Episode 104
The true blood vampires were the embodiment of evil that all religions cursed, and the nobles had the duty to move the military by the king’s command.
‘If that happens, Hebron can prepare for a time of chaos with the full support of the royal family of Zenon.’
It wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Even at this time, Amy was planning several operations with ‘failure’ in mind. In the worst case, the Duke of Braio could reclaim the throne, and the Kingdom of Behol could advance without regard for Kyle’s winter.
“Hebron will be the main force in this war.”
“yes?”
Sir Ambrose’s reaction was natural. It was impossible. He could have entreated King Zeno to send the army of Hebron to the battle, but the main force was occupied by the high-ranking nobles.
Because their forces were so powerful.
“Not a viscount, but a count.”
“I don’t quite understand, my lord. But I will follow your orders.”
Ambrod’s eyes wavered.
It didn’t seem like he didn’t understand what I was saying at all.
I looked into his eyes and said.
“I must swallow Zailson and Slane.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The Jailsons were the Ambrods. Even though he had entered into a slave contract with me, he would not want to harm his own family.
“The same goes for other territories around here. We will absorb all territories neighboring Hebron. We will support those territories that accept it, but we will strike down those that do not.”
“You might incur the wrath of the royal family.”
If I had spoken without mentioning Zielson, Ambrod’s answer might have been different.
“It is what the royal family desires. Defeat the branded monsters and proclaim peace in the Kingdom of Zenon!”
The royal command of Zenon was simple: each noble was only to subdue the branded monsters that appeared in his territory.
But I overinterpreted that command.
In order to subdue the ‘branded monsters’, they decided to cross the territory border. This was the reason why they continued with intensive military training even after the security of Hebron was stabilized.
Prime Minister Amy of Hebron approached me. In her hand was a piece of paper. It was a map of the Hebron estate and surrounding estates, with colorful lines and various markings.
“I’m ready, my lord.”
The time for invasion had arrived, and several preparations were needed.
“Ambrod, from now on, you will be in charge of Hebron’s security. Do not let even a single rat enter. I will also prohibit the entry of merchants.”
“insect!”
Ambrod couldn’t refuse my order. He just looked at me with pleading eyes. I nodded instead of answering. It meant that I wouldn’t swallow Zyleson by force.
After Ambrod left, Amy spread out the map she had brought on the table. There were a dozen arrows on it, numbered from 1 to 5, depending on their importance.
I opened the Samryunan.
I looked around Hebron and looked out over the wasteland. Although Hebron was said to be safe, the wasteland was an exception. The territory was vast and most of it was uninhabited. A few branded monsters lingered in that uninhabited place.
I fixed some of the markings on the map.
It was to inform us that the monster’s location had changed.
“The liver is big. You’re trying to swallow Hebron with just a few guys. Did Hebron look that easy?”
There were only a few now, but if given more time, there would have been more than a dozen. If the Haryan Church had not come forward early, the Armos Church would have expanded even further.
Armos, the god of monsters.
The priests of the Armos Church captured branded monsters and made them their subordinates. This was possible because branded monsters appeared everywhere even without their power.
Things are different now.
As the Haryan Church began to sacrifice innocent people to prevent the emergence of branded monsters, the Armos Church’s influence also declined.
Despite such circumstances, the Armos sect did not take revenge on the Haryan sect, but instead targeted Hebron. They viewed Hebron as a weak point compared to the Haryan sect, which was designated as the state religion of Zeno.
And I could see through their movements. It was thanks to the three-wheeled eye.
“Shall we modify the operation?”
“There’s no need to do that. Keeping trying to do that will only waste time. It’s important to move one step ahead of them.”
“It could be a simple threat.”
I looked back at Amy, wondering if she was being sincere.
Looking at her expression, it seemed like it was a habit of hers to keep in mind and analyze various possibilities.
“Why should we endure such a simple threat?”
“… … I think this would be good for a start.”
Amy pointed to a point. If you drew a straight line northeast from Hebron, you would reach Baron Ludwig’s territory, and Amy’s index finger pointed right in the middle of it.
There was a ‘Prozy Barondom’ there.
I had previously rescued the people of the Proji Baronial Territory with the Canaan Mercenaries, so I was familiar with the geography there.
“Well, that way I can connect with Baron Ludwig.”
“It was a strategic choice without any selfish intentions.”
“I thought the same thing.”
“No one knows what choices the Order of Armos will make. We’ve gathered as much information as we can, but time is running out.”
Armos’s footsteps have been thoroughly examined in the royal archives.
He was a god who was harmful to humans. As long as there were monsters loved by Armos, humans could not be safe.
“They also can’t anticipate my choice.”
“So please take care.”
“you also.”
“Yes, my lord.”
* * *
“I am Armos Armode.”
It meant that Armos was coming again.
The followers of the Armos cult, who worship the god of monsters, walked around chanting ‘Armos Armode’ like a spell.
After the humans, including the Kingdom of Zenon, began to subdue monsters on a large scale, the influence of the Armos religion was completely broken. Since monsters harmed humans, they had to be prey rather than objects of worship in the Kingdom of Zenon.
During the chaotic period when the branded monsters appeared, the Armos cult flourished. Since they moved secretly as a sect, it was impossible to defeat them by sending large-scale troops.
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– Defend the peace of the Kingdom of Zenon by defeating the branded monsters!
The background of that royal decree was the Armos cult. There were few people as specialized in dealing with them as I was.
“Are you here? I’ve been waiting for you.”
The one who welcomed the group of Armos priests was none other than Baron Prozy. The Baron’s eyes searched the air. His brightly smiling expression also seemed somewhat frozen.
‘A hallucination…? All sorts of things are appearing now.’
It wasn’t magic.
If a large-scale magic of this scale had occurred, the magicians of the Magic Tower would have flocked to uncover its secrets.
The Armos sect extended its reach not only to the Baronial domain of Prozi, but also to the small fiefdoms near Hebron. At first, there were quite a few lords who tried to keep the Armos sect in check.
Baron Prozy also had a negative view of the Armos religion, but for some reason he recently accepted it.
The Proji territory was seemingly peaceful. The upper servitude carriages came and went freely, and the people of the territory lived as usual.
The only things that had changed were the Armos cult freely coming and going from the castle and the white dust fluttering like dandelion seeds.
Hurrruk!
The flames of the Inferno burned the pale dust. Just before it turned to black ash, a few thread-like things emerged from the dust and shook.
“Voltail, you have crossed the taboo.”
Some monsters did not tolerate their very existence. There were species that could not live together with humans. They were designated as priority 0 for subjugation and were hunted until extinction. Voltail was one of them.
Voltail means dust in ancient language. They look like dust, but they are actually parasitic monsters that eat away at the brains of living things.
These creatures can create illusions in humans, and a skilled warlock can manipulate these Voltails to create any illusion they want.
Another eye appeared on my forehead. My three-wheeled eyes opened and I was confronted with an ugly truth. Not all the dust was Voltail, but there were quite a few floating around.
Just as Voltail, who was slowly floating, was about to cling to me, Inferno burned him.
“I am Armos Armode.”
The priest who discovered the flame hurriedly approached me. As he recited a prayer, Voltail’s energy became more intense.
The priest seemed to have no idea who I was.
I told him one truth.
“Armos Marmade.”
The pronunciation was similar, but the content was completely different.
It did not mean that Armos would return, but that Armos would be sealed.
The priest’s face distorted. He gestured and the priests ran toward me one by one. The priest who faced me did not wait for his companion and ran toward me.
“How screwed up have you guys become?”
The priest’s forehead, draped in thick robes, was briefly visible. There was a mark engraved on it that should not have been there. It was the mark of a trickster. However, the mark was artificially engraved, so it did not have the same effect as a real mark.
Instead, the priest developed his powers in a slightly different way. He accepted the Voltails. Four Voltails stretched out their long legs and entered the priest’s body.
Instead of drooling, the priest gained strength. His muscles swelled as if they were going to burst.
It was an ability not granted to humans.
Swoosh!
The priest was serenaded.
He couldn’t even see me swinging my sword properly. He just snorted with a half-dazed expression. His eyes seemed to be mocking me, asking if I could cut through his sturdy body with my short sword.
The mocking gaze split in two.
A diagonal line extending from the priest’s face to his side spreads left and right.
Whoosh whoosh!
Inferno engulfed me in flames. It was because a horde of Voltails surrounded me. They were helplessly burned by the flames of the higher spirits, and one of them approached me through the flames.
It was due to the support of the priests who arrived late.
“I am Armos Armode.”
The priests’ words rang in my ears like a spell. I wanted to reject them, but unfortunately my body could not stop Voltail’s approach.
I tried to put on the armor by blowing my aura into Serenade, but it was already too late.
“omg!”
I swallowed the wind and welcomed a new world. Even though I knew that the things unfolding before my eyes were illusions, I couldn’t help but feel pain as I watched them.
‘Damn it!’
All kinds of vivid memories came back to me.
No, it all felt like it was happening right now.
The smell, texture, and even the taste were all exactly the same as before.
Fantasy soon took over reality. As the boundary between reality and fantasy collapsed, I accepted everything that unfolded before my eyes as reality.
The most horrifying moment of both their lives was when they were being questioned by the Duke of Breyot.
Even the memories of being locked in the dungeon didn’t bother me… … .
-Ordinary humans are not part of Braio.
Duke Breyot did not shout. He spoke in a solemn tone, coldly, as if reciting an immutable truth.
Those words were like a knife piercing my heart. No, really, a sharp knife pierced my heart.
‘assassin!’
He was a man I had never forgotten. I tried everything I could to find out the identity of the man who assassinated Luis de Breio, but I could not find any clues.
I even looked to see if there were any groups that had been destroyed or greatly weakened by the time of my death, but there were none. This meant that Duke Breyo either did not take issue with my death or that it was resolved through internal disciplinary action.
Worst case scenario, I could have been killed on the orders of Duke Breyo.
