Side Story – Heresy [4]
[35]
Nord.
A country mostly composed of mountainous terrain. While it was a land that produced many valuable ores, aside from that, it wasn’t a convenient place for people to live.
Naturally, with inconvenient transportation, the routes capable of transporting large quantities of supplies were extremely limited.
In other words, it meant that by merely blocking a few key paths, one could completely control the flow of goods through Nord.
Delun, who had traveled using Warp Gates and roads, glanced at the approaching landscape of Nord and briefly recalled the Sigini Mountain Range.
However, Nord possessed a much more desolate region compared to the Sigini Mountains, evoking a sense of bleakness rather than vitality.
Seeing it firsthand, he now understood well why Nord had such a low population density.
“Huff…”
As Delun approached his target location, he let out a deep breath.
The force of around two hundred men that Delun belonged to, part of the Empire’s military, was not conducting any covert operation.
Officially, the Empire dispatched Delun’s unit to Nord to oversee and escort the movement of materials used in the construction of the White Tower. This decision was made unilaterally.
Nord naturally resisted, and the Sacred Country also expressed disapproval towards the Empire’s unilateral actions. Nevertheless, the Empire had already mobilized its forces long ago.
A small but elite contingent of the Empire’s forces moved toward the critical land route cutting across Nord’s territory. It was called the “Rocky Path,” a point that must be passed through for the large-scale transport of supplies.
After engaging in a brief standoff near the border, the Empire’s forces soon arrived at the Rocky Path.
At the entrance of the Rocky Path, a significant amount of materials intended for the construction of the White Tower lay idle, exposed to the wind, unable to be transported further.
Of course, until now, Nord hadn’t openly obstructed the construction of the White Tower.
Even if their gall had grown, they weren’t foolish enough to do something so blatantly disruptive.
Instead, Nord indirectly hindered the construction of the White Tower by utilizing a customs checkpoint along the Rocky Path.
Under the guise of inspecting for dangerous items, they prolonged the process, preventing the smooth distribution of White Tower construction materials.
With supplies trickling in bit by bit, there was no way the construction of the White Tower could proceed as planned.
Matthew, who moved alongside Delun, frowned openly as an individual who appeared to be in charge of this checkpoint approached the Empire’s forces.
“You’ve endured a long journey!”
A man with a dark copper complexion and sturdy muscles developed from living in harsh terrain greeted them first.
“I am Halstain, responsible for the Rocky Path.”
Halstain extended his thick hand towards Hayden, representing the Empire.
Hayden furrowed his brow exaggeratedly and warned him.
“I have come here under the Emperor’s orders.”
Though Hayden wasn’t exactly the Emperor’s proxy, he certainly wasn’t someone that a mere official of Nord could treat lightly.
Halstain stepped back slightly, his smile ambiguous—whether it was embarrassment or mockery, it was hard to tell.
“My apologies. We’ve prepared a place where you can rest. How about we move inside and talk instead of standing here?”
“I decline. I have duties to perform.”
“Are you referring to the escort of the materials the Empire is importing? My goodness… Could it be that your concerns are excessive, leading you on a wasted trip to foreign soil? The Rocky Path is thoroughly protected by Nord’s brave soldiers.”
They both knew what each other wanted, yet Halstain subtly taunted Hayden, showing no intention of backing down.
“Isn’t it quite rude to keep foreign guests standing in such a barren place? We’d appreciate it if you accepted our hospitality.”
“…We cannot delay any longer. The materials detained here must be transported.”
“Ah, once the established procedures are completed, we will open the path for you. This is not the Empire’s land; it’s only right that you respect Nord’s procedures, isn’t it?”
As Hayden and Halstain exchanged icy glances, Matthew casually stretched his neck and muttered,
“It’s time to start.”
Matthew glanced at Jimy, who sighed lightly and approached Halstain.
Confirming that Jimy was almost unarmed, Halstain blinked twice in surprise.
Immediately afterward, Jimy shouted and slapped Halstain’s cheek with the palm of his hand.
“You heretic bastards!!”
Whack!!!
“Ughh!!”
Taken aback by the sudden ambush, Halstain rolled to the side, looking perplexed as he stared at Jimy. Jimy then kicked him while shouting loudly.
“You’re revealing your true colors right from the start!!!”
“What are you doing…!!”
“Did you think we wouldn’t notice you colluding with heretics and scheming??”
“Guhh!!!”
Most of Nord’s soldiers were stunned by Jimy’s sudden assault.
If Jimy had wielded a knife, the soldiers of Nord might have grabbed their weapons immediately, but Jimy was attacking Halstain bare-handed without any weapons.
Halstain, whose pride was hurt due to his usual confidence in his physical strength, jumped up and swung a fist, but ended up getting beaten one-sidedly.
Wham!!
“Urgh…!!”
“You heretic bastards!!”
Jimy yelled louder, venting exaggerated anger.
“Push these guys aside!!! Anyone who resists will be considered a heretic!!!”
“Waaaah!!!!!”
The courageous soldiers of the Empire began charging forward bare-handed.
This was how the operation was initially designed.
First, they would physically push through and drive away Nord’s forces, then collaborate with the troops stationed at the White Tower to temporarily occupy the “target area.” That was the plan.
When the Empire’s forces suddenly started swinging fists and charging in, both Nord’s soldiers and higher-ups were bound to panic.
And yet, it was too burdensome for them to draw their swords in resistance when not a single soldier from the Empire held a weapon.
Facing the unarmed soldiers of the Empire, drawing swords first? Even if the Empire seemed laughable, it was still a very concerning choice.
Battling them bare-handed was impossible, but giving the order to draw weapons came with consequences they couldn’t handle.
Of course, some spontaneously drew their swords, but Jimy quickly intervened and dismantled the situation bare-handed.
Naturally, Nord’s forces had no choice but to scatter in confusion.
Nord’s command structure was far from as swift as the Empire’s.
It would take some time for Nord’s higher-ups to assess this abnormal situation and make a decision, and by the time they did, the Empire’s forces would likely have occupied their targeted location.
Watching Jimy wreak havoc at the forefront, Matthew chuckled.
“Reminds me of the old days.”
Back when he was fully into mercenary work, things went down like this.
Upon hearing that, Delun smirked quietly without comment.
Someone might ask: Isn’t this just thug behavior?
And they’d be right. This was a straightforward, rapid approach aimed at achieving the goal—a thug-like tactic.
Even if they could fabricate evidence to label Nord’s higher-ups as heretics, this current thug-like behavior lacked sufficient justification and was excessively crude for an imperial operation.
Hence, this mission had to succeed all the more.
If Spera’s identity were revealed, the minor disturbance happening here today would be forgotten, erased from memory.
With the gravity of the operation in mind, Delun and Matthew engaged in fistfights just like everyone else.
Crack!!
*
Johanna was traveling in a carriage.
Johanna’s final destination was “Kailrum.”
Kailrum was currently referred to as the capital of the Sacred Country.
The reconstruction of the Vatican was underway, and Speira was also based in Kailrum.
Infiltrating the highly blessed Kailrum was incredibly challenging.
Both the movement of people and logistics were tightly controlled, and trivial tricks wouldn’t fool the faithful.
Given the situation, Luna suggested Johanna use underground facilities near Kailrum for infiltration.
…
Seated in the carriage in silence, Johanna recalled her conversation with Luna.
[Use the nearby underground facilities?]
[Yes.]
[Why are there underground facilities there?]
[The Sacred Country built them.]
[If they built them, won’t they naturally guard them?]
[We have an informant.]
[Is he reliable?]
[No.]
…
The informant Luna mentioned was introduced through the House of Matthias.
The House of Duke Matthias was one of the families actively loyal to the royal family. Through connections within the family, they managed to recruit an insider from the Sacred Country as an informant.
Through this informant, the Empire obtained information about the underground facilities and an infiltration route.
However, the likelihood was high that it was a trap set by the Sacred Country.
Luna judged that the informant was a double agent of the Sacred Country who intentionally leaked information to the Empire.
Raphirus, the High Templar who held the position of Archbishop and whose prowess was acknowledged within the Order, was identified as the person responsible for managing the underground facility and designing the trap.
Despite knowing all this, Luna advised Johanna to jump into the trap.
Because… Raphirus was a proud man with an inflated sense of altruism.
He detested sharing credit and was skilled enough to covet achievements.
He wasn’t the type to involve many people just to catch a few spies in a trap. He would almost certainly use only a select few trusted troops under his command to capture the Empire’s spies, interrogate them, and utilize the obtained information to claim even greater achievements solely for himself.
‘Exploit that trap.’
The condition for exploiting the trap was simple:
Overwhelm Raphirus and his subordinates secretly and decisively.
If they fail to annihilate them outright, the Sacred Country will notice the unusual occurrence in the underground facility, and the infiltration will fail.
Luna had asked if she was confident, and Johanna had replied that there was no need to worry.
…
Time passed.
Johanna successfully met with the Sacred Country’s informant.
The informant guided Johanna and the small team sent by the Empire through a secret underground passage hidden near Kailrum.
About 30 minutes into the journey, the previously pitch-black underground passage suddenly lit up.
Whoosh!!
From the opposite end of the passage,
a knight enveloped in blue light steadily approached.
High Templar Raphirus. Of course, he wasn’t alone.
Raphirus brought along a sufficient number of trusted subordinates to ensure everything went smoothly as he welcomed the Empire’s spies who fell into the trap.
Raphirus smiled warmly at Johanna, who stood at the forefront of the opposing side.
“Drop all your weapons. Cooperate quietly, and we will show mercy.”
…
The members of the Empire’s team were still without weapons, having been moving stealthily.
After a tense silence,
Johanna reached for the hilt of her sword at her waist.
Immediately after, a shadow surged from the darkness, slashing at Johanna before darting past.
Swish!!
Throughout the long history of cooperation between the Empire and the Church, many Inquisitors of Heresy excelled in clandestine operations.
Among those who operated in the shadows, there were specialists trained in assassination and stealth techniques.
The shadow that ambushed Johanna was one such Inquisitor of Heresy skilled in special techniques.
…
The Empire’s operatives were taken aback.
Despite being ambushed, Johanna didn’t react at all.
As Johanna’s robe tore, revealing her face, everyone was shocked. Her cheek had been slashed open.
However, the reason everyone was astonished wasn’t because of the gash on Johanna’s cheek.
…
The unity of spirit and body.
A curse that binds the fate of the soul and the body together.
Conversely, it means that the body cannot be destroyed unless the soul collapses.
Tsk-tsk!
Blood dripped from the blade of the assassin.
Chunks of flesh scattered on the ground floated back up.
Like rewinding time, the blood and flesh that had separated from Johanna were drawn back to the wound.
Soon, Johanna’s cheek was restored, clean and free of scars.
Witnessing this bizarre sight, everyone froze momentarily.
