"Thump~ Thump~"
At the same time, a blue magic circle unfolded to the west of the Great Jura Forest.
From within it, an army slowly emerged. Leading them was none other than Hinata Sakaguchi of the Holy Empire of Lubelius, commanding the 3,000 Holy Knights.
The Holy Knights were primarily divided into two groups: Temple Knights and regular Holy Knights.
Among them, the total number of Holy Knights had always remained around 6,000.
In contrast, the number of powerhouses who had attained the title of Temple Knight was far smaller, totaling only 111.
But don't let the small number of Temple Knights fool you.
Each one possessed formidable strength at A-rank or higher.
And the six captains who formed the upper echelon were even called "Saints," top-tier combatants capable of rivaling a Demon Lord.
"Have they arrived?"
The archbishop in charge of the Kingdom of Falmuth's diocese was a plump, bald, middle-aged man.
"Lord Hinata, Lord Leonard, you've finally arrived."
As he saw Hinata and the others emerge from the magic circle, he hurried forward to greet them. "His Majesty has already prepared a banquet. He's simply waiting for your arrival."
"More than that, I want to know how prepared you are."
Hinata's gaze swept across the densely packed camp before her, the 50,000-strong army of the Kingdom of Falmuth. "Be honest. How soon can you launch the attack?"
"Uh…"
A bead of cold sweat ran down the archbishop's forehead, but he still answered respectfully, "Lord Hinata, you've had a long journey. Would you like to rest for a few days first, and then…"
But under Hinata's gaze, the oppressive pressure was unbearable.
The rest of his sentence stuck in his throat. He couldn't continue.
"Time waits for no one!"
The blonde youth standing behind Hinata broke the tension. "Archbishop Reyhiem, please inform His Majesty that this is not the time for leisure and indulgence."
That youth was Leonard, the vice-captain of the Holy Knights.
Unlike Hinata, who focused on training and had little interest in administration, Leonard was far more adept at handling logistics and organization.
He understood what the archbishop meant.
However, they truly had no need to rest.
The Holy Knights had an average combat level of B-rank or higher, numbering 3,000. Among them were 111 A-rank or higher elites.
Not to mention their leader, Hinata.
She was a supreme human powerhouse, capable of battling an Awakened Demon Lord.
"Since Lord Leonard says so, then very well."
The archbishop wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and smiled obsequiously. "I will go discuss this with His Majesty immediately. Lord Hinata, Lord Leonard, please come with me."
"In addition, Kingdom of Falmuth has already prepared supplies and rest areas for the Holy Knights."
"Mm."
Hinata and Leonard did not refuse the archbishop's invitation.
Though both of them, deep down, looked down on King Edmalis of Falmuth.
Still, as part of the human alliance, things could not always go as they wished.
The Western Nations stood on equal footing in terms of status.
There was no such thing as one being nobler than the others.
Therefore, although the Kingdom of Falmuth respected the Holy Empire of Lubelius, they did not particularly fear it.
Moreover, Hinata.
She could kill monsters at will, but she could not interfere with the decisions of Falmuth's nobles.
That was the limit of human powerhouses.
They could not violate the rules and found it difficult to oppose the noble class.
To put it bluntly.
Hinata could only represent herself.
But the King of Falmuth represented tens of thousands of nobles, and thirty million citizens.
"Your Majesty."
Inside a lavish tent, Reyhiem brought Hinata and Leonard to meet with the King and his finance minister.
The true reason behind this war to purge the Great Jura Forest was the financial crisis in the Kingdom of Falmuth.
Because of this, the King placed great importance on the Holy Knights, who were willing to assist in the war.
"Leader, and Vice-Leader Leonard."
Regardless of what the King and the nobles truly thought of them, they had to maintain proper respect on the surface.
After all, these two represented not only themselves, but also the Pope of the Holy Empire of Lubelius and the Western Holy Church.
Meanwhile, after Hinata and Leonard departed, command of the army was handed over to the five captains.
These five were the next strongest within the Holy Knights, second only to Hinata herself.
Arno of the Sky.
Then Bacchus of the Earth, a silent, burly man known for crushing his enemies with holy staves imbued with magicules.
Litus of the Water, a healing magic expert and spirit user, contracted with the High Spirit "Holy Maiden of Water."
Garde of the Fire, who combined fire magic with spear techniques, a serious man who cared deeply for his comrades.
And finally, Fritz of the Wind, a dual-wielding magic knight.
Together, they commanded 111 Temple Knights.
Each captain led a unit of roughly 30 members, and on-site reorganization was completed quickly.
"Tsk!"
By the campfire, Fritz spat in displeasure, recalling the archbishop's sycophantic behavior. "That Reyhiem guy. He only stayed in the Kingdom of Falmuth a short while and already turned into that."
"He's definitely fatter than before."
Litus frowned, recalling the last time she saw Reyhiem. He hadn't been nearly this round.
"Falmuth is a major commercial nation. Its upper-class nobles are filthy rich."
Garde sneered. "He probably accepted all sorts of benefits from them."
"Has Reyhiem already fallen?"
Arno wanted to defend him, but from the aura he sensed, Reyhiem had clearly sided with the nobles of the Kingdom of Falmuth.
He may have looked radiant on the surface, but in truth, he had already been corrupted by power and wealth.
"That's really bad, isn't it?"
Litus, the only female captain, wasn't particularly strong in battle.
However, she had unparalleled talent in healing magic.
And being just a young girl, she didn't fully understand the dirty dealings beneath the surface of the Western Nations.
"The Holy Church does not interfere with the internal affairs of secular nations."
"Therefore," Bacchus shook his head, "there's nothing we can do."
"Even if we wanted to replace Reyhiem, the Kingdom of Falmuth would never agree."
After all, Reyhiem was an archbishop they had worked with for years.
He had been nurtured by the nobles, colluded with them, and established countless backroom deals.
Someone like Reyhiem, who could sidestep the Western Holy Church while accommodating the Kingdom of Falmuth's interests, was exactly the kind of man the nobles wanted to keep.
And this, too, was Reyhiem's own form of political protection.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)