Crack!
A cold-looking woman crushed someone's head with a mace.
The one whose head was crushed wore a black robe, with a tattoo of a black sun etched onto their body.
It was one of the Arbiters, the high priests of the Salvation Church.
"Hoo…"
The woman let out a long breath, straightened her back, and stood up, her long hair blowing in the wind.
The numerous corpses scattered around made it clear that a fierce battle had just taken place here.
Even the surviving woman bore wounds all over her body and showed obvious signs of exhaustion.
"It feels like these bastards have gotten stronger than before. Why is this happening…"
The woman trailed off. Just as she was about to fall into deep thought, several people came running from a distance.
"Saintess!"
"Saintess, are you alright?"
"Let us treat you!"
The newcomers were priests serving the goddess of war, Moriana. They surrounded the woman they called the Saintess, radiating holy power.
All of them were at least a head shorter than the woman. From a distance, it looked like the Saintess was standing among children.
However, a closer look revealed this wasn't the case. The priests weren't children but middle-aged men. It only seemed so because of the woman's enormous physique.
And that wasn't all. Her broad shoulders and muscles rippled across her body. With her strength, she could likely knock down a full-grown man with a single flick to the head.
She was undoubtedly fitting as the Saintess chosen by the goddess of war.
The Saintess, Parniel, turned her head and asked, "The high priests of the Salvation Church are heading to the Kingdom of Lutania. Do you know anything about this?"
One of the priests bowed his head and replied, "It seems an allied force has been formed centered around the Kingdom of Lutania. The priests of the Salvation Church appear to be gathering to confront them."
"I see. So that's the current focal point of the conflict. For those cockroaches who've been hiding to flock there like this…"
"We should leave those matters to others. Let us prepare to return…"
"No, I'm going to the Kingdom of Lutania."
"Saintess! The Lord Patriarch has ordered you to return."
The priests were startled and tried to dissuade her, but Parniel shook her head.
"If the high priests of the Salvation Church are gathering, there must be someone of even higher rank there. Even if not, there must be a significant reason they're aiming to take that place. I will go there."
Clutching her blood-soaked mace tightly, Parniel continued, "The high priests of the Salvation Church wield power equivalent to superhumans. Ordinary people cannot stand against them. As someone entrusted with the goddess's mission, I must go to assist them."
Moriana symbolizes war, honor, battle, victory, authority, dignity, and pride.
She is a goddess supported by knights, warriors, mercenaries, and others whose livelihoods revolve around combat.
The Saintess chosen by such a goddess was none other than Parniel. Her divine mission was the eradication of the Salvation Church.
Thus, she believed that she alone was capable of confronting the Salvation Church.
"Saintess, the Kingdom of Lutania is a military powerhouse. There are many strong individuals there."
"There's no need for us to go all the way there. Aren't there urgent matters elsewhere as well?"
Despite their attempts to dissuade her, Parniel remained unmoved. Instead, she spoke firmly, "The priests of the Salvation Church and the beasts from the Rifts are in direct opposition to holy power. Who, other than me, can deal with them effectively? I am the only Saintess in this world."
A Saintess is born only once per era. Until the current Saintess dies, no other Saintess can be born, not even in other religious orders.
And now, the goddess of war had chosen her Saintess.
However, every religious order had long concealed this fact. The emergence of a Saintess chosen by the goddess of war was considered an ominous sign.
Except for a select few, no one knew that a Saintess existed within the Moriana religious order.
Thus, Parniel felt the weight of her responsibilities.
"My birth in this era must be a deliberate arrangement by the goddess. Otherwise, why would the goddess of war send me here?"
The priests had no response to Parniel's words. Indeed, it was too precise a coincidence to dismiss as mere chance.
Parniel had been born with divine power. Thanks to that, she possessed strength several times greater than others.
Of course, if that had been all, she would merely have been considered a peculiar individual. No matter how strong she was, without the ability to wield mana, her potential would be limited.
However, once chosen as the Saintess and granted holy power, she had become a complete weapon of war.
No one could deny that this was divine providence to battle against the Salvation Church.
"Ugh… Very well."
"We will set course for Lutania."
"For now, meet with the person in charge of that region."
The priests could no longer stop Parniel. They knew all too well about the Saintess's stubbornness.
It was even more impossible to stop her by force.
After all, she was none other than the "War Saintess," one of the Seven Strongest of the Continent in Ghislain's past life.
***
The priests of the Salvation Church, under Gartros's orders, were converging on the Kingdom of Lutania to seize it.
However, there was one thing Gartros and Raul hadn't considered. As the Salvation Church's priests began to move, those who opposed them also started to gather in the Kingdom of Lutania.
The Elven Grand Chieftain Erenes had already joined forces with Ghislain, and now, the War Saintess Parniel was heading to Lutania as well.
On top of that, parts of the allied armies from various allied nations were also mobilized to confront Duke Delphine's forces.
Thanks to Ghislain's efforts, the Kingdom of Lutania was becoming a battleground for all factions.
Even the mercenaries arriving from across the continent were becoming an extraordinary force.
"Most of the mercenaries from the Kingdom of Seiron have been absorbed into the Fenris Mercenary Corps."
"More than half of the mercenaries from the Kingdom of Grimwell have joined the Fenris Mercenary Corps!"
"The newly recruited mercenaries are very satisfied with the benefits we're providing."
Reports were coming in from every direction. Ghislain smiled as he listened to the updates.
"It's progressing faster than I expected. Very good. Let the new recruits have plenty of food and money."
Dominic and part of the Fenris Mercenary Corps had been dispatched to establish branches in each kingdom even before the Rift clean-up was complete.
The governing officials of those kingdoms were supporting this effort. With swift administrative processing, progress was inevitably rapid.
For now, those officials had to retain their mercenaries for domestic affairs, so they adhered strictly to their agreements with Ghislain.
The faster the progress, the more administrative work there was. However, it wasn't Ghislain handling that—it was the people he had brought along for such tasks.
"Argh! Stop! Stop! Let me return to the estate!"
In the Northern Army's camp, Claude was screaming every day as he managed endless paperwork.
When Ghislain had summoned Claude and the administrators, they thought they would only handle matters related to the allied army before returning. However, they found themselves dragged to the Northern Army's camp and saddled with all sorts of administrative tasks.
"Damn it! Why is there so much work? Why is everything so chaotic? Why does it never end? Stop bringing me reports!"
Claude realized he wouldn't be returning to Fenris anytime soon.
Where Ghislain had effectively become the heart of Fenris. All operations were handled from there and distributed to other regions.
The biggest issue was the mercenaries. A staggering 20,000 mercenaries were spreading across the kingdoms, recruiting more mercenaries at a rapid pace.
As mercenaries poured in, the workload and supplies to be sent out became overwhelming.
"Ugh, can't the Western folks handle their own affairs? Can't they just declare independence or something?"
Next came the affairs of the Western regions. Stabilization efforts were wrapping up, and ensuring the coalition's access routes also required attention. Consequently, the paperwork to be sent there was piling up.
Ghislain had dumped all this onto Claude!
"Just kill me…"
Claude and the administrators handled their tasks in a semi-conscious state. If they collapsed from exhaustion, Piote would appear immediately to heal them and leave.
Watching this, Erenes commented, "I thought he was a frivolous man, but it seems he's quite capable of working. Since we're now 'family,' I'll lend him a little help."
"What help? I'm so tired I just want to sleep. I haven't slept in three days. Can Mother Nature do paperwork for me?"
"Not exactly, but I have a good idea."
As Claude exaggerated his fatigue and tried to stall, Erenes approached him.
A beautiful green light began to emanate from her outstretched hand.
"The energy of nature will invigorate you, even if it's not as potent as holy power. Also, the spirits will assist you with your work."
"Don't! Don't do it!"
A blinding flash!
Green light enveloped Claude's body. He felt a refreshing sensation coursing through him, his strength returning.
Water spirits circled around him, washing his face. Wind spirits dried it, and fire spirits warmed his body.
Earth spirits grabbed his legs and thighs, correcting his posture.
"Why my posture?"
"To help you sit healthily for long periods."
"Argh! Why can't I ever be happy?"
Now Erenes, alongside Piote, was making sure Claude couldn't sleep. Even the spirits were forcing Claude into labor.
It seemed like death was the only escape.
Erenes, oblivious to this, smiled maternally and said, "You don't need to thank me. Didn't we agree to become like family?"
"Wow, seriously… Old-fashioned people are impossible to reason with."
Claude felt like he was going insane. He envied Lowell, who was probably lounging around Fenris Castle, enjoying life as acting head butler.
Even so, thanks to Claude's hard work, administrative tasks related to the Northern Army were handled quickly and efficiently.
With Erenes joining the effort, dealing with the remaining rifts became much easier.
A guttural roar echoed, "Krrrrrng!"
"Vile creatures, I won't allow you to run rampant on this land ever again."
Erenes, who was as nurturing as a mother within the Northern Army, transformed into a demon in battle. It was hard to tell which was her true face.
"Bind it."
Rumble!
The vines summoned by Erenes coiled tightly around the Equidema's body.
The beast tried to break free and move, but before it could, Piote, with Belinda's help, climbed onto the beast's neck.
Kraaaaah!
From there, they subdued the Equidema just as they had before. Thanks to Erenes, Piote was able to climb on much faster and more easily.
Even when the vines were broken a few times, it wasn't an issue. The skilled individuals nearby continuously kept the beast in check.
Seeing how easily they subdued the Equidema, Erenes couldn't help but murmur in admiration, "To catch that beast so effortlessly… You are truly remarkable."
Ghislain shrugged and asked, "How did you handle it?"
"I… we…"
Her gaze wandered as if reminiscing about something, but soon she shook her head.
"No, never mind."
'Hmm, something's off.'
Seeing her deflect the question, Ghislain narrowed his eyes.
It was clear Erenes had sought him out as soon as the prohibition was lifted. This meant this was her first battle against the rifts.
Yet she didn't seem surprised by the Riftborn or the Equidema. She seemed too familiar, her words and actions suggesting she had fought them many times before.
There was no doubt this elf was hiding something.
'I'll find out soon enough.'
Ghislain didn't have a hobby of digging into secrets, but if she held a vital clue to resolving this crisis, he couldn't let it slide.
Regardless of Ghislain's thoughts, the quicker pace of rift clean-up boosted the morale of the Northern Army.
The Northern Army slowly advanced, dealing with rifts and administrative tasks. It was as if the entire estate was moving with them.
This required Dark to create and send out numerous clones across the region as well.
After clearing all the rifts in the eastern region and moving toward the alliance's assembly point, Ghislain furrowed his brows in sudden doubt.
'Strange. Why haven't they moved yet?'
It had already been a month since Erenes joined. Given the Duchy's military strength, the rifts in the south should have been dealt with by now.
With the Salvation Church's vast intelligence network spread across the continent, they must also know the allied forces were coming. Support troops from nearby kingdoms had already arrived.
'There's no way the Duchy is just sitting idly by… What are they plotting?'
The current situation was undoubtedly disadvantageous for the Duchy. They were surely devising something to turn the tide. Yet Ghislain couldn't figure out what it might be.
Not long after Ghislain's contemplation began, a messenger arrived with new information.
"Assassins are on the move. Several administrators in estates near the south have been killed."
"What? Assassins? Who were the targets?"
"Mostly lower-level administrators. The damage isn't significant, but the atmosphere has become unsettled."
Ghislain fell into thought again.
'Now? These assassinations won't influence the bigger picture.'
It was a pointless move. Without a superhuman, high-ranking nobles couldn't be killed.
Even if a superhuman succeeded in an assassination, they would face the consequences of relentless pursuit.
'Even Ravier, who was at a superhuman level, couldn't escape the knights' pursuit and died. No superhuman can fight endlessly without rest.'
Using a superhuman as a disposable pawn would be an idiotic decision.
'Even so, if they're going through with this, there must be another reason behind it…'
While Ghislain monitored the Duchy's actions for several days, a messenger brought even bigger news.
"The Duchy's army has begun their advance! They've already defeated the Kingdom's 4th Corps and are moving toward the east!"
Finally, the Duchy had made their move.
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