Chapter 461

After the cardinals’ meeting, Ernliter Zaisers summoned Seilon to deliver detailed suppression orders.

“Return Archbishop Wilhelm to the Holy City, and you personally go to quell the chaos in Arad. A mere manifesto couldn’t have caused such an uproar. There must be a ringleader behind this riot. Find them and bring them to the Holy City. I will personally interrogate them.”

Zaisers believed this riot was not a simple civilian uprising but a conspiracy orchestrated by someone.

The sudden large-scale clash was too abrupt to be solely attributed to the citizens’ pent-up frustrations under harsh rule.

From those who distributed the inciting manifestos to those who organized the protests and even those who threw torches at Wilhelm, Zaisers saw them as the evil sparks that ignited this chaos, targeting the Astraea Church Order.

“Understood. However… even if we capture the ringleader, I fear the current situation may not calm down so easily…”

Seilon cautiously voiced his dissent.

In his judgment, the riot in Arad had already escalated beyond the point of being quelled by merely capturing a few leaders.

“Then show them the sternness of the scales. Judge the disorder and chaos, and restore proper order. The Judge exists solely for that purpose.”

If the protests didn’t stop after capturing the ringleader, the order was to suppress them until they did.

Seilon bowed his head and saluted the cardinal.

It was time to fulfill his duty.

For justice.

—

Cardinal Rosof of the Keres Church Order summoned Archbishop Shernel and ordered him to lead the paladins to Nasiriya.

Of course, it wasn’t a force assembled to seize the city by force.

It was merely a contingent to regain control and maintain order in Nasiriya.

After all, how could they possibly plunder those who had annihilated the Grimnir Church Order?

Even with the full might of the Keres Church, it would be a dubious endeavor, let alone with just the archbishop and a portion of their forces.

‘There’s no need for that. Just give her what she wants.’

Cardinal Rosof planned to negotiate, offering to recognize the independence of the Imperial Diocese in exchange for peacefully reclaiming Nasiriya.

The independence of the Imperial Diocese was already a foregone conclusion, but it was unlikely that Lacey in Nasiriya had been informed of this yet.

Thus, he aimed to extract the maximum benefit from this.

In his judgment, Lacey had no choice but to accept this proposal.

For her to reject it now would be to admit that the cause she had so vehemently advocated for was worth less than a single city.

It was a perfect plan.

At least, in Rosof’s eyes.

However.

The news of the Keres Church’s forces heading to Nasiriya became the long-awaited opportunity for revenge for someone who had been watching the Holy City.

Upon hearing the reports from his spies in the Holy City, the man burst into a fit of passionate laughter, overjoyed.

The moment to vent even a fraction of his hatred toward Rosof had finally arrived.

—

Cardinal Karnius Gustav of the Shaulite Church Order met privately with Cardinal Reicher of the Imera Church Order.

Though politically opposed, they shared one commonality.

“Even in Arvil, there’s no guarantee that what happened in Arad won’t occur. We can’t just leave it be, can we?”

The commonality of governing the same city.

“We can’t resort to Zaisers’ extreme methods… but I believe we need to investigate the city’s situation. What do you think?”

Reicher hesitated but ultimately had no choice but to agree with Karnius’ proposal.

He had been half-tolerating it until now, but he couldn’t ignore the growing seeds of unrest any longer.

‘I wanted to leave it to Staldorf, but… given how things have turned out, I’ll have to handle it myself. She’s tied up in Nasiriya now.’

It would be difficult to head to Arvil at this point.

After all, her original objective had already been achieved.

“…I agree. A small spark left unattended can one day turn into a massive blaze. It’s wise to extinguish it before it burns us.”

Reicher nodded.

It was the moment when the interests of the two church orders aligned.

===[ Keres Church, Archbishop Shernel’s Forces ]===

The Keres Church’s forces, heading toward Nasiriya, advanced smoothly through the snow.

Their march was remarkably fast, but that was to be expected.

Since they weren’t a combat-ready force, they were moving with only basic armaments.

The paladins and priests chatted cheerfully as they marched.

“Back when we had to retreat because of those Grimnir bastards, I thought we’d never return. I guess we owe Archbishop Elmain our thanks.”

“Haha. True. But don’t say that in front of the cardinal. He’d surely be furious.”

Most were in high spirits.

Many of them were born in Nasiriya and had managed the city, so the joy of returning home overshadowed any lingering animosity between the church orders.

Their joy was abruptly cut short by a throwing spear.

– Thud!

The face of a paladin, who had been laughing, twisted and burst into chunks of flesh.

Brain matter splattered. An eyeball popped out and shattered, scattering vitreous fluid.

The throwing spear, imbued with a gray storm, flew in and exploded the paladin’s head.

The spear didn’t stop, piercing through ten more church members before finally losing momentum and halting.

“Ambush! Assume defensive positions! Protect the archbishop!”

“A throwing spear of the gray storm. Could it be…?!”

The sudden tragedy. The paladins, frozen in shock, let out screams-like shouts and drew their swords and spears.

They were all too familiar with this method of attack.

The Spear of War.

The pride of the Warrior God’s church.

A destructive throwing spear, the hallmark of a high-ranking holy warrior.

“It’s the holy warriors of Bølberg!”

The commanding paladin shouted, pointing toward the snow-covered forest in the distance.

From where his finger pointed, countless holy warriors began pouring out.

“Finally, you’ve come! We’ve been waiting for you, Rosof’s lackeys, you Keres swindlers!”

At the forefront of the holy warriors, a one-eyed man roared, lifting a spear wrapped in divine light.

Cardinal Wolfgang Kapriech of the Bølberg Church Order was there.

Venting his hatred toward Cardinal Rosof, who had framed them for assassination and exiled them from the Holy City.

“Charge! The time has come to deliver rightful retribution to the vanguard of the swindler who drove us out! The Warrior God’s wrath shall descend here!”

With another Spear of War unleashed, a thousand holy warriors roared and charged.

Toward the pale-faced Keres church members, emitting blue divine light.

Shouts, curses, screams, and laughter mixed as blood and death intertwined.

A two-to-one disparity in combat power. A thoroughly prepared ambush.

Archbishop Shernel’s forces fought to the last, shouting martyrdom, but it was a battle they had no chance of winning from the start.

They scattered their lives across the snowfield, falling in gruesome forms and growing cold.

None survived.

=======[ Ha-shall-leur ]=======

As I ran toward Arad, the scene I imagined was of protesters hiding throughout the city, engaging in guerrilla warfare, and paladins scouring every corner to capture them.

Or perhaps… the heads of the completely suppressed protesters lined up on the city walls.

When the weak riot and harsh suppression collide, it usually takes on such a form.

However, the scene before my eyes was on a completely different level from my expectations.

“Curse Astraea!”

Behind hastily erected barricades, protesters clad in full armor hurled throwing spears and arrows.

Flaming oil barrels cut through the air, and curses and roars echoed loudly.

An entire section of the city was ablaze.

“How dare these rioters!”

The paladins of Astraea, clad in Armor of Divine Light, withstood the flames and arrows as they charged toward the protesters.

Gripping their golden-glowing swords and spears tightly.

The moment they reached the barricades, the ground before them turned red.

“Where do you think you’re looking, you slaughterers of the scales!”

A man stepped forward from the protesters, emitting red divine light as he roared.

A knight wielding a burning sword. The Astraea paladins facing him gritted their teeth and halted.

“Damn it, fall back! It’s the ‘Ascending Inferno’!”

The next moment, the reddened ground erupted, and a massive pillar of fire shot vertically into the sky.

Carrying heat intense enough to melt even rock.

Ascending Inferno.

A high-level offensive miracle of the Kranuus Church Order, usable only by high-ranking paladins.

“Astraea! Shine upon their sins!”

The Light of Judgment, cutting through the air, collided with the pillar of fire and scattered.

The flames, their momentum broken by the pouring light, gradually subsided. Fragments of divine light flashed brilliantly.

“How dare you speak of sin! Kranuus, grant me endless flames to burn them!”

“You insane Kranuus bastards!”

The Kranuus paladins, clad in Azure Flame Armor, leaped over the barricades with burning swords in hand.

The Astraea paladins, armed with the Blade of Order and Armor of the Protector, met them with golden divine light, swinging their swords.

“…Fuck.”

I spat out a colorful curse and bit down on the cigarette I was holding.

The scene before my eyes was, quite literally, the heart of a war.

What the hell is this?