Chapter 100

One week had passed since the dissolution of the Holy Liberation Army in Kalheig.

It had been my stage where I could utilize force, and now that the war had concluded, my role had seemingly come to an end.

The imperial army and the knights had either returned to the capital or dispersed to their original deployment areas.

I, having completed my missions, had returned to the Imperial Palace to commence a review of the work done during the past period.

War was important, but the aftermath was of greater concern.

The empire had emerged victorious and it was time to leverage that victory to retrieve the resources that had been expended.

Money. Negotiations. There were experts dedicated to these fields.

Kiersen Lucanov, the representative of the Inner Palace and chancellor, was in charge of overseeing the empire’s finances. He had departed to various negotiation tables with the other nations.

Barnel and the imperial army were busy wrapping up matters related to casualties, supply logistics, and miscellaneous expenses.

As for negotiating with other countries, Kiersen had been granted full authority by Iris to proceed with the negotiations.

Kalheig’s position as the losing country was clear, and the leaders, such as Jade and other dukes, had already been executed.

Furthermore, the Empire, home to the main temple of the Bright Sect, had declared a crusade against the saints of another nation.

Naturally, Kalheig had already committed to accepting all the demands, stating they would hand over everything to avoid conflict.

This attitude of Kalheig was indeed expected, both by Iris and me.

Kiersen didn’t dwell much on this point.

What was more important was uncovering which other nations had covertly supported the formation of the Holy Liberation Army.

Attempts to cut ties were quickly visible as soon as the Liberation Army met defeat.

‘The preparations have already been completed.’

Through the swift movements of the Black Falcon and the Central Intelligence Department during the war, Kiersen had gathered various evidence and uncomfortable truths about the high-ranking officials of those countries.

The material was sufficient, and Kiersen was ready, left only to act on the information and evidence gathered.

We had assumed from the start that we would extract reparations from other nations rather than Kalheig.

The empire had proven its power in this short-term war. With such definitive evidence, it was inevitable for other nations to concede and pay up.

Moreover, the existence of saints — both male and female — was quite bothersome.

Rumors among bureaucrats and maids mentioned that Kiersen had left the palace with a rare sinister smile.

‘It’s good that he already prepared himself.’

Any ill intention they harbored secretly would rebound as a boomerang. We certainly felt no sympathy.

*

The post-war procedures were handled directly by Kiersen, Barnel, Iris, and other high-ranking officials.

I found myself going through progress reports in the Audience Chamber.

It seemed that my wife and Alberto had made arrangements for me to be excluded from official duties, giving me a period of mandatory rest.

Although I was on something of a holiday, I still felt somewhat restless watching everyone else work. Hence, I decided to create some work for myself.

First, I began psychological counseling for the knights.

Sudden deployment and three weeks of massacres were not events that could be easily accepted by average individuals.

There was not a single miracle story of all surviving members of the knight corps.

Though the war had been brief—lasting only three weeks—there were casualties among the knights as well as with the imperial army and the Liberation Army. The final battle left no survivors for my miracle to revive.

Thus, the overall mood at the knights’ quarters was heavily oppressive. The knights themselves, despite their usual poise, were far from their best.

Some knights constantly surveyed their surroundings.

Others would tremble unless their sword was in their arms.

Horns, trumpets, shouts, or the sharp clang of metal would cause them to have fits.

This, according to some, was called post-traumatic stress disorder.

Though individuals aspiring to be knights generally possess a robust character, even they could go mad under the intense and relentless battlefield conditions.

In particular, there was the unique experience of dying and coming back to life.

The pain and fear felt at the brink of death.

The relentless sharpness of metal and the warmth of blood that clung to their consciousness before it faded would be etched into the knights’ minds forever.

While senior knights may have had past experiences that made them more resilient,

the problem lay with the novice knights.

We had not intended to deploy novice knights onto the battlefield.

Their lack of experience and martial capability as junior members was a big reason.

However, the war broke out much earlier than expected, around mid-summer. And the scale of the Liberation Army far exceeded predictions, necessitating even a minimal force for the great charge of knights.

Their physical training was approaching completion.

So, we adjusted the plan, focusing heavily on group combat training before deploying them swiftly to the war.

Fortunately, the knights performed quite uniquely on the battlefield, striking a considerable impact. The Liberation Army would often waver in fear at the sight of knights launching an attack.

Excluding the last assault to destroy the siege weapons, the knights set nearly a perfect record of victories. They sustained several injuries during the three weeks and unfortunately met their demise in the final battle.

Nonetheless,

According to the experts in my past life, including the campaign of military psychologists, post-war care for soldiers is crucial.

Therefore, I conducted psychological counseling to verify the mental state of the members.

Though there are no specific psychiatric specialists here as there are in modern times, this field has experts that date back to ancient times—religion.

There is no better effective medicine for bringing peace to the mind than religion. The priests of the sect indeed counteract the fear-inducing monstrosities of this world.

Since there was no point in dragging this matter out, I had Charles send a letter requesting priestly assistance to the Bright Sect.

I knew the sect was also busy like the imperial palace.

Assuming I’d receive a reply within a day or two, or three…

“Servant humbly requests the audience with the Divine Messenger!”

“Divine Messenger, you called for our assistance.”

Ten minutes later, Cardinal Soren accompanied by ten high-ranking priests arrived at the palace. They bowed while drawing the sign of the cross.

Seeing their unusually respectful demeanor compared to when I last visited the temple, I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

“Cardinal, I didn’t expect you to visit personally. Thank you all for responding amidst your busy schedule. Hmm…”

Taking the opportunity to ask for the knights’ welfare, I gave them a brief performance with sparkling eyes.

Flash.

“The Divine has bestowed His blessings!”

“Oh! Glory to Solara!”

“We believe! We believe!”

A shining light emanating from my body caused the priests to begin prayers, shedding streams of tears.

Even Cardinal Soren, who had been composed, took a silk handkerchief from his breast to carefully wipe away tears.

‘Woah.’

It felt like witnessing the fervent fans at an idol’s fan meeting. Is this how Myna is treated since she became a saint?

Under a peculiar sense of pressure, I took a step back, and Cardinal Soren, who had maintained a relatively calm attitude, began to speak.

“You wished for a prayer meeting and counseling sessions, correct?”

“…Yes. It appears the minds of those who faced trials have accumulated deep karmic burdens. Thus, we need your help.”

“Speak freely. We are but humble servants following the sun. Requests from the Divine Messenger and the Saint take precedence in our missions.”

Thus, I led Cardinal Soren and the priests to the knights’ quarters.

By the seventh day since Soren and the priests had settled into the palace, the psychological counseling treatments showed significant effects.

Overall, the knights, who were previously dreary, started to change their mood.

The senior knights who lived gloomily and the nervous novices began to nod while listening to the eloquent words of the priests.

Gradually, vitality returned to the knights, and those who returned to their daily routines began to increase one by one.

‘Quite effective.’

While it’s impossible to instantly rid oneself of burdens,

At least this can be a small help in facing the future.

All that remains is to leave it to time.

‘However…’

While the clergy was conducting psychological counseling, I also participated and listened to their stories.

Members in difficult mental states were finding ordinary peace.

But the problematic part was with the knights who seemed to be in relatively better mental condition.

“I witnessed the miracle, and I am its witness.”

A fair-haired man spoke with strikingly clear eyes.

A novice knight named Russell, if I remember correctly, the first one to approach us when the knights were stranded. His face was imprinted in my memory.

“Given a second life, I have been reborn! Glory to Solara! Glory to the Saint of Radiance! From now on, I shall preach the doctrine, as an unfailing knight of the royal guards, protecting His Majesty and the Divine Messenger and the Saint!”

Russell, raising a seven-spiked pendant given to him by a priest, shouted enthusiastically throughout the dormitory.

“First, to prove my devotion and integrity, I shall donate all my assets to the orphanage and the sect!”

“Oh! What brilliant faith it is!”

“May the warm light accompany your pure journey, noble knight!”

His strangely fiery eyes and the enthusiastic smiles of the priests clapping hands were peculiar sights.

Watching this bizarre enthusiasm from a step back, I found myself in an utterly ridiculous situation.

‘What the, it’s mana?’

The faint light around Russell, which had been dull like an ordinary person, suddenly sparked a small flame.

This implied the potential awakening of mana manifestation, similar to Milene.

And this absurd scenario wasn’t limited to Russell; it occurred sporadically among the novice knights.

From the perspective of the captain of the knight corps, the appearance of members with potential was indeed pleasing, but…

‘Their condition is somewhat…’

Most of them, like Russell, had sparkling eyes.

What was fortunate was that they weren’t giving off negative vibes.

‘…I’ll have to conduct some spiritual re-education eventually.’

With adequate stick discipline, it would be controlled enough to become the foundation for growing skills without spiraling into something weird.

Sighing while observing the oddly singing people praising the saint, I brought the psychological counseling sessions to a successful conclusion.

*

The psychological counseling and therapy for the knights were discussed to become ongoing, with the priests occasionally visiting the imperial army as well.

And again, a period of idleness had arrived.

Actually, I was in a situation of seeming idle but not truly so.

Even though it was quiet now, the northern front was still maintaining its line under the isolation of harsh winter.

Knowing the results if the north was neglected, I couldn’t just take a peaceful rest.

Even while reviewing documents in the audience chamber, I found myself unconsciously shaking my legs.

Iris was busy handling the post-war administrative procedures.

Since I couldn’t stay still anyway, I visited the Bright Sect for my next task.

The second task was preparing to head to the north.

While stabilizing the inner turmoil since the war,

We needed to prepare several things to launch to the north at any time.

The Principality of the North can be entered alone, but going there alone wouldn’t be enough to block the large front continuously.

Logistics need to be supplied to the front lines, and ideally, a method to seal the dragon again needs to be found.

Logistics issues I’ll discuss with Nia. As for the seal, it would be better to discuss it with Myna first.

The sealing sword used by my father was a weapon forged through the miracles of a saint and the wizard’s alchemy.

While receiving burdensome courtesies from noble and bureaucratic faithfuls in the city streets, and from the fervent prayers of the residents we encountered, and through the enthusiastic welcome of holy knights and priests at the entrance of the Great Cathedral,

I once again entered the office of the saint, now piled high with documents.