Burnt Church (3)
The blowing wind was filled with the warm energy of spring.
However, the cold northern wind was still inside the helmets the men wore.
Numerous soldiers walking toward the south.
Behind their countless, long lines, the flags of the seven families symbolizing the Northern Alliance were waving.
“…The enemy is moving south?”
The Northern Allied Forces are leaving the North and moving towards the center.
After seeing the army commanded by Steel Duke Timur, Dragon Blood Duke Sarnus frowned as if he could not understand.
“That’s right. father. According to scouts’ reports, approximately 40,000 troops are currently moving near Achiuk.”
40,000 Northern Union troops.
Although it was clearly a large force, it was not an unexpected number.
However, the reason why Sarnus was confused was that they were coming towards them, leaving the castle, which was an advantageous starting point, alone.
“It’s a decision I can’t understand.”
They chose a protest rather than a sit-in protest next to the castle.
If a single officer had made this decision, he would have laughed at his foolishness, but the person leading 40,000 soldiers down now was Timur, a steelsmith who was not an easy opponent.
“There is some ulterior motive.”
There must be some reason.
There was no way someone as young as Timur would have stormed out of the castle without any reason.
However, Sarnus could not easily recognize the picture he was trying to paint.
“……if.”
A flock of migratory birds were flying above the tent of Sarnus, who was worried.
Migratory birds come down from the north following spring, resting in the high sky.
However, among the birds, there was one bird with a strange color.
Caw-caw-
A pure white pigeon flying towards the capital Brigantes, different from the direction other migratory birds fly.
Tied to the pigeon’s ankle was Timur’s secret note to someone.
※※※※
There was a group running along the deserted Eastern Road.
With a flag waving behind the leading black horse.
Vlad and his party, unaware that the central army was following them only a few days away, were now moving tirelessly towards the stronghold of the evil group that Xayar had told them about.
“Achiuk is the right way!”
“i know!”
To be exact, towards a place further north than there.
When Pierre shouted that it was not him, Vlad answered loudly.
“We will now go to the headquarters of the Northern Orthodox Church!”
Vlad was now moving towards the Northern Orthodox Church, not Achiuk.
Although his heart toward Josef was still impatient, Vlad’s mind was just as cold.
“Let’s get the troops from there first. “I heard there are over a hundred warlocks!”
Xayar said that the number of warlocks hiding in Ramasht’s mansion exceeds three figures.
It was as if all the warlocks on the continent had been gathered together, so for only four people to enter such a dark place would be nothing more than an act of suicide.
“You’ve grown a lot. “In the past, he was the one who tore up indulgences without being able to tell what was going on.”
“…What are you saying?”
Although it looked like it was burning fiercely, Vlad’s blue eyes were unwavering.
The northern knight now tries to think not only about what is right in front of him, but also about what lies behind him.
Although the color he was carrying was different, it was probably not just an illusion that a little bit of Josef came to mind in Vlad’s eyes.
“Wow!”
However, there was a sharp cry of Radu coming from among the running group.
“What are those crows in front of me!”
Radu’s fingertips were pointing towards the sky as if in surprise, and something like a black cloud was floating around.
Caw-caw-
A flock of crows starting to approach with loud noises from the sky above.
Seeing the pitch-black crows landing on the group without any warning, Vlad had no choice but to grab Noir’s reins as he rushed forward.
“Oh… it’s blocking the road.”
“Have you already noticed this?”
As if Radu’s prediction was correct, a flock of crows lined up like a pitch-black curtain and began to block the group’s path.
When Vlad was about to put his hand on the sheath of the sword he was wearing, a familiar voice came from beyond the flock of crows.
“I’m glad it’s not too late.”
The flock of crows that had stopped the group with the sound of a familiar man’s voice began to flap their wings and soar into the sky again.
The place where the crows had moved out of the way was filled with men in black cloaks who had never been seen before.
“I was waiting.”
“…Marcus?”
Bayezid’s hidden swords and their leader, the nameless man.
The subjects of the information network encompassing the North were now showing themselves in front of Vlad.
“The decision to go to the Northern Orthodox Church was excellent, but there is no need to do so. “Because we have already prepared it.”
“…How did you know I was here?”
Seeing the group suddenly blocking his path, Vlad showed a sharp attitude, but that was also what Marcus had expected.
“Zayar told me. “You are now leaving Aushurin and heading to Achiuk.”
“Zayar?”
“Of course, don’t ask how we communicated. “That is the vision of our organization.”
Marcus calmly opened his mouth as if it was no big deal, but Vlad’s eyes only grew colder as he looked at him.
“Have you been in contact with Xayar already?”
“yes.”
“…So you already knew everything?”
“okay.”
From Xayar to Marcus.
Josef’s situation, which everyone else knew but I didn’t know.
At Marcus’ final nod, which he casually said yes, Vlad’s eyes began to burn blue.
Wow-!
“But why didn’t you tell me? “You son of a b*tch.”
“…!”
Marcus always maintained his composure, but this time he was surprised.
Because Vlad, who was in front of me, had already reached in front of me and was grabbing me by the collar.
They maintained a distance that only the knights could notice, but Vlad came in front of Marcus without even blinking, as if that didn’t mean anything.
visor! Whip! visor!
“Let go of that hand! Lord Vlad!”
“Calm down. “We also have a thing called circumstances!”
The crows reacted late and drew their swords with embarrassed expressions, but Vlad’s eyes glaring at Marcus were still full of anger.
“Am I funny?”
“…….”
“No matter how important security is, you should have told me. Isn’t that right?”
It wasn’t that I was angry about being deceived all this time.
The reason why Vlad was really angry was because of the fact that he had been standing outside Josef’s fence all this time.
For a boy from the back alley who needed a place to belong, the fence called Josef was a proud boundary that protected me from the world.
“…He told me not to tell you that much.”
“who?”
“Joseph.”
“what?”
Marcus’ suppressed voice came out through the tightly held collar.
However, it was not Marcus who was actually choking at the answer he heard, but Vlad, who was holding onto his collar.
“Because everyone was watching you. From us in the north to the Imperial Palace of the Dragon Blood Prince….”
Vlad of Shoara.
A boy born in the North with dragon blood.
An article that tore up the indulgences produced by the Vatican and was recognized by the pope of the Northern Orthodox Church, which opposed them.
“And even a woman named Ramasht.”
And his only successor with the Sword Master’s oath.
A being named Vlad, who not only deserves to be recognized by everyone on the continent, but also deserves to be hated, was probably a person who caught the attention of everyone on the continent as much as the outstanding knight named Chihano Frausen.
“The more you were truly angry at Joseph, the deeper he was able to go.”
“……under.”
At Marcus’s words, Vlad let out a deep sigh as if he finally understood.
As Josef advanced toward the dark moon, Vlad was crying out to him.
Vlad’s voice, as he shouted at the man not to go while holding his abdomen that had been pierced by Fraussen, must have contained a level of sincere anger that no one could doubt.
“You successfully completed your mission. “Vlad.”
“You b*stards!”
It was a mission that even he did not know about.
However, Josef was confident that Vlad would definitely make the right moves even if he did not give special instructions.
Because the person Josef had seen all this time, Vlad, was someone who always wanted to shine even if he was in a place where no one could see.
“…….”
“Let’s go. Joseph is waiting.”
However, Vlad’s hand held high only trembled due to his endless anger.
The reason I couldn’t bring myself to put down the hand I was holding was because I knew very well that the target of my anger was not Marcus.
“…Please guide me”
“Okay.”
The only people who would give me justice for my anger would be LaMaszt and Frausen.
Marcus had a bitter look on his face as he watched Vlad slowly loosen his collar.
“I will guide you. “To wherever you want.”
※※※※
-What on earth is going on?
-Why are the Northern Allied Forces rushing into Achiuk!
The world of Lama Chute fluctuates like a bubble.
Her world, which was still supported by a single fragile tree, was now filled with the cries of warlocks.
“What’s going on?”
Their cries, filled with anxiety, could be heard even by Ramashut, who was currently lying on the bed.
Ramashut, who had exerted great effort in Aushurin, was very nervous after seeing the trouble that occurred while he was purifying himself.
-The Northern Alliance forces are now flocking to Achiuk.
“…Why is the army trying to deal with the Dragon Blood Lord?”
Anyone can clearly see that it was an army to stop the dragon blood vessels moving north.
However, even Ramasut’s handsome eyebrows were wrinkled by the completely unexpected actions of the Northern Allied Forces.
-I do not know. However, the numbers surrounding us are unusual.
It was an agile movement, as if it had been pieced together.
The Northern Alliance forces that stormed into the empty ruins of Achiuk had already completely surrounded the village before the warlocks could take any action.
“Disconnect. From now on, I will close the gate to Achiuk.”
If there were just soldiers, it wouldn’t have been a problem.
Because the village of Achiuk was just an entrance and not their home base.
The world inside the bubble, hidden in a strange mystery, was not only difficult to see through, but it was even more difficult to open the door to it.
– Lord Ramasht…….
However, the knight’s blue coat was just shaking uneasily as he looked at Ramasht.
-The door does not close.
“What is that?”
The passage of Ramasht, which was connected to Achiuk, was uninterrupted.
No matter how hard you tried to close the door, there were people who stubbornly held on to it.
-It wasn’t just the military that came. The Northern Orthodox Church also came along.
“…!”
Wicked darkness must be countered with the light of God.
The sword of the Northern Orthodox Church has finally found itself in the right place and is being raised against the cancerous beings it has nurtured for a long time.
“They said they were coming down to stop the Dragon Blood Ball.”
With those words, Ramasht’s feet, who got off the bed, began to float in the air as if he was embarrassed.
“Obviously he…”
It was said that it was entirely possible for the Northern Allied forces to come down.
That’s why it has nothing to do with us.
The dark-eyed young man, who knew the North well, clearly told him that it was a good thing to rest assured.
“……Josef Bayezid.”
When Ramashut remembered that name, his lips curled mercilessly as if he had finally realized it.
The name of the man who reassured them by saying it was nothing was Josef Bayezid.
The young man from the North, who showed his confidence by drinking himself to death, certainly said so.
※※※※
Achiuk, a village that burned down due to the money epidemic several decades ago.
It was a ruin that no one usually visited, but now it was filled with the tense silence created by tens of thousands of soldiers.
“A telegram from the ravens. “They say they just made safe contact with Lord Vlad.”
“good. “It was worth it to delay the advance.”
Steelsmith Timur, who heard the report, nodded with satisfaction.
Although the advance was slower than expected, the results were good.
In the end, everyone who needed to come together came together.
“I think it’s time.”
Steelworker Timur, who heard the report that Vlad had arrived, carefully bowed his head towards the old man next to him.
The impression he gave was that of a benevolent old man, but the red robes he was wearing were clearly unusual.
“……is it so.”
An old man stands up with the courtesy of a heavenly steel ball.
Conrad, the Pope of the Northern Orthodox Church, smiled as he picked up an old Bible that did not match his fancy robes.
“I’m glad it’s not too late. “I was always worried about passing this burden on to the next generation.”
Even though there was a fierce temple ahead, Conrad had a calm smile on his face.
It was because I was confident that, as my life was coming to an end, I could finally pay off one debt for the next generation.
“Andrea.”
“yes. “The Pope.”
The Pope slowly stood up and quietly called Bishop Andrew next to him.
“Just in case I do something wrong. “Will you be able to serve as my next pope then?”
“…Pope?”
It was a quiet voice, but firm enough for everyone to hear.
Bishop Andrew, along with the seven bishops of the Northern Orthodox Church, could not hide his bewilderment at the words of the Pope in front of the steel ball.
“What is that?”
“My time is now over.”
The Pope’s wrinkled hands were covering Andrea.
“It was a time of violent typhoons. “It was a time when young sprouts could not take root.”
A small touch came from Andrea’s fingertips as she placed them like that.
It was the feeling of the worn-out rosary that the frugal Pope always wore.
“However, after a typhoon passes, time for recovery is needed. And I have never seen a priest who is as good at cultivating something as you are.”
God said that by saving others, he would also be saved.
Vlad of Shoara. A name that now extends beyond the North and across the continent.
The person who directly embraced the name that no one paid attention to was the priest Andrew, and he became a person who proved himself with the name he raised.
“I guess this is my duty.”
Andrea could not bear to continue speaking as she watched the Pope leave with those words.
The image of the old Pope walking into a completely burned down church.
As he walked slowly, the sound of a choir singing began to echo from behind him.
“…It is truly the right place to come.”
Pope Conrad finally entered the dark church with the high-ranking priests accompanying him.
There, Pope Conrad, who saw the church’s symbols all upside down, quietly made the sign of the cross.
In a resolute and upright manner.
A bubble-
like world that begins to vibrate along with it.
Following the Pope’s holy call to turn the upside-down symbol to the right, a world that had been hidden beneath the surface began to turn around.
“This place where I stand is his temple. “It is home.”
The upside-down symbol began to tremble violently in time with the verses the Pope shouted.
-Aaaah!
-The building rotates! They’re being dragged away!
-Why is the Pope here!
At the same time, the vibrating bubble world was filled with the screams of evil people who were constantly shouting.
It was such a strong tremor that even the false roots of the tree created by Ramasht could not bear to hold it.
“For the temple of God is holy, so shall this place also be. And whosoever shall desecrate the temple of God.”
The sound of the Bible being memorized by hundreds of priests filled the air from behind the solemn mass celebrated by the Pope himself.
The sound of their prayers held the door to the hidden world and made the tree that stood with false roots shake its head.
“…He will destroy you.”
Sure-! That’s it!
Just like a ship turning upside down.
Every time the Pope’s sweat fell to the floor, a black foam began to rise from the bottom of the church.
It was the pitch-black mansion that Ramasht had been hiding and the world itself that rejected God.
“What is that!”
“Ugh!”
There was a new, pitch-black building that appeared along with a huge roar from the ground along with the screams of the soldiers.
The building that was pulled out with the pitiful sound of the bell was a church completely covered in black soot, as if someone had burned it down .
