Chapter 381: Holy War (1) |
‘It didn’t go as planned.’
- Die!
- …
- Die! You traitor!
- …
- Dieeeee!!!
‘So bloody…’
Yevkarina looked no different from a servant of a demon as the goddess’ mirror displayed her actions. The way she bashed the head of a widely acclaimed priest of the Republic using Varian’s statuette made her look like a psychopathic murderer. If someone told me that she was a part of the brigade in her past life, I would have believed it. No, it wasn’t just the brigade. She was definitely a servant of demons. I was sure even Belial would applaud in joy at her appearance.
‘She’s definitely something.’
‘Father Bishop got too excited.’
He definitely didn’t like the holy wine I gave him. I told him the situation was urgent, but I never imagined that he would move this fast. I refrained from using the Sacred Wine as much as possible because of its side effects.
‘It has been a while since I’ve met someone qualified.’
I didn’t want to send him away empty-handed. I was worried, but the results weren’t that bad.
Anyway, one of the enemy’s commanding officers was beaten to the brink of death, and the soldiers of the Republic entered the assailant’s room at the right time. There would definitely be chaos once the news of Father Bishop’s brutal beating came to light. It would definitely spread like wildfire. Even if the Republic tried to hide the identity of the demon servant, it didn’t really matter since everyone had already seen the truth through the goddess’ mirror. As such, I didn’t have to do anything else. I could still hear their many voices, and since he was already martyred, it seemed that they had decided to martyrize him properly. I was sure the priests under Father Bishop had already heard the news by now.
‘The priests of the Republic are pretty competent.’
It was to the point that I felt dumb for ignoring them, and to be honest, I had my doubts that the priests of the Republic were different from the priests of the Sacred Democratic Country. However, I realized once again that they would do everything for god.
Father Bishop’s sacrifice would make the upcoming war a bit easier, and we were also about to get into battle, so the timing wasn’t too bad.
I looked outside and saw soldiers preparing for war. I was very eager to fight with them, but the best place for me to stay was in the rear, where I was the safest.
‘I need to prepare a speech as well.’
Just then, I heard a knock on the door, and when I walked out cautiously, I saw Elena waiting for me. It felt like it had been a while since I saw her, but I didn’t express that to her. Elena seemed worried about Jung Ha-Yan next to me.
We were about to go to war, so I had to be serious. Fortunately, Elena spoke first.
“Probably…”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“I’m sure you’ll give a lot of courage to the soldiers, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I’m sorry for always giving you burdensome tasks,” she said.
“It’s fine, Miss Elena. I’m embarrassed that you think they’re burdensome tasks because this place has to be protected. This place has basically become my hometown now, so I’m actually thankful that you gave me this position,” I told her.
“Father… Lee Ki-Young,” she called out.
“...”
“...”
“Let’s go, Miss Elena,” I suggested.
“Okay.”
Jung Ha-Yan frowned slightly when she saw Elena blushing, but I didn’t really care because I was still in the middle of recovering, which means everyone was spoiling me.
Walking up to a podium always felt good for me. I looked around and saw nervous but familiar faces. Even the members of the Blue Guild, who had no choice but to participate, seemed kind of nervous as well. Other people seemed resolute, but Yoo Ah-Young seemed pretty nervous since this was her first time participating in a large-scale war. I was kind of surprised to see how calm Lee Chang-Ryeol looked, while both Park Deok-Gu and Kim Hyun-Sung seemed apprehensive.
‘He looks disturbed.’
Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung thought it would be better to prepare even more, but it was now or never. We had to support and reinforce Castle Rock as soon as possible. This wasn’t the time to nitpick everything. I thought about making a trap so that Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn’t be able to wait any longer, but I wasn’t confident in that kind of a gamble because I had to ensure that casualties would be at a minimum while we were heading toward Castle Rock.
Anyway, as I climbed the stairs, I got a better view, and as I looked down at the soldiers as the Commander of the Rearguard, I started to feel safe. Of course, I couldn’t show that I felt relieved. This was the start of an important war, and the majority of the soldiers were probably feeling complicated emotions that I couldn’t imagine myself.
I swept my gaze across everyone by turning my head from side to side, and I noticed the soldiers relieving their anxiety in their own way. Some touched their sword or armor, while others prayed. There were some who held their comrade’s hand or patted their comrade’s shoulder, while others looked at the enemy before them quietly. The one thing they all had in common was that they were waiting for me to talk.
‘I do feel pressured.’
I was sure that the minds of just about anyone would go blank at this sight.
I fixed my uniform and spoke, “Cause is the most important thing when it comes to battle.”
The start was light, but my voice was serious. The surrounding was extremely quiet, and when I spoke again, I immediately heard my voice.
- That’s right, it’s the cause. It’s important to know why we need to fight, why we must hold up our swords, why we must put our life on the line, and why we must take away precious lives. Knowing and facing it properly is important. We raised our swords. We made the decision to fight, and we’re going up against the enemy. I’d like to ask you a question. Why did all of you raise your swords? What’s our reason for raising our swords?
Of course, I didn’t hear an answer because I wasn’t expecting one, but I was sure everyone could understand and feel it.
- Why, why are we here? Why are we facing the horrifying enemy while holding up our swords? Despite knowing that you could lose our lives, why are you standing here with our flag? I’m sure all of you know and have realized it already. This fight! We’re fighting for the future! Our cause isn’t about who invaded first or who disrupted the order of the continent. Our cause is for the future we will live in and deserve to enjoy.
This was the right thing to say.
- We want a future where all races will prosper! It’s a future where the other races and humans are together in perfect harmony. It’s a harmonious future rather than a hostile one. I’m here right now. I—a human who had only stood with the humans for a really long time—I am now standing with you on the battlefield. I’m here to face our common enemy. It is a small step, but it will eventually become a jump. It’s an ideal world that we have to achieve together.
Naturally, I glanced over at Elena next to me.
The daughter of Elune scum and the precious catalyst of the Light Bomb Potion smiled quietly and nodded at my remark. I was sure nothing would sound sweeter compared to the remark I had made just now.
‘Harmony and balance are great.’
- That future is the future of this continent and the light. We fight for a future where we’re together with the light rather than a continent cast in darkness. It’s the future where Benigoa, Elune, Varian, and all the lights that exist on the continent live in harmony.
This was important. Up until now, my speeches were brief because I had mentioned the light many times already, but a future with the light was a topic that could be repeated many times. I filled my voice with determination as I looked straight at the soldiers, and the light that enveloped my body was a great bonus. The religious elves must have recalled the light I unleashed during the previous incident because their expressions changed.
- That future is the future of the things we must protect! It is a future where we can have ideas, freedom, critical thinking, and do whatever we want.
This was important as well, and I was sure it would be more like a standard than a regulation, but it was a value that was worth fighting for.
- That future! It’s the future for our descendants. It’s the future of our descendants who will live on this continent. I’m sure the place our sons will live in won’t be a continent full of darkness. The place our daughters will live in won’t be a place where humans and other races are pointing their swords at each other. The place our children will live in will be filled with righteous ideas and philosophies. Those are the reason why you’re here. You’re here because of the future we must protect and the future we are all dreaming about. Some are here for their families, some are here for their friends whom they drink and sing together with, some are here for their loved ones, and others are here for the future where they could be together with god!
‘I’ll pause here...’
- We’re strong!
‘I’ll yell once.’
- Those with a great cause are strong. An army with a great cause is strong. We will win! In the name of every god on the continent, we will win! We’ll win so that each of us can create our own utopia.
‘Nice.’
- Let’s walk toward the future.
The soldiers took a step forward. They wore determined looks as they grabbed their weapons tightly.
- That step is a step for the future. Let’s fight together. For the ideal future that we are all imagining. For our descendants! For everyone living on this continent! Let’s move forward!
The soldiers immediately cheered. The dwarves behaved like they usually do, but the elves behaved differently. Many soldiers fixed their helmets upon receiving the signals from the commander of their unit and took another step forward.
- All units! March!
The soldiers poured into the battlefield, and it was definitely a sight to behold.
- Let’s go together! Soldiers! Fight for the light!
‘Someone sprinkle some light!’