[Vol. 8] Chapter 266: The Guest from the Purple Mist
Violet didn’t know what it was, or if something like that even existed. But if it really did, it might be scarier than anything she had seen so far. A power that could truly be called Forbidden.
“Well, whatever. I’ll just take it one step at a time,” she thought.
After all, with the level of skill and speed she had now, even without facing any of those imagined “defense forces,” it would still take hundreds or even thousands of years without rest to build a complete and perfect logic system.
Suddenly, golden flames lit up. From within the fire, the dragon girl stepped out and appeared right next to Violet.
“Master, it’s done over there. Half of them were killed, half were captured. That assistant bishop refused to surrender. In the end, he just blew himself up.”
“Mhm. You didn’t step in?”
“No. There was no need. They could handle it.”
“I see…”
The girl smiled, then lifted her head. Through the tall glass window, she silently looked at the terrifying tear in the sky above.
“Looks like there’s nothing left for us to do here.”
“What do you mean, Master?”
“Let the little ones handle it themselves and grow from it. We should go do something more fun~”
………………………………………
Holy Empire – Eastern Border Fortress, Purple Mist City
Right now, in this great military stronghold standing at the border of the Holy Empire, just 30 kilometers from the buffer zone, Judgement Saintess Frederica Cecilia sat in the highest command room of the temple. Wearing full military armor, she was speaking urgently through a rare magic projection stone with her younger sister, the current Pope, Edwina Cecilia, who was far away in the Holy Capital.
“There’s massive unrest in Theo Province, and the death toll has already passed one million?”
The Saintess sat in the main seat, the [Judgement Holy Sword] hanging at her side. Her face was heavy with concern as she stared at the glowing image of the holy knight in front of her. Her eyebrows were furrowed so tightly they almost touched.
In the meeting hall, the generals and high-ranking clergy exchanged glances and whispered to each other. Their expressions were just as grim, clearly shocked by the sudden news.
Over a million dead, an entire province affected, even the Fourth Demon War had not caused such destruction in so short a time. This was probably the most severe external disaster the Holy Empire had faced in hundreds of years.
Despite the heavy feeling in her heart, the Judgement Saintess was no stranger to crises. She quickly steadied herself and asked,
“Your Holiness, when exactly did this happen? What’s the situation now?”
On the other side of the projection stone, the blonde girl in shining knight armor, also with a sword at her waist, answered in a steady, serious tone.
“Based on the information we have in the Holy Capital, it happened right around the time that huge crack appeared in the sky. We believe the two events are directly connected.”
“Even though it came without warning, the Holy Capital received reliable intelligence a few days earlier that something big would happen in Theo Province. We already sent troops and priests from nearby provinces in advance. That’s the only reason we made it in time for the disaster.”
“Otherwise, the number of civilian deaths could easily have been several times higher.”
It was a small relief, but Frederica’s frown did not relax. In fact, her expression grew even more serious, as if she had realized something.
“That crack in the sky… That was three days ago. In just three days, over a million people died. What kind of disaster happened there? And if I’m not wrong, weren’t the two Heroes and that person also near Theo Province? Then why would—”
She didn’t finish her sentence, perhaps out of caution, but Edwina immediately understood what she meant. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she lowered her voice.
“Sister, I don’t want to hear you say that again. Protecting the people and the believers is our responsibility, not Her. No matter what She does, we have no right or reason to criticize Her, that would be blasphemy.”
“And think about it, with Theo Province under cult blockade, no one could get news out. Who else could have sent the warning to the Holy Capital in time?”
“She’s already done enough for us. Without the two Heroes he chose stepping in at the start of the disaster and saving countless lives in that great city, Saint Laos might already be nothing but a dead city.”
“As far as I know, in the Saint Tyr City, which was hit even harder, it was also the case that a girl, who had not been very strong before, suddenly seemed to be helped by the gods. By herself, she broke through the enemy’s attack, showing power like a miracle. She killed powerful enemies and countless monsters, giving the whole city a small chance to survive until reinforcements arrived.”
“She is a merciful and noble god, and She never shows off what She has done. I still don’t know the full truth, but sister, tell me, in this world, how many beings could give a normal human the power to change the sky, kill over a hundred thousand monsters, and destroy a terrifying pseudo god? There can’t be many.”
“… …”
Frederica looked at her younger sister’s serious face, she seemed more like a commander scolding a soldier than a little sister. Frederica gave a helpless smile, nodded slightly, and said,
“I spoke without thinking. Maybe the deaths of over a million people shocked me too much and made me lose my calm for a moment. Later, I will pray to the goddess and confess my mistake. Let’s focus on the main matter.”
“Alright.”
The Saintess no longer kept her voice down. She looked up at the generals and high-ranking priests in the room, who all had different expressions, and spoke in a deep voice.
“Theo Province is close to our eastern border. The Purple Mist City could reach it in only a few days’ march. Your Holiness, should we send troops to help with the disaster?”
“For now, no. This disaster is far too strange. I already discussed with the leaders of the Holy Order, and we cannot rule out the possibility that the Austre Empire, stuck in a stalemate on the main battlefield, is using this to lure our border troops away.”
The Pope’s face stayed calm, without sadness or joy, making it impossible to read her thoughts. She explained steadily.
“A war between our countries is a huge matter. If we make the wrong move, it could cause something even worse than the disaster in Theo Province. So the border cities, including Purple Mist City, will hold their positions for now. The disaster in Theo Province will be handled by our own forces inside the country. But there are a few things you must know.”
“According to our reports, the disaster in Theo Province mainly comes from a strange kind of flesh-and-blood monster. They are mostly made from local creatures that changed after being cursed. Most of them have no mind of their own, but they can be commanded by a small number of higher-level ones, making them very well-coordinated.”
“These creatures are extremely hard to kill, especially when they are on land that has been corrupted by the same source of power. In such places, they cannot be killed by any normal means. Our front-line troops have already confirmed this.”
As she spoke, Edwina took out several prepared drawings and showed them to the Judgement Saintess and the others. They clearly showed the most common types of these [Flesh Eaters].
It was clear the Church’s leaders had already fought them before.
“As you can see, these are roughly what the monsters look like. After initial study, the Holy Academy has judged their cause to be a special and terrible curse of flesh and blood, officially named the [Rotting Flesh Curse].”
“The [Rotting Flesh Curse] is not directly contagious, but it can still infect other creatures through a special process of assimilation. Infected creatures develop a strong hunger for flesh, which is why we call them ‘[Flesh Eaters].’”
“Right now, our domestic troops sent to help Theo Province have blocked most of the [Flesh Eaters] in the mountains, but some have still escaped to other areas, including eastern parts of the province near Purple Mist City and other border towns. Moving troops takes time, and they don’t have enough strength there yet to completely destroy or capture the remaining [Flesh Eaters]. So you must be careful about this matter yourselves.”
The people below exchanged looks. Soon, someone asked.
“Your Holiness, how should we deal with these monsters? Should we kill them immediately, or is there still a chance to heal them and turn them back to normal?”
“About that, the Holy Academy is studying this urgently, but there is no clear answer yet. However… I’m afraid it will be very hard.”
The blonde girl in the image thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“This curse is very high-level, like the most terrible kind of cancer. According to the one who first gave us information, if the infection has only just begun and only a small part of the flesh has changed, then maybe there are ways to heal and save them. But once the curse spreads through the whole body, it means the creature’s very nature has changed in a way that cannot be reversed.”
“So please tell your subordinates, if you meet a creature that has completely turned into a [Flesh Eater], looking like the ones in the pictures, do not hold back. Kill it on the spot. While they cannot be killed easily in cursed lands, if they come to normal areas, their life force becomes much weaker, and holy magic can hurt them effectively.”
After a short pause, Edwina added one last point.
“This is the Holy Light Order. All members of the Goddess Church must follow it immediately, no delays or excuses. Anyone who disobeys will be punished severely!”
Everyone’s faces became serious. They all bowed deeply. “We obey the Holy Order!”
The Holy Light Order is the highest command in the Goddess Church, second only to a direct message from the goddess herself. A Pope only gives this order after thinking very carefully, and only if something is serious enough to threaten the entire country. For example, the great demon wars in the past.
Some Popes who lived in peaceful times might never give such an order in their whole life. But Edwina Cecilia had only been Pope for two short years, and this was already the third time she had given it.
This fact showed clearly just how troubled and dangerous these times were.
“In addition, there is something extremely important that you must handle as quickly as possible.”
The Pope gave the orders clearly and without rushing. Even though she was only appearing as a magical image, her shining white armor, holy sword, and confident spirit made the powerful generals and priests in the room secretly admire her. They all lowered their heads respectfully and waited for her words, not daring to interrupt.
“It is still about the disaster in Theo Province. The reason this disaster came so suddenly, killing over a million people in our country, is that the ‘Curse’ is very hard to notice in its early stage. Also, the local church there had been infiltrated by an evil cult, so they failed to detect the danger and stop it in time. That is why it grew into such a terrible crisis.”
“We must never make the same mistake again. So I have worked with my fellow leaders of the Holy Order to create a plan: starting today, in every major city in the country, we will set up special checkpoints to examine the health of everyone entering or leaving. Large cities, towns, and villages must also quickly carry out a complete inspection of all residents.”
“This plan will be sent to all major cities and temples for immediate action. Purple Mist City is especially important because it is near the front lines of the war and close to Theo Province. Its situation is more complicated, so you must take extra care. Inspectors will soon arrive to explain the exact details and methods. You must cooperate fully and strictly make sure your subordinates complete this work. Anyone who fakes reports or tries to avoid doing their duty will be punished as if they had betrayed the Church!”
“We obey the Holy Order!”
The magic crystal used for the communication had limited power, so the Pope could not speak for too long. After giving some more details, the high-level meeting ended.
The priests, still deep in thought, left one after another to return to their duties. Only one person, the Saintess herself, stood up and went deeper into the building.
Before ending the call, the Pope had explained that checking for the Curse inside living beings was simple to do, but the real science behind it was more complex, so expert guidance was necessary. Frederica’s job now was to personally welcome those experts coming from the Holy Capital.
She entered a large empty hall and looked around. But she could not help feeling puzzled.
The Holy Capital was far from the eastern border Purple Mist City. Even with horses and carriages, traveling day and night, it would take over a month to arrive, and there was no time for that.
So, as her younger sister had said, the visitors would probably use some kind of space magic to arrive quickly, and they needed Frederica, who held the [Judgement Holy Sword], to prepare an open space as a magical “anchor point” for the teleportation.
The three holy relics of the Church had the ability to sense things over great distances, but teleporting living people such a long way was not something normal magic could do easily. If such precise and fast teleportation were possible everywhere, the wars in this world would probably be very different.
Still, Edwina would never lie about such a thing, so even though Frederica was curious, she followed her sister’s instructions and made all preparations.
She drew her sword from her waist and let its holy power shine without hiding it. Golden light rose slowly into the air.
Not long after, silver streaks of light began to appear out of thin air, slowly gathering in front of her, forming a strange shape that could be seen with the naked eye.
But it was not the teleportation gate Frederica had imagined. Instead, it was like an oval sack, hanging in the air, with the opening facing downward, several meters above the ground.
Uh… to be honest, it looked a little strange.
Then, under her slightly awkward gaze, the “sack” twitched a few times, and like dumping trash, it spat out a person.
That person fell face-first onto the ground with a loud thud.
“Ow, damn it! The landing system broke again!”