A Visit

Golden light flowed along the blade, something no one in the Holy Kingdom had ever seen before.

It was as though it were sacred light bestowed by the gods.

"Now, leave the rest to me."

The moment he finished speaking, Higashino Makoto vanished from the air.

The next second, he appeared at the very front of the demi-human army.

The golden spear split from one into a hundred, floating before him before streaking through the vanguard of the demi-human army at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

There were no screams.

Several hundred demi-human warriors in the front row stopped moving at the exact same instant, then fell in unison like dominoes.

A deathly silence descended upon the battlefield.

Higashino Makoto did not stop.

He darted through the demi-human army, each sweep of his spear taking dozens of demi-human lives.

There was no war, no battle.

There was only the crushing force of absolute power—or rather—

A one-sided massacre.

Those so-called demi-human lords were like paper before him.

An orc lord roared as it lunged at him, its massive battle axe cleaving down with a howl of wind—

Higashino Makoto did not even spare it a glance.

With a casual wave of his hand, golden light flashed. Before the orc lord could even scream, a golden spear pierced it and nailed it firmly to the ground.

The holy knights on the walls stared at everything in stunned disbelief.

An ogre chieftain tried to flee. Higashino Makoto raised his left hand and gave a light wave.

The ogre chieftain's body was struck by a spear of light descending from the heavens. With its body at the center, a huge crater nearly two meters across appeared in the ground around it.

"God..."

Raven fell to his knees on the city wall, his eyes reddening.

"Was that an envoy sent by the gods?"

His voice trembled—not from fear, but from uncontrollable excitement.

In barely a quarter of an hour, the demi-human army of tens of thousands was crushed, and the demi-human lords were almost completely wiped out.

The surviving demi-humans had long since scattered in utter defeat, fleeing madly toward the Abelion Hills.

They did not even dare to look back, as though lingering for even one more second would allow that golden demon to catch them.

Higashino Makoto recalled his spear and slowly descended above the city wall.

Not a speck of dust stained his silver armor, as though the massacre just now had nothing to do with him.

He turned to face the holy knights on the wall.

Those battle-hardened warriors stared blankly at him, as though gazing upon a god.

"I am Higashino Makoto."

Higashino Makoto introduced himself calmly.

"A wandering holy knight who once traveled through the distant Central Continent."

His gaze swept over everyone present.

"I heard that this land was suffering, so I came."

No one spoke.

No one dared to speak.

After a long while, Raven struggled to rise from the ground and walked over to Higashino Makoto.

His legs trembled, not from fear, but because the battle just now had drained all his strength.

"Lord... Lord Higashino."

Raven's voice was hoarse and shaking.

"Thank you for... for your aid."

He dropped to one knee and lowered his head.

"Please allow me, on behalf of the Roble Holy Kingdom, to offer you our highest respect."

The instant Raven knelt, every holy knight on the wall also dropped to one knee as though by prior agreement.

The sight of hundreds of people kneeling in unison was especially magnificent beneath the setting sun.

Higashino Makoto looked at the holy knights kneeling before him, the corners of his lips rising slightly.

He reached out and gently patted Raven on the shoulder.

"Get up."

His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.

"I merely did what any paladin should have done."

Raven raised his head, his eyes filled with reverence and gratitude.

Behind him, Rita stood quietly, never once setting down the suitcase in her hand.

A faint smile lingered on her lips as her crimson eyes watched everything unfold, as though she were enjoying a carefully staged play.

The setting sun gradually sank below the horizon, dyeing the sky gold and crimson.

The flames of war had temporarily died down.

But Higashino Makoto knew that this was only the beginning.

The threat of the demi-humans was merely superficial.

The beings who truly required his "attention" had yet to appear.

However...

There was no rush.

"Rita."

Higashino Makoto spoke softly.

"Yes."

"Let's enter the city. The people here need help."

"By your command, Lord Higashino."

Rita gave a slight bow, then quietly followed behind him with the suitcase in hand.

The two slowly made their way toward the city along the ruined walls.

The sunset stretched their shadows long, long enough to seem to reach every corner within the city.

Raven watched the two retreating figures and slowly rose to his feet.

He turned to look at the paladins beside him, who were likewise still kneeling on the ground.

No one spoke.

Yet the same light burned in all their eyes—

It was faith.

The indelible faith in a savior that arose after being rescued from despair.

Inside the command room of the wall fortress, candlelight flickered unsteadily in the draft.

Higashino Makoto sat in a chair that had been brought in temporarily. On the wooden table before him sat a cup of tea still steaming—

It was the finest tea the fortress could find, though in his eyes, it was more than one level below the collection in Novas Aetir.

Rita stood quietly behind him and slightly to his right, her posture so elegant that it seemed as if she were not standing in a dilapidated stone chamber, but in the grand hall of some palace.

"Lord Higashino, two knights request an audience."

The messenger's respectful voice came from the doorway.

"Let them in."

The door curtain was lifted, and two figures entered one after the other.

Higashino Makoto's gaze first settled on the man in front.

He was a powerfully built man, his rugged face like weathered rock carved by wind and sand.

Beneath his thick brows, where one would expect an imposing gaze, were a pair of tiny, round...

Beady eyes.

Higashino Makoto took a full second to control his expression.

Those beady eyes paired with that weathered, tough-guy face created an indescribable sense of mismatch. It was like a two-meter-tall brute wearing a ballet tutu.

Ridiculous, yet inexplicably harmonious.

The man approached Higashino Makoto and dropped to one knee, his movements crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Those beady eyes stared straight ahead. They should have looked comical, yet at this moment, they conveyed an indescribable seriousness.

"Lord Higashino!"

His deep, powerful voice made the candle flames tremble three times.

"I am Orlando Campano, one of the Nine Colors of the Holy Kingdom, captain of the Third Garrison Squad of the Central Wall Fortress!"

One of the Nine Colors?

Higashino Makoto raised an eyebrow slightly.

He knew of the title "Nine Colors of the Holy Kingdom."

It was an honor bestowed by the Holy King upon the kingdom's nine most outstanding warriors.

It was not merely a matter of military achievements, but the kind of proven strength that could "intimidate an entire region through force alone."

Could this rugged man with bead-like eyes really be such a powerful warrior?

Hmm, a human.

"Get up."

Higashino Makoto's tone was gentle.

"There's no need for formalities."

Orlando rose to his feet. His small, round eyes blinked, filled with undisguised reverence.

"Lord Higashino, I'm a rough man. I don't know how to say all that fancy stuff."

His voice remained deep and powerful, but his tone carried heartfelt sincerity.

"If it hadn't been for you today, this fortress definitely wouldn't have held. The brothers under my command, and the families behind me... we'd all have been finished."

He paused, and a moist glimmer seemed to surface in those bead-like eyes.

"You saved my life. I don't know how to repay you, but from now on, if it's anything concerning you, my lord, just give the word. Orlando Campano will brave fire and boiling water without a second word!"

Looking into those bead-like eyes, Higashino Makoto suddenly no longer found them ridiculous.

At least, on this face and in these words, nothing could conceal the sincerity in those eyes.