The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

I walked steadily into the building. The traces of the battle, where firearms and bombs were mainly used, were gruesome. On the floor, shell casings were scattered mixed with broken stone fragments, and the walls were covered with bullet marks in every corner.

「The World Tree coughs.」

Even though it was all covered in blood, the smell of gunpowder was so strong that the smell of blood was not noticeable. There were no intact corpses. The messy corpses could be classified into two types.

One side was those that had been swept away by the explosion of firearms and had been disassembled like toy blocks. The other side was a mush, as if crushed by a huge hammer.

The condition of the corpses was so terrible that they had to be distinguished by their attire, not their condition. The former would be the Balban Mercenary Corps, and the latter would be the private soldier group.

‘Just as I heard.’

I had heard roughly about the opponent from Poldon outside. He had trembled with shame, but he had told me everything he knew. It was a relief that he hadn’t insisted on solving it himself even in this situation. It meant that he wasn’t a moron who was bound by personal feelings even in this state.

In the first place, if things continued like this, it wasn’t a matter of initiative, but a crisis where the business expansion plan would be stranded, so he was not in a position to be picky.

I walked further inside, following the traces left by the corpses. The place I arrived at was a spacious area like an auditorium. A barricade was built with desks and drawers.

Common sense dictates that a barricade is usually made by the side that is being attacked to block the enemy. The scene in front of me was the opposite. The obstacles were made in a form to block the inside from the outside.

Although it didn’t seem to be of much help.

“Ugh!”

“Kkeuk!”

“Heu! Heueueu!”

There were many injured. Even the private soldiers who were relatively intact and holding guns had a look of utter exhaustion. They say that in the military, if about 30% of the troops are lost, it is considered a wipeout. The standard of this tough world was harsher than that.

But whichever standard it was, the fact that they were in a state where they could not carry out their mission did not change.

“Everyone, fall back.”

It was a coercive command, but there were no complaints. They knew better than I did that staying here would just be a dog’s death. Everyone values their own life more than their desire for achievements.

The private soldiers withdrew in an orderly manner, despite their miserable appearance. The act of taking care of the injured and quickly retreating clearly showed that they were a well-trained armed group.

It was natural that the Balban Mercenary Corps, which was difficult to distinguish from a gang even though they called themselves a mercenary corps, was no match for such a trained armed group. And even such an elite unit was powerless in front of a single superhuman.

‘An individual cannot defeat a group.’

This common sense did not apply in FP. No matter how many weaklings gathered, they would just be trampled by a transcendentally strong person. This was the common sense of FP.

The enemy inside the barricade, whom they had been facing, was like that. I observed him carefully.

He had coppery skin, and his features were distinct and his lines were thick. The man was surprisingly kneeling in the middle of the battlefield, praying with his hands clasped. But the reason I felt a sense of rejection before sublimity from the man was probably because of the corpse he was carrying on his back.

The corpse that the man had been carrying on his back like a turtle shell or a cloak slid to the floor, and the face of the corpse was revealed.

‘Is he the leader of the Balban Mercenary Corps?’

They said he had inherited the bloodline of an ogre. Seeing his physique, which was two or three times that of a sturdy man, it might be true. Now he was just a piece of meat.

“Ah, it seems it’s over now.”

The praying man opened one eye, looked around, and then slowly got up. Then he stretched his arms and legs. It was around then that our eyes met.

“Hmm? You’re a new face. Well, I was so engrossed in prayer that I didn’t even know you had come.”

“Prayer? In this situation?”

“Yes, prayer time takes precedence over everything else.”

“For that, you’re stretching as if you were about to die of boredom.”

“Are you doubting my faith? It’s just a natural physiological phenomenon since I’ve been in one position for a long time. My faith is firm, so it’s useless to try to find fault with it.”

The man answered clearly and smiled. It was a smile so bright that it was hard to believe it was a face made in the middle of a battlefield. He was undoubtedly a madman.

I had recently seen a madman like this.

“Do cultists usually resemble each other?”

It was a strange feeling that he was so similar to another cultist I knew, Elliot, the Prophet of Blood. The way he was obsessed with strange things, the way his expression seemed to be an act.

“Ah, please wait a moment. I still have something to do.”

I couldn’t hold back a chuckle at his polite request for understanding. I just stood there silently, thinking, ‘Do whatever you want,’ and he soon started praying again. Towards the corpse of the mercenary corps leader.

“Well, this is a shame. For a promising new believer to pass away so meaninglessly. But isn’t that how life is? Life is such that you can suddenly fall backwards and break your head while walking down the street, so don’t feel wronged or resentful. Fortunately, you were used as part of a great plan, so you will enjoy bliss in heaven.”

It was a statement that was hard to distinguish whether he was praying for his soul or mocking him. Especially from the perspective of someone who knew whose fault his death was.

“Do you feel like praying even after using a corpse as a shield like that?”

The bullet marks that filled the mercenary corps leader’s entire body showed how fierce the battle had been. But not all of them were wounds sustained during the battle. Looking at the location of the bullet marks, there were more wounds that had been inflicted after he had died. It was the result of the man using the corpse to block the bullets that were being fired at him.

The private soldiers who had been facing him must have been thoroughly disgusted.

“The body is just a sacrifice for the one who will reach heaven. This believer would also be grateful that he was used correctly.”

“……Enough. From the looks of it, are you the guys called the ‘Guardians of the Dawn’?”

“Come to think of it, my introduction was late. Let me introduce myself. I am Bruno Wilson, a missionary of the Guardians of the Dawn.”

“For someone who was hiding their identity, you’re quite forthcoming.”

“Hiding our identity? We have never done that.”

The organization name, Guardians of the Dawn. It was a name that even Sylvester’s intelligence department did not know. If this wasn’t hiding, what was it?

“If someone has hidden our name… it must be because our believers were being greedy.”

“Greedy?”

“Yes, a bitter greed to monopolize this sublime teaching among themselves. Faith shines more brilliantly the more you share it, so it must be a minor accident that occurred because their training is not yet deep.”

Weren’t they acting like a secret society, hiding their identity and expanding their power under the surface? If, as he said, it was the will of the guys in District 17 to hide their identity, then that was…

“But what is your brother’s name?”

“Contractor Allen.”

“Yes, Allen. It’s a very good name. I can read names, and it seems your fortune will improve if you join our Guardians of the Dawn.”

“I can certainly see that you guys are a cult.”

Bruno Wilson’s words were full of mockery and insults. If a guy like that was a missionary, then that religion was obvious.

“I’m asking because I don’t know, but is a missionary a high position?”

“Yes, it is. Only a select few chosen by the leader can enjoy the glory of preaching the doctrine to the public as a missionary.”

“That’s a relief, then I have something I want to ask, and it’s highly likely that you’ll know.”

“That’s a very desirable attitude. You seem to have a lot of interest in the order. You have the potential to become a future brother.”

Bruno answered readily, regardless of the content of his words. It was questionable whether he was really trying to convert me in this situation, but at least he didn’t seem like he was going to attack right away.

“I heard you’re from another city, so what’s so desirable about District 17 that you’ve come all this way?”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Yes, we did not come here drawn by petty interests. We came to preach a sublime will. The fact that I, a missionary, am here is proof of that, isn’t it?”

“Are you claiming that you didn’t approach District 17 for its interests, but that your area of activity just happened to be here?”

“That’s right, and it’s a little disappointing that you say we’re from another city. Our roots are in this city, Gellerg City. To be precise, it would be that we have returned to our roots.”

I tapped the communication device in my ear, pretending to run my hand through my hair.

[I can hear you well. Please continue talking.]

Not entering the battle right away. It was Milina’s request. Sylvester’s intelligence department was investigating them, but it seemed they still lacked information. Since there was nothing better than hearing it directly from the person himself.

I also had information I needed to find out from them, so there was no need to refuse.

“For now, if what you say is true, then there is at least room for compromise.”

Claire’s private soldiers were the main force to be mobilized for the pacification of District 17. Losing a lot of troops here was a painful mistake. I had wondered if they would cause an accident… I should have trusted the right person.

Recently, Claire had been helpful, so I had hoped, but it seemed I had to solve it myself this time. In any case, apart from the fact that Sylvester’s face was tarnished, a direct confrontation was not a very attractive option now that I knew their strength was not to be underestimated.

If it was a problem that could be solved with words, there was no need to waste our strength.

“If your goal is really proselytizing, I have no intention of interfering. But I would like you to leave District 17 alone. This is a business matter, and we have no intention of backing down.”

“Concession, it’s a virtue. It’s not a difficult thing to concede. But is there a need for that?”

“……?”

“Your purpose and my proselytizing can coexist.”

“How?”

“You just have to join the Guardians of the Dawn.”

He spread his arms wide. He had a triumphant expression, as if it were a very clear solution. For the one listening, it was just absurd.

“If your purpose is business, yes, do as you please. We will not interfere with whatever business you do. We will just share our will.”

He probably wasn’t making an empty promise. The Guardians of the Dawn had a history of reigning as the new rulers of District 17 and keeping the existing organization’s executives.

“Let’s just do our own thing? That’s not all, is it?”

It was too vague a statement. What kind of guys were the residents of District 17? They were not so easy as to let a cult that had entered their sphere of influence go, saying they would recognize their freedom of religion. Even if they had let it go like that, they were guys who would be looking for an opportunity to backstab them.

But the fact that they had hidden information about the Guardians of the Dawn or had been obediently submissive meant that something important was missing.

“That’s right. There is a very minor initiation procedure.”

He said it as if it were nothing.

“You just have to take this holy blood.”

What came out of his pocket was an ampoule containing a liquid that resembled human blood.

“Don’t worry. If you’re squeamish, you can also inject it. The form doesn’t matter, what’s important is that it’s absorbed into the body.”

“……”

It was so blatant that I wasn’t even angry. From the circumstances, that must have been the means by which they had been able to take control of District 17 without any trouble.

[That item, please obtain it. We need to analyze its components.]

“Ah, by the way, I would appreciate it if you could take the holy blood here. It’s a very precious item, so it’s a rule that I have to see it with my own eyes.”

He held out the palm of his hand with the ampoule, smiling good-naturedly.

“You don’t seem to realize that what you’re saying is nonsense.”

If I inject an unknown drug, you won’t touch me? To push the same method that had worked on the thugs of District 17 on a corporation, and on me.

“You said you were from this city, but you must have been away for a long time. Or were you kicked out of another city for working like that?”

There was no choice but to show him a bitter taste.