Disaster relief

"Commander Ertai, the samurai across the border are slaughtering civilians on a massive scale," a Holy Knight suddenly reported in fury.

"What? Have those nobles lost their minds? How dare they!" Ertai sprang to his feet and roared.

Over the past two years, he had advanced from a high-ranking knight to an Earth Knight and become the legion commander of Miwei City, near the eastern border. The Holy Church had also learned from Madara's attack years earlier, slowing its expansion and trying to station at least one legion of Holy Light Clerics in every city.

"Yes! A severe rat infestation recently broke out in the eastern Land of Rain, driving huge numbers of refugees toward us. Those filthy nobles were afraid of losing their commoners, so they set up checkpoints in Fuyu City and started killing people to frighten them into staying."

"Damn them! Those nobles deserve to die. They give the commoners no way to survive, then stop them from escaping! Report this to Bishop Ria immediately. Every Holy Light Cleric in Miwei City is to assemble with me. We will make those murderers pay with their lives!" Ertai declared furiously.

"Yes, sir!"

"Bishop Ria! A report from Miwei City!" Mina hurried up to Ria.

"Oh? What does it say?" Ria asked, raising her head.

Mina quickly relayed the intelligence.

"It's time those nobles learned a bloody lesson. Do they really think we're incapable of attacking them? Mobilize the troops for disaster relief in the east. Now that the Holy Church knows, we cannot stand by and do nothing. If they encounter nobles oppressing the people along the way, remind the troops that the Judgment Hall isn't just for show!" Ria said, her eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"Yes!"

As Ria's orders went out, every city under the Holy Church sprang into action. Countless Airships docked at the cities' Airship Ports, and citizens carried vast quantities of supplies aboard. Troops assembled in large numbers and jogged toward the Railway Stations in orderly ranks.

Watching the Holy Church mobilize on such a scale, the people along the streets began talking among themselves.

"What's going on? Is the Holy Church going to war again?" someone asked curiously.

"You haven't heard? My cousin in the army told me there's a terrible rat infestation in the east. The Holy Church is heading there to provide disaster relief."

"But isn't that the noble lords' territory? The Holy Church is helping them too?" another asked in confusion.

"Hmph. Do you really think those noble lords can stand against the Holy Church? The Church only stopped at occupying half the Land of Rain because it had an agreement with Amegakure and didn't want to stoop to breaking its word. If you ask me, it should have attacked long ago. Those lords don't give us any way to survive."

"Brother, are you from the east?"

"Yes, yes! Only after coming to the Holy Church's territory did I learn what it meant to live like a human being. Back under those noble lords, we had it worse than beasts of burden. Luckily, I escaped early. Otherwise, I'd be trapped there now too!" The sturdy young man sighed.

Others who had suffered the same fate nodded in heartfelt agreement.

"I really hope the Holy Church reaches my hometown soon. Then I could go home!" someone yearning for home murmured as the Holy Light Clerics marched past in orderly ranks.

Meanwhile, the legion Ertai had brought had completely surrounded Fuyu City.

Below the walls, Ertai shouted, "Open the gates immediately! Otherwise, we'll force our way in!"

"Holy Knights down below, are you trying to violate the agreement? You'd better think this through!" A handsome young noble in lavish clothes stood atop the wall, holding a feather fan and wearing a tall white hat as he shouted defiantly.

"Enough nonsense! You dared to slaughter civilians at will. I'll say it one more time: open the gates immediately!" Ertai said through gritted teeth.

"Hmph. They're only a bunch of lowborn scum. So what if I killed them? What are you going to do about it? Who do you think you are? You expect me to open the gates just because you say so?" The young noble waved his feather fan disdainfully.

His father was a full-fledged earl, and thanks to his father's influence, he had been granted the title of viscount and assigned this reasonably prosperous city. His life had been quite comfortable, until the Holy Church arrived. Since then, the number of commoners in his city had dwindled by the day, taking tax revenues with them. His days of lavish spending and endless revelry were gone for good.

He had wanted to crack down on those wretches for ages, but his father had forbidden it, telling him not to bring trouble upon the family. That was the only reason he had held back for so long. Now, at last, he could vent his anger. As for the Holy Light Clerics below the walls-hmph, who cared who they were? Would they actually dare attack?

"Damn it! Gunners, blast those gates open!" Ertai was beside himself with rage at the young noble on the wall.

The gunners immediately adjusted their cannons. They had been itching to blast the damned thing apart!

Boom! An enormous ball of light slammed into the wall, blasting a huge breach through it and the gate!

"Holy Knights, charge! Kill any samurai who dares resist!"

As the Holy Knights stormed up onto the battlements, brimming with murderous intent, the young noble finally panicked. "Quick! Stop them!"

Seeing their comrades cut down as easily as vegetables, the samurai behind him lost all courage to resist. They dropped their weapons and scattered in panic!

"Speak! Were you the one who ordered the massacre?" Ertai demanded, staring murderously at the young noble sprawled on the ground.

Looking at the knight's sword barely a centimeter from him, the young noble broke into a cold sweat and swallowed in terror. "No, no! It was my father, Earl Hanli, who gave the order. I only carried it out!" he explained frantically, betraying his father without a second thought.

"Take him into custody. Qina, take the priests and check the situation in the city!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Qina then led a squad of priests into the city.

Severed limbs littered the streets, alongside bodies that had met gruesome deaths. Some were even children. Qina's heart trembled at the sight.

"Are these beasts even human?"

"Captain, there's someone alive here!" a knight helping with the search called out.

"Quick, get a priest to heal her! There's a child in her arms too. Holy Light protect them. Please let them be all right!"

A priest hurried over, casting a sacred glow over the mother and child. Everyone watched the fortunate pair intently, their hearts full of hope.

Lianhua struggled to open her eyes. When the crowd had erupted into turmoil, she had seen samurai cut down people from her village. Learning that she could no longer reach the Holy Church's territory had plunged her into despair. Already weakened, she had fainted on the spot. She knew little of what happened afterward.

At the sight of the armored warrior before her, Lianhua instinctively panicked and clutched the child still in her arms.

"Don't kill my child! Don't kill my child!"

"Thank goodness, she's alive! Ma'am, please don't panic. We're Holy Light Clerics, not samurai!" Qina hurried to reassure her. "Let us look at the child in your arms. Why hasn't he woken up?"

Seeing the woman's panic but hearing no cry from the child, Qina grew anxious.

Only after hearing Qina's words did Lianhua notice how limp the child in her arms was. "Baby, what's wrong? Don't scare Mommy!" she cried desperately.

At that point, she could no longer worry about anything else. She hastily bowed her head to the ground before Qina and the others. "Please, my lords, save my child!"

The priest wasted no more time. He took the child from the woman's arms and laid a faintly glowing hand against the child's forehead. "He's dead, but only recently. He can still be saved, but... but our squad doesn't have a high-ranking priest!" he said sorrowfully.

Hearing that her child was dead, the woman sank into despair. Why did heaven always treat her this way? She had finally held on long enough for the Holy Light Clerics to arrive and survived, only for her child to die. At that thought, Lianhua collapsed to the ground and wailed in despair!

"Priest Will, I... I'm a high-ranking priest." A short young girl stepped forward, speaking in a soft, timid voice.

"Aili, you've become a high-ranking priest? Have you learned Basic Resurrection?" Will asked excitedly. He had never imagined that the usually withdrawn, quiet girl had advanced to a high-ranking priest without saying a word.

Aili nodded and took the child from Will's arms, looking uncertain. She began reciting the incantation haltingly. Seeing her like this, the Holy Light Clerics around her watched anxiously, afraid she might forget the words.

Being watched by everyone made Aili deeply uncomfortable, but her eagerness to save the child drove her to finish the lengthy incantation. An immense curtain of light flashed, and a pair of enormous snow-white wings appeared. The child in Aili's arms suddenly drew a sharp breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"Mommy!"

"My child! My baby!" The weeping woman excitedly took her child into her arms and rubbed her face against his thin cheek. Feeling his returning warmth, she dropped to her knees and bowed her head to the ground before Aili.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Caught off guard by the sudden gratitude, Aili panicked a little and instinctively looked toward Priest Will.

Will smiled at Aili, then addressed the woman, who was still thanking her. "May the Holy Light protect you. It's all right. Things will get better from now on!"

After being helped to her feet, Lianhua wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Holy Light! From now on, I'll devote everything I have to the Holy Light. He is the True God. Only he watches over lowborn people like us, who have nothing."

After making arrangements for Lianhua, Qina led her squad onward to continue searching the city.

"Those... those are Holy Light Clerics! The Holy Church has come!" a local who recognized the Holy Church's attire suddenly shouted.

In an instant, doors that had been tightly shut throughout the city swung open. "Holy Light above, you've finally come! Better days are coming for us!"

The people gathered around them excitedly, as though the slaughter that had taken place only a short time earlier would now leave them behind forever.