Know thy enemy and know thy self. (1)

Hollien was puzzled.

“Wow, this is getting weird.”

When Akhtarun’s Aliens were deployed along with the Fairy Kingdom’s regular army, she didn’t worry about the risks that came with it.

They would win anyway.

Because of the Aliens’ level, victory was natural, and there was little chance of missing the remnants.

If the Holy Punishers’ hands and feet were cut off, only the incarnation would remain.

A plan had been set up to lure the incarnation of darkness using the captured Templar Lords.

What would happen then?

She would become Goddess.

After that, it wouldn’t matter what the people would say.

But the enemy began to run away using strange tricks.

It was extremely reckless.

“Oh, my God, are those who serve the Goddess using their temples and saints as shields? What kind of crazy guy came up with this idea?”

She had never seen such a mean trick in her life.

Wasn’t that how much they relied on their reputation?

No, what if the commanders of the Kingdom’s army went blind and just attacked the temple?

Nevertheless, it was effective enough.

The Fairy Kingdom forces failed to attack the temples of each church because Allendia was a powerful country.

A country couldn’t be powerful without any reason.

It had reached such a state because its institutional and social foundations supported it that much.

If it was a small country, they could’ve attacked, but the incompetent talent who made impromptu decisions couldn’t be selected as a commander among the Continental Three Powers.

Furthermore, those who participated in the operation were the best among such elite commanders.

They were competent enough to understand the current situation of Allendia and faithfully obey the military law.

As promised, all the troops were handed down in front of the temple.

It was a good and knightly act, after all.

Hollien didn’t even intend to blame the commanders for their judgment.

“Thanks to you, I’m glad we avoided the worst…”

They couldn’t catch the Holy Punishers, and bad rumors kept spreading.

All they had was circumstantial evidence that Kybriel’s incarnation wasn’t a silver-haired Magic Swordswoman but a black-haired spearwoman.

There was not much gained compared to the risk they took.

“It’s not an idea that the stupid followers of the goddess could come up with.”

With her chin on her hands, she was lost in thought.

“There’s a schemer behind them.”

* * *

The Templar Lords, who had returned safely, gave Ryu Han-bin a generous compliment.

“As expected, your plan is excellent!”

“I have no choice but to admit it. You’re from a world without God!”

“We can never think of this cheap way!”

The compliments were extremely unpleasant to hear.

Ryu Han-bin bit his lips.

‘No, you guys were cheap enough.’

The operation itself to shield the temple and the saints began with his idea.

However, Han-bin did not plan the operation himself.

It happened when the Templar Lords were discussing how to respond to the Aliens from Akhtarun.

Seeing them agonizing over how to reduce the damage as much as possible and retreat, Ryu Han-bin casually asked Artis.

“Is there any sacrosanctity about the church in this world?”

Most of the religious buildings on Earth were considered sacred.

There had been times when secular power didn’t dare approach the churches.

That was the case with the Sodo of the Samhan period or the temple of ancient Greece.

Considered a sanctuary, they didn’t dare arrest a sinner even if he hid inside the place.

That was also common in modern times.

South American dictators often missed political prisoners hidden in Catholic churches.

In Korea, during the dictatorship, Jogyesa Temple and Myeongdong Cathedral served as a haven for activists.

It was just a question that popped into his mind when Han-bin suddenly thought of such an anecdote.

However, the eyes of the Templar Lords opened wide.

“Wait?”

“Oh, I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“It’s not intended for the followers of the Goddesses to think of.”

“But now we should do it by hook or by crook…”

In Latna, the building of the temple was not considered sacrosanct.

It’s just a ‘place’ to serve the Goddesses.

It was not because the prestige of the church was weak.

The real ‘sanctuary of the Goddesses’ existed in this world.

As long as there was a truly sacred area, one temple, which was only a man-made building, couldn’t steal its prestige.

Nevertheless, the idea itself was of acceptable use.

“Yes, the authority of the Church could be used as a shield!”

“But maybe the followers and the saints will suffer…”

“It’s highly unlikely. The Aliens of Akhtarun will not move alone.”

“It is said they are under a ban.”

“Then they must be under the control of Allendia’s royal knights, so there’s no way they’ll make such a reckless decision.”

Once they accepted the idea, they planned their strategies one way or the other and made detailed plans.

Until that moment, Ryu Han-bin looked blank.

As soon as he was discharged from the army, he fell straight to the rocky mountain and fought for 22 years.

So what did he know about strategy and control operations?

The important part was that they had done everything, yet they acted as if Ryu Han-bin was in charge.

‘These people, aren’t they trying to pass everything on to me?’

If it were known that the Templar Lords organized such a method themselves, it could cause problems to their reputation.

Well, there was no particular reason to care.

‘We’ll never see each other again when I get back on Earth anyway.’

Things had been going pretty well anyway.

reports.

Six churches secretly compiled the information.

“At this rate, I can guess what Hollien’s next move would be.”

He continued calmly.

“To be exact, that’s the only way for her to move.”

* * *

A great temple of pitch-black stood in the contradiction of dazzling darkness.

There, two men and women were watching a magical video.

It was a video of a beautiful, blue-haired female nymph with a glass of alcohol in one hand.

Sipping delicate wine of Durand, Hollien asked a question.

“You all know what’s going on, don’t you?”

Garhan and Genovia nodded silently.

It had been quite a while since they were confined to that incarnation of the darkness.

However, the information of the world itself was still continuously being received.

They were aware of the Holy Punishers’ wriggling and the current situation of Allendia.

Touching his chin, Garhan frowned.

“Things are proceeding strangely. Their plans aren’t something the stupid followers could come up with.”

Genovia tilted her head.

“Then the incarnation of darkness?”

Hollien shrugged her shoulders in the video.

“I don’t think Kybriel was such a flexible thinker.”

If the Goddesses were able to have such ‘human’ ideas, she wouldn’t have given such sloppy blessings to the four strongest people in the first place.

Anyway, what mattered now was not the identity of the schemer but the countermeasures.

“What should we do?”

When asked by Hollien, Garhan and Genovia looked strange.

The solution to the current situation was very simple.

“Ignore it and order to attack all the temples. Then, everything will be solved…”

“Hollien, you’re not in a position to give such orders.”

“I can see why they left the kingdom of Kaldris or Mado and started with Allendia.”

At first glance, the Top Three seemed to be the rulers of the Continental Three Powers.

But that was not the case.

Genovia was the Queen of Mado, the Rune Kingdom, and Garhan was the regent of Kaldris, the Kingdom of a Thousand Years.

Hollien, on the other hand, was Queen of the Fairy Kingdom of Allendia.

Unlike the two, she was not the ruler of a country.

She was the wife of the ruler.

Hollien murmured as if she were in trouble.

“I didn’t think it was a problem because I have done everything I wanted to do so far…”

She wasn’t greedy for power.

She didn’t pay much attention to complicated politics.

No one had ever dared go against the will of the Transcendental, even if she didn’t do such a nuisance.

“The situation’s really troublesome.”

As a queen, she couldn’t directly intervene in the state affairs of the Fairy Kingdom.

What she could do was give indirect opinions.

However, under the current circumstances, there was no justification to suggest attacking churches directly.

The fact that the three strongest beings had robbed the Goddess of Darkness’s divinity was a secret even to the Fairy King, and it was hard to persuade people without hiding it.

If the Holy Punishers had targeted Garhan or Genovia, things would’ve been better.

Those were dictators with real power, and they could force it to some extent.

“I think they have already known it, so they targeted me alone except for you two.”

Garhan nodded at the grumbling Hollien.

“The incarnation’s side is moving pretty well.”

By making only the Transcendental an enemy, the Holy Punishers ruled out the Kingdom of Kaldris and the Kingdom of Mado in that fight.

If the two kingdoms intervened recklessly under the current circumstances, it would appear to be an intervention in domestic affairs.

“Yes, if they had defined us as the enemy of the Goddess together, we would be able to easily interfere.”

“There’s no justification to do that in the present situation.”

Since they were powerful, they were well aware of the power of justification.

Humans didn’t just go out and fight until they died if they typed ‘all attack!’ like members of a strategic simulation game unit.

The more loyal they were, the more certain they needed to have a justification for moving.

“Considering the importance of the work, there’s no reason why we can’t…”

The Holy Punishers used public sentiment and reputation as a weapon, but that was a vain trick that would melt like morning dew if the strong beings determined and ignored reason.

It wouldn’t work at all against crazy people.

‘Then should we be crazy?’

Once they captured the incarnation of darkness, they would become gods.

Genovia shook her head.

“It’s just a vague situation.”

To be exact, they didn’t have to be crazy.

Allendia alone had enough military power.

The reason why the current situation was troublesome was not because of a lack of troops.

If Kaldris and Mado Kingdoms’ forces were deployed to the Fairy Kingdom, they would only create confusion in the command system, which would ultimately lead to the Holy Punishers’ advantage.

With her arms crossed, Hollien inflated both cheeks.

“Anyway, it’s true that my reputation has gone down a lot because of the Aliens.”

Therefore, those opinions were said to be coming from the Royal Family of Allendia.

Bad rumors about the Queen were spreading more and more. At first, she tried to ignore it, but it came to a level that she couldn’t overlook anymore.

“So, he asked me why I didn’t come forward and appease popular feelings.”

Garhan and Genovia had a complaint.

“Huh, that’s…”

“That’s exactly what they induced.”

Holy Punisher’s intentions were obvious.

The plan was to bring Hollien out of the royal palace, put her in a trap, and kill her.

Nevertheless, there was a reason why the two made bitter smiles.

Garhan talked about the reason.

“Isn’t doing what they want us to do the best way?”

They knew the target, and they knew they were going to follow the enemy’s intentions…

“It’ll be a good situation for us, too.”