Heraldic army, right wing.

　The Great Patriarchal Army roared with savage shouts and continued their desperate offensive with spears and battle axes. Although the Monstrance soldiers were holding their spears at the ready, it was obvious from their shoulders and knots that they were exhausted.

　Everyone understands that they can no longer hold out much longer.

　At long last, can we finally break through the enemy lines now? There was a glimmer of hope in the hearts of the Daishonikyo soldiers. It was a faint expectation or hope found in the depths of the battlefield.

　But it was brutally and easily snatched away by the silver whirlwind.

　--The sound of a man's head, his skull and brain plasma forcibly gouged out, spilled out onto the battlefield.

　The plasma, blood, and bones of Daishonin soldiers and their commanders splattered across the battlefield. The flash of the sword that gave birth to it drew a trajectory that could be called flowing and reaped the sky.

　The Archbishop's soldiers collapsed, screaming and shouting. In the brief intervals when their rush was blocked, the heraldic army regained its footing.

　Again. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it'll be fine. The eyes that stare at its presence twitch in fright. The one in front of his gaze is a woman who, despite being on the battlefield, does not show any trembling or fear, and strides about the battlefield as if she owns it.

　Her silky silver hair swayed, and her eyes narrowed. Her white skin is smeared with vermilion makeup. There are many, many layers.

　She acts as if she is the master of the battlefield. Despite their superiority in numbers, every time Kalia's silver light shines, the Great Sacred Church's army is forced to stagnate. This happened again and again, countless times.

　Kalia exhaled, exasperatedly brushing away the blood and vomit of the enemy soldiers tangled in her hair. There is no sense of danger, frustration, or elation in her heart, as there should be on the battlefield. Only one emotion dominates her heart. In other words, there is only one emotion that can control Kalia's heart at the moment.

　In the end, it is her master, Lugis. Rougis relied on Caria to lead the right flank of the heraldic army, while he himself rode his horse to break through the center.

　That's good. When I think of the fact that I never knew how to rely on others and avoided the glory of glory until now, the thought of Rougis now brings a smile to Karia's cheeks. The fact that Lugis is on the path to glory means that he himself has acknowledged that the path that Caria has been guiding him along has been the right one.

　Therefore, it was a wonderful and joyful thing. That's all it took for Kalia's heart to stop palpitating and for a pleasant feeling to well up from the bottom of her guts. So, that in itself is not a problem. Therefore, what she cares about and is concerned about is something else.

　The only thing she cares about and worries about is why she was not chosen to serve Lugis. Isn't it originally your role to serve him, to run with Lugis on the battlefield?

　Of course, it may be that there was no one else who could be entrusted with the right wing. In fact, the fact that he is entrusted with a task that is beyond the reach of Lugis himself may mean that he has earned that much trust. There was no doubt that such an idea existed.

　However, Kalia's idea of loyalty, and thus a knight, is not like that. A loyal knight is one who is always with his lord, and sometimes even lays down his life to serve him. To be honest, I thought that Kalia would naturally be allowed to serve Lugis on the battlefield.

　But in fact, it was Fialaat-La-Borgograd, not herself, that Lugis had chosen to bring with him to the center of the battlefield.

　As soon as she thought of this, something heavy and sticky began to creep up from all over her body. An unpleasant delusion sticks to the back of her brain. Even though she didn't want to think about it, the delusion, the delusion, went through her mind.

　Of all the people around Lugis, Saint Mattia, for example, is the very heart of heraldry. Whether Lugis is reaching for glory or getting close to his childhood friend, Alueno, he will need her help.

　The Elven Queen, Fialaat, and so on. She has the power, the magic, and other things that will certainly help Lugis. Whatever path Lugis chooses, he will need it.

　But what about you? Kalia's small, shapely lips twisted. All I have is my sword. The only thing I have is the sword I've been training and wielding so honestly.

　It was fine as long as my sword skills were better than Lugis'. I could have said that I could protect him and lead him. But in the duel at Belle Fain, I was defeated by him head-on. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. In fact, I'm very pleased with Lugis' growth, and I congratulate him for it.

　Yes, that in itself is something to be happy about, but you, who only have a sword, have been defeated by Lugis with that sword. So what will I be able to offer to Lugis? What can I offer to help him? Isn't there anything at all?

　The thought made Kalia's heart creak and her throat gurgle with a fear she had never felt before in her life.

　--Maybe Lugis doesn't even see me anymore.

　My eyelids go numb. My whole body feels like it's going to seize up. Something hot was coming down my throat. I hate it. Even tears threatened to flow. It'd be better if you ordered me to die for you.

　Delusion calls for delusion, and bad imaginings and concerns stir in her mind over and over again, making Kalia's face scowl. No matter how much you think about it, you will never get an answer.

　This is why his eyes were lit with a strong light. In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do. If you allow that to happen, you might really be abandoned.

　The silver weapon is wielded again and again. Is the emotion that lights up the blade murderous intent or fear? I am sure that even Kalia herself does not know.



"Master Karia, the enemy army--!

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one.


I'm sorry.


　The left wing of the heraldic army. The elves living in the Hanging Gardens of Gazalia continue to line up their desperate forms and shoot arrows into the battlefield.

　Their fingertips no longer feel. Not only is blood oozing from their fingers, but the skin of their hands themselves is tearing. Even so, he must continue to fire his arrows or he will never make it. That's how vicious the pressure of the enemy army was. Even with the elves' spirit magic, a curse that can easily make people fall into a coma and die, the Great Sacred Church's march like a wave has not been stopped.

　There is no such thing as carelessness or pride. It's just that the enemy troops are stronger and more numerous than Gazalia's troops. They can no longer be controlled.

　Therefore, there is only one thing that keeps the battlefield alive on this left wing.

　An army of the Great Patriarchate finally breaks through the Gazarian front line. The rearguard, with its vulnerable belly exposed, and the main Gazan line are just beyond its sight. One more breath and all of them will sink beneath your boots.

　All the Daishonin closed their mouths and covered their lips and noses with their hands. Their eyes bleed as they search for the elf. He knew very well that he would not be able to break through the enemy lines unless he killed the Queen Elf.

　But it's not too late. At the moment when the eyes of the High Priestess pierced the depths of Gazalia's main camp. A dirty, sooty air, far from refreshing, began to circulate around us. It had a strange, thick weight. The black air is clearly visible to the eye. It is the manifestation of a curse. An elven curse that eats and consumes.

　The High Priest closes his lips, covers his nose and mouth with his hands, and struggles to move through it while holding his breath. As hard as he could, he ran towards the source of the curse, the Queen Elf.

　But the curse will not let one escape. The Great Spirit will never forgive those who once gave up on him and abandoned their faith in him.

　The sludge-like air joyfully enters the body of the Great Patriarch through the eye sockets, ear canals, and the slightest scars on the skin.

　Just by entering a person's body, the sludge severely reduced all functions. It began with difficulty breathing, followed by numbness in the extremities, and the blood rushing through the veins as if it had been poisoned. The organs began to self-mutilate from the dysfunction, and gastric juice flowed back from the mouth.

　The protruding Great Saints could no longer run or even walk. And yet... The only thing that was clear was the cruelty of consciousness. It was as if he was trying to grasp what was about to happen with his own eyes.

　In the vision of the Daishonin who slowly fell to the ground, I saw his piercing eyes emitting blue light.

It's disgusting.

　That's all he said. The Queen of Gazalia, Finn-Erdis, struck the body of the soldier with a condensed curse, the very concept of destruction. There was nothing left of them.

　A few ragged breaths escaped his full lips, and he sat down in the chair provided for him. She quenched her thirst a little with the water offered by her squire, Valette.

　I wonder how many times I've used necromancy, or curses, in the past. If she had asked Valet, he would probably have answered, but Erdis no longer had the energy to ask.

　Spiritual arts are fundamentally based on borrowing the power of favored spirits. Therefore, it is not like magic, where you run out of magic power in your body. But that doesn't mean that you can use it inexhaustibly.

　In order to use spirit magic on a large scale like Erdis did, you need to let the spirit manifest itself in the world through your body.

　To make the spirit manifest to the world through your body. This is the same as stripping your mind and body of all energy in an instant. The more times you use it, the more it wears down your body.

　That is why normal elves do not do such reckless things. Or rather, they can't. To let a spirit manifest in your body is to introduce a completely foreign substance into your body. Such a thing is only possible if you have a good relationship with the spirit, or if you are favored by the spirit to an unusual degree.

　Normally, elves use necromancy only to grant a small amount of spirit blessings to their armor or to interfere with nature to a limited extent. There is no way that they can spread the curse all around or transform it into destruction itself.

　In this respect, Finn-Erdis was undoubtedly the favored and gifted one of the spirits. He could manifest spirits, sometimes create illusions, sometimes cast spells on his surroundings, and even wield the concept of destruction. He was truly a genius. In the face of her genius, the soldiers of the Great Patriarchate continue to bend the knee. Because of her presence, the Daishonin army has been unable to give a decisive blow to the Gazarian soldiers.

　Therefore, the left flank of the heraldic army can only be maintained as long as Elddis' body and soul are intact. I wonder how long that will be.

　Squire Valette's eyes narrowed as he offered her water as well as an antidote pill. He is worried about his master's incessant weariness, but he knows he should not speak to him. Her lips were tightly closed.

　Erdis catches Valet's gaze, exhales lightly, and thinks of one thing.

　It's not about your physical or mental limitations, or the state of the war, or any of those trivial things. What you are thinking about is your knight, Lugis.

　Erdis received the sensation that Lugis had been wounded through the equipment he had just given him.

　The wound was not a light one. But with the blessing of the spirit equipment, it would not be fatal. Therefore, although her heart was fluttering, she was still okay with it. But there was something else that Elddis was worried about.

　--When Rougis' body was injured, there were several things that reacted other than his own equipment.

　The blue eyes narrowed, and a piercing, swarthy light came to life again. In the event you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at a few of the best ways to get the most out of your time.



　Who, other than yourself, has been interfering with your knight?

　I have heard that a sorcerer named Fialaert, who follows Lugis, once restored Lugis. Therefore, it is not strange that there is a magical reaction to it. But now, indeed. There were several other reactions.

　Biting down on her teeth, Elddis desperately tried to stifle the urge that was rising inside her.

　If it were possible, she would like to rush to Lugis right now, heal his wounds, and thus remove any impurities from him other than herself. However, maintaining this left front is based on Rougis' orders. That is, for Elddis, it is absolute. It is unbreakable.

　It's a shame. She wanted to run to Lugis for his safety, but she couldn't move because of his orders.

　Erdis desperately looks towards the center of the battlefield, though from a distance. She hoped to catch a glimpse of her knight.

　And then... Erdis raises his well-defined eyebrows. The enemy's center, or rather the enemy's army as a whole, was moving a bit erratically. They were shaken, they were buzzing, they were... At least, not in a coordinated fashion.

　What's going on? No, Lugis might have done something. Elddis's blue eyes stare at the enemy army as a whole. It was no longer the eyes of Elddis as an individual, but as the eyes of a queen, a leader. It's the one that looks at the battlefield coldly.

　A few moments passed. The flow of the enemy army's movements begins to change clearly. The same is true for the soldiers on the left flank where Ghazalia is facing. Just as Erdis's intuition began to turn to certainty, a messenger rushed into Gazalia's main camp.

"Mr. Finn-Erdis! The Daishonin's main army has begun to retreat. We have orders to wrap up the enemy forces as soon as possible.

　Hearing these words, Erdis patted his chest and at the same time. She raised her voice.

　He immediately delegated the authority to his subordinate generals and called for his horse. At any rate, his role in maintaining this front was now over. It would be no problem for others to do the rest. The battlefield has been decided.

　I'm not going to be able to do that.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　The Battle of Sarnio.

　This is the first time that the Great Saints and heraldry have speared each other on a large scale in a series of battles and conflicts known as the Gospel Wars.

　The clash between the mixed forces of the Daishonin and the autonomous city of Philos and the allied forces of the Monstrance and the elven nation of Ghazalia took place over a period of about half a day.

　There is no record of minor damage on either side, and it can be read that it was a hard-fought, close battle with a fair amount of blood loss on both sides.

　However, only one side was able to bite the fruit of victory. And so, the name of the victor in the Battle of Sarnio was engraved in history - the alliance of the heraldic religion and the elven nation of Gazaria.

　Of course, there was no mention of defeat in the records of the Daishonin side, but there is no doubt that they were forced to retreat from the main camp.

　This defeat and retreat had a definite impact on the Daishogyo.

　Originally, for the Daishyo-kyo, the troops who clashed in the Sarnio Plain were only spearhead troops, and could even be called reconnaissance troops. If one considers the power of the Daishonin Church as a whole, it would not be a very painful defeat.

　Therefore, for the Daishonin, the Battle of Sarnio was just the opening battle of the war, and the heraldic army that gained the momentum of clapping horseshoes was given a breath of victory. Yes, you could even say that's all it was. There was no impact on the masses, just a few sparks from the flames of war.

　But still... The outcome of the Battle of Sarnio has become a synonym for humiliation for the Great Patriarch, and a catalyst for the hostility towards heraldry in his heart, and thus a little irritation.

　The reason for this is clear. The reason for this is clear. The power of the Church of the Crest, which until now has only been on the side of the dispossessed and the dispossessed, has not been satisfied with merely biting its fangs, but has torn the ankles of the giant called the Great Saints.

　--This is something that should never have happened in the doctrine of the Great Saints. It should never have happened.

　The doctrine of the Great Saints is to surrender all of man's reason, intellect, and ability to the one God for salvation. Handing over all control and will to the one true Lord, man can only be a being that can give salvation. That is bliss, oh, that is undeniable happiness, says the Great Patriarch.

　In accordance with this doctrine, the state has stripped the common people of their knowledge, except for a few rulers and the upper class.

　They do not think for themselves. They taught that if you just move your body as God gives you and guides you, that is happiness.

　Most of the common people accepted and drank it down as the one and only truth. After all, it is the easiest thing in the world. No responsibility, no ability, no intelligence, no effort. All you have to do is what you are told. It's a very sweet lesson.

　And no doctrine is easier for the rulers to accept. At any rate, the common people who are ruled will give up thinking for themselves, and everyone will lose their intelligence.

　Since the Great Satanism became the state religion, none of the common people in the kingdom of Garryst have objected to being ruled. It is safe to say that security has improved greatly.

　Although the number of common people who cannot even read or write has increased, although oppression has become commonplace, although the dignity of the common people has become a thing of the past, such things are no longer relevant. There is no need for the common people to think for themselves, no need for intelligence.

　Literacy, culture, and intelligence should be reserved only for the upper class. Even if we abolished the academy, even if we made laws to regulate the behavior of the common people, there was no opposition from anyone. After all, everyone said, if we follow the doctrine of the Great Saints, everything will be fine and it will lead to salvation. So, no one objected.

　--Except for the pagans who call themselves heraldry.

　That is why the Daishonin can never tolerate the defeat at the Battle of Sarnio. The Daishonin's army at the Battle of Sarnio was an army under the will of His Holiness the Great. That is to say, it should be an army that has received the favor of the One God.



　Their army is defeated. They will be forced to retreat. Not by the enemy, but by the heraldic army they've been kicking around.

　How is that even possible? How can such a thing be possible? There's nothing in the Daishonin's doctrine that says such a thing is possible. If you follow the doctrine, such an absurdity cannot happen, and it should.

　If there are more defeats, it will lead to skepticism of the Daishonikyo doctrine. Once the cracks appear, no matter how much intelligence is taken away, frustration and rage will bring about skepticism.

　The name of the Great Patriarchate can no longer be given even the slightest scratch.

　That's why the Battle of Sarnio was the occasion, they say. It was an opportunity for the giant known as the Daishonin to raise its heavy hand and raise its great sword.

　The Battle of Sarnio also had another great significance. That is, it produced a hero in the history of the world.

　In Daishonin, the great evil. In heraldry, he is referred to as the Golden One.

　He does not come from a noble or high class background, and his origins in history are not known. He is said to have been an adventurer of some sort, and once a follower of the Great Sacred Church.

　Its purpose, its beliefs, why it took the hand of the heraldic religion, and why it entered the fray. All the reasons are unknown.

　He made his name in history for the first time with the fall of the walled city of Garouamalia, and has thrust his sword against the Great Patriarchate in the revolution in the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia, the turmoil in the mercenary city of Belfain, and the Battle of Sarnio. And yet, he did not wish for glory for himself.

　As a result, he gained the confidence of the heraldic saint Mattia and the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia to Queen Finn-Erdis. At the same time, the knight Caria Vadnick of the Kingdom of Garleist and the sorceress Fialat-La-Borgograd of the Borvat dynasty, the masters of the East, followed him.

　However, the details of why he gained their trust remain unknown. As a matter of fact, there is no mention of his person in the official records of the time, which also makes it difficult to make even an analogy.

　However, according to the surviving records, it is certain that his relations with women were not as favorable as his heroic name.

　That man's name is inscribed in history as the hero Lugis.