I returned from the cathedral to the encampment.

Inside the carriage advancing along the paved main avenue, the stigma emitted light and words appeared.

【Hero’s Journey Step 12】

【Step 5: Attend the Elector Princes Council】

【Detailed Objective 3: Protector of the Church!】

【Impose a political debt upon the Myriad Star Church.】

【Reward upon success: Thunderbolt Body increases by 100%】

【Punishment upon failure: Thunderbolt Body decreases by 100%】

The moment I saw it, my breath caught.

I was the one about to owe a debt, so how was I supposed to impose a debt on the church?

“We have arrived.”

I got down from the carriage and headed to the tent.

“You have returned, my lord?”

Joi ran out and saluted.

“Yes. It ended well. Fortunately.”

“Heh heh, who do they think my lord is? If they don’t want to be chopped to pieces, of course it had to end well.”

“Is that so.”

“There is one more person inside right now.”

“Yes. Good work.”

From her gaze, I felt that a difficult guest had come.

Sssrk.

Inside the tent.

Another marksman stood beside Blue Hydrangea.

The sharply fitted red uniform, the smoothly hanging black shoulder cape, and even the armband embroidered with a hundred flowers were the same, but her atmosphere was quite different.

If Blue Hydrangea was like a cool hydrangea, this woman was a golden rose blooming in a midsummer garden.

A rose hairpin shone above the blonde hair parted and tied back, and her splendid yet somehow melancholy gaze created a dignity like a rose’s thorns.

The continent’s greatest mercenary corps, the marksman school.

The one called the King Among Flowers there, commanding thousands of marksmen.

“Third-year Class One of the marksman school, Golden Rose. Though I am lacking in many ways, I serve as class leader by the collective will of my sisters.”

Golden Rose opened her mouth in a soft yet dignified voice.

“First, I offer deep thanks for the grace of rehiring Blue Hydrangea and the sisters who were in hostile relations with you. I also offer thanks once again for Your Highness’s assistance in maintaining the employment relationship.”

She knelt on one knee at the same time as Blue Hydrangea and bowed her head.

Her movement was as graceful as Erica’s.

“Sit. Tell me the situation first.”

I raised the two and faced them across the table.

“……As Deputy Class Leader Blue Hydrangea said, the corruption is spreading like head lice because of a spy from the Hall of Purity. I evacuated five hundred sisters to a secret place outside the city. It was to avoid the eyes of the church and protect the safety of the remaining sisters.”

Golden Rose explained the situation.

“Five hundred?”

It was no small number.

Especially with Blue Hydrangea having gone to war with six hundred, another five hundred made it even more so.

“Because there was no holy water, the corruption spread too quickly. The Myriad Star Church deliberately stopped selling it. As things stand, we have no means of purification. The most we could do was cut away corrupted areas and repeat recovery with emergency treatment techniques.”

“……The church again.”

“Internally, we are searching for the spies of the Hall of Purity and the Myriad Star Church. We have narrowed the candidates down to about three on both sides, but because there is no proof yet, we can only burn inside.”

I decided to resolve the immediate problem first.

“I will secure holy water for you. For now, take it from our supplies.”

Golden Rose bowed her head respectfully.

“Your Highness’s grace will remain long in the history of our marksman school. Even should the seasons in which roses bloom and wither change a thousand times, our sisters will not forget today’s grace.”

“No words are needed. Take it tomorrow.”

“Yes. I will go at once.”

“I will accompany her as well.”

Blue Hydrangea followed immediately too.

The two left my tent.

Watching their backs, I thought.

Saint Deneb would surely follow them.

Even if I had spoken to him, he would not stop thinking other thoughts.

“Jo.”

I called my longtime adjutant.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Call several Blue Knights. We are following them.”

The next dawn.

It is said that the life of our cadets is to bloom beautifully and fall beautifully, but flowers are most beautiful when they are in bloom. This is a chance to save even one more.

Blue Hydrangea left the city following Golden Rose.

The sky just before dawn held a violet hue, and the grass blades of the plains were full of dew.

“Is this the right way?”

“Yes. We’ll arrive soon. Beyond that forest.”

Golden Rose entered the forest, and Blue Hydrangea immediately followed behind her.

The forest was strangely quiet.

Not a single birdcall could be heard.

Even the air was damp, as if the wind itself had stopped.

“Do you remember?”

Golden Rose suddenly opened her mouth.

“When we were first-years. A training grenade exploded wrong and all our hair burned away.”

“Of course I remember. We cried so much back then that our roommate senior bought us hair-growth medicine from the engraving workshops.”

Blue Hydrangea smiled so brightly that anyone who knew her would have been surprised.

The two had been longtime roommates.

After years of harsh training, they had become elite superhuman warriors, “second-years,” and after more years of harsh training, they had become the leadership class, “third-years.”

Countless sisters had fallen before them, and now almost no classmates remained.

“You remember the second-year promotion exam too, don’t you?”

“Of course. We endured several nights in the snowfield. Back then, I really thought I was going to freeze to death.”

“At the time, I thought once that was over, it would immediately be heaven.”

“As soon as we became second-years, we received missions and went outside the secret garden. Hunting demonic beasts under knightly nobles, suppressing rebellions, and fighting territorial wars.”

Memories came vividly back.

“We really saw many filthy things too. Hostile lords each hired us, but we couldn’t get word from the president senior on which side would cancel the contract, so we ended up fighting among ourselves. There was also the time we nearly failed third-year promotion because we refused an order to suppress a tenant-farmer rebellion.”

“Right. I think I realized it then. I never knew protecting our sisters would be this hard.”

“That’s true. It really was hard. Our seniors were truly superhuman.”

“The power of the White Flower Star alone was nowhere near enough. No matter how sharp the thorns are, there is no end to the desire to pluck flowers.”

“That’s right…… huh?”

Blue Hydrangea laughed for a while, then turned her head and looked at Golden Rose.

A splendid face and gloomy eyes.

Oh no.

A strangely twisted smile had settled there.

“Golden Rose. What do you mean?”

“We need stronger power.”

In that instant, Blue Hydrangea’s eyes opened wide.

A second eye flashed open on Golden Rose’s right cheek.

Above it, a third and fourth eye slowly opened as well.

“……!”

Rose vines grew from her white neck and wrapped around her whole body.

Golden roses bloomed from the thorn vines.

The roses were extremely beautiful, but just as horrifying.

Click-clack.

“How could you……!”

Blue Hydrangea loaded her musket with trembling hands.

“Shoot. Hydrangea.”

Golden Rose smiled with four eyes.

Laughing like a splendid monster.

Blue Hydrangea’s finger shook.

How weak.

She realized that she could not shoot.

“Why? You can’t shoot? You can’t, can you? Right?”

Golden Rose laughed and reached out.

Thorn vines grew and bound Blue Hydrangea’s arms and legs.

Golden Rose dragged Blue Hydrangea deep into the forest.

Before a dark cave.

A chilling sight unfolded.

“Senior!”

“Senior is here!”

Nearly eight hundred sisters ran out.

All of them had red pupils shining bewitchingly, and from beneath their hair, the aura of mutant demonic beasts poured out.

They were still beautiful like flowers, but beneath those petals, thorn vines were writhing.

Thud.

Blue Hydrangea thought her heart had dropped.

To think I would make such a mistake. I have no face to show His Highness Kyrie.

“Look, Hydrangea.”

Golden Rose spread both arms and smiled brightly.

“This power is a blessing. With this power, any fatal injury can be healed. We can become flowers that bloom forever!”

“You made the sisters into monsters.”

“No. I protected them. Now we won’t die. We won’t be plucked, or wither.”

“You were the spy of the Hall of Purity.”

“Hydrangea. You can become that way too.”

Golden Rose extended her hand to Blue Hydrangea.

The gesture was still graceful, but yellow roses and thorn vines were tangled thickly around her wrist.

Blue Hydrangea trembled in confusion.

The musket was in her hand, but tears blinded her, and she could not tell where to shoot.

“Come to your senses. Please.”

“Think about it. Flowers that bloom forever. Why should we refuse this?”

Golden Rose’s voice was as sweet as honey and as sharp as thorns.

Silence flowed for a moment.

Why should they refuse?

Blue Hydrangea could not answer in the end.

“Good. Think more. I’ll wait. Because you’re my beloved roommate.”

Golden Rose smiled and tightened the thorn vines again.

“Ah.”

Blue Hydrangea was dragged into the depths of the cave.

Inside the cave.

Blue Hydrangea, bound in chains, looked at the corrupted sisters.

Every one of them still dazzled.

The vines blooming on their skin were hideous, but their faces were still beautiful like flowers.

Flowers that bloom forever…….

They were words she too had once pursued and vaguely admired.

Now, an inexplicable aversion welled up from deep in her chest.

Click, click, click.

Golden Rose walked out from the depths of the cave.

Her footsteps were like raindrops falling in a rose garden.

“Hydrangea. Soon, we will attack Saint Deneb. We will show all the Elector Princes how sharp our thorns are. If everyone fears us, no one will treat us carelessly.”

“…….”

“This is the final offer. Come with us. We will become the masters of this garden. Let us make Rebellion our flower field! A flower field that will be beautiful forever! Look at me! How beautiful am I?”

Golden Rose extended her hand.

“You were beautiful to begin with.”

Blue Hydrangea dropped her hand.

Pity flashed through Golden Rose’s gaze.

“You really are stubborn.”

Golden Rose sighed, then drew out her vines again and bound Blue Hydrangea tightly.

She took one glass bottle from the inner pocket of her coat.

“I’ll give you more time to think. Forever.”

An endlessly boiling dark-red liquid.

It was the essence of the mutant demonic beast.

“Drink this, and we’ll be together in an eternally beautiful form.”

Golden Rose took the liquid into her mouth.

She grabbed the back of Blue Hydrangea’s head with her hand and tried to pass the liquid from lips to lips.

Even when Blue Hydrangea tried to avoid it, she was bound by thorn vines and chains and could not move an inch.

At the instant blue-painted lips and red-painted lips were about to touch.

Shweeeeeek!

A dizzying sound of tearing air shook the inside of the cave.

Thud!

Blue-green flame flew in and smashed Golden Rose’s tentacle arm.

“Aaaaagh!”

Clatterrrrr!

The vines and chains were severed, and Blue Hydrangea was freed.

She rolled across the floor and raised her head.

“……Your Highness?”

At the cave entrance.

“Blue Hydrangea. What state is that?”

Kyrie appeared with his sky-shard cloak fluttering.

Behind him, a group of Blue Knights entered in formation and imposing splendor, including Vane of the steel arm, Hari with twin blades, Frey bearing a greatsword, and Paisen holding a long spear.

“You look even worse than when we first met.”

“You knew everything!”

Golden Rose regenerated her arm by gathering thorn vines and bared her teeth.

“Yes. You came at just the right time. You must have taken Blue Hydrangea prisoner and humiliated her to your heart’s content, haven’t you? You must have laughed while watching me take Hydrangea away, haven’t you? I’ll take revenge. I’ll make you regret coming here!”

Behind her back, thorn tentacles rose in strands.

Kyrie was flustered.

I followed them because Saint Deneb might launch an attack, but suddenly some kind of tentacle party is unfolding.

He was flustered even as he drew his sword, and flustered even as he raised lightning.

You were the spy of the Hall of Purity? I had no idea at all. And what does she mean, I knew everything? Is she trying to make me a genius so she doesn’t make herself look like a fool?

So he did what a flustered person might do.

Rumble!

He drew his sword and leaped together with the Blue Knights.

“Fire!”

Golden Rose shouted like a scream.

[“Aim correction!”]

[“Penetration technique!”]

[“Diffusion technique!”]

The mutant cadets of the marksman school all raised their muskets at once.

They wriggled their thorn vines, swiftly finished loading, and pulled the triggers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hundreds of gunshots burst simultaneously in the darkness.

Three or four eyes per person flashed, and the light of gunfire covered the cave.

Crack!

Sparks flew from a Blue Knight’s armor.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Blood burst as the following shots hit.

Tzzzzzz!

“Stick together!”

Kyrie raised both arms.

Sacheol shields gathered and wrapped the front of the Blue Knights in a hemispherical shape.

Thunk, thunk, thunk!

A black curtain like a metallic tidal wave deflected the bullets.

At the same time, Kyrie floated Magnetic Railshots.

Shweeeek! Shweeeek! Shweeeek!

Magnetic Railshot ionized gas flew out as if exploding and blasted away the mutated third-years.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Kyaaagh!”

“Aaaagh!”

The third-years who were just preparing grenades and gun barrels rolled across the floor.

“Break through!”

Kyrie shouted.

“Break through!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

The Blue Knights charged all at once.

Vane swung his steel arm and advanced while crushing tentacles, and Hari wrapped current around his twin blades and hurled himself like a whirlwind.

Frey split a mutant cadet’s torso in half with his greatsword, and Paisen pierced four at once with the raging lightning at the tip of his long spear.

Neither vines nor regenerative power were of any use before blades bearing lightning that seared and burned.

From the bodies of the fallen mutant cadets, petals of many colors scattered.

“It is over, monster!”

Kyrie leaped toward Golden Rose.

Lightning reinforcement and ionized gas flashed along the blade of the crystalline holy sword.

Chapter 204

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