Judgment Day(3)
Luana watched Chris with a very earnest look, but unlike before, he did not readily step forward.
Chris, who has pointed out the pulse of the guild members with a calm expression, reassures her.
“Do not worry too much. I just passed out. It’s not a divine punishment to kill the players, and it couldn’t be like that in the first place… … .”
“Well, wouldn’t it be better to write your hand beforehand?”
“Right now, it’s more important to properly understand the effects of divine punishment.”
When Chris responded with a hard tone, Luana couldn’t push any further.
Wasn’t she in a situation where he was helping him unilaterally?
Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong. It seemed that the lives of the guild members were not affected.
In the basement of the lord’s castle, there are prisoners who are being used as food for Elgar, but they cannot be the control group because they must have been affected by evil spirits.
On the other hand, Luana’s guild members are undoubtedly genuine players.
It’s good to use them as a control group to find out the effects of the divine punishment and go to Elgar.
Fortunately, the fainting of the guild members did not last long.
Before Illesis could even use a hand, those who got up from the floor rubbed their heads, feeling a slight headache. The exhaustion that filled his whole body was revealed through his expression, and it reached the point where it reached Chris and the others.
“Ugh… Are you Luana? How did the lord get here… … .”
“Why do you feel so weak?”
“Ah, what is it? Where did my status window go?”
The guild members, who had been struggling helplessly, noticed the change one by one and expressed their astonishment.
Standing in front of them, Luana clapped her hands to calm the commotion and sorted things out.
As they were the ones who had followed her from the far-away central and southern parts of the country, it seemed that they followed her leadership well.
“Everyone calm down. From now on, let’s check your status window in turn. If you have any problems, please tell me calmly.”
“Unrelated. Maeng Hogyeong bankruptcy… Am I not going out properly?”
“The same goes for me. It’s been a while since I got the status window back, and this happens again… … .”
Sure enough, the punished players lost the status window like before.
Chris glances at Illesis and she nods.
“I didn’t get hit by the black flag. Their curses leave traces, but I can’t see them now.”
“Is this also the work of the religious unions? I’m not bad at all, but… … .”
Luana and Tyrone, who were protected by Chris, were using the status window normally.
It is thanks to the ability of the god-hater class, which has grown greatly in the fight against the demon lord.
Chris made a request to Luana before healing the guild members.
“I can restore the status window, but please pick one person to keep as a control group. I’ll have to keep an eye on the situation after that… … .”
“Me! Even if I have a status window anyway, it won’t be of much use, so it’s okay.”
Among the guild members, an unusually young member raised his hand and volunteered to become a control group.
He seemed to think that if he was selected as a control group, he would be safely protected.
When Luana approved it, the chain Chris summoned attacked the guild members.
“Sacred seal.”
As the black and ominous chains entangled them for a moment, the divine punishment that tormented them flew away.
It was a while when the guild members looked at the returned status window and flashed their colors.
This time, a shrill scream flew in from behind.
Chris quickly turned his head and looked at Tyrone, who had screamed out of nowhere.
“What are you doing again?”
“Hey, my status bar disappeared again? How is Luana-sama?”
“my… I can’t either. what?”
Chris put the sacred seal on the two of them again, but the status window disappeared again before less than 10 minutes had passed.
It seemed that the divine seal placed on others was only a temporary measure.
Because Chris is under the effect of the epic class at any time, he can completely avoid divine punishment, but other people cannot do that.
Guild members with absurd expressions let out desperate moans.
“Even if the lord helps me, can I only use it for a short time?”
“The curse the black flags put on wasn’t so vicious… … .”
“… Luana, please wait here with your guild members. We will find out more about the current situation.”
“Ah, I get it.”
Chris, who quickly returned to the office, started the meeting after sending Baren out.
It was difficult to discuss with only three people, but soon one more arrived.
As they close the door and draw the curtains, Elgar emerges from the shadows.
The cynicism hung like a habit on the face illuminated by candlelight.
However, Chris, who had been seeing Elgar for a relatively long time, noticed that she was in a bad mood.
Anyhow, the livestock obtained so far are in danger of being killed as a group, but it will be even weirder if you get excited.
Before Illesis and Tyrone could react to the demon king’s appearance, she parted her lips.
“Looks like you guys noticed it too. In the meantime, the members of the Church Alliance, who had been hiding behind their tails, moved. Now that the presents I received are useless, I can’t sit still.”
Elgar, who took his place more naturally than Chris, the owner of the office, looked at Elesis and slightly frowned.
Then, the beautiful curves revealed on Illesis’ robe instantly flattened.
Illesis, who has been showing his true form for the first time in a while, bites his molars lightly.
“It’s been a long time since I didn’t have other eyes, so I wanted to see your real face. The spells you cast against my avatar really impressed me.”
“ah… thank you I did a lot of research for that, and I’m glad it was useful.”
Illesis responded in a sarcastic way, as if disapproving of Elgar’s actions.
Chris revealed his honest feelings to change this strange atmosphere.
“Come to think of it, you are so small. I completely forgot… ouch!”
The goodwill for all came back as a punishment.
Illesis, who stepped on Chris’ foot with all her might, glared at him as if urging him on.
It was only then that Chris remembered his original purpose and hurriedly brought up an agenda.
“According to Elgar’s words, it seems that the denominations have resumed their activities. It looks like it was punished by sealing the status window, similar to what the black flag did… What is the condition of the captives who have received the Blessing of the Gods?”
“There was no big difference from normal guys. The one who was an apostle or something lasted a little longer than the others, but it was so weak that it was there.”
“Is the religious union’s divine punishment even eaten by the followers of the evil god… That’s fortunate.”
When Tyrone said it with great relief, Chris reacted uneasily.
“I can’t be completely at ease. There might be a means to counter the Divine Punishment just like me… … .”
“The Church Union is conducting a ritual of divine punishment at the main church of the Cadral Church, the holy land of Caladrell. It was easy to find because it was similar to what they did before. The ritual isn’t complete yet, but if it stays like this for another week, it will be irreversible.”
Elesis cleared her throat as Elgar shared her information and continued the story.
She challenges the demon king with a very uncomfortable expression.
“Wait. Why is that a problem? If the players’ status windows are sealed, Chris and us benefit.”
“Eh? okay?”
When Tyrone, one of those who lost the status window, frowned and said, Illesis sent a glare.
However, Chris, who was defended by her, rebukes her.
“that is… It’s true that the current situation is to our advantage, but I don’t think this will continue forever.”
“Your thoughts are shorter than usual. Do you think the soul will just sit back and watch this? The one who has even put his name on the table lately to share graces?”
As Elgar added an additional explanation, Illesis’ expression turned sour.
She immediately came up with a plausible objection.
“But you stayed quiet during the black flag.”
“Those guys tried to steal the players’ status windows and use them themselves, but the Church Alliance is moving to seal the status windows altogether. There is a very big difference between the two. Additionally, the Black Flags worshiped the titular god. I didn’t like him.”
At Elgar’s words, Chris’ head nodded.
The head of the Black Banner prayed for Argal’s blessing and even became his follower.
So, there was no reason to stop them as a vassal.
After Illesis, who understood the situation, calmed down a bit, Tyrone brought up the question he had been keeping in mind.
“By the way, what do you mean by what you just said? ‘Similar to what they did in the past’ huh?”
“The recent disappearance of the status window was originally intended by the Church Alliance. The black flag hit it first. That’s what you’re talking about.”
Chris stepped in to clear his doubts.
But unexpectedly, Elgar shook his head.
“Oh, didn’t you know? Ummm, how do I explain this… … .”
Elgar pondered happily like a chef with precious ingredients in front of him, and then came up with a suitable recipe.
“Yes, do you know why the evil spirits bother to call people from other worlds? It would be much more convenient to just grant status windows to the natives of this world, but he doesn’t do that, does he?”
“Yeah, I don’t know. I thought there must be a reason, but… … .”
Elgar’s eyes narrowed at Tyrone’s careless reply.
She didn’t like a reply that wasn’t thoughtful.
Chris, who continued to think deeply, asked with a feeling of unbelief.
“hmm… Is it because it is impossible?”
“That is correct. The status window is a follower training program developed long ago by an ancient god named Arios. So the original users were the natives of this world. But now it is impossible to bestow the status window to the natives.”
Elgar, who had investigated the body and status window in her own way, willingly released her knowledge.
Tyrone, not yet understanding, tilts his head.
“It was originally made for use by the natives, so why can’t we use it?”
“Think a little and ask questions. What did I say earlier?”
“yes? Oh that… It’s similar to what they did before… … .”
Tyrone seems to have caught on.
Elgar nodded and revealed a detailed answer.
“The denominational association has held a ceremony similar to this one before. As a result, the natives of this world are no longer granted status windows. The Black Flag guys used to steal from players, but that’s an exception.”
It was for this reason that the evil god summoned the players of Earth.
The natives of this world cannot be granted status windows, so they must be trying to use it by using earthlings who are not affected by divine punishment.
The Church Alliance is trying to impose a similar punishment on the players in order to hinder his tricks.
Recalling the data she had researched, Elgar continues her explanation.
“What the Church Alliance is attempting this time is on a different level from the curse spell used by the Black Banner. Their divine punishment is engraved all over this world. Once activated, it cannot be undone, even as a divine being. In odd cases like Chris, you might be able to keep the status bar, but the rest will be lost forever.”
“Good for you. Then let it be lost. Chris’s main enemy, the Prime Minister, is receiving a lot of benefits from the status window.”
Tyrone shakes his head as Illesis claps his hands.
“They say the evil spirits won’t leave it unattended.”
“No matter how badass you are, what can you do? If it’s the Holy Land Caladrell, it’s the heart of the Cadral Church. Of course, the entire area around it is treated as Shinji, and there are over 50 resident paladins alone.”
The Sacred Punishment of the Church Alliance is much more cumbersome than a normal curse, as it is on a different level from the Curse of the Black Banner spell. Since it is to engrave the will of the gods into the world, dozens of high-ranking priests must stick together and conduct the ceremony day and night.
So, they must have been fully prepared.
The sacred place where the ritual of divine punishment is held, Caladrell is truly an impregnable fortress.
Even in peacetime, more than 50 Paladins of the Cadral Church reside, and when wartime occurs, reinforcements come running day and night from all directions.
Since it is the headquarters of the Cadral Church, it has never been captured during its long history.
Elgar, who seemed to have gathered information earlier, supplemented Illesis’ explanation.
“Right now, all the troops belonging to the Church Alliance have gathered, and there are over 300 Paladins alone. A paladin nestled inside the Holy Land can easily defeat one or two players.”
Roughly calculated, the power of 300 players.
Even on the entire continent, the only place that was as hard as this was the forest of the fairies.
But that doesn’t mean you’ll give up.
“If you stay still like this, everything that your body has built up will be nothing. That’s why they will try to capture the Holy Land somehow.”
“You’re trying to help the bust?”
Illesis asks worriedly, and Chris smiles and shakes his head.
“No, it’s true that I have an enemy of the religious union, but I also have a lot of qualms with my body? So let’s go and have a look around. Even the guys I don’t like are good enough.”
If the evil god issues a mobilization order, his follower, the Breton Empire, will also step in.
There was no slant like this for Chris to say that he would fight fiercely with the guys he didn’t like.
As if Illesis also liked his policy, his stiff expression relaxed a little.