Chapter 12

Ch.12 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Sion, having learned to ride a horse, immediately left Elim and headed north.

His anticipation was great, finally stepping out into the world after experiencing so much.

He urged his horse forward with lighthearted energy.

‘If I’m late, my siblings will have nothing to eat. I must hurry.’

Not only the church, but the entire responsibility of aiding the vagrants gathered in Elim’s streets fell upon the church’s shoulders.

Sion was pressed for time. A day and a half had already passed since he left Elim.

He gazed at the horizon. The vast plains were filled with flocks of crows.

Caw— Caw.

Sion halted his horse and muttered to himself.

“What could have caused so many corpses…?”

The ground was stained with blood.

He rode closer to the bodies and dismounted to examine them, quickly noticing something strange.

‘This wasn’t done by bandits.’

The wounds weren’t from ordinary blades.

Instead, it looked as if beasts had torn the flesh clean off.

Moreover, some of the necks bore clear fang marks.

‘This can’t be the work of humans. Monsters?’

A shadow fell over Sion’s face.

Having lived only in the countryside, he hadn’t realized how dangerous and chaotic the world truly was.

Even in this so-called era of peace, things were this bad.

‘Just how…?’

He began to understand the deep wrinkles on his master’s face. How much more horrifying must the past have been?

Silence blanketed the plains.

The wind was unnaturally still.

The scent of blood lingered in the air.

Sion’s senses sharpened.

‘A battle.’

He immediately mounted his horse and spurred it into a full gallop.

He crossed through the field of corpses, descending a slope at breakneck speed.

The wind roared past his ears.

His horse’s mane whipped wildly in the wind.

Strangely, his speed was inhumanly fast.

Sion wondered if the Goddess might be aiding him.

Though he couldn’t feel her touch, the belief that she was watching over him had unknowingly taken root in his heart.

When he arrived, a battle was indeed underway.

‘Knights… and monsters?’

A storm of blood raged across the open plains.

Beast-like monsters were attacking a group of armed men.

The knights, however, refused to retreat.

‘What is that golden light?’

Instead, they swung swords imbued with a golden radiance, overwhelming the monsters.

With flawless formations, they blocked the monsters’ attacks and cut them down with precise, practiced strikes.

Though they seemed to have the upper hand, Sion couldn’t just stand by and watch.

‘This is a good opportunity.’

Even a small act of assistance in the name of the Goddess of War would help spread her renown.

“Ha!”

Sion drew his sword while still riding.

Leaning at a sharp angle, he braced himself with his thighs and core.

Whoosh!

The noble blade Rebecca had given him cleanly severed the head of a leaping monster.

The sudden appearance of a knight charging on horseback momentarily halted the monsters’ assault.

The knights were startled at first but quickly recognized him as an ally and adjusted their formation.

“I don’t know who you are, but thank you! Let’s fight together.”

Instead of answering, Sion leaped from his horse.

The gleaming white sword in his hand flashed.

Grrr…

The monsters began backing away from Sion.

Were they afraid of him?

No.

Monsters didn’t fear humans. No matter how strong a human was, they never retreated.

The only exception was when faced with an overwhelming presence—one that even monsters couldn’t withstand.

A sacred aura, the very thing demonic beings feared most, radiated from Sion.

‘Go forth, my warrior. I will protect you.’

The Goddess of the battlefield willingly exerted her power for Sion.

Unaware of this, Sion’s eyes gleamed as he charged into the horde.

Schlick!

A single, fluid stroke sent a wolf-like monster’s head flying.

Screech…

Already frozen in terror before Sion’s presence, the monsters could only scramble to flee.

Sion and the knights showed no mercy.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

The battle against the monsters ended anticlimactically.

Afterward, the knights knelt before the corpses.

Clasping their hands in prayer, a golden light enveloped the monster remains, dissolving them.

‘They do this before even introducing themselves?’

Sion followed what he had learned from Garfenn.

He plunged his sword into a corpse, letting it drink blood—a ritual offering to the Goddess of War.

The knights didn’t interfere with the monsters Sion had slain.

They only claimed their own kills.

An unspoken rule, it seemed.

***

“Thank you, young knight. Thanks to you, we minimized our losses.”

A man who appeared to be the leader of the knights approached Sion after finishing his prayers.

Removing his gauntlet, he extended a hand.

“I am Roben of the Order of the Holy Sword. We were dispatched to Foils under commission from the Apur Merchant Guild. Seeing you offer prayers, you must be a holy knight as well. Which order do you belong to?”

The Order of the Holy Sword?

This knightly order was far more significant than Sion had anticipated.

The Order of the Holy Sword was an elite force of the Holy Kingdom, a sovereign state formed through the alliance of multiple churches, with the Church of Light at its core.

Rumors claimed they comprised only the most skilled warriors in the entire empire. Devoting their lives to swordplay in service to their goddess, they were the very symbol of martial prowess.

In other words, the Order of the Holy Sword represented the face and will of the Holy Kingdom, standing above all other churches.

Sion shook his hand and introduced himself.

“Sion, of the Church of War.”

Roben flinched and repeated, stunned.

“The Church of War?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I came from Elim.”

“……”

Roben’s expression visibly darkened.

The other knights waiting behind him reacted similarly.

Their gazes turned cold.

Murderous.

‘So this is the look Master spoke of.’

Only now did Sion truly understand.

Just how lonely and solitary the path of the Goddess of War’s apostle truly was.

“No wonder you fed blood to your sword… So the warmongers are extending their claws again? Even stealing credit now. How shameless.”

Roben was far more hostile than expected.

‘Weren’t we just fighting side by side? And now this?’

Though Sion’s fingers itched to draw his blade, he forced himself to remain calm.

His master had surely endured worse without resorting to violence.

A true holy knight didn’t swing his sword on impulse like a bandit or mercenary.

‘But that doesn’t mean I’ll just take this lying down.’

Suppressing his rising anger, Sion replied,

“Is repaying kindness with enmity part of the Church of Light’s doctrine?”

“What did you say?”

Roben gritted his teeth.

His expression was far from that of a dignified holy knight.

“We fought together, and all I get in return is insults. Did I misunderstand something?”

“Watch your tongue.”

Sion met his glare head-on.

“You should take your own advice.”

Roben was momentarily speechless.

Why is this brat so bold?

By all accounts—numbers, reputation, or standing—he shouldn’t be acting so defiantly before the Order of the Holy Sword.

Especially not as a follower of the Church of War.

“You said your name was Sion, of the Church of War?”

“Yes.”

“Since when does the Church of War recruit? As far as I know, Sir Garfenn is the only knight associated with them.”

“Not anymore. I’m his disciple.”

Roben’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.

“Sir Garfenn took a disciple?”

“Is that so shocking?”

Sion’s question was sincere.

He had no idea how Garfenn was perceived by outsiders.

While he expected it wouldn’t be positive, experiencing it firsthand was different.

“They don’t call him the ‘Black Wolf’ for nothing. He’s always been a solitary man.”

Roben added,

“But I suppose enough time has passed. It’s not unheard of for a man his age to take an heir.”

He studied Sion carefully.

Upon confirming he was indeed Garfenn’s disciple, his gaze turned even more hostile.

A palpable killing intent emanated from him.

“Still, your actions don’t sit right with me.”

“Why is that?”

Sion’s mind raced as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Should I just fight?

“Expanding the Church of War’s numbers and grooming a successor can only mean one thing—you’re preparing for something. What is the Church of War plotting? Planning to start a war?”

Sion narrowed his eyes.

“That’s quite the leap in logic.”

“Just the Church of War’s usual behavior.”

His tone was downright petty.

It was hard to believe a knight of the Church of Light could act this way.

‘I’ve had enough.’

Sion concluded that conflict was inevitable.

His hand drifted toward his sword.

“Tch, fine. Let’s drop it.”

“…?”

Roben suddenly retracted his killing intent.

“Without proper justification, armed conflict between churches is forbidden. Consider yourself lucky.”

“Lucky? You’re the one making baseless accusations.”

“You really want to push this?”

“I won’t back down.”

“You’re young, but you’ve got nerve.”

Sion never broke eye contact.

Even facing an adult—and a skilled knight of the Holy Sword at that—he showed no fear.

‘He’s got guts. I’ll give him that.’

Roben seemed to reach a decision and glanced back at his men.

A silent exchange passed between them.

“That sounds good.”

“This could be fun.”

The knights chuckled darkly.

Nothing good was coming from this.

Roben turned back to Sion.

“How about a wager?”

“A wager?”

“We were dispatched to Foils under commission from the Apur Merchant Guild. A holy relic of the Light was lost during transport. We’re here to retrieve it.”

Sion could guess where this was going. The kind of lowly bet only petty men would make.

“Care to cooperate? Since direct conflict is forbidden, let’s see who completes the request first. The winner proves their superior skill.”

Sion narrowed his eyes.

‘At least they’re not completely lawless. A truly despicable group would have just ganged up on me.’

Their scheming was underhanded, but their concern for appearances was almost amusing.

Sion weighed whether this would benefit the Church of War—and by extension, his siblings.

Acting on impulse and playing into their dirty game would only make the Church of War and its goddess a laughingstock.

A strategic approach was necessary.

Sion asked,

“Is this lost item connected to the monster attacks?”

“Correct. Recently, all merchant caravans heading to Foils have been attacked by monsters. Our goal is to find and eliminate the source. Since you’re here, I assume you have a similar objective?”

“That’s right.”

Their interests aligned.

This was a problem he needed to solve anyway. If he could humiliate the Holy Sword knights in the process, all the better.

They likely intended to crush him mercilessly, but that assumed Sion was an ordinary opponent.

‘This is a perfect opportunity.’

Sion was confident.

After all, swordsmanship was his forte.

When it came to battle, he would lose to no one.

“Fine.”

“You accept? Truly?”

“Yes.”

“Hah. I was only planning to teach you a light lesson, but… too late for regrets now.”

“The regrets will be yours.”

Heheh. Sinister laughter rose from the grown men behind Roben.

‘Is the Church of War’s standing really this low?’

Even common bandits would treat him better.

Disappointment in the Church of Light piled up in Sion’s heart.

“Well, you are from the Church of War. Naturally belligerent.”

Sion shrugged.

Think what you want.

You’ll regret it soon enough.

“Very well. Recently, the monsters near Foils have been acting unusually organized.”

“Someone’s controlling them?”

“Sharp. Most likely.”

“So whoever captures the mastermind first wins?”

“Exactly.”

Roben grinned, as if delighted by a new toy.

“If you win, we’ll hand over our commission reward and additional compensation. How about it? We’ll even throw in offerings for your goddess.”

Offerings for the goddess?

The corner of Sion’s mouth twitched upward.

Gambling with divine offerings? How could I refuse?

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