Chapter 587

The news of the Knight of Ruins being subjugated spread rapidly.

The nobles of the Imperial Capital, once again realizing the power and importance of the Emperor’s top card, the Empire’s Greatest Sword, let out bitter sighs.

“Already defeated…? Just like that…?”

“The difference in level is just too vast…”

She was a woman whose very existence hindered their interests, yet they couldn’t outright reject her. To the nobles of the Imperial Capital, Ha-shal-leur was such a being.

Just this time, if she hadn’t been there, it’s unimaginable how much damage they would have suffered.

On the other hand, the lords and commoners hurriedly packing their belongings and preparing to flee cheered at the surprisingly swift and concise conclusion, praising the greatness of the hero.

If they had fled, they might have saved their lives, but there would have been no way to prevent their castles from being destroyed and their homes from being blown away. Thanks to Ha-shal-leur’s quick actions, they were able to preserve their property intact.

“Is it over? Really…?”

“Yes! We can return to our hometown! Long live Median!”

Even those who had left their hometowns with tears in their eyes, though not as fortunate, still cheered. Rebuilding their collapsed homes would require back-breaking effort for a while, but it was a far better outcome than becoming homeless refugees.

And the Imperial Diocese took the lead in their support and damage recovery.

Lacey quickly moved to initiate church-level support for their relief. Although it was a massive expense for the Diocese, compared to the benefits the church would gain, it was a negligible expenditure.

The support of countless people. The goodwill of the nobles who saved on recovery costs. The expansion of the church’s influence and the accumulation of good deeds. For the newly established Imperial Diocese, these were assets far more valuable than mere wealth.

‘It’s not like we need a lot of money anyway.’

Lacey smiled faintly as she stamped her seal on the documents on her desk.

The document she had just stamped contained the decision to significantly reduce the salaries of paladins and priests temporarily to secure funds for damage recovery.

This was why she could initiate relief support without hesitation. A choice possible only for the Diocese, composed of clergy, unlike the imperial family or nobles.

If it was a cause with the right justification, she could ruthlessly extract resources from her subordinates to utilize them!

Saving people by using your salaries—how could anyone in the clergy oppose that? Opposing it would only brand you as a corrupt priest blinded by selfish desires.

Most would not only not oppose but would voluntarily step forward, as it was an opportunity to accumulate good deeds.

Thanks to this, Lacey’s Diocese was able to stabilize the chaos caused by its independence from the Holy Kingdom and grow into a more solid organization.

======[Peirus]======

While Ha-shal-leur left the Imperial Capital to subjugate the Knight of Ruins, Peirus had instead deeply infiltrated the capital.

‘Simple.’

As expected, there was no need to hide his appearance. As long as he avoided the gaze of high-ranking clergy, there was no one who could recognize the face of a man who had been considered dead for hundreds of years.

By presenting himself as the second son of a local baron, he could enter the capital without any hindrance.

Exploring the underground waterway was more challenging. It was already a heavily guarded security zone with patrols of guards and magicians constantly on the move.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had to avoid their gaze as much as possible. Killing or subduing them would have been easier than breathing, but doing so would inevitably leave traces.

Therefore, Peirus concealed his presence by converting miscellaneous spirits into mana instead of using the ambient mana, carefully advancing to avoid detection by the guards’ mana sensors.

Heading towards the intense aura of death emanating from deep underground.

—-

“Ah…”

Finally arriving in front of the underground cavern, Peirus brushed off the pile of dirt accumulated on his robe and let out a soft exclamation.

Although the passage was completely buried halfway, forcing him to dig through dirt and rock and cover his tracks as he went, it was worth the effort.

“Krrrrrrr…”

Before his eyes was a living, moving dragon.

‘No, strictly speaking, it can’t be called a dragon.’

It was far from the resurrection of the dragon Nidhogg. Its legs and wings hadn’t even taken shape yet, and its head and torso were far from the scaled appearance of a reptile.

-Scrape scrape scrape scrape.

Millions? Tens of millions? Maybe even more. An uncountable number of insects had gathered to form a bizarre hybrid of insect and dragon.

Curved chitinous plates like stag beetles protruded from the sides of its long snout, and instead of horns, multiple pairs of antennae sprouted from the back of its head. Eight compound eyes were densely packed around its eye sockets, emitting a red glow.

Each of those eyes was an insect. In other words, it was a mosaic made of insects. Every single cell of its body was composed of insects.

‘For tens of millions of insects to combine into a single body, is this what happens when the collective consciousness of insect-type monsters reaches its extreme? Astonishing.’

Even Peirus hadn’t anticipated this. He had come here hoping to utilize the dragon’s bones, never expecting to encounter such a being.

A dragon made of swarms of insects, presumably left behind by Isabella. It was literally an Insect-Dragon.

“Krraaaaaa!”

The Insect-Dragon, faced with an unwanted intruder, let out a wary roar. The underground cavern trembled slightly, echoing with a muddy resonance.

‘Oh, this is no time to be admiring.’

Peirus snapped out of his admiration and prepared for battle.

It was unclear whether those insects had completed the dragon’s heart and ignition system, but if they had, staying still would mean getting struck by a fiery blast.

‘No chance of communication, I suppose.’

Though they had formed a dragon’s body, insects were still insects. Unless it was a witch who mingled with insects, his words wouldn’t get through.

‘No choice but to subdue it.’

Having made up his mind, Peirus spread his arms and awakened his power. If it were a complete dragon, he might have retreated, but this Insect-Dragon was not beyond defeat.

-Goooooo…

A massive darkness flowed from his body, enveloping the cavern. So thick that not an inch ahead was visible.

“Krrrrk…?”

The Insect-Dragon, deprived of its vision, growled and shook its head from side to side. With its insect intelligence, it couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

“Not sure if you’ll understand, but… please be quiet and surrender.”

Peirus, hidden in the darkness, released his power into the world with a soft murmur.

Having descended quite deep from the area the magicians were investigating, a little commotion wouldn’t be detected. He intended to subdue it as quickly and quietly as possible.

—-

Five hours later.

“Phew…”

Peirus, having returned to the surface, exhaled the breath he had been holding and wiped his sweat-drenched face.

The robe he had worn when descending into the underground waterway had long turned to ash, so he had changed into ordinary formal wear. Even a robe comparable to a divine artifact couldn’t withstand a dragon’s breath.

‘Took longer than expected…’

Trying to minimize the impact on the surroundings during the fight had drained an enormous amount of energy. Three of the souls he had collected had completely dissipated. If he had failed to subdue it, the loss would have been significant.

However, Peirus didn’t regret the loss of the three souls. He had gained a harvest incomparable to them.

Having defeated the incomplete Insect-Dragon, Peirus thoroughly examined it and discovered that a dragon’s soul lay intact within its skull.

‘Probably, it would have awakened at the moment the body was completed, suppressing the insects’ consciousness and taking control.’

Unlike Isabella, mere insects couldn’t resist a dragon’s soul. Left alone, Nidhogg would have successfully resurrected in the body of insects.

But that was now an impossible story.

Peirus stroked the dragon’s soul in his hand and smiled. Nidhogg’s soul fiercely resisted his soul extraction technique, but without a body, it was impossible to overcome Peirus’s power.

After extracting the dragon’s soul, Peirus inserted one of the spirits he controlled into the empty space, gaining complete control over the incomplete Insect-Dragon.

Unable to bring the massive body to the surface, he left it in the underground cavern after taking some concealment measures and returned.

‘Thank you, Isabella. For leaving such a valuable legacy for me.’

If the dead Isabella had heard, she would have jumped up in anger, calling him a thief, but she had already been completely annihilated by Ophelia.

At least she wouldn’t have to see this as a vengeful spirit, so perhaps it was for the best.

—-

With Nidhogg’s soul safely stored, Peirus turned his gaze to the city walls of the Imperial Capital.

Having achieved his goal, he had no further business here, but his body, exhausted from the intense battle, desperately needed rest.

‘…Taking a night’s rest wouldn’t be bad.’

Peirus turned and headed into the streets of the capital.

Or, he tried to.

“—Huuuuh, who do we have here? A ghost who should’ve died long ago is walking around, huh?”

A cold voice flew towards him.

Peirus’s gaze reflexively turned towards the source.

On the roof of an alley leading into the merchant district. A woman with a large hood, holding a bottle of alcohol, looked down at him, reeking of strong liquor.

“Peirus Haransior, huh? Am I so drunk I’m seeing things?”

The long, pointed ears occasionally visible through her lemon-colored hair. It wasn’t hard to figure out her identity.

If it were Alvheim, it would be one thing, but there was only one fairy you could meet in Exra-shapel.

“Ferneythia…!”

“Ohhh? You know me? What an honor.”

Ferney, chattering away, placed the bottle she was holding on the roof. Her eyes, blurred by intoxication, gradually began to shine with clarity.