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Fall of the Holy City – Part 01

In this world, gods were real, and their presence was felt through soul cards and guild cards. These divine beings played significant roles in people’s lives.

This made the Church, an organization that worshipped these gods, incredibly powerful. Its headquarters, Agiapole, attracted a multitude of people, with its population estimated to be around 500 thousand.

Like any populous city, Agiapole had both its splendid and unsavory sides. As one ventured towards its outer fringes, closer to the city walls, the level of squalor increased. Drunkards staggered through the alleyways. Prostitutes solicited potential customers.

Narcotics, however, were strictly forbidden, so they were rarely seen. This was the one aspect that actually supported the city’s holy image.

“Hicc! Already drunk in the middle of the day…”

“Yeah, nothing beats daytime drinking!”

“That’s why your wife’s never coming back.”

“It’s better not to have one anyway.”

“Oh, stop pretending.”

Two men in their thirties, inebriated despite the early evening hour, stumbled through the backstreets. They had recently completed a huge job and were flush with cash. It was fairly difficult in Agiapole, where gambling was heavily regulated, to acquire a significant sum of money.

“Hey, wanna go to a place that has bitches?”

“Oh, that sounds like a plan.”

Brimming with excitement, the men ventured into a part of the city where prostitutes filled every corner—except they made a wrong turn.

“There’s nothing here.”

They found themselves in a dark and deserted back street.

“We just made a wrong turn. Let’s head back.”

“No, wait… Do you see someone over there?”

“Oh, yeah… Wait, a woman wearing their hood low? No, thanks. Probably hiding an ugly mug under some thick makeup.”

“Who cares? You’ve gotta mix it up a bit sometimes.”

“Man, you’re such an oddball.”

“Excuse me, miss. Running a business in a place like this?”

The two men approached the hooded woman—a slender figure.

“Just a couple of drunk men here! So how much…”

The person lifted their head. Their face had no makeup. Instead, their skin clung tightly to their bones, and their eye sockets were hollow, replaced by eerie bluish lights. They had no lips, and their yellow teeth chattered in what seemed like laughter.

“Gyaaaaaaah!”

“M-M-Monster!”

The men bolted out of the alley, screaming. Only then did they notice.

“Ugyaaaa!”

“Aaah!”

“Stay away! Stay awaaay!”

Screams filled the air in all directions.

“Wh-Wh-What’s going on?”

“I have no idea, but this is Agiapole, right?”

The men stood stunned amid the chaos.

Indeed, they were in the holy city, the headquarters of the Church, and the last place one would expect such creatures—the undead—to appear.

From that fateful day onward, like hot springs bursting forth from the ground, undead monsters surfaced all over the holy city.

---

“The handover will be delayed because of monsters appearing in the city?”

Hikaru received this information on the day following the monsters’ appearance.

Upon Jillarte’s request, he had been residing in Einbiest’s military tent as a guest. It had become a daily routine for him to meet with Jillarte in the evening to hear updates about the day’s military developments and offer his insights.

Although Hikaru appreciated his stay and wished to aid Jillarte if she needed help, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was appropriate for an outsider like him to be there.

“Wouldn’t our presence here give rise to weird rumors? It’s perfect gossip material,” Lavia had said.

Jillarte quickly responded, “Then you should stay here too. That should prevent any misunderstandings.”

Lavia pursed her lips and muttered almost inaudibly, “She’s tougher than she looks.”

Never had she expected that they would see each other more like this.

Since admitting her feelings, Jillarte seemed to have let go of a weight on her shoulders. A formidable foe had appeared. Lavia was determined not to lose to her. She tried to stay as close to Hikaru as possible while listening to Jillarte’s report.

“That’s right. In fact, my men have confirmed the appearance of monsters within the city, and it seems that temple guards are fighting them. Right now, they have the situation under control, but it’s still chaos in there. Just bad timing. With the ceasefire, merchants chose to stay, and ordinary folks were trying to return to their normal lives.”

“Are there people in the Einbiest army thinking that this might be some scheme orchestrated by Bios?” Hikaru asked.

“Absolutely. Actually, the majority hold that opinion. What about you?”

“…I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“Committing such an act here in the holy city would be suicidal. It would tarnish the Church’s dignity. If they only wanted to delay the delivery of the slaves, there are other ways to do it.”

“Wait… would delaying the slave delivery actually benefit Bios?”

Hikaru nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. Luvain is a shrewd and fearless man.”

He was a man who decided to let the previous Pope die, essentially killing him with his own hands.

“Luvain wouldn’t make a ceasefire agreement with Einbiest’s forces just to drive them away, is what I thought.”

“Hmm… That sounds odd, though. The holy city is the heart of Bios, and the enemy has made it right to its doorstep. Their top priority should be pushing them back. What’s more, they’re covering for our food and other expenses, so they wouldn’t want to keep us here longer than necessary.”

It was Bios that offered to provide food for the duration of the slave liberation process, and the Einbiest army had no reason to refuse.

“You’re right about that. But Luvain is the type of man who tries to move not just one, but two or three pieces with one strategy. So, I’ve been thinking… Einbiest’s presence here might be beneficial for the city.”

“Beneficial? In what way?”

“As a deterrent to the Quinbrand Empire, their current enemy.”

“Oh.” Realization dawned on Jillarte. “Our primary objective is the release of our brethren, and until that is accomplished, we have to stay here. If the Quinbrand Empire were to breach their borders…”

“Fearing that your brethren might get dragged into this mess and killed, Einbiest would have no choice but to act. It might seem like Bios made a lot of concessions in this deal, but they actually obtained a powerful shield for countering Quinbrand. The slaves have essentially become hostages—so taking time to release them is huge for Bios. Sustaining the few thousands of troops stationed here is hardly a problem.”

“…”

Jillarte was wearing a thoughtful look, when a runner arrived.

“Deputy Leader! Are you here?!”

“Yes. Come in.”

“I know it’s late, but a messenger has arrived from Bios. They’re here to talk about the delay in the handover and the war situation with the Quinbrand Empire. Lord Gerhardt is requesting your presence.”

Jillarte glanced at Hikaru, and he met her gaze with a nod.

“Got it. I’ll be right there,” she said. “What about you, Silver Face?”

“I have some business to take care of.”

“…All right.”

With that, Jillarte departed with the runner.

Hikaru let out a sigh and removed his mask. Lavia did the same thing.

“Hikaru,” Lavia said. “I thought that once the ceasefire was settled, the Beastmen would be freed, and that’s it.”

“I thought the same at first. But Bios, or rather Luvain, is desperate. When a person’s life is on the line, they’ll consider any means to survive. I don’t think Luvain has anything to do with the undead, though.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m not entirely sure yet. I need to verify it.” Hikaru stood up, holding his mask.

“Is that what you meant by ‘business to take care of’?”

Hikaru nodded. “I’m going to see the Pope. Could you tell Jillarte what I’m up to?”

“…”

“Lavia?” Hikaru called, perplexed.

He didn’t understand her inner struggle. She wasn’t sure how to face Jillarte in this situation. How to talk to her.

“I-It’s nothing. Take care.”

Lavia also stood up and approached Hikaru, closing her eyes and puckering her lips.

“Mm.”

“Ah…”

Scratching his cheek with his finger, Hikaru kissed Lavia. There was a soft sensation, and when Lavia opened her eyes, Hikaru had already vanished.

“Such a shy one. I wanted to see the embarrassed look on his face.”

Lavia was red to the ears.