Chapter 162: Estelle Hadassa El Rath (4)
trdJKThe Steel Archipelago and the Dingle Peninsula, located at the very south of the Northern Kingdom, were not that far apart.c0aVZA
GfxThree days on foot was enough to cover the distance, and my original plan was to look for a way to go back to our Kingdom after reaching the Dingle Peninsula.2kKYDH
xEOIt all went according to plan. We crossed the ocean as previously planned. In fact, it only took us half a day.H4rZPGs
XRtUBcG“Guhahaha…!”ESifUxa
OJjkUUThe sled led by a large Dire Wolf was relentlessly speeding across the frozen ocean. Riding on the sled were us and the half-giants that were more than 3 meters tall, but the biggest eye-opener wasn’t the sled or the half-giants but the beast at the head of the group.YtYIaX
aw6f“GUWOOOO…!”lDU
uI7tV7An enormous mammoth was marching north while trampling on the frozen ocean beneath. No matter how frozen it may be, it didn’t make sense that the frozen ocean could hold on against this Blizzard Mammoth that weighed about 20 tonnes, but this Grade 1 demonic beast was like none other.hNHo
rIpbIts gigantic feet were known to freeze everything including souls – at least that was what it was known to do among the half-giants.nCcDQ
tAGAnything that touched the feet of a Blizzard Mammoth would freeze at a rapid speed.WUA7k
At5Seeing this reminded me of the huge monster wave that would happen in the Northern Kingdom in the future, where tens of Blizzard Mammoths would tread across the ocean to create an enormous bridge…6ayL
2w2lg1What was strange, however, were the things that the half-giants had put on the mammoth.BPmH7
JdLglQThey attacked the excavators of the Tower of Mages and stole the items they had been excavating… in other words, the remains of the Titans, and quickly crossed the ocean.xXZK
24I‘These half-giants were the ones that attacked the excavators. Why did they attack the Tower of Mages all of a sudden?’FqwaVr
EFMIn the original game, stories about the half-giants were revealed when following through the character scenario of Beazeker, who was a grade above the player in the Academy.uUp
ZOmThey were the descendants of the giants, the once-called Titans, that resided all across the Northern Kingdom. These half-human half-giants later appeared as vassals of Tates Valtazar.kevfn
dbRFLZNot every half-giant was an enemy, but most of them would later turn out to be an enemy, but that didn’t seem right, seeing as how they had attacked the excavators of the Tower of Mages…QaPG
z72iaa“Nnn…”7CZMP6y
UkBWD6lThat was when Estelle, who had been captured by the half-giants along with me, slowly opened her eyes.US4GJS8
hJa8O“Junior?”QlTCWn
YOPPHj5“Did you have a good sleep?”rZcaNj
pyNafIe“Where is this…?”jYYt
0a3xP7II explained what happened, and the few things that I knew about the situation.gv5d
F66XkD8“It’s… somehow going according to plan though…”RWWk0
4z0WbV“As long as we don’t get killed by them, that is.”4i4G2
ufsXzEach and every half-giant was a monster that was at least at the level of a Grade 2 knight after turning into an adult. I would have fought them with my life on the line if they hadn’t tried to capture us with normal ropes.9I2St
35FtormBut of course, if I wasted my energy by doing that, we would have been captured by the pursuers of the Tower of Mages anyway so that would have been pointless.9mOY
VRaTREG“Hmm… This doesn’t seem that bad actually,” said Estelle.OSqmIt2
RaNd5“What do you mean?”CxVYc
GVnHfEz“These people. I know what clan they’re from.”hJhY
vNBqH2BIt didn’t take long for me to understand what she meant by that.Bt4kVx
CgznxfB***BKo7N5R
fGtLgcThe biggest difference that separated the Xeruem, the Old Faith, from Zeon, the New Faith, was definitely in their treatment of demi-humans.XbvG2a2
3jtJiqWhether they be witches, vampires, or beastmen who were born a human, or those who had inherited it from their ancestors, humanity had been putting them in the same category as demonic beasts and demonic spirits for a very long time, and the religious order had been the one leading the discrimination.GZdVJsK
NyaBut after the Witch’s Revolution and the reformation… the birth of the New Faith gave birth to a different perspective on demi-humans.GOG0
WD8fNWAlthough the Old Faith was still discriminatory against demi-humans, the New Faith had attempted to protect demi-humans and bring them back into society several times.OmPA14y
U2pK0BThe biggest evidence of that was Merkarva Academy’s admission of demi-humans. Hua Ran was the exception in my grade, and there were two representative examples from the grade above us.APOBU6y
PY9Vampire Marie Dunareff, and Beazeker the half-giant.s4aDz
ZQjMarie was from the Dunareff family, who weren’t afraid of anyone, so she was a different story, but what about Beazeker and Hua Ran?VlJD
VPWThe reason they were admitted into the Academy despite having no connections and being faced with constant opposition was all thanks to Zeon, the New Faith… especially the wholehearted support of Saintess Estelle.n176RM
wBn“Look who it is! The Saintess of the Continentals!”NRgim
RfmVjJFAt the tip of Dingle Peninsula, inside the large tent, we came across the chieftain of the half-giants.jUnN
yY2KD8“Hello, Chief Kareem. It’s been 3 years, has it?”bwMV8fO
PgNsHi“I believe that was when Beazeker was going to the Academy.”PBax
jPBThe world perceived half-giants as a violent species that were closer to demonic beasts rather than demi-humans. However, Chief Kareem welcomed us like a gentleman and was much more respectful than I imagined.fm7wM
tYoq9vh“The warriors almost made a grave mistake! They must have mistook you as those bastards from that big tower.”DvtC1
PjKChief Kareem was quite hospitable. Well, maybe that was natural considering how Estelle was like the chairman of a scholarship foundation, while he was the parent of a student who was in the Academy thanks to that very scholarship.fbzda
r0FR“I was in fact, kidnapped by the Tower, so it was thanks to them that we were able to cross the ocean with ease.”htwx1u
eDh0S5“Right, and is Beazeker doing okay at the Academy without making trouble?”XAo
JLhIpF“Of course. He is the highest-achieving student of the 3rd grade Knight Department, after all.”9mg
ekTs“Highest-achieving… Does that mean he’s the top?”oerepiU
UqrM8“Pretty much.”0Eqsu
71BW0Rb“Guhahaha! Now that’s my son! The Continentals aren’t bad but they can’t be compared to us giants!”iXHWLP3
j4O3pxI suddenly recalled a memory from the past.YJf
PQDfjBeazeker, the top student of the Knight Department at the same grade as Marie. After getting closer to him, it was possible to visit Beazeker’s tribe with him.U0zc4
I3cBut there, the player found out, alongside Beazeker, that the village of the half-giants had been massacred and had to venture off to discover the culprit behind it.D7Sio
MtRhMTw‘Titans revived by the Tower of Mages…’4yL
pKVQhNzIt wasn’t just a random titan either – it was Mata, the hundred-legged and four-headed giant.0wQlr
Bq4DdzBut this time, I attacked and destroyed the laboratories of the black mages, taking all four heads away from them, so Mata shouldn’t be able to be resurrected this time around.kLX
HOYcg“Sir, since you are the father of Senior Beazeker, may I please talk about something?”liAGc
BngK“Hmm? Are you one of his juniors?”Y3UbsNl
g5F“Yes. He even said he would introduce Ms. Karin to me.”tqpg
IZK“Hoh… You’re that close, huh?”m9W8Uts
ICfFSI wasn’t lying because, in the last iteration, Beazeker did say he would introduce me to his younger sister, Karin. And saying that was one of the customs of the half-giant tribes, that he acknowledged me as a strong warrior.LTwlxyL
KWlwHowever, I turned down the offer because a half-giant reaching 2.5 meters in height didn’t sound too appealing. Besides, I was almost with someone else back then.vqNTH1
dcg“There is a question I would like to ask.”H6Kg
B5myP“A warrior acknowledged by my son certainly has the right to ask.”O7YeY
V9fRboY“May I please ask why the half-giants went across the ocean to attack the mages?”UmBA
rrbDJCChief Kareem hesitantly held himself back from replying before throwing a glance at the Saintess. He seemed to greatly trust her for introducing his son to the Academy.9Fqxh
lEgo6JE“You did come with the Saintess so… Fine. They were disgracing our ancestors. Our ancestors fell asleep at the end of that glorious war and yet those bastards are digging their remains up to interrupt their eternal rest.”ZOpcbi
ssTP11“…I see.”wRgJvI
ZYnGuiThe Tower of Mages wasn’t trying to fully revive the Titans. Their goal was to reinvent them through Alchemy and use them in wars like golems.iT0qp
ww7qvJvWhatever their goal was, the half-giants must have considered them to be grave diggers stealing the remains of their ancestors.waIKA
7Deaij“Ah…”nGiIV
PgEqrI finally understood the full circumstances of Beazeker’s character scenario.zKVz
ul6wKoBThese half-giants had probably been attacking the Tower of Mages on repeat, just like what happened last evening. After the Tower of Mages incident, the mages of the Tower must have crossed to the Dingle Peninsula and massacred them for revenge.6OT
mA9BIn other words, this tribe would have been destroyed by the Titans under the control of the mages if the storyline had progressed without a change.WInO
XMU76DAHalf-giants, a connection with Estelle, and them worshiping the Titans as their ancestors…Qje1Wo
qNhP“Chief Kareem. For a long time, I had been thinking that Titans and giants were the true deities of this world that forged it into being.”dLNvN0P
Hz95Iu“…Junior Korin?”10zPxQ
otel03“Whenever I saw hints of their marvelous and supreme myths, my heart raced and I had been longing to go after their footsteps.”VX678SK
hj1mpJ8“Hoho. This young man sure knows his stuff!”QvOpn3A
qH1vKareem clapped in admiration.gdANts
Lb8t“And what about the great King of Titans, Balor? He was a true leader and a great warrior that would forever remain in the annals of history!”S2n2kwx
mPbWPoj“Right! All the Continentals consider the history of us giants as a myth, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for you.”N2zY
dzbe“Of course not! He did exist. In fact, I saw the remains of Balor, the Great King of Titans with my very own eyes.”zv3
LKuLzd“What?!”SabSKL
2VvmKareem shot out of his seat after hearing what I said. He was among the taller ones of half-giants. He stood up with his height reaching 4 meters which instantly cast a shadow on the surroundings.EnNO945
9Bk“I am not kidding. Those evil mages from the Tower! Those bastards! They were using the Eye of the Great King! Conducting evil experiments with it!”BV2uigT
9KYBIt wasn’t a lie, because there really was Balor’s eye in the Tower of Mages.nA7UiF
ycSg“These fucking mages! They disgrace not only the graves of our forefathers but even that of the King!”0Yh
Ae6OFtA“This is unforgivable. The graves of the Titans must solely be under the protection and maintenance of their descendants, the giants.”M71T
tZC“Of course!”5mxHaXa
Mc41“We must put a stop to their wicked plans! However, their numbers are many. And although they are naturally not as strong as you, giants, it is undeniable that they have a menacing force.”h51
INYH“What do you say we do?”sDIM3x
n05mvq“Let’s join forces. Let’s fight them together!”No9VQNW
jQrvKareem immediately called for a tribal conference, with the topic being a full-fledged attack on the Tower of Mages and cooperation with the Southern Kingdom.6kcQhq
8mwMsYwEven though I used my tongue to give them a reason to fight, they weren’t instantly drawn into the idea of a full-fledged battle.37N
PCqI needed another promise to make the half-giants our ally.2FPwb7c
Xf5kSe“If you cooperate with the annihilation of those filthy bastards from the Tower, we will build a warehouse of potatoes for everyone who participates in the war!”Tmy254R
c1gvConsidering the harsh environment of the Dingle Peninsula, a large-scale supply of food was always welcome.c9TsgA
RD4sPYQLike that, after becoming allies with the half-giants, we were able to return safely thanks to their help.Zp8AX
XXP“Korin…! You’re back!”Kf6N1l9
byaZYT“I knew you would come back safely, my dear disciple!”L3nb
ejUJ0yWe were greatly received by our comrades. They appeared to have been very worried during the past few days.o3wii
XEEM“Huhu. You’d be surprised to hear about the awesome thing I accomplished on the way back.”JfG9ux3
SgGI“Your safety is the most important, Mr. Korin. Same with the Saintess and Ms. Hua Ran.”CVjGfe
JRId“Huh? Why are you looking for Hua Ran?”Tu7sCC
XcNsG“Heh?”yC9SKjn
bdU“Huh?”FTnEYMB
ojJbSWait, so where is Hua Ran?Y5H2U
D73q***DJaLA9
v7dE“Saintess, this way please.”uMl
SE79kuEstelle moved to her tent following the guidance of a priest.i5m
m93vV“Ohh, Saintess…!”uhhBVMc
yXQG“Saintess, thank the Lord you were safe!”nYb
K4gcyeShe could feel the relief and joy in the voices of the soldiers and priests who welcomed her as she walked next to them.g88e
sVZhLj3They were here to save her, so Estelle gave them a smile and a wave despite being exhausted.LCa
NbR5CK“Where is His Holiness the Pope?”Kim
hqLYg“He said he would see you after you have taken your well-deserved rest.”Skl9n
D77Ie“I see.”Q4kTw
cGcMGbWIt probably didn’t mean that the pope was here in person though; there was probably a communication device prepared for it.2tTiNs
9OGs0eMEstelle waved at the priest who guided her to her room and immediately headed to the bathtub.9T530k
jq9dmwIAlthough it was a preemptive one set inside a tent, it was made for nobles and members of the royal family and decorative rose petals were floating on top of the warm tub of water.7bVwh
9IYg0“Finally…!”TDxE
aUNxOBxEstelle hurriedly took off her clothes that had been drenched with the blood of sheep and water so that she could quickly clean herself after spending several days without a bath.KFJl
A7bIn her hurry to take off her clothes, her rosary ended up crashing into the bathtub.AYgX
XHG4I“Oops…”QGDxOw
gzQZDespite being a Delinquent Saintess with questionable actions, she nonetheless quickly covered the rosary with her hands that represented the Lord. Even though it was just an accessory, she was still a believer at the end of the day.ZQL
jmC5“It’s made of gold so there shouldn’t be any…”N1w
fNMPIt was when she was observing the rosary that had just crashed into the bathtub that she discovered something strange – a part of the rosary was dented, and revealed within that dent was a cold plate of steel.D6WP
ZJLThere was no way that her rosary which should have been made of pure gold would change colors just from a bump.GSsV
BNK8S“Paint?”KLTN
ZmJKThis couldn’t be.04qP
zHYWHAll the ornaments and accessories on her body were the best of the best that she had acquired with her own hands. What kind of crazy artisan would give the Saintess an accessory of fake gold?YmNE6
BOK5BMoBesides, the rosaries should have been made by craftsmen inside the order who poured molten gold into a mold but…qMgHK
TUtX‘Was it switched by someone?’qFVfXOF
e9tqBut when? As a believer, she had never let go of her rosary so there was only one answer. It must have been when she was brought into the Tower of Mages, back when she was unconscious.mIdfZrN
tZ82vZWBut then why? Why would they switch the rosary to a fake one? In fact, what even was this rosary and what was it made for?c9Na1m
651QEstelle arrived at the answer before long.cmT
usiQt2“Inquisition…”t1Om
9ELbgThe Zeon Order had several conflicts with evil mages and the Xeruem Order. In order to seal the power of the heretic prisoners, the order developed a way to seal their power, but that was a secret only shared within the New Faith.7z2
EgheobaIn other words…lUNvD3s
FFNQThere was a traitor within the order.E73zD
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