Chapter 130 : Their Hands Were Steady
Chapter 130: Their Hands Were Steady
At night, under the White Star, a blazing fire ignited in a nearby village, turning the night sky crimson.
Knight Borien was dispatched to lead these conscripted militia and church personnel into the village.
And when he arrived, he saw Priest Nyx standing beneath the Lord’s Throne, reciting the Holy Scriptures in a hoarse voice.
The Temple Warriors stood at the four corners of the Lord’s Throne, guarding it.
Three Monks stood nearby, softly following in chant.
Outside of these church members, concentric circles of conscripted militia sat.
Their expressions were calm, seated on the ground, their eyes focused intently on the chanting Priest Nyx.
Knight Borien found it odd. He had originally thought he would need to kill a few deranged individuals to calm the militia.
Because Borien had contact with the lord, although the details were not something to be spoken aloud.
And later, in dealings with Corleon, he had faintly sensed the closeness between the church and the lord.
So when the local gentry rejected or even opposed the church, he firmly insisted that his family remain neutral.
After all, Borien had once become a knight. Though not the head of the family, he still held influence.
Especially now, as he had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with the matron of the family.
Recently, the matron even became pregnant again, seven years after her husband’s death.
So his family took his advice and remained neutral. Amid later turmoil, they behaved obediently and thus were fortunate to survive.
Moreover, after the massacres and shifts, his family’s status among the gentry families of the territory had instead risen to mid-tier.
And they were even admitted into the loose alliance of Southern Gentry.
This time, when Wolf needed to bolster his forces, he conscripted Borien as a knight.
Though it was merely an Honorary Knight without a fief, an Honorary Knight was still a knight.
So Borien readily accepted.
And because Borien had once claimed to have a good relationship with the church’s bishop, Wolf conveniently assigned all church dealings to him.
The chanting of Priest Nyx ceased as he looked at Knight Borien on horseback.
At the same time, hundreds of eyes from the conscripted militia turned his way.
That eerie calm in their gaze sent a chill down Borien’s spine.
"Knight Borien." Nyx greeted Borien with some fatigue.
"Ahem, Priest Nyx, the village ahead has been taken. Knight Wolf sent me to bring you there." Borien coughed to cover his unease.
"It has been taken already? Such brave warriors." Nyx offered a word of praise.
"Then, let us go to the village. There are still matters to handle there."
"I imagine the wounded warriors also need bandages and potions."
As Nyx finished speaking, the conscripted militia rustled to their feet.
Not in orderly fashion—quite chaotic—but it unsettled Borien, leaving him uneasy.
He nudged his warhorse closer to Nyx.
"Priest, did something happen?" Borien asked in a low voice.
Nyx’s tired eyes looked at Borien and said,
"No, nothing happened. Everyone simply came to understand the meaning of battle."
Borien was at a loss.
The meaning of battle?
Wasn’t the meaning of battle Honor?
At most, some reward added on.
But he didn’t probe further. After all, it was the church—such talk was understandable.
The group entered the village still ablaze with flames. Hundreds of children, women, and the elderly were gathered in the village center, screaming and howling in fear.
Cavalry surrounded them, towering overhead.
Swords in hand, spears on the horses—still dripping blood.
Under the firelight, it was like a hellish painting.
"Nyx, you look exhausted." Wolf said as Nyx approached.
"I performed a Blessing for them." Nyx said.
"You can use Blessings of such scale now?" Wolf was surprised.
Nyx shook his head, saying no more.
"Wait, your neck—is that an injury?" Wolf sat upright, one hand on the Erebos at his waist.
"Did they do it?" he asked.
"Don’t worry, it’s just a minor wound." Nyx was unwilling to elaborate.
"I have done what the church ought to do. In the next battle, let them fight first. If they meet your needs, I hope we can stop this village-slaughtering." Nyx said.
Knight Wolf squinted at Nyx, then turned to the conscripted militia, already ordered to form ranks.
They were to line up in rows of five, each pulling two people from the crowd to kill.
Yet the militia’s expressions barely changed. They quietly approached, dragged out a person, and killed them with their weapons despite pleas for mercy.
Their actions were still a bit clumsy, but lacked previous hesitation or madness.
Their hands were steady. If they didn’t kill or sever the neck in one strike, they quickly drew their weapons again for a second blow.
When they struck, they quietly recited a line.
Knight Wolf’s physique allowed him to faintly hear it.
"Pitiful brother, bound by sin, I will help you swiftly be freed from this sin."
Knight Wolf withdrew his gaze.
"Fine." he said.
"If in the next battle they gain my approval, I’ll leave all prisoners to the priests afterward."
"I hope those prisoners will not resist us—better yet, help me deal with Sir Youn."
"But my strategy is blitz warfare. I will not permit prisoners. So you only have one night after the battle ends."
Nyx looked at Wolf.
"How long do you intend to ravage here?"
"It’s already been three days. No matter how slow their response, they should be moving now."
Knight Wolf spoke indifferently, "I’ve set up defenses at the edge of the territory. Piero is constantly conscripting troops to fill the front lines.
Even if they react now and attack the York Territory, they won’t breach it anytime soon."
"They won’t allow Sir Youn to pull troops from the Allied Forces at this time."
"That would cause the already loosely held alliance to fall apart."
"So all we’ll face are the half of the warriors left in the territory."
"If that’s the case, and your actions are effective enough, maybe I’ll attempt to attack Sir Youn’s fortress."
Nyx shook his head, saying, "Sir Youn possesses the Holy Relic Hunting Fang. Such a Precious Material he wouldn’t take to the Allied Forces."
Knight Wolf patted the short sword at his waist. "Then let’s have a go and see if his Hunting Fang can withstand my Erebos."
"You are confident, but what about the warriors? The clash of Holy Relics isn’t something they can withstand." Nyx said.
"This is war, Nyx. Lives are merely numbers to achieve final victory." Knight Wolf said.
"As long as we win the final victory, then everything will have been worth it."