Chapter 71
Chapter 71: Preparations (3)
"……Let's take a brief recess."
In the Imperial Palace, the State Crisis Conference had been ongoing for quite some time.
Each agenda item discussed at the conference weighed heavily on the Emperor's mind.
'Is it even possible for so many things to have happened in such a short span of time?'
He had just returned from driving back the undead alongside the Northern Archduke, yet in the brief time since, incidents and crises had piled up endlessly.
His head throbbed.
'All of these require my personal authorization.'
With the ministers withdrawn and the grand hall empty, the Emperor sat with his chin resting on his hand, lost in thought.
'Most of it concerns the Saint.'
Though this was a conference to overcome the nation's crisis, the majority of the matters discussed were about Saint Erik.
The Emperor unfolded a summary of the agendas concerning Erik.
[Option 1] A Calamity-class Demon manifested in the southern granary region. Coincidentally, Saint Erik was in the vicinity of the southern region and resolved the situation. Zero casualties.
'The entire empire would have faced starvation otherwise.'
[Option 2] A Labyrinth Floor Master appeared in the heart of the capital. Imperial citizens evacuated to the church and orphanage of the Astia Religious Order in District 3, resulting in minimal casualties. The efforts of Priestess Ruelle in stabilizing the people stood out. The church's owner, Priestess Ruelle, earned the epithet "Saintess of the Empire." By the judgment of the Strategic Division, for the psychological stability of the people, the church was granted the official title "Imperial Capital Central Church."
'So that church is where Saint Erik lives and resides……'
The growing influence of the Astia Religious Order in the heart of the capital felt somewhat uncomfortable.
'Saintess of the Empire—'
The phrase had a strangely pleasant ring to it.
'Wait……. Then we'd have both the Saint recognized by the religious order and the Saintess recognized by the imperial people.'
Though the weight of the epithet "Saintess" bestowed by the people differed from the title "Saint" acknowledged by the religious order.
Either way, the Emperor judged this to be a good omen.
Having things come in pairs always felt reassuring.
'I wish the documents had stopped here.'
Initially, the reports were mostly good news……
But as he continued reading, information that made his head throb appeared.
'Good news is always followed by bad news, they say.'
It was only natural.
How could there be only good things in a great empire?
However, the severity was extreme.
[Option 3] The Elf army unilaterally left the Elf Autonomous Region and attacked the western checkpoint of the empire. There was no actual battle with the imperial forces, but the Elf army kidnapped members of the Almanism Church and brought them to the front of the capital. The Elf army has no intention of war; the Elf King is requesting a private audience with His Majesty the Emperor.
Note 1: The Elves claim that the Almanism Church assisted in the manifestation of a Calamity-class Demon. Note 2: The Second Empress is furious and has submitted a petition leading her faction.
"Phew."
This was problematic whether true or false.
If true, it meant the corruption of a religion that divided the world into three parts.
If false, it meant the Elves had launched a rebellion.
'Has the Almanism Church fallen that far—'
The Emperor's inclination leaned toward the former.
The relationship with the Almanism Church's leader had always been questionable, and there were many suspicious aspects to the Second Empress's behavior since the Possessor incident.
'The Second Empress—'
The Imperial Supremacist Empire guaranteed religious freedom.
Having conquered multiple kingdoms to establish itself, this was one of the state policies meant to unite them into one.
As time passed, religion faded and imperial power grew stronger.
'The time has come to remove her.'
But even this alone made his head pound relentlessly, and there was yet another page.
This time, it was a problem caused by one of the empire's four pillars and a faction leader.
'I sent the executive branch to Marquis Aaron, and he pulls this stunt?'
The Emperor's rough fist slammed down on the throne with a loud thud.
[Option 4] Duke Raffin halted the production of living magic tools. Specific items: various convenient magic scrolls, charging stones for living magic tools such as magic stone lamps and mana furnaces, and numerous items closely related to people's livelihoods. Low-income households without reserves have begun to suffer from hardship. Moreover, the merchant guilds have caused prices of necessities to skyrocket. According to Duke Raffin and his faction, the Magic Union, they claim it was on Saint Erik's orders, but based on the Saint's usual conduct, it is presumed to be an independent act by the Magic Union.
Crack!
A silver aura bloomed above the Emperor's fist.
'Duke Raffin, you're trying cheap tricks.'
Through the intelligence division's reports, the Emperor knew well what Erik had been doing.
He alone defeated a Calamity-class Demon.
Without requesting any compensation from the empire, he had suddenly departed to the Labyrinth and rescued thousands of imperial soldiers and hundreds of adventurers.
'He only cares about money, yet he performs sublime acts of virtue—a true Holy Paladin……'
The Duke must surely know this, so why would he attempt such madness?
What could be his reason?
Surely it was retaliation for removing Marquis Aaron, the third-in-command of his faction.
'There must be something about Marquis Aaron.'
After all, wasn't that fellow locked in the underground dungeon by Erica of the Royal Guard?
His thoughts extended to that point.
"Bring Marquis Aaron here."
With the recess ending and the conference about to resume, its subject was decided.
It would be a hearing concerning the criminal, Marquis Aaron.
***
'Only Possessors can benefit from the Divine Management Window.'
Erik lay sprawled on a sofa prepared in the church's basement.
He was lost in thought, recalling the events that had occurred in the temple.
"So how do you convert anyway?"
Receiving recognition from the divine.
To formally receive Divine Power, a very complex process was necessary.
The basic process involved: offering prayers at the papal court built on a cliff or at a monastery built in a demon realm, awakening to doctrine through prayer, and receiving the divine's recognition in a sanctuary.
'It was all resolved thanks to my master—'
However, if there were high-ranking members of a religious order capable of establishing sanctity, one could receive divine trials from them.
Ruelle had been recognized as a priest without any special religious training.
"Let's try going inside."
Recalling that subtlety, Erik had established his own sanctity.
After all, one of the effects of 4th Tier was establishing one's own pure sanctity.
Erik kindled a flame of conviction and passed it to Ruelle.
"Ugh! Huff!"
Ruelle staggered under the mighty force of the sanctity and burst forth with golden light all over his body.
The effect felt somewhat excessive.
But it certainly looked similar to priests receiving Divine Power.
'Perhaps……'
Recalling that moment, a certain intuition suddenly came to him.
Local clergy communicating with the divine.
Erik closed his eyes and focused on the senses connected to his temple.
'Is this how it works?'
For Erik now, faith was trust in himself, and Divine Power was power he had granted.
These things felt like threads.
Erik concentrated more sharply on that sensation.
"Your name is Kang Pung-ho? That's such a pretty name, why such a name……"
Even without offering prayers, he heard Ruelle's voice in conversation.
'So this is how the gods answer prayers.'
Ruelle's clear, melodious voice tickled his ears as it came through faintly.
That was when it happened.
"The Saint hasn't acknowledged me, so……. Even so, I introduce myself as Kang Ji-na! ……Because that's how I want to live! But then, Erik"
Click.
The [Sword of Creation] in Erik's hand partially unsheathed and slid back in.
A typical cutesy, nasal voice!
This was Kang Pung-ho's usual manner of speech.
Yet, it hit his ears like a hammer blow.
Erik's expression twisted all at once.
'Of all things, that direction—'
Erik detested that type of speaking style that attempted to appear cute.
And what was the content, no less?
"Huh? Erik? That can't be right?"
"Unlike the priestess, I am a Possessor. Though that person forgave my sins, I haven't received recognition of my identity…… sob."
Shing!
The blade unsheathed more than halfway.
Unable to bear it any longer, Janson took a step forward.
Limp.
"Boss"
"Ah, Janson……"
As his concentration broke, the voice he had been hearing disappeared.
And Erik found himself in a somewhat awkward situation.
"Boss, with you here, why would you accept such pathetic fellows as believers……"
There happened to be exactly three available Believers to appoint, and by misfortune, all three Possessors had been in a state of near-death, so he had no choice but to accept them as believers.
"Such fellows should be left to die, shouldn't they? How could you—"
From Janson's perspective, having devoted his entire life to seeking recognition of Divine Power, the sense of betrayal was immense.
"Janson, I need a lot of money. The way to appoint believers is—"
With that, Erik gave an unusually lengthy explanation.
"If I were to convert your value into money, it would surely require hundreds of millions of gold."
"……Ah, money—"
His eyes held some reluctance, but Janson had no choice but to accept.
The scar on his face twitched.
'That fat guy is 200 million?'
It was certainly a shocking amount.
If a useless Possessor was worth 200 million, how much would he be worth?
'The boss said several hundred million, but surely it would be more than that.'
Thus, Janson could not help but understand why Erik had given such an order.
'He's seriously trying to scrape together money.'
And specifically for his own believer appointment.
The amount was so astronomical that it would be difficult even for Erik to quote, so surely his own appointment had been pushed to a later date.
"Boss, as you said, I've sent the old man. Should I also summon the orphanage cohort if needed? I hear they're currently teaching classes at the orphanage—"
Janson's task was to gather the things Erik had scattered.
"The cohort……. Yeah, I should see them too."
The business ventures he had handed over to the first generation of orphans.
"What do you think about leaving the supply line to the imperial palace alone?"
"Bring them all in. The Emperor will summon me soon anyway."
And the subordinates of the information guild scattered throughout the empire.
Erik had laid out a plan to gather everything together and form a group.
"Janson, I swear. Next believer is absolutely you."
"From the moment you avenged my family, boss, you've been my eternal boss."
Janson bowed his head.
Though he felt some disappointment, there was clearly a good reason for it.
And if the Erik he'd seen thus far was any indication, he would never break this oath.
'The boss is truly a savior in the truest sense.'
***
[Possessors shall be saved.]
This was a very popular post on the community these days.
Everyone posted once a day.
[Saint Erik will surely forgive our sins.]
They posted with genuine desperation.
The three Possessors who had accepted Divine Power were living proof.
Not only them, but other Possessors locked in detention camps also recorded the fact and posted it to the community.
'……A voluntary disclosure period for Possessors is being created?'
Tens of thousands of Possessors scattered across the world.
They found themselves in a somewhat difficult situation.
'How do I get to the empire?'
Teleportation magic between nations was forbidden, and even if it were possible, ultra-long-distance transfer was easy to detect and neutralize, making it nearly impossible.
Moreover, most Possessors could only handle [Skills], couldn't properly wield aura or mana, and couldn't run at 200 km/h like local knights.
That was when:
[It seems rescue teams will soon be dispatched to guide Possessors from other nations. Our protagonist, the great creator Saint Erik, is drawing such a grand picture. Possessors shall be saved! Just like me lol]
After that, other Possessors attached proper explanations.
There were various statements, but the summary was simple.
'So the imperial emperor will dispatch troops to the conflict zone……. and create a path through the Great Forest?'
To the northeast of the empire lay a conflict zone.
To the east lay the vast Great Forest.
The Great Forest and conflict zone served as natural fortresses for the Three Kingdoms, with a "demon realm" of dangers lurking within.
[I'm in the imperial intelligence bureau, but the state crisis conference hasn't even ended yet.]
[That's probably a lie.]
[Would the Emperor really mobilize troops just to bring Possessors, even if he's lost his mind?]
Of course, among the lucky Possessors who had managed to hide, there were those positioned to judge the veracity of such information.
However.
"Intelligence bureau—"
From Erik's perspective, receiving these reports in real-time, even they were merely Possessors he needed to find.
"Seems like quite a few are hiding among the nobility."
The Emperor would summon him soon, and Erik found himself with considerable concerns about where to start.
"At minimum, all Possessors in the empire—"
"That……"
As he was having such thoughts, Park Chang-ho asked Erik a question in a trembling voice, which was rare for him.
"What's wrong?"
"Th, pu, Pung-ho—"
Kang Pung-ho, who had gone out with Erik, still hadn't returned.
And with Nishida locked in solitary confinement due to the earlier post, Park Chang-ho felt uneasy.
'Did I develop some affection for them?'
Erik tilted his head at the question.
'Affection is definitely impossible—'
The relationship among the three Possessors, including Nishida, was structured with Park Chang-ho doing all the heavy lifting.
'Ah! His wish was to change parties!'
Erik recalled Park Chang-ho's desire that he had seen in the temple.
Given the usual conduct of Nishida and Kang Pung-ho, it was understandable.
"Don't worry. Starting from the next labyrinth, I'll let you enter without Kang Pung-ho."
So he gave Park Chang-ho reassuring words.
"Th……. Ah, yes."
The response was somewhat unclear, but Erik didn't pay much attention.
There were too many pressing matters at hand.
'The Royal Guard is quite angry.'
For Erik, resolving the Royal Guard's anger right in front of him was the priority.
"Director Erik, His Majesty never issued such an order……"
The clearly furious Royal Guard asked a question.
Yet the way he looked at Erik was exactly like looking at a madman.
'Impersonating the imperial decree?'
He addressed Erik as Director out of imperial orders, but his loyalty was directed toward the Emperor.
Mobilizing troops.
Opening up the Great Forest.
Wasn't the state crisis conference still in progress?
"I merely spoke of what was about to happen."
Erik answered the Royal Guard with a shameless expression.
It was the kind of statement that would make the Royal Guard's head spin.
"I am a Saint and your Director, thus your superior. However, my foundation is a sword and shield protecting His Majesty the Emperor—the honorable Royal Guard of the Imperial Household—"
Erik stared intently at the Royal Guard, hand on his sword hilt.
'I couldn't see a way to win before……'
Now that he had opened 4th Tier.
Erik felt certainty.
That Royal Guard was nothing.