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Episode 362 Victory and defeat
Even though they miraculously avoided massacre, there were still casualties.
Those who took up arms against the unexpected stampede shed no small amount of blood, and many corpses were mutilated by the attacks of the skeletal dragons.
More than half of the missing people are unknown as to their life or death.
As the debris was cleared, the number of missing people decreased and the number of dead increased, but more people were not found.
The bodies that were found were collected without leaving any trace.
They moved him to the cemetery, held a dignified funeral, and the Luasians prayed for his repose with hymns.
Leaving such sorrow behind, Sacred continued with minimal recovery work.
They hired people who could build temporary shelters, monitor for intruders, maintain security, and transport debris to maintain stability in the city.
If you're busy, then you're busy.
Because the scale of destruction was so large, it was physically quite a burden.
That's why the taverns of Sacred were crowded with people who had finished their assigned tasks.
The Mithril Adventurer Party, Manhado was one of them.
"Cheers!"
The leader of Manha, Skald, emptied his glass in one gulp.
As the ale runs down my throat, a warm sensation rises.
Kyaaa. He let out a sigh that reeked of alcohol and rubbed his bushy beard.
“Well, the best drink is the one right after a hard day of work. Here, let’s each add another glass!”
“Yes, I’ll be out soon!”
The employee answered immediately and ran into the kitchen.
A moment later, six glasses of ale were placed on the table. Unlike the warm interior of the tavern, it was extremely cold.
The skald took the cup himself and placed it in front of the opponent across from him.
“But Asher. Now that I think about it, I never dreamed I would meet you here.”
“It’s the same.”
Verden lightly held the glass and sipped Gelton's drink, his face quickly turning red from the alcohol.
───I heard from my colleagues that there is a famous tourist attraction in the Republic of Beldirn. I think I will be leaving the kingdom soon.
This was a conversation that took place when Gelton finally mastered the fire attribute.
'But who would have thought that the tourist attraction was talking about Sacred?'
Besides, I never would have guessed that after all this time, you would still be here.
Vermin shrugged.
“Actually, aside from visiting the Adventurer’s Headquarters when we were promoted to Mithril rank, we’ve never been outside the Eastern Continent.”
“Yes, that’s why the Republic’s culture is so unique. There’s a lot to see… Ah, ahem. By the way, Asher, thank you for joining us so readily, even though I came unexpectedly.”
“There’s no need to thank me for that.”
“Haha, still.”
Originally, Verden had planned to see Gelton's face at least once before leaving Sacred.
Even though we had already met… … the sight of him firing a <flame arrow> at the skeletal dragon from the top of the wall was quite impressive.
“Well, since we’re on the subject, Asher, we owe you so much. You saved our lives when we might have been buried here.”
Skald's companions nodded in unison.
“And he also gave fire to Gelton, who could only use water and ice magic.”
“It was part of a commission. I was paid for it.”
“Haha! Isn’t it the same either way? After all, I was taught by such a great magician as you!”
As they are high-ranking adventurers, they are good listeners.
Asher, the new ruler of Loafra.
The person I'm drinking with right now is the owner of the largest underworld in the Eastern Continent.
But such amazing facts are now like fireflies before a full moon.
The magic and the realm where they joined forces with the Archbishop of the Luas Church and the successor of Dark Wotton to confront and subdue the Bone Dragon, a transcendent species of the undead world.
I took in every single moment of the sight that was hard to believe even when I saw it with my own eyes and that would later be recorded in history.
Cleric, Kedian exhaled cautiously.
“……It feels like only yesterday that I was subduing the spirits in the Kingdom of Estyria.”
“At that time, Asher alone subdued the angry spirit.”
“It was almost a year ago……. But is it really possible for a wizard’s level to rise so steeply, Gelton?”
“Haha, don’t think logically, Vermin. That makes you a genius.”
Everyone except Verden mentioned the spirit incident, recalling what happened last year.
Angry spirit.
Monsters attacking from all sides.
The sense of urgency I felt at that time naturally flowed out of my memory.
Now that spirit… … Blue has come back to life and is with Fernet.
Of course, it was unnecessary, so Verden pretended not to know and kept his mouth shut.
Archer Rubina rested her chin on her armpit, fidgeting.
“The king of the underworld, the 6th-tier wizard… and now that you’ve made the Republic owe you a huge debt, wouldn’t it be better if you could become a noble?”
“I have no intention of being tied down to the Republic. And I am already a noble.”
“Yeah…… huh?”
The adventurers' eyes were gathered together.
“A nobleman? Where?”
“Kingdom of Estiria.”
“So, what’s your title?”
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“Honorary Count.”
Honorary Count of the Kingdom of Estyria.
Even if he had no fief, he was a high-ranking noble in practice.
The skald bowed his head.
“Excuse me.”
“I don’t care, just treat me like I am.”
“Then at least let go. It’s uncomfortable.”
“Well, if that’s convenient.”
To Verden, titles are nothing more than useful statuses.
Therefore, there was no sense of privilege or superiority typical of the aristocracy.
With that attitude, the atmosphere that had been frozen for a moment was rekindled.
One by one, the empty glasses began to increase, and gradually the adventurers began to feel the effects of alcohol.
“Compared to before, Gelton is a completely different person now! He drinks well, exercises, and is even brave enough to cast magic on a bone dragon!”
“I, I didn’t know that……!”
The tavern gradually becomes more and more noisy.
Verden, whose complexion still remained unchanged, often answered questions directed at him or listened to the adventurers' stories.
As time passed, the sunset faded and the night sky became dark.
Now it was the last glass.
“Excuse me, can I finish this up?”
“Of course.”
“Ahem ahem.”
Gelton cleared his throat and spoke in an unusually loud voice.
“For the sake of the sacredness of the Eastern Continent───!”
The main character pointed to by the loud toast is none other than Verden.
It wasn't just Manha's party members who reacted to it.
Everyone sitting in the tavern joined in, raising their glasses as if they had made a promise.
For the sake of divinity───!
It was a blessing for the benefactor who saved the city and lives.
* * *
A few days later, a Republic airship arrived in Sacred to pick up Verden and his party.
“This ship will not be heading to the capital of the Republic, but to a place called Tersau. We will make sure to accommodate you without any inconvenience, Your Majesty.”
The captain of the plane politely explained the route.
He was not the only one who showed the utmost courtesy towards the nobles of other countries.
Verden climbed straight up onto the deck to leave as quietly as possible, but before he could take off, the city's upper echelons sensed his presence and came running in panic.
The council members who were in charge of commanding Sacred in place of Brillan came to visit in person and made a plausible greeting.
They all expressed gratitude, but there was some hypocrisy mixed in.
Since they didn't really care what was said anyway, Verden, Adrian, and Leila just let it slide.
And they weren't the only ones who came out to see him off.
“Everyone! Always take care of yourself!!”
Bishop Lena smiled innocently and waved her hand vigorously.
Haldirn nodded his head slightly in greeting, and Archbishop Joseph clasped his hands together in prayer.
“May the blessings of Luas be with you.”
The time of our farewell was short because we already knew we were breaking up.
Hooooooooo.
Soon the aircraft took off and headed into the sky.
Bishop Lena now reached out with her other arm and waved it vigorously until the ship disappeared from sight.
Haldirn felt the emptiness of his empty wallet and stared at the flying machine moving away.
“The Master said that a new magical transcendentalist would be born soon. At the time, I thought he was just seeing a talented fifth-tier magician… but in reality, it was much more than that.”
“It goes without saying that Asher will have a huge impact on the world in the future.”
Haldirn and Joseph clearly knew that he was no ordinary magician because of the incident with the Bone Dragon.
Some abilities that are clearly beyond human capabilities.
It was a glimpse of the transcendent.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before… but that’s why I’m relieved that he’s not a villain. A transcendent being intoxicated with power is a threat to the continent itself.”
“I can’t promise. Everything changes… Hmm, if possible, I’d like to be the next Transcendent.”
Haldirn felt a strong sense of competition from Verden.
I thought that a 6th-tier wizard was the end for humans, but it's even higher than that.
It's been a long time since I've felt this excited.
Haldirn, who had been mulling over the emotional changes, changed the subject.
“Rather than that, it’s probably the glory of the corpse that resurrected the bone dragon.”
“Yes, it must have been using death itself as a resource. It was said that the monster was destroyed… but I didn’t know that it would be recreated.”
“Even if they are remnants of the past, they have been around for 800 years. The fact that they have shown up in the present era means that they are well prepared.”
“That must be true. It’s fortunate that we were able to recover the body of the former king.”
The right arm of the former king, currently stored in a wooden box.
That day was very eventful, but I fulfilled my duty as an archbishop.
The glory of the corpse has failed.
The light pushed away the darkness that had gripped the Kylians and the Republic.
However, the problem was that the current results were not the end.
“Joseph, do you think that the glory of the corpse will not serve its purpose?”
“It will. It has to be. But, but if that happens…….”
A dark shadow fell over Joseph's face as he imagined the worst possible future.
“This world will be engulfed in war.”
There is no telling how much death will cover the world.
That's why I'm scared.
But the world will never be plunged into darkness forever.
That's why you can face it confidently.
Because we believe that in the end we can overcome───because we are certain that light will always win.
* * *
Somewhere on the continent, deep within a mountain range, there once existed an artificial structure.
A pungent smell that evokes an instinctive aversion.
An old and worn-out landscape that cannot be described as quaint.
Numerous gaps extending from floor to ceiling.
Wherever you look, traces of countless years are evident.
Candles that would never melt were placed on the candle holders installed on the wall at regular intervals.
Their faint flames merged with the darkness, dimly illuminating the huge table at the center of the space.
There were three people there.
“The fourth servant, Kaecilius Chaeren, is dead. The bone dragon that was resurrected by accumulating the deaths of all living beings that occurred on the Eastern Continent has also been subdued. At the very least, we were unable to kill many lives. Tsk, this is a defeat without any room for excuses.”
The second servant, speaking in a thin voice, shifted his gaze.
An ancient display case installed on one side.
Beyond the transparent glass, there are parts of someone's body left behind: ears, fingers, bones, nose, etc.
Among them, the ring finger of Kaecilius' right hand was also preserved.
The third servant stroked his long beard calmly.
“The saintess of that time is certainly dangerous. Who would have thought that she could inflict that much damage on the Bone Dragon with a holy spear fired from across the continent? She deserves to be evaluated as the strongest in the history of the Luas Church.”
“But the bone dragon didn’t die like that. The young wizard who had interfered with us in the kingdom was in charge of finishing it off.”
“The deity of the Eastern Continent who killed Kaesilus… I’m sure it was Asher. Hmm, that power was truly strange.”
They saw the end of Kaesilus.
Repeated deaths by magic.
Although I couldn't see the complete memory, some scenes were engraved in my mind.
“He was closer to a transcendent being than a human. Is it possible that he was born a transcendent being and inherited some of that blood?”
“It’s not a bloodline issue. No matter how much blood you inherit, there’s never been a case like this before. Not 800 years ago, not even now.”
The second servant shrugged.
“But it’s too weak to be considered a natural transcendent being… If I had to say, I would say it’s closer to a kind of mutation.”
“Mutant. That makes sense.”
“It doesn’t matter if he’s a mutant or whatever.”
Then the first servant, who had been keeping silent, spoke.
“It is a pity that Kaesilus is absent, but in the end, death is only a temporary state. Everything else is the worst of all possible outcomes, but it is also one of the expected trends.”
He stretched out his hand, covered in a pitch-black glove, forward.
A map engraved on a huge piece of parchment, the source of which is unknown, spread out on a table.
Only the shapes of the continents are drawn, without any indication of countries.
On top of it were six tiny models of body parts.
“We obtained the left leg of the great corpse from the Kingdom of Estyria. Then we lost the right arm from the Republic of Veldirn.”
The models move according to your hand movements.
After a long period of tracking the traces, most of the locations have been revealed.
'Three' in the Kingdom of Luas.
'One' in the glory of the corpse.
“And this time, I discovered the whereabouts of my left arm in the Western Continent.”
In this way, a total of 'five' models were placed on the map.
There is only one thing that lies outside of cognition.
“Now, only the head remains.”
No matter what mutants appear, the Luasian Church, Dark Warton, or whatever sabotage this world puts into, it cannot be stopped.
Part of the staircase leading to the destination, whether defeat or failure.
It will begin the moment the whereabouts of all body parts are confirmed.
The glory of the corpse only desires the resurrection of the great corpse.
It is the fulfillment of a long-awaited contract that was never fulfilled.