# When at full gallop, a horse is never a comfortable ride. Each time hooves strike the ground, the impact shoots through your spine and scatters your concentration.
On that wildly shaking mount, clinging to the horse's neck, your brain quickly loses all sense of direction from the repeated impacts. And since horses are living creatures, directing them where you want isn't always easy.
Sounds get lost in the harsh wind and thundering hoofbeats, and any conversation becomes shouting or screaming. There's a reason knights communicate with hand signals when moving.
Maintaining proper judgment and posture despite all these challenges is what horsemanship is about. By all accounts, the party's horsemanship had been perfected through life-or-death battles in Tilles.
"Rear! Cavalry!!"
"Numbers?!"
"30! Engage?!"
"Ignore that many! What about the old man?!"
"Behind them! Breaking through...! No, he's broken through!"
Soon, with a thunderous boom, one knight was sent flying through the air. The knights pursuing them all turned their heads toward the rear.
It was now afternoon, and a man was riding his horse with the sun at his back. His horse, foaming at the mouth, was charging toward them while breathing heavily.
The man, holding an axe in one hand and a cavalry spear he seemed to have seized from somewhere in the other, glared at them with his body covered in blood.
"Don't be afraid," Ivan whispered, patting the neck of his nervous horse. The only one you should fear is the human on your back, not these scarecrows before you, he emphasized.
The knights split into two groups. Another impact, and three men were unhorsed. Ivan seized two swords, spun them in the air, and threw them.
"Old man!!"
"Go!! Keep a day's distance ahead!!"
"Yes!! See you at the Papal State!!"
Isabelle shouted with a bright face and spurred her horse. Ivan moved in a different direction from them to lure away the knights.
Even if the knights had decided they should pursue the Saintess, they had no other choice. They couldn't chase after her with that man at their backs.
Isabelle glanced briefly at Ivan, who had disappeared into the distance, then turned her head away.
As always, she simply trusted him.
At least in combat situations, her scout had never once betrayed her trust.
After achieving the maximum possible results one person could accomplish, he would appear again on horseback, covered in blood. "I'm back," he would say expressionlessly.
So, as always, she simply trusted him.
*Crunch*
Though her hand gripping the reins turned white with worry, she forced a smile and spurred her horse hard again.
Yes, because a Hero must always smile, she thought.
After that, the party encountered no more pursuers. They tried not to think about what kind of acts one would have to commit to become a greater strategic target than the Saintess.
After two days of galloping to reach the plains, and two more days after that. Staying as far from the main road as possible.
Even when their horses collapsed from exhaustion and they had to continue on foot to find their way, the party moved forward without much conversation.
For them, time without pursuers meant time that the man was alone on the front lines, handling the enemy's pursuit.
They couldn't complain. Simply running blindly was clearly easier than fighting for one's life.
"We've... arrived..." Elfihera barely muttered through dry lips. The party exhaled heavily as they gazed at the white outer walls of the city visible beyond the main road.
"The Papal State. Lux Sanctus Orbis... I don't know how long it's been since I last came here."
"There are so many people...?"
"The council is being held, isn't it? A ceremony that's difficult to hold even once a century—naturally there would be many pilgrims."
The Saintess stood up on trembling legs and walked with effort. The party followed behind her.
The journey to this point was a secondary matter. What truly mattered was the outcome of the council that was about to take place.
"Just a moment, Saintess."
"Yes?"
"It might be a bit funny to ask this now, but..."
Oskar scanned the dense crowd, the tall walls, and the heavily armed soldiers patrolling below them as he continued.
"If things go wrong... can we escape?"
"If we had missed the date of the council, perhaps not, but now it's possible. Don't worry too much. Even in the worst case, getting out won't be a problem."
"Hmm..."
"Come on, what happens in there will be theological debates. And most theological debates can't end in a day. That's because they deal with matters that must be proven through logic, not facts."
When such debates arose, the church needed the Pope's infallible judgment to prevent division.
And since church discipline recognized that infallibility was equally divided between the Pope and the Saintess...
"Even if opinions clash, it's difficult for the faithful to take one side. Since it won't end in an instant, it's now an endurance test. Just wait in a nice place, eating and resting!"
The Saintess walked on with a confident smile. As churchgoers and soldiers who recognized her bowed and made way, she smiled gently as if to say "See?" and entered the Papal State along the main road.
Ivan stretched his stiff arms as he walked. After separating from Isabelle's group and luring the enemies in a different direction for half a day, then putting enough distance between them, and taking another half day to return—he had somehow managed to keep to the schedule.
Stars were embedded in the night sky, twinkling. Ivan trudged along with the cavalry spear he had picked up slung over his shoulder.
By now, the Saintess would have arrived at the Papal State, and the first day of the council would have passed. Even if he had spent a day shaking off pursuers, there would be no issue with making it on time.
That meant he could afford to take some time to recover his strength. The pursuers who had been chasing him would now be spending their time following the false trail he had left.
"Huff..."
Deep fatigue pressed heavily on one side of his head. Even if they were somewhat inferior to those in Tilles, knights were still knights. He couldn't break through the knights' pursuit on a single horse without taking any damage.
Though he had replenished lost blood with potions, fatigue was unavoidable. His head felt dizzy from traveling with almost no sleep for nearly four days.
Once he rejoined the group, he could probably get some rest. Ivan continued walking, looking at the white walls visible in the distance.
The white walls of the Papal State shining in the moonlight...
"Smoke...?"
It was burning.
Pilgrims were wailing and running in the chaotic city. The way they ran around waving torches in an almost manic manner made it seem like they were searching for someone...
"Find the fallen Saintess!!"
"If only they were seeking the Lord instead," the heretic sighed deeply.
The fact that they were searching meant they had lost her. In other words, she hadn't been caught yet. He was quite curious about how things had gone so wrong in just one day.
"Excuse me."
"The fallen— W-what?!"
A pilgrim was about to flare up in anger but closed his mouth upon seeing Ivan. This pilgrim was too sensitive to get angry at a man covered in dried blood from head to toe, with a bloodstained spear slung over his shoulder.
"W-what do you want?"
"Let me ask you one thing. What's all this commotion about?"
"Did you just arrive?"
"Yes. I barely escaped from bandits on my way here."
"Oh..."
Given his appearance, the pilgrim would have believed him even if he'd said he was returning victorious after slaughtering bandits. The pilgrim swallowed hard and answered politely.
"The Saintess... pfft! Lord, forgive my tongue. That witch, they say she has fallen!"
"...Why...?"
"How would I know? They say the Lord was angered by that witch and her minions' corruption and withdrew His light from the world, so the priests lost their power!"
"...So what happened to the witch and her minions...?"
"They set fire to the walls with strange spells and fled! They couldn't have gone far. You should join the search too. His Holiness the Pope has offered a reward, so there's money to be made even for mercenaries!"
"I'll do that. Thank you."
Ivan nodded lightly and was about to leave when he suddenly asked:
"Ah, let me ask one more thing."
"What?"
"I heard the council was held, but how did they know the Saintess had fallen? Didn't His Holiness the Pope also lose his divine power?"
"What blasphemy...!!"
The man was about to flare up in anger but swallowed hard at the sight of the dried blood on Ivan's spear and regained his politeness.
He tried his best to teach this blasphemous outlaw logically, like a devout believer.
"That witch dared to accuse His Holiness of 'corruption.' At the council, no less. But His Holiness already knew this, so the answer was simple."
"Simple...?"
"His Holiness prayed for that witch's redemption...!!"
The man made the sign of the cross several times with great fuss. He soon answered carefully in a pious tone.
"And the Lord answered... The Holy Spirit descended, and its radiance illuminated all things. Oh, Lord."
"Answered...?"
"It was a miracle...! With brilliant light, the seated rose, the blind saw, and the wounded were healed... Ah, doesn't that mean only His Holiness was satisfactory in the Lord's eyes?"
"He used divine power...?"
Ivan bowed his head quietly.
Beolgrin's plan had been perfect. He had shaken the heavens and separated the world of gods from the world of humans. Now no god could intervene in this land.
Yu-jin's broken status window was the greatest evidence. Nothing proved the severance from gods more clearly than that.
In such a world, divine power was used...? Ivan reflexively examined his body.
Traces of divine power remained in his body. Very faintly, all used up in healing his body, but the traces were definitely there.
'Beings who can use divine power without begging the celestial gods are...'
Ivan closed his eyes, organized his thoughts, and nodded. Things have gotten complicated, he thought.
"Thank you."
"It was nothing. Now, if you have no more questions, I'll..."
The man was about to answer this taciturn mercenary when he blinked. There was nothing in the spot where the man had been standing just a moment ago.
He rubbed his eyes several times and exclaimed in shock:
"It's the witch's sorcery!!!"
No one in this country could be better than him at finding traces in the darkness. Even the Pope, who still possessed divine power, would be no match. Regardless of "which god" that divine power belonged to.
So when Ivan discovered the party's traces and followed them, they were camping in the forest, wrapped in blankets.
"Patricia."
"...!!"
Isabelle and Oskar, who had reflexively drawn their swords at his voice, soon stood up with big smiles of relief.
"Old man!!"
"Wait."
Ivan pushed away the approaching Isabelle and moved toward the Saintess. The Saintess looked up at Ivan darkly with eyes worn from fatigue.
Beneath the blanket, her trembling hands were visible. Not from shock or fear, but from anger.
Under her sunken eyes, traces of irrepressible anger and hatred shone through.
"Brother."
"I heard what happened."
"Lucius... That man...!!"
The Saintess bit her teeth roughly as she looked at Ivan. As Ivan sat down, she spoke to him with burning eyes.
"He has joined hands with the Seven Dragon Lords...!!"
"He must have surrendered to the Seven Dragon Lords."
The two spoke the same words simultaneously. The Saintess soon contorted her face and dropped her head.
There are no gods in this land now. But beings who possess divine power still live and breathe.
Beings who have become gods themselves. Absolute beings who possess concepts...
If the concept of "divine power" itself had been completely erased, the curse of the Seven Dragon Lords should not have remained. Yet Ivan still felt all food like grains of sand.
The divine power bestowed by the celestial gods was clearly severed. This could not be denied because Beolgrin had guaranteed it.
However, in the battle at Kalion, after Beolgrin had torn through the heavens, divine power still remained in Ivan's body. A fragment of Senasgeor. Which meant...
The gods who live, have lived, and continue to live in this land still retain their power intact.
"Do you know who it is?"
"Lamerix of the Veil. It must be him."
"Of all people."
"Yes, of all people!!"
The Saintess growled, grinding her teeth. The Pope, the parent of all believers and guardian of faith...
Dared to submit to the god of lust.
As a believer of the same church, there could be no greater insult.
The Saintess wrapped her trembling hands around Ivan's hand.
"Brother, I must go back. I cannot stand by and watch such corruption in this land."
"No. That would be the worst move."
The Seven Dragon Lords are not in Orbis now. After all, the Seven Dragon Lords are not beings who can hide their presence. If Lamerix had been in this area, everyone would have felt his presence.
The Seven Dragon Lords crush the laws of the world simply by being present. They cannot easily step outside their domains. Because their overflowing spiritual rank contaminates the world.
So they are not in Orbis now. Rushing into Orbis would be useless. Assassinating the Pope would be the same.
The Pope would become a martyr, and all believers in this world would worship him and start a holy war. Such an outcome must be prevented.
"We must go to Equitania, Patricia. We need to gather the direction of the holy war... their consensus in one place."
"And after that? How long can we hold out? In this situation where five of the six southern countries have turned their backs...!"
"After that, we strike the Seven Dragon Lords in front of them all."
So he said thank you. In this tiresome repetition where the Seven Dragon Lords kill members of the Hero Party, at least this time the enemy showed their true colors first.
Indeed, a trap is where the enemy's forces are concentrated. If you have enough confidence in victory, deliberately walking into the enemy's trap can be a good strategy.
Ivan squeezed the Saintess's hand covering his and said:
"So stand up. It's too early to give up. I swear, I will not let you die today."
Looking back into Ivan's blue eyes as he gazed down with the moon behind him, the Saintess quietly removed her hand and nodded.
EP34. Universal Council.