Chapter 85

Ch.85 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“Let’s get moving.”

With Kegan’s concise words, the return procession toward Elim began.

The injured were loaded onto makeshift carts, while light luggage was divided among Sion, Jena, and members of the Black Banner Unit.

Some members of the Black Banner Unit remained behind to finish cleanup and maintain order, while only a small number would return with Sion ahead of the others.

“Commander. Are we officially knights of the Cult now?”

“War Knights, huh? Sounds kind of cool.”

Hearing their subordinates’ excited chatter, Kegan frowned and scratched his cheek.

“You’re not kids—stop getting so excited. Stay calm. Maintain the dignity of a knight. And no more spitting phlegm on the ground.”

“Pfft!”

“Commander, you quit drinking first!”

“What are you talking about? Alcohol is a basic necessity in the War Cult!”

“Really? Is that true?”

The knights turned to look at Sion. Sion felt his breath catch in his throat.

Damn these new recruits!

Yet, when he thought of Bishop Gustein or his master, it was a fact he couldn’t deny.

Sion let out a deep sigh before replying.

“Moderate drinking can help with morale.”

At Sion’s words, Kegan smirked and nodded.

“See?”

“Wow.”

“So the commander really was a War Knight back in the day.”

As it turned out, Kegan himself was the most excited. He felt pride more than anyone else.

‘War Knights.’

To think he’d come full circle and once again serve Achille. One truly never knows what lies ahead in life.

Kegan took one last look back at Kashibelli Rock.

There, he had rebuilt the graves of his old comrades. Even if temporarily, he had come to honor their souls.

He vowed to return again someday.

For now, Elim was urgent, so he couldn’t properly conduct a full memorial service.

“Then from now on, should we call this kid… no, should we call him Sir Sion?”

Someone spoke up.

Everyone glanced cautiously at Sion.

His skill had already been thoroughly proven.

No foolish, hot-headed fool dared challenge him now.

“There’s no strict hierarchy. Just call me by my name, casually.”

“Hmm. R-really?”

The knights brightened visibly.

But Kegan quickly scolded them into order.

“Shut up, you idiots. He’s destined to become an apostle of the Goddess. Show proper respect.”

“Yes, yes, sir! We weren’t planning anything, really!”

Jena added her voice.

“We’re not mercenaries anymore. If you don’t fix those mercenary habits now, you’ll never get a proper burial later. I’ll start by scolding you myself.”

“When did you ever serve as a knight?”

“You want to die?”

“Sorry.”

The implication was clear.

The rough life of a ground-level mercenary was over.

They had been reborn as sacred knights serving the Goddess, devoted to her.

They must now uphold the dignity befitting that role and demonstrate appropriate conduct and manners.

“This is tough.”

“You, a good-for-nothing bastard with no background, wearing a knight’s insignia—this is your rise in status. Be proud of it.”

“Fuck you. You’re just as rootless.”

“Haha. No fighting now.”

With Sion’s mediation, the formal march finally began in earnest.

Though lively atmosphere was fine, this was the return procession of a knight order.

They raised the cross-sword banner high and made their presence widely known.

The War Knights are here.

This region is under the protection of the War Knights—no one should dare cause trouble.

Achille’s iron hammer strikes without distinction between human and monster.

Sion gazed contentedly at the fluttering banner.

‘We’ve come a long way.’

He had obtained a capable training instructor as planned, and acquired an excellent knightly order.

Not only had the War Knights’ combat strength visibly changed, but their sphere of influence had also expanded.

From Elim to Foils.

From Foils to the northern mountainous region of Foils.

And again to the southern marshlands of Elim and the eastern territory of Deogel.

At this point, it was fair to say the War Cult’s influence had grown significantly.

Foils now depended on Elim to the extent that their business couldn’t function without it.

The areas surrounding Foils and Elim were now under the War Cult’s responsibility for maintaining order.

Finally, the War Cult had secured a solid home base. Centered on Elim, they aimed to gradually expand their influence and dream of a complete revival of the Cult.

And if, ultimately, they could end the rampant chaos caused by the increasingly unstable evil deities—

‘My Goddess…’

Sion suddenly placed a hand over his chest.

His chest, shoulders, arms, and back still ached sharply. It wasn’t just fatigue from battle.

It was closer to aftereffects from his soul being invaded by the decaying magical energy.

‘If it weren’t for the Goddess, this wouldn’t have ended with mere aftereffects.’

He would certainly have lost his life.

He deeply wished to express his gratitude.

He offered prayers constantly even now.

But for some reason, no answer ever came back.

Communication had always been impossible, but recently he had felt a sensation at the crown of his head, allowing him to sense the Goddess’s will.

Since awakening, he hadn’t felt it even once.

‘She must have overexerted herself because of me.’

He felt remorseful.

Suddenly, anxiety crept in.

‘Is everything really going to be okay like this?’

No one would show him the way.

He had to find it himself, to push through alone.

Now it was winter.

Sion continued riding forward, facing the cold wind.

***

Several days passed, and Sion and the War Knights arrived at a certain estate.

All the villages and towns they had passed through on the way were deserted, but this place was the only one still inhabited.

It was Deogel Castle, where the people Sion had rescued during the past Sword Ghost incident had settled.

A modest but sturdy-looking fence surrounded the area, and the shabby roofs were in the middle of repairs.

An old woman at the village entrance was startled when she saw Sion.

“Oh my, who is this? Isn’t it that knight from back then!”

“It’s an honor that you remember me.”

Sion dismounted and accepted her greeting.

“If it weren’t for you back then, we’d have been dead long ago. Please, come in, at least have a meal.”

“Perhaps I will. I’d also like to see the lord once.”

“Oh, Lord Yohart?”

“Yes. How has he been lately?”

People spoke in unison, praising him.

“He’s doing well. Really doing well.”

“You can see he’s putting in effort. Someone of his status doesn’t need to care about commoners like us.”

“Still don’t like him much. But what can you do? He didn’t choose to be like that either.”

Their relationship still carried mixed feelings.

But now, affection outweighed hatred.

When someone seeks forgiveness and lives trying to atone for their sins, people’s hearts naturally shift.

Seeing this, Kegan also felt deeply moved.

Sion had intended to simply greet them and move on, but the village was already in an uproar.

Children rushed over and surrounded Sion.

“It’s really him! The uncle knight!”

“We were really grateful back then!”

“Brother, here. A gift.”

Before he knew it, a child was holding out wildflowers to Sion. In the small hand were broken daisies, dandelions, and unnamed grasses tangled together.

“Thank you.”

Sion politely bowed and carefully accepted the flowers. The child’s eyes sparkled.

“Come back again! Promise!”

“Okay.”

For a moment, he had forgotten what it felt like to be someone others waited for. That feeling gently caressed Sion’s heart.

Jena, watching from behind, giggled.

“You’re popular with girls, aren’t you?”

“Not exactly absent.”

Sion gave an awkward smile.

“Hard to seduce, though. Don’t tell me you’ve got someone waiting in Elim?”

At Jena’s words, Sion’s breath caught.

Not exactly a lover, but someone similar did exist.

Sion couldn’t easily bring himself to speak.

Still, she was his sister.

Jena’s lips curved downward in a disappointed arc. She genuinely looked let down.

“Oh? Not saying anything? So there really is someone?”

“Hahaha! She got rejected. Rejected!”

“Who’d go after such a young boy anyway?”

“You really want to die?”

Jena suddenly lashed out in irritation.

Sion deliberately ignored her expression, which clearly showed lingering regret.

Just then, Kegan slowly approached, a few wildflowers resting on his shoulder.

“The kids look at me like I’m some kind of important person too, you know.”

“You really are important.”

“What have I done? The important one is you.”

“The people gathered here—all were protected by the Black Banner Unit. There’s a reason they welcome us so warmly.”

Kegan laughed bitterly.

“It feels strange. I wonder if what I’ve done was truly meaningful.”

Sion shrugged.

“Just seeing these people smile again is proof enough.”

At Sion’s pure, untainted answer, Kegan’s heart began to race, unable to calm down easily.

His soul was more innocent than Kegan could have imagined.

In that moment, Kegan finally fully understood why Sion had been chosen as the Goddess of War’s knight.

‘That’s right. Only a soul pure to its core can become the Apostle of the Goddess.’

There was something inexplicable by skill alone.

Garfenn was rough, yet more tender than anyone. This boy Sion was more sincere than anyone in saving people.

His guilt fell away like being sliced by a knife. Though his mistake couldn’t be undone, he could live to repay it.

Forgiveness would be sought in death.

Even if he wasn’t forgiven, it didn’t matter.

He would do his utmost in this life to save people.

An unbidden surge of emotion rose up. He struggled hard to swallow it without showing it.

He turned his head.

The horizon he had passed through came into view.

Land filled with painful memories.

A place where mistakes, regret, despair, and sin had been born—a battlefield where he had fought fiercely.

He turned his head again, looking at Deogel Castle.

People were living.

These were lives saved from the perilous Decay Cult.

This alone was an achievement he had no reason to envy.

Well done.

He had done well.

As long as he continued like this from now on, everything would be fine.

‘Save people.’

That was how Kegan had been saved.

***

“You’ve truly come.”

Lord Yohart Deogel, worn down by exhaustion, warmly welcomed Sion and Kegan.

He looked like someone who hadn’t slept much. Yet his expression was far brighter than before.

He wasn’t the only one who had been saved.

Sion and Kegan explained what had happened.

As the lord protecting this land, it was necessary to share information.

Yohart stroked his slightly grown beard as he murmured.

“…So the Decay Cult was operating in secret. How horrifying.”

“Yes. But now it’s gone, so this region is safe.”

“Could someone else come to fill the void?”

“As long as the Wisdom Cult doesn’t collapse, it should be fine. And—”

Sion said confidently,

“If anything happens, the War Cult will intervene.”

“Oh.”

Yohart was genuinely impressed.

Sion’s words had never felt so reassuring.

“Does that mean the Deogel Estate can receive protection from the War Cult?”

Sion tilted his head.

“It’s been that way all along.”

At the same time, he lightly nudged Kegan’s shoulder.

“If you’re in crisis, my senior here will immediately send the knightly order.”

“Hmm? Y-yes, that’s right.”

Kegan belatedly chimed in.

He still hadn’t fully adjusted to the fact that he was now the Commander of the War Knights and their training instructor.

He needed to adapt quickly.

“Haha, this is truly reassuring. I can live with peace of mind.”

“Yes. Any problems at the castle? Did any monsters appear while we were away?”

Sion asked.

“No. As Sir Sion predicted, no monsters appeared. Only the cursed sword I held was the issue.”

Yohart smiled bitterly, glancing at the cursed sword Sion had taken from him.

“Yes. The terrain doesn’t seem particularly favorable for monster habitation. It’s actually better suited for human settlement.”

Yohart nodded.

Now all that remained was for him to resolve himself, lead his people well, and revive his estate.

The hand holding his teacup tightened with resolve.

“…Deogel Estate will officially begin serving the Goddess of War.”

Sion smiled and said,

“Yes, please tell everyone about our Goddess. And when you have time, it’d be great if you could visit Elim.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. When a noble from a prestigious family visits, it’ll help with promotion too, right?”

“Ah, I see. I’ll do that. Right after this winter passes, I’ll come with a modest gift…”

“You don’t need to bring anything! But if you do, make it something practical!”

Kegan inwardly couldn’t suppress his shock.

‘This kid… his skill at manipulating people with words…?’

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