Chapter 91: Chapter 91

Meanwhile, the three Salvation Cult Knights led by Athanasi, having escaped Sis Town, finally reunited with Bishop Ioneel just before nightfall.

The four of them sat around a campfire, watching the dancing flames with unspeakably gloomy eyes. Ioneel had never anticipated that even though he had pinned down the main force of Sis Territory, the others would still fail in their surprise attack.

“Athanasi, do you have nothing to say for yourself?”

“Bishop, I…”

Athanasi hesitated, unsure of how to begin, but the other Senior Knight among the three who had returned alive, Fidi, couldn’t hold back any longer. He spoke up, pointing his accusations directly at the last member of their trio: Nasar.

“We encountered stubborn resistance in Sis Territory, but we held the upper hand the entire time. Yet just as the prolonged stalemate forced our offensive to slow in preparation for a renewed assault, Nasar fled the battlefield!”

Speaking of this, Fidi still felt indignant. In his eyes, if Nasar hadn’t taken the lead in running away, the others wouldn’t have lost their will to fight, which in turn caused their Battle Formation to collapse.

Unlike those Knights who achieved their rank through pure personal strength, these Cult Knights already had to endure various negative side effects when utilizing Battle Formations.

Let alone six people launching a surprise attack on an entire territory. They were sustained entirely by a collective will forged through their faith in the True God and their shared resolve to complete the mission.

If this will harbored even the slightest flaw, it would easily crumble in a short amount of time.

And this time, the flaw was Nasar!

“If it weren’t for Nasar, we might have already achieved our ambush objective by now!”

After Fidi finished complaining, Athanasi didn’t press the accusations any further, because right now they only had three Knights left, including Nasar. This was the absolute minimum number required to form a Battle Formation.

Without Nasar, whatever they did next would be exceedingly difficult.

Athanasi didn’t think he could complete the mission and smoothly return to the Oz Empire relying solely on his own strength. If it were truly that easy, the Grand Knight who had set out with them at the very beginning wouldn’t have met a bloody end halfway.

In truth, if not for his faith sustaining him, Athanasi would likely have already succumbed to despair. Even a Grand Knight had fallen along their path here; could the few of them really make it back to the Oz Empire?

Even if the journey back was relatively safe, it was only relative. Ultimately, they still had to traverse Helios, a Kingdom of False Gods that was extremely hostile to them!

Similar to the silent Athanasi, Bishop Ioneel couldn’t help but feel a trace of confusion after hearing Fidi’s account, and he began to doubt whether he had been right to volunteer for this mission in the first place.

But soon, his conviction solidified. Unlike those within the Cult who only wanted to coast by or harbored other ulterior motives, he truly believed in the Salvation Cult’s ideals. He firmly believed that he was redeeming the world and saving its people.

Carrying such resolute ideals, Ioneel could endure any moment of despair.

In reality, the situation they currently faced was far from hopeless. Ioneel had weathered circumstances far more dire than this, yet he had still managed to claw his way through. This time would be no different.

“Nasar, is what Fidi said true?”

“I didn’t mean to break away from the Battle Formation, but I was struck by an enemy’s javelin, which hindered me for a moment and caused me to lose pace with Captain Athanasi. I planned to find another opening to rejoin the formation, but I never expected the enemy to launch a fierce assault right then. The Battle Formation instantly fell into chaos.”

The reason Nasar hadn’t fled alone and had instead returned with Athanasi to see Ioneel was partly due to Fidi’s strict surveillance. On the other hand, Nasar knew full well that he had absolutely zero chance of safely returning to the Oz Empire on his own.

Only by relying on the Bishop and the other two Senior Knights did they have a sliver of hope of making it back alive.

By the same logic, he still had his own value to offer; he could form a Battle Formation with Athanasi and Fidi, which would similarly boost Athanasi and the others’ odds of a safe return.

Therefore, Nasar possessed a very clear understanding of their current situation. Even though he had indeed made a mistake, as long as he stubbornly refused to admit to desertion, Athanasi would likely lend him a hand in the end.

Furthermore, for the sake of successfully completing the mission, Bishop Ioneel was unlikely to pursue the matter too deeply. After all, what was done was done; could they bring the dead back to life?

Even a Grand Knight had perished; couldn’t they afford to lose a few mere Intermediate Knights?

Just as Nasar had predicted, Ioneel indeed didn’t delve into his desertion. However, he knew that once they returned to the Oz Empire, a reckoning would likely be waiting for him, and even Athanasi might turn against him.

But so what? As long as he could make it back to the Oz Empire, it was still uncertain who would be settling accounts with whom!

…

Fidi was dissatisfied with Bishop Ioneel’s handling of Nasar, but he also understood that they were in the wilderness with a crucial mission still left to complete. In this situation, turning against each other would benefit no one.

Nasar was merely an Intermediate Knight, yet he possessed multiple Abandoner Relics. His survival until now was no fluke. Under these circumstances, no matter how dissatisfied Fidi felt, he could only suppress his resentment for the time being.

For a moment, silence descended around the campfire once more.

After a long while, Athanasi took the initiative to ask, “Bishop, what should we do next?”

Under these circumstances, only the Bishop could make the decisions. Only the Bishop possessed the ability to lead them in completing the mission and returning to the Oz Empire.

“Let me think!”

Thus, the silence stretched on. After an unknown amount of time, during which firewood was added to the campfire a full three times, Ioneel seemed to steel his resolve. He suddenly stood up and addressed the other three:

“I have a plan: we launch a frontal assault on Sis Territory!”

“A frontal assault?” Upon hearing this, all three couldn’t help but shake their heads inwardly.

Just then, Ioneel continued, “Nasar, in light of your causing the failure of our surprise attack not long ago, I will not be returning the Mind Scepter to you, but neither will I claim it for myself.

“I will activate the scepter’s power and try to control more Aberrant Beasts to provide cover for our next ambush. But you must understand, this is our last chance. If we fail again this time, then we will have failed completely.”

Pinned under Ioneel’s resolute gaze and the hostile glares of Athanasi and Fidi, Nasar subconsciously gulped. He found himself unable to voice a refusal.

Besides, the Mind Scepter was currently in Ioneel’s possession; even if he wanted to refuse, it wouldn’t work.

“I have no objections. Let’s do as the Bishop says!”

“Very well!”

Ioneel nodded, then looked at Athanasi and Fidi as he began assigning tasks. “The Mind Scepter’s control range is limited. We need to approach the Abandoner Ruins we passed by earlier.

“But to prevent Sis Territory from being on guard, before that, I need the two of you to go near Sis Territory and attract their attention. Create the illusion that we are still active in the vicinity.”

“Yes, sir.”

Athanasi and Fidi immediately complied.