Chapter 264: Chapter 264: On My Way To Meet You

“The Righteous Radiance has sent me here!”

Let’s just roll with that.

I could sense the bewildered gazes from the other women, but my expression remained unchanged.

I could sort it out with the Righteous Radiance later, couldn’t I?

The paladins hesitated at my bold and unwavering stance. Though they continued to draw their divine power for a while, still glaring at me.

“Huh…? That’s…!”

“It’s a sacred relic! It’s the sacred relic of our church!”

“Lower your weapons! I can feel the blessing!”

Soon enough, they recognized the shining lion dagger and the blessing of the Sun God on me and immediately lowered their guard.

Yep, that’s what I like about paladins. As soon as they feel the presence of their God, they let their guard down.

Smiling broadly, I lowered the dagger. A priestess, who seemed to be a representative, came forward from the group.

She was an elderly woman, just entering her old age, with silver hair. The gold-embroidered symbol on her priestly robes indicated a fairly high position.

She made the sign of the cross and greeted me first.

“May the Sun shine upon your path. I am Gertrude, a humble servant of the Righteous Radiance. Could you perhaps be Sir Yandel?”

“Yes, that’s me. Since you know about me, this conversation will be quicker. The Righteous Radiance whispered to me, telling me to come here.”

“…Pardon?”

Maybe it was because I skipped the formalities, or because I mentioned the Righteous Radiance, but Gertrude seemed confused.

Without giving her much time to think, I continued speaking.

“The Saintess has been holding the barrier well, but… the cultists also have a trump card. If this continues, the barrier will break.”

“Their trump card… Are you referring to that curtain?”

“Yes. Reinforcements are on their way, but it will take some time. We need to stop the ritual before then.”

“…Is that possible? To break through those monsters?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have received the Righteous Radiance’s blessing for no reason, would I? I’ve done this several times before. I even have a plan. Will you help me?”

“……”

Gertrude fell silent for a moment, likely processing my last words.

After a brief pause, she spoke in a calm voice, having gathered her thoughts.

“We’ve been debating whether we should wait for the reinforcements or try to figure out what that suspicious curtain is. Opinions were divided.”

Ah, so that was the argument I saw earlier.

“Are you certain that the curtain will break the barrier? Did the Righteous Radiance tell you this?”

“No, that’s just my speculation about the ritual. However, considering their recent preparations for the Fallen Angel plan, the fact that they’re holding out even though they know it can’t be broken by normal means, and the fact that they’ve raised a proper army instead of just poking around, it seems likely.”

“The Fallen Angel plan?!”

I thought a high-ranking priestess would at least have heard some whispers from the Pope, but judging by her reaction, she didn’t know.

Gertrude quickly regained her composure and glanced back. The other paladins and priests she made eye contact with nodded.

With a heavier expression, Gertrude looked back at me and spoke.

“It may be dangerous… but that’s enough. We are willing to help. What do you need us to do?”

“Thank you. I’ll explain everything now.”

Could it be because of the sacred relic and the blessing? Or perhaps because our goal aligns with their faith?

The paladins and priests followed my words attentively. As I quickly checked on Iris and Iona, who were setting up the magic circle, they seemed capable enough.

Gertrude was the only high-ranking priest, but the others, as expected from members of the Church of Righteous Radiance, were more than competent in battle.

If I had to compare them to magicians, it felt like we had one high-ranking magician and several intermediate magicians. Unfortunately, there weren’t many who could keep up with me and Iona.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Gertrude, as a high priestess, had the ability, but her advanced age and lack of physical training held her back. Buffs could compensate to some extent, but not enough to keep up with me and Iona at full speed.

For that reason, the priests stayed behind to protect Iris, leaving only the paladins.

Among them, excluding a few inexperienced rookies, only four remained.

Well, originally, it was just going to be me and Iona charging in, so having four more was a blessing.

We shared the battle plan, and just as we finished the final checks, Carla came rushing over, seemingly ready on her side as well.

“Master, the magic circle has been set up.”

“Really? Perfect timing.”

Having set out early in the morning, it was now almost noon. In other words, the time when the blessing of the Sun God, also the Righteous Radiance, would be at its strongest.

I briefly glanced at the bright blue sky, at the sun sitting high in the center, and then headed towards Iris.

“Master, we’re ready on this side.”

“We’re ready, too.”

I chuckled softly as I inspected the magic circle drawn on the ground.

It was larger than I expected—about seven meters in diameter? But just looking at the intricate patterns filling the wide circle made my head spin.

The magic circle was that complex, but I could instinctively tell that it was all connected to the staff placed in the center.

I glanced at Dawn’s Light, the staff Rebecca had lent me, and asked Iris.

“When can we activate it?”

“We can do it right now.”

“Great.”

I gently patted Iris’s head and turned to the two assisting nearby.

“Carla, Elisha. You two be careful. Once they know we’re firing from here, they’ll swarm us.”

“The priests said they’d set up a barrier, so don’t worry about us, Master!”

“That’s right. Isn’t it more dangerous for you, clearing the way?”

“Well, this side will be fine. You’ll see.”

Greenskin hunting? I’ve done it enough times already.

I approached Gertrude, who was gathered with the priests, preparing a joint holy spell.

“Before we go, could we ask for a blessing?”

“Of course. Come over here.”

Gertrude cast buffs not only on me and Iona, but also on the paladins. She might not be as powerful as Helena, who became a Saintess, but she seemed close enough.

Now, all that was left was to charge at the right time. Just in case, I glanced at Iona and asked her while showing the back of my neck.

“Do you want a quick sip?”

“Stop it! Stop! Don’t tempt me before a fight! My magic and stamina are just fine! But you better let me drink as much as I want later, okay?”

“You already seem to drink as much as you want… but fine. I’ll make sure you can drink until you’re full.”

“Gasp! That was a bit suggestive, Yandel.”

“…Where are you looking?”

I chuckled and turned my eyes forward. The overwhelming green wave still surged ahead of us.

But I wasn’t really afraid. There was something else that worried me more.

The giant holy barrier covering the Great Church. More than half of it was already shrouded by the red curtain.

I had been watching the curtain rise over time. It was moving faster than expected—at this rate, it would be completed within three days.

Of course, that won’t happen.

I pulled out my intimidating mask and transparent robe from my inventory, then spoke to the paladins lined up behind me.

“Let’s go.”

Swish.

The sound of weapons being drawn in response to my words. I also activated Blood Force to enhance my physical abilities.

Thump!

Massive power surged from my heart, spreading to the tips of my hands and feet. The sensation of every cell being awakened.

Blood Force is magic that enhances the body by directly infusing mana into the blood. Perhaps that’s why, with my core now fully integrated with my heart, the efficiency had improved dramatically.

Feeling the vitality filling my entire body, I leaped off the cliff.

“Heup!”

Iona and the paladins followed suit, hurling themselves into the air.

Of course, we weren’t trying to commit suicide.

“Levitation.”

A simple floating spell spread before me. It was much more refined, capable of covering multiple people at once.

Whoosh.

Those who had been falling as if they were about to crash to the ground, now landed lightly, like feathers.

At the same time, I could sense the massive flow of mana and the sound of incantations coming from above. It looks like they’ve started on their side, too.

But there was no time to focus on that. We had already begun our charge.

Pow, pow, pow!

The distance between us and the monsters closed quickly. What once looked like a green wave now had more defined faces and features.

Even the dull orcs would notice something’s off if we charged in like this.

A few of them at the rear spotted us, their eyes widening. Just as they were about to shout to alert the others–

Boom!

A fireball suddenly fell from the sky, wiping out the alert orcs and their surroundings.

An open path lay ahead. Amidst the rising heat and black smoke, dozens of eyes glared at us.

How intimidating.

…Well, we’ll just give it back to them.

As I infused the mask with magic, the dense mana spread out like a heavy gravitational field, pressing down on the orcs.

Thud!

Their gazes lowered to the ground, trembling—completely unlike the fierce orcs they usually were.

It wasn’t just hesitation; they were clearly suffering from a status effect.

I had originally designed this magic tool to set the mood, but… as long as I had enough mana, I could pull off something like this too.

Grinning slyly at the frozen orcs, I curled my lips.

“You’re all dead.”

Infinite Stun, let’s go!