Episode 13: Omen (1)

 

The Southern Province of the Holy Kingdom of Qualia.

This big city is the center of government.

The city is known as a rice barn as the land in the province is very fertile.

A holy knight walked inside the cathedral with feelings of pity.

 

"Hey, Ronius! Ronius! Are you there???"

 

"Yes, what's up Holy Knight Verdel-sama?"

 

Verdel opened the door and entered the place of worship in haste. Verdel's face was straight and rough. While on the other hand, his clothes were beautiful and luxurious.

There are positions called "Holy Knights" in the Holy Kingdom, whose status is above ordinary soldiers.

A founder of a religious sect becomes the Holy King of Qualia and leads the country. All of the citizens adhere to the same religion and pray to their God every day.

In fact, an estimated 30% of its citizens acquire some kind of priesthood.

From the top-level to the low-level, they are all chosen elites who had gone through rigorous training and examinations.

They studied martial arts, fine arts, and other subjects, but their family background was the most important.

Holy Knights, who can create miracles even though they are not as powerful as a saint, were elite people and are indispensable to the nation.

Usually, they are placed all over the country to solve various domestic problems. Their powers were used to eradicate the occasional monsters and villains and to guard VIP officials.

That is the existence of the Holy Knights.

 

This man was characterized by such constant training and steel-like mental strength. He was supposed to have the humanity to sufficiently lead the people together with the other clergymen. Still, his behavior could be considered uncivilized for a clergyman who should have been baptized by God.

 

He is a Senior Holy Knight by the name of Verdel.

Holy Knight Ronius, who was praying in the chapel, quietly raised his face and looked back at Verdel as he walked in with a clatter, accompanied by his armor's clanking. 

 

"This is a place to say prayers to God. I beg of you to be quiet, Verdel-sama.”

 

“Southland! Despite its location in the northern part of the southern continent!　Why should I go to a place where barbarians live!?"

 

“But if we succeed in our mission, we will be well-remembered by the council. Above all, it's a command given by The Flower Saintess, Soarena herself, there is no greater honor than that."

 

“Hmm, I don't know...”

 

The Holy Knight Verdel was the first to openly call out dirty words of dissatisfaction.

Unlike Verdel, who was less classy and unusual for a Holy Knight, Ronius was truly elegant. In his calmness, one could feel the strength of his heart. With his neat appearance wearing a special uniform, he was a man who became a role model for Holy Knights. 

Then the Holy Knight Ronius decided to listen to Verdel's complaint.

The cursed forest that exists in the southern part of the Hydragia continent, the Daijukai.

The story that Saintess Soarena received an oracle, and issued an investigation decree to investigate a disaster in that place has reached Ronius from the other day.

Verdel is suspected of having numerous bad manners unacceptable to being a Holy Knight. How he had come here to protest meant he had a different agenda.

The Holy Kingdom was filled with people with many different agendas.

Even the usually well-behaved priests and the innocent-looking nuns. Nobody knows what they could be thinking behind the scenes. Is it because the organization is too big, or is it because of its human nature...?

Assuming that they succeeded in this investigative mission, Verdel will take all the credit.

If something goes wrong, or if they fail, of course, it will be his own responsibility.

Ronius was still a lowly Holy Knight without a good family background despite his ability. He bit his teeth inwardly.

 

 

(Though it wouldn't be that bad to have Verdel-sama join us.)

 

Verdel's participation would significantly increase his chances of survival. Verdel is a Senior Holy Knight. Despite his disrespectful nature, his ability was guaranteed.

This is the first time Ronius got an investigative mission in an area outside the country. The fact that it was a saintly matter made him feel a little relaxed.

His own safety was more important than anything. There's no point in losing his life in a rush to make changes. The images of his beloved wife and newborn daughter flashed through his mind.

This must be God's will for him. He is a religious person.

 

"So, how much of our force should we send to investigate? If Verdel-sama is willing to cooperate, I believe we can borrow a large number of soldiers from the Southern Province ...”

 

"No, they say that's all we've got, and we've been instructed by the higher-ups in the council to replace them with mercenary soldiers."

 

"...What?　Why would they do that?”

 

“I don't know!　Damn it!　Mercenaries don't have any handlers!　And right now they are all busy with the mayhem in the north. What do you want me to do?”

 

Surprisingly both of them had the same opinion. But unlike Verdel, Ronius has a rational mind.

It's definitely only a matter of time before Ronius could think of the best solution.

 

“Leave that to me, Verdel-sama. I have an old friend who is on good terms with the Mercenary Army. I'll see if he can help us arrange it.”

 

"Eh? Ronius, you have a connection? It turns out you're great too! That's very helpful, please take care of it!"

 

"Yeah, just leave it to me."

 

Ronius was slapped on the back so hard that he coughed.

Verdel nonchalantly walked away, laughing out loud.

'He's got character problems, but he's not a bad guy.'

Ronius think he understands why Verdel was liked by some clergyman.

But … Ronius thought hard about the case.

 

(Saintess Soarena is currently under the jurisdiction of the North Qualia Province. If an order was given to investigate by the oracle, it must have come from the Northern Province. However, his destination, namely the Daijukai, was on the southern region of Hydragia, known as the Southern Continent. I see … The preparations must be under the responsibility of the closest province, the Southern Province of Qualia.)

 

While praying silently, he meditated.

 

(With Saintess Soarena-sama in charge of the Northern Emergency, the other Saints can't move.

On the contrary, there are even rumors that the "Face-down Saintess-sama" will be sent to reinforce them...This is not the time to get into this kind of internal squabbling.)

 

The main forces of the Holy Knight Order are fools.

The Holy Kingdom of Qualia currently only has half of the four saints. The other two will also be needed.

Even if they looked back on history, there is no exception.

 

(According to the prophecy, there will be a disaster. Is this a sacred matter? I wish I could return home safely)

 

The Holy Knight Ronius began to pray to the Gods again to drown out the anxiety he had in his chest.

 

 

◇　　　◇　　　◇

 

“The human flesh tree was completed according to schedule. We also have a food warehouse, so on this land… in this capital of the Mynoghra Kingdom we can manage all the food.”

 

Emul is a dark elf woman. She is also Warriors Chief Gia's second in command.

In front of the creepy tree, she reported the progress of the construction project to Atou.

Several months have passed since the last meeting.

The “Human Flesh Tree” has been completed, and operations are running smoothly, as evidenced by the food warehouse, administration building, and workers coming and going.

The only problem is the tree's creepy appearance and disturbing nature, making people think that they were really eating human flesh. Still, living things are surprisingly easy to adapt. Although there was some confusion at first, to this day, there are no significant problems.

In addition to reporting the current situation, Emul also asked for her opinion on the details of facility improvements. After the discussion and receiving the report, Atou repeatedly nodded in satisfaction.

 

“This is good. The food production on agricultural land is running well, so food production continues without problems. Then, when the construction of the residencies are completed as planned, please start building the royal palace.”

 

Basically, the King, Takuto, and Atou are in constant communication with each other.

The king can see the entire nation as a whole and directly contact each individual if he feels like it.

But was it because they both shifted to this world at the same time? Takuto has a particularly strong connection with Atou. Even if they are far apart, they can subconsciously compare opinions and share information.

 

That's why Atou is the main person to audit, give instructions, etc.

The dark elves also thought that asking her would solve most of the problems. Conversely, asking the king for various details is disrespectful.

After all, Atou was the perfect retainer who fully understood the king's wishes, even though she is actually a relatively clumsy type.

This time, it's also the same.

 

After looking around, Emul made a decision.

She is second in command of the Warriors

.

Still, due to her knowledge and position, she also held the secretary and communications coordinator positions.

She timidly speaks a question that had been bothering her mind for a long time.

 

"A...Atou-dono?"

 

"Yes, can I help you, Emul?"

 

"We didn't hear anything about this..."

 

She pointed to the city where the number of civilized buildings had increased from just a village to a certain extent.

A group of air dwellings built like beehives using large trees and their branches.

The land sprouts with compartmentalized agricultural land. The fruits and vegetables are also grown there.

Simple fences and defensive wells had been built so that the area had become neater like a city, but something is strange.

That's right. The old forest is gone.

Instead, it was a scene that can only be described as evil.

The giant trees, left behind in a planned manner, had a twisted twist to them.

The leaves are a mixture of horrific colors for some reason.

The ground is the same, the plants and trees have acquired a disgusting form, and something like a thin smoke fills the entire city.

The water that comes out of the well by its color is clearly unsuitable for drinking.

It even felt unsettling to see a young dark elf casually bathing nearby.

You could say their new house has turned creepy.

 

'Eh? Didn't you? ufufu, I'm sorry about that.”

 

Atou only laughs and tries to change the subject.

Emul is no longer surprised by the carelessness of this evil king's follower.

But still, she had to ask what is happening in this forest.

 

“No, that's fine. But why is the forest in this state? I mean, is this really OK........”

 

“Yes. You became evil by becoming a citizen of Mynoghra. To be honest, I bet you don't feel the difference, but the change is due to the power of the king. And that power is passed on not only to the people, but also to this land.”

 

“You, you mean this sight ...”

 

That was the answer explained in a nutshell.

In other words, if the people are wicked, then, of course, the land will be corrupt. That's the argument.

Emul, who had never felt that they had become wicked before, was stunned but managed to accept it.

 

“It's called 'The Cursed Land'. Basically, it works in favor of beings with evil attributes. It has a disadvantage for neutral attributes and goodness beings. It's a wonderful land, perfect for defense.”

 

"Wow…...ARE? But… Works in favor of the evil attribute, right?”

 

Her doubts were natural. If she had become evil herself, then this land must have a positive effect on her.

Despite this, her impression was, "These are creepy," and to be honest, she didn't feel any favorable impression. And, of course, she also didn't feel any positive effect.

 

“Then try to take a deep breath.”

 

 

“Eh? Yes Ma'am!　Soooo, haa!"

 

 

 

“How do you feel?”

 

“It's so refreshing, despite the atmosphere... it's kind of empowering?”

 

“That's what makes you so evil. Well, you don't really know how much you've changed.”

 

Emul touched her own hands with an impressed face. By the way, the seed that became the tree of human flesh the other day - she ate human flesh fruit, but she didn't find it as disgusting as she had imagined. Instead, she thought, "It's a bit stringy, could it be better if I cook it first?"

Surprisingly, Atou stated that she wouldn't realize herself if she became evil.

That may indeed be true.

If she thinks about it, this view is also surprisingly good.　Instead, in a sense, the quiet atmosphere that is not invaded by anything is really to her liking.

Emul was convinced that this is how it is.

She seemed to have been corrupted in many ways.

 

“There's just a problem…...this one obviously stands out......"

 

She was convinced, and a new problem came to them. It was what had just been told through Atou's mouth.

Emul subconsciously wanted to say, "I wonder if that really OK!" but the sentence was stuck in her throat.

If the buildings were this large and heterogeneous, it will definitely attract attention from outside.

 

Fortunately, this place was within the Daijukai. Maybe the vast forest covers it, but it will not continue to be hidden if the country and the territory continue to develop.

Revealing their presence to the outside world also invites danger.

Even more so when they are in this evil form.

 

“Anyway, it's inevitable that our presence will be known to the outside world sooner or later. Instead of dwelling on the details, let's enjoy life to the fullest in front of us!”

 

Emul couldn't say... "Because there's nothing that can be done, so just hit as hard as we can."

Though imperfect, her talking opponent is her superior and the king's trusted retainer.

Just because they were speaking casually, there was no reason to be rude.

After all, no matter how much Emul refuted Atou words, Emul herself could not find a solution.

Then it would be somewhat better to give up quickly, just like Atou said, and better focus on other things.

 

As said before, their whereabouts will eventually become public.

At least the Great King, Ira-Takuto's existence, is not a small thing that can be kept secret forever.

However, Emul is not worried.

Ira-Takuto, the King of Ruin who would destroy the world.

His presence gave her permanent relief.

The King's subordinate, Atou, gave the girl a vision of the future in which the enemies of Mynoghra are destroyed.

How lucky and happy their race is!

In front of them were children, laughing while chasing each other.

The youths who were passionately doing manual labor, a group of soldiers who were training.

While looking at her own people, she surrendered herself to an infinite sense of trust.

 

But she had a lot of work to do for her country and her King.

Emul thought about the day to come and again promised herself to do the best she could for now.

 

=Eterpedia = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =.

 

[Erosion-Intention] State-Intention

 The nation's territory turns into a "cursed land."

 ～～The world has come to an end, and soon all will be cursed by an evil army.

 

The encroachment orientation is one of the national directions that leaders of the evil attribute may have.

It is primarily characterized by the transformation of a nation's territory into a "cursed land."

The cursed land has the effect of disadvantaging a goodness attribute unit and giving the evil attribute an advantage.

Despite its wickedness, it has a domestic and defensive orientation.

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(*Below is the message from the Author)

The intention of Mynoghra has been changed.

 

Previously: "Penetration Intention."

 

New: "Erosion Intention”.

 

There has been a change so that the Expression used is more precise,

Thank you for your cooperation.

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