Chapter 84: Chapter 84
The first wave of direct contact between the two sides was the most dangerous. At that time, the enemy maintained their full combat strength, while the territory’s understanding of them was extremely limited.
The Territory Guard’s heaviest casualties occurred during that wave. It was only later, as the enemy’s numbers dwindled and the Territory Guard grew more familiar with their methods, that they managed to contain the opponent’s offensive.
If the enemy had fought to the bitter end without retreating, not a single one of those three who escaped would have survived!
Therefore, even toward his most valued Apprentice, Morris didn’t want Ron to harbor any doubts about the Territory Guard’s performance.
…
When he heard Morris say that both of the enemy’s Senior Knights had escaped, the worry in Ron’s heart nearly reached its absolute peak. Perhaps sensing Ron’s thoughts, Morris couldn’t help but offer some comfort:
“For you, Ron, my most valued Apprentice, I won’t hold anything back. The enemy only has four people now, so the threat posed by those two Senior Knights is actually comparatively minor.
“The Territory Guard always operates as a group when carrying out external missions. As long as they respond carefully, they won’t find themselves at too great a disadvantage, and they can entirely hold out until other squads arrive to reinforce them.
“With just two squads, they could even attempt to slay the opponent.
“You could say that in the battle that just ended, although the enemy appeared to have only lost three people, they lost their greatest asset for fighting us: the numbers needed to maintain a Battle Formation!
“The greatest threat from the enemy right now is actually that Evil God Priest who single-handedly held off the main Territory Guard forces led by Young Master Waynes. We don’t know what other methods he has at his disposal, but based solely on his previous performance, a single Knight squad is likely no match for him.”
“Are there really only eight enemies? Could there be more enemies hidden in the shadows?” Ron asked again.
“There is that possibility, but it’s very small.”
Morris offered his own analysis. “You have to understand, the enemies come from the Oz Empire, and the Oz Empire and the Kingdom of Helios are the first and second strongest nations on the continent, respectively. So you can imagine the relationship between the two nations.
“The Salvation Cult, the evil organization these enemies belong to, is the absolute nemesis of the Kingdom of Helios, the kind that can never be compromised with and must be eradicated on sight.
“The Salvation Cult’s people might be able to travel from the Oz Empire to here, but their numbers absolutely cannot be too large. Perhaps there are even pursuers from the Kingdom of Helios trailing behind this very squad!”
However, Morris’s explanation didn’t put Ron at ease; instead, it heightened his vigilance to its absolute peak:
A cult organization thousands of miles away had inexplicably traveled to a nation that viewed them as mortal enemies. The reasons behind this were anything but simple when you thought about it!
One had to know that the Oz Empire was located to the northwest of the Kingdom of Helios, while the Sis Territory’s position within the Kingdom of Helios was on the southwest border!
These cultists had practically traversed the entire Kingdom of Helios to get here. Crossing the full expanse of an enemy nation, one could imagine the immense price they must have paid.
And behind that price, a tremendous conspiracy might be lurking.
It surely wasn’t because these people had nothing better to do in the Oz Empire and decided to take a winter trip to the Sis Territory for sightseeing, was it?
Ron, someone with limited knowledge of the outside world, could think of this question, so he refused to believe that Morris couldn’t think of it, or that the territory’s leadership couldn’t.
What exactly did the Sis Territory have that was worth those cultists crossing an entire empire to get their hands on?
If he were a native-born resident of the Sis Territory, he might not be able to fathom the cultists’ motives and would ultimately attribute it to the incomprehensible nature of cultist thinking.
But who was Ron? On the inside, he was a transmigrator!
Hearing Morris describe such a situation now, he couldn’t help but link the cultists’ abnormal behavior to his own uniqueness.
“Could those people be coming for me?”
In Ron’s view, he was likely the most unique existence in the entire Sis Territory. He was even already trying to figure out the true purpose behind the cultists coming for him:
This world had already decayed to such an extent. The presence of Evil Spirits meant that ordinary people could barely survive in the wilderness, and even Knights had to endure tremendous mental pressure.
What if, at a time like this, a new world appeared?
Would the people or gods of this world consider moving to a different world to live in?
At this thought, Ron barely managed to hold back the urge to ask Morris how long it would take to travel from the Oz Empire to the Sis Territory. From that duration, he could roughly estimate the time node when those cultists had set out.
If it coincided with the time of his own transmigration, then it was almost certain they were coming for him.
“Could it be that the immense sense of crisis he had felt when his Light Orb true form first appeared in the outside world didn’t originate from the Pollution Secret Patterns, but from the covetous gaze of an Evil God?”
This was a question Ron had no answer to himself, nor did he dare ask anyone else. He could only slowly search for the answer through his future exploration of this world.
…
“By the way, Instructor, the territory was attacked by cultists. Doesn’t the Kingdom care? Didn’t you just say that the Salvation Cult those cultists belong to is the Kingdom’s mortal enemy?”
What Ron truly wanted to ask was whether the territory had sought outside help.
He knew that the various territories within the Kingdom of Helios maintained a strong degree of independence, but if that independence was so extreme that even the Royal Capital ignored pleas for help from its territories, then this nation probably wouldn’t have survived until now.
But faced with this question, Morris responded with silence. If the Lord had been willing to seek aid from the Royal Capital, the incident five years ago wouldn’t have happened either.
After a moment of thought, he told Ron, “The Sis Territory is too remote. Seeking aid from the Royal Capital is virtually impossible, and even if we did, it would be too late now.
“As for the nearby territories, the distance isn’t short either. Right now, those cultists are very likely lying in wait just outside. If we send too few people, they’d be going to their deaths. If we send too many, the territory might face another threat.
“Under the current circumstances, we can only hope that there are indeed Kingdom pursuers trailing behind those cultists, or that we find a way to locate that Evil God Priest. As long as we kill him, all of these crises can be resolved.”
“Then does the territory have a relevant plan?” Ron asked again.
“I don’t know about that. Anything involving an Evil God Priest would likely only be known to Young Master Waynes, who previously clashed with the Evil God Priest. I believe the territory will take action very soon.”
“Is the Evil God Priest really that powerful? Also, the Kingdom Decree that the Lord had Steward Severn give us mentioned that the Kingdom now venerates a True God titled 【Lord of Radiance】. Does the Lord of Radiance have priests?”
“You’ve really stumped me with that one.”
Hearing such a question, Morris couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Although I have already, well, you know, I have never left the Sis Territory from birth to adulthood. Most of what I know about the outside world comes from the fragmentary bits and pieces brought by foreign merchant guilds.
“As for how powerful an Evil God Priest is, I can tell you plainly: I don’t know! But I believe his strength is likely inferior to the territory’s. Otherwise, he would have just pushed straight through. Why bother first drawing forces away to pin us down and then sending a squad for a surprise attack?
“As for the priests of the Lord of Radiance, truth be told, I only just learned about the Kingdom Decree you mentioned. I didn’t know about the title of the Lord of Radiance much earlier than you did.
“Whether He has priests, I don’t know that either. But I’d guess He probably does, just certainly not in the Sis Territory.”