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Chapter 9: Omen
IN a metropolis of the Holy Kingdom of Qualia’s Southern Province, where the provincial legislature was concentrated, a single Paladin impatiently walked through the cathedral located in this city renowned for producing grain from its fertile terrain.
“Hey, Lonius! You in here, Lonius?!”
“Yes. How may I help you, Paladin Verdel?”
A man threw open the doors with a bang and stomped into the sanctuary. His face lacked refinement, with his high cheekbones, hooked nose, and rough skin which clashed with his regal attire.
Paladins are the station above regular soldiers in the Holy Kingdom of Qualia.
W еb̃ nŏv̌ еľ Е́nũ mã
In Qualia, a religious nation led by the Holy King who founded their religion, every citizen follows the same faith and prays to their god every day. It’s even said that around 30 percent of the population works in religious vocations.
In a country like that, it’s only natural that their military is heavily influenced by their faith. And it’s the Paladins who’re favored and trusted by the people.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Ranked from Under to High based on their skill, Paladins are elite soldiers who undergo rigorous trials and training. They are well-versed in various disciplines and techniques as well as martial arts. Their lineage plays the biggest part in their selection.
Paladins are indispensable elites who can work Miracles that’re only surpassed by the Saints. They’re usually deployed throughout the kingdom, solving domestic problems that require force, subduing the Demi-humans and Mabeasts that occasionally appear, and guarding key figures. Such is a Paladin’s duty and life.
This man, famous for his crude behavior, was one of those very Paladins meant to have tireless discipline, a steely spirit, the natural virtue to lead the flock like a clergyman, and, above all, should’ve been baptized. He was a High Paladin named Verdel.
Paladin Lonius, who was praying at the altar, quietly looked back at Verdel, whose armor clinked as he came closer.
Ẽn ūm̊ ӑ . i ď
“This is a place of worship. Please be quiet, Sir Verdel.”
“It’s the damn Dark Continent! I don’t give a frack if it’s the northern half! It’s still the damn Dark Continent! Why must I go where the Barbarians live?!” Paladin Verdel howled his crass complaints.
“But we will receive Congress’ favor if this mission succeeds. And this is a holy mission bestowed upon us by Saint Soalina of Blooming Burials. There is no greater honor.”
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“Hmph! We’ll see ’bout that…”
Unlike Verdel, whose vulgarity insulted their shared profession, Lonius was the model of grace and refinement. He was the model example of a Paladin, with a strength of character that could be seen from his calm demeanor and how he wore the Order’s uniform to the letter.
W е̂ b̊n̈ о̊ v̀е̄l̃ Е ňu m̃ȧ
Being the man he was, Paladin Lonius pieced the situation together solely from Verdel’s brusque comment.
The Cursed Sea of Trees—a part of the Accursed Lands—was located in Idoragya’s southern continent. Lonius had received word just the other day that Saint Soalina had sensed an omen of apocalypse from that region and issued orders to investigate it.
The initial plan was for him to lead the reconnaissance team, so he grew skeptical when orders suddenly came from above to add a second Paladin for combat support.
The fact that this man, who had a tracklist of misdeeds and a history of problematic behavior unforgivable for a Paladin, came to Lonius to air his complaints proved that there was more going on in the background.
Various plots were at work within Qualia’s political strata.
It’s impossible to tell what even a well-behaved priest or pure sister is thinking once you peel back the layers. Did ulterior motives slip in because they’d become too large as an organized religion, or was it solely the work of sinful men…?
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Assuming this investigation succeeded, all the honor and acclaim would go to Verdel. If they ran into any trouble or failed the mission, the blame would land squarely on Lonius.
Though he was talented, his lineage wasn’t up to snuff, leaving him forever stuck as an Under Paladin. He silently gnashed his teeth.
Then again, it’s not all bad having Paladin Verdel on the team.
Their chances of survival increased with his presence, so that was a plus. Although he was far from a model soldier, Verdel was still a High Paladin. His prowess was guaranteed.
Lonius, who was worried about leading his first scouting mission related to a Saint’s omen, finally felt some of the pressure lift off his shoulders.
Survival comes first. It’s not worth getting a promotion if I die in the process. Lonius thought of his beloved wife and newborn daughter. This must be God’s providence. Naturally, he was a devout believer.
W ӗb̈ n̂ōvеl̄ Ènu m̄ а
“How many troops are they sending on this mission?” he asked. “Since they sent you to assist me, Sir Verdel, I assume we’ll be able to borrow a large number of soldiers from the Southern Province…”
“Nah, looks like it’s just us… Those Congressional fat cats said to hire mercenaries in place of soldiers.”
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“…Huh? Why would they want that—”
“Hell if I know! Dammit! I don’t have any connections with the Mercenary Corps! Worse yet, anyone worth a damn is off dealing with the North’s problems!”
Lonius totally agreed with him there. But as a man shackled to reason, he didn’t rant and rave like Verdel. Instead, he used his quick wits to turn the situation in his favor.
“Please leave the hiring to me, Sir Verdel. Some of my old friends are on good terms with the Mercenary Corps. Let me see if they can arrange something for us.”
Ẇ e b ň_о̃ v ë l̄ È ň ü m.à
“Hm? You’ve got connections, Lonius? Well, damn! You’re useful after all! I’ll leave that annoying bit to you then!”
“Please do.”
Lonius started coughing when Verdel slapped him hard on the back.
Verdel sauntered away laughing heartily, without looking back at the other man. He lacked etiquette, but he wasn’t a bad person. Lonius could kind of understand why he was popular with some of the Paladins.
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Still… Lonius’s thoughts raced a mile a minute. The Northern Province is under Saint Soalina’s jurisdiction. Orders to investigate based on a prophecy should have gone to the Northern armies.
But the scouting location is the Accursed Lands located within Idoragya’s southern continent—commonly called the Dark Continent for a reason. It’s the person in charge of the Southern Province, Qualia’s closest territory, that’s dispatching men… I see, so the South’s assemblymen jumped at the opportunity.
W̊eb̊n̄о v̄ e l̄ Ë n̊ u m а̀
Lonius silently parsed the situation further.
As long as Saint Soalina of Blooming Burials is busy handling the North’s emergency, the other Saints can’t risk national defense by immediately dispatching. There are even rumors of the Veiled Saint heading North as reinforcements… This isn’t the time for assemblymen to be fighting among themselves.
The Northern Disturbance was growing in scale by the day. Demi-humans, Mabeasts, and various unexplainable phenomena were causing all sorts of problems.
Even if you looked back throughout history, it was unusual for not only the Order of Paladins’ main forces, but also two of Qualia’s four Saints, to be dispatched to the same location.
Lonius felt indescribable unease about the North and his country’s reaction to whatever was happening there.
The arrival of a prophesized apocalypse-bringer—that’s what the Saint wants us to look into… I hope we can make it back alive.
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Paladin Lonius began praying, hoping his prayers would drown out the anxiety crashing down on him.
◇◇◇
“THE Flesh Trees have been completed on schedule. We also built a Storehouse, so we can now produce a steady supply of food for the residents of Mynoghra’s Imperial Capital.”
Emle, Warrior Captain Gia’s former adjutant and a current civil officer with Mynoghra, reported to Atou on the construction progress in front of a grove of eerie trees.
Several months had passed since their last inspection.
Construction of the Flesh Trees was completed and the operation seemed to be proceeding smoothly if the attached Storehouse, Management Post, and workers going between them were anything to go by.
Ē n̄ ū m̊ а́
The only two problems were its uncanny appearance and the unfortunate realization that eating its meaty fruit was akin to eating Human flesh. But living creatures are surprisingly adaptable and the mental breakdowns that’d happened at first had all but stopped.
Atou nodded with satisfaction as she listened to the report and gave her opinion on minor building improvements and upcoming policy changes.
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“Good, good. It sounds like Food Production on the farms is going well, so there’s no problem staying the course. Once construction of the houses is completed as planned, please start construction of the Palace in earnest.”
Takuto and Atou were basically always in communication with each other. The King had the ability to see every aspect of his entire empire and even directly contact each person individually if he wanted to.
But perhaps it was because they’d transferred to this world together that Takuto and Atou’s connection was especially strong. Even if they were far apart, they could unconsciously share information and their opinions.
That was why Atou was in charge of inspecting and giving directions when it came to these types of facilities. Most of the Dark Elves’ problems could be solved by asking her, and they thought it disrespectful to ask the King about trivial matters.
W е b̆n̆ о̄ v́ ē l Ё ň umа̊
In any case, Atou, a perfect subordinate who fully understood the King’s will, tended to leave important things out.
Actually, she left out the important details fairly often.
This time was no different.
Emle glanced around them and made up her mind. Not only had she been an adjutant to the Warriors, but she’d also served as the clan’s secretary and communications officer due to her vast knowledge. And so, she timidly brought up what’d been bothering her all this time.
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“E-Excuse me…Lady Atou?”
“Yes, what is it, Emle?”
Е n ǔḿ а .іd̆
“We haven’t…been told anything about that yet…”
Her slender finger, which had regained a healthy color, pointed to the townscape, which had slightly more developed buildings than a simple settlement.
There were trees cut down according to plan, a group of aerial dwellings constructed like a beehive using the giant trees that were left behind. On the ground, food grew where seeds had been planted in the sectioned farmland. It was a residential area where simple defensive fences and wells were built, making it look more like a town, but there was something terribly wrong with it.
The original forest had died out, and what could only be described as evil-looking scenery had taken its place. The giant trees left standing had begun to warp, and terrifying colors had started to bleed into their leaves. The same distortion had reached the ground—the plants grew in frightening shapes and a veil of smoke seemed to cover the whole town.
The color of the water coming from the wells was clearly unsuitable for drinking, and it was unsettling watching the young Dark Elves calmly bathing in it.
To put it bluntly, their new home had transformed into something horrifying—terrifying even.
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“Oh? I didn’t tell you? Hahaha. My bad.” Atou laughed it off with all the innocence of a schoolgirl who’d forgotten her textbook at home.
Emle was used to the evil king’s closest aide’s tendency to leave things out by now, so while she wasn’t surprised by it, she still needed to ask about what was happening to their forest.
“That’s all right. Why has the forest changed like this? Or rather…is it safe…?”
“It is. By becoming Mynoghra’s citizens, you became evil beings. Well, you probably don’t notice the difference but as you already know, that change came from the King’s glorious power. And that power not only influences his people but his land as well.”
“Th-That’s the reason for these changes…”
Atou summed up the disturbing changes with that brief response.
Ѐ ń úm ӑ
In other words, the land became evil like its citizens.
Emle, who still didn’t view herself as evil, tried to accept that fact though it baffled her.
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“It’s called Cursed Terrain. It’s absolutely wonderful, perfect for defense as it buffs evil-aligned beings and debuffs neutral and good-aligned beings.”
“Wow… Wait, how does this buffing work for evil beings?”
Emle’s question was valid. If she was indeed evil, she should be receiving some kind of positive benefit from the land. And yet, she remained disgusted by its appearance and honestly didn’t have the best impression of it. The same went for whatever buff she was supposed to get.
Atou smiled softly, expecting her doubts.
W ӗ b̆ nò v еl̀ Е n̊ ûm̌ ӑ
“Please try it for yourself by taking a deep breath.”
“O-Okay!” Emle deeply inhaled and then exhaled.
“How does it feel?”
“Very refreshing despite how it looks… Kind of like getting a burst of energy?”
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“That’s proof you are an evil being. You’re changing without even noticing it.”
“Oh my!” Emle squeezed her hands together in awe.
Ё n̂.û mа̇
Now that she thought about it, she had eaten the mystery meat from the Flesh Tree the other day and had felt less disgusted by it than she expected. Her reaction to it was so bland she’d even thought, It’s a little chewy, so maybe it will taste better if we slowly simmer it next time.
Atou just said that it was surprisingly hard to tell you were becoming evil, which seemed truer by the second. The more Emle thought about it, the more she started to believe she could get along just fine living in these creepy surroundings.
In a sense, she actually preferred a quiet atmosphere untouched by outsiders. She came to accept it for what it was.
She was also being affected in more ways than one.
“But there is one big problem…it’s really conspicuous…”
A new problem arose as soon as she found a satisfactory answer to the last. This time it was Atou who brought it up. Emle had to force back her knee-jerk reaction to shout, “Of course it does!”
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There was no way distorting a space this big would go unnoticed. Fortunately, this area existed inside the Accursed Lands. The colossal forest would cover them for a while until their nation prospered and expanded.
The greater chance they had of exposing themselves to the outside world, the greater the danger. Even more so for something so evil-looking.
“At any rate, it’s inevitable for our existence to become known to the outside world. Let’s enjoy the present for all it’s worth, rather than worrying about the small stuff!”
Emle stopped herself short of saying, You just kicked the problem aside since we can’t do anything about it…
She was talking to her superior, albeit a slightly lacking one, and the King’s confidant. Just because the other woman spoke to her so casually didn’t give her the right to rudely comment.
Besides, she could snark all she wanted, but it didn’t change the fact that Emle couldn’t think of a way to solve the issue either. In that case, it was smarter to abandon what couldn’t be fixed and turn their eyes to what could be, like Atou said.
Ẇёb́n̈ о v е́.l Е̃_nūm̈_а
As they’d just discussed, their existence would become known eventually. At least the existence of the great king, Takuto Ira, was not small enough to be kept secret.
Emle, however, wasn’t worried.
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Takuto Ira, the doomsday king who would destroy the world.
His presence gave her infinite relief, and his subordinate Atou gave her people a vision of the future in which Mynoghra’s enemies would perish.
How lucky and blessed their race was!
Looking at the children running around laughing, the young people working, and the Warriors training, Emle entrusted her worries to the boundless confidence she had in her King.
W еb́n̆оvе́ l Еnũm̄а
The future looked bright; sadly she still had a mountain of work to do for their empire and King. Emle vowed once again to do everything in her power to secure a prosperous future.
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