Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 160

Episode 160: Parish of Silence (2)

“Glos Garcia, Commander of the Knights of the Kingdom of Estyria, go south and destroy the evil that comes from death with light.”

“With noble light.”

Gloss, who saluted Bishop Nebiron, led the Knights south.

An unprecedented undead crisis in the history of the kingdom.

Reports say the number is at least in the thousands. Furthermore, if the bodies of those killed by the undead are contaminated with evil spirits, it will cause the birth of new undead.

If we sit back and watch, death will become widespread.

According to the doctrine and divine command of the Church of Luas, the knights willingly took up their swords to destroy the evil alien species that denied the light.

Kwajajak! Kwajajajak!

Their bodies and minds are strengthened by divine powers, making them the natural enemies of demons and the undead.

The hundreds of undead hordes blocking the path were annihilated by the light without even being able to put up a decent resistance. The advance of the Knights of the Order against the darkness was as unstoppable as the sunlight illuminating the world.

After regrouping in the city of Wellsley, they once again roamed the plains to subdue the undead.

“Chief Gloss, I see smoke over there.”

I followed the gaze of the Paladin Gelcia.

White smoke was rising over the hill.

It's a fairly large fire in terms of scale.

And that means the fire hasn't been out for long. From experience, there's a high chance that the village has been attacked by the undead.

Survivors could not be identified as they were still out of sight.

So, I had no choice but to look for it myself.

I ran across the meadow and climbed a large hill.

Below the hill, the knights stationed in the village could be seen, and the civilians protected between them.

'That's… … .'

I had never seen them in person, but I had heard of them many times through rumors. The knights in white armor. The knights, who had picked up speed, soon arrived at the village.

Gloss pulled on the reins and stopped the horse.

In front of him stood a knight with crimson hair.

Gloss greeted him from the horse.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Callia de Esperenza.”

Gloss placed his fist against the crucifix carved into his armor.

“I am Glos Garcia, Commander of the Knights of the Kingdom of Estyria.”

* * *

Bishop Nebiron is suspicious.

In that case, how could I not be suspicious of the Commander of the Knights? I may be thinking too much, but I cannot trust him as he is a knight of the Luas Church.

So, let's find out the truth here.

How far does the glorious hand of the corpse extend?

Kalia politely requested a conversation.

“I have something important to tell you. Would you mind spending a moment with me?”

So, Kalia and Gloss met face to face at the town hall.

Behind each of them sat Verden, Vespa, and their adjutant Gelcia.

Gloss said.

“I’m sorry, but we have a long way to go. So, please keep this brief.”

We've defeated many undead along the way, but many still remain.

The urgent task was to cut them off before the damage spread further.

Above all, Gloss is a devout believer who has dedicated his life to the Luasian faith.

Regardless of whether the opponent was the child of a marquis of high prestige, a member of the royal family, or even the emperor, following the orders of the church was the top priority.

In his eyes, there was an undead somewhere, not the Kalia party in front of him. Neither great wealth, nor a splendid woman, nor great power could shake Gloss's heart.

Kalia nodded.

“Okay, then I’ll get straight to the point.”

She looked into Gloss' eyes.

“Do you know about the Commander’s Orb?”

“Hmm? Of course. It was obtained from the glory of the corpse by Lady Esperance. The church highly regards the efforts and sacrifices of Lady Esperance.”

“Thank you for your words. But what is the current status of the Commander’s Orb?”

“The bishops are joining forces to gradually purify it.”

Information was conflicting.

“Is that so? I understand that there has been little progress in purifying the Commander’s Orb.”

“……!”

Gloss's eyes shook.

Judging from his physical reaction, he looked genuinely embarrassed. After briefly observing his complexion, Kalia handed him the letter from Bishop Nebiron.

“Bishop Nebiron sent it to me. Please read it.”

Gloss frowned as he received the letter.

Then he carefully unfolded it and read the sentences. Gloss's expression as he looked at the words gradually became more complicated.

“This, this is…….”

Information about the Commander's Orb was top secret.

A complexly intertwined aura of death that could not be purified even with the divine power of a bishop. It was not complete, either because the power had been consumed for some reason or because it had not yet been completed.

But still, the power felt within it was ominous and harsh.

What on earth were the warlocks planning to do with this?

It was obvious that whatever it was, it would bring about results that were contrary to the light.

So I hid it thoroughly. In order to avoid being exposed to danger, it was best to remain unknown. Even if it was Kalia who handed over the Orb of the Commander.

Therefore, there are no one else but the four bishops and the commander of the knights, Gloss, who have the location and information about the Commander's Orb.

'But why are you revealing such confidential information?'

And it was none other than Bishop Nebiron.

He was kind and just, but he was principled in the face of evil, and as far as Glos knew, Bishop Nebiron had never made a compromise outside of his principles.

“Is something wrong?”

Gloss answered Kalia's question.

“The writing in this letter… is Bishop Nebiron’s handwriting, but it’s strange. He would never reveal confidential information in this way….”

If so, then it means that the Commander's jewel purification failed.

But the questions aren't over yet.

“The basis of the Commander’s Orb. Does it exist?”

Gloss read the letter to the end.

He looked up from the letter and shook his head.

“No, I’ve never heard of it.”

* * *

“Are you saying you’ve never been tasked with destroying the foundation?”

“Let alone the mission, even the foundation is unfamiliar. To begin with, the knights, including myself, were staying in the parish before the undead incident occurred. During that time, not a single knight was drafted separately.”

This is confirmed.

Bishop Nebiron is a traitor.

I don't know when he started joining them, but it was clear that he was the one who set Kalia up.

Then Gloss and Gelcia were embarrassed.

“Eh, Lady Esperance, what are you talking about? The bishop is a traitor?”

Kalia summarized the events at the tomb and explained them to Gloss.

Meanwhile, Verden was lost in thought.

First question, Bishop Nebiron's false letter.

Verden's impression of him was simple.

'It's too sloppy.'

Bishop Nebiron's letter would have been immediately exposed if shown to just the parish priest. As if to prove it, it was immediately revealed through cross-examination.

By any measure, it was a far cry from being a perfect trick.

Why did the glory of the corpse fabricate such a ridiculous lie?

… … No, wait.

'There was no need to completely deceive in the first place.'

Already, due to a false letter, Kalia and her knights were trapped in the tomb.

Even though it was sloppy, it did its job. If it weren't for the variable called Verden, it would have been very difficult for them to survive.

Even if he had avoided the store right away, he would have starved to death in the deepest part of the second floor.

'If the purpose of the letter was to kill Kalia, then it makes sense. It was definitely effective.'

Next, the second question is about the undead situation.

The undead army that is currently ravaging the southern part of the kingdom.

Everyone, including nobles and adventurers, is trying to deal with it in some way. The parish is even sending out a group of knights, so it can be said that the kingdom's attention is focused on this.

At that moment, a thought crossed Verden's mind.

“The purpose is to attract attention for a moment…?”

“……A gaze?”

Everyone's eyes were focused on Verden's soliloquy.

Verden turned his head to Gloss, who was demanding an explanation.

“How many troops are left in the parish now?”

“Aside from me, other knights and priests have formed parties and been dispatched throughout the south. The damage from the undead is too extensive.”

“So that means the parish’s defenses are at their weakest right now.”

Only then did Verden become convinced.

“Asher, don’t you mean……”

Starting with Kalia, it seemed like Verden had a vague understanding of what he was trying to say.

But no one dared to speak out. No matter what, it was too much of a conclusion.

Verden said without caring.

So, that is.

“The purpose of the corpse’s glory is to retrieve the Commander’s Orb.”

It was simple revenge that trapped Kalia.

However, the undead army is a different story.

Because of that, all the kingdom's nerves were focused on the south. As I said before, the power of the parish was sent out to subdue the undead.

A weakened defense system.

But does that mean that a warlock would dare to raid a parish? Common sense would tell you that he wouldn't.

Because the miracles of the Church of Luas are fatal to black magic.

The problem, however, is that the glory of the corpse is not a group that exists within common sense.

“I understand what you’re saying. But now? If you were going to retrieve the jewels earlier, wouldn’t it have been better to just steal them while they were being transported to the parish?”

Two months have passed since the Commander's Jewel was transferred to the parish.

But now you're trying to get the jewel back.

I couldn't understand why they would go to such lengths to let such an important item go to the Luas Church parish.

To which Verden replied:

“It’s possible that he simply realized the whereabouts of the Commander’s Orb too late… but that’s probably not the case.”

If so, there are two reasons for moving now.

Or that it took some time to make some preparations to use the Commander's Orb.

Or if there is another purpose other than recovering the Commander's Orb.

Maybe it's both.

I'm not sure which of these it is.

Whatever it was, one thing was clear.

“The parish is in danger.”

* * *

Kalia chose only the best of the best and headed to the parish, leaving behind the wounded knights and those who would care for them or protect the refugees.

Gloss was also convinced by Verden's thoughts, and felt the seriousness of the situation, so he selected personnel other than those in charge of the undead subjugation force.

Immediately afterwards, he handed over the position of commander to another knight and joined them on their way to the parish.

Several days of forced marching followed.

After only minimal rest, they reached the parish in less than five days. Even the specially trained, strong steeds were out of breath and fell to the ground.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Purruk.

The steed neighed at Kalia's touch.

Everyone got off their horses and approached the parish walls.

Gloss glanced around the gate and blushed.

“……Fortunately, the sacred power protecting the gate and walls is intact.”

At least externally, this means that there was no forced intrusion.

But it was still too early to feel at ease.

“……Where on earth are the guards guarding the gates?”

Even though we reached the gate, no voice was heard.

There was a quiet, ominous silence, as if no one was there. Verden activated the magic circuit.

“I’ll check in a moment and come back.”

Verden soared into the sky.

The interior of the parish, which was protected by the sacred curtain all day long, could not be seen with the naked eye. So, there was no choice but to break the curtain.

<Earth Javelin>

Boom! Boom!

Focused the impact on one area of the curtain with a highly penetrating magic.

It is certainly sturdy enough to be a protective shield protecting the parish, but it is difficult to withstand being hit in the same spot multiple times by magic strengthened by a magic book.

Exactly the 7th.

A tiny crack was engraved in the curtain where the earth's spear was inserted.

'It's now.'

A giant window into the earth.

It released a blast of compressed air behind it.

Kwajijijik!

The magic that had been fiercely shot out finally penetrated the sacred barrier. Part of the protective barrier collapsed, and the hidden interior finally began to be revealed.

and.

"……this."

A parish of silence in Verden's sight.

The inside was stained with untold amounts of blood and corpses.