Chapter 136
A Tasty Past Bait is Fundamental to Catch a Big Fish! (1)
Allendia, the Fairy Kingdom, one of the Continental Three Powers of Latna.
The army was indeed strong.
It had more than 2,000 knights, Spiritists, and wizard troops. It also had as many as 10,000 elite soldiers.
In terms of Earthlings’ standards, they wouldn’t be able to understand what was powerful about that.
The history of the East was full of hundreds of thousands of troops and a million troops.
However, the story was slightly different in Latna, where there was a wide gap in individual armed forces.
It was more efficient to secure a small number of high-level Hunters than a large number of soldiers.
It didn’t mean much to conscript and train farmers in the military like the Middle Ages of Earth.
Thus, the Continental Three Powers’ regular army didn’t abide by the concept of ‘general army.’
Most of them were at a high level, and they were stronger and better treated than ordinary Hunters who cleared dungeons in the countryside.
Even on Earth, weren’t ordinary soldiers in powerful countries better paid and equipped than officers in developing countries?
That was why even though Hollien knew that the six denominations had joined the darkness incarnate, she didn’t care at all.
No matter what the opponents were made out of, she could easily suppress them with her power.
But somehow, things were going beyond her expectations.
“They pretend they don’t have anything to do with those bastards?”
“Yes, my Queen.”
Due to Roacell’s report, Hollien had a strange feeling.
“That means the Churches don’t even protect the Holy Punishers, doesn’t it?”
Since they had yet to decide, the six denominations told the Fairy Kingdom that it was not time for them to punish the Holy Punishers yet.
However, it meant that the six denominations couldn’t interfere even if the Fairy Kingdom punished the Holy Punishers.
It was a double-edged sword.
“Then it’s not a big deal. If we could punish them with our power, then we’ll do just that.”
Roacell nodded.
“Of course, the kingdom’s power is several times greater than theirs. If we go head-on, we’ll win.”
The problem was that they didn’t have any intention of direct confrontation.
“When the kingdom moves, they hide away. Then they go to another territory where they’ll make a fuss again…”
The kingdom’s army was strong.
But that meant its huge size forced it to be seen before it could move.
“It’s impossible for thousands of large armies to sneak around.”
Therefore, the Fairy Kingdom also tried to select high-level elite soldiers and knights separately and compete with mobility.
“There’s a problem here.”
The power gap between the Fairy Kingdom and the six denominations was extreme.
However, there wasn’t much difference between the Fairy Kingdom’s Army and the Holy Punishers.
Holy Punisher’s reality was that only the elite soldiers of the six denominations were united.
“Right now, the six Templar Lords are all over level 90, and the Templars are also around level 50 to 60.”
The Templars Lords of the Churches themselves had an honorable position equivalent to that of the Continental Three Powers.
Of course, warriors were always Aura users, and only a few were Magic Swordsmen, Mages, and Spiritists.
“They can’t even be Templar Lords without that level in the first place.”
Even so, the power of the Fairy Kingdom was still dominant.
If they selected only the high-level knights and soldiers of the Fairy Kingdom and searched for the Holy Punisher, the damage would be great, but they would be able to deal with them somehow.
“But even searching for them isn’t easy.”
The Holy Punishers were fighting a guerrilla war.
Several prerequisites were essential for the success of guerrilla tactics.
First, individual combatants had to have excellent weapons and skills.
‘They’ve already met that.”
Second, close cooperation with local residents had to be secured.
It was the basics of the basics.
Guerrilla warfare itself could not be established unless the community supported it.
Holy Punishers were fighting within the Fairy Kingdom’s territory, so common sense was that there should be no support for them.
But the reality was not like that.
The Holy Punishers were supported by the majority of the people of Allendia.
“They are citizens of the Fairy Kingdom and followers of the Goddesses at the same time.”
The six Churches had not yet identified them as heretics.
They were just disobedient to orders.
It was tantamount to suggesting that the Holy Punishers might be truly following the will of the Goddesses.
Not only commoners but even aristocrats secretly cooperated with them.
No, they couldn’t help the Holy Punisher openly, but they didn’t oppress them either.
Maybe the Transcendental’s supervisor was the one who deserved the punishment of the Goddesses.
Finally, the third factor of guerrilla war:
“The dissemination of information. They don’t seem to be lacking in that aspect at all.”
Roacell gritted his teeth.
The reason why most guerrilla wars failed was that supplies and information acquisition were not easy.
Holy Punishers had no problems with the supplies.
They were also acquiring thorough information.
They had accurately attacked Allendia’s vulnerability, and whenever the kingdom moved, they could avoid it in advance.
Holy Punishers, an unmanned group that knew nothing but combat, could not have had such excellent intelligence and administrative power.
That was the work of the headquarters of the Church.
“In other words, the cults are working hard secretly!”
They were like, ‘Oh, I don’t know, they’re not listening. But the Goddesses told us to be careful, so we should continue to be careful.’ when in fact they were backing up the Holy Punishers both materially and morally.
“But it’s hard to prove that.”
Even if they caught a person involved, they cut off the tail immediately.
-We have confirmed that the heretic A has cooperated with the Holy Punishers!
-Oh, my God! How dare he disobey the orders of the Church! I’ll be sure to tell Heretic A to put on his best behavior next time!
-Are you kidding me? The punishment in this situation is just putting on his best behavior?
-Don’t worry. If it is certain that it is not the Goddesses’ will, he will be punished according to the rules, and the punishment will be too severe to bear as a Goddess!
-No, I mean, when will it be clear?
-The Goddesses told us to be careful.
-Damn it, what the fuck is up with being careful!
It would result in that kind of situation.
Even the Fairy Kingdom couldn’t openly vent its last complaint.
Criticism of the six denominations’ prudence was a direct denial of the teachings of the six Goddesses, and at the same time, led to the follower perception of the public:
-The Fairy Kingdom’s Army has denied the Goddesses’ teachings.
-What? What happens then?
-Are you sure the Fairy Queen was a heretic against the will of the goddess?
Hollien sighed at Roacell’s explanation.
“My head is burning.”
She didn’t expect that the six denominations would come out like that.
At least the priests would never have such an idea.
She couldn’t guess who had thought of such a plan.
“Who the hell is the person that came up with such cowardly tactics?”
* * *
A mountain foot, miles away from anywhere, in the central part of the Fairy Kingdom, Quendal.
A group of people gathered in a shabby hut.
They were the Templar Lords and Han-bin’s group disguised in plain clothes.
After causing a disturbance in all parts of Allendia, they secretly met up.
The Elven Magic Swordsman, Merdill, spoke with a big smile.
“It worked better than I expected.”
Lord Palmer, a Dwarf warrior, replied with joy.
“That’s what I’m saying. The Fairy Kingdom can’t do anything!”
All of it was due to Ryu Han-bin’s plan, the giant Alien.
The Templar Lords looked at Han-bin and poured out generous compliments.
“It was a great trick indeed!”
“Of course, we knew it was a gimmick, but…”
“Still, this cowardly trick is used by backstreet thugs who don’t know honor.”
“Can you dare to name the Goddesses?”
“It was a bold ploy that only an Alien from a world without a god would do!”
Ryu Han-bin smiled with a nervous expression.
‘… Are those compliments?’
The guerrilla tactics themselves were not surprising.
It was a simple tactic used by the weak against the strong.
According to the news from Earth, there were often stories of terrorists in the Middle East, and there had been countless cases historically.
There were the Partisans, the French Resistance during World War I, the Spanish irregulars during the Napoleonic Wars, the origin of guerrillas, etc.
Nevertheless, the reason why no one came up with that method was not that they were stupid.
When they had first heard Han-bin’s idea, everyone fiercely opposed it.
“What nonsense!”
“The Goddesses won’t allow such a mean way!”
Even blatant contempt was shown.
“You are an Alien who doesn’t fear the Goddesses!”
“Why did Kybriel choose such a person?”
That world was different from Earth.
There was no need to doubt the existence of a Goddess.
Of course, not all Latnains met and saw the Goddesses in person.
But in Korea, not all people could meet the president in person either.
Yet no one said, ‘I’ve never actually seen the president with my own eyes, so his existence is fiction, and the media’s footage is computer graphics!’
Unlike on Earth, there was clear evidence that God existed in that world.
It was not that they called the Earth a ‘world without God’ for no reason.
Earth’s religion only looked like believing in an illusion that didn’t even exist in the eyes of the Latnains.
And in a world where God existed, those who served God became ironclad officials, not fanatics.
They couldn’t think out of the box.
“Never!”
“If you serve the Goddesses, you must spread her will to the earth with the right heart.”
Not only the Templar Lords, but even Artis and Effir opposed it.
“It’s tough, Han-bin. Of course, you said that without noticing it.”
“Why would those who serve the Goddesses judge their will casually?”
Ryu Han-bin responded.
“So, the Goddess can’t allow us to do this, can she?”
Han-bin just asked the person next to him.
“Is it impossible?”
That was right.
There was a Goddess with them.
Of course, Kibie agreed.
“The world is about to collapse. It’s not the time to be picky.”
Only then did the Templar Lords panic. At that very moment, they realized that the current situation was very different from usual.
“I see!”
“The incarnation of the Darkness has descended, right?”
“No matter what, it is a great sin to distort the Goddesses’ oracle…”
Again, Ryu Han-bin suggested an idea from a place where they were not afraid of God.
“Why is this so bad about the oracle?”
What was the oracle of Latna?
It referred to the act of introducing the Goddesses’ Will to the world by ‘selected Latnains.’
Ryu Han-bin pointed at Kibie.
“Goddess’s will.”
Han-bin then pointed at the six Templar Lords.
“That’s what the chosen Latnains could take. Isn’t that a great oracle?”
There was no problem in doctrine.
All six Templar Lords were dumbfounded.
“Oh, it makes sense.”
“That’s what an oracle is…”
Since then, everything had been solved in a flash.
Not being able to think of an idea didn’t mean being incompetent.
Once the prerequisites were met, everyone could come up with effective and detailed strategies.
The Holy Punishers had been established and brilliantly rocked the Fairy Kingdom.
“But it won’t continue to be this comfortable in the future.”
Angelica spoke with a serious look.
“The Fairy Queen has a separate power.”
Akhtarun’s Aliens and Upper Draconium.
Until that moment, the Top Three hadn’t revealed their existence.
If it were known that they were using Dragons and Aliens, they would suffer and lose their reputation.
“But now that things have changed, there’s no way they’re just going to waste such powerful forces.”
The Ancient Dragons of Upper Draconium would probably not be put in.
Through Almara, they must have known that the incarnation’s group could force Dragons to turn back to their human form.
“On the other hand, Akhtarun’s Aliens have no such weakness.”