Chapter 235: Closure

At the right wing of the Heraldic army.

The Great Holy Church army roared with wild voices and continued to launch deadly attacks while wielding spears and battle axes. The soldiers of the Heraldic Order were holding their spearheads, but the movements of their shoulders and legs made it clear that they were tired.

Everyone understood that they wouldn’t last that long anymore.

Could they break through the enemy line under these dire conditions? It was difficult since there was a sparkle named hope that lingered in the hearts of the soldiers of the Great Holy Church. That faint expectation and hope made them prevail in the battlefield.

However, those were brutally repelled by the silver whirlwind.

…The sound of a person’s head, as well as the skull and brain were forcibly squeezed out, staining the ground of the battlefield.

The brain, blood and bones of the Great Holy Church’s soldiers and their commanders scattered across the earth. The sword flash that brought them down drew a trajectory that shook the sky.

The Great Holy Church’s soldiers crumbled, screaming to their deaths. In the short time amid that rush, the Heraldic army regained its position again.

The Great Holy Church’s soldiers distorted their expressions when they tried to block the Heraldic army. The eyes staring at its existence caused convulsions in fear. Beyond their line of sight stood that woman, who showed no signs of fear and walked through the battle as if it was her own.

Shaking her smooth silvery hair, Caria Burdnick narrowed her eyes. Her vermilion cheeks were clearly visible against her white skin. She was a woman full of mysterious layers.

Her appearance was eerie, acting as if she were the master of the battlefield. Despite their numerical advantage, every time Caria’s silver light shined in the air, the Great Holy Church army was forced to stagnate. It went on for countless times.

Caria sighed and gasped, dispelling the blood of the enemy soldiers from her hair. What was in her mind wasn’t the sense of crisis, impatience or exaltation. Only one emotion dominated her heart. Rather, to put it another way, there was only one thing that controlled Caria’s heart.

At the end of the day, it was all about her master, Lugis. Yes, Lugis relied on Caria. He entrusted the right wing of the Heraldic army to her, and he himself ran with his horse to break through the center line.

That was great news. Given that he had never relied on people and avoided glory, Caria’s cheeks had a smile on her face when she thought of what Lugis became today. Lugis’ path to glory meant that he took Caria’s hand. Caria guided him on the right path.

Therefore, it felt like a wonderful joy. Caria’s heart did not stop its strong palpitations, and a pleasant emotion came from the bottom of her viscera. The rest did not matter. Therefore, the only thing that Caria was concerned about was his decision.

She wondered why she wasn’t chosen to serve alongside Lugis. Originally, it was her role to serve him on the battlefield. Yes, to fight with him against the enemy.

Of course, there may have been no other human resources whom he could entrust the right wing to. Rather, being entrusted with a place that Lugis himself chose personally meant that she had earned that much credibility. Such scenario was not that bad per se.

However, Caria’s allegiance, and thus, her knight’s vows, was not like that. A knight who had sworn loyalty was a person who was always with the Lord. A knight could even abandon his or her life to serve the Lord. To be honest, Caria naturally thought that she would be allowed to serve by Lugis’ side on the battlefield.

However, it was Filaret La Volgograd, not herself, whom Lugis actually chose to join him at the center of the battle.

As soon as she thought about it, Caria felt something heavy and sticky crawling up from her insides. Unpleasant delusions stuck to the back of her brain. Delusions went through her mind, even though she didn’t want to think about them.

Among the people around Lugis, for example, Saint Matia was the heart of the Heraldic religion. Whether Lugis reached for glory or got closer to his childhood friend Ariene, he would need her help.

Whether it was the Elf Queen or Filaret, Lugis got reliable people by his side. Both gave him forces, magic, or something that definitely helped Lugis. Those people were what Lugis needed no matter what path he chose.

So, what about her? Caria’s small, well-shaped lips distorted. She only had a sword. There was only a sword, which she trained with and swung honestly.

Her sword technique exceeded Lugis’ swordsmanship. She could had protected him and guided him. However, in the duel at Belfein, she was defeated by him head-on. She wouldn’t say that it was bad. Rather, Lugis’ growth was a pleasure for Caria, and she gave him a blessing obediently.

Yes, it was a pleasure in itself…But Caria, who had only a blade, was defeated by Lugis with that sword once. So, how could she help Lugis? What could she do? Was there something at all?

That feeling made Caria’s heart squeak, and her throat oozed a fear that she had never felt in her life before.

“…Perhaps, Lugis is no longer in my sight.”

Her eyelids were numb. Her whole body was about to have convulsions. Something hot was about to flow from her throat. She didn’t like this feeling. Even her tears were about to overflow from her eyes. It was still better to order her to die for him.

Her delusions created more delusions, and bad imaginations and concerns swirled around in her mind, stirring her chest over and over again. No matter how much she worried, there was no answer.

Nonetheless, Caria’s eyes were lit by a strong light. At least, at this right wing, entrusted to by Lugis, would never be overcome by enemy soldiers. There was no way that these hurdles would limit her focus.

Her silver weapon shook many times over. Was the emotion burning on her blade murderous or panicking? Caria did not even know that herself.

「Lady Caria…the enemy has…! 」

It was only a little later that Caria noticed the scream of the messenger.

—

At the left wing of the Heraldic army, the elves from the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia lined up desperately and continued to shoot arrows at the enemy.

Their fingertips were no longer sensitive. Besides bleeding from the fingers, the skins of their hands were torn. Still, if they didn’t keep shooting the arrows, they wouldn’t emerge victorious. By then, the pressure of the enemy forces was terrible. Even with the spiritual arts used by the elves, curses that easily defeated and killed people, did not stop the advance of the Great Holy Church army that came like a wave.

There was no room for carelessness or pride. The enemy force was purely strong, and their number also surpassed the number of soldiers from Ghazalia. It was almost ineffective to suppress.

Therefore, there was only one person who continued to be firm on the battlefield and continued to hold the left wing.

The corps of the Great Holy Church army finally broke through the frontline of Ghazalia. Beyond that view was the rearguard with a fragile belly and the Ghazalian headquarters. In one breath, all of it could sink under their eyes.

The Great Holy Church’s soldiers closed their mouths, covered their lips and nose with their hands. They were desperately holding down their joyous hearts and feverish eyes, while looking for that particular elf. The enemy knew that they couldn’t defeat this army of elves without killing their Elf Queen.

However, their joyous hearts did not prevail. The moment the eyes of the Great Holy Church’s soldiers pierced the depths of the Ghazalian headquarters, a smoky air, far from coolness, began to circulate around. That air had a thick and strange weight. The air became dark, clearly visible to the eye. It was a manifestation of the curse. It was elf magic that devoured people alive from within.

The Great Holy Church’s soldiers closed their lips, covered their noses and mouths with their hands, and desperately advanced through the deadly air. They even held their breath. They tried their best to come close to the Elf Queen, the cause of that fearsome magic.

Nevertheless, the curse never let people escape. The Great Spirit never forgave those who once abandoned themselves and abandoned their faith.

The sludge-like air entered the bodies of the Great Holy Church’s soldiers with joy and went through their ears, eyes and slight scars on their skins.

The air entered the human body slowly and significantly reduced all functions. It began with difficulty in breathing, then their limbs became numb, and their blood got poisoned. The internal organs began to self-harm due to dysfunction, and the gastric fluids flew back from their mouths.

The prominent soldiers of the Great Holy Church were no longer able to run or even walk. It was a tragedy for their bodies and souls. Only consciousness was clear. It was said that one should firmly grasp with one’s eyes what would happen in the future.

In the sight of the enemy soldiers falling down to the ground one by one, a certain person’s blue eyes shined brightly and brilliantly amidst the heavy air.

「I hate this. 」

The blue-eyed girl professed those words. Fin Eldith, the Queen of Ghazalia, defeated the soldiers with that frightening curse, the very concept of destruction. There was nothing left in their souls anymore.

With a slightly rough breath leaking from her lips, Eldith sat on her own chair. The water offered by her servant Valet moistened her throat a little.

How many times had she used the spiritual arts and curses in this battle? If she asked Valet, she would probably answer, but Eldith no longer had the energy to hear it.

The root of Eldith’s spiritual arts came from the power of the beloved spirits, whom she borrowed from. Therefore, unlike magic, the spiritual power that existed in her body was not exhausted. However, it was a different story if used inexhaustibly.

In order to use the spiritual arts on a large scale like Eldith did just now, it was necessary to manifest the spirits in this world through one’s body.

Eldith had to manifest the spirits in the world through her own body. It was synonymous with stripping away her spare power from her mind and body. The more she used it, the more her body would wear out.

That was why ordinary elves never invoked the spirits to a larger scale. Rather, no one could. To manifest the spirits through one’s body meant to mix a completely foreign substance into one’s body. Was it possible to do such a thing, whether her body was compatible with the spirits, or was she receiving a strange amount of affection?

Usually, elves used the spiritual arts to receive protection from the spirits, or enhance their weapons, or even interfere naturally in a limited range. It was not possible to scatter the curse over the surrounding area or transform it into destruction itself.

In that respect, Fin Eldith was undoubtedly beloved by the spirits and talented with the spiritual arts. She revealed spirits, created illusions, sometimes sprinkled them like magic, and even wielded the concept of destruction. She had a great talent. Before her, the soldiers of the Great Holy Church were still bending their knees. Because of her presence, the Great Holy Church army had not been able to give a decisive blow to the Ghazalian soldiers.

Therefore, the left wing of the Heraldic army still persevered only while the mind and body of Eldith were safe. But how long would that last?

The servant Valet narrowed her eyes while simultaneously holding out water and a pill to Eldith. Although she worried that her Queen would wear out soon, she knew that she shouldn’t speak now. Her lips were tightly closed.

Eldith breathed lightly while catching Valet’s gaze.

Eldith endangered her life not because of the limit of one’s mind and body, or because of the war situation. She did it because she thought about her knight, Lugis.

Eldith felt that Lugis was injured through the equipment she had given him earlier.

A wound was never shallow. But with the blessing of the spiritual equipment, that wound wouldn’t be fatal. Therefore, although Eldith’s chest was buzzing with worry, he was still alive. Yet, Eldith felt another concern.

“…When Lugis’ body was injured, I felt several reactions other than his own equipment.”

Eldith’s blue eyes narrowed as she revived those feelings. Eldith had a feeling that her internal organs would boil and her breath would heat up due to these effects other than exhaustion.

Who caused such interference to her knight besides herself?

Eldith heard that the Sorceress named Filaret, who followed Lugis, once repaired Lugis’ body with her magic properties. Therefore, it would not be strange to feel a magical reaction. Even so, there were other reactions.

Gritting her back teeth, Eldith desperately killed the urge that emerged in her.

If possible, she wanted to rush to Lugis’ side right away to heal his wounds and remove the impurities that corrupted his body. However, maintaining this left wing was something that Lugis wanted her to do. In other words, it was absolute for Eldith to keep her word. Some things could not be broken, after all.

It was regrettable. She wanted to be by Lugis’ side, but she couldn’t move because of his instructions.

Eldith desperately turned her eyes to the center of the battlefield, albeit at a distance. She hoped that her knight’s appearance would be reflected in her eyes, even if only a little.

At that moment, Eldith suddenly raised her eyebrows. The movement of the central part of the enemy, no, the entire section of enemy army was a little disturbed. Were they upset or confused? At least, it was not a predetermined move.

What happened? Maybe Lugis caused something there. Eldith’s blue eyes stared at the entire army of the enemy. It was no longer the eyes of Eldith as an individual, but the eyes of the Queen as a commander. Her cold eyes gazed upon the battlefield.

After a while, the flow of movement of the enemy army began to change clearly. The same was true for the left wing soldiers that Ghazalia was facing. As Eldith’s intuition began to turn into conviction, a messenger rushed to the Ghazalian headquarters.

「…Your Majesty Fin Eldith. The main army of the Great Holy Church has begun to withdraw. I bring a message that says to suppress the enemy army as soon as possible.」

Upon hearing those words, Eldith stroked her chest at the same time. She raised her voice.

She immediately delegated authority to her subordinates and demanded a horse. In any case, her role to maintain this section of the battle had come to an end. After that, there should be no problem to leave this site. The outcome of the battlefield had already been decided.

Then, all she had to do was run to where he should be.

—

The Battle of Sanyo.

After a series of battles and conflicts called “The Gospel War”, the first large-scale battle between the Great Holy Church and the Heraldic Order was called after the Sanyo Plain, which was the main stage of this battle.

The clash between the allied forces of the Great Holy Church army and the Philos City Soldiers of the Autonomous City against the allied armies of the Heraldic Order and the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia took about half a day.

There was no record that the damage was small in both armies. It was known that it was a hard battle. Yes, a close battle where both sides bled.

However, only one side could bite the fruit of victory. Then, in the Battle of Sanyo, the name of the winner imprinted in history was the alliance of the Heraldic Order with the elf nation of Ghazalia.

Of course, the records of the Great Holy Church did not mention the word of “defeat”, but there was no doubt that at least the main unit of its army had to retreat.

This defeat and retreat had a clear impact on the Great Holy Church.

Originally, for the Great Holy Church, the soldiers who collided in the Sanyo Plain were, after all, experienced soldiers, and could even be described as powerful reconnaissance unit. Considering the power of the Great Holy Church as a whole, it wouldn’t be that painful to face defeat.

Therefore, for the Great Holy Church, the Battle of Sanyo was just the beginning of the war campaign, and the Heraldic army, which gained momentum to step forward, was given a breath of victory for a while. Yes, that was all. That small defeat did not affect many people. They described it as tiny sparks from the flames of the ongoing campaign.

However, even so. The result of the Battle of Sanyo became synonymous of humiliation for the Great Holy Church, and a catalyst for the growing hostility toward the Heraldic religion.

The reason was clear. The power of the Heraldic Order, as a downtrodden until now, did not just strip the fangs, but tore the ankle of the giant called the Great Holy Church.

…A feat that was never supposed to be possible in the doctrine of Great Holy Church. It was something that was impossible.

The doctrine of the Great Holy Church preached that all human reason, intellect and ability belonged to the one God. It was that one God whom they had to seek salvation. Their true Lord was to hold all control and will, and thus, give human beings their long-deserved salvation. That was bliss in itself, an unmistakable happiness, said the Great Holy Priest.

According to that doctrine, the state stripped the common people of knowledge, with the exception of some rulers and people from the upper classes.

The common people had no right to think about anything themselves. The doctrine taught them to move their bodies as instructed and guided by God, since that was happiness itself.

Most of the common people accepted and swallowed it as the one and only truth. After all, it was the easiest thing to do. It brought no responsibility, no ability, no intelligence and no effort. They just had to do what they were told to do. That sweet teaching was a blessing.

Even for the administration of the nation, there was no more acceptable doctrine. After all, the ordinary people gave up thinking for themselves and everyone lost their intellect.

Since the Great Holy Church became the state religion, no one in the Gharast Kingdom had objected to its rule. It could be said that security had improved a lot.

The number of ordinary people who couldn’t even read and write letters had increased. Every single person began to live in an oppressed society. In other words, the dignity of the ordinary people ceased to exist, but such thing was no longer relevant. The common folks did not have to think for themselves nor need intelligence.

Letters, culture and intellect were gems possessed by the upper classes. Although the academies were abolished, no one opposed the law that regulated the behavior of the common people. Everyone said that if you followed the doctrine of the Great Holy Church’s scriptures, everything would work out, leading to salvation. Yes, no one opposed.

…However, except for the evil spirits who claimed themselves as Heraldics.

That was the reason why the Great Holy Church could never tolerate a defeat in the Battle of Sanyo. The Great Holy Church army in the battle was the army that received the intention of His Eminence the Pope. It was the only army that had received the favor of God.

That army suffered a defeat. They were forced to retreat. It was not even a fight against an enemy country, but a fight against a lowly and impure entity that was roaming free through the lands of the chosen.

Was such a thing possible? Was it fine to allow such a twist? There was no mention in the doctrine of the Great Holy Church that such a thing could happen. If you followed the doctrine, such an absurdity would not happen, at all. It should have been that way.

Defeats could lead to skepticism about the doctrine of the Great Holy Church. Once the sword wounded one’s beliefs, dissatisfaction and anger would create suspicion, no matter how much intellect was stolen.

It was unacceptable for the name of the Great Holy Church to receive a slight wound.

That was why the Battle of Sanyo was an opportunity. The opportunity for the giant named Great Holy Church to raise its heavy waist and swing up its big sword.

However, the Battle of Sanyo gave birth to a totally different story. It meant that one hero rose in history.

For the Great Holy Church, that hero was a great evil. The Heraldic religion spoke of him using two names, Hero and Golden.

That person was not a famous person nor belonged to the upper class, and it was not clear where his origin was in history. Was he an adventurer? Was he once a believer of the Great Holy Church? Many believed so, yes.

However, no one knew his purpose and beliefs. Why did he take the hand of Heraldics? Why did he set foot in the battle? His reasons were unknown.

He carved his name in history for the first time during the fall of the walled city of Garoua Maria, during the civil revolutions of the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia, during the unrest in the mercenary city of Belfein, and then, in the Battle of Sanyo. He thrust his sword into a wrathful sacred religion. Yet, he did not desire glory himself.

As a result, he gained trust from the Heraldic Saint Matia and received approval from the Elf Queen Fin Eldith. At the same time, Caria Burdnick, a knight of the Gharast Kingdom, and Filaret La Volgograd, a sorceress of the eastern patriarch Volgograd dynasty, followed him.

However, the details of why he gained their thrust remained unknown. As a matter of fact, the official records at that time did not clarify his personality, which also made it difficult to make an analogy.

However, when analyzing the remaining historical parchments, it was certain that this event could not be told without mentioning the name of the hero.

That person’s name was…The hero Lugis, as it was inscribed in history.

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