Squinting eyes gradually opening.
The world glimpsed after 300 years.
In that world, the statue of the Archangel remained silent. And it recalled. The reason it was created and erected. Its purpose.
Demon King extermination.
Yes.
That was its only mission.
To prevent the terror of the Demon King, who had brought disaster to this land, from returning. To risk everything, destroy, and annihilate.
That was the will of the church, the hope of humanity, and the wind of this city.
And today.
For the first time since its erection here, the statue of the Archangel sensed the presence of the Demon King.
The inspection from ten days ago.
The palm lines it had never seen before.
The memories of malice embedded in that body.
Everything felt faint.
The appearance was concealed and altered by something, so the results could not be immediately detected, but even with ten days of time, it had managed to uncover its essence.
And so, today, the statue of the Archangel was certain.
The time for it to move had come.
...... Kughk!
With that, it raised its head. As though singing the wishes of those who had brought it into this world. Finally, at this moment, it declared its mission.
With both eyes fully opened, the statue of the Archangel looked up at the sky and roared.
***
"Waaaaa—!"
Loud cheers pierced the ears.
Wouldn't my eardrums burst from this?
The square was filled with such a huge crowd that it seemed like it would burst. As their cheers filled his ears, Kim Jangcheol struggled to smile.
Then, he turned to the south of the square.
There, a tall podium had been set up. Against the noon sun, a round silhouette was visible atop the podium.
It was King.
Seeing that, it hit him.
Ah, this is the marching ceremony I'm attending.
"........"
By the way, this marching ceremony.
Was it always this grand?
He had heard before that it wasn't.
Hey, human marching ceremonies are usually like this?
Artanis, seemingly dazed by the massive crowd and noise surrounding the square, repeatedly scrunched up its nose and asked.
Kim Jangcheol, hoping his answer wouldn't be drowned out by the cheers, shouted loudly.
"No! This time! It's being carried out especially grandly!"
Especially grandly? Just this time?
"Yes!"
Why?
"I don't really know! But—!"
He casually pointed toward the King.
"Seomyeomandu! Seems to really! Like us a lot!"
It was true.
He was the king who had sent an exploration team to the abandoned lands nine times already. However, when the exploration teams were sent before, no such Inauguration ceremony was held.
It was always simple.
The families of the exploration members would be invited to the palace.
There would be formal speeches and blessings in front of the families, a brief procedure, and the King would commend the explorers' hard work and honor their contributions.
And then, they would depart. That was it.
"But this time, it seems! The King has high expectations! So! He wants to announce the exploration team's departure to everyone!"
It was indeed.
In truth, there was no need to have such a grand ceremony just for sending out an exploration team. The scale of this event was more fitting for the Inauguration of a war or a victory parade after a battle.
-Ah, I get it now. So that King is sure that our exploration team will succeed.
"Exactly! And also, it's probably a way to proudly show off to the church, who had always opposed his plan!"
So, it was all for political reasons.
Thanks to that, his eardrums were about to burst. The overwhelming crowd was also draining his energy.
However, for some reason, Artanis was staring at him with a strange look.
-Still, it's impressive.
"Yes?"
-I never imagined you could receive such a welcome and praise from humans. I never once thought about something like this.
"R-really?"
-Of course. I only know how to invade and conquer.
" ... Eek, stop it!"
-What are you doing?
"I'm erasing what you wrote just now, Lady Artanis!"
Kim Jangcheol hurriedly waved his arms in the air, scattering the words that Artanis had written. Then, he leaned in close to Artanis' cat ears and spoke slowly.
"Here, you can't write words like invasion and conquest in the air!"
-... Why not?
"There are too many people watching!"
-It's fine. Everyone's too busy laughing, shouting, and making noise to pay attention.
"Still, you should be careful!"
-I-Is that so?
"Yes!"
Kim Jangcheol breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, very few would be able to catch the exact meaning of the words Artanis wrote. But just in case, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.
'From now on, I should be careful. She surprisingly has a lot of weak points.'
Was it because of its overwhelming strength? Or was it because, due to being physically fit, it had fewer troubles mentally?
Artanis surprisingly had quite a few flaws. He remembered the time when it had tricked Asurat into coming to the royal capital by offering a trip to Daparachia.
"...."
He made a mental note to be more careful in the future.
It was then.
-Now, from this moment on! Our glorious members, who are setting off on the great journey to the abandoned land, will have a meaningful time saying goodbye to their beloved families!
The declaration amplified by King's magic speakers rang out, overwhelming the cheers in the square with a loud, resonant sound.
It was then.
At the King's command, the families of the Combat Engineers, who would be sent to the abandoned lands, began to approach in a line. Each shared a heartfelt parting wish, praying for the safety of their sons, husbands, and fathers, the members of the exploration team.
Until then, Kim Jangcheol had been calm.
He had reassured himself that those engineers would not die or get injured in the abandoned lands. He only hoped they wouldn't be too shocked by the encounters with the demon race there.
On the other hand, he thought that moments like these, where people shared meaningful goodbyes with their families, had nothing to do with him.
"....."
Then it struck him—since his grandmother passed away in high school, he had always been alone.
At that thought, a bitter smile almost appeared on his face.
"......Excuse me?"
Someone spoke to him.
At first, he didn't realize.
He hadn't expected anyone to speak to him at a moment like this, when families were sharing loving farewells and words of encouragement.
"Excuse me."
When the voice was heard again, Kim Jangcheol unknowingly turned his head.
As a result, his eyes met.
With a boy, about three years old.
And a young woman, who seemed to be the boy's mother, holding him, came over to speak to him.
"Excuse me, but are you, by any chance, the one leading the exploration team, Sir Kim Jangcheol?"
"Uh, yes. That's me, but?"
Who could this be?
What's going on?
As Kim Jangcheol looked at the woman, a complete stranger, he felt puzzled. And he made an assumption.
'Maybe she's here to make a special request, asking me to look after her husband, one of the engineers... something like that?'
But that assumption was wrong.
The unexpected words came from the woman's mouth.
"I am the wife of the leader of the 9th exploration team who departed earlier."
"..... What?"
"So, I wanted to make a desperate request to you... that's why I've resorted to disguising my identity and coming here."
"What ....?"
What request could it be?
The woman spoke.
"If you are going to the abandoned land, could you possibly... find the 9th exploration team and my husband... the father of this child, who has lost contact?"
"Ah ...."
The moment Kim Jangcheol heard the woman's words,
He felt like he had been struck on the head with a hammer. And on the other hand, he realized.
I see.
The fact that none of the nine previous exploration teams who went to the abandoned land came back...….
".....I understand. I'll search for them."
Kim Jangcheol answered without thinking.
It was almost an impulsive response.
Was it because of the woman's teary eyes?
Because of her pitiful story?
Neither.
It was because of the child she was holding.
Maybe, it was because he saw the child, who had probably lost their father, yet was unaware of it.
Perhaps it reminded him of his own childhood.
"......"
If someone had told me those words, that they would find my mother when she disappeared, would I have turned out differently?
When my mother said she would return after ten days, but even after ten more days, she still hadn't come back. If someone had been there to promise to find her, would I have been a different, stronger adult today, not counting days in my dreams, crying as I woke up?
"......"
I don't know.
No, actually, it was already clear that the previous exploration members, who had been dispatched earlier, wouldn't have survived.
But still, I can search.
Just in case, you never know.
"I'll definitely look for your dad. It's a promise."
He hooked his finger with the child.
At the very least, he hoped he could find something of the father's to pass on to this child. He wished for that.
'The whereabouts of the previous exploration teams... I really have to look into it.'
Kim Jangcheol wiped his suddenly teary nose and made a resolve, sending the former exploration leader's family back into the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Inauguration ceremony, having finished the part with farewells to the families, was now charging toward its climactic peak.
The grand national anthem of the royal orchestra echoed.
The royal guards, mounted on 200 carefully selected white horses, marched with their white manes flying, and petals and confetti fluttered all around.
The splendor of the event was so magnificent that even the sky couldn't remain still.
Bang! Boom! Bang!
Magic fireworks, launched high into the sky, painted the blue sky with all sorts of colorful patterns and smoke.
Each time that happened, the cheers of the crowd grew even louder.
In fact, the extravagant spectacle of the event didn't end there.
…..Koo-kwaaang!
Far off, beyond the square, a powerful booming sound echoed from the headquarters of the church. In an instant, the earth seemed to tremble, and all eyes turned toward the headquarters of the church.
And everyone saw it.
A massive statue of the Archangel rising up, towering over the main chapel of the church's headquarters. A 63.5-meter-tall Archangel, holding the Sword of Annihilation aloft, roaring toward the sky in a magnificent sight!
".....Woaaaah!"
Everyone thought.
Today's event, they were witnessing an unbelievable spectacle that would remain with them for the rest of their lives.
No one had expected the royal family to collaborate with the Archbishop of the church to make such an incredible performance, with the Archangel statue even moving for the marching ceremony.
This would be remembered as a monumental scene in history.
...Woooooo!
Amidst the awe-struck stares of everyone, the Archangel statue roared.
Because of that, King and the blonde Archbishop, who were watching from afar, both simultaneously let out bewildered sounds.
".....Eh?"
The King and the Archbishop.
Both stared blankly.
A performance.....?
I don't know...
What is that...
It's terrifying...…
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]