Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 260

The Empire’s Devotion had been in effect for three days.

The continent was still reeling from the unexpected disaster.

What should this be called?

A riot of the Deusis Order [a religious order]? A disturbance?

No, the repercussions were far beyond such classifications.

The current situation threatened not only the existence of nations but also the survival of the human race.

Except for Gatrren.

In a typical country, the Deusis Order accounted for about 30-40% of the population.

More than a third of the entire population had turned into murderers in an instant.

Moreover, these murderers possessed strength surpassing that of well-trained elite soldiers.

Their physical strength was more than twice that of ordinary people, and they could recover from most injuries in an instant.

The only way to kill them was to strike vital points decisively, such as destroying the head or heart, or severing the neck.

With hordes of such terrifying murderers appearing, which country could withstand it?

“Currently, the only kingdoms whose capitals have not fallen are the Domis Kingdom, the Agros Kingdom, the Penten Kingdom, and the Chersei Kingdom.”

“Only four places?”

“All other kingdoms have had their capitals fall, and royalty, nobles, and commoners alike have all fled.”

“Hmm…”

Olaven Grimier stroked his mustache, lost in thought.

‘This is hopeless as it is. Accepting more refugees is also a problem. We need to cooperate with other kingdoms somehow.’

The Drasen Empire was on the verge of collapse due to the influx of refugees from all over the continent.

This was because Drasen was currently the safest country on the continent.

Drasen had the lowest proportion of Deusis Order members among all countries and, at the same time, possessed the strongest military power.

Naturally, suppression did not require much difficulty, and the Deusis Order was driven out of most of its territory in just two days.

Thanks to this, rumors spread from other destroyed kingdoms, and a constant stream of refugees continued to pour in.

‘First of all, those cowardly Pentens won’t step up.’

The Penten Kingdom was a nation with the best weapon production capabilities on the continent.

However, it had long declared itself a neutral country, refusing diplomatic relations with other countries except for trade.

Even if we told them that now was the time to join forces, there was a high possibility that they wouldn’t even listen.

‘Agros is geographically unfavorable. They probably won’t last long.’

The Agros Kingdom possessed the highest level of naval power on the continent.

The problem was that its territory was an isolated land surrounded by the Holy Empire of Gatrren.

There were the Odria Federation and several small and medium-sized kingdoms nearby, but they had all been destroyed.

Information had already come in that a large group of fanatics from Gatrren was heading towards the Agros Kingdom.

The Agros Kingdom, left alone, would not last long.

‘The Domis Kingdom is the most promising, at least.’

Domis Kingdom.

Famous as the land of knights.

Few people believe in the Deusis Order, and it is a traditional powerhouse with a strong military force.

Geographically, it was right next to Drasen, making it the best candidate for cooperation.

‘And the Chersei Kingdom is…’

Olaven Grimier frowned as he continued his thoughts.

“Wait, did you just say the Chersei Kingdom?”

“Yes. The Chersei Kingdom is also currently defending its capital, Chersilton.”

The Chersei Kingdom was a small country located between Gatrren and Drasen.

Recently, it had become a hot topic on the continent for signing a peace treaty and a non-aggression pact with the demons.

“How did the Chersei Kingdom not fall?”

The Chersei Kingdom was originally under the influence of Gatrren, and the proportion of Deusis Order members was correspondingly high.

Its military power was not that strong either.

It was a small country whose territory was less than 1/20th of the Drasen Empire, so its survival seemed unlikely.

It was incomprehensible that such a small kingdom was safe in this chaos.

“That’s… King Ian Nell Chersei personally led the troops and quickly quelled the unrest.”

“So, how was that possible?”

“I’m sorry. The report did not contain the detailed inside story.”

“We need to find out detailed information from now on. No, I need to talk to King Ian Nell Chersei directly, so get in touch.”

“Yes.”

Once the Agros Kingdom was destroyed, Gatrren’s next target would be the Drasen Empire.

It was a certainty that a huge tsunami of fanatics would strike.

If all went well, the Chersei Kingdom between the two countries could be used as a breakwater.

***

Ian Nell Chersei.

The first two things she did after ascending to the throne were:

A massive purge.

And the fostering of elite soldiers.

Neither was particularly difficult.

Many nobles had already died in the incident that occurred on the day she ascended to the throne.

Dealing with the few remaining nobles was simple.

After the purge, she fostered elite soldiers who obeyed only her orders.

In the past, there would have been objections with excuses such as ‘It will offend the Empire’s sensibilities’ or ‘The kingdom’s finances cannot handle it,’ but now there were no nobles left to voice such opinions.

Thanks to this, the fostering of elite soldiers proceeded quickly.

There was no shortage of funds needed for fostering.

The national treasury was overflowing with the wealth confiscated from wiping out most of the country’s high-ranking nobles.

As a result, the Chersei Kingdom had a stronger royal authority and a more perfect centralized system than any other country.

The fact that the territory was small was actually an advantage in this situation.

“As soon as the palace is cleared, we will recapture the capital, Chersilton.”

Thanks to these various conditions, the Chersei Kingdom was able to stabilize its capital faster than any other country.

“Don’t hesitate, and cut off their breath for sure. You have to cut off their necks.”

With her clear mind, she understood how to suppress the fanatics and issued orders.

In this era, labor was more important than anything else, but she did not hesitate to kill her own people.

The same was true of the newly fostered elite soldiers.

They mercilessly killed the people in the capital, even their own families.

Thanks to the emotionally barren king and the soldiers who followed her, the Chersei Kingdom was able to prevent the Empire’s Devotion with minimal damage.

“Hehehe! Open the door!”

“Let’s go to rest! Ehehehe! Rest!”

“Aaaaaah!”

So, three days had passed.

Ian Nell Chersei was standing on the wall, looking outside.

A group of fanatics from somewhere was roughly pushing against the castle gate.

“Pour the oil.”

“Yes.”

The pre-prepared, boiling oil falls down.

Sizzle-!

“Aaaaaah! It’s divine punishment!”

“It’s hot! Hehe! God is angry! Hahaha!”

The screams of the fanatics are heard.

They did not die even as their limbs melted.

Their skin melted and regenerated repeatedly, transforming into grotesque figures.

A gruesome sight that sent shivers down one’s spine just by looking at it.

However, Ian’s eyes, which were watching it, contained no emotion.

“Mages. Is the preparation for the fire magic complete?”

“Preparation is complete.”

“Activate it.”

As her command fell, the prepared magic was fired.

Flames were poured over the people who were covered in hot oil.

Whoosh!

“Ehehehehe! Divine punishment…! Divine punishment…!”

“Hehe… Rest has come…”

The screams mixed with laughter subsided.

The smell of grilling meat rose nauseatingly.

No matter how fanatical they were, they could not withstand being covered in hot oil and burning.

“Clean up. Collect the corpses and burn them again for sure.”

“Understood.”

At her command, the knight bowed his head and disappeared.

Now, citizens must be mobilized to clear the hundreds of corpses piled up in front of the castle walls.

Ian did not bother using soldiers for such menial tasks.

Instead, she forcibly conscripted citizens and put them to work.

Since most people were stuck at home because they could not go outside the city anyway.

Helping with these chores was for the sake of the country.

There was resistance.

No, it was very extreme.

Since the capital had a relatively large number of wealthy people, the resistance was bound to be even stronger.

However, Ian did not bat an eye.

“It’s a good thing since the food situation isn’t good anyway.”

Hundreds of citizens died overnight.

With their heads cut off.

The resistance quickly subsided.

The citizens became obedient and compliant.

“How is the investigation going? Is it still the same?”

“Yes. As a result of observing for three days, there is no change. They are still looking for God and showing strong aggression.”

In addition to what was said earlier, Ian began one study on the first day of the disaster.

A study on fanatics.

Confining fanatics who were captured alive and observing their various reactions.

“They can run wild for three days without drinking water, let alone food, and without sleeping. How is that possible?”

“We are mainly investigating corpses, but we still have no idea. Regarding mind control, we don’t know what principle it works on…”

“So, you don’t know anything after all.”

At that moment, a cool chill flashed in Ian’s eyes.

The person who was reporting was startled and lowered his head.

“I, I’m sorry! Your Majesty!”

“It’s okay, please keep up the good work.”

“Of course!”

“However, keep in mind that we don’t have much time left.”

“Yes!”

The reporter bows his head once again.

He interpreted ‘no time’ as a shortage of food, but that was not what Ian meant.

‘The fanatics flocking to the capital now are only a fraction of the whole. The real wave is yet to come.’

The countless people in the Holy Empire of Gatrren.

All the people, dozens of times the population of the Chersei Kingdom, would have become fanatics.

What are they doing now?

‘First, they’ll clean up the countries in the rear. We’re next.’

Areas that are not adjacent to Drasen, centered on Gatrren.

Countries in isolated areas such as Agros or the Odria Federation will be dealt with first.

Next is the Drasen Empire.

Since the Chersei Kingdom is on the way, it was clear that it would be eliminated along the way.

In short, tens of millions of fanatics will flock here soon.

‘They can move 24 hours a day without getting tired. Assuming the fastest is a week. At the latest, it’s within two weeks…’

There was not much time left.

Find a way to repel them as much as possible within that time, and if not, abandon the capital and run away.

It was when Ian Nell Chersei was organizing her thoughts.

“Your Majesty. We have received a call from the Drasen Empire.”

“Drasen?”

Her aide brought the communication device with the communication mage.

“Yes. It’s Duke Olaven Grimier.”

It was a name I had heard often.

Olaven Grimier of Drasen.

The Emperor’s right-hand man and one of the top five nobles in the Drasen Empire.

Although unofficial, he had visited the Chersei Kingdom several times and had become acquainted with her.

She immediately received the communication device.

“You were looking for me.”

-This is Olaven Grimier of Drasen. Your Majesty. I apologize for contacting you so suddenly.

“It’s okay. It’s a time like this.”

It was not a time to leisurely make arrangements while being polite, so I did not want to nitpick trivial things.

In the first place, the other party was also a duke of the Empire.

“So. What’s going on?”

-I’ll get straight to the point. We are requesting cooperation from the Chersei Kingdom. We are planning to form a joint front through information exchange and military operations.

The corners of Ian’s lips curled up slightly.

The Empire lowers its pride and asks for cooperation from a small country.

She was not foolish enough to be intoxicated by such a thing.

The reason she smiled was because she knew the hidden intentions behind Olaven Grimier’s words.

“So. You need a meat shield to put in front of the rushing fanatics?”

-…I won’t deny it, but this will also benefit the Chersei Kingdom. After all, the kingdom’s power alone will not be able to stop the enemy.

“I’ll politely decline.”

-Your Majesty. You must make a wise decision.

“It’s impossible for us to negotiate on an equal footing right now. So, I’ll contact you again soon. With conditions that the Empire can’t refuse.”

-Your Majesty! There’s no time for that now….

Ian ended the call.

The vassals next to her looked at Ian with a dying face.

“Your Majesty… Shouldn’t we get help from the Empire…?”

“That’s right. If anything happens, we may have to evacuate to the Drasen Empire…”

The vassals spoke as if they were prepared to die.

If we endure like this, we will be torn apart by fanatics anyway.

It was the same whether we did this or that, so they were trying to grab even a straw.

However, Ian ignored their words.

She looked at the royal mage.

“I’m trying to teleport to the opposite side of the continent, can you prepare?”

“Your Majesty. What do you mean by the opposite side of the continent…?”

“The Demon King’s Castle.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the words Demon King’s Castle.

Could it be that they are asking the demons for help now?

The suspicion soon became a reality.

“I have to meet the Demon King.”

A joint front between humans and demons.

That was the only way out that Ian thought of.