As she spoke, Remedios seemed to return to the front lines.
Below the border city, the mountains and plains were blanketed by the demi-human army, roaring as they launched their frenzied assault.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay.
The grass had been dyed red, heavy with blood, and viscous plasma soaked deep into the soil. Each step felt sticky and slick beneath her feet.
During that time, Remedios knew only how to keep swinging her sword, cutting down one demi-human after another in an endless tide.
Even if ten thousand were slain, another ten thousand would appear the next day.
They seemed inexhaustible, fearless, and unending.
Thinking of it now, even with Remedios's Hero Class strength, she could not help but clutch at her hair, her eyes wide as she broke down. "Those demi-humans… it's as if their only purpose in life is to conquer the Holy Kingdom!"
Seeing her close friend and the Paladin Grand Master on the verge of collapse, Calca reached out, cupping Remedios's face with pained tenderness as she comforted her. "It's alright. Helant is here. Everything will be fine."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Helant, a trace of peace flashing through her eyes.
If even she could obtain the power to cast Seventh-Tier Magic under the blessing of the Holy Domain God Lord, then Helant was beyond question.
After all, the previous intelligence reports had stated that he could wield Ninth-Tier Magic.
Before magic of that level, those demi-humans were nothing more than enemies awaiting death, sooner or later.
However, when she thought of the people suffering at the border, sorrow filled her eyes as she pleaded, "Helant, can we set off tomorrow… to support the front lines together?"
"Of course. The Holy Kingdom has been invaded by lowly demi-humans, and innocent people have been harmed. I am also very angry." Helant spoke with utmost seriousness, as though boundless fury burned within his eyes.
Yet while his expression showed one thing, his heart was calmly calculating. The audience for the fourth act has not all arrived yet. I cannot begin the performance prematurely.
But… my lovely Holy Queen, your people will not suffer too many casualties. After all, in the future, they will all become the most loyal believers of the Holy Domain God Lord.
"You?" Helant's words pierced Remedios's ears like needles, making her temples throb. She tilted her head, narrowed her eyes, and sneered coldly. "I said, you have no idea how powerful the demi-humans are right now!"
As she spoke, her chest rose and fell violently. Beyond her hatred for the demi-humans, there was also clear dissatisfaction directed at Helant. "I have said it many times. A Mithril Rank Adventurer cannot turn the tide of battle at all!"
Remedios could not understand what had happened to the Holy Queen while she was supporting the front lines, to make her actually believe that an Adventurer could repel an endless demi-human army.
She raised her sword and pointed it toward the star-filled sky beyond the window. "Do you know how many Hero Class monsters are hidden within the demi-human army?"
Hearing this, the Holy Queen paused her attempt to explain. She wanted to hear everything first before clarifying Helant's true strength to Remedios.
Helant's handsome and tall figure stood upright in the room, a trace of pity concealed beneath his solemn expression as he looked at Remedios.
He thought to himself, "How much did Albedo strengthen the demi-humans? Judging by her expression, her spirit must have been completely crushed."
Remedios suddenly let out a self-mocking laugh and continued, "Just among those I personally saw, there were more than thirty Hero Class monsters."
"Thirty?!" The Holy Queen's face went pale. She covered her lips, her eyes filled with helplessness and shock.
One had to know that even the known Hero Class individuals within the Holy Kingdom, including herself, Remedios, and Kelart, numbered fewer than ten.
And that was only at a single border city. If the other four cities were included, would that not mean the demi-human side possessed over a hundred Hero Class individuals?
She understood all too well that a Hero Class existence was like a meat grinder on the battlefield. More than a hundred such meat grinders, and what they would be grinding down were her own people.
Calca looked toward the border in anguish, biting her lip as her fists clenched until her knuckles turned white.
Helant mirrored the Holy Queen's actions, his expression equally filled with sorrow.
Actually, there was no need to be so sad. Before Helant makes my debut, these demi-humans are merely putting on a frightening display.
Seeing what she deemed a satisfactory reaction, Remedios slowly sheathed her sword and let out a sigh. "Now you understand. A mere Steel Rank Adventurer cannot change the tide of battle."
She believed that in this world, aside from the arrival of a True Dragonlord, perhaps only a god could save the Holy Kingdom.
This time, Clementine rarely mocked this so-called frog in a well. With pity in her eyes, she unconsciously shook her head. "To face more than thirty Hero Class monsters at once… she does have some courage."
The atmosphere in the room grew oppressive. Helant followed the Holy Queen outside, gazing up at the star-filled night sky.
The Holy Queen ached for the suffering of her people, while Helant looked upward as well, acting out his concern even as he noticed something else.
Clementine and Remedios stood at their respective sides, each lost in their own thoughts.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind swept past everyone, whipping their clothes and hair into motion.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the night sky, the golden wings of two griffins were strikingly conspicuous, the fierce wind stirred by their descent.
"Who goes there?!"
Remedios immediately stepped in front of the Holy Queen and drew her sword with vigilance.
At the same time, Clementine's face filled with helplessness. She turned and hid behind Helant, grumbling, "Tch, they really won't leave us alone."
As the two griffins descended to a lower altitude, everyone could clearly see that a man and a woman were riding them, one on each.
The man had blond hair and bore a resemblance to Clementine.
The woman was even more peculiar. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, with waist-length hair split cleanly into black and white. Her eyes matched her hair in color, one black and one white.
She was undeniably cute, yet carried an eerie presence.
"The Theocracy's strongest weapon, Zesshi Zetsumei," Clementine whispered into Helant's ear.
Zesshi Zetsumei looked down from above, her gaze sweeping over the furious Remedios and the bewildered Calca before finally settling on Helant, the exceptionally handsome man with waist-length white hair.
A flicker of admiration flashed through her eyes, followed by careful scrutiny. "You must be Helant."
That old man Zinedine had found someone capable of casting Ninth-Tier Magic and had not told her.
If she had not been on good terms with the Thousand Leagues Astrologer and obtained the magical image of Helant casting Ninth-Tier Magic, she would probably still be kept in the dark.
Hmph. Those old fogies simply did not want her leaving the Theocracy to look for a man she fancied.
Although Zesshi Zetsumei's actual age exceeded a hundred years, her face always retained a youthful roundness. As a result, even with a cold, appraising expression, she still appeared rather cute.
However, the only person present who could not tolerate this "cuteness" was Remedios.
"Hey, you! Get down here and talk to me!"
____
15 Advance chapters:
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