Chapter 479

Beyond the horizon, reminiscent of the snow-covered northern plains, golden waves were approaching Arad.

I stood on the city walls, watching the approaching army of order, thin smoke rising like a beacon.

Finally, they had arrived. The Holy Legion of Astraea.

Their numbers were roughly two thousand, with more than half being paladins. It seemed they had brought the main force of the Church Order.

…Winning head-on wouldn’t be easy.

Unless I was in perfect condition, it was hard to guarantee victory in my current state.

Ordinary paladins were nothing, and high-ranking paladins were manageable… but the elite core forces, the Judges, were starting to become troublesome opponents.

One-on-one, maybe, but with such a large force, even I would tire before taking them all down.

If that happened, it would be the end. Like a weakened beast, I’d be hunted.

Their miracles didn’t have much effect on me, but that didn’t mean their swords wouldn’t hurt.

And with Seilon, who seemed to be at the level of a near-hero, added to the mix…

Starting a fight outright didn’t seem like a wise choice.

Originally, I would have had to risk everything and engage in a bloody battle, but whether it was fate’s joke or the gods’ trick, I now had a way to resolve this without fighting.

I glared at the bandaged area on my chest, filled with all sorts of emotions, then threw the finished cigarette over the wall and descended.

I had already spent the past six days thinking about what to say.

—

The main force of Astraea, approaching Arad, had set up camp a considerable distance from the city walls.

Did they not plan to attack immediately?

Perhaps to let their troops rest after the march, or maybe to be cautious of me.

At least, it was a much better situation than being attacked without warning.

They must have already heard reports that I was here. That much was certain.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have set up camp just out of range of my arrows or throwing spears.

Now, completely different from the planned suppression of the riot.

Had they decided to eliminate me, like Wilhelm, or were they considering other options?

There was no way to know without experiencing it.

So, it was time to go and experience it.

I mounted the warhorse borrowed from Kranuus Cathedral.

With heavy armor and the snowy terrain, a full-speed charge would be difficult, but just being on horseback added to my presence, and if needed, I could use it as a shield or a jumping platform.

“Neigh!”

The horse, perhaps sensing something ominous, shook its head and snorted.

“Whoa, whoa. Don’t act up. Annoying.”

I grabbed the horse’s neck tightly to calm it, then took the reins and headed beyond Arad’s city gates.

On my back, a bow and two throwing spears. In my pouch, twenty daggers. At my waist, Durandal.

With a shield hanging by the saddle, I was fully armed, ready for war.

It was necessary.

I was going to talk, but if they attacked me on sight, I’d have no choice but to respond.

With a light tap of the reins, the horse began to move forward, trampling the snow.

—

“It’s Ai-shan Gi-or! Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur is coming!”

“Could she be planning to attack head-on…?”

“Inform the Judges! Ai-shan Gi-or has appeared!”

As the distance closed, they seemed to have noticed me, shouting urgently and moving quickly.

Paladins with spears and shields formed a defensive formation, while priests erected barriers.

The archers, with their bows drawn, were filled with tension and fear.

I approached just close enough to be out of range of their arrows and pulled the reins to stop.

Breaking through their hastily formed formation wouldn’t be too difficult, but that wasn’t why I was here.

“Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur! Do you truly intend to face us all alone? Such arrogance will bring your death!”

A man in the center of the formation, wielding a long spear, issued a threat.

His presence was comparable to the Sword of Landenburg. He must be one of the Judges.

I calmed the horse, startled by the divine light, and responded.

“Ha, you’re overreacting. I’m not here to spill blood. Not this time.”

My words, too unexpected, caused the paladins to stir in surprise.

They looked at me as if I were a tiger declaring vegetarianism.

“Your leader… probably Seilon, right? I have something to discuss with him. So, make way. I swear not to spill a drop of blood as long as you don’t attack me.”

“You expect us to believe that?!”

Of course, the Judge protested.

Well, even I wouldn’t believe it. But you have to.

“Believing is your specialty, isn’t it?”

I raised both hands to show I had no hostile intent.

With a spear sticking out from behind my back, I could still draw it quickly if they attacked.

“……”

A long silence followed. The Judge neither gave the order to attack nor made way, silently glaring at me.

Well, that reaction wasn’t too bad. He was probably waiting for Seilon to arrive after receiving the report.

“No answer? Fine. I’ll wait for about a minute.”

They didn’t seem to be trying to surround me or prepare a large-scale miracle… so I lit a cigarette and waited for Seilon to arrive.

The paladins maintained their formation without moving, throwing glances at me, either impressed or horrified by my calm demeanor in the face of a large army.

“You were looking for me.”

The familiar face of the golden-haired Judge arrived when the cigarette was about half gone.

—

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? You’ve become quite rude.”

I exhaled a long puff of smoke and laughed at him.

Back then, he had glared at me too, but at least he had been polite… now he was outright using informal speech.

“Would you prefer to be called Count Median? In that case, as a Count of the Empire, I would have to hold you accountable for invading our country… but if that’s what you want.”

…In other words, unless I emphasized my Imperial status, they wouldn’t make it an international issue.

His attitude, much more flexible than Wilhelm’s, was quite surprising. I thought he was a rigid man.

“You’re quite talkative. Fine, I’ll let this rudeness slide. I didn’t come here to argue about titles anyway.”

“Then why did you come? You said you had something to discuss with me. Surely you’re not thinking of surrendering now.”

Would you surrender if you were me?

I snorted in response and scanned the growing number of paladins.

Are they all gathering here? What if I had set up a diversion?

“This isn’t the place to talk. I’d like a private audience… surely the Golden Seilon, a Judge of Astraea, wouldn’t refuse a one-on-one meeting out of fear, would you?”

“What if I refuse?”

Then we’d have no choice but to fight.

“Rivers of blood will flow. I won’t show mercy like last time. If you want the Holy Kingdom’s weakest Church Order to collapse, go ahead and attack.”

“……”

“How dare you spout such nonsense!”

Seilon seemed to sense the reality in my words and remained silent, but the other paladins erupted in anger.

Those who know nothing always bark the loudest.

If I had decided to wipe you all out, you’d have been dead before reaching Arad.

Hit and run outside the city, killing and retreating—how would you catch me?

“…Open the formation. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

Seilon’s quiet command made the other Judges look at him in shock.

“Are you serious, Sir Seilon?”

“Yes. This woman spared the lives of Arad’s paladins during the battle. It’s only fair to hear her out in return.”

“…It could be a trap aimed at you.”

The Judge lowered his voice, uneasy, but Seilon seemed to have already made up his mind.

To talk with me, at least.

Good thing I didn’t kill those paladins.

Otherwise, it would have been an all-out war with no room for negotiation.

“An ambush disguised as a private meeting? Pointless. It would only lead to mutual destruction.”

Seilon shook his head and ordered the paladins again. Reluctantly, they opened the formation and made way.

—

I was led to Seilon’s personal barracks.

If you want a private meeting, there’s no better place, they said.

Located in the center of the formation, it was the perfect place to be surrounded and killed if a fight broke out.

Well, if it weren’t such a place, the idea of a private meeting wouldn’t have worked, so I had to accept it.

“As requested, a quiet place has been prepared. Now, can you tell me why you came all this way to meet me privately?”

“I called you to negotiate. Wilhelm was impossible to talk to, but you seem different.”

“Negotiate?”

“Yes. If you refuse, we’ll have to fight… but if we can resolve this with words, that would be best.”

I sat on a chair in the barracks, lit a cigarette, and began to explain why I had come.

“You’ve had a hard time coming all this way, but the riot in Arad has already been quelled. I’d like you to turn back. If you enter, the embers we just put out will flare up again.”

“…Are you suggesting that as a proposal?”

Seilon looked at me as if I were insane.

Well, if a thief who broke into your house cleaned it up and then claimed it as his own, asking you to leave, anyone would make that face.

“Hear me out. So…”

I told Seilon that Belcus was behind the events in Arad.

With an extremist like Wilhelm, it would have been pointless, but Seilon, after talking to him, didn’t seem as stubborn.

His hostility towards me remained, but there was a hint of confusion mixed in.

I could guess why. He must have heard that the Light of Judgment didn’t work on me.

No wonder he was confused.

It wasn’t like I had scales or armor to defend myself, nor did I regenerate after being wounded.

I just took the hit and stood my ground.

That was proof of my innocence, given by Astraea herself.

“Belcus… Belcus, you say? It’s such an unexpected name that it’s almost believable… So, you’re saying Belcus was behind the unrest in Arad? And our suppression was also part of his plan?”

“That’s right. Archbishop Radenis is investigating the residents to identify those involved. In other words, if we clash, only Belcus will benefit. How about it? Interested now?”

Instead of answering, Seilon sat stiffly in his chair and let out a sigh.

The expression of a middle manager caught between a rock and a hard place was clear on his face.

“…Even so, nothing changes. The governance of Arad is the responsibility of our Church Order. You are still an enemy who forcibly occupied our jurisdiction. If you withdraw now, we can consider overlooking the losses so far… but if you don’t, we’ll have no choice but to judge you.”

“Shouldn’t it be called slaughter rather than governance? If I leave, you’ll kill all the residents who participated in the protests, won’t you? Like Wilhelm did.”

“If they riot again… unfortunately, yes. The Cardinal has ordered it. Originally, Archbishop Wilhelm’s governance was the cause, but we can’t ignore those who have been incited by demons to oppose our Church Order.”

And if they entered Arad, it was only a matter of time before the residents rebelled again.

Once conflict had broken out, this had long since turned into a battle of grudges.

“Just go to another city. If you take a step back, there won’t be any problems.”

“His Eminence does not know retreat.”

A blade-like, resolute answer with no room for compromise.

It was proof that invoking Belcus’s name alone wouldn’t resolve this situation.

“Sigh… you frustrating bastards.”

I let out a long sigh.

I hadn’t expected much from the start… but it seems this is the only way.

“Then how about this?”

I put out the cigarette, took off my top, and placed a finger on the bandage covering my chest.

If I fight them this time, I won’t be able to avoid killing.

Rather than slaughtering those monsters, it’s better if I just get a little tired.

Even these frustrating guys, who wouldn’t listen to a foreign noble, might change their tune if a Saint Candidate speaks—

“No, what are you doing?!”

Seilon jumped up, his face red, and pointed at me.

What the hell? Why is this guy freaking out all of a sudden?

“Trying to seduce me with your body, how vulgar! Did you think an Astraean Judge would fall for such base desires…!”

“What, what are you talking about? That’s not it, you idiot!”

What the hell is going on in this guy’s head to make such an accusation!

My cheeks were burning.

“Look at this!”

To prove my innocence, I quickly removed the bandage, revealing the scales of justice engraved on my chest.

“Are you insane! What are you showing me…!”

Seilon, who had been shouting in anger, froze as his gaze fixed on the mark on my chest.

“…Huh? Uh, uh?”

Seilon, who had momentarily regressed to a primate, stared at the Holy Mark of Astraea with his mouth agape, spouting monkey-like sounds.

“This is, no, it can’t be?”

As if he had seen an impossible illusion, he rubbed his eyes and looked again.

Denying reality, he closed his eyes, shook his head, and looked again.

Of course, no matter how much he denied it, the mark on my chest wasn’t going anywhere.

“A Holy Mark, you say…? Impossible. It can’t be. An illusion… no, it must be fake. Painted with some kind of dye…!”

His trembling right hand reached towards my mark.

As if he intended to rub it away with his thumb.

“Where do you think you’re touching, you bastard!”

I slapped away Seilon’s hand and rubbed the mark myself to show it wasn’t paint.

“Astraea, what is this…?”

Finally understanding the reality, Seilon’s legs gave out, and he knelt before me.

“Sir Seilon! Are you alright?!”

“So it was an ambush after all! You vile barbarian!”

The paladins, hearing Seilon’s shout, burst into the barracks at that moment.

—

They must have thought I had attacked Seilon.

What they witnessed, however, was completely different from what they expected.

“Huh, huh…?”

“What is this…?!”

The paladins, who had drawn their swords and rushed into the barracks, were so shocked by the sight before them that they dropped their weapons.

It wasn’t because they saw my Holy Mark. I had my back turned to them.

All they saw was my half-naked back, with my top pulled down, and Seilon kneeling before me.

Of course, that wasn’t something to be thankful for.

The distance between Seilon and me was uncomfortably close, and due to the height of the chair, Seilon’s head was right near my thighs.

From behind, it must have looked like…

“Tch…!”

I quickly pulled up the bandage to cover the Holy Mark on my chest.

I had no intention of advertising my status as a Saint Candidate to the whole neighborhood. At least, not yet.

Of course, to the paladins, it must have looked like a woman caught in the act, hurriedly covering herself. Damn it.

“Sir Seilon, what on earth are you doing?! Engaging in such acts with the enemy of the Church…!”

“To think your lenient attitude was for this reason…!”

“No, it’s a misunderstanding!”

Seilon, jumping to his feet, desperately tried to explain, but the paladins only backed away, their faces filled with distrust.

…What a mess.

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