Chapter 83 : The Demon Race and the Holy Kingdom (1)
Chapter 83: The Demon Race and the Holy Kingdom (1)
The Holy Kingdom was a nation with an excellent reputation throughout the world.
It accepted immigrants unconditionally.
It embraced the poor with compassion.
It gave jobs to young people in need of work.
It gave guardians to children who needed protection.
A kingdom founded upon devotion and sacrifice.
That was the Holy Kingdom.
Even such a nation had once been slandered as not a kingdom of devotion and sacrifice, but a nation of the Evil God.
Naturally so.
Where in the world was anything truly free?
People claimed that while life there might be comfortable and plentiful now, the price would eventually be collected.
That everyone was being deceived.
There was no shortage of people who condemned the Holy Kingdom.
But hadn't a certain ruler once said this?
If you desire peace, prepare for war.
The Holy Kingdom had personally demonstrated why it had remained peaceful all this time.
With the power of its proud Holy Knights and priests.
Founded upon devotion and sacrifice, the Holy Kingdom was strong.
Strong enough to silence everyone who slandered it.
Through its own military might, it had restored peace once again.
Even after displaying its strength, the Holy Kingdom's conduct never changed.
It never turned its back on those in need.
And at the center of it all stood the Saint.
'By now, my letter should have reached the Imperial Palace.'
Reinhardt thought.
'I do trust Zeke. Given enough time, he could destroy the Holy Kingdom by himself.'
The problem came afterward.
To many people, the Holy Kingdom was no different from a sanctuary.
Because of that, its supporters were as countless as grains of sand in a desert.
Think about it.
If Zeke destroyed the Holy Kingdom...
Whom would the people blame?
Naturally, endless resentment would be directed toward Zeke.
Publicly, Zeke was known as an arrogant tyrant who acted entirely on impulse.
Moreover, didn't people constantly mock Elphrel's Warriors as barbarians?
The moment word spread that Zeke had attacked the Holy Kingdom, everyone would rush to condemn him.
'Naturally, Zeke won't care what anyone says. But the common people don't know the truth. If all the criticism is directed solely at Zeke, that's one thing. But if it spreads to Elphrel as well...'
Humanity might witness the birth of a new Demon King.
Reinhardt shuddered.
The mere thought sent chills down his spine.
'At the very least, the Empire must bear the aftermath.'
Naturally, there would be opposition.
Especially from the younger nobles.
The younger generation didn't understand how terrifying Zeke truly was.
Or perhaps they did, but their aristocratic pride simply refused to accept it.
Some would speak of the Empire's honor.
Others would cry out,
'Are we dogs following the Conqueror?'
So what if they did?
The Empire's honor only had meaning while it still existed.
Once dead, honor meant absolutely nothing.
Sacrificing the lesser for the greater good.
Reinhardt believed his decision was the correct one.
But the words that followed left him utterly stunned.
“We'll act quietly. Even I cannot ignore the Holy Kingdom's influence. Do nothing reckless until we've located the Werewolves.”
At Zeke's words, Reinhardt dug at his ear.
Surely he had misheard.
“You heard correctly.”
Zeke firmly denied the thought before Reinhardt could voice it.
“We could confront them directly. But we couldn't bear what comes afterward. If our identities are exposed, war will break out. Now that we know about the Demon Gods, humanity must avoid unnecessary conflicts.”
It was a perfectly rational conclusion.
Yet no one had expected such reasoning to come from Zeke.
To everyone else, Zeke was the very embodiment of unrivaled supremacy.
Would someone like him concern himself with others?
Impossible.
To Zeke...
Other people were no different from insects.
Who in the world cared about insects?
If they became annoying, they could simply be crushed.
“This makes no sense.”
Reinhardt spoke with a dumbfounded expression.
“Are you really the Zeke I know? I never imagined you'd act this cautiously.”
“Did you think I'd simply charge straight through?”
“Of course. You have the strength to do exactly that.”
Zeke frowned deeply.
His already fierce appearance became even more intimidating.
“The reason I'm moving personally is to draw attention. You are the ones who'll be searching for the Werewolves.”
“So you're not telling us to search the entire Holy Kingdom. Have you already learned something?”
“The prison.”
Zeke pointed toward the ground.
“They're hiding beneath the underground prison below the temple.”
Sibelte let out a sigh.
The priest standing beside her looked puzzled.
“Has something happened? You seem burdened with worries.”
“Mmm... It's difficult to explain.”
“I see. Being of service to you is my greatest joy, Saintess. If you ever wish to share your concerns, please call for me.”
After saying that, the priest quietly excused himself.
Whenever Sibelte had something weighing on her mind, she preferred spending time alone.
She was the type to solve her own problems rather than lean on others.
That was precisely why the priest had stepped away.
Touched by the small gesture, Sibelte smiled faintly.
“Haa...”
But her expression soon darkened again.
Because of a certain Warrior she had met one year ago.
'Why did he leave without saying a single word to me?'
One year earlier.
The Warrior named Leon had saved her life.
He had promised they would speak.
Yet he had vanished overnight.
She had heard the circumstances from one of his companions.
Even so...
She couldn't accept it.
After all...
She was the Saintess.
It wasn't because she was an arrogant person.
Normally, when people learned that the Saintess stood before them, they were overwhelmed with joy.
Some even fainted.
Naturally so.
She was known as the messenger of the gods.
Anyone meeting someone who carried out the will of the gods couldn't help but be astonished.
Even the Emperor of the Empire wished to speak with her.
Yet Leon had disappeared overnight.
Simply because he had something to tell his father.
'I don't understand. No matter how devoted he is to his father, how could he throw away the chance to speak with me?'
After all...
Speaking with the Saintess was not an opportunity one encountered every day.
It was then—
“Hm?”
A familiar face entered Sibelte's view.
Reddish hair reaching his shoulders.
A handsome appearance that naturally brought a smile to one's face.
'Leon?!'
The Warrior who had saved her one year ago was walking through the streets of the Holy Kingdom.
'Strange... My ears are itching.'
Leon scratched his ear.
'Is someone talking about me?'
No way.
Chuckling quietly, Leon shook his head.
After a year of training...
Another two months had passed.
During that time, Leon had arrived at the Holy Kingdom.
His accomplishments over the past year had become almost unrecognizable.
Not only had he mastered the method Indra taught him to eliminate wasted power...
His overall level had risen dramatically.
At this point...
He felt he could even defeat Kazan.
'Of course, Kazan has probably grown stronger as well. Still... I don't feel like I'd lose.'
The proof lay in the fact that he had traveled from the North to the Holy Kingdom in only two months.
It meant his mastery of the Body Movement Technique had reached another level.
Unlike before, when he had ridden a horse for part of the journey, he had relied entirely on Lightness Skill from the beginning.
Even considering that...
The speed was astonishing.
'That aside... this truly is a peaceful place. Even the Belgarion Empire never felt this lively.'
As expected of a nation built upon devotion and sacrifice.
Every citizen in the Holy Kingdom wore a joyful expression.
Among them were even people missing arms or legs.
Normally...
Those who lost parts of their bodies struggled to find work.
Naturally so.
Even healthy young workers often failed to satisfy employers.
Why would they hire someone even less capable?
Yet the people before Leon were different.
Despite performing exhausting manual labor...
Every one of them smiled happily.
Finding employment had never been easy for them.
Simply being able to earn a living was enough to bring them happiness.
'I can tell just by looking at their faces how diligently the poor are being cared for.'
Everything before him...
Had been created by the Holy Kingdom.
Which only made Leon's anger rise.
Even though it wasn't his own country.
'To allow the Demon Race into such a peaceful nation... Has the Saint lost his mind?'
Leon never once believed the Werewolves would be friendly toward humanity.
The Demon Race ultimately wielded power similar to that of Demon Beasts.
Of course...
There would surely be some Werewolves who treated humans kindly.
Like Requilith of the Great Blood of Night.
But such individuals were exceedingly rare.
To begin with...
The Demon Race possessed abilities far superior to those of humans.
Every living creature naturally looked down upon those it considered inferior.
Even the Elves, who were treated as fellow races of humanity, looked down on humans.
Why would the Demon Race be any different?
They might be even worse.
'Perhaps... they don't even consider humans to be living beings like themselves.'
Even the Great Blood of Night grew stronger by drinking human blood.
They possessed the power to harm humanity.
Leon wasn't being unreasonable.
'That aside... people keep staring at me.'
With every step he took...
He felt countless gazes upon him.
People looked at him with obvious surprise.
Had they never seen a Warrior before?
They stared openly.
Even though they surely knew it was rude.
'This feels just like when I first entered the Empire.'
The same looks given to an outsider.
What exactly was the problem?
He hadn't experienced this kind of attention for quite some time.
'...Should I put on a shirt?'
Unless absolutely necessary...
Leon always went bare-chested.
Was walking around without a shirt really that strange?
'People ought to respect each other's cultures. The people of the Holy Kingdom are surprisingly uncivilized.'
At least...
No one openly showed hostility toward him.
Back in the Empire, he had constantly been met with looks of contempt.
Perhaps a nation that prided itself on devotion and sacrifice truly didn't look down on people so openly.
Thinking that, Leon eventually arrived before the temple.
'So the Werewolves are supposedly beneath this place.'
A temple was meant to serve the gods.
Yet they had hidden a prison beneath it.
What kind of architect designed something like this?
At the very least...
No sane person would.
Clicking his tongue, Leon slowly closed his eyes.
At once...
A strange current spread around him.
It was something ordinary people couldn't perceive.
Even most powerful individuals would notice only a vague sense of discomfort.
Only Knights—or those of comparable strength—could recognize what Leon was doing.
He was absorbing every piece of information around him.
His senses had been opened completely.
It was an astonishing sight.
Human senses were both strong and fragile.
Focus on what you saw...
And you failed to hear.
Focus on what you heard...
And your sight dulled in return.
Yet Leon overturned every natural law.
Through his eyes.
His ears.
His skin.
Every one of his senses simultaneously devoured the information around him.
Human perception had its limits.
Ordinarily...
A person's brain would have melted under such strain.
But Leon's body, tempered through countless trials, made it possible.
Though he had not yet reached twenty years of age...
The experience accumulated within him was enough for even veterans like Zeke and Reinhardt to acknowledge.
The power of the World Tree.
The power of the Empire.
Leon had accepted countless miracles into his body.
As a result...
He had obtained senses that surpassed human limits.
Wooooooong-!!
Leon's senses transcended the boundaries of physical objects and reached an entirely new dimension.
Then...
A new world unfolded before his eyes.
Everything became transparent.
When he looked at people...
He could clearly see their organs.
Their bones.
Every part of their internal anatomy.
That wasn't all.
Looking downward...
Everything except the soil itself became visible.
Earthworms crawling underground.
Ant colonies.
Tree roots...
As he concentrated further...
He could even see the structures beneath them.
Dozens of layers below the surface.
Deep underground...
He found an elegantly constructed prison.
'Even their prisons aren't built carelessly.'
To show devotion and sacrifice...
Even toward criminals.
It was fitting for a nation that claimed no one was born evil.
'Now I need to think about how to infiltrate it...'
Leon observed the temple's tight security.
It would be difficult to deceive them through his own abilities alone.
'It would be nice to have help... but this isn't Elphrel. There's probably no one in the Holy Kingdom willing to assist me.'
For now...
Waiting until nightfall seemed the wiser choice.
Moving in broad daylight would only attract attention.
Just as Leon turned around—
“It's been a long time.”
A familiar woman gently waved at him.
The woman—
Sibelte—
Smiled coldly as she spoke.
“Don't you have something you'd like to say to me?”