Chapter 579

The Ghost Knight was walking straight towards the Imperial Capital. He was no longer called a Ghost Knight.

He was too strong to be called a Ghost Knight, and his behavior was vastly different from that of a typical Ghost Knight, making it impossible to consider him the same species.

The Empire’s monster scholars classified him as a higher species of Ghost Knight and bestowed upon him a new name: the Knight of Ruins.

There couldn’t have been a more fitting name for a monster that could reduce city walls to rubble with a single strike.

Instead of gathering their private armies to stop his advance, the Empire’s nobles evacuated all the citizens along his path and waited for the walking calamity to pass quietly.

If the Knight of Ruins had slaughtered every living being in his path, they would have mustered all their forces to exterminate him. But, unlike typical monsters, he caused no harm as long as no one provoked him, simply walking silently forward.

In fact, if he encountered other monsters along the way, he would wield his infamous cursed sword and fight them, even subduing them.

Thus, despite his overwhelming power, the loss of life was not significant.

Of course, while the loss of life was minimal, the material damage was catastrophic. Every city wall in his path crumbled without exception, and the dark energy emanating from his body contaminated the land.

Since he didn’t linger in one place for long, the priests could purify the land with their miracles, but it was still a daunting task.

—

Unlike Leopold, who ordered a retreat and avoidance, Lacey immediately gathered the paladins of the Imperial Diocese to form an extermination force upon hearing of the Knight of Ruins.

It was a natural decision. Destroying evil was the duty of the clergy. Even if the monster didn’t actively attack, it was still a monster, and to her, the Knight of Ruins was nothing but an evil that needed to be eradicated as soon as possible.

However, Lacey withdrew the emergency summons of the paladins shortly after hearing news of my dispatch.

“If it’s Sir Median, we can trust him to handle it.”

The archbishops of the Imperial Diocese also welcomed Lacey’s decision.

Unlike the forces of the Holy Kingdom, the Imperial Diocese’s Holy Legion was not yet fully formed. Even if they succeeded in exterminating the Knight of Ruins, they would suffer massive losses.

With monsters running rampant across the Empire, the paladins were already stretched thin. A victory like that would only be robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The loss of the Holy Legion’s combat power would lead to a surge in monster damage in other regions.

Thus, sending me alone to deal with the Knight of Ruins was the best course of action for both the Empire and the Imperial Diocese.

—

Since most of my acquaintances hadn’t returned to the Imperial Capital yet, only two people joined me on my journey to confront the Knight of Ruins.

A healing priest to treat any injuries sustained in battle, and a knight to escort the healing priest.

In other words, only Rana and Leonor.

“What about the Rose Cross Knight Order?”

“They need to rest too. If they fought monsters every day like you and me, they’d all collapse from exhaustion.”

“Ah, right.”

It made sense. Despite being somewhat elite from all the monster subjugation, the Rose Cross Knight Order was no different from ordinary Empire Knights, except that all its members were female.

Without proper rest and reorganization, they would burn out from battle fatigue and self-destruct.

Anyway, the three of us left the Imperial Capital and headed towards the Knight of Ruins. Since time was of the essence, we rode horses instead of taking a carriage.

Leonor rode a sturdy warhorse, while Rana and I mounted Cascador.

It was so obvious it didn’t need mentioning, but Cascador didn’t refuse Rana riding on his back.

If he had, I might have fainted from shock.

Milia or Hersh might have been a different story, but refusing Rana… that would mean there was at least one person in the Empire who deserved to be crucified and burned alive.

—

The journey towards the Knight of Ruins felt like reliving old memories. It was as if we were retracing the steps of a past journey.

Of course, many things had changed. Only a year had passed, but the world had undergone so many changes that it was hard to put into words.

Mountains that weren’t there before had risen, lakes had formed, and small villages had sprung up around them. It was as if dungeons had appeared in places where the terrain had drastically changed, with adventurers and knights scattered everywhere.

It was common to ride all day and be ambushed by random monsters, kobolds, or trolls. Even while camping for the night, we were constantly attacked by nocturnal creatures.

Thanks to Cascador taking watch, we didn’t have to stay up all night.

Though he took the form of a horse, being a spirit beast at his core, his stamina was on a completely different level from ordinary warhorses. He could gallop all day and stay up for several nights without showing any signs of fatigue.

“Your unicorn, Miss. It’s a bit creepy with its preference for virgins, but it’s quite useful.”

“That’s what you call good judgment.”

Though, to be honest, I didn’t have much of a choice when I picked him… but as long as the results are good, it’s fine.

“You’re amazing, sister!”

Rana, sipping on a warm stew, smiled brightly and praised me.

…It was just a joke. Her genuine admiration for such a trivial comment made me feel embarrassed.

—

Following the old path, it was inevitable that we would arrive at the village I had visited before. I paused for a moment to take in the familiar yet changed scenery of the village.

“Is something wrong, Miss?”

“No, not really. It’s just that this place has changed a lot since I last saw it.”

“Do you know this village?”

“Not exactly… but I once reduced this village to ashes.”

It was the village I had visited on my way to Karmaine Forest. A den of human scum that drugged travelers, killed the men, and enslaved the women in the basement.

I remember now. Back then, driven by violent frustration and irritation, I went overboard and turned the entire village into a sea of flames. I was so shocked when it suddenly started raining.

“Reduced to ashes…? Ah, so this is *that* village. No wonder most of the buildings are new.”

“That village?”

“You know, the one where you claimed to be some kind of divine punishment. You wrote it on the wall in blood.”

…Oh right, I did say something like that.

At the time, it was just an impulsive act, but looking back now, calling myself a divine punishment wasn’t an exaggeration—it was the plain truth. Ever since I was chosen as Astraea’s saintess.

They say words have power. Is this what they call a self-fulfilling prophecy?

“Is it still preserved?”

“…I don’t know.”

The words that didn’t burn in the flames or wash away in the rain. Considering how Lacey had made a fuss about it being the will of the gods, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was still preserved. Though I had no desire to see it again.

“I want to see it!”

“It’s not really worth seeing…”

I scratched the back of my head and tried to brush it off.

It’s not like it’s some cultural artifact. It’s just some words written in blood on a wall. What’s the point of seeing that?

“I want to see it!”

“…Alright, alright. Fine. Let’s take a quick look and go.”

Unable to resist Rana’s sparkling eyes, I nodded and turned the reins towards the village. If she wanted to see it that badly, might as well take a look.

—

Knowing that my arrival would cause a commotion, I put on a travel cloak and hood and temporarily dismissed Cascador as we approached the village.

Leonor, being the Empire’s princess, also veiled her face slightly.

The village, preparing for the Knight of Ruins’ arrival, was bustling with activity. They were too busy to pay attention to suspicious outsiders.

“There are a lot of priests here…?”

Rana looked around curiously, tilting her head.

Indeed, to her, the villagers must have seemed strange. There were no ordinary families in sight—just priests, paladins, and tourists everywhere.

Thinking about it, it made sense that no original villagers remained. We had killed all the men and sent the women to the Imperial Diocese for care.

Whether they had recovered or not… I hadn’t asked Lacey, so I didn’t know.

In any case, with the original residents gone, the village needed new inhabitants. But no one in their right mind would want to live in a village where such a tragedy had occurred.

So, it seemed they had rebuilt it as a tourist destination for outsiders.

Most of the buildings were no longer ordinary homes but facilities for visitors—churches, inns, and shops. It felt like a pilgrimage site.

Even the people running the inns and shops wore holy symbols, suggesting they were followers of the Elpinel Church.

I wondered what there was to see in this rural backwater… but there was one attraction. Inside the Elpinel Church at the center of the village.

They had preserved the words I had written on the wall, encased in glass, as a holy relic proving Elpinel’s will had descended to the mortal world. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.