Kill the Queen (7)

After taking enough rest, Han-bin and his party prepared to leave the canyon.

Effir couldn’t fly all by herself.

But there was no problem.

They had already prepared a ride.

“I’ll get the horses.”

Angelica took the space compression box out of her arms.

When she put the box on the ground, a high-quality Golem Steed popped out per person.

Ryu Han-bin glanced at them.

“Put the two back. Kibie and I can’t ride Golem Steeds anyway.”

One was level 7, and the other was level unknown.

They had to ride behind others because they couldn’t operate the magic tools.

“That’s not why I took out ten.”

Angelica shook her head.

“I’d better have a wagon because the Fairy Queen has to be transported.”

When she opened the other box, the four-horse wagon popped out.

Angelica’s level was quite high, so the space compression box seemed to have a higher performance.

Han-bin, who watched the scene, clicked his tongue.

‘Maybe she would carry her house in the future.’

Hollien was still unconscious.

Effir roughly put a spare robe on her and loaded her into the wagon.

She didn’t tie Hollien up.

Hollien was just a level 1 fragile nymph woman.

Each Templar Lords rode on Golem Steeds, and Han-bin and his party got into the wagon.

Artis gripped the carriage’s reins.

“Let’s go back to Clovis Castle.”

* * *

It was only a few minutes away from flying, but it took more than half a day to travel on land.

When Han-bin and his party arrived at Clovis’s territory, the morning sun was already rising.

The battle was already long over.

The Holy Punishers won the battle triumphantly.

High Templar Reina, who commanded the entire army, reported to Sabine Asil, the Althea Church’s Templar Lord.

“We’ve captured the surrenderees, disarmed everyone, and tied them.”

“What about the damage?”

“We suffered 37 casualties. The injured are still being counted.”

Compared to the size of the battle, the damage was quite small.

It was because the Fairy Queen’s chief maid, Lesley, understood the situation early and surrendered.

After Hollien pursued the darkness’s incarnation, she immediately headed for Sungha village with her guardian knights.

She then joined the Allendia army and persuaded them that it was time to surrender.

The average level of the Allendia army was in their 40s and 50s, with the highest level being Lesley, the commander, who was at level 73.

On the other hand, the Holy Punishers had much higher levels.

Most of the High Templars were in their 70s, and the commander, Reina, was a level 79 mana swordsman.

As long as the number of troops was similar, the level difference would soon determine victory or defeat anyway.

If there was no chance of winning, it was wiser to surrender quickly.

Sabine Asil, who grasped the situation, nodded.

“Well, they wouldn’t have had anything to do but surrender. They would have thought the Fairy Queen would come back.”

The Holy Punishers and others would die anyway if she returned.

Hence, they didn’t have to shed more blood.

“Finish the tally of injured as soon as possible and let the soldiers rest. Tell Viscount Clovis I’ll find him when he gets back.”

“Yes, Templar Lord.”

* * *

While the Templar Lords were handling the postwar process, Han-bin and his party looked around the village.

Burnt houses, bodies everywhere, smoky burnouts, and pools of blood on the stone pavements.

Although there was no civilian damage, Sungha village people would never be happy to see such a scene. Their homes had been destroyed without mercy, after all.

Kibie sighed deeply.

“Oh, my sins are too deep.”

Effir soothed her.

“It’s not your fault, sister. The Top Three are the bad guys.”

“No, this is my fault.”

Kibie shook her head.

“Those who shouldn’t be incompetent were incompetent and couldn’t take care of those who should be cared for. Is there a greater sin than that?”

Han-bin shrugged and spoke jokingly.

“If you’re so sorry, why don’t you get your powers back and restore it to its original state?”

Bringing the dead back to life would be problematic due to the providence of Heaven, but…

“You’re a goddess. You can return the destroyed village to its former glory easily, right?”

Kibie smiled.

“It’s possible, but I won’t do it.”

Kibie, the incarnation, felt pity and sympathy ‘like a human’.

Kybriel wasn’t like that.

What she felt was ‘Goddess’s’ pity and sympathy.

“It is the difference between an almighty Goddess and an incompetent incarnation.”

“I still don’t understand the concept of the incarnation.”

Han-bin scratched his head.

“Both of them are not you. It’s not like you have a different personality, is it?”

“Not separately, but not only one. That’s the divinity.”

“Uh, I still don’t get it…”

“That’s normal. That’s what makes you human.”

They were having such a casual conversation.

A member of the Holy Punishers called the party.

“Mr. Felard!”

Officially, Kibie’s identity was a secret that only the leaders knew.

Therefore, Han-bin’s group leader was known as ‘the successor to the Sword King, the Valtara warrior Felard Bean’.

The soldier looked at Ryu Han-bin in awe for a moment as he saluted.

‘This man…’

After serving for the Holy Punishers, he became familiar with Han-bin’s fame.

He was an absolute power born with the strongest body on Latna and had killed the strongest swordsman on earth.

And he led both literary and martial heroes of the Holy Punishers with all kinds of exquisite strategies!

‘I can’t believe he has such an incredible body and such clever tricks…….’

That was right.

Since the plan wasn’t all that clear, all the Templar Lords put off everything to Ryu Han-bin whenever they planned the operation.

Thanks to that, Han-bin had also received the reputation of being the ‘A rising strategist of the world’ following ‘the Sword King’s successor.’

It was ridiculous for Han-bin, however.

‘Oh, my God, this man is looking at me that way.’

Ryu Han-bin asked bluntly while feeling embarrassed internally.

“What’s going on? You should tell me if you’ve called me, right?”

The soldier quickly continued.

“I have a message from Lord Leon Hart. The sinner against the Heaven has awakened.”

* * *

Hollien was trapped in a small room.

There was, of course, a prison in Clovis Castle.

But they couldn’t put her in jail.

No matter how sinful she was, and even if she betrayed the Goddess, Hollien was still the Queen of Allendia.

Treating a nation’s queen with harshness and injustice would make the Holy Punishers’ reputation fall.

There was also another reason why it was enough to keep her in a room.

She didn’t even have the strength to break down a normal wooden door.

Kibie spoke, staring at Hollien, who was sitting calmly.

“You’re awake, Hollien.”

“Yes, Incarnation of darkness.”

Her way of speaking was very polite.

It was completely different from the way she presented herself as the Transcendental.

It was understandable.

“You look like you’ve given up on everything.”

“I’m in a situation where I have to give up everything.”

The blue-haired nymph rose from her bed.

“My husband and relatives know nothing.”

She knelt in front of the black-haired beauty.

“They are innocent. My family just did it because they thought they were serving the Goddess in the right way.”

It was a surprisingly subdued attitude.

She even looked servile.

There was nothing unusual about it.

Whom she pleaded to wasn’t Kibie, the human in front of her.

She sought the mercy of Kybriel, the Goddess, who stood beyond the incarnation.

“I beg you to punish only me, my great Goddess of Darkness.”

Kibie answered coldly.

“It’s not you who chooses, Hollien.”

The crimes committed by the Top Three had led to blood that shouldn’t have flowed in Latna.

It happened at the hands of the freed Aliens and the night’s big changes.

In addition to the great sin they committed, they were also responsible for many other sins.

Kibie smirked.

“Honestly, there is no room for extenuation. Unexpectedly, you’re not the person who did the worst.”

The situation would’ve been over if she captured the incarnation of darkness.

Nevertheless, Hollien moved with common sense and morality.

She didn’t mobilize huge military powers meaninglessly or ordered indiscriminate slaughter even though she had the power and authority to do so.

“If you had done crazy things, there would’ve been more bloodshed. I appreciate your self-control.”

Also, no matter how much power she lost, Hollien was still the Queen of Allendia.

If the Holy Punishers executed her recklessly, it would be too hard to take care of the outcome.

Hence, Kibie and the six Templar Lords decided to punish her differently.

“Live and purge away your sin. Do your best to cooperate in bringing back the twisted Latna.”

Then she would only ask her for her sins. They wouldn’t punish the Fairy King or any other member of the royal family.

“This is the decision of Kibie, the incarnation of darkness.”

Hollien shuddered.

Kibie didn’t forgive her.

She just gave Hollien a chance to purge away the sins of her family.

So what about the punishment?

“It’s up to Kybriel to judge your fate after everything is over.”

Kibie, the incarnation, couldn’t forgive the Top Three.

Her anger towards the Top Three was that of a human being, which meant she still judged the situation in the same way. Hence, she tried to control her anger and put off punishment.

But Kybriel of the darkness was different.

“I’m sure Kybriel will forgive you.”

There was no limit to the mercy of the Goddesses.

“After paying the price of your crime.”

Likewise, there was no limit to their punishments.

Only beings who could love endlessly could cause endless pain.

“The darkness cannot save you from death. Do your best from now on… as a sinner against the world.”

Hollien shook her head and kowtowed her forehead.

“I will do everything as you wish.”

Human beings could be deceiving or persuasive, but Goddess was not.

She just had to do her best to apologize and wait for her judgment.

“As the sinner just follows.”

“I suppose so.”

Kibie replied in a cold tone.

“We can’t revert the bleeding that happened in the past, but shouldn’t we stop it in the future?”

Hollien then turned pale.

“The blood must be flowing already, but…”

“What do you mean?”

Kibie frowned.

Hollien continued anxiously.

“Since my power is gone, their ban would’ve also been lifted.”

The mental suppression imbued into the Aliens of Akhtarun by the Top Three was the only factor suppressing them.

But at that moment, the Transcendental had lost her strength.

And the Thunder King and Archmage was still stuck in Kybriel’s sanctuary, which was a completely isolated place on the far side of the world…

“It means that there is no one in Latna right now who can control the Aliens.”

Hollien studied Kibie’s face and concluded.

“… By now, a merciless slaughter must’ve already occurred throughout the Fairy Kingdom.”