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chapter 59
While the golem defense battle raged on the ground, I was completely exhausted and sprawled out on the playground floor.
“Better than before,”
Yuga said nonchalantly. I lifted my head slightly from my prone position.
“Can you use the third form of the Magic Sword Technique?”
“Not quite. But I can easily manage the second form now.”
“I see…”
Ugh, my body hurts.
Neither the magic sword nor the angel knows the concept of sleep. That’s why we had spent the entire night focusing solely on sword training.
Even if you combined all the sweat I had shed in my life before becoming an angel, it wouldn’t compare to the sweat poured out during this training. I swung the sword endlessly. Whenever Yuga corrected my stance, I had to hold it for a long time, and in emergencies, I had to chain together dozens of practiced stances into continuous movements.
Overcome the inertia when your body moves, don’t resist it—use it. Treat the sword as an extension of your body. Never take your eyes off your enemy, but watch the motion aimed at you, not just the weapon.
Even commonly known knowledge from Old Tales or any media featuring swords—while simple in theory—was utterly exhausting when I tried to practice it while holding an actual sword.
I floated a glass pane in midair while lying down.
“Wow…”
I couldn’t help but mutter in awe.
Of course. Isabel was creating that massive protective barrier she always used to demonstrate her holy power. And yet, she was stopping three advancing giants with something that didn’t even seem very thick. How could it not be amazing?
Moreover, every time she lowers her gaze to focus her holy power, it makes her look truly graceful and beautiful. She’s no longer the silly, scatterbrained priest—she has become a noble saint.
Impressive, Isabel. Doing all this without my help!
Since I was learning the Magic Sword Technique from Yuga, I couldn’t assist her, but now I could worry a little less.
I had previously advised Isabel that if she ever had to use her holy power, she should act based on her knowledge from the first cycle rather than wait for my advice.
I said this because I couldn’t wield holy power as flexibly as she could. But Isabel seemed to have taken my words as encouragement.
Even confidence born from misunderstanding is still confidence. Using the “Cradle” to protect all combat personnel alone, buying time, and creating barriers to split the golems from the troops—those aren’t feats ordinary courage could achieve.
Still, perhaps it was taking its toll on her. Looking down through the glass, sweat beaded on Isabel’s forehead.
Understandable. Stopping three gigantic golems might be easier than stopping the Demon King’s strike, but fatigue accumulates without rest.
“Doesn’t seem like there’s any need to worry,”
Yuga said, leaning near the glass pane I had created, having planted the toy sword I made upside down in the sand.
“What do you mean?”
“Master. Seems like when she has excess holy power, she can even use it like this.”
“You finally eased up a bit after torturing me so much, huh, Yuga.”
“……”
Yuga glared at me. Well, whatever. I can glare back too.
After a brief staring contest, we both got bored and returned our gaze to the glass.
“Is this why you wanted to join the defense battle?”
“Huh?”
“Everyone’s going to start worshiping you now. At least four hundred of them will start revering you. Who wouldn’t worship someone who casually blocks such monsters?”
“You speak as if you know.”
“Because the Demon King said so.”
I turned to look at Yuga. He flinched slightly and closed his mouth, realizing I wasn’t angry at him, and cleared his throat.
“Is it okay for me to say this? You look so fierce.”
“Don’t worry, go ahead.”
“It’s nothing. You angels, and the countless humans, may not know, but the many subordinates who followed the Demon King were essentially the same as those who worship you. The only difference is that while you saved people with holy power, the Demon King saved them with dark magic.”
“Has the Demon King ever saved anyone?”
“Providing an escape from a filthy and painful life counts as saving, doesn’t it?”
“Was your life so miserable living as a holy sword?”
“Do you think I’m talking about myself? This is…”
Yuga trailed off, realizing the contradiction in his own words.
Why Yuga follows the Demon King, why he seeks the Demon King’s resurrection—it would make sense if it were like the other Demon King’s forces, who were saved. But that’s not why Yuga follows now.
Feeling he had spoken unnecessarily, he turned away.
“I’m done watching the glass. You watch it yourself.”
“Did I ask you to watch with me?”
“Just let it slide, angel. You’re being annoyingly picky. I don’t need to keep watching you turn Master into a hero.”
“That’s true.”
Yuga lay down on the slide, shaking his head. I silently watched the glass for a while. Isabel, single-handedly saving hundreds and holding back golems, was visible.
Yuga was right. After this battle, Isabel would become a hero, worshiped by everyone—on a level far beyond the Retina incident.
But that was not the intent.
Even I hadn’t expected such massive golems to invade during this defense.
After the Demon King’s resurrection in Old Tales, countless cities were destroyed. Casteltina fell because gigantic golems invaded while the city’s troops were split to fight the Demon King.
And with the undead parade following, there was no chance of survival. That was when the wall charcoal perished.
Back when I read Old Tales, I thought, “Unlucky Casteltina—first the undead parade, then gigantic golems.” But seeing it firsthand, it might not have been coincidence.
In the first cycle, Casteltina was destroyed by the undead parade and unprecedented golem invasion. That means no gigantic golems had invaded before the Demon King’s resurrection and the parade.
But in this second cycle, it’s different. The undead parade is still a year away, yet gigantic golems are already appearing.
Yes. The future has changed.
Something Isabel did—leaving on the holy pilgrimage, finding the holy sword, drawing the magic sword, traveling with Liz and Denk—changed the future.
I think, just my guess, that a hidden faction of the Demon King’s army transformed nearby golems into gigantic ones.
If someone with deep knowledge of magic, mana, and golem creation acted maliciously, it wouldn’t be impossible to create and deploy gigantic golems. Especially with the city of Weak Tina, known as the “Young Wizard’s City,” nearby.
So perhaps someone wants to destroy Casteltina by interfering with the golem defense.
Identifying who would do this is a priority…
Hmm… this is difficult.
No matter how I think, Old Tales didn’t mention who was behind the first cycle’s gigantic golem invasion.
For now, it seems reasonable to assume that a spy of the Demon King, noticing the two agents gathering in one city, deployed the secret weapon of gigantic golems.
If so, I should warn Isabel, but finding the Demon King’s army—whose appearance and capital are unknown—is impossible for now. First, this situation must be managed.
This is just speculation; other variables might be at play. Perhaps the barrier Isabel made last night and this morning provoked the golems. With such insufficient information, the number of possibilities grows endlessly.
So, I can only do what I can.
Many sensed death approaching.
Even for Casteltina residents familiar with golem defense, the appearance of golems so large that the usual ones seemed childlike was shocking. Moreover, everyone who bravely charged forward was forced to flee. Their pride was wounded.
The Rudger Knights, fighting rock golems alongside Zeronis, lost morale and fled, unable to recover.
One consolation: no one among them died. There were injuries, but thanks to Isabel’s Blessing of Protection and the Cradle, no lives were lost.
“That’s a relief, isn’t it?”
Denk, wearing a bracelet for physical enhancement and wielding a pickaxe, glanced at Konas sitting beside him behind the wall.
Konas nodded silently, tired eyes on Denk.
Denk didn’t know Konas was a seed of the wall charcoal. He only saw him as someone fighting gigantic earth golems with him. So he assumed Konas’s distress was because he failed to defeat the golems.
But that wasn’t the case.
“He didn’t come out…”
Even now, Galtan hadn’t emerged.
Seeing the golems casting shadows over the city, everyone behind the walls was terrified. Surely Galtan heard the commotion. Yet he did not leave the hut.
Konas had nearly died. Without Isabel’s blessing or Denk’s aid, he would surely have perished.
Always valuing his subordinates’ lives over his own, Galtan, who used to smile saying, “If you get hurt trying to save me, I’ll never forgive you,” now seemed trapped in that hut.
Tears rose in Konas’s eyes; he knelt and buried his face. Denk floundered helplessly, only sighing.
At that moment, Isabel stood at the city center, balancing her barrier. From there, a pillar of light rose high into the sky. People whispered thanks to the one who saved them.
But one person had no intention of stopping at mere gratitude.
“Isabel!”
Lister, Zeronis’s captain, only entered the city after securing his subordinates inside. Then he sprinted across the city streets, pounding the brick pavement.
He assumed Isabel had risked her life, pouring out all her holy power to save the people while draining her vitality.
So he ran, desperate to find her.
But at the city center, Isabel showed no sign of suffering. She maintained a calm expression while sustaining the barrier.
Lister, panting, suddenly felt his helmet uncomfortable. He threw it aside; it rolled across the brick road with a clanging sound.
Sweaty, he approached Isabel, only to be blocked by a pale Evan.
“St-stop!”
Lister glared at Evan. Evan waved his hands frantically.
“Why? Are you angry?”
“I will stop you.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s dangerous.”
Lister’s confusion only earned him a shout:
“Don’t you know how much holy power she’s been using! Her body can’t take it!”
“No, Lister. Isabel is fine. Stopping now would be more dangerous.”
“Fine? She’s sweating like that!”
“Being tired doesn’t endanger her life. Isabel judged she could do this, so she is. Did you come because you were worried?”
“Yes! I came because I was worried!”
Lister couldn’t help but shout.
Seeing Evan’s surprised expression, he struggled to continue:
“Look! Just the weight Isabel is holding with the barrier is thousands of tons! That’s why I ran. I cannot stand by and let such a powerful agent die for a mere city!”
Evan had never seen Lister like this. Normally stoic, disciplined, and composed, now he had shed all pretense and confided his heart to Evan.
“You’ll be angry. I called this place a ‘mere city’ under your bishopric. But it’s true! I only judged her actions to ensure my own power as an agent wasn’t wasted. Michael gave me destructive power, but Isabel’s power is for rescue and healing! Unlike me! Even if this city perished, I would protect Isabel!”
Lister’s final, brutal shout echoed around. Luckily, no one nearby heard it—citizens were home, and combatants were on the walls.
“But I couldn’t deal with those boulders… and fled. Without Isabel, we all would’ve died.”
“Lister did his best. Everyone’s safety is thanks to you taking care of your subordinates until the end.”
“The world doesn’t expect an agent to evacuate subordinates kindly. It expects more.”
Evan finally understood. Judging heresy and crushing evil was Lister’s role, but this battle with the golems challenged his identity. Golems regenerate, making his strength ineffective.
So his anguish was natural.
“I cannot meet such expectations. I feel guilty. Why did Michael grant me such power? Why give such excessive power to someone incompetent like me… and not answer my prayers…”
Evan watched Lister with pity. Ordinary citizens rarely curse gods even in harsh circumstances; only believers truly do. And Lister, a devout believer, would feel a loss far deeper than Evan could imagine.
Evan could think of answers—God will respond in time, or only assign bearable pain—but he said nothing.
Few could hear the armored agent’s sobs—only three:
Evan, comforting Lister by his side.
Liz, retrieving a crate of holy potions on Evan’s request while staying out of sight.
Galtan, listening from beyond the hut wall.
