Side Story – Heresy [5]
[36]
“What savagery!!”
The high-ranking officials of Nord grabbed the back of their necks and cursed.
It was impossible not to swear at the Empire’s behavior.
Everyone muttered that the actions of these baseless usurpers were truly barbaric beyond measure.
“After all our sacrifices and cooperation, they dare to cause such a ruckus…!!”
When news of the Empire’s sudden move reached the leadership of Nord, the Empire had already occupied some regions of Nord.
If Nord mobilized its troops, recapturing the occupied areas wouldn’t be difficult. However, the aftermath was worrying, preventing them from moving their forces recklessly.
Moreover, absurdly enough, the Empire hadn’t spilled any blood in this situation.
Since no one had died from punches, it became even more awkward to make a decisive judgment.
The high-ranking officials of Nord approached the envoy delegation sent by the Sacred Country to express their grievances about the injustice and confusion of the current situation.
The envoy delegation from the Sacred Country also found the Empire’s actions absurd.
“What is their purpose?”
“It’s strange… This doesn’t seem like mere pressure.”
There were many oddities that made it hard to conclude that this was just a show of force against Nord.
On the other hand, the number of troops the Empire sent wasn’t enough to overthrow Nord entirely.
The envoy delegation from the Sacred Country was confused and unable to accurately grasp the purpose of the Imperial Army, so they transmitted the information back to their homeland.
Meanwhile.
Halstain, who had been imprisoned for failing to properly carry out his assigned task, trembled with his hands bound.
“Guh…!”
Halstain’s pride was deeply wounded due to the humiliation of losing in a fistfight.
During the clash with the Imperial Army, both Halstain and Jimy restrained their use of mana-enhanced physical strength but ended up getting beaten one-sidedly.
As Halstain shivered, recalling the humiliating defeat, he suddenly stiffened his expression.
“Hm…”
Since Nord’s territory consists of rugged terrain, active exchanges between different regions within the country are limited.
Thus, many cases exist where tribes tightly bond together to form small societies, and in some of these tribes, remnants of ancient local beliefs from long ago still remain.
These local beliefs were less like religions and more akin to old traditions.
However, since Halstain had heard Jimy talk about “heresy” right in front of him, he worried that they might get caught because of such local beliefs.
Those crude and barbaric imperial bastards would certainly exploit any local belief to find fault if they wanted to.
Halstain straightened his bent waist and called out to the guard.
“Hey!”
*
The Imperial Army successfully achieved their first objective.
The Imperial Army occupied part of Nord’s territory and began fortifying themselves using the rugged mountainous terrain with a small number of troops.
Of course, the current standoff relying on the Empire’s name couldn’t last forever.
The longer time goes on, the higher the probability of unexpected bloodshed increases.
While the upper echelons of Nord are still confused, the Imperial Army must swiftly accomplish their goal.
However, only an extremely small number of people within the Imperial Army knew what the ‘real purpose’ was.
“We can’t delay any further.”
Hayden urged the delayed construction of the White Tower.
With supplies now reaching the entrance of the Rocky Path, construction speed could temporarily increase.
While Hayden supervised the construction site of the White Tower, the Imperial Army moved to perform various tasks according to their assigned roles.
Some patrolled the area occupied by the Empire, while others secretly searched the rugged terrain for evidence related to ‘heresy.’
Since the movements of the Imperial Army were not unified, it became even harder for characters from Nord or the Sacred Country to discern the Empire’s true purpose.
As the Imperial Army drew attention from others.
Delun moved alone toward somewhere.
Even in rugged terrain, an Expert Knight wouldn’t face significant restrictions in movement.
However, the winding cliffs of Nord’s barren mountains made Delun smirk wryly.
After rolling his body down a steep cliff, Delun could hear echoing sounds reverberating through the mountains. The sound of metal clashing, hammering noises.
The echoing hammering amplified the bleak sensation brought on by the harsh environment.
Delun paused momentarily before slowly following the hammering sound.
Klang! Klang!
Soon, Delun discovered a village nestled in the shadowed area between the mountain valleys.
Even from afar, the unfamiliar style of architecture caught the eye. Though unfamiliar, the buildings in the village, with their graceful curves, appeared strikingly beautiful against the barren landscape.
Delun approached the village without hesitation.
The villagers patrolling nearby quickly noticed Delun’s straightforward approach from afar.
As Delun scanned the appearances of the wary villagers, he inwardly felt surprised.
“Really… They resemble dwarves from the myths…”
Dwarves were rumored to have gone extinct in the past.
According to oral tradition, their features included copper-toned skin, short stature, thick torsos, and oversized muscles.
Although the Nord residents Delun had encountered so far stood out compared to ordinary continent dwellers with traits like copper-colored skin and sturdy muscles, the villagers in the settlement Delun visited clearly exhibited features more closely resembling dwarves.
Delun thought that the rumors about dwarf blood flowing through the locals weren’t entirely baseless upon seeing the villagers.
Meanwhile, the villagers blocking the entrance to the settlement confronted the suddenly appearing outsider with hostile intent.
“Who are you? I don’t recall seeing anyone like you among the nearby tribes.”
“I’ve come from the Empire.”
Upon hearing the mention of the Empire, the surrounding atmosphere grew even more hostile.
A rock-like muscular villager immediately raised a massive hammer without hesitation to threaten Delun.
“If you don’t want your head split open, scram, outsider.”
“You’re trying to chase me away like this? Think again. I’m alone today, but next time will be different.”
“This insolent bastard dares to act arrogantly on our land…!”
The man firmly gripped his giant hammer as if ready to swing it, but then someone standing a step away observing the situation stepped forward to restrain the angry villagers.
“Outsider.”
“…”
“State your purpose for coming here.”
“I’ve come to meet a wise one.”
In each tribe, the person with the most influence is referred to as the “wise one” or “guide” in Nord.
This concept differed from that of a tribal chief. The wise one wasn’t the ruler of the tribe and didn’t inherit the position. However, as a spiritual pillar of the tribe, they wielded significant influence.
Delun couldn’t fully understand how important the wise one was to the tribes of Nord.
Due to cultural differences, even among the tribes of Nord, they didn’t completely understand each other’s cultures because each tribe had its own unique culture.
As Delun mentioned the wise one, the atmosphere grew even more hostile.
Delun seriously considered whether he should retreat once.
However, when the villagers emitted menacing vibes and raised their axes and hammers, the figure who seemed to hold command authority intervened again to calm the excited villagers.
“There was a forewarning that a visitor would come.”
“…!!”
The agitated villagers showed signs of surprise and reluctantly lowered their weapons.
The person who calmed the villagers turned to Delun and spoke.
“Outsider, state your name.”
“Delun. Call me Delun.”
“Galopo. A name bestowed by the wise one.”
Galopo glanced over Delun from top to bottom at a low eye level before turning around.
“Follow me.”
Delun followed Galopo through the village filled with heat and hammering sounds.
Half of the village seemed to be a forge. The intense heat, rarely felt in workshops elsewhere on the continent, warmed the valley air.
The villagers glanced at Delun with caution and curiosity but stepped aside upon recognizing Galopo leading the way.
As Delun walked, he carefully observed the metallic weapons and tools scattered throughout the village.
More of the items were rougher in appearance than Delun expected. At first glance, it was hard to sense anything special about them.
The distinct qualities and weight typical of well-refined weapons were hardly noticeable in the works of the villagers.
Delun thought he might buy a few pieces to examine later if possible.
“Here.”
Galopo led the way into the largest building in the village.
Delun thought he would meet the wise one inside, but the interior scene greatly deviated from his expectations.
Inside the building was a vast opening. Delun easily recognized it as the entrance to a mine.
The hammering sounds, which had been muffled inside the building, now pounded loudly in Delun’s ears.
“Hmm…”
Delun exhaled a faint sigh.
Although it wasn’t a breathtaking sight, the hidden ancient mine in the valley village naturally evoked interest and mystery.
Galopo stopped and pointed to a circular staircase built into the wall.
“Go down.”
“…”
Without refusal, Delun stepped onto the dark staircase alone.
The underground environment was more humid than the surface and much darker. Nonetheless, the hammering continued to echo.
Even in the underground levels of a mine that should have been abandoned long ago, the hammering persisted.
“…”
Delun sharpened his senses as much as possible while descending the stairs.
The repetitive descent in the darkness gave him a floating sensation.
However, amidst the tedium of descending, at some point the hammering sound abruptly ceased, and an unfamiliar voice resonated through the space.
[What do you seek?]
“…”
Delun glanced around the darkness, fidgeted with the forbidden book in his pocket, and spoke.
“I want to ask about something you worshipped in the past…”
After a brief silence,
The mysterious voice chuckled.
[If you desire something, you must hope for sufficient good fortune.]
Giiig!
From the darkness,
An eyeless blind man approached, dragging a massive hammer across the ground.
Delun quickly withdrew his hand from the forbidden book and grasped the hilt of his sword.
The blind man advanced unhesitatingly towards Delun, preparing to draw his sword, and swung the massive hammer.
AAAHH!!
The thunderous sound of tearing air echoed.
The monstrous power was immense, yet there was no trace of mana flow in the swinging hammer.
Therefore, Delun refrained from manifesting sword energy and instead attempted to deflect the hammer sideways by swinging his sword.
Clang!
The crude hammer met the finely refined imperial sword.
In that instant, an auditory illusion resembling rolling dice briefly brushed against Delun’s consciousness.
Totororok, Tok, Todorok.
The dice came to a stop. Delun rolled a low number.
Immediately after,
The finely crafted imperial sword shattered like sand.
“?!”
*
The union of spirit and flesh.
A perfect integration accomplished solely through one’s own will.
This initial flawless awakening gifted Johanna a bizarre miracle that even Resina, the creator of the concept of Soul Weapon, could not have anticipated.
Compared to the eternal cycle of ‘spirit,’ the ‘flesh,’ granted a short lifespan, was originally weak and unstable.
However, as the complete integration of spirit and flesh occurred, the flesh became subordinate to the spirit and began to flow together with it.
If the soul cannot be broken, the destruction of the body holds no meaning.
This aspect resembled the characteristics of ‘spirits’ projected into this world.
However, the bizarre miracle in Johanna’s possession was far more robust and intense than that of spirits.
Kuddeuk!!!
Raphirus, the renowned High Templar of the Church, was undoubtedly a qualified arrogant powerhouse, but compared to Johanna, who had experienced countless battles, his experience in bloody combat was insufficient.
Consequently, he failed to respond wisely to unforeseen variables.
Raphirus, crushed under immense pressure with his chest pierced, glared at Johanna with bloodshot eyes.
“Th… You cursed Devil Worshipper…!”
Raphirus genuinely denounced Johanna.
Unable to explain Johanna’s incomprehensible phenomenon, Raphirus could only attribute it to devil worship.
In response to Raphirus’ insult, Johanna replied with a cold, subdued voice.
“Whether it’s El-Lam or a demon god…”
“Kru… eek…!”
“I no longer offer prayers.”
AAAH!!
Johanna, who bisected Raphirus’ body, rose to stand firmly on her two feet above the ground.
Without relying on any being, solely through her own strength.
