22 – Divine Punishment
The Kareldeon Empire. Especially the Lua Star Church within it deserves divine punishment. The reason is the presence of Flimia right in front of me. And just by looking at the saint, who is being sold like merchandise in the adjacent buildings, there was no room for argument. However, it was not me who had rolled around in this world, but Holly Trust. Flimia.
“Flimia, what do you want?”
“I want to uproot the corruption in the Lua Star Church and stop the wars waged by the Kareldeon Empire.”
Flimia’s desire was clear. Even at this moment, she wanted peace. However, as everyone knows, peace is not achieved through dialogue or reconciliation.
“Flimia, I can grant both of the things you said. But I say this with certainty. Many people will die. More than you can imagine.”
“…”
There was no answer, but Flimia’s eyes showed determination. To instill confidence in her thoughts, I pointed to the corpse of Elcardo next to me and spoke.
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“You don’t need to feel guilty. If I had peacefully persuaded this bastard through conversation, would he have helped the saintesses in the market find freedom? There are people who never change until they die. There are people who only give up what they have when they die. Unfortunately, most of the people with possessions belong to this category. What we are about to do is to restore everything to normal.”
It was a short speech, but it would have resonated with Flimia more than any other words.
“If you just say the word ‘help’, I can solve everything. I’m not some f*cking god, so miracles are impossible, but I have the ability to forcibly restore peace.”
Flimia lowered her head to the ground. Her pious appearance was truly beautiful to the point of sighing.
“Please help us. Restore freedom to the saintesses oppressed by the church, restore peace to the people of other countries suffering from the invasion of our Kareldeon Empire. Even if countless people die in the process, if that is the only way to break free from this hellish yoke, please do so.”
The girl’s prayer moved my heart, and I immediately took action. I opened the door and stepped outside.
Choi Ye-bin immediately stepped forward to prepare for battle, but I gestured for her to step back behind me.
“You don’t need to step forward here.”
As I reached out my hand to the sky, energy began to be drawn from the corpse of Elcardo, whom I had killed earlier. His blood coagulated and in an instant, a red mass started to rise into the air.
“W-what… what the hell are you doing! Stop right now! This is a magic-free zone!”
One of the men guarding near the saintesses’ market shouted when he saw my appearance. Upon hearing his voice, the men who looked like knights around me drew their swords and rushed towards me. However, soon enough, bloodied needles shot out from the red sphere and charged towards those men.
“Cough…”
One of the men running forward falls down. Before his blood even has a chance to flow on the ground, it gathers back into his body. The man’s body, covered in blood, sprawls on the floor. The shape of the body has grown slightly larger.
“Magicians…everyone, attack at once!”
The knights scattered around begin to attack me from various directions simultaneously. Even if they swing their swords blindly, they believe that if they can hit me even once, they will have an advantage.
Such foolish thoughts. The only way they can survive is to abandon their comrades and run away.
“Kill them.”
With a short command, a grotesque creature made of blood springs out of the red shape, screaming. Resembling wolves, there are nearly ten of these creatures, which mercilessly tear apart the men rushing towards them.
With each death, the blood spilled by the men gathers in the shape, creating a larger, more beautiful circle.
Before long, the battlefield falls silent.
There is not a single person standing on the ground, and all the bodies are lying twisted and dried up on the ground. I start walking, leaving the red shape floating in the air.
Kkiik
The holy maidens trapped in the salesroom. I open the doors of each room. Since there is a crude locking mechanism, I smash them one by one and go inside.
“Come out.”
With each house I pass, I see the eyes of despairing girls. They are cautious of me. But I pay no attention and make all the holy maidens come out.
There were about fifty people in total. The girls were frightened and shedding tears. It was a situation that could be misunderstood. Many people around them are dead, and the person who seems to be the culprit has called them, so they must have thought they would die too.
I immediately dispel their misunderstanding.
“Leave.”
The girls stood frozen in their places, unable to properly hear my words.
“I killed the ones who were watching over you. So leave this place. You are free.”
Finally, the holy maidens collectively kneeled before me, shedding tears and praying. Some shouted as if their prayers had been answered, and some worshipped me.
In an instant, I killed more than twenty people, but in turn, many people regained their freedom because of it. Ironically, someone’s death was the key to granting someone else the freedom they so longed for.
For a long time, the girls who had been expressing their gratitude to me disappeared somewhere. Some of them even said they would follow me, as they might be caught by the sect if they ran away. But I refused. There was no need for that.
“The sect will be destroyed. So don’t worry and find your own path. Promise me. They will never pursue you.”
Finally relieved, the holy women each left in different directions. What remained were dozens of empty houses and the bodies of fallen knights lying on the ground. I stared blankly at the shape I had created.
The shape, like a living organism, craved the blood of the dead even more so.
[Bring more death to them… Let Jim feel the eternal suffering of the living.]
Auditory hallucinations. One of the side effects of the massacre magic.
This much is fine.
“Are you… really a god…?”
Phlemia looked at me blankly. It was natural, considering that she had just shattered the hell that seemed to bind her forever. I answered her briefly.
“I am not a god. All my magic is just specialized in killing someone.”
[Someday, you will be devoured by them, just like the others.]
Ignoring the hallucinations, I walked forward and said to Phlemia.
“Phlemia. Take me to the most active battlefield.”
“Are you going to the sect or the imperial palace, not the battlefield?”
“For now, we have to stop the meaningless fights.”
Phlemia nodded and began to lead me.
—
The Imperial Palace of the Kaorelden Empire.
There, a man sits on a chair. Expensive-looking liquor is scattered around the man, and beside him, charming girls are seductively moving their bodies towards him.
To that man, someone came and talked to him.
“Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.”
The Emperor of the Kaorelden Empire responded exaggeratedly with a drunken voice.
“Oh, who’s this? Isn’t it Priest Ryu Enson? I am very satisfied with the saint you sent me, as you can see.”
Then, the Emperor whispered in the man’s ear.
“By the way, shouldn’t you send more saints if there are any? The ones currently here are getting tired. It would be great if you could fill the ranks with women who have excellent divine power. Those women also have good stamina. hahahahaha!”
Although the man laughed heartily, Priest Ryu Enson couldn’t laugh. He glanced discreetly at the surrounding saints and quietly spoke to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, the saints that were kept in the slave market have escaped.”
“What does that mean?”
“The troops guarding them were attacked by someone. From the traces, it is estimated that dozens of wizards were involved. It seems to be the work of the enemy.”
“Hmm…”
The Emperor of the Kaorelden Empire pondered for a moment, stroking his chin, and then lightly tapped the man’s shoulder and laughed casually.
“Isn’t it a grateful thing if the enemy takes care of the defective goods for us?”
The Emperor laughed heartily and took a sip of his drink.
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t sell the defective goods, but there’s nothing we can do about that. We’ve already sold all the ones that had some market value, and the remaining women have significant flaws that won’t sell for months. Besides, the knights who were guarding them were useless anyway, so don’t worry about them. I won’t hold you responsible. If you have the time to worry about such trivial matters and report to me, go and distribute more saints.”
The Emperor, who possessed absolute power, didn’t fear or dread anything. Even in the midst of a plundering war waged in the name of the empire, he enjoyed drinking and reveling with the saints by his side as if they were his lovers. The saints who should have been healing people on the battlefield poured him drinks and sang songs by his side.
The Emperor of the Kaorelden Empire. He had nothing to fear or be afraid of.
The Emperor received news of the tragic situation on the battlefield from the commander of the knights that evening.
“Your Majesty… something… terrible happened on the battlefield. There… are… monsters…”
The commander of the Kaorelden Empire’s knights couldn’t convey the situation and died, spilling blood.