Chapter 93 : Grasping the War Situation

Chapter 93: Grasping the War Situation

‘Good. One task taken care of.’

I pressed down the corners of my mouth that were trying to rise and walked straight out of the temple.

The Bible verses that Iodin had forcefully drilled into me with “Junior, you lack common sense far too much!” were proving very useful.

Judging from Sheneril’s dazed expression, I could tell that my acting had worked to perfection.

The overflowing determination and fighting spirit from all around confirmed it too.

‘...This is quite thrilling, isn’t it?’

Being able to read another’s will.

Their expressions, their tone, their posture. That alone made my chest swell with pride.

But the firm resolve flowing directly from people’s hearts struck my head with a dizzying rush.

“Your Holiness! Allow me to serve you!”

Holy Knight Louis hurriedly followed after me. It was striking to see him walking straight without a limp, as though his legs had already fully healed.

‘That <Ea>... maybe he’s a fool when he talks, but his ability is truly immense.’

Even I had to admit I was astonished by the power of the Healing Field. I hadn’t expected it could regenerate even severed limbs.

‘A power that grants an effect comparable to an Elixir to everyone within a 200-meter radius?’

It was a tremendous power that seemed to prove the existence of God itself. Which only made it more confusing.

‘Why are such incredible beings obeying my words so docilely?’

Could it be...

‘Is this also because of the Book of Fate?’

I felt like I already knew the answer, but since no one said, “That’s right!” outright, it gnawed at me.

Even if I assumed that the Book of Fate was related to the Thirteen Gods, there was still something strange.

‘Then why did the Eleven Demons shine during time travel? Shouldn’t it have been the Thirteen Gods instead?’

What was what? If I repeated time travel enough times, would I eventually be able to unravel these questions?

“Would you like to inspect the war situation, Your Holiness?”

At Louis’s question, I swept aside the emotions swelling inside me and focused back on the present.

“Louis.”

Yes, Holy Knight Louis.

There was no need to use honorifics anymore, was there?

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Is there, nearby, a place that is hidden, hard for people to approach, and unchanged even after a long time? Somewhere with stable ground where precious things could be buried?”

“Huh?”

“I mean a place so geologically stable it won’t change for ages, where people rarely linger. The sort of place perfect for burying valuables.”

“Ah... yes! There is such a place!”

A flicker of doubt rose in Louis’s eyes, but true to his devout character as a Holy Knight, he did not question me.

“Good? Then let’s head there.”

I planned to assess the war situation after taking care of this first.

“Yes. I shall lead the way, Your Holiness.”

I followed behind Louis, absentmindedly fiddling with the Subspace Necklace.

At last.

The supreme elixir—Dracium.

The time had come to bury the seven Hearts of Evil that would serve as its seeds.

*         *         *

‘With this, I’ve achieved the main goal of this time travel.’

The place Holy Knight Louis guided me to was a secluded cave, well hidden. It was truly safe and perfectly suited for planting Dracium.

By the time I buried the seven hearts there and came back out, it was already quite dark.

The Psychedelic Moon had lowered considerably, and its dazzling light no longer blanketed the sky as it had earlier.

From what I’d heard, the time I first fell here had already passed well beyond 5 a.m.

Now that it was past 6, dawn was nearly upon us. The darkest, coldest hour.

“Ah, Louis.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“May I take a look at that?”

I extended my hand.

Louis carried two swords at his waist.

One of them had caught my attention.

“Of course, Your Holiness!”

Louis understood instantly and unfastened the sword I wanted, handing it over.

Srrng—

But... in truth, it wasn’t really something one could use as a sword.

Its length was oddly short, and the blade was dull.

“This is a Holy Sword?”

“Yes, Your Holiness. It is said to be a Holy Sword once used by the warriors of the gods during the Mythic Era.”

Ah.

So that was it.

‘I wondered what this was meant for... it was a relic of the Mythic Era?’

I had thought it was from the Age of Magic...

If this was a Holy Sword, then I had Holy Swords as well.

Three of them, in fact.

After returning from my first time travel, in the Ilneon Dungeon, we had discovered three swords along with gold coins and various items.

We’d put the rest to good use, but the swords... we never found a use for them.

They were oddly short, with blunt blades.

But to think they were Holy Swords all along...

Earlier, Louis had even helped me dig the ground using one of them. We’d needed to dig quite deep.

Its power had been incredible.

And I had three of these...

‘Not bad at all.’

It felt like finding gold coins tucked away in an old winter coat.

“Thank you. That was enlightening.”

“Yes! It is my honor!”

When we returned to the temple front,

“Saint!”

Sheneril, who must have been waiting for some time, ran up with a bright smile.

In her hand was a beautiful flower.

Transparent as though made of glass, yet swaying lightly.

“Saint, here!”

Since she kept tiptoeing up, I bent down on one knee to lower my posture.

“Please take off this robe.”

She suddenly asked me to remove my robe.

Well, since I would soon have to go into battle anyway, I willingly took it off and entrusted it to Louis.

Then—

“There! Beautiful!”

The child placed the flower onto my Magical Armor.

Though there was no visible fastening, the flower’s stem stretched out like ivy and clung tightly to the armor.

Beside me, Louis smiled warmly.

“That is an Eternal Blossom. It never withers and is sturdy, so it is often sold as material for ornaments. Around here, by custom, one gifts an Eternal Blossom to a knight when wishing them good fortune in battle.”

Oh, so that was it?

Holy Knight Louis gently patted Sheneril’s head.

“You rascal! A transparent Eternal Blossom is rare. Where did you find it?”

“Hehe. When I worked at the Tree of All Forms, I picked one or two. Just two in total. Hehe.”

“Hoho, is that so. Then it is most fortunate you could give such a precious thing to His Holiness.”

“Hehe, yes!”

She beamed with a wide smile, as if truly happy to be able to give it to me.

I thought back to how she had trembled at first, and found myself rather fond of the way she was now.

“Sheneril.”

“Yes, Saint!”

“I’ll win and come back.”

I patted her head and rose to my feet.

I had already fulfilled Sheneril’s first request—“Please heal the people”—so now it was time for the next.

To fight, and to win.

Wuuung—

The Book of Fate had been ringing ceaselessly for a while now.

When I opened it,

‘As expected....’

On the <Exploration> page, what appeared was extraordinary.

Right. This was why everyone had fallen into despair.

There, more than a dozen red dots glowed.

And farther away, about five kilometers off, a slowly turning red vortex swirled.

More red dots kept appearing.

When one vanished, another appeared; when two vanished, two more were born... an endless bloodbath etched itself across the page.

‘It did seem strange.’

The knights I had seen in the village were, in fact, of a very high level.

Most were at least Mid-grade Expert, with many High-grade Experts, and even quite a few Peak Experts—so why had they been defeated so badly?

But if their opponents were Monstrous Anomalies, then it made sense. Even Knight Burson, a Swordmaster who had awakened Sword Energy, had struggled against such a creature.

So,

“Louis.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Command me.”

“Among the enemy, there are some especially powerful beings, right?”

“Huh? How did you know.... Yes, that is true.”

How did I know? Because the Book of Fate showed me the red dots, of course. Anyway.

“When you’ve finished subjugating those ones, remove their hearts separately. Do you remember the place where I buried things earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Plant them there, spaced apart, like seeds. You must do it.”

“Ah! To purify evil in such a way... Yes! I shall obey your command!”

It was so convenient that even when I made suspicious requests, they always interpreted them in a favorable light.

‘Good. If things go well, I might be able to harvest an incredible amount of Dracium, right?’

My heart pounded.

The enemy was certainly strong... but that only made me excited.

“Thanks. When the warriors are ready, strike all at once. I’ll go ahead and prepare the field.”

“Pardon? The warriors will be ready soon. It would be better to—”

“Mm. Just come as soon as they’re prepared. I’ll open the way first.”

With that, I descended the slope.

The path I took led toward the canyon on the far side of the village.

The stench of blood and the rancid odor of monsters in the air grew thicker and thicker.

Rounding a bend along the canyon, the battlefield came into full view.

It was hell.

‘The formations are broken, everyone is isolated, and the knights capable of turning the tide are all locked down by the Monstrous Anomalies.’

A battlefield that could collapse at any moment.

Yet one warrior was holding it together all on his own.

At the very front, cutting down multiple Monstrous Anomalies, was a massive orc.

‘An orc? He’s a Swordmaster...? He fights incredibly well.’

It was a pitch-black orc.

About 2.7 meters tall?

Even from here, where he looked no bigger than my thumbnail, each time he moved, it sent shivers down my spine, as though mountains crumbled and tidal waves rose with his every swing.

The Monstrous Anomalies and various Demonic Beasts tore through the air to appear.

More than half of them targeted the orc at the vanguard.

The black orc faced them all alone.

Gripping a massive double-bladed axe in each hand, he swept the field with blood-red aura.

The monsters caught within weren’t merely cleaved apart—they were smashed to pieces and scattered.

Those two axes resembled the gaping jaws of a colossal predator.

Nothing before them could escape being shredded to bits.

Though different from the Sword Steel displayed by Grand Duke Laitena, the power was no less formidable.

‘Incredible....’

An exclamation slipped out on its own.

‘The world is truly vast.’

I recalled my past self trembling before the Sword Steel that Grand Duke Laitena had once shown me.

But what about now?

Could I defeat that orc as I was now?

“Were you watching Urgulak?”

From behind, Holy Knight Louis approached.

Didn’t I tell him to bring the warriors later? Why had he come alone?

“I came quickly to relay the message and to accompany Your Holiness first.”

So earnest. Truly.

“That orc is Urgulak, you say?”

“Yes. He is the Great Chieftain of the orc tribes. Thanks to him, we have held out this long. For the past three days and four nights, he has not once left that position.”

Three days and four nights....

What monstrous stamina.

Even a modern Swordmaster, who amplifies their physical abilities with aura, would hardly endure such a fight.

Come to think of it, Urgulak was quite a wreck. His black body was painted red with blood.

Looking closer, even the movements of his arms and legs seemed strained.

He was at his limit.

And yet, I hadn’t noticed it at first.

That was how terrifying his willpower was.

‘Ah, come to think of it.’

The name Urgulak was familiar.

‘Sheneril mentioned him in her prayers, didn’t she?’

Suddenly, I remembered.

‘Especially Uncle Urgulak. Please, don’t let him hurt. Don’t let him... die. Please. Really, really, please.’

Sheneril had prayed that while burning her precious belongings.

‘So... you’re popular with the children too?’

Then I had to save him.

Now that I had grasped the battlefield situation—

“Well then, Louis.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Just follow at a distance. At a distance only. You won’t be able to keep up for long anyway.”

“Pardon?”

Explaining it all would only be a waste of breath.

Wuuuung—!

I leaned my body forward and pressed my aura downward.

The royal swordsmanship of Banroa—[Tempest].

I had become thoroughly accustomed to mixing in the Stage of Body-Sword. Lightening my body, shifting my center of gravity, cleaving through air resistance, strengthening and making myself springlike....

On top of that, the Acceleration skill of my Magical Armor.

I doubted anyone would be able to see me properly.

Paaang—!

The instant I kicked off the ground, the scenery before my eyes compressed flat like a sheet of paper. I tore through it, and in a single bound reached the far end.

To overturn the collapsing battlefield.

To save the hero who had defended the village until now—Urgulak.

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