Chapter 256

After sending Isolde away, Isaac headed towards the Issacrea estate with Angela.

Since he couldn't entrust her to Hectali or Zihilrat, he had no choice but to take her himself. He considered walking, thinking the young girl might be afraid to ride on the dragon, but surprisingly, she didn't seem too frightened.

Nel appeared to be interested in Angela, though it was unclear whether this was due to a sense of familiarity or curiosity about her flesh. On the other hand, Angela showed little emotion even as Nel flapped his wings and soared hundreds of meters into the sky.

'Flying at this height, she should be either scared or at least curious.'

Isaac, knowing that Isolde would be horrified, deliberately performed some rather daring maneuvers. Angela clung tightly to Nel's sturdy mane, but still didn't appear to be scared.

'Is she inherently brave, or has the shock of losing her parents dulled her emotions?'

It was possible. However, Isaac was more concerned that she didn't seem desensitized to external stimuli. As soon as they arrived at the estate, he decided to consult a priest about Angela.

***

"Did it go? Is it gone?"

"Oh my god, what was that thing?"

Members of the dispersed Ciero Dawn Army began to crawl out from behind the trees where they had been hiding. Scattered in all directions by the flock of crows, they had lost their focal point, and their numbers had drastically decreased. Once a group of over a hundred, they now barely amounted to thirty.

Their morale was already at rock bottom. Terrified by the enormous crow that had just flown overhead, they only stared at the sky. It was actually Nel with Isaac and Angela aboard, but none of them imagined it could be a dragon.

"What kind of place is this where such insane crows roam?"

"I heard this is the famous Holy Grail Knight's domain. I expected a warm welcome... but to let such wicked things wander around!"

The Dawn Army soldiers shuddered and anxiously looked around.

When they had first left their villages to join the Dawn Army, brandishing farming tools, they had been in high spirits. It felt like they were doing something significant, and the villagers had even pooled their money to support them. Along the way, they met others with similar goals, banded together, and as their numbers grew, it was gratifying to see even noble lords and knights regard them with unease.

But soon, their travel expenses ran out, and their good mood didn't last. They had to resort to asking for donations for their noble crusade, but no one welcomed them. When they requested food or a place to sleep, people not only refused but even bolted their doors.

The priest's promise that they would be welcomed and celebrated wherever they went was a lie.

Having left their homes with great fanfare, they couldn't bear the shame of returning empty-handed. So they began to loot. As their numbers grew, so did the severity of their actions. It didn't take long for their looting to become violent. Though they were little different from bandits now, they still believed themselves to be the Dawn Army, convinced that joining Priest Ciero would open the gates to heaven.

That is, if they didn't die in some unknown place.

"Come to think of it... isn't there a haunted castle called Traelgul around here? Could that thing have come from there?"

When someone voiced this fear, everyone else gave them a wary look. Desperate for some peace of mind, they spoke to the only person who might provide it.

"Hey, student. You said you were headed this way, right? What the hell is going on here in the domain of the Holy Grail Knight?"

A man asked a young man with a haggard expression.

Student Priest Claire, wiping his dusty glasses, stared blankly at the sky.

"Well. Crows are clever beasts sometimes used by inquisitors. Perhaps the Codex of Light sent them to admonish us for the unholy things we've done."

"Hah. Someone knock some sense into this guy."

Another man smacked the back of Claire's head.

"Thought he was smart because he's a student priest, but he's useless."

"If he was any good, he'd be in a cathedral or monastery, not wandering around here."

Claire stumbled, picked up his fallen glasses, and wiped them again.

Isaac's assumption that the journey wouldn't be too difficult for someone of priestly rank was mistaken.

The households already plundered by the Ciero Dawn Army were not openly hostile but had no food to spare. Additionally, the long distances were grueling for Claire, who was physically frail.

Ironically, it was the Ciero Dawn Army who helped Claire's group.

Once they had food and drink, Claire's group could barely survive and continue their journey.

For the Ciero Dawn Army, their addition was also welcome.

Though Claire couldn't perform real miracles, having a priest in the group gave them significant authority.

The fact that they could gather a hundred people was thanks to Claire's group. By then, Claire realized they were closer to a band of bandits, but he couldn't escape. He tried to dissuade them several times, only to get beaten.

At first, the men hesitated to touch a priest, but now they knew nothing would happen, and they beat him without hesitation.

Claire didn't resist.

His companions either died or fled. In the end, Claire was the only one left heading towards the Issacrea estate. After hearing that his grandmother, Cardinal Camille, had become a monster due to dabbling in the Doctrine of the Nameless Chaos, he had no intention of returning.

He now believed this journey was a penance, a punishment for his sins. Wandering in such a miserable state seemed fitting to atone for what he had done.

***

"Anyway, we can't turn back now. Those who scattered have nowhere to go, so they'll eventually gather in the Issacrea village."

"For now, let's find something to eat and a place to rest. I heard the Issacrea territory is peaceful and well-off..."

That meant they were looking for another place to plunder. A lone house should be easy for thirty men to raid.

A man motioned with his chin.

"I saw a house over there earlier. Let's check it out."

The Dawn Army moved in the direction indicated. Soon, they spotted a solitary house in a quiet area. The surroundings were well-maintained, and a few sheep were penned inside a fence. It seemed the rumors about the Issacrea territory's security were true.

They were excited at the prospect of tasting meat again.

Suddenly, Claire jumped out in front of them and shouted.

"Run! Thieves are here! Run away!"

The men cursed and immediately grabbed his head, slamming him to the ground.

"You bastard, not doing any work!"

"Kill him!"

They began to beat Claire. But soon, they realized they didn't have time to beat him. A woman, having heard Claire's shout, emerged from the house.

As soon as she saw the Dawn Army, she bolted out of the house.

"Catch her! She's going to alert the guards!"

If the security was stable, it meant that there was a patrol guard. The Dawn Army threw Claire aside and ran to catch the fleeing woman. At that moment, Claire, who had been curled up and beaten, suddenly stood up, raised his hands, and shouted.

"The Radiance is with me!"

The Dawn Army recoiled in horror, knowing that Claire was attempting to invoke a miracle, but nothing happened. Claire, already tainted by the Chaos ritual, no longer had the power to perform miracles. Realizing he was just stalling, the men turned to chase the woman again.

But Claire chanted another prayer.

"Gather the scattered fragments of oblivion with your touch!"

A man, thinking it was a meaningless incantation, tried to run but tripped over something that grabbed his ankle, causing him to tumble to the ground.

For a moment, it seemed like a dark tentacle had emerged from the ground and grabbed his ankle.

"W-what is this?!"

Claire was just as shocked.

It was a prayer he had read in records but never intended to use. He had never expected a miracle to be granted to a non-believer like him.

However, it lasted only briefly. The miracle dissipated quickly, but by then, the woman had disappeared into the mist surrounding the valley.

Realizing they had failed, the Dawn Army turned their wrath on Claire, who was helplessly slumped on the ground.

Claire, with a resigned look, smiled bitterly.

"Codex of Light, Owl, all the gods of the world. At least I saved one person."

A man, clutching a rock, stepped forward purposefully. Claire, seeing the stone that would be his end, closed his eyes.

But the awaited pain did not come.

Curious, Claire slowly opened his eyes.

The man with the rock stood motionless. The others were just staring at him. Claire realized their gaze was slightly above him.

He wondered if the mist had always been this thick.

With a soft thud, something fell in front of Claire.

It was the head of the man who had been about to strike him with the rock.

Soon, a gruesome massacre began in the thick mist.

***

Crack.

Claire watched from beyond the mist as a knight in heavy armor crushed the head of a Dawn Army soldier with one hand. The knight tossed aside the man, whose head had been reduced to a strange size, and counted the remaining survivors on his fingers.

The Dawn Army had tried to flee from 'that' several times. However, the thick mist twisted their sense of direction, causing them to end up back where they started. Eventually, they gave up running and charged at the knight, only to be brutally slaughtered.

[Ten. That should be enough.]

The knight spoke in a strange, resonant voice from inside his helmet, then turned his gaze to Claire. Claire, who had watched the knight from start to finish, was the only one left alive.

[This is the territory of Lord Traelgul of the ancient castle. Innocents will be spared, but those with malicious intent must offer a toll of a head, arm, or leg.]

Claire listened blankly. Traelgul stared at him and then spoke again.

[Spread this rumor. So that everyone passing through here knows. Got it?]

"I understand."

Claire replied quickly. He felt that if he didn't answer, the knight would choose another nine from the survivors to find someone who would.

Satisfied, Traelgul nodded and disappeared into the mist.

Even after Traelgul vanished, the remaining Dawn Army members lay on the ground, sobbing or groaning. Some eventually noticed the mist had lifted and fled in panic. They ran west, back the way they had come, rather than toward Issacrea.

They would spread new rumors about the Issacrea territory, about a fearsome ghost knight lurking in the mists.

Claire staggered to his feet.

Night had fallen. In the distance, he saw the approaching lights of what he presumed to be the patrol. They seemed to have been wandering in the mist as well. Unlike the other Dawn Army survivors, Claire walked east, toward the torches.