Chapter 78

Ch.78 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Kegan closed his eyes and lowered his head.

His hands trembled violently on his knees. He barely held himself upright with Jena’s support, but clearly wasn’t in good condition.

Sion asked cautiously.

“…Did you recognize the face?”

For a moment, Kegan’s mouth remained tightly shut. He couldn’t lift his head. After catching his breath, he finally opened his mouth.

“Yes. An old comrade.”

Even uttering that brief sentence seemed agonizing for Kegan. His brows furrowed, and he kept shaking his head.

“Long ago, I led a unit. Fifteen men. All of them were outstanding comrades. They laughed easily, fought well…”

He removed his hands from his face and raised his head. His dry eyes trembled.

“I killed them all. They died because of one wrong decision I made. Wiped out completely. And yet… one of their faces was among them.”

Kegan recalled the Apostle of Decay. That one intact face was unmistakably that of his former comrade.

“I saw it clearly. The Apostle of Decay. That face. It was my former comrade!”

Kegan’s breathing grew increasingly ragged. He barely managed to squeeze out the words.

“Why… why would the Apostle of Decay have my senior’s former comrade’s face?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know! Why? I can’t forgive this. This is desecration!”

Sion’s eyes also turned cold.

Indeed, it was an unforgivable act.

Separately, they needed to find out why the Apostle of Decay had the face of Kegan’s former subordinate.

‘First of all, the problem is that the Decay Cult has established itself at Kashibelli Rock.’

They must have settled there, absorbing the land’s spiritual energy to grow stronger.

It wouldn’t be strange if they had obtained the corpses of people buried at Kashibelli during that process.

‘Maybe the Evil God of Decay has bad intentions, trying to mock Senior Kegan.’

There was something Kegan didn’t remember.

That was the fact that his comrade had died and been buried at Kashibelli.

Having lost his memory, Kegan only knew the face and carried the guilt that his comrade had died because of him.

It was frightening to think how he would react if he learned that his former comrade was buried at Kashibelli.

But it was an issue Kegan would inevitably have to face.

It was his mission, his karmic burden,

A sin that must be settled.

“Haa, haa— What in the world? What’s happening?”

Kegan, having lost his memory, clearly showed signs of anxiety. In this state, they couldn’t take him to Kashibelli.

Measures were necessary.

Sion looked at him silently, then quietly added one sentence.

“Whatever the reason, the fact remains that it’s unforgivable.”

“What?”

Kegan looked at Sion with trembling eyes.

That gaze still belonged to someone who couldn’t forgive himself.

“We can’t know all the sinister intentions of the demon worshippers. But one thing is certain—they desecrated the dead. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

Kegan struggled to steady his breathing and nodded. His eyes were terrifying, as if he wanted to become a vengeful ghost at any moment.

“Everyone, could you gather around for a moment?”

Sion raised his voice from the center of a circular pit surrounded by mercenaries.

“Our final destination is a place called Kashibelli. The Apostle of Decay is waiting for us there.”

“It’s a trap.”

Jena added.

“Of course it is. But we still have to go. If we leave it be, this entire region will become horrifyingly corrupted.”

Kegan struggled to his feet and stood before Sion.

After hesitating briefly, he spoke calmly.

“I will… lead the way.”

Surprised gazes turned to Kegan.

“That bastard desecrated my precious former comrade. I can never forgive him.”

His memories weren’t clear.

But thanks to Sion pinpointing the core issue, he could now focus on one thing.

Regardless of any circumstances, the Apostle of Decay had insulted his former comrade.

Everything else was secondary.

Kegan looked at the members of the Black Banner Unit and spoke.

“I’m not forcing anyone. It’s dangerous. From this moment, the Black Banner Unit is disbanded.”

“What are you saying! Commander!”

“Damn it, the old geezer’s at it again.”

“He’s losing his mind. We’re not going along with this nonsense. What’s he raving about now?”

Despite the fierce opposition from the unit members, Kegan remained unmoved. He was completely stubborn.

“This was decided the moment I started traveling with Sion.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Commander. Explain properly.”

The Black Banner Unit seemed on the verge of disbanding overnight. This was something they had never imagined.

“I formed this mercenary group when you were still wet behind the ears. Back then, I had comrades. I served in the War Cult with them, worshipping the Goddess.”

“We’ve never heard this before?”

Most didn’t know. Only the officers, including Jena, had heard it once.

“At one point, we undertook a mission together. My wrong judgment caused all of them to die. The shock was so great that I can’t remember what happened at the time.”

Only…

The names and faces of his comrades.

The guilt that they died because of him.

“That’s all I’ve lived with until now.”

Kegan confessed calmly.

“My time with you as mercenaries was to forget the comrades I killed with my own hands. Helping people was to ease my own conscience. I’m sorry.”

“Cut the sentimental crap!”

“Damn it! What the hell is this nonsense?”

“Are you saying we’ve just been playing around?”

Jena glared at the unit member.

“Who do you think would believe this at face value?”

“Hah!”

“…I’m not asking for forgiveness. This is where it ends. You’ve also followed me, accumulating debts with nobles, the royal palace, and various cults.”

Kegan explained his long-planned decision.

“Use those claims to get money and live safely. No more difficult mercenary life.”

“Commander…”

“Hah, putting on airs. Damn it! Who asked you to do this?”

“Go to hell.”

The unit members’ eyes reddened. Their words were harsh, but their true feelings were different.

“Stop your nonsense. We’re going too.”

Someone spoke.

“Exactly. After coming this far, disband? Di-sol-ve? Are you crazy? How much debt do you owe us?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

The unit members began to respond one by one. What they wanted wasn’t to be coldly disbanded here and each seek their own survival.

“Is the loyalty we’ve built worth this little?”

“You want us to abandon you just because there’s danger ahead? Screw off, you damn old geezer.”

“We’ll die watching you die. Got it!?”

Their hearts united and shone brightly. Jena also wiped away tears, her nose wrinkling.

Kegan was distressed. This wasn’t what he wanted.

“I… don’t want to lose my subordinates again. Please understand my feelings.”

“Who’s dying?”

“We won’t die. We’re the Black Banner Unit!”

“Don’t you understand? We’re going to fight the Apostle of Decay. It’s on a completely different level from fighting humans or mere monsters.”

Kegan warned, glaring fiercely. But no one was convinced by his words to run away.

On the contrary.

“If the enemy is strong, we should go together.”

“I’ve been thinking since I first met you—you’re not leader material. You’re an idiot.”

“Exactly.”

“You guys, really…!”

Kegan showed slight anger.

This wasn’t something to be brushed off with jokes.

“Right now, we don’t have divine power—we can’t even breathe properly! We’ll die the moment we arrive!”

“What about you then!”

“If you can’t do anything when you get there, why go!”

“I am—!”

That was when it happened.

The boy smiled and intervened in the discussion.

“Hey, calm down. Everyone.”

“Look, we’re in the middle of a discussion. Outsiders shouldn’t butt in.”

A unit member growled.

Sion shrugged and met the glare.

“I have a solution. A very clean and sophisticated method. Future-oriented.”

“What?”

“What’s he talking about now?”

Sion spoke.

“Going is good. It’s reassuring. But that place Kashibelli—its air itself is rotten, full of poison. You don’t have divine power like me, so you’ll suffocate and die the moment you arrive.”

“You know well.”

“So what? What do you suggest?”

Sion sighed, then drew a holy sign and spoke.

“So, everyone, believe in the Goddess.”

Silence fell over the crowd.

After a brief moment, people began to speak.

“…What?”

“What?”

“What are you saying now?”

The mercenaries wore expressions of disbelief.

“No, really. It’s very simple. Have faith. Believe in the Goddess of War Achille, whom I follow.”

Sion spoke seriously.

“You all said you follow Senior Kegan, right?”

“Yeah, we did.”

“Since Senior Kegan has decided to follow me, you automatically become War Cult disciples.”

“Is that how it works?”

One slightly crazy unit member tilted his head. Jena slapped his back hard.

“…Ouch. Seriously, go easy. But wait, hold on. Are you proselytizing religion to us right now?”

“Are you selling medicine?”

“Showing your true colors as a fraud at a time like this?”

“I never liked that kid from the beginning.”

“Believe it or not.”

Sion shrugged.

“But do you have another way? Can you fulfill the Commander’s wish without the help of the Goddess of War?”

Confidence grew in Sion’s voice. His eloquence became increasingly natural, his arguments stronger.

“As of today, the Black Banner Unit is disbanded. At the same time, it is reborn.”

Sion suddenly leaped over the people and seized the Black Banner Unit’s flag from the camp.

Then he threw it to the ground.

Everyone focused on Sion’s dramatic action.

Sion began drawing on the black banner lying on the ground. With blood drawn from his palm.

On the previously blank black banner, a sword and cross were drawn.

“The Order of the War Knight.”

Sion murmured after completing the drawing.

“From today, you are all members of the Order of the War Knight.”

It was nothing.

A casually spoken sentence.

A boy who hadn’t even properly introduced himself to each other

Had ignited a fire in the hearts of the Black Banner Unit.

The Black Banner.

The blank background seemed to symbolize those who had lost their families and connections during war, wandering without roots.

No background.

No foundation.

No place to go.

But by meeting the Black Banner Unit, they gained a background.

For their lives, which had been unstable and dark with an uncertain future, a picture was finally drawn.

A sword and cross.

The mark of the Goddess of War.

The grace of war had descended here.

“Let us go together.”

The knight of the Goddess of War proposed.

“I need your strength. Let’s fight the Evil God and save the world.”

Their hearts burned.

It was also the words these people, who had nearly lost their place again, most wanted to hear.

Let’s go together.

Dream the same dream.

Fight.

“What do you think?”

Sion turned to look at Kegan.

This was a proposal to the unit members, but also a question to Kegan.

Return to the War Cult.

To your home.

To Achille’s embrace.

Kegan tightly closed his eyes.

“…When this is over, I will become a War Cult disciple and spend my remaining life in service.”

The old knight knelt reverently.

“I will defeat the Apostle of Decay, beg forgiveness from Goddess Achille, and swear an oath.”

Sion stood before him. He drew a holy sign over Kegan’s shoulders and head.

It was a rough imitation of Bishop Gustein’s baptism, but more serious and sacred than ever before.

Thud, thud.

One by one, they followed Kegan and knelt.

It was the moment when the twenty or so members of the Black Banner Unit became the Order of the War Knight members.

“Me too.”

“From today, I’m a War Cult disciple too!”

“I will serve Goddess Achille!”

“Goddess ‘Lady’. Add the honorific ‘Lady’.”

“Ah, s-sorry.”

Sion laughed brightly.

To the Goddess, it looked more like a sinister smile.

[What magic is this now? Sion, my frightening child?]

Goddess Achille just blinked.

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