〈 272nd Chapter 〉 The Holy Knight Doesn’t Believe in God (2)
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The Blasphemer, Karioth.
Rania first heard that name from none other than Sara, the Saint of the Deloheim Church. Sara often rambled about church matters in front of Rania, and it was then that Rania first encountered the tale of Karioth.
“A lunatic Holy Knight has thrown the entire church into chaos. It’s driving me insane!”
A lunatic Holy Knight.
“He completely ignores the church’s directives, grabbed the Cardinal by the collar and threw him aside, and even recently set fire to the church… Where on earth did this madman come from?”
The crazy woman said, a lunatic.
Looking at Sara muttering in an irritated voice, Rania’s reaction at the time was, unsurprisingly, not one of empathy. Instead, it was quite the opposite.
“He must be living a very healthy life.”
Due to an incident from her childhood, Rania despised the Deloheim Church and had lost all affection for it within just a month of meeting Sara.
In Rania’s opinion, the more the church was disparaged or Sara complained about it, the more likely it was that he was a perfectly normal person. Wasn’t she a prime example of that herself?
So, Rania scoffed and said.
“A lunatic who would bury a village is called a lunatic—doesn’t that mean he’s perfectly sane?”
“Have you said all you must?”
“I don’t think I’m wrong, though.”
Fuming at Rania’s mockery, Sara began to explain each of Karioth’s misdeeds, but even after listening to the entire story, Rania’s reaction didn’t significantly change.
“What?”
Rather, Rania let out a small exclamation, as if surprised that her prediction was indeed right.
“He’s really sane.”
The Blasphemer, Karioth.
Having endured thirty years in the Phantom Territory and returned from countless hells, the Holy Knight gained the title of Blasphemer under the following circumstances.
“That madman devoured a Beast! He ate a Beast created by the Apostate!”
Beasts created from humans.
Since he ate it while still alive, it was akin to cannibalism. The church made that judgment and attached the title of Blasphemer to Karioth.
Furthermore, he was also labeled an Apostate.
Those who blaspheme Deloheim and hold false beliefs are naturally targets for purging. Although it was an excessive act, the church was more than willing to brand Karioth as a heretic to eliminate someone who had been a thorn in their side for quite some time.
Numerous inquisitors were dispatched to purge him. To kill Karioth, they willingly set foot into the Phantom Territory.
Years passed.
Karioth was still alive.
Now the church no longer referred to him with derogatory titles like Blasphemer or Apostate.
The Immortal Karioth.
He began to be referred to as such.
2.
The Trial of the Holy Grail.
To undertake that trial, three figures began to gather sequentially at Kateron Castle. The first to arrive was the one-eyed knight.
“Berteng.”
The one-eyed Berteng.
The man wearing an eye patch lightly touched the hilt of his sword at his waist. As those facing a wall typically do, he was quite formidable.
“I’ve faced the wall for about five years now. I felt the wall after encountering that horrific Sword Demon.”
Berteng pointed to his empty right eye, revealing a deep scar.
“That means it’s been five years since I lost my eye to that monster. I have nightmares about the Sword Demon every night. I believe becoming a superhuman will free me from that nightmare.”
Rania van Trias.
Knights Order Leader, Heinkel.
Hero, Galahal.
Saint, Sara.
With four pairs of eyes watching, Berteng pointed to the Holy Grail that Rania was holding.
“I hear that using that Holy Grail can help surpass this wall—true?”
No need for long explanations.
Rania directly handed the Holy Grail to Berteng, and it responded to him.
“Sounds good. I’ll take on the challenge.”
It’s finally time to escape from this nightmare…
Murmuring this, Berteng leapt into the well of light created by the Holy Grail. Exactly thirty seconds later, Berteng bounced out of the well.
“Gah, huff…”
Breathless, Berteng fell to the ground. He was drenched in cold sweat, his complexion pale to the point of resembling a ghost.
“Why is the Sword Demon coming out during the trial?!”
From his reaction, it was easy to guess that the Sword Demon was what Berteng faced in the trial. Seeing him touch his neck, it was likely that was where he was wounded.
Rania glanced at him and opened her mouth.
“Well, that wall is the Sword Demon, isn’t it?”
Rania spoke calmly.
“What you fear, what you want to overcome—that’s the wall. The Holy Grail materializes that wall in an understandable way. Overcoming it is solely up to you.”
She tapped the Holy Grail, tap.
“Are you going to keep challenging? You have a couple of chances left.”
“Are you crazy? Just facing that monster makes me tremble; I could have lost my head in one strike…”
The sensation still vivid in his mind, Berteng repeatedly rubbed his neck.
“I truly tasted death. I refuse to take another challenge. If I had known the trial was like this, I wouldn’t have challenged it at all…”
“Hey.”
Rania frowned.
“Do you really think overcoming the wall would be easy?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Did you think you could surpass the wall without any sacrifices? What on earth were you thinking coming here?”
Those gifted with talent dedicate their entire lives to a single path and often have to sacrifice something to reach the realm of superhumans.
“Did you come here without preparation?”
The Holy Grail only assists with that.
It’s no surprise that someone without the resolve to face their internalized wall cannot become a superhuman.
“…”
Berteng fell silent.
Rania decisively placed the Holy Grail on the table.
“Either keep trying or leave. I don’t want to waste time.”
Berteng quietly left Kateron Castle.
“Knight, Nadion here.”
The second to arrive was the knight, Nadion.
An old man with completely gray hair.
Yet, his back was straight, and Rania recognized his face well. Nadion had fought alongside the previous generation’s hero for a long time on the battlefield.
“You must be Nadion… my companion, the Indomitable Hero!”
Galahal also recognized him and spoke with delight.
To Galahal, who loved tales of heroes, Nadion felt like a character just sprung out of a fairy tale.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Nadion!”
Galahal stood up and reached for a handshake. Nadion nodded with a gentle smile.
“The honor is mine. To be recognized by the one hailed as the most heroic of heroes, Galahal…”
“You were the hero of the Kurakt Mountain annihilation battle, right? I’ve heard stories about you since childhood. The White Wolf of the snow-covered mountains…”
“Haha, how embarrassing. That title was given to me when I was young.”
Nadion chuckled bitterly.
“Those are all old stories. Unlike the Indomitable, my friend, I missed my chance to die in battle.”
Though there was a time when he was called the White Wolf of the snow-covered mountains, that was all in the past. Nadion was fully aware that he was nothing more than a lingering ghost of his past on the battlefield.
“If I said I didn’t dream of glorious pasts, I’d be lying. I wish to become a hero on the battlefield once more. It might seem like the foolish ambition of an old man to the youthful ones…”
Nadion gazed directly at Galahal.
“I too wish to meet a heroic death on the battlefield, like my old comrade. A death befitting of a hero.”
“Indeed…”
Galahal nodded, seemingly moved, while Nadion whispered with a mischievous grin.
“Actually, I placed a bet with the Indomitable. To see who could achieve greater feats and have a more splendid death. But that guy went out in such a magnificent way.”
Nadion thumped his chest.
“I must also go out beautifully.”
Though his hair was completely gray, it was when he spoke with that mischievous smile that he resembled a boy. Paying respect to the past hero, Rania bowed her head.
Thirty years had passed since Nadion faced the wall, and the Holy Grail responded strongly to him.
“Indeed.”
In his first challenge, Nadion lasted three minutes.
Sweating profusely, Nadion was hurled out of the trial. With his frail body, he took on the challenge again. Thus, Nadion tried a total of three times.
“Huuk, huff…”
Hiding trembling hands behind his back, the old man smiled ruefully.
“If I were just a little younger, I would have won. It’s quite frustrating how time passes.”
The spirit may endure, but the aging body cannot. Nadion ultimately gave up on the third challenge.
“Still, progress has been made. I thought I climbed about halfway up the wall, but experiencing the trial makes me feel as if I now touch the very edge of it.”
Perhaps with a little more training, he could surpass it.
Murmuring this, Nadion glanced at Galahal.
“And I owe you a personal thanks.”
“Eh? For what…?”
“For my son, you see. I tried to dissuade him, but he wanted to be like me and stood on the battlefield. He nearly died in his first operation.”
Nadion, sporting a bitter smile.
“It was only natural that the immature child, not yet knowing how to wield a sword properly, faced such consequences. I heard you were the one who saved my son.”
Slowly, Nadion bowed his head, his aged form leaning toward Galahal.
“Thank you for saving my foolish son.”
“N-Nadion!”
Galahal was taken aback and tried to stop Nadion, but the old man finished his gratitude before lifting his head.
“I cannot express how grateful I am that someone like you is continuing the legacy of the Indomitable, my friend.”
With a serene smile, Nadion left Kateron Castle. Though he failed to pass the trial, he seemed content with his achievements.
“What the… is that the Saint?”
Finally, the last arrival was Karioth.
“Wow, I remember when you were this tall! Time flies so fast.”
The Immortal, Karioth.
Thus called, the Holy Knight waved his hand cheerfully at the Saint. Meanwhile, Sara appeared uncomfortable, but Karioth just laughed heartily.
“Quite the struggle, huh? Ah, Heinkel! It’s been a while.”
“How have you been, Karioth?”
“Same as always. Nothing much to report. Though, I suppose it’s a bit easier without the young people chasing me around lately.”
He set down the coffin he was carrying with a thud, shaking the ground.
“I heard you’re going to witness the trial to surpass the wall.”
Karioth opened the coffin.
A thick scent of blood enveloped the room in an instant.
“Let’s take a breather first. I need to fix my weapons too.”
Inside the coffin were countless types of blades.
Each took different forms, but they all shared one commonality—they were drenched in blood. Picking one up, Karioth chuckled.
“As you can see, the blades are all dull. I need to sharpen them completely. Now that I’m here at Kateron Castle, I’d like to see the craftsmanship of the front-line blacksmiths… is that okay?”
Rania nodded slowly.
3.
Saint Sara found Karioth to be quite bothersome.
Not only was he a figure not controlled by the church, but he was also someone who had once been branded as a heretic.
“If the church hadn’t wavered, I wouldn’t have to put up with having such a lowly man represent Deloheim.”
Sara watched Karioth’s back as he walked ahead.
The coffin he carried bore the emblem of the Deloheim Church. Glancing at it, Sara clicked her tongue.
Under normal circumstances, a man branded as a heretic like him wouldn’t be able to bear the symbol of the Deloheim Church. The church wouldn’t have rescinded the heretic label from him, either.
Yet, the current church was no longer like the past.
Due to the events initiated by the Cardinal in the North, the church’s influence was plummeting daily. It was beyond the mere warning from Eryhal von Grace.
While Eryhal von Grace was the lord of the North,
the true master was said to be Lady Failia, who served Eryhal’s side, according to the nobles.
That cunning woman had been constantly attacking the Deloheim Church, using the events orchestrated by the Cardinal in the North as a pretext. Until doubts about the Deloheim Church began to resonate within noble society.
Doubts regarding the church’s actions were growing.
The scrutiny towards the church was no longer as it had once been.
As past crimes committed by the church began to be revisited one by one, the current Deloheim Church was being shaken to its core.
“No longer can the church bask in the glory of old.”
Ultimately, it had come to a point where assigning personnel to a figure like Karioth became difficult. Even so, Karioth was still achieving remarkable feats on the battlefield.
In this situation, there was no benefit to the church from opposing Karioth.
“Rumors say they’re discussing how to wipe clean his brand in acknowledgment of his contributions, right?”
However, that did not please Sara.
In the end, she had to support this indecent man, who was almost a symbol of the church.
“Really, you know…”
Sara shot at Karioth, who was heading towards the blacksmith’s.
“You, who were branded as a heretic, representing the Deloheim Church at such an external function… you know that’s largely due to my efforts, right?”
“Well, of course, I do. I’m well aware of how much our Saint has struggled.”
“So I mean you should show some loyalty to the church now. Follow the will of God a bit better.”
The will of God.
The words made Karioth halt, a chill creeping into his voice.
“Hey, Saint.”
Karioth turned around.
Gone was the playful tone; his voice was icy. His gaze was eerily cold, causing Sara to swallow her dry throat involuntarily.
“What, what do you want?”
“You said the will of God, right?”
Sara nodded.
Karioth smirked and asked her a question.
“Where on earth is this will of God?”
Spending ten years in the church.
Living thirty years in the Phantom Territory, a man questions.
“I’ve been devoted to the Deloheim Church since I was ten, working nearly forty years as a member, yet I can’t grasp the lofty will of Deloheim.”
His eyes, bloodshot with intensity, zeroed in on Sara.
“Do you know, Saint, what this will of God is?”
The gaze of someone who does not believe in God.
