Chapter 119 : Chapter 119
Chapter 119
Reinhardt was faced with a choice between two options.
The first option was to grant Truma’s request. It was the path of protecting Dalton and killing Rosmein.
The second option was the opposite.
To let Dalton die and allow Rosmein to live and escape.
If he sided with Truma, an angry Agrio-s would emerge.
If he sided with Agrio-s, it was unknown what an angry Truma would do.
Either way, it was a development that was not very welcome to Reinhardt.
Because he was a human now, and humans could not stand against gods or demons.
“I’ve received a clear answer.”
But Reinhardt had received permission.
Agrio-s had answered that it was fine to slay his own retainer.
Of course, he had not heard it directly with his voice. He had only grasped it by observing Rosmein’s reaction.
THUD.
The high-ranking warlock Rosmein met his end.
Though invisible, his soul must be screaming and being dragged to hell right about now.
“What a nasty bastard.”
[You have executed ‘Rosmein’.]
The effect of [Justice] has been enhanced due to a righteous choice.
Stat increase per stack +10
The new reward was groundbreaking.
It was not a bonus received purely for slaying a warlock. This was the price for choosing the right option on the path of a choice between two.
“Bbi-iit- bbit!”
Bitdori was in a very excited state. Seeing its particularly strong halo, it seemed Truma had offered some praise again.
‘Truma is satisfied. And I have to assume Agrio-s is satisfied too. Seeing as he’s been quiet so far.’
Demons were beings faithful to their desires.
When they wanted something, they would get it by any means necessary, and even if they were in the middle of a major task, if something piqued their interest, they would head that way without hesitation.
This time, it meant Reinhardt had succeeded in piquing Agrio-s’s interest.
To the point where he let the warlock he had just empowered die.
‘……There’s more than one or two strange things. According to the original story, Rosmein should still be a low-ranking member. He shouldn’t be an Archbishop of the Dark Order already.’
The story had been flowing in a different stream from what Reinhardt remembered for a long time now.
But the original story was still an important indicator for Reinhardt.
Because even if it was not the same flow, there was information he could obtain just by comparing.
“Bitdori. Let’s clean up those things first. First, help Dirk…… just enough so he doesn’t die. If possible, let that guy take care of them himself.”
Bitdori spun around excitedly and flew towards Dirk.
There were still live, roaring Magical Beasts there. They were in a slightly more ferocious state because they had lost the control of the warlock.
Reinhardt sat on the hill and watched Dirk fighting hard.
He did not intervene in the battle.
Because the promising talent Dirk was growing at an exceptional rate with every swing of his sword.
‘Since it’s come to this, I have to suck it dry to the marrow.’
Dirk was gaining valuable real-world combat experience. It was an even more precious moment for Dirk because he had the safety net of Bitdori.
Reinhardt left the place. Leaving Dirk’s battle behind, he walked along the trail of Magical Beast blood that continued through the forest.
At the end of it was Dalton, leaning against a tree stump and panting.
“Ah, you’ve come. Truma told me that you were coming, Sir.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, thankfully.”
Dalton smiled more brightly than ever and nodded.
Reinhardt looked him over with a reluctant gaze.
He was a mess.
His left arm was dangling as if broken, and a long gash remained on his thigh.
Blood was also trickling down from his abdomen as if he had been stabbed deeply by something.
“You don’t look alright.”
“You are here, Sir, and Truma is watching over me. Could there be a happier moment than this?”
“I was asking about your physical condition.”
“So that’s what it was! I’m bleeding heavily. I will lose consciousness and collapse soon.”
It was a statement in which not a shred of a sense of crisis could be felt.
“Can you heal it with divine power?”
“Yes, I can!”
Then he should have healed himself first.
In front of his dumbfounded gaze, Dalton declared proudly.
“I saved it to use for you, Sir. Shouldn’t a staff wait for its use like a staff?”
“Heal yourself first.”
“Yes, Sir Reinhardt.”
As soon as the order was given, Dalton spread a brilliant light.
The bleeding stopped, and new flesh grew.
When the process, which was like showering in light, was over, Dalton was neat and tidy.
Only the tattered clothes showed the traces of battle.
“From now on, prioritize your own safety.”
“Yes, Sir Reinhardt.”
“Sacrifice is a last resort.”
“I will think so.”
That was enough for a mental education.
Because he was a man who would follow Reinhardt’s words even if it cost him his life.
And only then did Reinhardt get a chance to grasp the whole story.
“What happened? In the Capital.”
***
The existence of Archbishop Dalton is the prosperity of the order.
That was the first thing Dalton heard when he visited the Capital.
The Cardinal, whose beard had turned pure white, treated Dalton with the utmost respect as if he were the Pope, and someone who had treated him with a wary look on his last visit had turned pale.
The one who heard Truma’s voice.
The one who received the Incarnation directly into his own body.
There was a stark difference between the two positions. The expression ‘heaven and earth’ was not an exaggeration.
“I became a Cardinal of the order.”
And so, Archbishop Dalton became a Cardinal.
It was a natural course of action.
The authority of the order comes from the god it serves.
Overwhelming treatment naturally followed the believer whom the god cherished and loved.
“Is it that simple? There must be procedures, right?”
“Yes, your words are very true, Sir. It was a process that required at least a year, but it was all omitted.”
“Were there no opposing votes?”
“No. It was unanimous.”
In fact, it was a natural result.
Because no clergyman would want to be disliked by the god.
The high-ranking officials of the order, that is, the Cardinals, had all cast a vote of approval for this matter without exception.
They had omitted all the cumbersome and messy procedures and created the youngest Cardinal at an unprecedented speed.
“What did Truma say?”
“He said nothing. I heard Truma’s voice today, that is, right before you arrived here, Sir.”
“Before I arrived.”
“Do not harm your brothers and sisters. For salvation is near.”
Truma had in a way told him that Reinhardt would be coming soon.
‘But he didn’t warn him. Even though he asked me for help early on.’
He could have warned him if he wanted to.
If he had just thrown out an oracle, Dalton would have taken measures accordingly.
Reinhardt added a line to the ‘strange things’ list in his head and nodded.
“Let’s return first.”
“Yes, Sir Reinhardt.”
Dalton, who was returning with him, seemed light in body and mind.
Seeing him walk with a brisk stride, he seemed to be in better condition than usual.
‘The dead comrades will have gone to heaven anyway.’
A soldier would have been depressed, and a knight would have hardened his expression.
But the clergy of this world do not fear death.
They do not mourn their dead comrades either.
Because death was not the end.
Rather, it was a time to receive the rewards for their devotion so far.
The reason they stubbornly survived and endured was solely to carry out the will of the god here.
“S-Sir Knight!”
The battle was already over.
Dirk, who had spotted Reinhardt, sent him a desperate look like a child who had found his lost parent.
The surroundings were filled with fallen Magical Beasts. They were all spewing ink like octopuses.
“Good work.”
“I-I thought I was going to die!”
“Don’t be a crybaby.”
“But I survived! I have grown one step further. The trial that did not break me has made me stronger- keok!”
“Be quiet.”
Reinhardt covered Dirk’s mouth and took out a bunch of glass bottles from his [Inventory].
They were bottles containing the neutralizing agent.
“Sprinkle this everywhere. It’s something that prevents contamination by Magi.”
“Yes, sir! How much should I sprinkle?”
“Until you can’t see the black-stained parts.”
“Understood!”
Dirk seemed to have plenty of stamina left despite having fought a fierce battle.
This too was proof of his talent. His strong stamina and innate recovery ability allowed him to not even pant for breath.
“Dalton, heal your comrades first. After the treatment is over, you can help Dirk.”
“I will gladly do so, Sir Reinhardt.”
Only after the order was given did Dalton begin to heal the unconscious clergy.
‘Those guys were on a similar level. They were all crazy.’
They were guys who would willingly offer their necks even when a comrade aimed a weapon at them.
But the world was originally like that. The order was a place where one had to have that kind of mindset to survive.
“Good work, Bitdori. You weren’t in any danger, right?”
“Bbit- bbi-i.”
“It was worth getting bigger.”
Among the fallen Magical Beasts, there were quite a few that were around Grade 3.
If Dirk had been alone, he would have been dismembered long ago, but the grown Bitdori had that much strength.
“Was there nothing else?”
“Bbit.”
“From up there.”
Reinhardt raised his index finger and pointed to the sky. Bitdori, as if it understood, made a ‘bbit’ sound and stroked its own head with its short arm.
“You were praised.”
“Bbit.”
“Of course it’s something to be praised for. Good job.”
There was no particular change in Bitdori.
‘Did he think it was a chance to develop Dirk? Or was he trying to help me enhance my Justice skill? That can’t be it.’
Only Reinhardt knew about the existence of [Justice].
It was the same even for beings called gods or demons.
No matter how great their abilities were, in the end, it was impossible to break the established laws.
‘Bitdori has grown, but there’s also the possibility that I can’t see it.’
There were more than one or two things to think about.
Why did Rosmein become an Archbishop, why did Agrio-s willingly throw away Rosmein’s life, and why on earth did Truma call him, Reinhardt, all the way here?
It was not a problem that would be answered even if he asked Han Yura.
She would probably just give back a low-accuracy speculative opinion, saying that according to the original development, and so on.
“Sir Knight! We’re running out of neutralizing agent!”
“I’ll pile it up here, so you can use it.”
“Sir Reinhardt! Everyone has recovered. They will need some rest, but Truma will be with them, so there will be nothing to worry about!”
“Please help Dirk. I would also ask the others to help as soon as they regain consciousness.”
The work that followed was the purification of the contamination.
Reinhardt took out the vast amount of neutralizing agent he had stored in his inventory.
Dirk, Dalton, the three clergy who had regained consciousness, and even Bitdori lent a hand.
The performance of the neutralizing agent was outstanding. Just a handful of it could push back the severe contamination.
The earth that had been stained black regained its vitality.
Cardinal Dalton, who was leading the work, was sweating profusely, but his expression was one of ecstasy.
“Ah, as expected of Truma……!”
He seemed to think that the effect of the neutralizing agent was the power of Truma. Of course, even if he knew it was a neutralizing agent, he was the type of person who would shed tears of gratitude, saying that it too was thanks to Truma.
“In that case.”
Reinhardt looked over the pile of purified Magical Beast carcasses.
Those were enormous spoils of war.
The only drawback was that he had to dismantle them one by one by hand.
‘It would be hard to get help for this.’
There were not many people who could cut through the hard claws of a Magical Beast.
It was the same no matter how talented Dalton was, having achieved a rapid promotion.
Pouring divine power on them would not soften the claws.
Just as Reinhardt was contemplating this.
“Bbit.”
Bitdori flew over with a triumphant air and placed its short hand on the carcass of a Magical Beast.
“What the……”
What followed was disassembly.
The Magical Beast, surrounded by light, instantly melted away, then completely disappeared.
And what remained in its place were only the materials that Reinhardt needed.