Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 55

8. Meteor Strike

1

“Hehehe, it’s finally starting.”

Raziel, who had taken refuge in the suburbs far from Eisenberg, grinned as he watched the giant meteor fall from the sky.

Count Ferrero, standing beside him, frowned deeply, looking displeased.

“Is that why you told us to fight half-heartedly and get out of there quickly?”

“Yes, Count. His Majesty the Emperor needs you and Miss Shirley. We can’t afford to lose you here.”

“So, if we weren’t needed, you would have abandoned us?”

“Oh, do I seem that heartless?”

Count Ferrero frowned even more.

Though his face was smiling, Raziel’s eyes gleamed with a cold madness.

‘This guy is quite dangerous,’ Ferrero thought.

As Ferrero pondered this, Shirley, munching on a cookie, asked, “But this fireworks display, was it ordered by His Majesty the Emperor?”

“No, there were no specific instructions.”

“Then you’ve disobeyed the imperial order? His Majesty wants the Holy Empire to remain in chaos.”

“I was instructed to intervene at my discretion. And after this fireworks display, the Holy Empire will be even more chaotic.”

If 150,000 troops were reduced to ashes in an instant, the Constantine faction in the capital would undoubtedly suffer a severe blow.

The subjugation force included key nobles of the Constantine faction, especially Count Marquez, their source of funds.

“They will experience chaos and internal strife for a while. While the Constantine faction is in disarray, the rebel forces will become more rampant. Perhaps ambitious figures like Duke Perrier will rise up everywhere.”

If that happens, the Holy Artenia Empire will naturally collapse, or even if it survives, it will be reduced to a minor power, far less significant than it is now.

“In short, today’s fireworks display will be a historic event. It will be the overture to the collapse of the Holy Artenia Empire.”

“Wow, Raziel, you’re scary.”

Unlike Shirley, who looked disgusted, Ferrero openly showed his displeasure. Although he was a battle maniac, he disliked such underhanded tactics.

Moreover, there were quite a few residents left in that city besides the soldiers.

Marquis Parker had not evacuated the residents to slow down the enemy’s attack even a little.

If a meteor fell on that city, at least 300,000 people would die.

“Anyway, we can’t miss commemorating this historic event.”

Raziel took out wine and glasses from the bag he was carrying.

He raised a glass of blood-red wine towards the meteor falling with a trail of black smoke.

“A toast to the empire that will disappear with the fireworks!”

“What on earth is going on?”

“What is this tremendous shockwave…”

Around the time Raziel was making his toast, mages rushed into the warehouse where Luke was.

Most of them were Iron Mages serving in the subjugation force.

Although not as fast as Luke, they had also sensed the unusual mana fluctuations and rushed there.

Luke, with a bitter expression, said to them, “You fools. If you had looked at the sky, you would know what’s going on.”

“Su, surely not…”

They had seen the meteor falling from the sky. But they never imagined it would fall on Eisenberg.

They were soon shocked to see the remains of the magic circle and magic stones that Luke had destroyed.

“Is it real?!”

“Oh, God!”

“Who the hell did this…! Is it the rebels?”

Some mages collapsed in shock, while others hurriedly ran out, saying they had to inform headquarters.

Meanwhile, Luke continued to watch the falling meteor.

‘Considering the amount of mana left in the magic circle and the size of the meteor, it will completely obliterate not only this city but also the surrounding area.’

The 150,000 troops of the subjugation force that had entered the city would be annihilated in an instant.

Not only that, but the remnants of the rebels and the citizens of Eisenberg left in the streets would also be massacred.

But now was not the time to worry about them. His own life and the lives of his subordinates were in danger.

‘If I use teleportation magic, I can escape with Philip and the Rakan knights. But…’

There were things that held Luke back from leaving immediately.

It was his will to fight against the world created by beast-like beings and his anger towards those who did not see people as people.

Whether this meteor strike was the work of the rebels or the machinations of the Baroque Empire secretly supporting them, he did not know.

However, it was undoubtedly the work of a vicious bastard who did not care about the lives of hundreds of thousands of people to achieve their goals.

‘War is about using any means necessary. I don’t deny that. I’m the same, I want a war to punish my enemies. But this is not it!’

This cannot be called war.

It is just an act of slaughter without distinguishing between friend and foe.

Such an act can never be tolerated. If there is anyone who tries to benefit from this, they must be stopped and punished.

Luke made up his mind.

‘Can I really do it?’

The meteor was already very close. Its terrifying form was clearly visible, and the monstrous sound of the air being torn apart was clearly audible.

In a similar situation 500 years ago, Luke had simply fled.

At that time, the area where the meteor strike trap was set was a wasteland, and he was only leading soulless combat golems, so it didn’t matter.

He couldn’t run away like that now. He hadn’t mastered the 9th circle black magic like he had back then.

However…

“Let’s give it a try!”

Luke, gritting his teeth, flew into the sky.

The mages just stared blankly at him as he rushed like a moth to a flame towards the hammer of destruction created by the unjust.

2

Kukwakwakwakwa!

The sky turned completely black.

The smoke created by the meteor burning from the frictional heat of the atmosphere spread everywhere.

The hammer of destruction was that close.

In that desperate and terrifying situation, Luke, who had flown up, summoned Kratus, which he had put into subspace earlier.

“With my current magic power alone, it’s impossible to intercept the meteor strike. But if I amplify it with the core engine of a hero-class Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine]…!”

In fact, even that was not very likely.

But he had already committed to it. Whether it turned out good or bad, he had to try something now.

“Go, Titan Fist!”

Titan Fist, a 7th circle attack magic.

Its power was weaker than the black magic Luke could currently use, but it had the advantage of being able to be amplified by the Gigant’s core engine.

In that case, its power would become even stronger than black magic.

The Titan Fist, amplified by the core engine, created a giant fist and flew towards the meteor.

Bang!

The Titan Fist hit properly. But the meteor, with its terrifying weight and tremendous kinetic energy, didn’t budge.

“Damn it, then how about this!”

Luke, gritting his teeth, drew up his magic power again and manifested magic.

The magic he manifested this time was Cyclone Wave, also a 7th circle attack magic.

It was an enhanced version of Shock Wave, and its power was also doubled when amplified by the Gigant’s core engine.

It was a magical storm that raged with the force to blow away a mountain, but it was helplessly extinguished as soon as it collided with the meteor strike.

“Tch! Ice Blow! Fire Explosion!”

Luke continuously manifested magic and struck the meteor.

But none of them did any significant damage.

He had judged that even if he couldn’t shatter it, he could at least damage it and make it deviate from its landing point, but even that failed.

‘Is it not possible after all?’

Frustration welled up, but Luke shook his head.

He couldn’t give up here.

He hadn’t used his full power. He still had strength left.

“Kuh, fine! Since it’s come to this, let’s do everything I can, whether I get exposed or not.”

He activated all his abilities at once.

Magic, black magic, aura, and even the power of the demon race, all at once!

“Kuaaaaaa!”

The first thing he activated was the power of the demon race.

Luke, who had performed a two-stage build-up to explode his potential, drew his aura to the maximum.

Woo-woo-woo-woong!

Golden aura flickered like flames on the surface of Kratus’s armor. The gold aura had manifested in the form of a gigantic aura.

It was called the Gold Gigantic Aura.

It was a sight that knights would marvel at, but Luke, who was casting it, was suffering from the pain of his body being torn apart.

“Keok! Da, damn it! It’s colliding after all!”

Normal aura was one thing, but gold aura was completely incompatible with the power of the demon race.

Luke had learned the reason for this when he came to the Holy Empire.

The hero Rakan was originally a holy knight of the Holy Empire.

Therefore, the Gold Sword and Silver Sword he created were swordsmanship that developed the Holy Sword that holy knights learned.

In the process of development, unlike the Holy Sword, it no longer required divine power, but the nature of subduing demons and evil spirits remained intact.

No, in terms of annihilating demonic energy, it boasted a much more destructive aspect than the Holy Sword.

‘I, I have to endure! I can’t lose to Rakan’s swordsmanship!’

Luke, gritting his teeth and enduring, manifested the black magic Thousand Bullets.

But instead of firing thousands of magic bullets, he used Kratus, which he was riding, the Gigant itself wrapped in the Gold Gigantic Aura, as a magic bullet and charged towards the meteor.

Sseeeeeeeek!

Luke, who had charged towards the meteor faster than the wind due to the effect of Thousand Bullets, raised Kratus’s right fist high.

‘The last one is Titan Fist!’

It was magic that had already failed once.

But unlike the first time, he had now unleashed various abilities, and instead of firing it, he was planning to load it directly into his fist and smash it.

If even this failed, everything would be over.

At the last moment, Luke clutched the guardian charm of Reina that he had been carrying in his chest.

‘Reina, give me strength!’

The moment his intense desire blazed, Kratus collided with the meteor.

And a pure white light enveloped Luke.

The Great Cathedral of the Imperial Capital, Bless.

Here, a mass was being held to pray for the peace of the Holy Empire and the well-being of its people.

Originally, Archbishop Constantine had intended to hold a mass to pray for the victory of the subjugation army, but Veronica III vehemently opposed it, and he failed.

‘Tch, it’s troublesome that she keeps being so rebellious,’ Constantine thought, looking at the maiden Pope with a displeased expression.

Veronica, who had been kneeling and praying before the altar where the sacred objects symbolizing the main god Elkasel and the earth goddess Beliz were placed, suddenly stood up.

“Ah… !”

“What is it, Your Holiness?” Grand Duke Gregory hurriedly approached the Pope.

A faint voice escaped from Veronica’s lips, who had a dazed expression as if possessed by something.

“…He’s calling.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that?”

“He’s calling me.”

Along with radiant wings of light, a pure white radiance burst from Veronica’s body.

The people inside the cathedral were all startled, but soon knelt and made the sign of the cross on their chests.

Would another miracle occur?

As everyone was anticipating, the radiance surrounding Veronica disappeared.

Grand Duke Gregory quickly supported her as she staggered, having lost consciousness.

“H-Her Holiness has collapsed!”

“Quickly, escort her to the Imperial Palace!”

The mass was halted there.

Why did the miracle stop halfway?

Everyone looked at each other with puzzled expressions at the sudden situation.

They couldn’t even imagine that a miracle had occurred elsewhere.

KWA-A-A-A-ANG!

With a violent explosion that shook the heavens and the earth, flames flashed in the sky.

The citizens of Eisenberg, who had been caught up in the war and suddenly faced a hammer of destruction from the sky, tightly closed their eyes at the pure white flash that filled the sky.

“Ugh, what on earth is this…”

“What in the world is about to happen?”

Until just now, the streets were a mess.

People fleeing or hiding deep inside their homes, knights and soldiers clashing swords and spears, mercenaries engrossed in looting, priests seizing the temples of opposing sects, and so on.

What caught the eyes of these various groups was a giant meteor falling from the sky.

It was, in the truest sense, a disaster.

Those who were taking and those who were being taken from, those who were killing and those who were struggling to live, were all seized by the same fear.

“A-Are we going to die?”

“Damn it! My legs are shaking, I can’t even run away!”

“Waaah! I was going to confess to Jennifer after this subjugation was over…”

The people in a panic were either dumbfounded or sat down and burst into tears.

Then, someone stepped forward.

He appeared suddenly on a Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine] and flew into the sky to confront the falling meteor.

When magic proved useless, he collided with the meteor with his Gigant.

Reckless. Impossible.

The moment everyone shook their heads in despair, a white flash spread in all directions with a deafening roar.

And a little while later, when the flash subsided, people could see an astonishing sight.

The giant meteor had split in two.

Kukukukukukukuku!

The two split meteors fell on the wastelands outside Eisenberg.

The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred, and the dust that rose with the flames swept through the city.

But people couldn’t pay attention to that.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on the Gigant that was slowly falling from the sky, tattered and torn.

The Gigant Kratus, which had fought against the falling meteor a moment ago.

Seeing the steel giant, with the pure white light it had emitted at the moment of impact shimmering like a haze all over its body, people hugged each other and cheered.

“Waaaaaaah!”

“We’re alive! We’re alive!”

The moved people rushed towards Kratus, which had landed in the city’s central square. Among them were Rakan knights, including Philip and Victor.

Thud!

Luke, who had broken through the tattered hatch and breastplate, came out, steam rising from his entire body.

“Tch, this thing is completely wrecked. I’ll have to scrap it.”

Kratus was so badly damaged that it could no longer function as a Gigant.

Luke, who sighed with a regretful expression, gave a faint smile as he saw the people who had gathered in front of him and were cheering.

It was a shame to lose a hero-class Gigant, but he thought it was fortunate that he had saved so many people.

3

This subjugation of the Conrad region was a project that Archbishop Constantine had staked his political life on.

He intended to establish the authority of the Pope and silence all the rivals who challenged him, the regent, using this subjugation as an opportunity.

To this end, Constantine posted the daily war situation, which was sent via magical communication, on the city’s notice boards.

Since the departure ceremony was so grand, there was no one in the Imperial Capital Bless and its vicinity who did not know about the subjugation army.

People whose families and relatives had participated in the subjugation army flocked to the notice boards whenever new news was posted, and some even placed bets on which side would win.

At first, there was nothing much.

The tedious march continued for more than ten days, so there was nothing special to talk about.

Then, after entering the Conrad region, the first real battle finally took place.

However, they could not announce that nearly 10,000 casualties had occurred in the 2nd Army due to a surprise attack by the enemy hidden in the hills.

So, Constantine’s faction distorted the truth and announced that ‘some soldiers were injured or killed while bravely repelling the enemy’s surprise attack.’

Of course, the truth might be revealed when the participants returned after the war, but for now, it was important to emphasize the subjugation army’s victories.

Anyway, the real story began when the subjugation army arrived at the Eisenberg Fortress.

The Gigantic Duel that took place as soon as they arrived at the fortress.

Although it was considered an old-fashioned custom, the Gigantic Duel still aroused interest in many people.

On the first day, the subjugation army was slightly pushed back, but in the duel on the second day, the mercenary riders achieved a remarkable feat by winning one and drawing one against the enemy’s Sword Masters.

Moreover, the deceased enemy Sword Master was not an ordinary person, but Count Schmidt, who had killed dozens of devotees in Bless ten years ago and fled.

The families of the victims and the people of the Imperial Capital, who still remembered the past incident, were very pleased to hear that Schmidt had been blown up along with his Gigant.

Archbishop Constantine widely publicized this fact.

Until now, the rebels’ justification was the corruption of his faction, but with Schmidt alone, they could put pressure on them.

“Behold! Those who speak of the reform and justice of the Order were harboring a mad killer. No matter how blinded by force they may be, do those who embrace those who blaspheme God and defile the name of the Undying Legion truly have reason and justice?”

While criticizing the rebels in this way, Constantine also promoted Luke, who had defeated Schmidt, to suit their tastes.

“The grace of the main god is with His apostle, Her Holiness the Pope, and with us, her servants. The fact that the mercenary leader, Rep, was able to defeat the evil Schmidt is all thanks to that…”

Thanks to Constantine’s enthusiastic promotion, the Red Wolf Mercenary Group and its leader Luke, or rather Rep, became quite famous.

But a few days later, even more shocking news came in.

After a four-day siege, on the fifth day, when they entered the city and were engaged in street battles.

Suddenly, the sky darkened and a meteor fell.

A meteor falling, burning the sky red.

The place where that terrifying meteor was heading was the city of Eisenberg.

When despair filled the faces of all the soldiers and residents of the city, a savior appeared.

A Gigant soared into the sky and shattered the meteor.

When the residents of Bless heard this news, they did not believe it at first.

“You have to say something that makes sense.”

“That’s right. Even if they think the people are fools, there’s a limit.”

“It’s possible to exaggerate achievements, but is it okay to tell such ridiculous lies?”

However, when the actual pieces of the shattered giant meteor were brought to the Imperial Capital on trailers and displayed, everyone was shocked.

Moreover, some of the priests and mages who had accompanied the army returned and testified, proving that it was true.

What was even more surprising was that the rider in that Gigant, the hero who had saved the city, was none other than the mercenary leader who had killed Count Schmidt earlier.

Constantine said to the residents who were marveling at this unbelievable feat:

“He is not an ordinary human. He must be a warrior of God sent by Lord Elkasel to protect this Holy Empire and the Order!”

With one word from Archbishop Constantine, who was trying to solidify his power, Luke became a warrior of God without even knowing it.

Anyway, due to this incident, there was no one among the residents of Bless who did not know the name of the Red Wolf Mercenary Group and Rep.

There were even kids who were already imitating them.

Anyway, in Bless, a strange phenomenon occurred where residents would peek at the notice boards in various parts of the city several times a day, waiting for the next news to come in.

4

After occupying the city of Eisenberg, the subjugation army stayed there for a while.

In order to attack Elbera, it was necessary to properly establish a bridgehead here, and the Gigants had to be inspected all at once, and necessary supplies such as military provisions had to be replenished.

On the other hand, it was also important to seize the surrounding areas and establish public order.

If they didn’t clean up properly before leaving, they could easily get stabbed in the back.

The Red Wolf Mercenary Group also participated in these mop-up operations.

Since it was such a trivial matter, Count Marquez tried to exclude them, but Luke, who wanted his knights to gain various combat experiences, requested it first.

“It seems like this area is all cleaned up now.”

“They say we’ll be marching to Elbera soon. Duke Perriad has refused the letter of surrender.”

Luke and the Red Wolf Mercenary Group, having completed their mission to mop up the remnants, returned to Eisenberg, chatting.

As they were returning to their lodgings in the city, they witnessed the subjugation army knights causing a ruckus in front of a restaurant.

“This bastard is trying to die! What? You want to get paid for making something that’s only fit for dog food?”

“M-My lord. We also need to make a living…”

“Crazy! What’s with you, a dog of the rebels? You should be grateful that we’re letting you live!”

“Ah, Father!”

The old owner, who had been grabbed by the collar, was thrown to the ground.

A young woman, who appeared to be his daughter, hurriedly helped him up.

The knights, with lecherous expressions, snatched the young woman’s hand.

“Oh, there’s a pretty little puppy here too.”

“L-Let go, please…”

“Don’t be scared, I’m not going to eat you.”

When a subjugation army knight tried to harass a young woman, Luke, unable to watch any longer, stepped in.

“That’s enough. Didn’t you receive orders not to harm unarmed civilians?”

“And who are you?”

“Where do you think you’re interfering…”

The knights, annoyed, turned their heads, their faces contorted in displeasure.

They had intended to intimidate him with a glare, but upon seeing Luke’s face, they were startled and saluted.

“H-Hic! S-Sorry, Commander Leif!”

“Apologize to the owner over there, not me.”

At those words, the knights’ attitude immediately changed. They bowed deeply to the restaurant owner and quickly disappeared.

Luke and his group clicked their tongues at the sight.

“Judging by their attire, they’re not knights of the territory, but Holy Knights.”

“They’re from the central army too.”

“How can such people wield divine power? Is God lacking in judgment?”

“Sir Philip, it’s best not to say such things in front of others.”

Come to think of it, even the serial killer Schmidt used divine power.

Considering that, Luke thought that divine power might not be something granted by God, but rather a different form of power.

“Anyway, your status as commander is something else. They ran away just by seeing your face…”

As Philip said, there was no one among the subjugation army who didn’t know Luke or the Red Wolf Mercenary Group.

Everyone had clearly witnessed the scene of the mercenary commander shattering the Meteor Strike.

The scene of life and death was so shocking that it seemed to be vividly etched into everyone’s minds.

“It’s troublesome to become too famous. It would be a disaster if Emperor Rudolf noticed.”

“What if he notices? Just succeed here and take over the Holy Empire. Wouldn’t that make it easier when fighting the Baroque Empire?”

Luke chuckled at Philip’s words.

In any case, there was nothing bad about becoming famous. It meant that the opportunity to meet Reina was getting closer.

After returning to their lodgings and having dinner, the Red Wolf Mercenary Group, except for a few members, rested or trained.

At that time, one of the mercenaries guarding the lodgings spoke to those loitering nearby.

“Who are you guys?”

At the mercenary’s question, they hesitated before approaching. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be mercenaries as well.

“W-We want to join the Red Wolf Mercenary Group, sir?”

“What?”

“We were deeply impressed when Commander Leif blew away the meteor last time. Please, please accept us!”

At the mercenary’s words, even those who had been secretly observing from nearby rushed over, begging to be accepted.

“We’re confident in our strength!”

“My arrows have never missed on the battlefield.”

“I’m not good at fighting, but I’m good at cooking.”

‘What, what’s going on all of a sudden?’

When the Red Wolf Mercenary Group first crushed the Garlic Mercenary Group, there were a few mercenaries who came to ask to join.

However, they ran away before joining after seeing Luke and Philip harshly training the new recruits. And after that, there were no more applicants.

But now, applicants were appearing again. It was proof that the Red Wolf Mercenary Group’s status had definitely changed.

“Hehehe, is there any way we can get in?”

“Even if it’s just as a handyman, please…”

Before the Gigantic Duel, the Red Wolf Mercenary Group was just one of the skilled mercenary groups. Now, it was the only mercenary group on the continent with a master-level Rune Knight and an expert rider comparable to a master.

Naturally, as time passed, the mercenary group’s reputation would rise, and they would have a smooth path in the mercenary world.

Perhaps the mercenary king who became a legend in the mercenary world 300 years ago might be reborn.

At that time, the mercenary king Gilford, with skills comparable to the legendary hero Rakan, made all the strong of his time kneel before him.

Among them were famous Sword Sages, Fist Masters from the Southern Continent, and 8th Circle Archmages.

With such immense power, swarms of mercenaries gathered around the mercenary king Gilford.

As their numbers grew, they became a force that even a decent kingdom couldn’t touch.

However, since they were a group without roots, they scattered soon after Gilford’s death.

The mercenaries returned to their status of being despised by nobles and looked down upon by knights.

Anyway, mercenaries in later generations would hear the legend of the mercenary king at least once when they first stepped into this field.

However, many dreamed of the legend’s return, but most soon realized that reality was a mess.

But now, the man closest to the legend had appeared!

“Please, just accept us. I haven’t eaten for three days.”

“My orc-like wife and elf-like children are waiting eagerly for me to earn money back home.”

“Ah, okay. Wait a moment. I’ll go ask the commander.”

The mercenary on guard duty went to Luke’s room and informed him of the situation. Luke readily nodded his head after hearing the story.

“If they can receive training like the Garlic gang, then let’s accept them.”

Since they had already accepted the Garlic Mercenary Group, he thought that accepting a few more wouldn’t make much of a difference.

However, Luke could not have imagined that hundreds of applicants would flock to join the Red Wolf Mercenary Group every day.

Some small mercenary groups even proposed mergers.

“This is a big problem. Setting aside the task of selecting and training the useful ones, securing operating funds is urgent.”

Victor looked worried, but Luke smiled faintly as if it were nothing.

“There’s a patron who will be our sucker anyway, so there’s no need to worry. Besides Marquis Marquez, other nobles are also rushing in.”

As Luke said, from Marquis Valentino, the commander-in-chief of the subjugation army, to high-ranking commanders and nobles, they would invite him to dinner or visit him whenever they had time, offering gifts and proposing recruitment.

Of course, the most enthusiastic were Marquis Marquez and Bishop Maxim.

They offered all sorts of conditions as if they would give him their livers, but Luke rejected them all with a relaxed attitude, saying he would make a decision after this subjugation was over.

Normally, nobles would not have stood still, feeling insulted.

However, Luke’s reputation had become so high that they had no choice but to wait.

5

“Father Garen, is there really no way to save my mother?”

“Hah, this is a disease caused by weakness due to lack of food. Divine power is not omnipotent.”

In a slum outside the imperial capital, Bless.

Two people were talking in one of the houses made of roughly woven wooden planks and rags.

A middle-aged priest in worn but clean priestly robes and a gaunt young man in his twenties.

At Father Garen’s words, the young man finally burst into tears.

“Kuh-huh! Damn this world!”

The young man’s mother had started to ail about two weeks ago, and her condition had rapidly deteriorated a few days ago.

Only then did he hurriedly go to the Temple of the Holy Order, which was conducting relief activities for the poor.

But it seemed too late.

“If they raise taxes twofold because of the war, how are people like us who live day by day supposed to survive!”

The young man shouted in a voice filled with resentment.

If they hadn’t scraped away even the little food and money they had to pay taxes, his mother might have lived.

“I’ll leave some food and money here, so please take good care of your mother until the end.”

Garen, looking pitiful, placed a pouch he had taken from his pocket on the wooden table.

The young man, his eyes bloodshot, threw it away.

“I don’t need it! It’s all because of greedy and corrupt priests like you! Why does Elkasel leave such people alone! I will never believe in gods again!”

The young man shouted, his voice filled with anger.

Garen only sighed and did not scold him.

Rather, he bowed his head to the young man and repeatedly apologized.

Shortly after, Garen, who had come out of the young man’s house, looked up at the night sky and questioned the will of God.

‘Is this truly your will?’

He too had once heard the news that an angel had descended and had hoped that the corrupt and depraved priests would improve.

But instead, the chaos had only worsened.

As the new Pope did not show himself, his authority plummeted, and rebellions broke out everywhere.

Under the pretext of rebellion, the temple and the imperial palace collected more taxes. And they conscripted young people of working age into the army indiscriminately.

The upper echelons were fighting, but the people were suffering.

‘If only our Holy Order had a little more power, we could have helped more people…’

He had once suggested that they should charge for treatment and use the money to help the poor.

But at that time, Priest Luther, who heard the story, jumped up.

“If we start taking money like that, we will become the same as those who sell the name of God for their own gain. It’s better for us to starve and use that money to help the poor.”

‘Ah, come to think of it, I don’t know if Priest Luther is safe. I heard that a big battle is going to take place there soon.’

Two months ago, Luther went to Alvera for relief activities for the poor.

He said that life in the areas where rebellions had broken out would be even more difficult than in the imperial capital.

Everyone tried to dissuade him, saying it was dangerous, but they could not break his stubbornness.

‘Still, I’m relieved that he has that person by his side.’

A man had drifted in from the Southern Continent a year ago.

He was in his early 30s, and his name was ‘Hwang Boseong.’

He had been wandering around the port as a crippled beggar, and Luther had rescued him just before he was about to starve to death.

Hwang Boseong, who had been treated with divine power by Luther, recovered soon after and was able to walk. He even easily subdued thugs who were harassing the poor.

According to Hwang Boseong, he was a ‘warrior’ from the Southern Continent.

The warrior was similar to a knight in the Rodisia Continent, but Hwang Boseong had excellent skills in martial arts and combat, enough to subdue someone wielding a sword with his bare hands.

He did not say why he had come to this continent or how he had become a cripple.

According to Priest Luther, it seemed that someone had cursed him with a method similar to black magic.

Anyway, Hwang Boseong stayed at the temple after that, helping the activities of the Holy Order priests or acting as their escort.

Thus, he became the only Holy Knight of the Holy Order.

Until then, the Holy Order had not had a single Holy Knight. It cost a lot of money to raise a Holy Knight, so they had deliberately not trained one.

But the Holy Order’s creed was that if they had money to spend, they would rather use it for the poor.

Perhaps thanks to that creed, they gained great popularity, and their influence expanded greatly, especially among the lower classes.

As a result, other denominations, especially the Marius faction centered around Constantine, were sending wary glances.

In fact, Luther had been attacked several times by assassins believed to have been instigated by the Marius faction.

If it hadn’t been for Hwang Boseong, he might not have survived until now.

‘Please return safely! There are so many people who need your help.’

Garen looked at the stars in the night sky and prayed for the safety of Luther and Hwang Boseong.