Chapter 100

Ch.100 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“Me?”

It was getting too hard to keep listening.

His own name had been mentioned.

And the content was even stranger.

“Yes. The Holy Kingdom has summoned you.”

“Why is that?”

“That was the condition.”

“The condition for accepting the authority to appoint a priestess?”

Lagan nodded.

He poured himself a cheap drink while asking Gustein where this high-quality alcohol had come from.

Gustein swallowed hard before speaking.

“That’s a strange condition indeed. Grandmaster of the Holy Sword.”

“Well…”

Lagan repeated that he wasn’t the kind of person who sat at a desk and used his brain, so asking him was pointless.

“But there’s one thing I can tell you.”

Sion leaned in to listen.

“The Goddess of War and her apostle… they are far too dangerous.”

It was because of their merciless potential.

War.

It was the concept where all violence, force, weapons, and killing converged.

There is no need to further explain how powerful a Goddess who presided over this would be.

One could say she existed solely to defeat her opponents.

And what about an apostle personally chosen and raised by such a Goddess? He would be no different from a weapon of slaughter.

As war intensified and escalated, their power and influence would grow disproportionately.

Eventually, they would become so strong that no other Goddess could control them.

When they became powerful enough,

if they began to harbor malicious intentions, the world would become precarious.

They could bring about a disaster comparable to—or even worse than—the forces of evil gods.

There had already been precedents.

It was better to be cautious.

The purpose of summoning Sion was exactly this.

“It’s a procedure to verify what kind of human you are. Don’t think too much of it.”

“That’s unpleasant.”

“I think so too.”

But what could he do?

Annoyingly, Lagan showed empathy but strictly represented the Holy Kingdom’s stance.

Honestly, he didn’t seem to care at all.

About someone else’s circumstances.

He merely carried out the will of the Apostle.

This time, his mission was to escort this fellow Sion to the Holy Kingdom.

It was rare for him to be assigned a protective or escort mission instead of being sent to eliminate demon or Evil God apostles.

This showed just how the Holy Kingdom viewed Sion.

A person of such concern that a Grandmaster of the Holy Sword had to come and supervise.

On the other hand, it also meant Sion was being treated with great respect.

It was a good benchmark for roughly gauging the presence and influence of both the War Cult and Sion himself.

“This is an opportunity for me too.”

It was a place he would eventually have to go.

He didn’t personally like the Holy Kingdom. None of the Round Table cults left a particularly good impression on him.

He didn’t know if it was his master’s brainwashing or something.

At least in Sion’s eyes, these cults weren’t righteous, fair, or universally good.

The Holy Kingdom.

The collective assembly of the Round Table cults.

In reality, the group that dominated the continent.

The place the Goddess Achille longed to return to.

What kind of place it was… experiencing it firsthand would be a valuable experience for Sion.

He needed to go, see, and feel as much as possible.

Broaden his horizons and expand the boundaries of his world.

Only then might new changes arise in Sion’s mental realm.

While Sion was pondering, Bishop Gustein asked.

“By the way, what is Garfenn doing?”

“Garfenn? He can’t go anywhere until that kid arrives.”

“What?”

“I told you. It’s a summons. Not an invitation.”

“This damn…!”

Bishop Gustein glared furiously at Lagan. Lagan casually ignored the glare and just snatched the alcohol to drink.

“There was no choice from the beginning, was there?”

“Right. And you were planning to go anyway, weren’t you? Or am I wrong?”

“Yes.”

“See?”

“How did you know?”

How did I know?

Lagan repeated, scratching his chin.

“The apostle said so. Not to grab you and bring you by force. But to guide you, since you will come on your own.”

“…Is it foresight?”

Lagan spoke of the Apostle of Light.

“Our apostle is practically a manifestation of the Goddess Eru. Though he’s an elf, his origins are entirely undocumented. He’s a being shrouded in mystery.”

“So that’s why you call him a manifestation.”

“Yeah. There are too many things that can’t be explained unless he’s a manifestation.”

“I understand.”

Essentially, he was close to a Goddess masquerading as a human.

A manifestation of the Goddess Eru.

Or a manifestation.

No matter what you called him, trying to understand him by common sense would lead to disaster.

“I understand. I will respond to the summons. Bishop, is that alright?”

Gustein clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

“Fine. Be careful. Don’t trust anyone from the Holy Kingdom, not even a little. And when you go, only trust Garfenn.”

It was a rude thing to say with the Grandmaster of the Holy Sword standing right there. But since Lagan had been far more disrespectful, Gustein said it without hesitation.

Gustein would have said the same even if Lagan had acted more ceremoniously.

***

The one who suffered the greatest loss due to the sudden intervention of the Grandmaster of the Holy Sword was the Wisdom cult.

Arwen was left floating in the middle, forced to participate in the conversation between the War Cult and the Holy Sword.

In the end, she had nothing to say.

She was utterly useless—completely sidelined.

She had boldly come to Elim and even fought a war, yet nothing had been concluded cleanly.

“Ugh… Lady Menesia will scold me, won’t she?”

Arwen wanted to burst into loud sobs.

But she held back, knowing she was in front of the utterly unpleasant Lagan.

They happened to walk together from Gustein’s office back to their respective camps.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

The awkwardness was from Arwen’s perspective.

Lagan, this insane man, wouldn’t care one bit about what Arwen thought.

Arwen prayed for this uncomfortable walk to end quickly.

Then it happened.

“You did a very cute thing.”

“W-what?”

“I’m surprised. That Lady Menesia would go to such trouble.”

Arwen accidentally bit her tongue in her panic.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I came because I know everything.”

“What?”

Lagan’s voice, which had been consistently light, darkened like a shadow.

“You guided the awakening of the Apostle of War, didn’t you? You.”

“……!”

“There was a clash of domains. The last report I received said Sion hadn’t even unfolded his own mental realm yet.”

“Knights who bloom in crisis during battle are common.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You know better than anyone.”

“Ugh…!”

Arwen shrank under Lagan’s oppressive words.

Not because she was afraid of Lagan himself, but because she feared the Holy Kingdom and the Light Cult behind him.

No matter how powerful the Wisdom Cult was, it couldn’t match the Light Cult.

This was an act carried out without even receiving permission from the Goddess Eru.

A unilateral action by the Goddess Menesia.

The awakening and growth of the Goddess of War was an extremely sensitive topic among the Round Table Goddesses.

To carry this out alone, without any agreement—

“When you think about it, it’s rebellion and betrayal.”

Lagan stated the fact coldly.

It was the moment Arwen’s blood ran cold.

“The excuse of demanding the priestess was good. But if you were going to execute this plan, it would have been better to actually kidnap Elim’s priestess. Stop acting like you’re playing with dolls.”

Arwen pouted her lips.

“I didn’t want to go that far and act so crudely.”

“You’re still soft.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

“Then who’s going to tell you? You’re the leader in your cult, aren’t you?”

“Then why does the Grandmaster of the Holy Sword have to lecture me!”

Lagan snorted at Arwen’s words.

“Whether it’s you or that brat from Elim, you’re both knights united under the Round Table, just different cults. You’re my juniors.”

“What?”

“It’s a senior’s duty to guide cute junior brats. These days, kids have no respect. Tsk.”

Arwen narrowed her eyes.

He was such an annoying adult.

But every word he casually tossed out carried a hidden blade.

If you weren’t careful, you could get cut.

Especially if you ignored his words without thinking.

He was the Grandmaster of the Holy Sword.

Even if he acted like a fool, that doesn’t mean he actually was one.

He had reached the pinnacle of the Holy Sword because his strategic mind was as sharp as his swordsmanship.

Arwen might ignore him, but in truth, she understood his danger better than anyone else.

For a holy knight of the Round Table to become an apostle, they had to pass an examination.

It was an examination administered by the Holy Kingdom.

Arwen had experienced Lagan’s sword during that exam.

He was a terrifying man.

Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.

To lead a great cult, one had to be his equal.

“…Even now, I don’t feel like I’m his equal.”

She couldn’t even imagine defeating him. Even though a considerable amount of time had passed since she passed the exam, and her skills had improved significantly, Lagan still seemed immeasurably distant.

They stood at a crossroads.

It was time for them to go their separate ways.

Arwen would lead the Scales Knights back to fight the forces of chaos.

Lagan would wait for Sion and then head to the Holy Kingdom together.

Lagan spoke.

“I’ll let this go this time. But be careful. If you act alone again without the Round Table’s permission…”

Lagan’s voice carried a killing intent that froze people to the core.

“Hmph. I’ll make sure I never have to draw my sword against you.”

“Thank you.”

Lagan waved his hand and turned away.

“I’ve already sent reinforcements. Go and clean things up quickly. The imperial court is starting to get annoyed with the Holy Kingdom side.”

“…Yes.”

Arwen watched the retreating figure of the Grandmaster of the Holy Sword. Around her, the reeds in Elim’s beautiful fields swayed in the wind.

Arwen let out a long sigh.

“Indeed…”

Things had to change.

“The Round Table’s power structure needs change.”

And there was only one hope capable of shattering the Round Table’s seemingly unchangeable balance.

“Sion.”

Grow quickly.

Become the strongest sword the Goddess of War desires.

***

“Huu… I’m sorry, Sion.”

“What is there for you to apologize for, Bishop?”

After Lagan left, the area under Gustein’s eyes was noticeably sunken.

He looked utterly drained.

“I didn’t expect the Holy Sword’s intervention. Damn it.”

“Who could have expected that?”

“That’s true. The Holy Sword, especially the unit led by Lagan, only moves upon the apostle’s directive.”

Therefore, even another Goddess couldn’t predict their movements.

Only by reaching the power of the Goddess Eru could one decipher their actions.

“Still, isn’t it fortunate? We successfully defended against the Wisdom cult.”

“Well, that’s good news. Thanks to your running around tirelessly, we gained the Holy Kingdom’s approval, and the Wisdom cult lost its justification for intervention.”

“Exactly.”

Sion’s efforts had finally borne fruit.

He had fought the Wisdom cult and protected Elim.

The news began to spread quickly through Foils.

Starting from Foils, it would spread rapidly to the imperial capital, the Holy Kingdom, the south, and the east.

The morale of the believers would rise, and their fame would grow day by day.

It was a war with many gains.

A precious and valuable victory achieved despite absolute disadvantage.

It was also a historic moment when Elim began to stretch its wings.

“But though one burden is lifted, there’s a bigger problem.”

“The Holy Kingdom, right.”

“Yes. It would be fortunate if the Holy Kingdom were the only issue.”

“Then?”

Sion immediately sensed danger and asked.

“Actually… I received a message just before the battle began.”

Gustein paused slightly. He pressed his temples, clearly troubled.

“Garfenn. That guy has been captured.”

“What?”

“He’s being held prisoner in the Holy Kingdom.”

“No, how could that be!”

Gustein grumbled as he opened a bottle of genuine premium alcohol.

“That’s why I warned you in front of that bastard Lagan earlier. Don’t trust the Holy Kingdom bastards.”

“No, even so! I would have gone even without taking my master hostage!”

“Listen to the whole story.”

“……?”

The strong liquor went down Gustein’s throat. He let out an exclamation of admiration and continued.

“They say he went on a rampage. That guy Garfenn.”

“What? Why?”

“He found his enemy. The Apostle of Darkness who killed his wife and daughter.”

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