Episode 99 The Beginning of Change (3)
Heinrich Saint Landguard.
Heinrich, who became the owner of the holy sword and was knighted as a Paladin, gained the middle name 'Saint'.
It wasn't just a title.
It was a name given only to those chosen by the Main God, such as the Saints and Saintesses of the Church.
'It's all thanks to "Grand Blessing: Knight of Light" I received at the knighting ceremony…'
There were various types of blessings, from the ones he had, like Fortified Body, Leap, and Capacity Increase, to those he didn't have.
He hadn't really felt it until now because he had been directly experiencing the Main God's interest, but it was like a reward you received after meeting certain conditions.
If you overcame your physical limits through extreme training, you would receive the blessing of 'Fortified Body'.
If you accepted more holy power than your limit through continuous study, you would receive the blessing of 'Capacity Increase'.
And if you exceeded a certain standard while training skills using holy power or researching holy magic, it would become a blessing and return to the practitioner.
'I haven't really felt it until now.'
But thinking about it, all the blessings he had received, except for "Blessing: Leap", were obtained when he did his best in those situations.
The standards might have been a bit generous, but it wasn't completely unreasonable.
But 'Grand Blessing' was different from the 'blessings' he had received so far.
'A blessing bestowed solely by the Main God's choice.'
It was something that only one person might receive per generation among the countless believers of the Main God Church.
For example, the only living person who had received a Grand Blessing in this era was Saintess Liesta.
They said there were even times in the past when no one received it, so it showed how difficult it was to obtain.
'And it's not like you automatically receive a Grand Blessing just because you're recognized by the holy sword.'
There were about ten known owners of the holy sword so far, but only two of them were Saints.
The hero from a thousand years ago, who was a Saint from the beginning, wielded the holy sword and defeated the Immortal King.
And the hero from the previous generation, who became a Saint after obtaining the holy sword, just like Heinrich.
In other words, the heroes who defeated the Immortal King with the holy sword in the previous generations were also Saints chosen by the Main God.
'It means that the Main God is paying that much attention to the abyss. But a Saint, it's a bit embarrassing.'
It seemed like the Main God was trying to support him because he felt he was useful, but he couldn't help but feel a bit burdened.
It was because…
"Oh! There's the Saint!"
"As expected, I thought he was extraordinary from the time he first came to the cathedral. To think he would be chosen by the Main God so quickly."
"His growth rate was definitely abnormal. Now it makes sense."
Those who had been comfortable with him before all started to treat him with reverence.
Even the Paladins, the Archbishops, and even the Cardinals, whom he had never met before.
'And the condition of the newly issued equipment is no joke.'
The pure white armor he was wearing, 'Guardian of Glory', was the best of the best, created by the Main God Church's greatest artisans with all their heart and soul.
Not to mention that rare metals like mithril and orichalcum were used.
The inside was densely inscribed with prayers, and it was enveloped in all sorts of high-level holy magic and even a holy barrier, practically a 'walking fortress'.
'And the price is just as high.'
It was the price of a strategic fortress with all sorts of magical treatments, not a small castle on the outskirts.
Even the wealthy Main God Church only made one because the price was so exorbitant, and even the Paladins were using lower-level equipment.
It was practically a sacred object.
'In other words, this is the final equipment. The best weapon, the holy sword, and the best armor, Guardian of Glory. I don't have to worry about equipment anymore.'
And so, Heinrich, who had become a Saint, was currently on his way back from visiting the Pope, who was recuperating, with the Saintess.
A gentle appearance, eyes shining with a clear light despite being bedridden, and a body filled with powerful holy power.
Hatianuss II, who had led the Main God Church so far, seemed healthy enough on the outside…
'They said he doesn't have much time left. And he can only stay awake for about an hour a day.'
He was still holding on with his immense holy power, but the candle of his life was about to be extinguished.
The Saintess must also know that.
But she didn't show it and only showed a bright side while introducing Heinrich to the Pope.
She chattered excitedly until he fell asleep again and only after they completely left his residence did her expression become gloomy, but she quickly regained her composure and put on a gentle smile.
She was still young, but she was the Saintess.
She knew that it wasn't good for her to show negative emotions too much.
And this was the center of the world's largest religion.
Death was just another journey to the Main God's side for them, not an eternal parting.
As they were walking and having a light conversation with the Saintess, who seemed to have completely calmed down, she suddenly changed the subject.
"Ah, come to think of it, now that you're a Saint, Sir Heinrich, we can work together more actively! I'm so happy to have a comrade to share the burden with!"
…It seemed like she had been really stressed out.
Even though the Cardinals and the working-level staff handled the really important and troublesome issues, she was practically the highest-ranking person now that the Pope couldn't work, so the stress she received must have been considerable.
'The Pope and the Saintess are in similar positions…'
She might even be considered superior in terms of symbolism, but the position of the Pope, who had reached the pinnacle of the clergy through countless trials and tribulations over a long time, wasn't to be taken lightly.
The young Saintess, who lacked experience, was just a symbol of the Church, and it was the Pope who actually led them.
'The problem is that the Pope's position is currently vacant.'
Since a new Pope could only be elected after the previous Pope passed away to the Main God's side, those who remained had no choice but to work harder for now.
And the current Pope was also her adoptive father, who had taken her in at an old age.
The Saintess's desire to somehow fill her father's shoes must also be one of the reasons why she was working so hard, even sacrificing sleep.
"Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to discuss with you. You heard about the Immortal King's recent movements, right?"
After becoming a Saint, he was assigned assistants to inform him of external news and help with his work.
And he was able to hear recent news through them.
"They say he's showing more active movements than before. He opened the abyss, summoned undead to the continent, and this time, he's even openly provoking us…"
It was about Immortal King Hans's recent actions.
And the Church's competent information team even analyzed why he was acting like that and relayed it to Heinrich.
They had detected signs of him sending signals to the undead, gathering and collecting them.
'Of course, I didn't think he could hide forever.'
He had been advertising it to the extent that anyone above a certain level, not just the Church or the Magic Towers, but even ordinary territories, could feel it, so it was only natural that everyone's attention was focused on him.
The other forces were probably busy trying to gather more detailed information, which wasn't good news for Hans.
"I don't know what he's thinking all of a sudden… but we can't just let him gather his forces like that. It's our chance to eliminate him before he gathers more troops!"
The Saintess spoke passionately, her golden eyes sparkling with determination.
It was something Hans had already expected.
The replies to the signal Hans sent meant that there was a risk of being discovered by others who were determined to detect it.
'That's why he's dividing the areas and working in stages… but some undead are being eliminated before they can gather and be retrieved.'
It was something that was happening in real time.
The locations where the undead appeared were scattered, and there were so many of them that they didn't just appear in uninhabited places.
If they appeared near the Church's temples, Magic Towers, cities with strong individuals, or territories with strong military power, it was over the moment their location was discovered.
They couldn't avoid being picked off one by one unless there was an executive of the immortal army.
"Ah! And there will be another continental summit soon. Now that things have come to this, they won't be able to just sit back and do nothing, so we need to come up with a proper solution!"
The Saintess strengthened her resolve with a determined expression.
And then she turned to Heinrich and added,
"Together!"
…It seemed like she had been really stressed out from work.
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Actually, even though the Church had warned about the Immortal King several times, there was a limit to how other countries on the Ion Continent could respond.
The situation was very different from the previous incidents.
The battles with the previous Immortal Kings were basically all-out wars.
The fact that the Church was able to somehow locate them because of the intense abyssal energy contained in their hearts played a big part.
Of course, the previous Immortal Kings had reached the pinnacle of dark magic, so they could avoid the Church's gaze for a while, but…
No matter what they did to temporarily divert attention, there was a limit, and their location was eventually discovered.
So they had no choice but to raise a giant immortal army to protect themselves and choose to fight a full-scale war against the continent.
But…
The Immortal King who was resurrected this time was different.
He was thoroughly concealing his location and causing chaos on the continent by manipulating things in the shadows.
And it was impossible to gather information and locate him because of his unpredictable mobility.
That was the reason why other forces couldn't take any action.
What could they do when they didn't even know where or what their enemy was doing?
All they could do was protect important figures and locations, strengthen their defenses, and prepare their forces for future calamities.
But months passed with no sign of the enemy, only endless preparations.
And as the situation became like that, hyenas who sought to profit from the chaos started to appear one by one.
From embezzlement of military supplies and military procurement fraud to secret collusion in the political circles.
Small discords in every corner of society gathered and contributed to the current chaotic situation.
They were trying to clean things up in a hurry now that the situation had escalated, but…
An even bigger change was approaching before they could even finish cleaning up the mess.
A group of merchants passing through a forest path where monsters appeared.
Since it was a dangerous area, the number of mercenaries guarding them and patrolling the surroundings was also significant.
At that moment, one of the mercenaries escorting the merchants quietly spoke to the man next to him.
"Hey, Mike. Are you sure it's okay? They say undead are roaming around everywhere these days."
"Then what do we do? We can't just stop working forever."
"But…"
"And we won't encounter them unless we're really unlucky. With this many of us, we might be able to handle it."
The merchants were also aware of the current situation, so several merchants heading in the same direction joined forces and hired more mercenaries than usual.
And so, they confidently crossed the dangerous forest path and didn't encounter a single undead.
But…
"Ugh! What are these?!"
"Be careful! They're definitely not ordinary… Gah!"
A horde of monsters, countless monsters, attacked the merchants.
"Grrr—!"
"Kieeeeek!"
The types of monsters that attacked were diverse, including goblins, orcs, and gremlins, but they all shared one characteristic.
Eyes with a faint red glow.
Drool dripping from their mouths.
Ferociously bulging muscles.
Recklessness that made them charge even with their limbs severed…
And their murderous intent to kill their opponents until their last breath, even if their necks were cut or their hearts pierced.
"Why are they working together even though they're from different races… Ugh!"
"These guys, there's no end…!"
They were mercilessly slaughtering the humans.
This was also something that was starting to happen all over the continent—.
The influence of 'madness' was slowly but surely revealing itself.