I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

198 – Dark Clouds (4)

Sophia was a girl who was greatly loved by the Baron of Isquente.

When the sun rose and people began their day’s work, Sophia ran around the estate without fail.

“Haa, haa.”

“You worked hard today too! Cheer up after receiving an apple!”

“Thank you, sir! Have a nice day, you too!”

I don’t know my biological parents’ faces.

Sophia was an orphan abandoned during the war, and was taken in by an old knight, Sir Malone, who was about to retire.

So, Sir Malone was Sophia’s only family and parent.

It’s nothing new for children to follow in the footsteps of their parents whom they respect.

Just as Sir Malone lived as a knight of this territory until the end, Sophia’s dream was to protect this territory, her home.

So Sophia wanted to become a knight.

I know it’s dangerous, but it’s something I want to do.

Is it because I get to hear all kinds of news from Yeongji as we run together every day?

There were many cases where people would seek out Sophia when they were looking for someone or had questions.

“Sophia! Have you seen where the lord went today?”

“Where were you going with the officer earlier?”

“Really? This is serious. I heard that a letter from Grand Duke Illencia has arrived, and it is of very urgent content.”

“I’ll tell you as soon as your lord arrives!”

“Okay, thank you!”

All the people in this territory are friendly.

Even though life isn’t easy, he never loses his smile.

Sophia liked such people, and the people of the estate also gave her their unstinting love.

The reason I worked so hard was because I wanted to repay them.

Sophia let out a rough, regular breath.

Take two short sips, then spit out two more.

How to manage your stamina, starting with your running posture.

There was nothing I didn’t learn from my grandfather.

Sophia thought back to the things Sir Malone had taught her when she was younger.

– Listen! Physical strength is something that you train slowly but steadily to build up. Laziness will eventually become poison and you… … Huh? Sophia, how did you get in here?

– You shouldn’t come when Grandpa is working. The military men don’t like it. You think he doesn’t? I can see that from my perspective too. Ugh…

– Yes. Since you’ve come all this way, I’ll show you around the castle. But next time, even if the lord tries to entice you, you’ll refuse? Now, Sophia. Do you know what the bell in that bell tower is used for?

Sophia answered Sir Malone’s question confidently.

That bell rings at lunchtime.

When the paper rings, it means it’s time for a nice meal.

An answer that feels a little embarrassing now that I think about it.

It seems like I’ve become a kid who only thinks about food…

Anyway, Grandpa laughed heartily at Sophia’s words.

– You know that. Yes, it’s the bell that rings before lunch. Then do you know when the bell rings twice?

– When the bell rings twice, it means the lord has something to say to the people in the castle. When that happens, the adults must stop what they are doing and go listen to the lord’s words.

– Hahaha! Our Sophia is still young, so it’s okay. Whether the bell rings three times or four times, Sophia doesn’t have to worry.

Now I know.

The bell tower is a kind of emergency communication device.

A large bell was hung so that urgent news could be heard no matter where in the territory.

Sophia stopped running.

Even as she exhaled sharply, her gaze was directed toward the bell tower.

Ttaeng-ttaeng-ttaeng. The bell was ringing loudly.

It wasn’t the lunch bell, as she had said.

It was too early for that.

Besides, the lunch bell never rang so urgently.

– You can forget about other species. You just have to get used to them before you become an adult.

– But you must not forget this. If the bell continues to ring without stopping… … then Yeongji is in a very, very dangerous situation.

– When that time comes, you must run away.

Sophia ran towards the wall.

* * *

There was chaos throughout the empire.

The believers of the Order. Among them, indiscriminate attacks were carried out, mainly on those who were normally religious or had the ability to use divine powers.

Even the emperor of the empire was no exception to this turmoil.

If the Imperial Knight Commander’s reaction had been just a little bit later, the Emperor would have been on the verge of death by now.

It was worth giving advance warning.

But not everyone in this world had a Swordmaster escort.

“Ahhh! My child. My child!”

“No. That’s not what I wanted… … !”

It was a tragedy that could not be seen with open eyes.

A daughter killed by her parents. A brother who killed his sister. A teacher and student who killed each other.

Regardless of whether the murder was successful or not, both parties’ hearts were brutally torn apart.

One fortunate thing is that the followers of Order do not have great military power.

Saint Acleron has disappeared like the dew on the execution ground, and the main force, including the Knights Templar, has been disarmed under the pretext of investigation.

Although there was a brief riot, it was not difficult to suppress.

However, it was inevitable that chaos would fall throughout the empire.

In the border areas, lords were killed, and even officers were killed within the garrison.

When the empire suddenly began to suffer, the demons began to move.

“Tch. This is really messed up.”

It was a full-scale offensive, as if the peace that had lasted was a lie.

As expected, the northern front entered the war, and in the south, the Ashin Kingdom was also forced to enter the battlefield again.

There was no time to heal the wounds.

What’s a bit surprising is that Baal followed Barbatos’ exact attack path.

Instead of the western part where we are, the southern part of the continent was targeted first.

As their power was running out, the Ashin Kingdom also seemed to be preparing for a joint front with the Empire this time.

But Sirien did not offer a hopeful prediction.

“The situation is worse than under Barbatos. The South won’t last long.”

“That’s right. Lord Norden is dead, and Dersian will need to recuperate for a while.”

“I don’t think it will end with abandoning the South.”

This time it’s different.

While Barbatos is a demon lord whose purpose is to fight humans, Baal moves to destroy humans.

After the South falls, we will definitely be next.

So, we have to go and stop Baal as soon as possible… … .

What stopped us was an opponent that could not even be compared to Astaroth.

“Your Majesty, this is a report from the West Gate. Gamigin has made his appearance!”

“Ha, I should have taken my life when I came to the capital.”

Because the opponent that advanced towards the Grand Duchy of Illencia was Gamigin.

Although he is inferior to Barbatos in terms of force, that is only limited to force alone.

Even though Barbatos hated Gamigin so much, he was unable to take his life for hundreds of years.

The Demon King of the Abyss. And the Demon King of the Fourth Place.

The highest ranking demon lord, excluding Baal, sought out Archduke Illencia.

If you don’t give it your all, you’ll be the one who suffers.

As expected.

The battlefield at Seomun was already in chaos.

“You’re here? You’re a little later than I thought.”

Beneath Gamigin’s feet, instead of the ground, there was endless darkness.

Rather than saying that the original land has disappeared, it seems closer to the darkness of Gamigin encroaching upon every corner of space.

An endless stream of monsters poured down from the castle walls, and the soldiers seemed overwhelmed just dealing with the monsters.

Our division of roles required no conversation.

Sirien will take care of the battlefield, so I must immediately take charge of keeping Gamigin in check.

I did as Sirien thought – and Sirien moved as I thought.

A black aura tore through the darkness.

“Now you don’t even treat me like an enemy? It’s disappointing.”

“It doesn’t seem like we’re that close.”

“You don’t even speak to me politely. Well, I’m not a customer anymore.”

Gamigin’s face smiling bitterly.

I blasted my sword energy at that face with a murderous intent.

They say you can’t spit in a smiling face, but you can swing a sword as much as you want.

That’s not a normal smiling face, you know.

Gamigin’s darkness rose up like thorns from all directions without warning.

There was no need to go to great lengths to avoid it.

For me, the best defense is ultimately offense. If I just deal damage the first few times and then focus on the sword energy, Gamigin will naturally turn his strength to defense.

Just like this.

“It’s brutal. Is this really the case? I thought there was affection between us.”

“I’ll kill you nicely since I care about you. It won’t hurt much. Close your eyes for a moment and open them. I’ll drop you to the warm bottom of hell.”

“… … I have a suggestion. I don’t know if I mentioned it last time, but I don’t really have any regrets about humans. It wasn’t my will to go to war like this either.”

“I guess so.”

As expected, the defense is quite solid.

It feels like a shield of unknown depth has been erected.

As it was known, it was an abyss.

To kill Gamigin, you have to go into that abyss, but is there really an end to this bottomless pit?

A hesitation rose in my heart, wondering if I was walking towards death.

But delusion is just delusion. My body charged towards Gamigin without hesitation.

On the floor, Gamigin’s magic circle is being completed.

It was done in such a subtle way that you wouldn’t notice it unless you were paying attention.

It must be a high-level magic with a high degree of perfection. If you get hit directly, you will never be safe.

It doesn’t matter.

Because I’m not alone in this battlefield.

“There is no need for us to fight. The orders I received were to hold back your and Grand Duke Illencia’s feet. If you show me your face once a day, I will not attack you.”

“They say you’re Baal’s dog, but now you’re really just talking nonsense.”

Sirien’s divinity is imbued into my sword.

There was no need to even think about what it was.

This must be the solution to the magic circle.

As soon as he stabbed his sword into the ground, Gamigin’s magic shattered into pieces.

I advanced towards the Demon King again.