[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 36: The God of the Blue Mane Tribe (2)
"We're here. It's that."
Going deeper into the forest, Arandel pointed to sothing out of place and said.
"That's..."
"Certainly not sothing you'd expect to find in a place like this."
Hal and Benjamin, who had followed him, swallowed their exclamations.
A fist-sized ebony stake, barely noticeable, was embedded in a crevice in the rock, wrapped in red cloth covered in tiny writing.
It was clearly the work of humans.
As Hal approached the stake, he frowned slightly.
Arandel was right.
"I can sense divine power."
"There are more of those scattered throughout the forest."
The stake emanated a powerful force similar to the sacred artifacts of the church.
A strong, cold energy.
Batu, the God of War.
It was undoubtedly his energy, the one who led dozens of celestial legions.
But why was his power devastating this land?
Hal approached the stake to examine it.
"Be careful!"
Arandel shouted urgently, and Hal stopped, barely managing to pull back his hand.
Crackle!
Blue sparks erupted, and his fingertips tingled.
If he had gone any closer, they would have been scorched black.
"...Thank you."
Hal muttered in surprise.
Arandel shook his head and said,
"Two of our tribe mbers have lost their arms to that thing."
Divine power fundantally doesn't harm humans.
Like the Azure Fla, it's a power ant to benefit humanity.
However,
'There are also powers that are not.'
Hal approached the stake and examined it more closely.
The red writing was part of an incantation containing the power of evil destruction.
Examining the stake, made by cutting out a part of the Batu Scripture, Hal noticed sothing strange.
The direction of the power, ant to destroy evil, was subtly twisted.
The technique itself was distorted to recognize this land and nature itself as enemies.
This wasn't sothing an ordinary priest could do.
'As expected...'
This was the work of an Inquisitor.
In other words, it was the consecration of the Inquisitors, those who sought out and captured heretics, tortured them, and eradicated them.
"Did you find sothing?"
At Arandel's question, seeing the expression on Hal's face, Hal nodded briefly.
"This is similar to the techniques used by Inquisitors."
"Is that so? Then...?"
Arandel's expression was filled with expectation.
Because Hal had easily identified the problem.
Indeed, now that he had grasped the problem, solving it wasn't that difficult.
Since the prayer was distorted with divine power, all he had to do was restore it with divine power.
But...
"...I'll try."
It wasn't easy for Hal at all.
All he could do was invoke divine power through prayer; he had never perford a miracle that could be called consecration or benediction.
Hal clasped his hands together and began to pray devoutly.
After a while, a faint divine power lingered around him.
"Oh!"
The warmth was so clear that even Benjamin, an ordinary person, could feel it.
But...
"...?"
5 minutes passed…..
10 minutes passed…...
Then 15 minutes passed…...
"..."
There was no change in the stake.
"Um... Lord Hal?"
At Benjamin's call, Hal slowly opened his eyes.
Then he answered calmly,
"It seems difficult to dispel this with my prayer."
"...Is that so?"
Arandel's expression darkened rapidly.
Hal hurriedly said,
"There's still another way."
"Really?"
At Arandel's delighted response, Hal nodded confidently and cut his hand.
Everyone was surprised by his sudden self-harm, but only for a mont.
Hal clenched his fist, letting drops of blood fall onto the stake, and recited a prayer.
"Oh righteous fire of Ehurshica, that purifies iniquity."
Azure flas ignited.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the flas that blazed brilliantly as if to consu everything.
"Ohhh!"
"This is the Azure Fla of the youngest exorcist..."
Both Arandel and Benjamin let out exclamations of admiration.
However, their admiration soon turned into groans and sighs.
"Hmm..."
"Ahem..."
The reason was simple.
The stake and its seal were still perfectly intact.
"..."
An awkward silence fell.
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointnt.
Hal found it hard to bear the atmosphere.
So, unusually, he made an excuse,
"As expected, the powers of the sa good god don't affect each other."
The Azure Fla was the righteous power of destruction, imbued with divinity.
On the other hand, the seal on the stake was a power influenced by good, not evil.
It made sense that the Azure Fla wouldn't work.
It was an excuse, but it was certainly a correct analysis.
"...Ah, yes."
The two replied, even more awkwardly.
Their gazes towards Hal were now tinged with pity.
As the atmosphere grew even quieter, cold sweat trickled down Hal's forehead.
This wouldn't do.
He didn't know why, but he felt like his position would be jeopardized if this continued.
Thinking so, Hal gritted his teeth.
There was only one thing he could do in this situation.
"Oh Batu, who governs war, honor, and duels."
Hal suddenly stepped forward, reciting the scripture written on the sealing paper.
"...?"
The people's expressions were filled with questions at his sudden action.
But it didn't last long; their expressions soon turned to shock.
"Lead your 777,000 holy celestial armies and descend quickly to destroy these wicked beings and benefit the world."
Hal, reciting the correct, undistorted scripture, suddenly reached out towards the stake.
There was no unusual phenonon.
Blue electricity crackled, and Hal's hand began to blacken and burn.
"Lord Hal!"
"Th-this is madness!"
Benjamin and Arandel, realizing what Hal was trying to do, hurriedly tried to stop him.
But it was too late.
His shrunken fingers, stiff from the burns, gripped the stake.
It was then.
"Oh Ehurshica, protect your servant. Grant the power to correct this wrong once again with the flas of the Azure Fla."
Suddenly, Azure flas flickered from Hal's hand, which seed about to turn to ash at any mont.
"...!"
The Azure Fla.
The power that could even heal a severed arm.
It began to heal his burned hand.
"Oh Batu, do not let evil roam the earth, and do not let the lambs who serve you be tempted. Make the wicked beings tremble at the re ntion of your na."
Hal didn't stop.
He recited the two scriptures alternately and tightened his grip on the stake.
Crack!
With a sound like roots being pulled out, the blue electricity began to weaken.
Then, Hal gritted his teeth and muttered,
"Bring down the mace that tears, burns, and shatters evil!"
The next mont,
With a cracking sound, the sealing paper burst.
And the ebony stake was easily pulled out.
It no longer held any power.
"..."
Benjamin and Arandel stared blankly at Hal.
Their gazes were filled with shock, relief, and realization.
'...I must never try to cheat Lord Hal in a deal.'
'...If all the priests of the Empire are like this, I'll have to avoid fighting the lord.'
Unaware of this thought, Hal muttered calmly,
"As expected, the simplest thod is the best."
Hearing his words, the two just nodded awkwardly with a forced smile.
***
Arandel and the elite warriors of his tribe, the guardians of the forest.
And even Benjamin and the escorts of the trading company.
They scoured the forest, searching for and removing the stakes.
It took a little longer because only Hal could handle them.
It was a painful task, but Hal didn't delay even for a mont.
Two days passed like this.
Crack!
"It's done."
Hal pulled out the last stake.
A total of eight locations.
It wasn't a small number.
Hal looked fine on the outside, but he was quite exhausted.
'I'm tired.'
He just wanted to return to the territory with the company and rest as soon as possible.
"Thank you for your hard work. Let's go to Tarkasi."
Arandel said joyfully.
The problem that had been disrupting the spirit of the forest was solved.
The master of the forest would recover, and the conflict with the lord could be avoided for now.
Hal asked Arandel,
"What are you going to do after this?"
"As promised, we will lift the blockade on the road and move the village deeper into the forest."
"It's a matter of ti."
"I know, but... there's no other way. At least it will be quiet for a while."
Hal was silent for a mont at Arandel's words.
Then he calmly expressed his thoughts.
"That might not be the case."
"What do you an...?"
"I hear the price of iron has risen sharply in the Sorn territory."
Not only that.
The furnaces in the blacksmiths were constantly blazing, and the whole city was in a state of unrest.
Arandel's face turned pale as he understood what Hal ant.
"You an... the lord is preparing for war?"
"Rather than a grand na like war, it's more like a subjugation of the ard group occupying the road."
"Then could these stakes also be...?"
Arandel's face was filled with shock.
Hal simply replied with an expressionless face,
"That's a possibility. In any case, staying in this forest any longer is not wise."
Even if it wasn't the lord, it was clear that soone had acted maliciously against the forest and the druids.
Arandel fell into deep thought at Hal's advice.
But only for a mont. Arandel slowly shook his head and replied,
"I'm sorry, but we can't do that."
"..."
"This is our holand and the very god we serve. Tarkasi cannot exist if he leaves this place."
It was the expected answer.
Hal also understood what Arandel ant.
Therefore, Hal simply nodded and added,
"I understand. However..."
Hal stopped walking and looked at Arandel.
"If the day cos when there is no longer any reason to stay here, please co south and find the Heidern territory anyti."
Arandel's eyes widened at Hal's words, then gently curved into a smile.
With a pleasant, hearty laugh, Arandel nodded vigorously.
"That's reassuring. Thank you."
"Yes."
Hal simply nodded lightly and started walking again.
After walking for a while,
The group arrived at the clearing where Tarka was staying, the sa one they had visited before.
"Oh god, we have returned."
Arandel bowed before the giant wolf and greeted him.
As if waiting for them, Tarka raised his massive body and greeted the group.
[Welco back. You've worked hard.]
"How are you feeling?"
[Very good. I feel like I'm completely healed.]
Tarkasi answered Arandel's question with a pleasant chuckle, then his gaze stopped on Hal.
He pushed his huge head forward and said,
[Priest, I must thank you. I didn't expect you to solve it so quickly.]
"Don't ntion it."
Hal lowered his body and shook his head.
[No, it's truly admirable. I must give you the promised reward, my benefactor.]
As Tarkasi gently approached Hal and was about to open his mouth,
Slash!
A sharp sword strike sliced through Tarkasi's neck.
The sword, drawing a bold arc, was swung from below, and Tarkasi's neck, half severed, dangled and swayed.
"...Huh?"
Everyone who saw it doubted their own eyes.
Because the one who wielded the sword was none other than,
"That won't be necessary."
Hal.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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