Episode 97 The Beginning of Change (1)
Somewhere deep in the mountains, where no one would tread.
Splat—!
Something crawled out of the dirt.
And following the first one, two, three… their numbers continued to increase.
[Groan—]
The sight of countless undead crawling out onto the surface was like a scene from a horror movie.
The place they emerged from was a scar of the abyss, buried underground over time.
As the boundary blurred due to the opening of the abyss, those who were drifting there were able to escape one by one.
Creak—
Clatter!
And there were no low-ranking undead like zombies or skeletons among them.
After over a hundred elite undead, at least Skeleton Knight level or higher, gathered, they guarded the surroundings and formed ranks.
Movements that weren't those of ordinary undead, but intelligent ones.
An army of the undead, scattering death energy in all directions, finally revealed itself on the surface.
[…First… we move…]
The one leading the army was a Dullahan Knight, a knight wearing splendid armor with his head tucked under his arm.
Clatter, clatter!
Thump, thump—
It was a clearly abnormal situation, but it wasn't anything special.
It was something that was currently happening all over the continent.
____________________
The situation changed rapidly, and the political landscape shifted quickly.
Sacrificial rituals performed throughout the continent, the abyss opened because of them, and the army of the undead resurrected in connection with it.
And the culprit behind it all— the continent's calamity, the Immortal King.
Only after the real threat approached did those who had been lukewarm in their response to the Church's warnings start to move hurriedly.
Of course, there were quite a few who had thoroughly prepared from the beginning…
And one of them was the Talia Kingdom, located at the western end of the continent.
"How's the situation?"
"The entire continent is in a state of emergency. Since it's difficult to even detect the scars of the abyss that have already healed, the atmosphere is very tense because we don't know when or where undead might appear."
Mulo Brokoslack answered respectfully to Heinz the Second's question.
Everyone was unprepared because this kind of situation hadn't happened even when the Immortal King was rampant 300 years ago.
The aftereffects of the previous Immortal Kings repeatedly knocking on the door to the abyss were finally erupting.
"Fortunately, there hasn't been much damage to our Talia Kingdom and the surrounding countries."
'Well, that's only natural.'
It was obvious.
Hans, who had received a gift from the previous Immortal King and could now detect the undead army, was collecting them as soon as they appeared and storing them in his subspace.
'His detection range isn't that wide yet, but he's diligently patrolling and expanding it, so we should be able to handle the western region somehow.'
It would have been best if he could summon his army wherever he wanted, but the boundary was too weak right now, so it couldn't be helped.
He had no choice but to clean up as much as possible like this.
Actually, the western part of the continent was where the most scars appeared, so it was already a good thing that they were doing this well.
"How's the cooperation with Hubert's Trading Company in Tarak, Tulk Kingdom, going?"
"We've made contact and are providing support in the shadows according to their request."
"Do your best to fulfill their requests. I've already talked to Hubert. They'll also fully support us, so it'll be helpful in expanding our influence in the Tulk Kingdom."
Hubert's Trading Company in the light and the Brokoslack Clan in the shadows were a good match.
It would be a good relationship where they could achieve mutual benefit through synergy.
"But they're still humans. And it's very dangerous to trust a mere merchant, wouldn't it be better to just bring him into our clan…?"
"Hubert is fine, unlike others. He'll never betray us, keep that in mind."
"…Ah! As expected, you've already taken measures. I'll obey your orders."
Mulo nodded with a convinced expression, perhaps misunderstanding something.
Since they were both his forces, he didn't have to worry about anything else as long as he managed his subordinates well.
But not everything was going so smoothly.
The most important problem remained unsolved.
"…Are there any reports about the influence of madness yet?"
Heinz asked Mulo, feeling the faint energy of madness still lingering around him.
It had been several days since the abyss opened and madness escaped, but this energy, which had spread throughout the continent and become diluted, hadn't shown any signs yet.
'It doesn't make sense. No matter how incompletely it manifested, something that came out of the abyss can't be this quiet. There must be something wrong.'
"It's still too early to be sure because it hasn't been long, but they say there are more people fighting over trivial matters, perhaps due to the influence of 'madness'. Of course, we'll have to observe for a while to get accurate statistics."
"It might have affected their subconscious, even though the concentration is low because it spread throughout the continent. Examine it carefully."
"Yes. And this also needs further investigation to be certain, but…"
Mulo looked at Heinz with a serious expression.
His face was filled with a certain level of conviction, despite saying they needed more time.
"The monsters' movements are unusual."
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The holy sword itself was a symbol.
There were holy warriors, holy knights, and Paladins at the pinnacle, representing the Main God Church's military power…
But all of that was just a system created by humans.
Like the Saintess, who was chosen by the Main God to represent his will, the owner of the holy sword was a being who could be called the Main God's first sword.
Therefore, anyone who became the owner of the holy sword would inevitably have their status dramatically changed.
Like Heinrich now.
The largest grand chapel in the Roselia Cathedral.
The two Cardinals, the Archbishops, the Paladins, and the Church's highest-ranking officials were gathered there.
Many others were also present, and considering that it was a very busy time, it showed how important they considered this event to be.
Yes, this was the place where the new owner of the holy sword,
Heinrich's Paladin knighting ceremony was being held.
'It feels like a lifetime ago.'
To think he was already becoming a Paladin, not long after being knighted as a holy knight.
And this ceremony was being personally presided over by the Saintess herself, a luxury that other Paladins hadn't experienced.
'It's only natural in a way.'
He was the owner of the holy sword, born after 300 years, in the midst of the continent's crisis.
And so, the ceremony, solely for Heinrich, proceeded smoothly in a solemn atmosphere.
The recitation of prayers and rituals for the Main God, and other symbolic procedures passed, and…
Finally,
Heinrich, kneeling on one knee in front of the Saintess on the platform, drew the holy sword from the stigma on his palm.
Wooong—
The elegant silver holy sword, boasting its presence by trembling as soon as it appeared.
Those present couldn't help but gasp in admiration as it revealed itself.
Even among the Paladins here, there were those who had challenged the holy sword's trial, so their emotions were beyond imagination.
"That's… the holy sword."
"Indeed, amazing. It's just a sword, but the holy power contained in it is immeasurable."
The only ones who were calm in that situation were Heinrich and the Saintess.
And the ceremony naturally continued while everyone was preoccupied with the holy sword…
"…A sword that will protect the weak and punish evil, I hereby appoint Heinrich Landguard as a Paladin of the Main God Church."
The knighting ceremony ended in a devout atmosphere.
'It reminds me of back then.'
The scale was much larger now, but the atmosphere was similar to when he became a holy knight.
Beautiful sunlight scattering through colorful stained glass windows, the benevolent atmosphere of the solemn grand chapel.
Even the Saintess, with a gentle smile, placing the holy symbol that signified a Paladin around his neck.
It was a sacred scene, as if painted in a picture.
《The individual meets the conditions and gains enlightenment. You have acquired the special skill "Grand Blessing: Knight of Light".》
Yes, even the system message that appeared at this timing was the same as back then.
'…Huh? Really?'
An enormous amount of holy power suddenly erupted from Heinrich's body, who was flustered a beat late.
It was different in nature from the blessings he had received so far.
Something thicker, heavier, and more intense filled his body.
The immense holy power circulated throughout his body and gradually merged with the holy sword's energy that had settled in his body.
His mind was elevated as if his head had been opened, and his connection with the Main God started to become even stronger.
'Ugh…'
Heinrich gritted his teeth and activated "Mind Hub" to its fullest to avoid being swept away by the violent flow.
If he let his guard down for even a moment, his mind would be swept away.
At that moment, before his eyes…
The universe unfolded.
Whoosh—
Meanwhile, the hearts of everyone who saw Heinrich, enveloped in brilliant light with the holy sword in his hand, became one.
"Ah! A Grand Blessing!"
"Oh—! The Main God's grace is with us!"
And just like at Heinrich's holy knight knighting ceremony, the event suddenly turned into a prayer meeting.
It was only natural that the prayers were even more passionate than usual, as they knew that the Main God was watching over them.
And while the place was heating up,
'Ah…'
Heinrich's mind, which had been blankly immersed in the light, slowly returned.
He was able to feel the Main God's will more clearly in the universe that had unfolded in his heart.
Of course, like before, all he could feel was still 'interest'.
'No, his will is so vast that I can't understand anything.'
Even if a mite evolved into an ant, all it could see from beneath a human's foot was a toe.
He couldn't even comprehend it because their levels were different in the first place.
But if he was bestowing a Grand Blessing like this, it meant that he was quite pleased with his actions so far.
He just had to continue as he had been doing.
'It's a good thing if the sponsor is satisfied.'
-Individual Name: Heinrich
-Common Traits: "Mind Hub", "Persona", "Super Recovery", "Clear Mind"
-Individual Traits: "Holy Baptism", "Grand Blessing: Knight of Light", "Blessing: Fortified Body", "Blessing: Leap", "Blessing: Holy Blade", "Blessing: Capacity Increase", "Blessing: Holy Sword", "Logia Holy Combat", "Martial Bones", "Auterica Holy Magic"
-Special Notes: The limit of holy power has disappeared and will continuously grow as long as his will allows. The level of holy power has increased significantly. The energy connected to the holy sword has settled in his body, further strengthening his physical abilities. Combat skills have improved dramatically after inheriting the memories of previous heroes.
A dazzling character information window.
He was growing into a being worthy of being the opponent of Immortal King Hans… no, Hannibal Strauss.
'Huh?'
As he was looking at his character information with satisfaction,
Heinrich realized that something else had changed, seeing his hair swaying in front of his eyes.
'White hair?'
Well, it had turned white from absorbing excessive holy power, but it was shiny and subtly sparkling, so it was a bit inaccurate to call it just white hair.
It was more like… the Saintess's silver hair.
'Ah, don't tell me?'
A thought suddenly came to mind, and he hurriedly looked at his face in the blade of the holy sword he was still holding.
The first thing that caught his eye was the silvery white waves covering his head.
And…
'…Golden eyes.'
And his face shape had also subtly changed.
His appearance, which hadn't been much different from the original body, had become that of a handsome man, with all the elements harmonized and balanced.
'No, my original face isn't ugly either!'
He had been told he was handsome quite often.
He felt a bit dejected after seeing Heinz the Second, Harris, and now Heinrich's changed faces.
'No! This is all me, isn't it? There's no need to feel inferior to my own clones…'
As he was blankly looking at his face reflected in the blade, lost in thought…
"Sir Heinrich Saint Landguard. …No."
The Saintess approached him with a gentle smile and spoke.
"Saint."