The Church.
They could not exist under the same sky as the cultists.
Naturally, they used evil powers and dark arts to bewitch poor commoners and make them their strength.
The Yellow Turban Cult, who wore yellow headscarves and followed the Yellow Spring, was no different.
They used human sacrifices to practice forbidden dark arts. They used drugs and aphrodisiacs to bewitch people while aiming to overthrow the world.
If these people weren’t eliminated, the continent’s safety would be like a candle in the wind.
“Go!! Do not fear! The light is behind us!!”
Thus, the church’s holy knights fought with their lives on the line.
They held no fear for death.
Peace.
They threw themselves onto the battlefield solely for the peace and stability of the continent.
But no matter how great their spirit, they couldn’t overcome their numerical disadvantage.
There were too few allies.
Nearly a thousand Yellow Turban cultists.
And the holy knights who had to fight these people, intoxicated by evil arts to the point of not feeling pain, numbered only about a hundred.
A battle where one had to face ten was inevitably overwhelming and dangerous.
“The front line is being pushed back!! Don’t forget the innocent and pitiful ones behind us!!”
The holy knight shouted until his throat was sore while glancing back.
Behind that path were good people fleeing from the Yellow Turban Cult.
To protect them, offering this one life to the light was nothing to fear.
Thinking this, the holy knight swung his mace widely.
“Kahahaha!! The Yellow Spring will rule the world!!”
Yellow energy sprayed from the cultist’s mouth, unconcerned even though his arm was broken by the mace.
That energy that rotted everything began melting the holy knight’s thick armor.
As the cultist was about to swing his sharp blade at the exposed flesh—
Slash–
The sky darkened, and sword energy like moonlight began to dominate the battlefield.
The complexion of the Yellow Turban cultists who had been shouting about the Yellow Spring just moments ago changed.
They felt uneasy as pitch-black darkness covered the Yellow Spring and took its place.
“What is this! What is this! What sorcery is this!!”
Unlike them shouting in shock and despair, the holy knights’ spirits began to rise.
For they knew.
What this phenomenon was.
What this moonlight was.
“She’s here!! She’s here!!”
“She has come!!”
Along with the rising morale of the holy knights, the moonlight sword energy began to dominate the battlefield and cut down countless Yellow Turban cultists.
As the delighted holy knights raised their maces and began to cheer—
A beauty with long pink hair wearing white robes appeared from the darkness.
She was truly a goddess.
Her golden eyes stared straight at the enemy without wavering.
Her pink hair flowing in the wind looked soft and warm as if symbolizing her benevolence.
Her voluptuous figure suggested maturity, but her still youthful face made it difficult to gauge her exact age.
But such things didn’t matter.
For she was—
“The Goddess of the Battlefield!!”
“The Saint of the Sword!! Lady Sowol has arrived!!”
The one absolute power ruling this place.
Having lost all their elite troops, the Yellow Turban Cult’s leader finally used evil arts to step forward, but he kneeled before Sowol’s blade.
Sowol silently watched him being burned at the stake according to church law, then turned away.
After casually waving to the cheering holy knights, she returned to her tent and sighed as she sat in a chair.
“Phew…”
Though she had gained much training and experience at the church after Lee Hyun left and obtained the position of Saint of the Sword, she still couldn’t be satisfied.
Naturally so, as she still hadn’t obtained what she truly wanted.
She had hoped to defeat the Yellow Turban Cult and gain information about the Asura Church, but these people were useless, too.
She had no idea where the Asura Church’s headquarters was hidden.
As Sowol caught her breath while touching her face in frustration, the tent’s door opened, and a beautiful woman with cold features appeared.
“My lady.”
Laila.
Starting from the Eastern Trading Company, this maid who had served Sowol continued to act as her hands and feet even after Sowol became the church’s Saint of the Sword.
“A letter from Master Lee.”
At those words, Sowol’s shoulders twitched.
Her gaze held anticipation. Looking at her, Laila carefully handed over two letters.
“……”
Swallowing hard, Sowol opened the letters.
[Long time no see.
I heard you became the Saint of the Sword.
They say you’re doing very well?
I’m sorry, but I’d like to receive support as your master.
If possible, please send five thousand gold coins to someone named Lumiadi in Roten, the capital of the Tailrody Kingdom.
Sorry.
From your loving master.]
“……”
[It’s been a while since I’ve written a letter like this.
Have you been well?
I hear news of you from time to time.
I’m proud of how active you’ve been as the Saint of the Sword.
I’m currently studying at the continent’s edge.
This study should end soon.
When I’m training myself like this, I’m reminded of when I taught you before.
I hope you stay healthy without trouble, and I pray we’ll meet again soon.
From your proud master, Lee Hyun]
“…..”
Looking bitterly at the two letters, Sowol heaved a heavy sigh.
Then she turned her gaze to the large box beside her.
Laila quickly opened the box, and Sowol bit her lip as she stared at the numerous letters inside.
“One asks for money, and one says he’s at the continent’s edge.”
“We’ve received 142 letters asking for money so far. Letters saying he’s at the continent’s edge, dangerous places, or other regions number 121 so far.”
“Haah…”
Sowol chewed her lip repeatedly.
As Laila said,
After becoming known as the Saint of the Sword, numerous letters impersonating Lee Hyun had arrived for her.
She was happy at first.
Of course she would be.
News had come from Lee Hyun, whom others thought dead and she thought missing.
So when she dropped everything and went there, Sowol met them.
A group of cultists trying to kill her.
When she realized the letter was a cultist trick after defeating them all, she can’t describe how despairing it was.
Similar letters continued to arrive afterward.
Each time, she would go and kill them. Then letters trying to send her to the continent’s edge or dangerous places she couldn’t return from alive started arriving.
That’s not all—letters asking to borrow money, asking to harm someone, even letters asking to kidnap someone arrived.
So now Sowol couldn’t move carelessly just because a letter claimed to be from Lee Hyun.
“Investigate for now. And news of those sent to the continent’s edge… nothing?”
“No.”
“I see… Tell them that if they find Master, bring him to the trading company by any means necessary. And from the Academy?”
“No special news yet.”
Lee Hyun had clearly said he would go to the Academy.
She could wait for that, but there was no way to know when it would happen. Sowol sighed in frustration.
“Understood.”
Her heart aches.
Where on earth was Master and what was he doing?
Sowol looked at the box full of letters.
Just as she was feeling bitter while hoping one of these might be real—
“Also, a new Chamber Master from the Ivory Tower is showing interest in eliminating the Asura Church.”
With the talk about Lee Hyun finished, it was time to deliver the main point.
Laila carefully spoke while holding out the scroll the Ivory Tower mage delivered earlier.
“A new Chamber Master?”
“Yes. They say a new Chamber Master of the Colorless Chamber was born recently.”
“Colorless Chamber? That’s strange. Aren’t the Ivory Tower’s chambers each assigned colors matching their attributes?”
“But this Chamber Master can use ultimate magic of all attributes. So they had to create a new Colorless Chamber.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. If they’re interested in eliminating the Asura Church, we must become friendly. Can you investigate what kind of person they are?”
“Investigating someone of Chamber Master rank won’t be easy… There was a case where forces investigating former Red Chamber Master Bella were destroyed by the Ivory Tower’s attack. If we’re not careful, they might end up opposing the church.”
That’s why they hadn’t paid attention to the Ivory Tower side until now.
Unless there was evidence they were connected to cults, it could just end up stirring up a hornet’s nest.
Hearing her report, Sowol thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“Well. Nothing we can do then.”
“They say they’re passing through this area—how about meeting them briefly? I think it would be good to judge for yourself.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
The relationship between the church and Ivory Tower was neither good nor bad.
As such, while they hadn’t paid much attention to each other until now, it wouldn’t be bad to join hands if they shared the same enemy.
When Sowol gave permission, Laila led her out.
Not far from their base, the Ivory Tower’s forces were briefly resting.
Unlike the church that eliminated the Yellow Turban Cult, the Ivory Tower had come to investigate mana anomalies at this point.
Following the guidance of welcoming Ivory Tower mages, Sowol entered an elegant-looking tent.
And she was amazed.
‘Big chest.’
A beauty wearing what looked like an elegant black robe stood with thick, luxuriant silver hair and deep sapphire blue eyes.
Most impressive was her chest, which was noticeably full even through the robe.
The beauty, whose chest rivaled Sowol’s own, which she had developed through all sorts of efforts after hearing Lee Hyun’s preferences, flinched as soon as she saw Sowol.
“Ah. Um. Uh. N-nice to… meet you.”
The beauty bowed deeply while mumbling, then quietly averted her gaze and spoke softly.
“I’m… Lena.”