Chapter 731

Chapter 731

There's Something About This (3)

By the time the priests noticed something was amiss and began to act, Ghislain had already completed creating the Death Knights just as he had planned.

They were all fearsome warriors, ranging from high-class to top-tier Death Knights. Their number totaled a staggering one hundred.

He looked at the formation of Death Knights lined up before him and smiled with satisfaction.

“……I’ve finally filled the ranks.”

Even Helgenik, with his terrifying power, had never commanded Death Knights of this level and scale.

The biggest difference lay in the fact that he had granted them free will. And instead of infusing them with malice-filled black magic, he had used the purest essence of darkness.

But creating so many Death Knights in such a short time with only his own power would have been impossible. That’s why he had gathered objects imbued with mana.

“The energy in this place really helped a lot.”

The divine power of the Seraana Order was fundamentally tied to death. Black magic was merely a derivative technique twisted into mana.

The prayer room was filled with the purest essence of darkness. Drawing mana from here meant inevitably being influenced by that energy.

That’s why he had come all the way here on purpose.

Grrraaaaah…….

The Death Knights stood before him, letting out grotesque roars like zombies. It wasn’t because anything was wrong.

“Grrraaah… How is it? Pretty convincing, right?”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Even the voices come out just like before.”

“People who knew us will be scared stiff when they see this.”

Clad in black armor and glowing with red eyes, the Death Knights let out eerie chuckles.

Their appearances were horrifying and radiated an overwhelming aura, but their voices were no different from when they were alive.

They all looked around, marveling at their new bodies. Aside from their appearance, there was no difference from when they were alive. That was all thanks to the free will he had granted them.

And beyond that, they could display the same level of skill they had in life, no, they had become even stronger than before death.

They had obtained bodies that could never die, shed the burdens and desires of their former lives, and engraved one unified goal into their souls.

“I trust you will keep the promise to fight against the Salvation Church.”

“Thank you for granting this sinful body a chance for atonement.”

“I will follow you until the end of the world.”

The Death Knights spoke to him in solemn voices.

They had sworn to fight alongside him against the Salvation Church to wash away the sins etched into their souls.

He smiled contentedly. He had now secured a force that could truly be called a One-Man Army.

If he ever met other skilled but wicked knights in the future, he would turn them into Death Knights too. But for now, he had effectively achieved his first goal.

The cheerful atmosphere between him and the Death Knights continued. Especially for him having poured every ounce of energy over the past few days the sense of accomplishment was beyond words.

But while they were all enjoying the moment, some unwelcome guests appeared.

KWAANG!

The doors to the prayer room were blasted open, and a flood of priests poured in.

They gaped at the sight before them.

Some stood with vacant expressions, while others rubbed their eyes over and over, unsure whether what they were seeing was real. In any case, they were all halfway out of their minds.

A priest finally spoke, his voice trembling.

“Wh-Why are there so many Death Knights… I-How could they be in this sacred place…”

As expected of priests, they immediately identified the Death Knights for what they were.

Well, it would be stranger if they didn’t.

Ghislain stared back at the priests, equally stunned.

Originally, he had intended to create them in secret and slip away unnoticed. But he had gotten too tired, too happy, and let his guard down for just a moment.

Caught red-handed doing something he probably shouldn’t have, he gave an awkward smile and snapped his fingers.

Snap.

FWOOOSH.

The Death Knights turned into smoke and vanished on the spot.

Having “disposed of the evidence,” he beamed brightly and spoke.

“What brings you all here?”

“……”

“I just finished my repentance, in fact. Ha, I truly feel like the long-standing sins have been completely cleansed. In any case, thank you so much for letting me use this place for the past few days. I won’t forget this kindness.”

“……”

“Well then, I’ll be on my way. May the Goddess’s blessing be with you all.”

With a smile and a slight bow, he tried to leave.

Of course, he didn’t make it out. The priests had gathered even more tightly, completely blocking the doorway.

“Uh… I’d like to leave. Could you maybe step aside a bit?”

“……”

Even as he asked with my most affable smile, none of the priests said a word. But their eyes burned more fiercely than ever.

Soon, parting through the crowd of priests, the Archbishop appeared.

He glared at me with a chilling stare and asked,

“Was it because of this?”

“What… was?”

“Did you ask to borrow the sanctuary so you could use its energy to create Death Knights?”

“Ahaha……”

He let out a nervous laugh, trying to play it off. It was a sharp question fitting for an Archbishop.

He drew upon his divine power, and the priests beside him followed suit.

Then came his voice, laced with fury.

“How dare a black mage deceive us in this sacred temple to create Death Knights… Did you think we, who serve Lady Seraana, wouldn’t sense such energy?”

“You really are… an expert in this field. I didn’t think I’d be caught this quickly.”

“To defile the Goddess and mock us… I’ll kill you and cleanse the sin from your soul.”

“I’d really love to explain myself, but I’ve got a mission from the Pope… I really should get going.”

“Silence! You think that pathetic lie will still work?!”

KWA-A-A-AANG!

The Archbishop’s overwhelming divine power surged toward Ghislain. He dodged rather than counter it head-on.

There was no benefit in fighting here. This was the main temple of the Seraana Order, and there were an absurd number of High Priests.

And he had no reason to make enemies out of innocent priests either.

So, he just bolted toward the wall.

KWA-A-A-ANG!

Crashing through the thick wall in an instant, he began his escape.

“Catch that insane black mage bastard!”

“After him!”

“He said his name was ‘Astion’! He’s a man who will sow evil in the world!”

The priests screamed at the top of their lungs as they chased after him.

Their composure, maintained through years of ascetic training, shattered instantly because of him.

FWHEEEEEET!

While fleeing, he blew a loud whistle, infused with mana, a signal to call the team.

To his surprise, his group had already grabbed their luggage and rushed out from the lodgings. They too had felt the surge of energy.

He caused so many incidents that they were always ready to move at a moment’s notice.

As soon as it felt like something had happened, they didn’t even hesitate.

Seeing them, he gave a thumbs-up and shouted,

“Nice work! Let’s get the hell out of here!”

They didn’t even ask what was going on. No delay, no questions thanks to all the repeated “training.”

The problem was, there was one uptight man here who had received no such training.

“Stop! What the hell is going on?! Why are the priests attacking you?!”

Lionel urgently blocked his path. But when things got urgent, Ghilain was the type to skip explanations, even to allies.

“I’ll explain later. You’re in the way right now, so just pass out for a bit.”

He swung my staff at Lionel. He had significantly held back, he only needed to knock him out.

KAAANG!

“Oh?”

He was slightly surprised. Lionel had drawn his sword and blocked Ghislain’s strike.

His blade radiated intense divine power. This stubborn man was sincerely trying to stop him.

“Tsk. You’re stronger than I thought. Divine power really is hard to gauge.”

Ghislain clicked his tongue and looked around. In that brief moment, the priests had begun to surround them.

Escape was unlikely now. He could break through if he had to, but some of the mercenaries would end up getting hurt.

There were many powerful High Priests in this place. It wasn’t called the Grand Temple of Seraana for nothing.

On top of that, the fury the priests had long suppressed through their ascetic lives exploded all at once because of him. Their eyes screamed that they had finally caught a big one.

Lionel, flustered by the rapidly escalating situation, asked,

“Wh-Why are you doing this? What is going on here?”

The Archbishop glared at Lionel and shot back,

“Do you truly not know?”

“Know what?”

“That the man you brought here is a black mage!”

“W-What are you saying…”

Lionel looked at Ghislain, startled by the Archbishop’s words.

Ghislain widened his eyes and shook them with a face full of unjust indignation.

Seeing that, Lionel turned back to the Archbishop and tried to speak on his behalf.

“T-That can’t be. This man is carrying out a secret mission assigned by His Holiness. He can’t be a black mage.”

“We all saw it with our own eyes! That man created Death Knights in this sacred place!”

“If he really were a black mage, there’s no way His Holiness wouldn’t know! His Holiness said nothing!”

“Then are you saying all of us here are lying?!”

At the Archbishop’s thunderous shout, Lionel turned to look at Ghislain again. He was still shaking his head, feigning complete ignorance.

Lionel really wanted to believe him. But then, he noticed something off about the mercenaries.

‘Why?’

They were all looking away, avoiding eye contact. Not a single one looked confused or wrongfully accused.

Even a fool could figure it out by now who was really lying.

With terrifying eyes, Lionel brought his sword to Ghislain’s neck and asked,

“You… are you really a black mage?”

There was no trace of the usual malice or sinister aura commonly associated with black mages. But then again, he could be skilled enough to conceal it entirely.

With a relaxed expression, he raised both hands and replied,

“Is that really what matters right now?”

“What?”

“If I get caught here, I won’t even be able to start the Pope’s request. Are you really okay with that?”

“You dare threaten me? We’ll just report your identity to His Holiness and find someone else.”

“But wouldn’t that just end up embarrassing the Pope? You’d be telling the world he entrusted a black mage with a mission.”

“W-What?”

“I mean, not that I’m actually a black mage or anything. Honestly, I feel a little wronged here.”

“Y-You bastard…”

“And I’m also a bit worried that word might spread about what exactly His Holiness asked me to do. How about we save this conversation until after I’ve completed the mission?”

Lionel glared at Ghislain with eyes sharp enough to kill.

The Pope had already sent envoys to each race once, so it was inevitable that rumors would spread here and there. However, that was only among the upper echelons, most people didn’t even know of the Sacred Stones' existence. In such a state, there was no benefit to Ghislain running his mouth.

Undoubtedly, those with interest and greed would begin to appear.

After staring daggers at Ghislain for quite a while, Lionel turned to the Archbishop.

“Please grant me a moment.”

“You’re asking me to release the black mage who created and summoned a Death Knight in this sacred place? Are you mocking our Order?”

“No, Your Eminence. It is only because I must fulfill the mission entrusted to me by His Holiness. Once the task is complete, I will return here without fail.”

“And what assurance do I have to let those scoundrels go?”

In response to the Archbishop’s question, Lionel answered with a fierce gaze.

“I swear on my life as guarantee.”

“……”

The Archbishop fell silent for a long while at Lionel’s words.

Lionel was a knight of profound faith and outstanding skill. Among the high priests of the Empire, there was not a single one who did not know his name.

If such a man pledged his life as guarantee, it was worth trusting him at least once.

Besides, was it not the Pope himself who had personally assigned the mission? Surely, His Holiness had his own reasons for doing so.

After exhaling deeply, the Archbishop finally spoke.

“Very well. I will trust you and let them go. But you must bring them back without fail. If not, I will bring this matter to His Holiness myself.”

“Thank you. They will surely take full responsibility for this matter.”

As Lionel responded solemnly, Ghislain mumbled behind him.

“Ah, you’re not supposed to offer guarantees so lightly.”

Lionel immediately turned his head to glare at Ghislain. He truly felt like he might lose his mind because of this lunatic.

Even if he was a black mage, how could he pull something like this in the heart of the Holy Empire's capital?

Regardless of Lionel’s glare, Ghislain sank momentarily into nostalgia.

‘Back then, I once asked the Marquis of Branford to vouch for me, and he turned me down on the spot. Those were good times. I wonder how he’s doing these days?’

Those were truly joyful days.

At any rate, the situation was settled for now, thanks to Lionel. Though it left behind the burden of sorting out right and wrong later on.

After leaving the temple, Lionel turned to the other mercenaries and said sternly.

“You lot will also be handed over to the Inquisition and subjected to a divine trial once this mission is over.”

At those words, Osval and several other mercenaries turned pale.

Getting caught by the Inquisition was essentially a death sentence. They rarely let people go.

Even if one managed to escape, the Holy Empire’s pursuit squads would chase them relentlessly. In other words, a death sentence had already been passed on them.

“S-Strongman Osval has absolutely nothing to do with black magic!”

Though he was associated with someone who had learned it.

Osval trembled violently as he kept mumbling.

However, not everyone was frightened by Lionel’s words.

Most of the mercenaries, including Kyle, looked at Lionel with cold eyes.

‘What a stiff, uptight knight.’

‘He’s all alone and still threatening us? What confidence!’

‘If we get far enough, we can just kill him or run. Simple.’

Whatever confidence he had, the fact that he was so blatantly displaying hostility made things easier. It meant they could get rid of him without guilt.

Having been through all kinds of hardships with Ghislain, they had become quite fierce themselves.

As the tension in the air grew heavier, Ghislain beamed brightly, cutting the mood.

“Hey now, why so serious, everyone? This is just a little misunderstanding. If we handle the task well, His Holiness, the Pope will surely clear our names. So how about we get along in the meantime?”

“……”

Everyone suddenly felt drained and stared blankly at Ghislain.

The culprit who had caused the incident was carefree, while the rest of them were left to stress about it, somehow it felt deeply unfair.

Yet, regardless of the glares from the group, Ghislain remained unbothered.

“We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s get moving!”

“……”

At Ghislain’s shameless urging, they picked up their pace and, a few days later, arrived at their first destination.

A massive forest, where even the wind seeped through in silence.

It was said to be the homeland of all elves.

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