Chapter 160.The Diocese of Silence (2)
"Gloss Garcia, commander of the paladins of the Kingdom of Estiria, descend to the south and eradicate with light the evil born of death."
"With noble radiance."
Saluting Bishop Neviron, Gloss led the paladin order southward.
An unprecedented undead crisis in the history of the kingdom.
According to reports, their number was at least in the thousands. Furthermore, when the corpses of those killed by the undead became tainted by miasma, it would result in the birth of new undead.
If they stood by idly, death would spread everywhere.
According to the doctrines and divine command of the Church of Luas, the paladins gladly drew their swords to annihilate the vile abnormal species that denied the light.
Kwa-jajak! Kwa-jajajajak!
Their bodies and spirits strengthened by holy power, they were natural enemies of demons and undead.
The hundreds of undead blocking their path were erased by the light without even being able to mount proper resistance. The march of the paladins against the darkness was as unstoppable as sunlight illuminating the world.
After regrouping in the city of Welsley, they once more swept across the plains for undead subjugation.
"Commander Gloss, I see smoke ahead."
He followed the gaze of Paladin Gelsia.
Over the hill, white smoke was rising.
Judging by the scale, it was quite a large fire.
And since it had not long been extinguished, it most likely meant a village had been attacked by the undead.
Survivors could not yet be confirmed from their vantage point.
Thus, they had no choice but to go see for themselves.
Galloping across the plains, they crested the great hill.
Below, knights were stationed in the village, with citizens sheltered among them.
'That is....'
He had never seen them in person, but had heard countless rumors, knights clad in white armor. The paladins, spurring their horses faster, soon arrived at the village.
Gloss pulled the reins and halted.
Before him stood a female knight with crimson hair.
From atop his horse, Gloss offered a greeting.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Calia de Esperanza."
Gloss placed his fist upon the cross engraved on his armor.
"I am Gloss Garcia, commander of the Paladin Order of the Kingdom of Estiria."
***
Bishop Neviron was suspicious.
If so, could he not also doubt the paladin commander? Perhaps he was overthinking it, but simply because one bore the name of a paladin of the Church of Luas did not make them trustworthy.
Thus, the truth must be tested here, to see just how far the hand of the Glory of the Dead had reached.
Calia politely requested a private conversation.
"I have urgent words, would you grant me a moment?"
So it was that Calia and Gloss faced each other inside the village hall.
Behind each stood their attendants, Verden and Vespa on one side, and Gelsia, his adjutant, on the other.
Gloss spoke.
"I must apologize, but we are pressed for time. So I would prefer you make your business brief."
Though they had slain many undead on the way, countless still remained.
It was imperative to cut them down before further harm spread.
Above all else, Gloss was a devout believer who had given his life to the Church of Luas.
Whether his counterpart was the daughter of a famed marquisate, of royal blood, or even an emperor, following the church's command came before all else.
In his eyes there were no companions before him, only undead lurking somewhere ahead. Neither immense wealth, nor radiant beauty, nor overwhelming authority could sway his resolve.
Calia nodded.
"Very well. Then I will ask directly."
She fixed her gaze upon Gloss's eyes.
"Are you aware of the Orb of the Undead?"
"Hmm? But of course. It was you, Lady Esperanza, who secured it from the Glory of the Dead. The church holds your toil and sacrifice in the highest regard."
"Thank you for your words. But, what is the current status of the Orb of the Undead?"
"Why, the bishops have joined their strength and are gradually purifying it."
The information conflicted.
"Is that so? I was told that there had been almost no progress in purifying the Orb of the Undead."
"...!"
Gloss's eyes wavered.
Judging by his physical reaction, he seemed truly shaken. Watching his expression, Calia handed over the letter sent by Bishop Neviron.
"Bishop Neviron sent this to me. Please, read it."
Gloss furrowed his brow as he took the letter.
He carefully unfolded it and read the words. As he stared at the lines, his expression gradually grew more complicated.
"Th-this is..."
The Orb of the Undead was a secret among secrets.
Its miasma of death, so intricately entangled that even the holy power of a bishop could not purify it. Whether it was because its strength had been consumed for some reason, or because it was yet incomplete, it was not whole.
And yet, the power within it was ominous and violent.
Just what had the dark magicians intended to do with it?
Whatever it was, it would surely bring about a result that opposed the light.
Thus it had been hidden thoroughly. To prevent it from being exposed to danger, the best way was to keep it entirely unknown. Even from Calia, who had delivered the Orb of the Undead herself.
Therefore, only four bishops, along with Gloss the paladin commander, knew of its whereabouts and details.
'But to reveal such secrecy so carelessly?'
And from none other than Bishop Neviron.
He was kind and just, but unyielding in matters of evil. To Gloss's knowledge, Bishop Neviron had never once compromised his principles.
"Is something amiss?"
At Calia's question, Gloss replied.
"The handwriting is indeed Bishop Neviron's, but the contents are strange. He would never divulge such a secret..."
That meant the failure to purify the Orb of the Undead was the truth.
But the questions did not end there.
"The root of the orb, does it truly exist?"
Gloss read to the end of the letter.
At last he lifted his eyes and shook his head.
"No, I have never heard of such a thing."
***
"You mean you never received a mission to destroy the root?"
"Not only no mission, but the very notion of a root is unfamiliar. Until this undead crisis erupted, my paladins and I resided within the diocese. In that time, not a single paladin was ever dispatched elsewhere."
This confirmed it.
Bishop Neviron was a traitor.
No one knew when he had joined hands with them, but it was certain he was the one who had ensnared Calia in a trap.
Gloss and Gelsia were shaken.
"L-Lady Esperanza, what are you saying? That the bishop is a traitor?"
Calia briefly recounted what had happened within the mausoleum to Gloss.
Meanwhile, Verden sank into thought.
First question, Bishop Neviron's false letter.
Verden's impression of it was simple.
'Too sloppy.'
Bishop Neviron's letter could have been exposed immediately, just by showing it to any paladin of the diocese. And indeed, as proven through cross-checking, the deception was revealed at once.
By no means could this be called a perfect trick.
Why would the Glory of the Dead contrive such a petty lie?
...No, wait.
'From the start, there was no need to deceive perfectly.'
Already, because of the false letter, Calia and her knights had fallen into a trap in the mausoleum.
Even if it was sloppy, it had fulfilled its role. Without the variable called Verden, they would have found survival nearly impossible.
Even if they had escaped immediate burial, they would have starved in the deepest second layer.
'If the purpose of the letter was to kill Calia, then it makes sense. It was certainly effective.'
Next, the second question, the undead crisis.
The undead army currently ravaging the southern kingdom.
From nobles to adventurers, all were doing their utmost to respond. Since the diocese had dispatched the paladins, one could say the entire kingdom's focus was fixed here.
At that moment, a thought flashed through Verden's mind.
"To draw attention for a while...?"
"...Attention?"
At Verden's murmur, all eyes gathered on him.
In the silence demanding explanation, Verden turned his head toward Gloss.
"Roughly how much force remains in the diocese right now?"
"Other paladins and priests, besides myself, have each formed parties and been dispatched throughout the southern regions. The scope of undead damage is simply too vast."
"Which means, the defense of the diocese is now at its weakest."
Verden was finally certain.
"Asher, do you mean to say...."
Starting with Calia, they began to grasp what Verden was implying.
Yet no one dared to voice it aloud. For such a conclusion was too extreme.
Verden spoke regardless.
In other words.
"The Glory of the Dead's true purpose is to retrieve the Orb of the Undead."
Calia had been thrown into a trap merely for revenge.
But the undead army was another matter.
Because of it, the kingdom's entire attention was drawn to the south. As I said earlier, to subjugate the undead, the diocese's forces were dispatched outside.
A weakened defense system.
But still, could dark magicians really dare assault the diocese? By common sense, surely not.
For the miracles of the Church of Luas were fatal against dark magic.
The problem, however, was that the Glory of the Dead was not a group bound by common sense.
"I understand what you're saying. But at this point? If they truly meant to reclaim the orb, wouldn't it have been better to intercept it during its transfer to the diocese?"
Two months had passed since the Orb of the Undead had been transported to the diocese.
But only now did they move to retrieve it.
Why, then, had they allowed such an important object to enter the diocese of the Church of Luas, all while causing such a spectacle now?
To this, Verden answered.
"Perhaps they realized the whereabouts of the orb belatedly... but no, I doubt that."
Then the reason they moved now must be one of two things.
Either they needed time to prepare for whatever they intended to use the Orb of the Undead for.
Or they had another objective besides simply reclaiming it.
Perhaps both.
Of which it was, no one could be certain.
But one thing was beyond doubt.
"The diocese is in danger."
***
Calia left behind the wounded knights, along with those tasked to care for them and protect the refugees, and selected only the elite to head for the diocese.
Gloss too, persuaded by Verden's reasoning, sensed the gravity and chose men apart from those dedicated to undead subjugation.
Immediately, he entrusted command to another paladin and joined the march toward the diocese.
Days of forced march followed.
With only minimal rest, they reached the diocese in less than five days. Even the hardy warhorses, trained by special methods, collapsed to their knees, panting.
"You've endured well."
Prrrr.
At Calia's touch, the horse whinnied.
Dismounting, all approached the walls of the diocese.
Gloss examined part of the gate and brightened.
"...Fortunately, the holy power protecting the gate and the walls is intact."
At the very least, there had been no forced intrusion from outside.
But it was far too early to be relieved.
"...Then where are the guards at the gate?"
Though they had reached the gate, no voice answered.
Only silence flowed, quiet and ominous, as though none were present at all. Verden activated his mana circuits.
"I'll go check."
Verden soared into the sky.
It was impossible to see inside the diocese, shielded all day by the holy barrier. So the only choice was to break through it.
Kwaaang! Kwaaaang!
He concentrated impact on one point of the barrier with the piercing force of his spell.
Indeed, befitting the diocese's shield, it was firm. Yet against a reinforced spell from his magic tome, it could not withstand repeated strikes on the same spot.
Exactly on the seventh blow.
A fine crack appeared on the barrier where the spear of earth had struck.
'Now.'
The massive spear of earth.
He detonated compressed wind from behind it.
Kwa-jijijik!
The raging spell finally pierced the holy barrier. As part of the shield collapsed, the concealed interior was revealed at last.
And then.
"...My God."
What entered Verden's sight within the Silent Diocese,
was a place drenched in unspeakable amounts of blood and corpses.