Chapter 67
The Order of the Holy Knights returned together with the triumphant army. Their return was celebrated in a manner different from the grand triumphal procession of allied forces that was hosted by the emperor.
Although the Order of the Holy Knights formed a significant part of the allied forces, they were the armies of the five temples that made up the Divine Cult of the Almighty, and for the emperor to commend their achievements would imply that he was taking on a role that was supposed to be reserved for the gods.
Therefore, the Order of the Holy Knights returned to their headquarters to be lauded and blessed by the High Priests of the five temples of the Divine Cult of the Almighty. All of the religious leaders were personally present at the headquarters for this victory celebration as honored guests.
The main bases of each of the five temples were located in different places, and only the Temple of Alse, the god of war, was situated in the imperial capital, Gradium.
The five leaders of the Divine Cult of the Almighty that were dedicated to the war god Alse, the sun god Shalam, the moon god Mensis, Ouen of purity, and Riter of courage had come to the capital. Once they had finished their speeches of praise and blessings for the Order of the Holy Knights, they would join the emperor for the subsequent events that marked the victory celebration.
The reason for holding the first day of celebrations separately was not due to any political tensions, but rather due to purely religious considerations.
Under normal circumstances, the Order of the Holy Knights, having fought a tremendous war and returned home, would celebrate their victory and enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation, though not indulging in excess. The religious leaders would also be expected to join the emperor to rejoice and share in the glory of the triumph.
“Hmm....”
Yet, amidst this peaceful, warm, and festive atmosphere, where everyone was supposed to be happy, I was planning to cause considerable trouble between two powerful factions: the Order of the Holy Knights and the imperial family.
The act of keeping demons as sex slaves was not only legally wrong, but also tremendously heretical from a religious standpoint. It would be surprising if the Order of the Holy Knights and religious leaders present did not fly into a rage if wealthy individuals and nobles of the empire sought to purchase such slaves.
There was no need to wait for the auction’s starting date, since I had no interest in placing the despicable imperial nobles attending the auction under arrest. Now that the prisoners were known to be in the possession of the Merchants’ Guild, the Order of the Holy Knights could raid the place immediately, without any issues.
We were still sitting at a table in the bustling street, discussing our options.
“There are two methods: leaking information to the Order of the Holy Knights or spreading rumors to the public,” I said.
Eleris and Loyar nodded in agreement. The options were either to leak information directly to the Order of the Holy Knights, or to spread rumors among the civilian population so that they would eventually reach the ears of the Knights.
“With the former, we can expect a sure response, but it will raise suspicions about the person who sent the information. Considering the actions we’re about to take, the Order of the Holy Knights might guess that demons were behind the leak, whether it’s an anonymous letter or something else,” Eleris explained, and Loyar nodded along.
Since we were set on doing something risky anyway, it may not matter if they suspected the informants to be demons, but avoiding any unnecessary trail leading back to us would still be best.
“Spreading rumors could lead to the assumption that the information was leaked unintentionally, which draws less suspicion towards the source. However, in this case, we can’t specify when the Order of the Holy Knights will catch wind of the rumor and act upon it,” Eleris continued.
“That’s true.”
“Moreover, once the rumors start, it’s possible that those running the black-market auction would act before the Order of the Holy Knights does,” Loyar added. “They would be the most sensitive to such gossip, and they might change the location of the auction or even cancel it altogether.”
I nodded in agreement with Loyar’s opinion.
This latter method carried the disadvantage of not knowing when the Order of the Holy Knights might take action. By the time they responded to the rumor, the auction could already be over.
“Direct contact ensures a definite effect but leaves the ‘tail’ behind by providing a letter as evidence, while spreading rumors eliminates this ‘tail’, but makes the events more unpredictable,” I pondered aloud.
Both methods had their pros and cons. If I could use the Preview function, I might be able to see what would happen in the future, but it wasn’t something I could use at will.
[You cannot use this function right now.]
Every time I tried to use it, the same message would pop up.
Damn it. I had a way to cheat, but I couldn’t use it at will. They shouldn’t have hinted that it was even a possibility if it was going to be like this.
An uncertain but safer path, or a certain but slightly more dangerous one.
I decided that predictability was a little better.
“Let’s go with sending the letter to the knights. If the black marketeers or imperial side takes action first, we may not even get the chance to try our rescue plan.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“We’ll do as you say.”
Both of them nodded, indicating that they would follow my decision.
***
Leaking information to the Order of the Holy Knights wasn’t a difficult task. We just had to send an anonymous letter to them.
The day after the parade, we regrouped with Sarkegar and set the letter to the Order of the Holy Knights on Tuesday, informing them that beginning from Thursday, a black-market auction for demon prisoners would take place at the headquarters of the Merchants’ Guild.
We spent the entire Tuesday monitoring the movements of the Order of the Holy Knights. Eleris and I chose a spot where we could observe the giant temple that made up the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights from a distance, while Loyar and Sarkegar kept an eye on the area around the Merchants’ Guild’s headquarters, where significant activity could also potentially occur.
The district belonging to the Order of the Holy Knights, Roznok, was analogous to the Yangcheon district if compared directly with Seoul. If any escort troops were to head there from the Mapo district, they would need to cross the bridge from Gangbuk to Gangnam.
Eleris seemed particularly tense, possibly because we were close to the heart of the forces that wielded divine power—the very energy that was most dangerous to her.
“There don’t seem to be any odd movements,” Eleris noted.
More than six hours had passed since we sent the letter. Considering we had sent dozens of copies to make sure it wouldn’t be ignored, it was improbable that it hadn’t been taken note of.
“It’s possible they’re questioning the credibility of the letter. They might be discussing it internally,” I suggested.
Sending armed forces to the Merchants' Guild was a matter that would indeed require internal deliberation, and dispatching troops on the words of an anonymous letter of unclear origin would be considered reckless. Their hesitation was understandable.
It appeared they were still having internal discussions.
Since we did not know when they might take action, Eleris and I moved regularly to different unobtrusive spots nearby to keep watch. It was easy to blend in during the daylight hours due to the crowded streets.
The issue would be late at night. One by one, the people returned home, leaving only the heavily-intoxicated who had collapsed in the streets. When the streets finally grew eerily quiet, Eleris and I hid ourselves in an inconspicuous location along an alleyway.
“It seems they won’t move today...”
It was already deep into the night. It was too late for any action to be taken.
“Your Highness, it might be best for you to head back,” Eleris suggested.
There wasn’t much I could do by staying, and the situation would only become more dangerous. While Eleris was right, I couldn’t just leave. If a crisis occurred and I wasn’t around to address the situation, I wouldn’t be able to use the Revise function.
“No, it’s my duty to watch over this situation.”
I expressed my intention to stay—perhaps a bit forcefully—to Eleris.
“Besides, at this hour, the magical trains have stopped running, so going back now is more of a hassle.”
It was so late at night that it would be more difficult to go back to the Temple or anywhere else. It was easier to spend the night right there.
Understanding this, Eleris hid us both in the shadows.
Even with a grand festival during the day, the night was still night. The empty streets were filled only with the occasional drunken babble.
And then...
Clomp, clomp.
The sound of heavy footsteps carried over to us from afar. Eleris and I exchanged glances. She peered out from the alleyway and then nodded at me.
In the deep of the night, the Order of the Holy Knights had begun to move.
***
Since it was night, there was no crowd to get lost in. Eleris cast an invisibility spell over the both of us, and we followed them at a safe distance.
“They might detect the magic so we can’t get too close,” Eleris whispered in a hushed tone, and I nodded in agreement.
These were undoubtedly veteran holy knights. Nearly two hundred holy knights of the Order, fully armed and equipped, were marching. Each knight was adept at casting divine spells, and they could heal their wounds and continue fighting in the event of a battle. Having experienced Adriana’s healing spells firsthand, I could imagine how formidable that power was.
Two hundred such powerful beings were now on the move. And they were likely the elite forces, too.
Two hundred masters of weapons and divine power were enhancing themselves with divine energy and preparing for battle. If injured, they could heal themselves, and even if they ran out of stamina, a single divine spell could restore them to optimal condition.
These holy knights seemed more like zombies—a creature more fitting of the term “zombie” than zombies themselves.
They were something more than the undead.
Two hundred of the elite holy knights, so-called “human tanks,” were heading toward the Merchants' Guild’s headquarters. If they clashed with the guards there, chaos would ensue.
“What about Sarkegar and Loyar?” I whispered.
“I sent a familiar to them.”
With no equipment capable of two-way magical communication, Eleris was apparently using a familiar to relay messages remotely. The pair keeping watch over the Merchants’ Guild would soon receive information about the approaching contingent from the Order of the Holy Knights.
Soon enough, the knights began to cross the bridge that spanned the large Irine River, and we followed behind them.
It was reassuring to see the plan unfolding as expected. However, their moving at night made me uneasy.
“Why would they move at night?”
“Maybe their internal discussions finished late,” Eleris speculated.
“That could be the case... but they must also consider the matter urgent for them to act at this hour.”
It was arguably better for us that they were marching at night. Since Eleris’s powers grew stronger under the cover of darkness, the success rate of our operation increased.
Certainly, if the Order of the Holy Knights had mobilized during the day, it would have caused a major disturbance. A clash with the Merchants’ Guild with so many people in the streets would surely expose the details of the operation to the citizens, and the intent to sell demon prisoners on the black market would have been disclosed.
If that were the case, the tarnishing of the empire’s reputation would be a given.
Was the Order of the Holy Knights moving out at night in consideration of the empire’s reputation? Perhaps they wished to swiftly conclude the matter unseen, late at night.
Yet, this affair could have elevated the Order’s honor. Wouldn’t it have been better to handle it publicly?
From a broader perspective, there was no denying that it would be better for the Order of the Holy Knights to take care of the situation quietly, however...
With these questions in mind, I continued to trail the two hundred marching holy knights.
“Here, I’ll give this back to you.”
“... Okay.”
I didn’t forget to temporarily return the Flame of Fire to Eleris.
***
Fortunately, the midnight march continued all the way to the front of the Merchants’ Guild’s headquarters. I had worried that they might be heading elsewhere, but everything had gone according to plan so far.
We found a spot to observe the Merchants’ Guild’s headquarters from a distance away. Eleris pulled me close and used a levitation spell to reach the rooftop of a building that we had chosen as our surveillance point.
Loyar and Sarkegar were already concealed there, keeping an eye on the situation. Despite the invisibility spell that cloaked us, Loyar seemed to notice our presence and nodded in our direction, indicating that she could discern our location by scent and sound alone.
With Loyar’s senses, we didn’t need to see the scene unfold with our own eyes.
“Surprisingly, there’s no commotion,” Eleris noted, and the rest of us nodded.
One would expect loud denouncements about blasphemy and whatnot, but that was not the case here.
Loyar shook her head.
“The voices are hushed, but there’s definitely an argument taking place,” she conveyed.
According to Loyar, they were deliberately avoiding making a scene, but the content of the discussion was still grim.
“They have received information that an underground market will be operating here, trading in demon prisoners. ‘In the name of the gods, if you are innocent, you will not interfere with our search. Should the allegations be proven false, the Order of the Holy Knights promises to formally and respectfully apologize to the Merchants' Guild.’”
It seemed Loyar could hear the entire conversation taking place, even at that distance.
“The guards don’t seem willing to give way easily.”
Of course, the guards were not about to readily allow a search, even when confronted by the Order of the Holy Knights. That much had been expected.
Loyar remained quiet for a while, perking up her ears and focusing on the conversation. In order to not disturb her, the three of us kept silent and just watched, curious about how the dialogue was transpiring.
Shing!
From afar, the clear ring of numerous people drawing their weapons rang out. It wasn’t totally unexpected that a fight would break out.
“The guards have ultimately given way to the knights.”
The guards, who had refused access, were now faced with armed knights of the Order with drawn weapons and had no choice but to open the gates.
There was no legitimate reason to deny the knights of the Order entry. The guards were simply pretending to be guards of the Merchants’ Guild’s headquarters, and if they clashed with the knights of the Order, the holy knights would claim the desecration of the faith as justification, and the empire would have too much explaining to do, starting with why members of their active forces were disguised as Merchants’ Guild guards.
The guards must have finally reasoned out that everything would be over if a confrontation with the knights occurred. Of course, the moment they allowed entry and handed the prisoners over, things would essentially be over for them, but in a different way.
Anyway, the Order of the Holy Knights had gained entry, and now, I had to prepare for my role.
There was a possibility that the Order of the Holy Knights might execute the prisoners right there on the spot without escorting them back. That was the biggest concern everyone had at the moment.
[Activating ‘Revise’.]
Making things happen that wouldn’t have happened, or preventing things that were about to happen...
‘The Order of the Holy Knights will transport the demon prisoners held at the Merchant’s Guild’s headquarters to their own headquarters without harming or killing any of them.’
[Unable to use ‘Revise’.]
‘... What?’
The message that appeared before my eyes made my heart sink.
They didn’t even mention needing a specific number of achievement points, and just said that the function was unavailable.
Seeing that message left my mind temporarily blank. I knew that events with excessively low plausibility required an enormous amount of achievement points, or they could not be brought about at all. Was this one of those cases?
Did this mean that the Order of the Holy Knights had not considered any option other than slaughtering the demon prisoners out of indignation for the attempted auction?
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?” Eleris asked with concern, sensing something amiss in my demeanor.
“Oh, nothing... Just worried. What if they... decide to kill all the prisoners...?”
I deflected her question, but my deflection was also the truth. I had intended to use the Revise function to create the scenario in which the Order of the Holy Knights would escort the prisoners to their headquarters, should they decide to execute them.
Live prisoners could be used as evidence, to demand an apology from the empire. Therefore, it was necessary to keep the prisoners alive in order to pressure the empire.
That was why I believed that saving the prisoners would be a plausible event, but could I have been wrong? If so, I had made a terrible mistake. Because of my choice, the prisoners, who could have been saved, might now be executed on the spot.
Cold sweat ran down my spine. What was I supposed to do? Should I use the Revise function in another way to save them? But how?
The only far-fetched idea that came to mind was to cause the ground to collapse beneath them, allowing the prisoners to escape through tunnels. But that was obviously ridiculous.
After some time had passed, Loyar grabbed my hand.
“Your Highness, please be at ease,” she whispered. “The Order of the Holy Knights are escorting the prisoners out.”
At those words, I felt my mind go blank for a second time, as I realized why I hadn’t been able to use the Revise function.
I could only make something that wasn’t going to happen, happen.
But there was no reason to use Revise on something that was already going to occur.
My attempt to use the Revise function was redundant because the events transpired exactly the way I had wanted to happen.
The Order of the Holy Knights had never intended to kill the prisoners in the first place. That was why I hadn’t been able to use Revise.
My misunderstanding about the Revise function had caused this sudden mix-up.
Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience