The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

41 – EP4. Crossroads of Life and Death

A few months before the news reached them.

They were gathered, engaged in conversation.

They weren’t looking at the hero’s records. Feria was too busy deciphering the Holy Sword’s records. Instead, they were keeping a close eye on the events unfolding in the Empire.

“…It seems the Emperor is getting involved with the Pope.”

Feria said.

“…It appears that the previous Emperor had driven the Pope away.”

Lena raised an eyebrow. She, being an elf with a long lifespan, considered events that happened a few hundred or even a few thousand years ago as recent history. Hence, she couldn’t comprehend why the Emperor would join hands with the Pope.

“Doesn’t the Pope have any pride left? Joining forces with the dynasty that banished the previous Pope to the desert?”

Lena spoke, and Beatrice responded.

“That’s something that happened thousands of years ago. Humans tend to be more swayed by immediate gains than events of such distant past. However, what matters is what those gains are. We can’t be certain of why the Pope joined forces with the Emperor.”

“…Speaking of which, didn’t you meet the Pope and the Emperor at the palace last time? What was that about?”

Sain asked Beatrice. She remembered that day.

Before the images of the Emperor and the Pope came to mind, she thought of the scars on Sain’s wrist. However, she decided not to bring it up. Sain had vehemently rejected her attempts to heal the wounds on his wrist, indicating he had his reasons. Beatrice understood his feelings and decided not to press the issue further.

Beatrice observed Sain closely, her expression and demeanor carefully calibrated to show no sympathy for him.

“That’s right, he asked about reorganizing the Holy Order directly under the Saint.”

“The Holy Order directly under the Saint?”

The Crusaders under the direct command of the Saint were undoubtedly the most elite forces within the Church of the Goddess. The four Holy Knights who led the Crusaders were considered the pinnacle of combat ability within the Church, barring the Saint herself. Furthermore, they played a crucial role in handling special tasks such as inquisitorial work.

“Why would he want to reorganize the Crusaders?”

Feria, too, asked with a furrowed brow.

“Well, he’s essentially trying to take the Crusaders away from the Saint, isn’t he? What about the Paladins?”

The Paladins, on the other hand, were a part of the Holy Order directly under the Church’s jurisdiction. What was crucial here was not the position of the Pope but rather the Church’s direct control. The Crusaders could not take any action without the Saint’s orders, while the Paladins could receive orders from high-ranking clergy, such as the Archbishops, making them more flexible and numerous. If the Crusaders were considered the elite, then the Paladins were still elite, but they represented the Church’s full military strength and were highly valued as such.

“Wouldn’t it be more natural to make the Paladins the core of the Church? Why bother with the Crusaders…?”

When Feria asked, Beatrice sighed deeply.

“That’s right. Maybe Their Majesties the Emperor and the Pope believe that the Crusaders didn’t act flexibly enough in the last war. They want something that can act more flexibly.”

“In that case, why not give the Crusaders the authority to act as a reserve in case of emergencies, instead of reorganizing them entirely?”

“Well, Crusaders are known for their unwavering loyalty, so they won’t do anything without me, right?”

“No, that’s strange. Yes, it’s true that the Crusaders may not be the most flexible, but… it was, in fact, their inflexibility that allowed them to completely block a Legion of the ‘Mountains’ Malakidus, right?”

The Crusaders were a group fanatically devoted only to the Holy Maiden, which elevated their determination and bravery almost to the realm of fanaticism. Thanks to that, they managed to fend off an entire Legion of the enemy forces pouring in from the southern part of the Empire, and not just any Legion, but Malakidus’s.

“Indeed, they are not to be underestimated at all. They were the most powerful force I’ve ever seen among the human armies.”

Lena chimed in as well.

“But still, talking about flexibility… it must imply there’s some hidden intention behind it.”

Feria stroked his chin.

“So, how did the Pope and the Emperor plan to utilize the Crusaders?”

“Uh… They said that while staying in the Imperial Capital, they would reorganize to actively block any unrighteous individuals within the Empire. Previously, they only stayed in the Holy Land, but now, they want to be more proactive within the Empire…”

“What!?”

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Since Sein knew better than anyone here about the military implications, he understood the hidden meaning in those words.

“You don’t mean they got approval for that, do you?”

“Well, of course, they didn’t get official approval, but… the Pope and the Empress’s requests were quite fervent.”

The fact that the words ‘the requests were fervent’ came from Beatrice’s mouth essentially meant that things had taken a turn for the worse. Sein’s expression darkened.

“What on earth is the Emperor thinking… It’s as if he’s planning some sort of conquest war…”

Indeed, Crusaders actively inspecting within the Empire meant a high likelihood of influencing other countries outside the Empire.

“Sedinel Viscount already pushed his luck by requesting forced cooperation from other countries; how much more can he push…”

She furrowed her brow. Perhaps the Emperor was aiming for more than just giving the pinnacle of power within the military to his obedient hunting dogs.

She reached out in anxiety.

Next, Sein took a deep breath and calmed himself down. After all, even if it were true, what could she do about it now? She was just a beast, and before that, she was just a sinner.

…

“It seems like the situation still hasn’t been assessed.”

Ainzell smiled as she looked at the bewildered Sedinel Viscount.

“You fool, you should have made a judgment based on where to lie down. It’s already too late.”

Ainzell, a former knight, began to mock the Viscount Sedinel.

“S-Shut up…”

“What did you say?”

“I said, shut up! How dare you, a sinner colluding with the demons!”

Viscount Sedinel couldn’t overcome his fear and, in a frenzy, drew his sword and swung it.

Ainzell, in a relaxed manner, caught the sword with a black sword with an amethyst inlaid.

“Indeed, it’s fortunate that he’s not running away when faced with panic, but standing his ground to fight,” Angel said, consistently wearing a smile. Meanwhile, Count Serindel was sweating coldly in opposition.

He thought they were on a similar level. He was a hero and a Swordmaster himself. He believed there wouldn’t be a significant difference in their combat abilities, which is why he thought he could easily overwhelm his soldiers numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

The enemy would undoubtedly soon become a sacrificial offering to the pinnacle of the Empire’s military, and they would be reduced to a pitiful sight, running away in despair, held captive.

However, it was different. The hero was said to use not only magic but also miracles and archery. No, what he just sensed was dark magic. It was right to assume he could use dark magic as well. And yet, he was only confronting himself with swordsmanship.

Nevertheless, even so, he couldn’t possibly be on the same level, so far that it seemed unreachable.

“Aren’t you getting tired yet?” Angel flicked his finger, and the dead bones and rags began to knit together.

“It’s a shame there’s no intact corpse, but it should be enough if we just gather them together.”

Under the influence of his dark magic, the dismembered corpses made eerie sounds as they twisted, coalesced, and shattered.

“…Corpse golem,” Count Serindel barely managed to hold onto his sanity and said. And as if by divine right, the corpse golem mercilessly trampled the glorious Imperial soldiers he had brought.

And those dead soldiers…

“Ugh, ugh, ughhh.”

Once again, making eerie sounds, they turned into the undead.

It felt like a nightmare, and an extremely terrible and frightening nightmare at that. Count Serindel soon realized that he was surrounded by his own soldiers, or rather, what used to be his soldiers.

Count Serindel desperately tried to break free from the encirclement by hacking through his former subordinates.

The blood that splattered on him was still warm. It still retained the warmth of their lives.

This couldn’t be happening. Count Serindel bit his lips until they bled.

I must survive. I can’t become one of those moving corpses.

However, what blocked his path ahead was an unfathomable abyss.