The sky, shrouded in crimson clouds, split apart, and dazzling light poured down.
It was the wide-area buff cast by Vice Commander Liana.
The light shone upon everyone on the battlefield.
But the people’s gazes were drawn to a single person standing at the front.
The one who seized everyone’s attention was none other than Princess Irena.
Why was she alone so conspicuous?
It was by no means a coincidence.
“Clack, clack.”
It was thanks to the presence of Maru, the skeleton paladin standing right behind the princess.
Maru stirred up holy power and focused it on Irena.
As a result, even within the shining curtain, Princess Irena, who had received the holy power, stood out all the more.
Those who did not know the truth began to interpret Princess Irena in their own ways.
“Ah, she is truly a faithful follower of the Goddess.”
The paladins whispered in voices filled with awe. They believed Princess Irena’s actions and bearing stemmed solely from her faith in and devotion to the Goddess.
But the truth was different. Princess Irena was merely following Celia’s instructions.
“Your Highness! Please fall back! We will face that monster!”
The royal knights cried out desperately. The knights saw hope in Princess Irena.
As long as the princess was there, the kingdom’s future seemed bright.
For the kingdom they longed for, the knights pleaded with her, ready to throw themselves forward to protect her.
However, Irena ignored the knights’ entreaties and approached the King of Death with firm steps.
Naturally, Princess Irena could act this way because she was certain she would never die.
After all, that King of Death was ultimately only a subordinate of the Great One.
And he had surely already coordinated things with Celia.
Still, since she had the frail body of a human, there was a slight tremor in her, but she was not afraid.
Yet there was someone who blocked the princess’s actions.
“Haha, Your Highness. Why not stop this meaningless act?”
It was Count Beoteun, holding a pickaxe.
The count wore an expression as though he possessed the entire world.
“The tide has already turned. Look! Look at that tremendous being! He will rule the continent!”
The count gestured dramatically and pointed at the Death Knight King.
“He is the one who granted me power! I will trample all who stand in my way.”
And he intended to deal with this fearless princess and bring down the royal family as well.
“Through his power, I will soon become king! Kuhahaha!”
At the sight of the count’s madness, everyone fell silent.
It felt as though they had seen the very bottom of Count Beoteun.
“For the sake of our past affection, allow me to offer you a word of advice. Surrender now. You, of all people, should know that everything is futile. Who knows? I might even take you as my concubine. Heh heh heh.”
Now he referred to her as “you” instead of calling her princess.
He was already thinking of himself as no different from a king.
“…Clack.”
Necros, who had been watching Count Beoteun, made a gesture of slitting his throat with his hand.
It was a signal to cut him off quickly, as Count Beoteun’s lines were dragging on too long.
This was a play.
Yet a supporting actor with nothing to his name was making far too much of a scene.
The Death Knight King noticed Necros’s intent and shot dark power toward Count Beoteun.
“Huh… why am I suddenly sleepy…?”
The dark power led Count Beoteun into a deep sleep.
Now the supporting actor had exited the stage.
It was time for the lead to enter.
The Death Knight King and Necros nodded slightly.
Irena also nodded slightly and sent the signal.
Vetter, who was behind the Death Knight King, immediately spoke his lines.
【Kukuku. You insignificant human… do you dare think you can stop me!】
The moment Vetter finished speaking, the Death Knight King gathered the power of darkness and formed an enormous sphere of mana.
A massive sphere dyed pitch-black.
“Everyone, dodge!”
Before Irena’s shout had even ended, the sphere was fired.
The pitch-black sphere passed by Irena’s side and struck the knights behind her.
The knights quickly moved to avoid it, but those who could not escape in time were swallowed by the sphere.
“Aaaaagh!”
“No!”
Screams rang through the air, and red flesh scattered.
Those who had been filled with courage just moments before fell into despair.
【Hahaha! Is this all! Did you think you could stop me with only this much!】
When Vetter’s line ended, the Death Knight King fired another pitch-black sphere.
The sphere blazed like hellfire and clawed across the ground. The burning sphere flew toward the knights.
But this time, Maru stepped forward and blocked the sphere.
It had all been planned.
A suitable amount of fear was good, but if more humans died here, they might lose their will entirely.
That was why everyone was holding back.
This was, after all, a stage prepared for Princess Irena.
But the knights’ spirits had already been broken.
“Goddess, please save us…”
The paladins, too, prayed with expressions of despair. They had called upon her so desperately, but there was no response from the Goddess.
Could it be that the Goddess had abandoned them?
Just as seeds of doubt were about to be planted in their hearts.
“Everyone, stay strong! I am here!”
A single ray of hope crossed the battlefield.
Princess Irena, clad in silver armor, raised her sword high into the sky.
The light pouring from the heavens and the holy power radiating from Maru merged into one, giving off a dazzling brilliance.
That light flowed down along the princess’s blade.
It was truly a sacred sight.
Princess Irena slowly, ever so slowly, dismounted from her horse and advanced.
As the princess approached, Vetter shouted.
【K-Keuk! Is this the power of light! But it is not enough!】
At Vetter’s cry, the Death Knight King responded immediately.
He gathered all the power of darkness.
This time, not one sphere, but dozens, hundreds of spheres filled the air.
“With sacred light, I shall drive away the darkness!”
Princess Irena charged forward with her shining sword in hand.
At the same time, the pitch-black spheres also rained down toward her.
“Your Highness! You mustn’t!”
Lennon, who belatedly grasped the situation, leaped toward the princess, but—
Boom— Kaboom—
An enormous explosion erupted from the collision between Irena and the monster.
The aftermath of the explosion was tremendous.
Eeeee—
A ringing filled their ears, and they could hear nothing.
Vast surges of light and darkness. And the dust blanketing the street from the shock of the explosion made their vision blur.
No, it would be more accurate to say they could not see at all.
Everyone closed their eyes and covered their ears at the same time.
* * *
“Now then, that was excellent. In particular, Mr. Vetter, your acting was wonderful.”
“Thank you, Lady Celia.”
Celia, who had appeared at some point, praised Vetter.
There were humans nearby, but it did not matter much.
They were currently covering their eyes and ears.
Not only that, but the street was already filled with thick dust, and Maru was radiating vast light with holy power.
Even if they opened their eyes, there was no chance of being discovered.
“Mr. Death Knight King, you also worked hard matching your timing with Mr. Vetter. Please keep up the good work until the very end.”
At Celia’s unexpected encouragement, the Death Knight King nodded brightly.
Celia next looked at Irena.
Irena, in particular, had followed this plan well. Thanks to that, things had gone smoothly.
“Then, our Princess Irena? It isn’t over yet. Shall we decorate the finale now?”
At Celia’s words, Princess Irena took her position.
It was the pose of thrusting her sword into the Death Knight King’s body.
Of course, the Death Knight King felt no pain at all. To begin with, the princess was an ordinary human, so there was not even the slightest damage.
Still, since the play was not yet over, the Death Knight King pretended to collapse.
If someone saw it, it would look as though Princess Irena’s sword had defeated the Death Knight King.
“Now, once all this is over, you will no longer be a mere princess.”
Celia said with a smile.
There were already countless people who had witnessed Irena’s achievements.
Especially the kingdom’s citizens, and the number of royal knights was also enormous.
Even if Princess Irena did not want it, she would walk the path of a king.
Above all, the surviving paladins and Vice Commander Liana had also seen Princess Irena’s exploits clearly with their own eyes.
“The Order’s interest will probably be tremendous as well.”
At Celia’s words, Irena nodded silently.
Even if all of this was an act, officially, Princess Irena had brought down a seven-star-class calamity.
This was by no means a matter to be taken lightly.
For a while, the Order’s attention would surely be directed toward Princess Irena.
Many troublesome matters would arise, but Irena had already made up her mind anyway.
“Good. Once this matter is over, you, Irena, will also be able to formally serve the Great One. Do not forget that this is a tremendous honor.”
Even without that, Irena had already been captivated by the Great One’s power.
To be able to serve such a being was no different from a great honor to her.
“Once you become the master of the kingdom, record everything about the Seil Kingdom that you did not know until now and submit it to me. The kingdom will be reborn.”
From now on, this was the true beginning.
“I shall see you again soon. Princess Irena. No, Queen Irena.”
The moment Princess Irena became the queen of the Seil Kingdom, the kingdom would no longer be a nation of humans.
Celia turned her back.
Behind Celia, Necros and Vetter followed, and behind them, skeletons carried Count Beoteun as they trailed after her.
Only Irena and the Death Knight remained on the street as the monsters vacated the scene.
And slowly, the light began to fade.
* * *
The dust cleared, and the light disappeared.
As their vision slowly returned, the people immediately searched for the princess.
The princess and the calamity known as the King of Death had clearly collided.
In their minds, they had already concluded that the princess must have been defeated.
But they believed in the smallest possibility.
Because people always yearned for miracles, they hoped the princess had survived.
And then.
“……!”
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
“Y-Your Highness?”
Even Lennon, who had long guarded the princess, looked as though he had seen a ghost.
Princess Irena, whom they had so desperately hoped was alive, truly was alive.
And not only that.
Princess Irena stood with her sword piercing the King of Death.
“God… a miracle has occurred…”
A paladin muttered as though he could hardly believe it.
The royal knights were so overjoyed by the princess’s survival that they embraced one another and shed tears.
The citizens, too, shouted so loudly that the ground trembled.
“Long live Princess Irena! Long live!”
“Long live Her Highness the Princess!”
The people cheered and focused on Princess Irena.
Princess Irena slowly withdrew the sword with which she had stabbed the monster.
Then she raised the sword high into the sky.
“We have won!”
At Irena’s voice, everyone knelt.
Not only the citizens, but the royal knights and the paladins also knelt on the ground.
Vice Commander Liana, who led the paladins, also knelt and murmured quietly.
“A true saintess has been born.”
Princess Irena was no longer a mere princess.
She would be revered as a hero who saved the continent from evil, an apostle of the Goddess, and a saintess.
* * *
The long, long battle came to an end.
Princess Irena led the knight order toward the royal palace.
The surviving citizens were rebuilding the collapsed ruins.
Above all, every noble in the kingdom had promised to contribute to the restoration of the capital.
It was only natural.
After all, Count Beoteun, who had been the leader of the noble faction, was a criminal who had summoned a calamity.
But that calamity had met its end at Princess Irena’s hands.
Count Beoteun had disappeared, but he would now be designated a heretic of the continent.
On top of that, through this incident, Princess Irena had gained justification.
The saintess who saved the continent.
Everyone who had seen the princess’s deeds was saying so.
Now Princess Irena had all but gained the backing of the White Order.
So who would dare raise the banner of rebellion against the royal family?
The nobles had no time to read the mood and acted unconditionally to curry favor with the royal family.
From Princess Irena to the citizens, everyone moved busily.
And the same was true of Vice Commander Liana, who had come as part of the Order’s delegation.
“So the true identity of the King of Death was a Death Knight King…”
Vice Commander Liana looked at the calamity the princess had defeated.
The calamity’s true identity was, in fact, a Death Knight King.
It was the identity of the monster Princess Irena had told her about, saying she had heard it from the Great One.
‘If she heard it from the Great One, then it must have been an oracle from the Goddess after all.’
Deputy Commander Riana thought of Princess Irena.
‘I thought she was nothing more than a weak princess….’
But she had been hiding her power.
Suddenly, she recalled the princess saying she would return to the royal palace to wrap things up.
They were meaningful words.
‘Well, by now she must have reached the palace already.’
More than enough time had passed.
Deputy Commander Riana had the feeling that the ruler of the Seil Kingdom would soon change.
“Then again, she already has the justification.”
Even if she deposed her own father and ascended the throne, no one would have anything to say.
Princess Irena had already become someone with that much influence.
Apart from that, Riana called her subordinates in order to carry out her own duty.
“Lift it carefully!”
They would move the Death Knight King Princess Irena had brought down to the Order.
Of course, those who remained would not move it themselves.
They only needed to guard the site and wait for additional support to arrive from the Order.
The Order’s losses from this incident had been far too great.
They had confirmed the deaths of Priest Titan and Commander Gerard, and most of the delegation had died. This was the measure the Order had decided upon.
But the Death Knight King’s body began to vanish rapidly.
“Deputy Commander! The Death Knight King is disappearing!”
Riana hurried over to the Death Knight King, but it had already vanished without a trace.
* * *
- Special mission completed!
- All monsters dispatched to the Seil Kingdom will be recalled.
- Rewards for completing the special mission will be granted!
- Warning! After 6 hours have elapsed, the Death Knight King’s (★★★★★★★) temporary evolution will be undone.
- As the temporary evolution is undone, the Death Knight (★★★★★) will be rendered unable to act for a certain period of time.
* * *
“Have you heard the news? They say a saintess has been born in the Seil Kingdom, and the whole place is in an uproar.”
The related news had already spread quickly through the Order as well.
Princess Irena. No, the woman who had now become queen. The story of how she had defeated the seven-star Death Knight King single-handedly was already famous.
It had already spread across the entire continent.
In particular, it was said that the Great One had spoken of the Death Knight King.
There must surely have been an oracle from the Goddess.
Not only the Seil Kingdom, but even the priests of the Order were already calling Queen Irena a saintess.
After driving away the calamity, Queen Irena immediately turned her troops toward the royal palace.
Before her, now a hero of the continent, even her father the king could do nothing.
Above all, through this incident, Irena had gained the support of the people.
Traces of demon summoning had been discovered not only with Count Beerton, but among most of the nobles within the kingdom.
Who could have imagined that skeletons would be discovered in the mansions of nobles in the capital?
But someone had to take responsibility.
After all, it was an incident that could have brought down the entire continent.
In the end, the king stepped down of his own accord.
“All of this must be the will of the Goddess.”
The Order defended Irena’s accession, saying it was the will of the Goddess.
The kingdom was still in turmoil, so the coronation had yet to be held, but Irena was already no different from the queen of the Seil Kingdom.
However, from the Order’s perspective, they could not simply be pleased.
The White Order already had Saintess Helisa. The appearance of a second saintess was something even the Order’s leadership had never anticipated.
But since they had already witnessed Queen Irena’s accomplishments, it was awkward to deny that she was a saintess.
Naturally, Helisa was overcome with irritation.
“A lowly princess dares to receive the title of saintess?”
Helisa did not acknowledge Irena as a saintess, let alone as queen.
But the reality was that the atmosphere favored recognizing Irena as a saintess more than Helisa.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Helisa screamed.
Nothing was going her way.
At this point, there were even those who began to distrust Helisa instead.
The priests and holy knights who kept going missing.
And now, with a seven-star calamity occurring, the Order had suffered enormous losses.
As a result, even within the Order, questions were being raised as to whether Helisa was truly a saintess.
Helisa found the current situation unbearably irritating.
“It all started after I sent that bastard Lee Kanghyeon back to Earth!”
It had definitely started then.
There had been a time before when she had sent a man named Lee Kanghyeon back to Earth.
But after that, things had strangely stopped going well.
Even if it seemed like a forced claim, Helisa, as a saintess, could tell. As a saintess, she had a feeling.
Lee Kanghyeon must have done something.
“Did he really put some kind of curse on me?”
Otherwise, how could things have become this tangled?
As Saintess Helisa thought it over, the look in her eyes changed.
“Yes. If I get rid of him, everything will be solved, won’t it?”
To solve the problem, it was only right to eliminate the cause itself.
No matter what anyone said, the true saintess was her.
“I just have to get rid of Lee Kanghyeon. Only Lee Kanghyeon…. Even if I have to find a way to summon him here!”
She was the one who had forcibly sent Lee Kanghyeon, who had been summoned to the Eldorad Continent, back.
If it was possible to send him back to Earth, then conversely, wasn’t there also a way to summon him again?
No matter how long it took, she intended to find that method.
Helisa clasped her hands together and began to pray.