Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 144

144: What Awaits at the Summit

If he hadn’t had faith, he would have been dead.

That was his honest assessment of the situation.

It was faith that had led him to abandon the comfortable, enviable position of a gatekeeper at the holy city’s royal castle.

In truth, even the position of a gatekeeper was only open to the devout.

But his faith had been a facade. Not that he had broken any precepts; he simply hadn’t believed in God.

In the Holy Kingdom of Etrantal, it was impossible for the faithless to rise in the ranks.

So, he had pretended. He had read the scriptures, memorized them, prayed, and made donations to the church when the opportunity arose.

And it was because he had awakened to true faith that he had abandoned the position he had worked so hard to obtain.

He had met the Saint.

He had met the Angel.

And at the Saint’s audience with the Holy King, he had heard the word of God and the Saint’s own speech.

But even with faith, the snow-covered winter mountains were a living hell.

“Advance, regardless of the sacrifices! The kingdom of God is near!”

The encouraging shouts echoed, colder than the freezing air.

Indeed, the kingdom of God—heaven—might be near.

Had those who had fallen in the snow, without even drawing their swords, made it to the kingdom of God?

How many had fallen already? Thousands?

It was probably the difference in their winter gear. More specifically, the effectiveness of the [Enchanted Resist Cold] enchantments on their gear.

Mages had been gathered to enchant the gear, but not all of them were experts. With so many, it wasn’t surprising that some of the gear was shoddy.

And even the mana needed to maintain the enchantments was in short supply in this environment.

It was the Order of Evangel, who had yet to lose a single member, that was the exception.

The Holy Knights were all mages. They had mastered practical magic, primarily physical enhancement, and, in accordance with their doctrine, they had also mastered numerous offensive spells specialized in combating demons and undead.

The Holy Kingdom had the lowest number of undead-related incidents among the three great nations, largely due to the efforts of the Holy Knights.

Men who had surpassed men.

It was because they were leading the way, packing down the snow, that the regular soldiers and the militia could even walk through these mountains.

But the weak, those with little mana, and those who had been unlucky enough to receive shoddy gear, were falling one after another.

If only faith could protect them from the cold.

Fortunately, his winter gear was still functional, keeping him alive. But with every breath, a sharp pain shot through his nose, and the howling wind, filled with snow, had made his ears go numb. And with every white breath, it felt as if his life was seeping away.

He looked back, and the path was littered with corpses. In the distance, the bodies were already covered in the falling snow.

He’d been told not to help them. Those who had fallen, who couldn’t get up even with a helping hand, were left behind.

This was a trial from God… one of the Order of Evangel had said, his eyes clear and unwavering.

He didn’t know if everyone truly believed that. He didn’t. He couldn’t believe that this was a trial from God.

But if this was the only way to cross the ‘white mountains,’ then he would do it.

The White Mountains—the Lital Mountains, said to be the home of the dragon king with pure white scales, a natural fortress.

And the de facto border between the Listrea Demon Kingdom and the other nations.

A difficult terrain to cross with a large army.

And that was why the enemy was careless. According to their intelligence, there was only a small fortress here.

Last night, at their camp on the mountainside, many had not woken up.

If they didn’t capture the fortress today, they would die.

…Perhaps… this was the plan all along?

A chilling suspicion crept into his heart.

People showed their true strength when they were cornered. While the soldiers were trained, the militia would have to exceed their limits just to survive.

If they had thought that faith alone was not enough…?

He shook his head, trying to banish the terrifying thought.

I’m overthinking it.

Even if it was a logical thought.

Even if it explained everything.

I’m overthinking it.

“—I see the fortress!”

A voice, filled with a startling joy, rang out.

The sky was darkening, obscured by thick snow clouds, but he could clearly see the black silhouette of the fortress walls.

A cheer went up.

It was careless, but he felt the same joy.

It was a small fortress. Nothing compared to the legendary Fort Litalside.

Even with their losses, their army numbered nearly one hundred thousand. Against them, this mountain fortress was a paper wall.

“—Welcome.”

His blood froze.

A deep, resonant voice, as if from the depths of hell, echoed clearly.

Torches were lit all at once on the distant ramparts.

Illuminated by the flames was a single banner.

The emblem on the forked, gold-trimmed black banner, stitched in silver thread…

…the vile creature from the scriptures, the one who had poured poison into the hearts of men, a creature with no arms and no legs, with cold blood.

—A serpent with a dagger in its mouth.

“The Plague Banner…!”

Someone screamed, their voice choked with terror.

And standing beneath that banner…

…the first thing he saw was a single, orange eye, burning in the shadows of a dark green robe.

And then, the blue glow of a gem, bound by chains to a twisted staff.

The shoulder cloth, fluttering in the wind… were those the characters of a dark cult?

The figure was completely covered, its race unknown. But it was not human—not a demi-human. A being of such monstrousness… it had to be a high-ranking demon or undead.

And someone, their voice filled with terror, called its name.

“The Lord of Disease…”

No one had ever seen it.

But who else would stand beneath that plague banner… the banner that was sometimes left behind at the scene of a massacre, fluttering among the corpses?

That was the abomination.

That was the enemy of humanity.

That was the evil that humanity must destroy.