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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The future had certainly changed drastically.
He wondered if, in this life, the Demihuman Alliance and the Six-Kingdom Alliance would be the ones to invade the Holy Empire, not the other way around.
“I also took this opportunity to inform them about humanity’s forgotten history.”
Forgotten history.
Adias had been about to tell him about it, and he had been surprised to learn that he already knew.
“That’s interesting. Even a demon king’s influence over other worlds is limited. It’s not surprising that some records survived. We also have our own version of history.”
“Demon king… you say?”
“Indeed. Humanity’s forgotten history was erased by a demon king.”
Specifically, it was a deal the Empire had made with a demon king through the Black Star.
It wasn’t the demon king the Empire had summoned with the help of the dark magic users.
“If that history had been revealed, the Empire would have crumbled, so it was a natural choice for them, however repulsive.”
They had framed and destroyed the largest religion at the time and conspired with dark magic users to summon a demon king.
The demon king had been such a significant threat that even the dragons, who had been slaughtering humans, had joined forces to oppose him.
It was understandable that the Empire wanted to erase all traces of their involvement.
In the process, both the good and bad deeds of the dragons were forgotten, and they became figures of myth and legend.
And the Empire had apparently used the corpse of the dragon slain as part of the deal.
“After the demon king’s influence waned, we tried to inform humanity of the truth, but they refused to believe us. And the Empire’s suppression didn’t help…”
Moreover, the demihumans’ hatred for humanity at the time was even greater than it was now, so the humans, realizing that the demihumans were trying to sow discord, completely rejected their version of history.
It was only natural that they wouldn’t believe such a story.
“Even now, they don’t fully believe us. They’re still investigating.”
Adias didn’t seem concerned, as they had already formed an alliance.
‘Even without that history, there’s no way the Six Kingdoms can reconcile with the Empire now.’
The Empire had instigated rebellion within the Six Kingdoms by inciting the nobles… There was no going back.
For the sake of their pride and honor, the Six Kingdoms would have to condemn the Empire once their internal conflicts were resolved.
They might even resort to armed conflict.
That’s why he had considered the possibility of them initiating an attack.
Thanks to Adias, there was no need to ask Kriang about the alliance.
Their meeting with the Councilor concluded on a positive note, and he then sought out Prina to inquire about the war between Doriem and Jutus.
As he had expected, it was a stalemate, and with the increasing support from the Goddess Religion, Doriem was now at a slight disadvantage.
While the Earth Mother Religion had started providing assistance, it wasn’t comparable to the Goddess Religion’s support.
That couldn’t be helped.
The Goddess Religion had grown into a powerful force, while the Earth Mother Religion, despite its rapid growth with the royal family’s support, was still a newly revived faith. Their level of support couldn’t be compared.
However, the difference wasn’t insurmountable, and his involvement would likely tip the scales decisively.
After discussing the situation with his companions and Prina, they set a date for their departure and informed the prince.
“I see. Unfortunately, I won’t be here to hear the outcome.”
He had anticipated this.
The Councilor had said he would be leaving soon.
That meant the prince would also be leaving.
While he hadn’t seen them together, the prince was essentially acting as the Councilor’s escort.
He knew they were meeting regularly, even if he hadn’t witnessed it himself.
“But I’ll keep my promise, so don’t worry.”
He wasn’t worried about that.
After bidding farewell to the prince, he also said goodbye to the Councilor and Untinia.
“I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
He agreed.
Perhaps next time, he would meet not only Adias, but other high-ranking officials as well.
“Thank you. And… please take care of Annelise.”
“Don’t worry.”
After their brief farewells, he and his companions set off for Doriem.
Thea seemed disappointed that they were leaving so soon after their return, but she knew they would be back and didn’t try to stop them.
As they left Desert Shield and headed towards Doriem, he was struck by how much safer Lineta had become.
“This place used to be swarming with monsters.”
The villages that had been overrun by monsters were being rebuilt, and the roads were being repaired.
Despite the war raging in the neighboring territories, the atmosphere in Lineta wasn’t entirely bleak.
He could see a glimmer of hope in the faces of the villagers.
However, that positive energy vanished as soon as they left Lineta’s borders.
‘…Should I have brought Entin?’
No.
There were occasionally monsters that traveled from the Barren Lands towards Desert Shield, and Thea also needed protection.
Therefore, he had decided to travel with just Kayla, Athena, and Annelise.
There would be plenty of corpses in the war-torn territories, which he could use to create undead.
As they approached Doriem, the air grew heavy with tension.
The faint scent of blood and burning corpses assaulted his nostrils, and he could hear the distant sounds of angry shouts and clashing weapons.
“…They’re fighting.”
A village within Doriem was under attack.
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The attackers didn’t seem like ordinary bandits.
They were well-equipped and organized, resembling regular soldiers, and there were even priests among them.
“…The Goddess Religion?”
Indeed.
Their robes bore the insignia of the Goddess Religion.
And with paladins among them, it was clear this was an organized attack.
“Priests attacking a village…”
Athena muttered in disbelief.
“They probably view this as a holy war or a crusade against heretics. Otherwise, they wouldn’t go this far, even if they are fanatics.”
Athena nodded at Annelise’s words but continued to stare at the priests with a puzzled expression.
It was hard to believe a religion could grow so large while openly attacking ordinary villages, even if they were fanatics.
At least outwardly, they would have espoused justice.
However, their current actions were far from just.
There seemed to be a significant number of casualties already.
The villagers and what appeared to be mercenaries were desperately defending behind a wooden barricade.
However, they were clearly outnumbered and outmatched.
While the barricade seemed sturdy, it wouldn’t hold for long.
Several dead villagers lay scattered around, while the attackers, if injured, immediately retreated to be healed by the priests.
Among the mercenaries defending the village, he recognized a few faces.
He had seen them around during his time in Doriem.
While he hadn’t worked with them and didn’t know their exact skill levels, judging by their performance, they weren’t completely incompetent.
But they weren’t particularly skilled either.
“Annelise.”
“Yes.”
“Take out a few of them. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Understood.”
Annelise calmly retrieved her artifact and nocked an arrow.
A faint Aura shimmered around the arrowhead, and after a brief moment of aiming, she released it.
Despite the considerable distance, the arrow flew true, piercing the head of one of the attackers assaulting the barricade.
While they were well-equipped, they couldn’t defend against an Aura-infused arrow.
A ripple of unease spread through the attackers’ ranks.
The paladin immediately moved to protect the priests, and the apparent commander turned towards them.
Despite the unexpected attack, he had correctly identified their location.
But it didn’t matter. Annelise, unfazed, fired two more arrows in quick succession, taking down two more attackers.
The commander shouted orders, and several mercenaries on horseback charged towards them.
Athena, mounted on her Phantom Steed, rode out to meet them, while he ignored the approaching mercenaries and pointed his staff at the corpses lying further away.
Three soldiers rose as Zombies.
Both attackers and defenders recoiled in horror, distancing themselves from the undead.
“A necromancer!”
The priests and paladins glared at him with undisguised hatred.
“Deal with the Zombies first!”
The commander shouted, and several soldiers rushed towards the Zombies, but these weren’t ordinary Zombies. They were created by an Archmage.
While the spell itself was standard, the power of a spell varied drastically depending on the caster’s skill.
And he had further strengthened them.
Click. Screech.
The three Zombies didn’t bother defending against the soldiers’ attacks.
They were wearing full armor, and he knew their reinforced bodies could withstand most attacks, so he had prioritized offense over defense.
As a result, they shrugged off the soldiers’ blows and retaliated, cutting them down.
The Zombies didn’t stop there.
They lunged at the living, and a massacre unfolded around the barricade.
The priests hurriedly cast buffs on their allies and tried to repel the undead with divine power, but it was ineffective against his controlled Zombies.
Instead, the slain humans rose as Zombies, adding to the chaos, and the attackers were consumed by fear and confusion.
“Why! How… the divine power…!”
The newly risen Zombies, while not directly strengthened by him, were still a force to be reckoned with.
He had focused on enhancing their defenses, and while they were slow due to the lack of his direct control, they were incredibly difficult to kill, forcing the attackers to retreat instead of fighting.
However, not all of them escaped unscathed.
Slash.
“Damn it! Retreat! Fall back!”
The commander and the paladin, buffed by the priests, stepped forward, cutting down the Zombies.
‘Experts.’
Indeed, his Zombies were effective against ordinary soldiers, but they were no match for skilled warriors.
However, they had acted too late.
He dispersed the Zombies and instructed Annelise.
“Focus on those two.”
Annelise obeyed without hesitation.
Meanwhile, he raised the slain mercenaries as Skeletons.
He turned their horses into Skeletal Steeds, and the newly created Skeleton Warriors, mounted on the Skeletal Steeds, charged towards the priests.
While they couldn’t fully control the Skeletal Steeds like Skeleton Knights, they could charge, and that was enough.
“Damn it!”
The paladin hurriedly returned to protect the priests, and the commander was left alone, desperately trying to thin out the Zombies.
However, more Zombies were rising than falling, so his efforts were futile.
And the villagers and mercenaries on the barricade, seeing the attackers’ disarray, seized the opportunity and unleashed a barrage of attacks. Realizing the situation was hopeless, the commander shouted,
“Retreat! Everyone, retreat!”
“Not so fast.”
He slammed his staff into the ground.
Black walls of demonic energy erupted, blocking the attackers’ escape route.
The terrified attackers struggled, but it was pointless.
Even the commander looked defeated, and while the priests and paladins tried to resist, their efforts were futile.
He slaughtered all the attackers except for the commander, the priests, and the paladin, carefully collecting their corpses.
As they approached the village, the villagers and mercenaries stared at them with fear in their eyes.
“Filthy heretics! You even resorted to using a necromancer… Bishop-nim was right!”
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