Cladda had heard about the humiliation suffered by Marquis Rogal when he asked for troops from Vine at the banquet hall.
He said that he could not lend troops without a price.
However, the temple was more than ready to pay a price.
To be exact, it was not an upfront payment, but it was willing to pay later.
“As you know, the gates of heaven will open after the opening ceremony is over.”
Cladda said, puffing out his chest.
“Don’t you know about the ancient times, before the demons ate away his power? The time when he had full power?”
He looked back at Beryl. She knew. There was no way she didn’t know.
He said that in that place, where there were no monsters, no diseases, and no conflict, humans lived only dreaming of happiness. He said that everything was possible only with the mercy of God.
However, Beryl, who had been reading that book long ago, always had questions.
What did these people gain happiness from?
What did they have? Or was it that they were happy just spending time with the person they liked?
The book said that they were just happy.
Then what if they lost them?
There was no content that they lived eternal life. It said that death came without illness or pain.
So in a world where gods descended, death wasn’t a separation?
Beryl couldn’t understand that at first. Could there be only happy separation?
But the priests wouldn’t allow her to have any doubts.
“You still lack faith.”
He said that he could not lend troops without a price.
However, the temple was more than ready to pay a price.
To be exact, it was not an upfront payment, but it was willing to pay later.
“As you know, the gates of heaven will open after the opening ceremony is over.”
Cladda said, puffing out his chest.
“Don’t you know about the ancient times, before the demons ate away his power? The time when he had full power?”
He looked back at Beryl. She knew. There was no way she didn’t know.
He said that in that place, where there were no monsters, no diseases, and no conflict, humans lived only dreaming of happiness. He said that everything was possible only with the mercy of God.
However, Beryl, who had been reading that book long ago, always had questions.
What did these people gain happiness from?
What did they have? Or was it that they were happy just spending time with the person they liked?
The book said that they were just happy.
Then what if they lost them?
There was no content that they lived eternal life. It said that death came without illness or pain.
So in a world where gods descended, death wasn’t a separation?
Beryl couldn’t understand that at first. Could there be only happy separation?
But the priests wouldn’t allow her to have any doubts.
“You still lack faith.”
She clearly remembered what Cladda had said.
Did she still have such doubts?
Above all.
Beryl looked back at Cladda for a moment. Cladda was smiling strangely.
This man became a magician and a devil to realize his desires with human power.
If the world where gods existed gave perfect happiness, what kind of desires would they have to become magicians?
It was a contradiction.
However, Cladda seemed to firmly believe in those words and continued speaking.
“The world that God reorganized will be a place without demons or monsters. In that place, the family that will receive the attention of God after the temple will be the Vine.”
He emphasized the last part.
“Will God not show mercy to those who pave the way for His descent?”
The family that most wanted to avoid God’s gaze was the Vine.
Beryl looked back at Belled. For a moment, while Cladda lowered his head, a clear arsenic appeared on his face.
It meant only one thing.
As Beryl thought, those words were all just legends. When the gates of heaven open... it must be true that a passage to God opens.
However, if God were so fair and merciful and loved His creatures, He should not have cursed them, the magicians, but made them happy.
He would not have cursed them to be unhappy, to live only by harming His other creatures.
“Vine.”
Beryl opened her mouth. No matter what kind of ridiculous story he came and told, Beryl’s answer was set.
She knew that her one word would decide the fate of many people.
In the past, that fact alone would have made her nervous.
But now, Beryl knew. She knew clearly what the countless demons she had watched from far and near wanted.
And that they would agree to the choice Beryl made. Above all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the demons who were dying from lack of magic power. That was why.
Did she still have such doubts?
Above all.
Beryl looked back at Cladda for a moment. Cladda was smiling strangely.
This man became a magician and a devil to realize his desires with human power.
If the world where gods existed gave perfect happiness, what kind of desires would they have to become magicians?
It was a contradiction.
However, Cladda seemed to firmly believe in those words and continued speaking.
“The world that God reorganized will be a place without demons or monsters. In that place, the family that will receive the attention of God after the temple will be the Vine.”
He emphasized the last part.
“Will God not show mercy to those who pave the way for His descent?”
The family that most wanted to avoid God’s gaze was the Vine.
Beryl looked back at Belled. For a moment, while Cladda lowered his head, a clear arsenic appeared on his face.
It meant only one thing.
As Beryl thought, those words were all just legends. When the gates of heaven open... it must be true that a passage to God opens.
However, if God were so fair and merciful and loved His creatures, He should not have cursed them, the magicians, but made them happy.
He would not have cursed them to be unhappy, to live only by harming His other creatures.
“Vine.”
Beryl opened her mouth. No matter what kind of ridiculous story he came and told, Beryl’s answer was set.
She knew that her one word would decide the fate of many people.
In the past, that fact alone would have made her nervous.
But now, Beryl knew. She knew clearly what the countless demons she had watched from far and near wanted.
And that they would agree to the choice Beryl made. Above all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the demons who were dying from lack of magic power. That was why.
“I will gladly send troops.”
“Oh...!”
Cladda’s eyes lit up.
“To subdue the two families and safely open the gates during the opening ceremony.”
...To open the gates of hell.
Beryl smiled.
***
Before Cladda left, I said to him.
“And the opening ceremony is just around the corner.”
Cladda stopped as he mounted his horse. I looked around and said,
“The atmosphere of the world is unusual.”
I was surprised at myself for saying that without realizing it. I could feel nothing in the atmosphere. I had never felt anything like the atmosphere of the world in the first place. But I was acting so naturally.
“About two weeks.”
I closed my eyes and opened them.
“After that, there will be a ceremony to open the gates. I don’t know what the signs will be, but for sure, a big enough change will begin to occur that people will notice.”
The reason I knew that was not because I could feel the atmosphere of the world, but because I had seen it before the return.
However, Claddahl, who could not have known that fact, glared at me.
“We should prepare.”
“Yes, we have caught the demons, so hurry.”
At those words, Cladda grabbed the reins with an even more serious expression.
“Yes. I will relay the information about preparing troops to the temple right away.”
“Please relay it as quickly as possible. Oh, and.”
I said lightly.
“The troops dispatched from Vine cannot help but be unaware of the temple’s situation. To deploy them appropriately, they need to have command authority, right?”
“...!”
Cladda hesitated. No way.
I, who did not miss the slight anticipation on his face, said.
“Cladda, please take command authority.”
Cladda swallowed hard. Giving command authority to Cladda, rather than the temple, meant that he would have more authority to speak loudly in the temple.
If the gates of heaven were to open, the power of the temple would be reorganized around those who contributed to opening it.
And there, Cladda, who brought Vine’s reinforcements, would truly have the greatest power.
“Thank you.”
Cladda bowed his head with a face filled with emotion.
“I can’t do three shifts.”
“Starting tomorrow, it’s two shifts.”
“Do this all day and night?”
The ones who were talking tiredly were the paladins dispatched to the Duke Orobas’s House.
They were standing near a small building attached to the Duke Orobas’s House.
The sight around that building was extremely grim for a building guarded by a sacred temple.
It was because the surrounding area was lined with holy relics to imprison the demons inside, the Duke Orobas, and his men.
Most of the swords and weapons were covered with holy water to defeat monsters, so most of the objects lined around it were sharp and dangerous.
The priests seemed to believe that the demons inside would be suppressed by the holy relics.
First of all, the fact that the things inside were not real demons was a second, and even the demons felt only discomfort and not pain from the objects that had been stained with holy water for at least a hundred years, but the priests could not have known that fact.
“But isn’t the Duke going to the Inquisition?”
“It seems they’re interrogating the aides first.”
The knights whispered.
The servants of Orobas were already being interrogated one by one, and those who were even slightly suspicious were being locked up in this building.
However, the Duke, who had given all the suspicious orders, had not yet been interrogated.
If they had sent him to the interrogation room right away, the nobles would have strongly opposed him.
Of course, now that this much evidence has been released that the Duke of Orobas is a demon, those who opposed him would be more suspicious, but it would still be better to follow the procedures.
He must have said it because he felt guilty, but it wasn’t a lie, so Duke Orobas avoided torture.
However, thanks to that, the knights were going to die.
As the interrogation period grew longer, the troops had to run to catch Orobas’ confidants who were trying to escape.
There was a limit to guarding them in shifts 24 hours a day.
“Duke Yubar’s house is not moving much right now, but if they start moving...”
The faces of the knights, who were already tired from several shifts, showed fatigue.
They couldn’t say it out loud, but they had one conclusion in mind.
If they made a mistake and lost all the demons they had captured!
Of course, if they were in danger of dying in the process, they would quietly leave. They made various excuses. They didn’t want other people to suffer because of the demons who escaped. They didn’t want the monsters to take advantage of the gap in the number of knights guarding this place.
That was when.
“Lord Cladda has returned!”
Their faces lit up with hopeful news.
“He's been to Vine, right?”
“I heard he said he’d somehow resolve the manpower problem.”
Hehe!
Cladda’s horse quickly cut through them.
With a face full of joy and excitement, he headed straight for another building nearby where the high-ranking priests were gathered.
“Cladda?”
“How was it?”
They asked Cladda, their faces noticeably tense.
Cladda smiled.
“Vine, the Saintess will lend us troops to subdue Yu ar and Orobas.”
He emphasized.
“Follow my command.”
“After that, there will be a ceremony to open the gates. I don’t know what the signs will be, but for sure, a big enough change will begin to occur that people will notice.”
The reason I knew that was not because I could feel the atmosphere of the world, but because I had seen it before the return.
However, Claddahl, who could not have known that fact, glared at me.
“We should prepare.”
“Yes, we have caught the demons, so hurry.”
At those words, Cladda grabbed the reins with an even more serious expression.
“Yes. I will relay the information about preparing troops to the temple right away.”
“Please relay it as quickly as possible. Oh, and.”
I said lightly.
“The troops dispatched from Vine cannot help but be unaware of the temple’s situation. To deploy them appropriately, they need to have command authority, right?”
“...!”
Cladda hesitated. No way.
I, who did not miss the slight anticipation on his face, said.
“Cladda, please take command authority.”
Cladda swallowed hard. Giving command authority to Cladda, rather than the temple, meant that he would have more authority to speak loudly in the temple.
If the gates of heaven were to open, the power of the temple would be reorganized around those who contributed to opening it.
And there, Cladda, who brought Vine’s reinforcements, would truly have the greatest power.
“Thank you.”
Cladda bowed his head with a face filled with emotion.
***
“I can’t do three shifts.”
“Starting tomorrow, it’s two shifts.”
“Do this all day and night?”
The ones who were talking tiredly were the paladins dispatched to the Duke Orobas’s House.
They were standing near a small building attached to the Duke Orobas’s House.
The sight around that building was extremely grim for a building guarded by a sacred temple.
It was because the surrounding area was lined with holy relics to imprison the demons inside, the Duke Orobas, and his men.
Most of the swords and weapons were covered with holy water to defeat monsters, so most of the objects lined around it were sharp and dangerous.
The priests seemed to believe that the demons inside would be suppressed by the holy relics.
First of all, the fact that the things inside were not real demons was a second, and even the demons felt only discomfort and not pain from the objects that had been stained with holy water for at least a hundred years, but the priests could not have known that fact.
“But isn’t the Duke going to the Inquisition?”
“It seems they’re interrogating the aides first.”
The knights whispered.
The servants of Orobas were already being interrogated one by one, and those who were even slightly suspicious were being locked up in this building.
However, the Duke, who had given all the suspicious orders, had not yet been interrogated.
If they had sent him to the interrogation room right away, the nobles would have strongly opposed him.
Of course, now that this much evidence has been released that the Duke of Orobas is a demon, those who opposed him would be more suspicious, but it would still be better to follow the procedures.
He must have said it because he felt guilty, but it wasn’t a lie, so Duke Orobas avoided torture.
However, thanks to that, the knights were going to die.
As the interrogation period grew longer, the troops had to run to catch Orobas’ confidants who were trying to escape.
There was a limit to guarding them in shifts 24 hours a day.
“Duke Yubar’s house is not moving much right now, but if they start moving...”
The faces of the knights, who were already tired from several shifts, showed fatigue.
They couldn’t say it out loud, but they had one conclusion in mind.
If they made a mistake and lost all the demons they had captured!
Of course, if they were in danger of dying in the process, they would quietly leave. They made various excuses. They didn’t want other people to suffer because of the demons who escaped. They didn’t want the monsters to take advantage of the gap in the number of knights guarding this place.
That was when.
“Lord Cladda has returned!”
Their faces lit up with hopeful news.
“He's been to Vine, right?”
“I heard he said he’d somehow resolve the manpower problem.”
Hehe!
Cladda’s horse quickly cut through them.
With a face full of joy and excitement, he headed straight for another building nearby where the high-ranking priests were gathered.
“Cladda?”
“How was it?”
They asked Cladda, their faces noticeably tense.
Cladda smiled.
“Vine, the Saintess will lend us troops to subdue Yu ar and Orobas.”
He emphasized.
“Follow my command.”
In short, he had brought them.
“Oh...!”
“I was right! Didn’t I say I would ask the Saintess?”
The gazes of envy and jealousy turned toward the one who insisted that it was his idea.
The reason was clear.
Since he had contributed more to opening the gates of heaven than the others, they thought that God would see it when the gates opened.
However, the one who had contributed more than anyone else in this place was Cladda.
“God will recognize your contribution.”
Cladda bowed briefly at the solemn words of a priest.
His heart seemed to swell with excitement at the thought of crossing the gates of heaven and taking up a glorious position.
“Oh, and the Saintess said that we will be able to conduct the opening ceremony soon.”
The priests gulped at those words.
“In two weeks.”
In short, it was a story that they would receive honor in two weeks.
“We must prepare perfectly without any mistakes.”
“First, we must contact the temples in each part of the empire.”
Temple people from all over the continent would gather without fail.
To receive the blessings of the gods.
They firmly believed that blessings would come to those who believed in the gods during the opening ceremony.
The exciting news spread throughout the empire in an instant.
“Oh...!”
“I was right! Didn’t I say I would ask the Saintess?”
The gazes of envy and jealousy turned toward the one who insisted that it was his idea.
The reason was clear.
Since he had contributed more to opening the gates of heaven than the others, they thought that God would see it when the gates opened.
However, the one who had contributed more than anyone else in this place was Cladda.
“God will recognize your contribution.”
Cladda bowed briefly at the solemn words of a priest.
His heart seemed to swell with excitement at the thought of crossing the gates of heaven and taking up a glorious position.
“Oh, and the Saintess said that we will be able to conduct the opening ceremony soon.”
The priests gulped at those words.
“In two weeks.”
In short, it was a story that they would receive honor in two weeks.
“We must prepare perfectly without any mistakes.”
“First, we must contact the temples in each part of the empire.”
Temple people from all over the continent would gather without fail.
To receive the blessings of the gods.
They firmly believed that blessings would come to those who believed in the gods during the opening ceremony.
The exciting news spread throughout the empire in an instant.
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