as only the normal fog was present when just the federation was fighting, it was likely the ancient magic user needed to rest before summoning the more powerful fog. Even she wasn’t invincible. The longer this war dragged on, the more exhausted she’d get, which in turn would slow the regeneration of the forest and the appearance of the mist. Attacking in waves was the best and only way to wear the republic down. In the past, the church hadn’t been willing to expend so many resources just to wipe out some beastmen, but no amount of sacrifices was too many to secure a child of god.

Baran looked over the gathered members and, seeing that everyone was resolved, nodded.

“Very well. I see we’ve all agreed that this will be a war of attrition.”

After sending off a messenger to report his decision to the pope, Baran turned to Detref.

“Detref-dono. We will need you to replenish your forces.”

“...As you wish,” Detref replied in a controlled monotone. Though he didn’t let it show on his face, he was thinking about how much this would cost his country.

“There’s no need to look so glum. I have already told the pope to ask the Uldia Dukedom to join this war as well.”

“You have my gratitude.”

Just how long will this war last?

If Uldia, which was a relatively fertile nation, joined the war, there wouldn’t be any need to worry about supplies. However, Detref knew it would be his men who’d bear the brunt of the casualties. And it would take a lot of deaths before they could wear down the beastmen republic.

For a moment, Detref considered asking the Grandort Empire for help as well, but then thought better of it. The empire and its powerful mages were humanity’s bulwark against the demon nation of Igdol.

Their troops shouldn’t be mobilized for this war unless absolutely necessary. Besides, for all we know, this invasion of the Pale Forest might have been their idea. We’ve been growing as a nation, and they probably want some way to keep us in check... Detref thought darkly.

No one else paid Detref any mind as the meeting wrapped up, but Laus noticed his brooding expression. Though Detref was the largest man in the room, he seemed awfully small in that moment.

After the war council had ended, Laus aimlessly wandered around the city alone. Araym had insisted he go with Laus to guard him, but Laus had forcefully brushed him off.

Laus had noticed the dark looks Araym gave him from time to time. At first, he’d thought Araym resented him for making him serve as both division commander and as vice-commander of the entire knight order. But now he knew that wasn’t it.

He doubts my faith. But I can’t tell if he’s keeping an eye on me of his own volition or if someone else ordered him to... Either way, Laus didn’t bother trying to put on a show of faith for Araym.

The pope and the church’s new oracle had both made it clear to him that his job was to serve as the knights’ vanguard, regardless of what his personal beliefs were. It was a bit late for him to be caring about appearances. And so, he’d shaken Araym off and went out alone, despite knowing that it’d raise Araym’s suspicions.

Laus avoided the denser parts of the city and wandered the smaller side streets. The city seemed to be in a somber mood. Not only had the federation suffered massive casualties in the last few fights, not even the assistance of two of the church’s three pillars of radiance had been enough to secure victory.

Stalls stood empty along the main thoroughfares, and the city’s squares were all but deserted. The few people walking through the streets averted their gazes and hurried away whenever they saw someone from the church. As pious followers of Ehit, they should have been glad to see such a large church presence in their city—especially since the theocracy’s knights were here to recover a child of god, something every true believer should have been overjoyed to participate in. However—

“The death of your loved ones puts everything in a new perspective...” Laus muttered. It was something that should have been obvious.

Had the federation soldiers overwhelmed the republic, or at least been able to hold off the beastmen until the church’s knights arrived for a dramatic reversal, the people of Agris would likely have extolled Ehit’s virtues in the streets. They would have been drunk on glory, exuberant that they had played such a vital part in Ehit’s master plan. But instead, the federation’s soldiers were being sent off to die as scouts while the church’s knights sat back and waited.

“Is this really what will bring the most happiness to the most people?”

Laus had been asking himself that question ever since he got here. Though he despised the church and its methods, he’d been able to continue working for them by convincing himself that forcing people to give up free will would bring the greatest amount of happiness to humanity as a whole. But now, he wasn’t so sure. Looking up, Laus spotted a young boy hiding in the shadow of a nearby building.

“Ah...”

Laus stopped in his tracks, feeling as though his heart had been pierced by a blade of ice. The boy couldn’t have been any older than ten, but he was glaring at the church’s strongest knight with a look of pure hatred, as if Laus were the source of all evil in the world.

Within seconds, the boy’s mom appeared and hurriedly shooed him inside, but Laus remained rooted to the spot. The boy’s anger and hatred had been burned into his memory. His father had probably been killed in this senseless war.

Laus suddenly thought back to his own son, Sharm. He’d last seen his family the day before he left the theocracy.

Still standing in the middle of the street, Laus dredged up his memories of that meeting.

The night before his departure, his family had thrown him a celebratory feast. They had thought it a great honor that he’d been selected to go on the mission to retrieve the child of god. But while this was meant to have been a celebration, the atmosphere in the Laus mansion had been strained.

The reason for that was the conversation Laus and Sharm had a while back.

“I think it’d be nice if there was a good demon lord.”

That was how Laus had responded to Sharm’s question. However, that was something a proud follower of Ehit should never say. Naturally, his wife Ricolis and his mother Debra had been furious. They’d said he was a bad influence on Sharm and that the esteemed commander of the Holy Templar Knights could not afford to act like this.

Sharm had, of course, immediately apologized, and Laus could have not bothered to even answer the question. He could have continued to pretend like there was nothing wrong with where he was, closing his eyes to the problems all around him.

But after meeting Ehit’s new, inhuman oracle and learning that the church’s god desired nothing but war and strife, he’d started feeling a little rebellious. And so, he’d rejected Sharm’s apology and told his son he’d said nothing wrong. Ricolis and Debra had looked at him like he was a heretic, but he’d been beyond caring at that point.

Since then, no one had brought up the conversation. Even mentioning it had become taboo in the Barn household. Everyone was trying to pretend that it had never happened.

“You’ll finally be able to meet someone like you. Aren’t you glad?” Ricolis said during their banquet.

“But she’s been captured by those filthy beastmen, hasn’t she? Poor girl... Laus, you have to be the one to save her. She might be wary of the others, but surely she’ll trust a fellow child of god like you,” Debra added.

Both of them looked like they were forcing themselves to make conversation, and their smiles seemed plastered on. Laus responded with brief grunts, feeling just as awkward as they did.

Sharm had been the only cheerful one at the table, but after a while of awkward conversation, he put his knife and fork down. Everyone turned to him, and he looked down hesitantly.

Gripping the hem of his pants, he asked in a trembling voice, “Father?”

“What is it, Sharm?”

Putting his own problems aside for a moment, Laus waited quietly for his son to speak. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Ricolis and Debra exchanged uneasy glances.

Seeing that Sharm was still hesitating, Laus opened his mouth to reassure him. But before he could, Ricolis asked, “What is it, Sharm? Is there something you want to ask?”

Sharm raised his head, then recoiled at the cold look in his mother’s and grandmother’s eyes. But seeing that his father at least seemed willing to listen, he gathered his nerve and asked, “Father... is it a sin... to get along with beastmen?”

Sharm’s eyes were filled with more sadness than any child should have had to bear.

“Are you still going on about nonsense like that, Sharm!?” Ricolis shouted, losing her temper. She jumped to her feet and raised her hand to strike him. But before she could, Laus stood up and grabbed her.

“Sit down, Ricolis.”

“Don’t you understand, dear!? Sharm’s—”

“I said, sit down.”

Laus’ voice was firm. Gritting her teeth, Ricolis reluctantly returned to her seat. Debra glared at Laus, her eyes cold as ice.

Ignoring her, Laus knelt in front of Sharm and asked, “I thought I already told you it was. So why are you asking?”

Trembling, Sharm nevertheless met Laus’ gaze and said with conviction, “Instead of going to war with them, wouldn’t it be better to get along with the beastmen? We could just help the child of god without taking her away from her home. Is war... really necessary? Do you have to fight, Father?”

Sharm’s voice was full of worry for those who would lose their lives in this war. One might have said his words were just the ramblings of a naive child who was ignorant of how harsh the world was. But Laus couldn’t bring himself to think that way. Sharm’s words had nearly brought him to tears.

Laus gently ruffled his kind, wise son’s gray hair. Sharm’s carefully combed hair got all tousled, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he’d put his own tiny hand over his father’s, as if begging him to keep going.

“I do. Because this is what Ehit wants,” Laus said gravely. That was the unvarnished truth. “And if it is what Ehit wants, then surely... it is in some way connected to bringing the most happiness to the most amount of people possible.”

However, Laus’ next words were what he hoped was the truth, rather than what actually was.

“The most amount of happiness... to the most people...”

Sharm looked back down, his expression troubled. Even Laus didn’t really believe what he’d said, so it was hardly surprising his words hadn’t convinced Sharm. Still, Sharm knew this was the only answer he would receive. And so, he instead clung to his father’s arm and tried a different approach.

“But Father, if you and the church are fighting for most people’s happiness... who’s fighting for all the rest?’”

“......”

Laus was momentarily at a loss for words. Not because he couldn’t think of an answer for Sharm, but because he could.

He knew. He knew all too well. He’d witnessed the existence of a group that fought for the people the church trampled upon.

Laus had no idea how Sharm interpreted his silence, but after a few seconds, the child’s face brightened and he said, “If there’s someone like that out there, then...”

“Then?”

“It’d be nice if you could fight together with them, Father. That way, everyone could be happy.”

Again, Laus was at a loss for words.

“A future like that could never come.”

That was the answer the past him would have given. But the present him couldn’t bring himself to say those words. Confused by his own hesitation, Laus eventually mumbled, “You might be right.”

“Lord Barn. Is something the matter?”

A deep voice snapped Laus out of his reminiscing. Turning around, he saw a figure so broad he almost mistook it for a wall. He directed his gaze upward and saw a stern, one-eyed face looking down at him.

“Detref-dono.”

“Is there a reason you’re just standing in the middle of the street like that? If you’re lost, I can guide you.”

It was only then that Laus realized how strange it must have looked for him to just be standing there spacing out in the middle of a random street. Even if people didn’t recognize his face, his ostentatious battle garb both marked him as someone important and made him stand out. In fact, a small crowd had gathered at the ends of the street, with people peering curiously at him. Of course, no one but Detref had been brave enough to approach him.

“How embarrassing. It seems I got a bit too lost in my thoughts.”

“I see...”

Detref stroked his beard thoughtfully. After a few seconds, a question suddenly occurred to Laus and he asked, “Incidentally, Detref-dono, what are you doing here? Without any guards, too...”

“I could ask you the same thing, but... I was looking for you.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to express my thanks.”

Laus cocked his head in confusion.

“Have I done something to earn your gratitude?”

“You grieved for the deaths of my men and tried to give meaning to their sacrifice, did you not?”

It was then that Laus realized he was talking about the meeting earlier.

“I simply spoke the truth.”

“Perhaps so, but your words were reassuring nonetheless. Moreover, you were respectful even to the likes of me. I may be the king of a nation, but as the leader of the Holy Templar Knights and a child of god, my status is nothing compared to yours.”

Detref gave Laus a kind smile, which made him feel extremely awkward. Though Laus already had wrinkles on his face, he was still barely 32. Detref was easily old enough to be his father, and indeed it felt somewhat like his father was praising him. Noticing Laus’ discomfort, Detref quickly changed the topic.

“If you happen to be free, would you mind showing your face at my men’s barracks? A visit from the esteemed Commander Laus Barn would boost morale.”

“...Gladly.”

There’s something else he wants to talk about, isn’t there? That was the reason Laus had agreed to Detref’s proposal.

The king of a nation and the leader of the Holy Templar Knights walked quietly through the tense streets without any guards. Eventually, they ended atop the fifty-meter wall that protected the city of Agris.

Most of the federation’s troops were stationed in barracks inside the walls. Three different flags flew from the north edge that Laus and Detref were standing on.

“The insides of the walls have enough space to house all the soldiers of the Angriff region, but since we’ve recruited troops from three other regions as well, some of the soldiers have needed to camp outside.”

It seemed to Laus as though Detref was implying that because the church’s knights had taken up the best lodgings in the city, the other soldiers had no choice but to camp out in the elements.

He raised an eyebrow, but Detref hurriedly said, “I did not mean that as a slight.”

Laus frowned sullenly, then, in an attempt to change the topic, he said the first thing that came to mind.

“They look tired.”

“The Odion Federation’s soldiers are strong, but... while it pains me to admit it, the battles have not favored us.”

The unexpected strength of the beastmen had caused severe casualties on the federation’s side, and almost every soldier had lost a friend by now. Laus looked down at the exhausted troops for a few minutes.

Eventually, a few of the soldiers noticed Laus and Detref standing on the walls. They looked up at Laus not with awe and respect, but with unbridled fear. They had no faith that Laus and his unit could defeat the beastmen, and they were just afraid of what unreasonable demand the church would make of them next.

Their spirits had been broken.

Unable to bear the sight, Laus gritted his teeth. Chances were, most of the soldiers he was looking at today wouldn’t be alive by the end of the war. Defeating the republic would cost the lives of this entire army. And the only one who’d benefit would be the theocracy.

All of this was being done in Ehit’s name. All of this was being done because Ehit willed it. Millions of humans and beastmen would lose their lives, all to please Ehit.

“Laus Barn. I am glad you agreed to accompany me.”

Don’t say that! Laus desperately wanted to shout that at Detref. He knew exactly what the king was implying. He knew why Detref had brought him there.

The federation’s king wanted Laus to give the men’s death meaning, even if only a little. He wanted Laus to grant the men pride, pride that they’d fought alongside the commander of the Holy Templar Knights. That way, they could at least die with their heads held high, instead of cowering in fear. But more than anything, he wanted Laus to end this war as fast as possible, so that deaths could be kept to a minimum.

However, Detref’s expectations were too high. Laus had survived so far by killing off his own hopes and desires and blindly following orders. He wasn’t capable of delivering what Detref was asking.

“Soul’s Repose.”

So instead, he sent out gentle, undulating waves of black mana to soothe the spirits of the tired soldiers.

“Is that...” Detref muttered in surprise. The soldiers camped outside the walls seemed just as shocked. But as the seconds passed, the fear and exhaustion weighing upon them vanished, and their pale faces began to fill with color. Those who’d been watching Laus and saw him cast it seemed to doubt their eyes.

“This magic soothes the spirits of those it touches, granting them relief. It’s not a solution to your problems, but it’s better than nothing.”

“So this is the power... of a child of god...”

As Detref’s soldiers regained their liveliness, he turned to Laus and bowed deeply.

“Thank you for sharing your divine power with us.”

“I really didn’t do anything all that special.”

Laus didn’t sound like he was acting humble. If anything, he sounded a little bitter.

“As I thought... you really aren’t like the others in the church.”

A statement like that would have gotten Detref executed for heresy if he’d said it to any other knight or priest. But Laus could tell it wasn’t meant as an insult.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. But never speak those words again,” he replied sternly.

Laus turned on his heel and strode away, as if fleeing from the soldiers down below who were happily cheering his name. But before he got very far, Detref called out to him.

“Laus-dono, please take this!”

Laus turned over his shoulder and saw Detref holding a robe out to him. He must have gotten it from one of his men while Laus wasn’t looking.

“If you wish to be left alone, you’ll be needing this.”

“Thank you.”

He saw right through me, huh? Laus thought to himself as he put on the robe. Then, without a word, he stalked off. But he could tell Detref was gazing warmly at him as he left.

Once he’d descended from the wall, he resumed aimlessly wandering the streets. Worried that he might attract attention even with the robe Detref had given him, he stuck to the smallest alleyways he could. Eventually, the hustle and bustle of the city faded away and he found himself walking in silence. But the silence didn’t last.

I guess... that’s the sound of the world cracking... His ears began playing tricks on him and he started hearing cracking noises coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

The sudden transformation of the beastmen. The strange new oracle of Ehit that had no soul. The exhausted soldiers of the federation. Their king, who spoke blasphemy despite professing himself to be a pious believer. And the seemingly miraculous gathering of ancient magic users that seemed to be happening here. Each and every one of those events was like another crack in this world, and Laus could hear the echoes of those cracks in his soul.

In an attempt to clear his thoughts, he shook his head, and a small side alley at the end of the street caught his eye.

“Come to think of it, that alleyway looked a lot like this too, didn’t it?”

Laus thought back to the time when he’d resurrected the previous oracle of Ehit and allowed her to escape the main cathedral. He’d set her free into the theocracy’s capital in a back alley much like this one. It had been near the edge of the city, in a dingy part of town that no one went to.

“But you didn’t flee. You kept moving forward. Even when you faced a dead end, you found a way over it until finally... your dream reached someone.”

Now the girl who’d inherited her will was starting to change the world.

“If... If I’d run away with you back then...”

How differently would my life have turned out?

“Don’t be stupid,” Laus told himself, shaking his head. More likely than not, the church would have sent their best knights after him, and both he and Belta would have been caught and executed. He had no doubt the only reason the church had let Belta go was because he’d opted to stay, so imagining what would have happened if he’d tried to run too was pointless.

The church would never have allowed that future. They would never have allowed Laus the freedom to live as he pleased.

Sharm would be disappointed in me if he could see me now... Laus thought as he sighed to himself. He looked up at the sky, staring at the god who resided beyond it.

“Is even this part of the scenario you’ve plotted out, you bastard?”

Laus smiled bitterly to himself. He was acting like some small-time thug, thinking he’d taken a point off of Ehit just by calling him a bastard.

“That girl hit the mark when she called me a puppet of god... No, I’m even lower than that, aren’t I?”

The girl he was referring to was, of course, Miledi. Laus’ lips curled up in a self-deprecating smile as he thought of her.

Miledi had been stubborn, resolute, and brighter than the sun. He did not doubt that if she saw him now, she’d taunt him for his indecision. Or maybe she’d just laugh at him. He could easily imagine her going, “And you call yourself the church’s strongest knight!? Hahahaha, what a joke!”

“Hmph... Do your best to build up your strength while we’re dancing to Ehit’s tune.”

Laus smiled wryly to himself, realizing he’d just been rooting for the enemy. His thoughts always got jumbled up when he started thinking about Miledi. Infuriating as she was, he couldn’t deny that she was inspiring. Laus sighed again, sounding wearier than before.

“I guess I should go back,” he muttered quietly and turned on his heel. If he spent any more time alone he’d start hating himself.

“Will you be able to... destroy god’s script?”

Laus had no doubt Miledi would have answered, “Of course!” without hesitation if she’d been there to hear his question.

“Hm?”

“Eek!”

As Laus walked out of the alley, he accidentally bumped into someone. No matter how distracted he might have been, the church’s strongest knight should never have failed to notice someone nearby.

Frowning at his own negligence, he looked down at the person he’d inadvertently knocked to the ground. Judging by the tone of her voice, she was likely a girl. She was about half Laus’ height and wore an oversized white robe that hid her features. Still, no matter how small she was, Laus should have noticed her.

Her presence is unnaturally slight... That was the main reason Laus had bumped into her. Like Laus, the girl was suppressing her mana and her presence to avoid notice. For a moment, Laus thought a beastman spy with some kind of camouflage special magic had snuck into the capital, but then the girl spoke.

“O-Owww, my butt,” the girl moaned, rubbing her backside. Her laid-back reaction made it obvious she couldn’t be a spy. Still, he figured he should take a closer look at her just in case. After all, if she really was just a normal person, it wouldn’t do to leave her lying on the ground like that.

“Sorry. I got so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn’t look at where I was going.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going either... Though, you were being really inconspicuous.”

Hm? Haven’t I heard this voice somewhere before? Laus thought to himself. As the girl grabbed his hand and pulled herself up, he realized it was the voice of the girl he’d been thinking about moments ago.

For her part, the girl seemed to recognize Laus’ voice as well. She cocked her head thoughtfully and tried to get a look under his hood.

Their eyes met. Laus stared at Miledi and Miledi stared at Laus.

Time came to a halt. The two ancient magic users just stood there, still holding hands.

Wind whistled through the alleyway, blowing the hoods off of both their heads. Miledi’s blonde hair glimmered in the sunlight, and her sky-blue eyes seemed to pierce through Laus. It took a few seconds for Laus to register that he was looking at the church’s sworn enemy, and for Miledi to realize she was staring at the commander of the church’s knights. And finally—

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”

“Nuwoooooooooooh!?”

Instead of the laugh Laus had been envisioning moments before, Miledi let out a scream, and Laus responded with a yell just as loud. This was the first time in his life he’d been so surprised.

“What are you doing here, Laus Barn!?”

“What are you doing here, Miledi Reisen!?”

The two veteran warriors were in perfect sync. They were so shocked that they’d forgotten they were still holding hands, too.

“Nghhh. What kind of magic did you use to show up just when I was thinking about you!?”

“Gah! What kind of magic did you use to show up just when I was thinking about you!?”

It appeared Miledi had been thinking about Laus just like Laus had been thinking about Miledi. Had there been anyone else present, they would have thought Miledi and Laus were good friends.

Instead of letting go, the two tugged at each other’s hands. It looked almost like they were father and daughter, with the father trying to drag his unwilling daughter back home. Had they suddenly met any other foe, both Laus and Miledi would have instantly started attacking, but both of them had their reactions delayed because they’d been thinking about each other. And once they finally did start fighting, their scuffle was quite unseemly.

“Dammit— Heavensfall!”

“Take this— Soul Shock!”

The two of them fell back on their ancient magic, but they failed to realize that they were so close to their opponent that they’d be affected by their own spells.

“Bwuh!? Gyaaah!”

“Hrngh!? Ngh!”

As a result, they were both flattened into the ground and shocked by Laus’ spirit magic. Never before had either of them made such an elementary mistake.

Fortunately, the shock of being slammed to the ground and hit with a spirit jolt brought them back to their senses. The two let go of each other’s hands and gingerly got to their feet. They brushed the dust off their robes and coughed awkwardly as they backed away from each other.

“Commander of the Holy Templar Knights, Laus Barn.”

“Leader of the Liberators, Miledi Reisen.”

The two muttered each other’s names, their voices far more serious than before. It looked like they were pretending their earlier exchange never happened. Both of them were also pointedly not mentioning the fact that their faces were beet red. They stared intently into each other’s eyes, trying to look as imposing as possible. And eventually, the embarrassment faded away and the two inwardly breathed sighs of relief.

“Allow me to ask you again. Miledi Reisen, what are you doing here? Did—”

Laus abruptly cut himself off. “Did Ehit guide you here, too?” He knew that was a foolish question. Miledi didn’t seem to notice his hesitation, though. She looked up at his head, and her eyes went wide.

“You’re bald!?”

The word bald echoed loudly through the street. Laus’ veins bulged in anger, accentuating his baldness.

“You’re bald!” Miledi repeated herself. Except this time, she also helpfully pointed at his head. “Like, super bald!”

“How dare you! I am not bald!” Laus shouted back, his anger getting the better of him. Unfortunately, as he stepped menacingly forward, the sun shined brightly on his smooth head, emphasizing his baldness.

“Ah, your head, it’s too bright!”

“Are you insulting me, you bitch!?”

Miledi held up a hand to shield her eyes and took a few steps back. Even though she’d firmly held her ground when facing Laus at Andika, she was being overwhelmed now.

“H-How did you lose all your hair so fast... Wait, did the stress of losing to me make it all fall out!?”

“I didn’t lose my hair, I just shaved my head!”

“Huh!? Did you... have to shave your head as penance for losing!? I knew the church was cruel, but I didn’t know they were this depraved!”

“Don’t just accuse the church of everything! I did this of my own free will!”

Laus knew the church was an unscrupulous institution, but he couldn’t help but pity it a little when he heard her continuously blame it.

That aside, his fury was reaching a boiling point. He grabbed Miledi’s shoulders with his broad hands and said in a menacing voice, “Listen up, little girl.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I am not bald.”

Laus enunciated every world carefully, his voice deadly serious. Miledi awkwardly looked away, unable to meet Laus’ piercing gaze. A second later, she paled as she suddenly realized something.

“I-I’m sorry...”

Her apology was filled with genuine remorse, and she looked oddly guilty.

“Just curious, but what exactly are you apologizing for?”

“U-Umm, I just didn’t realize you were that bothered by your hair... When I called you baldy before, I was just trying to rile you up, ’cause you were really strong and I needed to distract you. But I didn’t think you were actually so worried about going bald that you’d shave all your hair off right after—”

“I’m not worried about going bald!”

“I’m sorry. Even if we are enemies, I shouldn’t have made fun of something you’re so sensitive about!”

“Like I said, I don’t care about my hair! I’m not going bald anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about! Besides, my son loves my new look! He said I looked cool!”

Miledi’s jaw dropped open. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

“You’re married!? And you have a kid!? No way!”

“Why do you look so shocked!?”

“I-I mean, you just don’t look like the kind of person who has a family! Your wife must be amazing if she agreed to marry you! Wait, did you threaten her!?”

“How dare you even suggest such a thing!”

“Oh no, I have to apologize to your son, too. His father’s hair ended up like this because of me... He must be so sad...”

“Sharm is a pure boy! He meant it when he said I looked cool! Though, my wife seemed a bit...”

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen!”

“You better be sorry! Sorry for ever existing!”

“You want me to apologize for being born!? That hurts! How could you say that to the greatest, prettiest, smartest mage to have ever lived!? Do you have no soul!?”

“Where on earth does that overwhelming confidence of yours come from!?”

“From the knowledge that I’m a living miracle, of course!”

Laus looked at Miledi, completely nonplussed. He then weakly let go of her shoulders, and she took a few steps back.

After a moment, she bowed her head to Laus and said, “Ummm, I mean it. I really am sorry... I didn’t realize calling you bald would hurt your fa—”

“If you apologize one more time, I’m going to kill you.”

“Ah, okay.”

The venom in his voice had convinced Miledi to zip her lips. Laus and Miledi took a few seconds to catch their breath and calm themselves down.

Finally, Laus sucked in a huge breath and asked, “Why are you here?” in a voice that showed he meant business. This time, he wouldn’t let anything distract him.

Of course, if he was a truly loyal servant of the church, he wouldn’t even have asked that. Instead, he would’ve just gone straight to fighting.

Miledi met Laus’ gaze, trying to see what she could discern from his quiet, gray eyes. Laus did the same, peering intently into Miledi’s sky-blue irises. He wanted to know what kind of person Ehit’s former oracle entrusted her will to. The two stood there in silence for only a few seconds. But to them, it felt like hours.

Eventually, in a resolute voice, Miledi said, “I’m here to stop this war.”

That was the answer Laus had been expecting. He groaned to himself and closed his eyes. The wrinkles on his face grew deeper as he knitted his eyebrows together.

Seeing his expression, Miledi could tell he was conflicted. What exactly he was conflicted about she didn’t know, but she was surprised he was willing to show his hesitation to a heretic who’d claimed she’d come to stop this holy war.

Now it was Miledi’s turn to wait for Laus’ answer. He may have been the church’s strongest knight, but he was also the one who’d supposedly saved Belta’s life.

And as she waited for his reply, Miledi thought back to the series of events that had led her to that point.