𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟗: 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 (5)
The Saintess’ delegation, which had arrived at the Port of London, did not stay in London City and immediately headed for Birmingham. This caused some discontent among a few thoughtless Order of Knights of Order members, but they quickly backed down when the Captain and Vice-Captain subtly glared at them.
Thus, the journey to Birmingham began again, and the delegation traveled by horse and carriage. Originally, they were supposed to take the train, but. . . due to the difficulty of responding to enemy attacks, they ended up using horses and carriages.
‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘢. . . .’
They wore gold cuirasses and helmets over their red uniforms. The horsehair decoration on the cuirass was also red. On their left waist was a saber called a ‘cavalry sword’, and on the opposite side was a revolver B series holstered in a gun case.
The Royal Dragoons, the second most powerful military force among the Kingdom of Britannia’s royal forces, after the Royal Navy.
When the Imperial Army, which had secured all of Britannia’s inland territory during the World War, invaded the mainland of Britannia, the Royal Dragoons divided the landing forces, and the subsequent and supply units were blocked by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, turning the mainland invasion into a bubble.
The Royal Army of Britannia, which held out until the support troops of the High Elf Empire of Elondil landed on the western coast of the Democratic Republic.
‘𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮.’
Considering that each of them was a Silver-ranked individual, it might not be impossible that they could hold back the Empire’s army.
A regiment composed of Silver-level individuals. The current king, although he is a tyrant, has not skimped on investment in the royal army.
Of course, after the current king was assassinated by revolutionaries and the parliament was established, the king’s authority was greatly reduced. . . But fortunately, the royal army was not disbanded because half of the mainland was directly under the royal family. However, the scope of the royal army’s operations was reduced. . .
‘𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯.’
The members elected to parliament were busy snatching away the vested interests that the royal family had previously held, and as a result, the people’s lives became even harder than when the tyrant ruled.
There were even cases of supplies and salaries that were supposed to go to the army being intercepted, and the regular army of Britannia, which was supposed to protect the inland, was weakened.
In such a situation, they went to war to help the Democratic Republic. . . It was inevitable that the inland would be overrun in an instant.
Anyway, after a few days of being escorted by the Royal Dragoons, they finally arrived at Birmingham City, the capital of the Kingdom of Britannia.
As the majority of the people believed in Chronos, many citizens came out to give a warm welcome to the Saintess of the Chronos Order.
The Order of Knights of Order members, rather than the actual protagonist Saintess, were more excited about the citizens’ welcome.
The delegation, which was received with a welcome ceremony almost as good as an improvement ceremony, reached the royal palace before they knew it. Henry XVIII, the King of Britannia, came out in person to greet the Saintess’ delegation.
“Welcome, Saintess.”
Henry XVIII glanced at Saintess Estell with lustful eyes, and immediately reached out his hand to escort her.
Estell saw Henry XVIII’s disrespectful gaze, but. . . it was rude to refuse the king’s outstretched hand, so she had no choice but to take it and get out of the carriage.
Henry XVIII, who was subtly rubbing Estell’s hand with his thumb. It was a sight that proved that he was not called a tyrant for nothing.
‘𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘴 50 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. . . .’
It seemed that Henry XVIII was the biggest beneficiary of the polygamy system. Thanks to this, he had countless princes and princesses, but. . . he still couldn’t solidify his successor.
The successor was confirmed to be Crown Prince William Henry Britannia, the eldest son born to Queen Catherine von Richardson.
Unlike his father, Henry XVIII, William was pure and calm. He was a heroic figure who had defended the mainland of Britannia from the Empire’s invasion and had achieved the restoration of the monarchy.
The Saintess’ delegation was allowed to stay in the Crystal Palace, the most beautiful palace in the Royal Palace of Britannia. It was said to be the palace where Henry XVIII’s favorite concubine had stayed. . . It was quite obvious that he was courting Saintess Estell.
At least it was fortunate that the Vatican Guard was in charge of guarding the Crystal Palace.
“Battalion Commander Lorenzo, I will be visiting the Birmingham Diocese for a while.”
Oswald had been asked by a priest from the London Diocese to stop by the Birmingham Diocese when he arrived at the Port of London. To be more precise, it was the Order of the Holy Knights branch established in the basement of the Birmingham Diocese. . .
“Do you have any business at the diocese?”
“A priest from the London Diocese told me that the Bishop of Birmingham wants to see me. . .”
“Hmm. . . I’ll make sure to guard this place well.”
“Please do. I doubt they would attack this far, but. . . the Chaos worshippers are a crazy bunch. I’m worried.”
“Even so, you don’t have to worry too much, as you can fight alongside the Royal Guard if necessary.”
Leaving Battalion Commander Lorenzo behind, Oswald left the royal palace and headed for the Chronos Cathedral located in Birmingham.
As he entered the cathedral, a priest on duty greeted Oswald.
“Brother, the service is over now.”
Oswald showed him the badge that proved he was a Paladin of the Order of the Holy Knights.
“Are you. . . Sir Oswald?”
“Yes.”
“Follow me.”
The priest, who had been informed in advance, led Oswald somewhere. Soon, they arrived at a room in the basement where all four sides were tightly closed.
Then, the priest began to feel the wall of the room where there was nothing. Soon, a groove appeared in the middle of the wall and slid inward, and a door appeared in the wall.
“Come in.”
Oswald entered the underground space, which was as large as the cathedral, and met the Birmingham branch chief of the Order of the Holy Knights.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Oswald Winchester.”
“Nice to meet you, Sir Oswald. I’m Mark Parabong, in charge of the Birmingham branch here. I’ve heard a lot about Sir Oswald from Lady Evelyn.”
“Ah. . . Lady Evelyn, you say. But why did you call me here?”
“There have been many stories about the Chaos worshippers’ attack on the Saintess from the Vatican.”
“I see.”
“Therefore, the Vatican has decided to increase the number of escorts for the Saintess. As it happens, there are quite a few Paladins from the Order of the Holy Knights here in Birmingham, so it has been decided that our side will send more personnel as a matter of urgency.”
“That’s. . . great.”
“Ho-oh. . .”
“Why do you say that?”
“Usually, ordinary Paladins would feel offended, wondering if they couldn’t trust themselves, but Sir Oswald is a little different.”
“If you spend time with the Order of Knights of Order members, anyone would react this way.”
“Hahaha, that’s true.”
At that moment, there was a feeling of someone behind him, and at the same time, the door opened and someone walked in.
“Ah! You’re here. Let’s make introductions. This is Lady Maria, one of the Paladins who are being additionally supported this time.”
At those words, Oswald looked behind him and saw a woman with silver hair. A woman in a black long coat with a hunting cap on her head. Judging from the sword hanging at her waist, it seemed she used a sword.
“My name is Oswald Winchester.”
“Maria Ladius. Nice to meet you.”
The woman treated him with disdain, as if it were natural, but Oswald couldn’t show any dissatisfaction with her disdain.
‘𝘖𝘩. . . 𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴. . . 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 2𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨.’
Moreover, she had a grudge against the witches who worshipped Chaos, so she went around hunting witches, to the point where she was nicknamed the Witch Hunter.
‘𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘮-𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.’
Unlike Oswald, who had reached Platinum-rank with the help of cursed demon artifacts, she had reached that rank purely with her own skills. Of course, it was also a feat to be able to use cursed demon artifacts without any side effects.
‘𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳.’
He had solved the Plague Grimoire with the curse and disease purification ability embedded in the Phoenix’s Bracelet, and he had solved the Blood Demon with the regeneration and recovery ability created from the heart of the Troll King. Of course, there is the annoyance of having to supply the necessary nutrients for blood production on time. . .
‘𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. . .’
The Fate Shop did sell stats that were not as good as the Phoenix’s Bracelet, but were comparable to it. It was. . .
‘𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘴.’
Stats that increased resistance to resist anything that was harmful to the body, including curses, and stats that increased immunity to resist any disease or strong poison.
‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹’𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘵.’
He currently had about 120,000 Fate Points left. Oswald immediately decided to open the shop and purchase the two stats.
[𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝]
[𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐏]
[𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲.]
[𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝]
[𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐏]
[𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬.]
After that, he spent 11,090P each to adjust the levels of resistance and immunity to 40.
A moment later, ten Paladins from the Order of the Holy Knights gathered behind Maria. All of them were Paladins from the Order of the Holy Knights, wearing black long coats and hunting caps.
The twelve demon hunters, including Oswald, left the cathedral and headed for the royal palace.
Entering the royal palace, they showed their demon hunter badges and soon arrived in front of the Crystal Palace.
“Sir. . .Oswald?”
“Battalion Commander Lorenzo, the Order has additionally supported us with Paladins from the Order of the Holy Knights.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Battalion Commander Lorenzo Dultz of the Vatican Guard.”
“Nice to meet you, Battalion Commander Lorenzo. I’m Paladin Maria Ladius.”
“You’re Lady Maria, the Witch Hunter. It’s an honor.”
Maria was a very famous Paladin of the Order of the Holy Knights, even within the Order.
After entering the palace with the rest of the ten hunters, Oswald somehow felt his shoulders rise. Until now, he had been the only ugly duckling among the graceful swans, but as more black swans like him increased, he felt a sense of belonging and superiority to the Order of Knights of Order wimps.
“It’s been a long time, Lady Maria.”
“Captain John. . .”
Maria greeted John Oscar, the Captain of the Order of Knights of Order, with a trembling voice.
“You seem to be doing well.”
“Is this where you ended up after leaving the Order?”
‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?’
Oswald learned for the first time that John Oscar in front of him was from the Order of the Holy Knights.
“I’m just tired.”
At that moment, Vice-Captain Lefangs stepped between the two.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Vice-Captain Lefangs Lionel.”
“Please call me Lady Maria.”
Lefangs’s intervention somewhat neutralized the escalating emotions between the two.
Later, Captain John Oscar arranged for the demon hunters to have their own rooms. They were all assigned rooms in order of their proximity to the Saintess, and the Order of Knights of Order members who were originally there were driven out.
However, there were no complaints. . . Didn’t they experience in Calais City that being close to the Saintess was dangerous?
They were nothing but cowards who chose to become knights of the Order to avoid the highly dangerous enlistment in the Imperial Army.
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