HPDBC Chapter 136 – Reformation
Chapter 136 – Reformation
Chapter 136 – Reformation
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
“Sir Milton! What do you think you’re doing!?” Claire shouted in anger. “Do you think that just being the cardinal’s sword would absolve you of any crimes!?”
“Hah. Not a chance... but tell me, Claire Latreia, who will administer any punishment to the Temple Knights itself?” he said, sending a smirk my way. “Perhaps this guy? I admit, even I can tell that he’s impressive, but do you think he can stop all of our combined might?”
Yes... indeed I did.
“It seems that the faction has already labelled you as an enemy, Grandmother,” I said. “Rudy, Eris surely heard that explosion and sensed the culprits, so she should be coming over quite quickly. Once you see her, take everyone to rescue the current Pope.”
“Understood, Leon!” he said, turning around.
“W-Wait! Leon, this... this is the faction’s main combat force!” Claire said.
So it was...
From what I could tell from an initial glance, these guys were mostly Saint ranks, with a few standout King and Emperor ranks, including this ‘Milton’, who while only having the touki of a Water Emperor, felt... a little stronger than that.
But having them all together?
“Then this just makes it easier...” I said, feeling a small smirk grow on my face. “Go on ahead, and leave these guys to me... it won’t take long.”
I could sense some hesitation from Therese and Claire, but with Mama pulling them along, they seemed to finally trust my words.
“Leon, don’t get hurt, okay?” Mama said.
“Got it. And the same goes for you,” I said, slashing outwards as a few swordsmen tried to give chase, instantly bisecting them as their bodies tumbled to the ground. “But you guys... you aren’t going anywhere.”
With my family having left, I was left with the now-frowning Milton as he slowly revealed his greatsword from his back.
“You... what is your connection to the Latreia House? And your strength... it’s unnatural,” he said as his comrades slowly approached to surround me.
“Well... as for the strength, that’s just the product of luck and hard work, and as for the connection...” I said, smiling. “I just came to clear up some stuff.”
“Leon Greyrat... it’s you, isn’t it?” Milton grumbled. “He said you would cause trouble once your survival was revealed... thankfully, he gave me enough strength to end you!”
‘He’?
What was he talking...? Oh.
This guy... he must be an apostle, right?
Orsted did say that the Man-God could grant strength to his followers, but he also told me that I didn’t need to worry about it too much, as at my level, the growth would be nothing but an ‘annoyance’.
My eyes tracing across the rows of my gathered opponents, I noticed that more than a few of them were not even twenty yet, their eyes bright with anticipation to take me down.
Haa... I sure have gotten soft, haven’t I?
“You know... as a father, I find myself growing a distaste for killing. Just think... all of you have parents, right? Or kids, or at least a family... do you really want to die simply for facing me on the orders of your corrupted cardinal?” I asked, enhancing the touki flowing throughout my body.
Yes... lives had values, and as I saw my beautiful children grow older, that idea was only enhanced.
Of course, I was fairly certain that the moral values of Kaito were influencing me as well, but it was true that as a father, I could see people a little more kindly.
So...
“I’ll give you a chance,” I said firmly. “Leave now, and either throw away your sword, or pledge it to the current Pope. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your survival.”
Unfortunately, they didn’t listen, with five of them, including Milton, launching forward with their swords drawn.
Of course, that wouldn’t work... even when I made such an earnest plea...
“Tch. Well, if you’re that enthusiastic...” I muttered, feeling a smile form on my face. “Then give Saint Millis a smile when you meet him!”
With the element of gravity entangled in the many concentrated layers of touki covering my sword, with a single movement, I launched the power on my blade outward, the world seeming as if it had come to a pause as I finished my movement.
And a moment later, every single one of the Temple knights before me crumpled over, their bodies separated into two equal halves, killing them all.
Not even blood splattered on the walls from how clean the cut was.
As I sheathed my sword, my eyes twitched as the nearby walls collapsed, with part of the ceiling falling down as the entire mansion groaned in protest.
And looking outside at the yard before me, many of the trees had fallen down as well, with the outside wall having a straight line that extended across it.
Ah... right.
I hadn’t fought anyone seriously since Laplace and those monsters in the Dragon World, so my strength... it seems that I had underestimated it.@@@@
...Maybe I would need to ask Orsted for that restraining spell of his so that I didn’t accidentally destroy anything in the future, or at least until I got acclimated to my power once more.
But still... there were around fifty or so knights, yet I had killed them all with one move, and even with Kaito’s memories... I did not have an ounce of discomfort.
Actually, that wasn’t quite right.
Remembering the diary, how they brutally butchered Aisha and Lilia, and would surely do the same to my family if ordered to... well, perhaps I might have felt a little glad at their deaths.
But that lack of discomfort was a good thing.
After all, it wouldn’t be good if Kaito’s values from such a peaceful place where he had lived had transferred over to this world, where hesitation could easily lead to the deaths of either you or your loved ones.
But damn... like this, wasn’t the battle practically already over already?
So soon?
That was... a little anticlimactic, to be honest, but considering how I was likely strong enough to defeat Laplace on my own now, or at least strong enough to put up a good fight... it only made sense that these guys would be so easy to deal with, where even the strongest among them wasn’t a Divine rank swordsman.
“Grhh... ugh...”
Hearing a groan from behind, I turned around with wide eyes only to see the head knight, Milton, slowly struggling to stand up, his skin wriggling across his stomach where I had just cut him in half.
So the Man-God gave him the power of regeneration...
“Hey, you’re still alive, so let’s have a little talk,” I said, walking up to him.
Using my hand to cut off his arms and legs, causing him to fall back to the ground, I kneeled beside his torso as I grasped his brown hair, pulling his head up to look at me.
“So... what is the Man-God doing here?” I asked.
It was a shitty plan, to be honest... but Orsted did say he might have been resting on the assumption that I wouldn’t move for someone not part of my family.
Even if something like this could have been easily handled by my husband... it felt amazing to know that I had helped, even if just a little.
And so, tilting my head up with a beaming smile, I pressed my lips against his, relishing in the taste as my eyes fluttered closed.
Yeah... we definitely weren’t sleeping tonight.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
A week had passed since our first arrival in the Holy Country, and with Eris having left to head back home yesterday, along with Rudy, Mama, and the Miko of Memory, who would be enrolling in the University of Ranoa, things had seemingly come to an end.
I would be following them pretty soon as well, but... I needed to have a little talk with Orsted first.
Anyway, with most of the powerful knights associated with the Demon Race Rejection Faction being wiped out with my blade, as well as the Latreia House revealing their support for the current Pope, it was obvious to anyone which side had won.
Of course, not everyone would accept such a result, but it wasn’t as if they could ever support the Cardinal again, as it had been revealed that he had been sending human child slaves to prominent nobles in other kingdoms for their monetary support.
A... slight lie, on our part.
Now, while it wasn’t completely true, it was easy to spin the story that way, as human slaves did exist in Millis, and more importantly, there was the fact that the Cardinal had been sending child slaves in order to garner support... only that the slaves that he dealt were only beastfolk.
And while the opinion of the public had always veered on the side of the Demon Race Acceptance Faction, the opinion had shifted to complete disregard of the Cardinal’s faction after everything was revealed, which was only cemented as the Latreia House confirmed the rumours and decided to support the current Pope instead.
Besides, with Laplace now dead, there was little to fear of the Demon Race forming another coalition to attack them, and the relations with the beastfolk had only been getting better over the years, so the hate was on its way to being removed from the nation... hopefully.
But I trusted Cliff, and with him being instated as the current Pope’s official successor, he was likely to take over the position after a year or two of learning from his grandfather, as well as gaining influence in the nation.
And with Lina at his side to show the trust of non-human races, I imagine that things would go smoothly, especially since he was friends with Pursena, who should be the leader of her tribe in the Great Forest by now.
But yes... I could trust Cliff to change the Millis Church for the better, or at least make it so they wouldn’t become my family’s enemy, and I could imagine that once Cliff gains a secure hold on the nation, he might even work with Ariel to form a mutually beneficial alliance.
“Leon... you’re here.”
Hearing the low, grating voice, I turned to see Orsted, who had just arrived in my room.
“Yep. Did you have any trouble getting in?” I asked.
“No... though next time, I would prefer if you simply prepared a teleportation circle,” he said, walking over to sit across from me.
Well, those things were quite annoying to make, and there was already one very close to the entrance of the city, so I didn’t think it mattered much.
“I see that you have dealt with things here already,” he then said after sitting down.
“Yeah. It wasn’t anything spectacular, and I’m pretty sure I can leave the rest to Cliff,” I replied with a shrug.
And even if he ended up needing help, I was pretty sure that Rudy would be the first to be asked instead, so I could stay home with my cute little kiddies as much as I wanted.
“I see... and was there any interference from that being?” he asked.
Ah... right.
“Yeah... one of the head knights was his apostles, but it didn’t mean too much in the end,” I said, narrowing my eyes.
But... just what could be the Man-God’s play here?
“So, as expected, he had gotten involved... and as for his next moves, I am unaware, but I can only assume he is working to maintain a group of followers without being dedicated to only apostles... that is a strategy that he often liked to use,” he said before staring at me. “If the Man-God is making his move, then we need to act faster and retrieve all the sacred treasures... on that note, do you have it?”
“It? Yeah... pretty sure I do,” I said, reaching into my pocket to retrieve the golden ring.
This was another sacred treasure, and I had gotten it from the Pope as payment for my help with everything.
It was apparently classified as a holy relic, but not one of significant importance, especially in recent years, so there wasn’t much bargaining needed to be done.
“I see... that certainly speeds things up,” Orsted said, reaching over to take it as he rubbed his finger along the metal. “Now that we have the ones from the Millis Church and Laplace, there are only three left.”
There was also the need for Shizuka to create that sealing spell... but that would come in time.
“And where are those treasures located again?” I asked.
He stopped rubbing his finger along the ring as he then put it into his pocket, looking over at me for a moment before speaking.
“Yes... there is a small issue with that,” he said, frowning. “The next one we should aim for is located in the lower stratum of the Hell Labyrinth, located in the Divine Continent... I believe that your connection with Perugius will help in traveling there. And another is in the possession of the Technique God... and while he is troublesome, he should not be an enemy if you explain the purpose behind wanting the treasure in killing the Man-God...”
I see... so the first ranked power, the Technique God, who is also the other half of Laplace...
I just hope that he isn’t as insane as his counterpart.
But wait... was that it?
“Didn’t you say there were three more? That’s only two,” I said, confused.
“Yes... that is the very issue I had just mentioned,” Orsted said, shaking his head. “A few months after your return, my assumption that the Man-God’s plan was to remove you and Laplace’s sacred treasure from the world ended up being wrong, so I immediately set out to confirm things...”
Tapping his fingers against his arm, Orsted’s frown somehow deepened even more.
“I set out to retrieve the treasure meant to be kept in the Great Forest, in the hidden tomb of the last Beast God. But when I arrived... it wasn’t there,” he said. “It’s not something that can be easily accessed by chance, and nobody in the past loops ever found it, so this... can only be the work of the Man-God.”
That... wasn’t very good.
That wasn’t very good at all.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked.
“Because it wasn’t important, and there was no use in disturbing your peace with your family,” he said. “In the end, it is not a completely hopeless situation, as I can still track it using a spell from my homeland. The only issue is that it takes mana and time, so I would prefer to have the rest of the treasures before retrieving it.”
“I see, that makes sense...” I said, placing a hand on my chin. “But if we need to start actively finding them... we should probably start while I’m still in my prime. Unlike you, I doubt that I’ll be around in another eighty or so years, much less at my current strength.”
“Indeed... as you say, we cannot sit idly by,” Orsted said, standing up as he gave me a small smile. “But for now... you can stay with your precious family and enjoy those moments. You have two of your wives pregnant at the moment, correct?”
“Yeah... Ariel and Sylphy, though they’re close to their due date,” I said.
But Ariel did seem a bit bigger than usual...
“Is that so... but yes, stay with them for now, but when it’s time...” he said, turning to the door. “When it is time, I will tell you what to do, and soon enough... the Man-God will see his end.”
And with that slightly ominous premonition, Orsted then went out the door, leaving me alone in the residence that Cliff’s grandfather had rented out to me.
But he was right... I had a family to get back to, and two kids to welcome into the world fairly soon.
And now with two of the five sacred treasures found, and Shizuka beginning work on the sealing spell... the time when I would raise my blade against the Man-God directly felt closer than ever.
— End of Arc 8 - Millis —