Chapter 247: In a Place Where No One Can See (1)
j9oENThe sound of the bell was dismal.TcxLV
wQDkI6From the strange bell tower that rose into the sky, a bell echoed.ePOw3i
6LnhXDing-dong-Dong-don-kLI
qhCA ruined church that instilled fear just by looking at it, and anxiety just by hearing it.eoLb5u
EUGnkF1In the hearts of the soldiers watching it, a vague sense of unease spread, like black ink diffusing into water.IsV
vqsRm“…What.”fNdk
E9SWas it because I’m so close to God’s embrace?nZEEskq
2WEIfAInside the church, now shaking with tremors, Pope Conrad, his face pale, staggered.8SH5qcs
CW5While all the high-ranking priests who were with him had collapsed from exhaustion, he was the only one standing, looking at the church in Achiuk that had come to life.nzk
OshUP“It’s terrible.”NLb1cAk
4OcFrom his perspective, the interior of the church was truly miserable.0iSuqo
BRu8y2It was a scene so grim that even the Pope, who had followed God’s will all his life, was left speechless.CkH
mHL“…”0oM1zda
yM9gIn front of the completely charred chapel stood the symbol of the one he served.mEj
9EDU8It was constructed properly, but badly burned.c5R
rlK7uJHowever, Pope Conrad’s eyes didn’t rest on the emblem of the church.TEtZ
Q4ie“My God.”KlqN
9ffSNumerous white handprints just below.WU8XmIr
H7QThe handprints, painful to look at, screamed beneath the church emblem as if they had waited for God’s salvation until their final, burning moments.TAQ5Q
Le1“What in God’s name is happening…?”HNZxkt
0PtJ6KPope Conrad slowly walked toward the pattern and carefully extended his palm to a handprint there.X16N1KB
5gZMwH“…”VXQlch2
eN1PnIThe handprint that met his own was extremely small.UeJf5K
jggHipDozens of tiny handprints, which his old hand could have encompassed.7gV2Ksf
JFkQyVAs he followed the handprints with his gaze, Conrad looked up, observing the symbol of God that the children must have desperately called out to in their final moments.Xyrw4W
cbv9“God, have mercy.”bSsmEO
Y9Hx0With Conrad’s lament, a ray of sunlight filtered through a broken window.WcgJ3
CjPyQHowever, the sunlight that entered stopped only in front of the symbol of God and couldn’t reach the traces of the children beneath it.8Ump2
2dm3xDrip- Drip-kHmE7YN
R8fJKBA cold, dark space that no one in the world had ever visited.Xr4ta24
K5px6The children, unable to enter God’s embrace or the warm sunlight, remained seated in the darkness for so long.GmSc
nZrAo1“Pope, pope.”z3d
g8ZUXHlNow that the Pope had finally found those poor children, he was crying.SvAMrai
GTNAs the symbol of the church began to turn upside down.F0a
KRrf1Fw“Pope!”U3h9dfd
0OnCrack-Crack-!QMWnU
u3qT9tBlack tears began to flow from various points in the church, accompanied by the shouts of an unknown priest.KGzu4
ZKrPvyjThe tears that ran across the ground, mixed with black ash, were the tears shed by the lone woman who held her children in her arms.IuKfv
VSNOmn“Get the Pope out of here, now!”1PeNuH
xkqdHer tears, stagnant with nowhere to go, had become corrupted.bNXmvtl
jMBwJHer anger, which had slowly bloomed because no one cared, might have been justified.Ef2
dB9U9VKwaaaaaaaaa!Og9JQ2
MV6nZncA massive door began to emerge from the symbol of God, exploding with a loud noise as if someone had shattered it.YG9
slYXZBehind that door, which rose like a bubble with an ugly creaking sound, it was still full of the screams of fierce, malevolent beings.cU2
348vVGrrr!Q71jB
kARVFBqRoar!lhKVL
fN3MmAbove the head of Pope Conrad, who continued sobbing, a cascade of black water began to flow.RRn5tq
l89pCLdThe waves were so strong that even the noble Pope could not contain them with his hands.obCQk
IvFlk5MThe army of the dead poured out as if they had finally found a place to escape, trampling over the exhausted priests and rushing out of the church like a flood.w4moV
Gj8j***55hPG
U72QGrrr!5sg
7kOulmiStop them! Push them back!3J08I
BB0eZQDamn it! There are too many!XaAu
tvVj1XThe sound of spears and shields clashing, the shouts of soldiers, and the chilling sound of something being pierced.B4Cz
CIEThere was noise at the foot of the hill that sounded like something straight out of a battlefield.qhp1JC
BZEztF8The group riding down the hill halted at the sound that shook the earth and turned their heads.XEq
LGHa“…!”iPYf
qYN“What the hell is that?”KYF
CnyxAlong with Radu’s astonishment was the sight of Achiuk below.k9uWR3
uApTA ruined village with only a black, wolf-like bell tower piercing the sky.TaERgG
U0yHowever, what the group was witnessing at this moment was an incredibly strange sight in the field.88X
l0V“…What bastard.”IIp
DmPrkWhat they saw were soldiers of the Northern Alliance army, fighting against a tide of reanimated corpses.rmJs0AB
K93No, to be more exact, it was soldiers stabbing the reanimated corpses.vYy
Ivs9O3The army of the dead was so dense that it was impossible to pull back the spears they had thrust, given the sheer number of corpses they were facing.yebs
gBGD[The situation is bad. They’re being pushed back.]gnqOMi
oQPJust as Kiihano had said, the Iron Duke’s army was slowly being forced backward.9qkAyb
8VfAs if they couldn’t withstand the waves bursting from the dam.kLxl3m
KCbi74Although the Iron Duke’s army had formed their maximum force to face the advancing army of the Blood Dragon Duke, the efforts of the largest gathering of dark sorcerers in the Empire’s history were just as formidable.5Zyhuqa
WVucP“Let’s go down!”hFcNclU
tqN2hThe flags of the North were swaying precariously in the black, wolf-like waves that surged forward.2V3
yB7z170Vlad saw this and tried to charge down the hill, but stopped when he heard Marcus’ voice behind him.BCiEWI
T94E“…Not that way!”fru
rgRLrBMarcus urgently blocked Noir’s path as if to prevent him from falling.TLeLSl
yqoMHis eyes gleamed as he looked at Vlad.G7Y1C
McP2Xu“Those soldiers don’t need your sword. They can handle it.”v9Bcw
Hxd“…”pjqjp8n
cAqm“Your sword must reach another place. I’ll guide you.”NaXEJ25
7NyAclIn the middle of the ruined village, there was a dark, wolf-like church that continued to spew corpses.d6E
xWbThe Iron Duke’s army was fighting on the front line to destroy it, but if they continued to face it head-on, they would give the hidden sorcerers inside too much time.ZW0f
7mR35P“Understood.”COtV4o
NH2M1f8As if understanding Marcus’ words, Vlad silently sheathed the sword he had drawn.ilDAszW
pEXWThe group ran quietly up the hill, leaving behind the fighting soldiers, and finally found the men hidden behind a shallow bush.UBtfT4
2aL“Pleasure to see you again. Vlad Aureo.”Uy1D
xWZ0MLvThe Holy Knights were secretly hiding behind the church, waiting for the right moment.QBFL2gl
JqO3PxAmong them, one of the men wearing the brightest armor recognized Vlad, who had just arrived, and smiled warmly.Zcjm
Kthn3Mp“Sir Gunther.”ZUuRSvZ
VxQN“I’m glad it’s not too late.”7cUcc
T3dKThe second-in-command of the Templar Knights, pride of the Northern Orthodox Church. Gunther.xVsMT
3Qh6BWlThe man who had fought alongside Vlad against the Black Woman in the city of Moshiam had been waiting for him all along.ZDBI
SP88“I insisted on waiting for you. I knew facing this would be easier with someone who’s already done it.”ER6
ghIJowKBehind Gunther, who shrugged, were exorcists whispering prayers softly.6NUrxfi
9TZXThey were searching for the right path while cloaked in the darkness, looking for another way to secretly enter without being detected by the sorcerers, instead of using the visible entrance ahead.f1tF4d
M1H“Are you tired?”SqPv
Og3XUo“No.”3CaNW
vFJG“Are you hurt anywhere?”xHN
mckj59p“No.”YJVdMDC
XIiV3oThe voices of the exorcists grew louder as they realized that Vlad had arrived.PMya9GP
aIFtwZAThe air around them began to stir slowly with it.Coi44
kJBlFinally, having found another passage to the world inside the bubble, the paladins with Gunther slowly stood up.8ciHBZo
gdkNd“Then I, Gunther, would like to formally request your help on behalf of the Northern Orthodox Church.”f5vHeb
YZK6Crack-crack-dqh
8qvWith a sharp sound like paper tearing, a black hole was forming behind Gunther’s back.vQEHAJ
RGbThe hole, like a dark well, was too small for an adult man to pass through, making it doubtful whether anyone could get back out again.64wZ6m
l7UXskr“Please, join us this time as well.”6fA8ujD
f2XODAnd now, Gunther was asking him to step into that darkness where nothing was certain.euZRe3J
ubXDTowards Vlad Aureo, the Pope’s knight who had banished the darkness of Moshiam.F3j
AO4fnPD“…”0kFm
wjA9After hearing Gunther’s words, Vlad quietly looked back.ZjMr5
CBITo see the three men who were watching him.HSOgs
2WbA wizard pursuing mysteries.qX1M
zwzqoA heretic inquisitor who practices the word of God.TgBnLm
VjvY2And a dragon bound by a vow.AClGW
NCHO7ekAll nodded their heads silently.VDp20Co
QBzFdp“Let’s go.”W9l0U
KU7fThough one gaze was challenging, Vlad knew that his group was ready.zYO
6HC“I’ll finally be able to fulfill what the Pope entrusted to me.”jFMp
S8lWith those words, Vlad, his left eye closed, carefully touched his left chest.q3VBU
bor6wfFeeling those words with his fingertips, Vlad raised his own world like a torch toward the darkest place in the world.NAa8
ELQzD“I was hoping you’d say that, Vlad.”h4X
BA9D7bA knight who saved the lives of children.b0Lvjmp
u4CVlad recalled the children he couldn’t save from the darkness of Moshiam, where he had entered through a dream to rescue Jean.x2Zp
T0CtAt that time, he had no choice but to leave them behind because his skills weren’t enough, but this time, Vlad planned to shine a bit of light for those children.8w8F6pb
neRz3X***L7HaN
hfyP“Cough! Ugh!”dAUclG
NVbhThe world inside the bubble created by Ramashthu.bfCY
94uYTEThe sound of someone vomiting echoed through the dark hallway.4h5qgd
OA99“Ugh, ugh…”GrJ
XxXHIt was a violent cough, but the way he tried to suppress it was pitiful.RaRn
OLqFearing that someone might hear him, Joseph, leaning against the hallway wall, smiled faintly as he sat down.LzHWF
Q2y8cA“It’s finally spreading.”DOS
9LkuX8PThe tips of Joseph’s fingers were slowly turning black.6BIu5
eQPciSJust like the countless corpses running rampant out there.8uc2N2
O9M3Realizing that his time was running out, Joseph picked up the bag that had fallen at his feet with trembling fingers.H2WE
pvqn0B“Is this even the limit of dwarven craftsmanship?”03kAaP
k9SFrom the bag Joseph had picked up, a gentle warmth radiated.fs6S
dDsHgIt was a bag containing tea items from the dwarves, said to have been baked with a breath that would never fade away.cGOt
4WqiOMNIt was a sacred item of the dwarves, known to purify everything in the world because their breath was warm and pure, but even that seemed insufficient to block the poisonous tea of death.Gtic5Rn
7zo“…I suppose I can’t return it either.”qzg75
vxhThough he had promised to return that precious dwarven treasure, it seemed he no longer had the chance to do so.aay
BONo4Even if it ended up as a betrayal of trust, Joseph was determined to do whatever he could to fulfill his cause.rsJRX
PgZk“Where are you going?”Tg2O6A
t8x“…!!”Qw8scbr
gnJt9A golden opportunity to expose the evil groups that had long taken root.flOjYI
mgRKJoseph was trying to burn everything he had for that chance that would never come again, but suddenly shivered at the cold energy he felt behind him.leHhJ
DneoL33“…You always appear behind me, Lord Frausen.”Mm7
3QeIBxFThe tip of a sword pressing against his back slowly rose to his shoulder.KiA
UWnGHWhen the blade of the sword, now resting on his shoulder, grazed the side of his neck, Joseph felt as though he couldn’t breathe.pXfbJaP
1UaI“That army outside, did you bring them?”uhdxUpJ
fWq2However, for Joseph, Frausen’s voice from behind was even more chilling than the silver sword pressed against his neck.XL09RJ
gAJZuLW“Yes.”4Ej
Qw2a“You don’t even deny it.”utzLqf
YgHihInAs Joseph swallowed hard, dark veins began to form around his neck.Inb
ZhBQUxFrausen, who knew exactly what those veins meant, looked at Joseph in front of him with interest.qWrnhnn
D1h4rK“Death is just around the corner.”aIPhHs
0cDGOvi“That’s why I have things to do.”HAL1S
AtV0u1qAlthough the person standing before him wasn’t a dragon, Frausen slowly began to see his colors return.ePfHe
VykiuRVJoseph’s voice, calm and truthful, neither deceptive nor false, gradually started to fill something that had long been broken inside Frausen.q07uro
fTcyVCu“Do you seek honor, even in your final moments?”3bJmFgO
RyoYns“…”uTY
uz8Joseph slowly began to turn around in response to Frausen’s question.mm8CyO
yPAe8mZThe blade of the sword grazed the back of his neck, cold as it was, but Joseph seemed unbothered by it.qexREl
sFaiw“Honor is what knights seek. Unfortunately, I have not sworn my loyalty to you.”v4MUtYe
jcCZCThough his life was on the line, Joseph’s voice did not falter in the slightest.ca9
dtwmfInstead, his voice, tinged with subtle anger, was gradually drawing Frausen’s full attention.i2r
rsdg4M“Then why do you do it? For your family?”FDV1Ur
htXXCiE“…To drink.”KciE8
m1TuIT“Drink? What?”mAqyXw
qJLqThe blue blood of nobility had to be cold.YQZQsWd
Hw8YGThat was because it existed solely for the glory and survival of the family.SsHr
kYIBcFrausen knew this well, but the young man with dark eyes standing before him was not driven by such things.2CsvT
0Jysl8“To drink the poison you left behind.”k6u3B
vcwZfJoseph Bayezid had been freed from his duties as a noble after losing the competition to become head of the family.zEzUSp
2gPIzeThus, the world he was free to explore was already a place filled with poison.J16R
3h4Lg“I understand that the previous generation focused on prosperity and glory, just as Your Majesty did. But what you ignored left a legacy of poison for generations.”FoGC1
SiSNCsRThere had once been a shining empire.zEpI
c6ovAn empire that someone had built, someone had protected, and someone had made flourish.EGCV0IX
styHowever, the current empire was torn and groaning, and it was likely the fault of those who had neglected the darkness that needed to be swept away in pursuit of mere brilliance.lkLkYF
Kr9q“Look out there. In the end, these evil poisons that you left behind have become the responsibility of our generation.”iCJ
uVQrmAs such, the deep-rooted evil was spilling out along with the black tears shed by the woman.DxpNB
LUFmdqThe flower of darkness, which had grown silently while everyone sought only prosperity, could pass through Achiuk and spread across the entire continent.98PgK
6rG1“…That’s why we have to drink the poison. It’s that kind of generation.”HuoeDd
z9wPEven now, there were those who laughed amid their mirth.MfBUG
78F6rBaAmong the nobles of the center who ignored the north.rYRT6
AxgSAmong the servants of God who disregarded the non-believers.qB0R
jT3PAmong the countless desires of the beastfolk who had lost their home, the elves hiding in the forest, and the dwarves who controlled fire.n4Hiw
Gc2AvyAmong the countless worlds that were so different from each other, evil people spat venom and stuck out their wolf-like black tongues.CpFL95g
NCuG“…So, do you want to eliminate these poisons?”nIxM
bedbbPIn the midst of a dark and venom-filled hallway, the emperor who had ushered in the era of glory looked at the now ragged young man of the age.k3Y97jX
VED“For the next generation?”Mcwq2z
Yvfb2This was a generation born to drink poison, even though they hadn’t asked for it.Jd30X
AIzceUnlike those who had pursued bright things, the children of today were a generation forced to gather the scraps of fallen stars.pmppJYr
oadp0tK“That’s a funny story.”LOudT
KdYwETap. Tap. Tap.CjySph
Kc7rWFrausen’s sword tapped Joseph’s shoulder as if the tale amused him.XlIVkuW
f9tSHOnce, twice, and three times.gaKMW5
sgFFEach tap reminded Joseph of the obligations he had yet to fulfill.BFdSPR
l0Z“Then go ahead.”p7NmP
JHp“…What?”3L1ldh
a5vWith a sarcastic laugh, the silver sword turned and returned to its sheath.8Cf
ZEBThough its gleam had faded, the sword that still belonged to Frausen left Joseph’s shoulder and returned to its scabbard.2Jljaa
S7ttx“Do what you can, until your death arrives.”8eh
hOrVOsFrausen, standing in front of him, had a faint smile on his face.kayI7Ju
o04JKyBut Joseph, standing in the dark hallway, couldn’t tell whether Frausen’s smile was mocking him or held some other meaning.FBU
1tLAzh“…Thank you.”1TpWl
k43RuIt wasn’t clear why he was letting him go, but Joseph turned around to seize the last opportunity given to him.yXw
3NSBURunning through the dark hallway with a small bag.27h
quzNRFrausen, whose colors were slowly fading again, watched his back.lMi4
lm9“For the next generation.”5hHs0
TzfPgSo that the young may have the potential to build their own world.5Ykq
0GAKO26“He’s the last one left.”HUdZ
qAydP0If you’re where you need to be, do what you have to do.dtb4Vv
wprL“…I probably won’t have a good death.”6pJZx
evPQZsVA person who only receives and pays the fair price.9Owt2
wHPNow he ran alone through the dark hallway.5AZjD8
ykHTrying to ignore the taste of death rising in his throat.OreFzv
dGo“I have no choice but to let you go, since you have the right qualifications.”o7fS
IfFc7There was a young man who wanted to become a knight.H3nl
hYR6vKIA boy with dark eyes who longed to be a knight and dreamed of becoming the knight from the fairy tales his mother used to tell him.ItS
KvJ47However, the honor of knighthood, which he had considered an unattainable dream, now rested on Joseph’s shoulders.FxLWr0
8dqHVeA faded silver sword tapped his shoulder.py9Sw6
s0uWDvJoseph Bayezid. The last knight named by the first emperor of the revived empire.ro3g7x
wZUAwUNow, he was running through total darkness to drink the poison he had been given.Cu0u
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