Chapter 147

I woke up after a full day of being unconscious.

In a private room of the temporary infirmary, I barely managed to wake up after a day and looked around while lying on the bed.

The room was dark and quiet, with only moonlight shining through the window. A half-asleep figure was dozing off on a chair next to the bed.

“Asha…?”

“Ah, Ha-shal-leur! You’re awake? How’s your body?”

Her voice was half-asleep.

“My body… it’s better than I thought.”

My limbs were tingling, but I could move them somewhat, probably because the priests had taken care of me while I was unconscious. It wasn’t like I was seriously injured—I just passed out from exhaustion. Maybe it was thanks to Asha’s armor.

Asha smiled, relieved, and told me what had happened over the past day.

—

At the end of the battle, Prince Leopold’s army, running out of stamina before their lives, formed a defensive circle and barely held on. Meanwhile, Prince Ernst’s forces arrived as reinforcements and wiped out the remaining monsters.

Though, by that point, there were only about three hundred enemies left, so it wasn’t exactly a glorious achievement. Even Ernst, who entered the castle after confirming the monsters’ annihilation, didn’t look too pleased with the underwhelming result.

“Well, it’s disappointing. He brought all his elite troops, only to find so few enemies left. It made him look like he came to clean up rather than rescue. So, what happened after that?”

They probably sent scouts, but they couldn’t have expected us to reduce the enemy numbers so quickly. By the time they rushed in, only the remnants of the monsters were left. Not much to brag about.

“Prince Leopold stepped forward to greet Prince Ernst. The atmosphere was tense, like they were about to fight any second.”

*”You’re still alive, brother?”*

*”Thanks to the efforts of the empire’s soldiers and the Holy Kingdom’s support. The Elpinel Church’s saint candidate and even Sir Richard of the Holy Knights helped us.”*

“Did they really say that?”

“Yes. Then they glared at each other for a while before Prince Ernst ordered his troops to clean up the battlefield—gathering the dead, treating the wounded, and checking the remaining forces.”

Asha didn’t seem to notice, but it was a chilling story. I almost died while unconscious.

The meaning behind their words was simple.

Ernst was considering using this opportunity to eliminate his rivals and blame it on the monsters. Leopold countered by pointing out that he’d have to kill the entire 3rd Legion and key figures from the Elpinel Church to do so, asking if he could handle that.

If Ernst hadn’t backed down… a massacre between humans would have unfolded right there.

Cold-hearted, aren’t they? Leopold dragged thousands to their deaths for his own standing, and Ernst considered killing the survivors. Sure, the losers are usually purged, but still…

Maybe their father’s bloodline is just rotten.

—

It took four more days for the situation to fully settle. I spent those days quietly recovering my strength.

With Ernst’s forces in control, this place was practically enemy territory. They probably wouldn’t do anything, but it’s better to be cautious, right?

On the fifth morning, Leopold decided to return to the capital with his remaining troops.

There was still work to be done—repairing the castle and investigating the source of the monsters—but he argued that his forces were no longer capable of handling it. Returning with Ernst’s army would only make them look like defeated remnants.

Not entirely wrong, considering half his forces were gone.

I decided to return with them. My horse was already dead, and Asha’s bike was out of fuel.

“Wait, how did you lose that horse already?”

Marquis Ludwig scolded me, sounding incredulous. It was a good horse, sure. Would’ve been better if it could resist magic, though.

In the end, I was given a spare military horse, and Asha and I rode together, following Marquis Ludwig back to the capital. All the carriages were being used for the severely wounded.

During the march, the glances from the people around me had changed. Whether it was because of Lacey’s ring or my impressive performance, or maybe both, their eyes were filled with awe and admiration instead of fear and suspicion.

Like boys staring at dinosaur fossils.

A faint smile crept onto my face. It was the kind of attention I had secretly hoped for.

—

There was no grand victory celebration.

Emperor Ferdinand was on the brink of death, and Isabella wasn’t the type to throw such events. Besides, calling it a victory was a stretch given Leopold’s massive losses.

Only nine hundred Holy Knights survived, with sixty Paladins. Nearly half had perished.

The empire’s losses were even worse. Out of eight thousand troops, only four thousand survived, and a thousand of those were no longer fit for battle.

Out of two hundred Empire Knights, only seventy remained. Two masters had also fallen.

For a monster extermination, the losses were unprecedented.

Of course, losing five thousand against five thousand undead was still a remarkable achievement. But, honestly, if I hadn’t been there, they would’ve lost.

“Thank you for your rescue, Princess. I will repay this debt someday.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Leopold bowed politely and led his troops toward the imperial palace.

He didn’t look cheerful, but he wasn’t despairing either.

Maybe because they managed to win somehow.

The enemy’s scale…

Given the scale, if you package it well, you could argue that it wasn’t a mistake but rather a swift response and heroic struggle.

They’ll figure it out. If they were planning to take such a gamble, they must’ve thought ahead, right?

After sending off the prince, I also exchanged farewells with Marquis Ludwig.

“Did you say you need a coachman? I’ll let the mansion in the capital know. Contact them if needed. And, take care of Sir Nigel from now on.”

“Yeah. Sorry about the horse.”

The Marquis said he’d return to the east immediately after handling this matter.

He said he’d left Berengeiria unattended for too long.

Asha headed back to the workshop, and I parted ways with Lacey before arriving at the special quarters.

“I’ll visit you later. There are things I need to tell you about that sword.”

Lacey smiled lightly, bowed to me, and left for the Church Order headquarters with Richard.

She’ll probably be quite busy for a while too.

The holy war they recklessly deployed. All the responsibility for that will fall on her.

With half of the Elpinel Church Order’s forces in the Empire gone, the influence of the Shaulite faction will likely grow stronger.

While their reputation might rise due to this achievement… their actual military strength has been halved, and it’ll take a long time to recover.

By the way, about the sword…

Did she figure out Durandal?

Well, I fought so flashily, so it’s no surprise someone like her, a candidate for sainthood, would notice.

Honestly, I’m a bit nervous.

I have no idea what she’s going to say.

Still, she wouldn’t ask me to return Durandal or anything ridiculous like that, right?

—

Finally, I arrived back at the special quarters.

Freide was nowhere to be seen.

I heard she went on a mission with some others.

She said she’d take a week off, but it seems she only took exactly a week. Should I call that dedication…?

Let her be. She’ll figure it out.

She acts prickly all year round, but deep down, she’s kind…

And there’s no one else as reliable as her in terms of skill or experience.

I’ll think about it later. For now, I need some rest…

My exhausted body is demanding it. Even though I rested for nearly five days at Einfeld Castle.

I threw off my armor, washed up, and collapsed onto the bed.

I must’ve been really tired because I fell asleep the moment I closed my eyes.

====[□□□ □□□ □□]====

Deep underground, in an ancient ruin unknown to anyone.

The transformation of the world finally began from the innermost temple.

“At last…!”

Hundreds of runes glowed ominously, illuminating the temple’s interior.

The first apostle, unable to hide his ecstasy, gazed up at the altar.

At the hexagram engraved in the center of the altar and the golden cups placed at each corner.

Five of the cups were empty… but the first cup was filled with something indescribable.

A dark red liquid, resembling wine, sloshed inside.

Bubbles resembling human faces swirled, emitting eerie screams.

And then, finally, the Holy Grail overflowed.

One drop. Then another.

Soon, it became a stream, soaking the surface of the cup and trickling down.

The Holy Grail, stained by the flowing souls, began to crack as it lost its color.

The blood of the Holy Grail seeped into the hexagram’s engraving.

An immense light erupted.

A magical radiance bright enough to illuminate the entire underground ruin.

The unprecedented concentration of magical energy at the altar pierced through the first Holy Grail.

The shattered Holy Grail scattered its contents across the altar.

And then, an enormous amount of magical energy, enough to engulf the entire world, surged toward the heavens.

The entire ruin shook violently.

“At last, at last, we’ve reached this point! The first Holy Grail has been destroyed!! Are you watching, false gods?!”

The first apostle, Phelus, let out a maniacal laugh.

Though invisible, it was palpable.

The moment the detestable heavenly barrier that had blocked them began to crumble!

“With this, we shall reclaim our chance to ascend!!”

A passionate roar echoed throughout the ruin.

—

**On this day, the laws of the world were distorted.**

—

The World Tree, silent for nine hundred years, finally spoke.

**- It has begun.**

The elder fairies looked at their deity in shock.

The priests of the 11 main gods felt their powers slightly strengthen.

As if the gods had taken a step closer to them.

Masters at the peak of their limits felt the walls blocking them disappear.

A new realm awaited them.

—

**And across the world, monsters began to rise.**

From village graveyards, deep within dark forests.

Inside caves, desolate plains, and even in the midst of battlefields.

Reports of monster appearances poured in from everywhere.

At a frequency more than three times the usual.

The world had changed.

Everyone could feel it.

Though few knew the cause.

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