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Chapter 68

The empire would surely seek to avoid this incident blowing up any further, and would likely attempt to cut their losses.

The Order of the Holy Knights may have cornered the empire, or at least those involved in the incident, by exposing a significant weakness. Whether they would immediately publicize this or negotiate in order to gain something from it was unknown.

But what was important to us was to stop the Order of the Holy Knights before that and never let them get the opportunity to use the prisoners as evidence.

“It seems they’ve found all the prisoners,” Loyar whispered, and I signaled to Sarkegar with a nod.

“Good. As planned, proceed to seize control of the warp gate, Sarkegar.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Swoosh!

Sarkegar began to stealthily move across the rooftop and then suddenly transformed into a black bird, soaring into the sky.

‘What in the world? A bird? He can do that too?’

“... He’s able to do that as well?” I whispered, caught off-guard.

Even in the midst of the serious situation, Eleris couldn’t help but crack a small smile at my dumbfounded expression.

“He’s not necessarily limited to transforming into beings with intelligence,” she whispered back.

“Then, could I do it too?”

The thought struck me—with a ring that allowed me to harness the power of the dreadfiend race, surely I could also manage such a transformation?

“I wouldn’t recommend it. I presume it would be extremely uncomfortable and awkward for you. You probably won\'t be able to move well.”

Eleris seemed to think it would be difficult for me to adapt to the changes in body structure. The dreadfiend species must receive special training to be proficient in such transformation magic.

Although I might not be able to move properly, the mere fact that it was possible for me was enough. Whether or not there would come a day when I would utilize it remained to be seen.

“Approximately a hundred individuals in total. It appears they are about to depart,” Loyar whispered.

“Good. Let’s also make our move.”

The destination of the knights of the Order was undoubtedly their headquarters. It was an event that was destined to happen. That was why the Revise function did not work.

There lay a distinct flaw in the Revise function. If an event was bound to occur, one couldn’t use the function. With this information alone, I would now be able to know the future without using any achievement points.

Of course, the annoying “candy vendor” probably wouldn’t allow me to exploit loopholes like this, and would take measures to stop this should I resort to this method.

Nevertheless, there was no need for us to follow the contingent of knights from the Order.

As we prepared to depart, Loyar rose, then suddenly halted in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered, noticing Loyar’s pause.

Without responding, Loyar just stood there, concentrating quietly as if there was still something left for her to hear.

After staying still for a long time, Loyar grimaced and said in a normal tone, “It seems that the Order of the Holy Knights has a slightly different agenda than what we thought.”

With that, Loyar began to leap across the rooftops.

***

Eleris conjured magic to transport me while Loyar moved through shadows, and all of us swiftly headed to the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights. We were to attack them as they were passing by the warp gate.

Sarkegar would be disguised as one of the soldiers guarding the warp gate. I wasn’t sure whom he had swapped with, but I had instructed him not to kill anyone, so he must have opted to knock them out, or use some other method of distraction.

“Your Highness, it is time for you to stay out of sight,” Eleris advised once we reached the ambush site, implying that it was no longer safe for me to be present.

“Okay, got it. But what was that earlier, Loyar?”

I glanced at Loyar. Her face was still twisted, as if she had heard something distasteful.

“As they took up escort positions around the prisoners and left the vicinity of the Merchants’ Guild’s headquarters, those guys were snickering,” she explained.

‘What?’

“What do you mean? They were laughing?”

“They said there was plenty to ‘share’ now...”

I wasn’t so naive as to miss the meaning of that. What was this about sharing? What were they planning to divide amongst themselves?

“That means that there was already something to share to begin with, doesn’t it?”

“It seems so.”

Prisoners had not only been diverted to supply the black market. The Order of the Holy Knights themselves had also been secreting away humanoid demon beings such as succubi.

“When one of their subordinates questioned what they would do if this became an issue or they got caught, one of them, whom I presume to be the leader of the contingent, responded that they could just claim it was for the sake of demonic research. They suggested that the other members of the allied forces and the empire would do the same thing. They also said that intercepting the prisoners who were bound to be sold as slaves like this was the best thing to do...”

Loyar’s disgust towards the Order of the Holy Knights was apparent.

It wasn’t just the royal family or the Merchants’ Guild. Even the Order of the Holy Knights was holding demon prisoners. It was now clear that various allied forces had been gradually siphoning off these prisoners. And if they got caught, they had prepared the excuse of possessing them solely for research purposes.

When it came to the black-market auction, the intent was clear—to sell them. This provided no room for excuses, and the seizing of the prisoners by the Order of the Holy Knights was perfectly justified.

I finally began to understand why the Order of the Holy Knights had mobilized at night. If this news got out, not only would the empire’s reputation be tarnished, but it might also reveal the fact that other groups had been allotted demon prisoners. And among them, the Order of the Holy Knights, a group that was supposed to be precisely against exactly such a thing.

Of course, if this truth came out, they would officially claim to have been holding the demons for research purposes to get away with it. But everyone would know that they were hiding their true purpose for them.

Whether there were excuses prepared or not, it wasn’t necessary to let this secret become public knowledge.

Thus, the Order of the Holy Knights had deployed in the dead of night to swallow the prisoners whole. They wanted a minimal number of witnesses to this act.

In the end, things technically did unfold as I had planned. They weren’t executing the prisoners, and were taking them to the headquarters of the Order.

All other excuses seemed futile as I observed their actions.

They had come up with a suitable excuse to seize the slaves from the black market, under the guise of condemning blasphemy. They argued that it was acceptable for them to possess the prisoners, when it was actually not so, given their impure motives.

“I guess things turned out as expected... but the process was absolutely despicable.”

Ultimately, I had overestimated their piety.

***

Even if we rescued them, the number of prisoners we saved would merely be a drop in a bucket compared to the many others that were still under human control. The demon prisoners were being held within the allied forces’ camps as well as in the custody of the Order of the Holy Knights.

The number of prisoners that could be rescued from the auction was insignificant. It was impossible to free them all since devising a plan just to extract about a hundred of them had already required an enormous effort.

After delegating the tasks, I climbed a hill a distance away. It was far, but from this vantage point, I would be able to get a general sense of what was going on if a commotion broke out.

I decided to use the Revise function one last time.

[Activating ‘Revise’.]

‘Today, all demonic prisoners being escorted, along with Sarkegar, Eleris, and Loyar, will safely escape through the warp gate.’

[You need 2000 achievement points to trigger this event.]

A great escape seemed plausible, but ensuring everyone’s safety while doing it was a bit less likely. The high cost suggested the event’s improbability, but I didn’t hesitate to use the Revise function. There was no reason not to use it.

[You have used 2000 achievement points.]

Only then did I feel relieved.

Though I was unsure how the things I left out would pan out, I was assured that that night’s operation would conclude successfully.

-Flash!

And then, I saw it.

A massive column of flame burst forth, towering high above the courtyard in front of the Order’s headquarters.

So this was the kind of havoc that Eleris, wielding the Flame of Fire, could wreak.

The magnificent flames that shot into the sky began to swirl about.

A Firestorm, on an immense scale, began to unfold.

Rumble!

Following the blinding light, a storm began to brew that seemed to rip apart the very atmosphere.

“No, this can’t be right...”

‘That spell is supposed to be a distraction, right? A tactic to minimize damage and create chaos to aid their escape. That’s the plan, right? It’s not some kind of a plan to obliterate both the prisoners and the Order of the Holy Knights as a whole, is it?

“It seems like she’s going too far with this...”

Were the Order of the Holy Knights so detestable that she intended to annihilate them all?

I never knew Eleris was this type of person on the inside and firmly resolved never to get on her nerves.

***

It was like a descent into hell.

Rumble!

As the tremendous firestorm erupted, the knights of the Order realized that something extraordinary had just happened.

“It’s an attack!”

“It’s a mage!”

“Everyone get ready!”

“What... What in the world!? A spell of this magnitude? All of a sudden?!”

The two hundred holy knights were trapped in the massive firestorm, together with the hundred prisoners.

And at the center of the firestorm, there was a woman.

She wore a hooded robe that covered her face, clutching something akin to a pendant, and had woven a disguise spell to hide her identity within the robe. She was the one controlling the firestorm.

The idea of a mage who could wield magic of such scale without any casting time was nearly unfathomable, and many of the knights of the Order were pushed to deny the reality of the situation, even as they were witnessing it.

Roar!

From one side of the storm, a silver beast emerged with a roar loud enough to swallow even the sound of the firestorm.

“It’s not just one of them!”

“It’s demons!”

“A werewolf!”

The devilish howl of this monstrous creature was causing the muscles of those who heard it to stiffen—a power known as Roar.

“Stay calm! There are only two of them!”

The lycanthrope moved like lightning, charging at the knights of the Order and sending them sprawling, and suddenly, the warp gate positioned inside the firestorm became active.

The mage simply looked at the prisoners and pointed toward the gate, without offering a detailed explanation or any desperate cries.

“Flee.”

The prisoners immediately understood the simple message. Though they were puzzled by the appearance of the mage, the arrival of the lycanthrope had confirmed their hopes.

The prisoners realized that someone was trying to save them.

“The prisoners are their target! Stop them!”

Bang! Boom! Bang!

These holy knights were veterans, after all. The lycanthrope was using its considerable bulk and nimble movements to knock aside the Order knights escorting the prisoners, but some had instantaneously reinforced their bodies with divine power and were striking back.

All of them carried the formidable title of ‘Survivor of the Great War’.

Boom! Boom!

However, the encircling firestorm, as if alive, lashed out at those who attempted to prevent the lycanthrope’s advance. The holy knights engulfed in flames did not die due to their protective magics, but they couldn’t avoid being repelled by the force.

The lycanthrope, with its ferocious onslaught, threatened to demolish everything in its path, and it was aided by a mage of tremendous power.

However, facing them were two hundred veterans of the Order of the Holy Knights.

“May Alse’s blessing be upon our swords and bodies!”

Flash!

Glowing with an intense light, the holy knights, imbued with sacred power, charged toward the mage.

There were only two of them to eliminate.

Although they had been momentarily flustered, the knights, now amplified by massive protective magic, would not be routed by two mere enemies.

But then...

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

Something began to emerge from the activated gate. It grew larger and larger, starting to take on a distinct form.

Rumble! Rumble!!

Like bubbles frothing, the bizarrely-expanding mass soon began to take the shape of a lizard with gleaming black scales.

A hint of disbelief flashed across the eyes of the charging holy knights.

Amidst the towering firestorm, a winged lizard, which seemed only to exist in legends, revealed itself.

“A dr-dra... dragon?”

ROOOOOAAAAAR!

The lycanthrope’s earlier roar seemed pitiful in comparison.

A Dragon Roar, powerful enough to shatter eardrums, rushed towards the holy knights.