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chapter 71
Liz, Denk, and Hetchil were powerless even when faced with the Holy Barrier.
But the unease Hetchil and Denk felt was nothing compared to the anxiety Liz was experiencing.
Even after the excitement of the battle had subsided, the two hadn’t emerged, and that suddenly worried her.
“Why haven’t they come out yet? Could it be that Isabel… was spotted by that brute with the Magic Sword?”
Liz’s desire to immediately go through the wall and rescue Isabel was strong, but there was no way she could penetrate the Holy Barrier. All she could do was hope that the angel clinging to Isabel like a guardian spirit would protect her well.
Behind the three, who could only pace anxiously, Galtan stood staring blankly at the Holy Barrier.
He was too busy enduring the dizziness that buzzed incessantly in his head.
He had been secluded for too long. The outside world was too vast, too bright for him.
Once the battle’s adrenaline faded, he felt an overwhelming urge to hide somewhere immediately.
The very fact that he had summoned the courage to step outside meant that he could only come out with courage. Now that the golem, the cause of his coming out, had disappeared from view, Galtan felt that merely being seen by others might be enough to make him collapse from exhaustion.
At that moment, Galtan’s sixth sense picked up the familiar sound of footsteps approaching from behind.
He turned, only to be caught off guard and knocked sprawling by a sudden ambush.
“Ugh.”
When Galtan came to, he was lying on the ground.
Above him, he saw Konas shedding tears.
A familiar face. A familiar voice. Familiar footsteps.
Yet there was a vast difference between experiencing it across a wall and facing it directly.
Of course, he had already encountered Konas in the middle of the city, collapsed from a concussion, but being this close while relaxed felt strange.
“Commander…”
At Konas’s tearful voice, Galtan blankly stared at him, forgetting even to wipe away the tears and saliva falling onto his forehead and nose.
“I… saw it… I saw you destroy the golem’s limbs…”
“I…”
I didn’t… do anything. Toppling the golem was entirely thanks to Lister losing his balance, and Liz and Denk driving in the wedge.
He wanted to say this, but Konas didn’t seem interested in hearing such words.
He pressed his forehead against Galtan’s chest and continued crying.
Galtan raised his hand to pat Konas’s head as he had before, but suddenly remembered that Konas had been hit by a steel brick and quickly lowered his hand.
Yet Konas didn’t interpret Galtan’s caution as consideration.
Instead of saying it was okay, Konas grabbed Galtan’s lowered wrist, placed it back on his head, and continued to cry.
The meaning was so clear that Galtan finally began stroking Konas’s hair.
“Commander… I fell…”
“Goodness, a knight’s protégé shouldn’t be this full of tears.”
The memory of the time when Galtan shone the brightest and Konas longed for him the most—faint though it remained—merged with reality as Galtan slowly combed his rough hand through Konas’s messy hair.
The outside world was still unfamiliar to Galtan, but having Konas close made his heart feel somewhat at ease.
“I’m really sorry, Konas.”
“Shh… don’t disturb the mood…”
Konas spoke with a muffled voice, and Galtan silently obeyed, continuing to stroke him.
Around that time, a certain change began.
The Holy Barrier gradually started to fade.
Denk squinted and peered beyond it, and soon realized the truth.
Isabel and Lister were safe, and the golems had stopped functioning.
In other words…
“That girl did it!”
Denk shouted joyfully, and Hetchil let out a relieved sigh. Yet soon, all of them felt a strange sense of bewilderment.
Outside the vanished barrier, Isabel was running across the piles of dirt and rubble from the collapsed wall with a determined gaze, while Lister followed in the same stride behind her. Though comical at first, it looked like a children’s train game.
Then they realized what was truly happening.
Isabel was carrying a stretcher from the front, and Lister was supporting it from behind. They rushed over, surprised, as it seemed some travelers who hadn’t evacuated in time were caught in the battle and injured.
“What? A patient?”
“Miss, lay them down here!”
Finally, the ultimate undead, Theo, unable to withstand Isabel’s immense divine power, nearly fainted, and was placed on the stretcher under the gazes of everyone around.
Everyone had received Isabel’s blessings, so naturally, the pain Theo felt was intensified.
Theo did not want to enter the city. From afar, it hadn’t been clear, but Castle Tina was soaked in Isabel’s divine power. Every inch of his body ached by the time he arrived.
“Please… just kill me instead…”
For an immortal being like Theo, such a request could never be fulfilled.
Regardless of Theo’s wishes, all the frontline fighters who had fought alongside Isabel were relieved simply that Isabel and Lister had returned safely.
“I’m here!”
Isabel beamed cheerfully. Liz, ready to scold her for such reckless behavior, ultimately gave up and remained silent.
There was nothing more to say. Isabel had simply done her best.
Perhaps no one had died. Many were likely injured.
The walls had collapsed into golem bodies, many homes were destroyed, and streets were wrecked. Yet, everyone had survived.
Liz was not the only one thinking this.
As the Holy Barrier faded and disappeared, Jane, who had maintained the spell atop the spire and nearly lost consciousness, finally regained awareness.
She shook her ringing ears, gripping the railing with trembling hands, and looked out.
From atop the spire, she could clearly see the barrier had vanished, leaving the scattered remnants of the golems.
“The golems… completely immobilized…”
Seeing this, Jane finally relaxed.
“Ha… what a mess…”
Evan felt similarly. He stared vaguely at the ruined city, letting out a thin smile.
How much would it cost to repair this? How long would it take?
Better to look away for a while than dwell on it, Evan decided.
At least, despite the chaos, no one had died.
That was what mattered.
Castle Tina, the unassailable city, a fortress of steel walls reflecting sunlight. Its reputation as unassailable wasn’t because it could not be invaded, but because it could always repel invaders.
Even today, many predicted its reputation would falter.
Yet the city did not fall.
Even though the protective walls had turned into golems to fight, Castle Tina remained unbroken.
Once the chaos subsided, the first priority was to estimate casualties.
Amazingly, the Castle Tina Golem Defense ended with zero deaths and seven injuries—a record-breaking result.
Residents had already evacuated, and the combatants had successfully fled after the steel golems appeared.
This was all thanks to Isabel’s blessings through the cross.
Only a small elite force had subdued the final steel golem.
Even so, reality quickly intruded.
The glory of defeating the golems, the joy of protecting the city—those feelings soon faded, replaced by a somber atmosphere across the city.
Homes had collapsed, fields ruined, goods destroyed, livestock killed.
Except for the northern walls with minimal damage, nearly all residents near the walls suffered heavy financial and emotional blows.
Evan, as bishop of the Castle Tina parish, was responsible for the well-being of the faithful and residents, but the scale of the disaster was beyond his capacity alone.
Then, a voice spoke.
“…We will provide the funds.”
The Castle Tina Merchant Guild stepped forward.
Though unconnected to the battle, they had enormous influence on the city’s finances.
The steel walls of Castle Tina had protected them from monsters and thieves, enabling them to conduct trade at a scale larger than other cities.
In other words, if Castle Tina could not serve as a hub, the guild would lose its stature and quickly be in danger. Starving adventurers became bandits, and even monsters posed a threat regardless of hunger. They judged it necessary to support the city’s restoration financially.
Even so, rebuilding the collapsed walls and clearing the colossal golem debris was nearly impossible.
How could they possibly accomplish this? Even a hundred men with shovels would take days to remove all the dirt golems’ remains. Using mages or elementals might help, but the task was still daunting.
With the mayor absent, Evan felt crushed under the weight of responsibility.
Isabel looked at him with sympathy.
“You must be tired, Evan…”
Hearing this, Liz, lying on a nearby bed, echoed her words.
“You’re the one more tired.”
“I’ve been sleeping well since the day before yesterday!”
Liz sighed, cutting off Isabel’s cheerful response.
Two days had already passed.
Two days ago, Isabel and Lister had brought Theo on a stretcher. Believing Theo was still the fake coachman Judith, they defended him against the claim that he might be a mage responsible for the chaos.
By evening, Isabel had healed the wounded and blessed the cleanup crew, then dozed off at the dinner table, leaving only “Good night, everyone.”
Now, upon waking, her first words were sympathy for Evan. Liz still found Isabel difficult to understand.
“I didn’t really get it before, Isabel.”
Watching people bustle outside the church window, Isabel turned her head. Liz lay sideways on the bed, glaring at her with her scarred eye.
“What exactly are you?”
“Me?”
“I thought anyone touched by a true angel would be like you. But this Lister, and even Bishop Evan, couldn’t do what you did.”
Isabel swallowed dryly as Liz stared intently.
“And the angel with you… seems to torment you.”
“Smiel-san didn’t torment me. He was helping…”
“Helping, but tossing people to golems? That’s just wrong.”
“From an angel’s perspective, it’s possible.”
“I’m serious, Isabel. I really am. You… are you an angel?”
Silence.
Long silence.
Awkward, heavy, stifling.
“….”
Liz’s cheeks flushed bright red. She had summoned tremendous courage to ask. She recalled an old fable from Opalland about angels disguising themselves on Earth.
Perhaps Isabel’s ignorance of worldly matters, her calm execution of absurd tasks under angelic orders… could it be because she was actually an angel?
Isabel blinked at Liz, then smiled.
“Do I look like an angel to you?”
“…Forget it, just pretend I didn’t ask.”
“Is Isabel an angel? Isabel the angel?”
“Stop it.”
“Gotta flap my wings~”
Isabel spread her arms as if flapping and laughed. Liz groaned, folding her pillow over her ears.
“Sleeping all day makes you even louder…”
“Denk liked the noise… Ah! What about him?”
“He’s moving carriages, helping workers for a few coins. Won’t rest even if told to.”
“Is Mohican okay?”
“Why do you honor even the horse?”
“Mohican’s a nomad. Old enough to deserve respect.”
“Then tell him to take human form if he wants respect.”
Isabel laughed. Liz sighed.
“How funny can a joke be to…?”
Then a clear message appeared in Isabel’s mind.
[Quest has started.]
[Go to Castle Tina Adventurer’s Guild Branch (0/1)]
[Go to City Hall Mercenary Barracks (0/1)]
[Go to Rudger Knight Order Barracks (0/1)]
[Meet Evan (0/1)]
[Rewards: 500 push-ups, 8 hours jogging, 300 pull-ups, 2 hours sprinting]
Isabel jumped and ran to the door. They were still in the church lounge, so she had to go outside first.
“Where are you going? You haven’t eaten and must be hungry.”
Isabel looked back at Liz.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Quick to ask. No, I’m fine. Just slacking off.”
“Do it well! I’m going on the quest from the angel!”
“Que… what?”
Isabel opened the door and ran, leaving it ajar.
Liz let out a short laugh and walked to close it properly.
After stretching, she flopped onto the bed. She had worked continuously until Isabel woke up.
Though both Liz and Denk were essentially heroes who saved the city, they weren’t the type to rest while others worked.
After injuring her wrist while working against advice, Liz had been treated by the priests and forcibly placed in the lounge.
‘Ah, now that I think about it…’ Liz pondered, staring at the ceiling.
‘No one told Isabel what her situation is.’
During the two days Isabel slept after the Golem Defense, her reputation among the city’s people changed dramatically. She might have been a little bewildered by it all.
But adapting to that reputation was her responsibility.
Liz yawned, closed her eyes, and fell asleep in the empty lounge.
Isabel ran out of the lounge but paused, noticing someone.
The person turned slowly toward her, caught as if trying to sneak out of the church.
Indeed, they were attempting to flee.
Ultimate undead Theo, miserably trying to escape, had his attempt thwarted…
“Judith, are you okay?”
“O-Don’t come near me!”
The emotional reunion with the saint filled with Agape had ruined his escape attempt.
