IPMPBB 38

Chapter 38

The scouts chosen were Cesare and a few young knights who admired him.

They had gathered information about the unbelievers settled in the Latham Valley with surprising speed and efficiency.

“There are about fifty of them, and only one or two seemed capable of using sorcery.”

“Yes, Sir Girotti confirmed it,” said one of the young knights, nodding eagerly at Cesare’s words.

They looked inexperienced, but I didn’t doubt them. Being part of the 3rd Knight Division meant they were all highly capable.

“Good. Since there are few sorcerers, we’ll launch a full assault.”

I made the decision based on Elia’s tactical knowledge.

“Execute the sorcerers on the spot. Capture the rest who can’t use sorcery.”

The rest was basic protocol for subjugating unbelievers.

If the situation were more complicated, I would’ve held a separate meeting with Carlos, but it wasn’t necessary.

“Understood,” Carlos responded on behalf of the others. The other key knights nodded in agreement.

“We strike tonight.”

We waited in the barracks until nightfall, then silently approached the Latham Valley once the moon was up.

As we neared, we spotted the unbelievers’ hideout built in the sunken terrain of the valley.

Even at night, a few unbelievers were patrolling the area.

“We need to identify the sorcerer’s location first. Let’s move in quietly,” Carlos said, and I nodded in agreement.

My palm, gripping the hilt of my sword, was slick with sweat.

‘I thought I’d be fine because I have Elia’s memories…’

But now that the operation had started, my heart pounded, and the tension surged to my throat.

‘This really is my reality now… I could get hurt. Or even die here.’

‘Stay calm. If I follow the plan, I won’t die… right?’

Just as I was thinking that, Carlos silently dashed out and knocked out a patrolling unbeliever with incredible speed and precision.

It was so smooth and fast that I gasped involuntarily.

Carlos signaled to the others, and the knights also dashed out, silently knocking out the rest of the patrol.

Carlos then gave a hand signal: “Enter in 3 minutes.”

It dawned on me that Carlos was leading the 3rd Division because I had hesitated.

‘Well, I can’t be upset. Just because I have Elia’s memories doesn’t mean a former civil service exam prepper like me can suddenly lead a covert op.’

Elia never properly led a unit during covert missions either.

‘Lives are on the line. The most skilled person should take charge.’

I genuinely believed that.

Though I’d have to be careful not to fade into the background so much I got kicked out of the division.

I drew my sword with the others and entered the hideout at Carlos’s signal.

The hideout, carved into the valley wall, was larger and wider than expected.

“Who’s the—Ugh!”
The first enemy we encountered was quickly subdued by Carlos.

“Where’s the sorcerer?” he asked, not knocking the man out immediately.

“If you don’t talk, I’ll kill you.”

Carlos’s voice was icy cold.

The unbeliever’s eyes trembled with fear.

Carlos, on the other hand, was calm and composed, not even flinching as he talked about taking a life.

‘I need to pull myself together. That’s the kind of composure you need for this.’

“Three seconds.”
Carlos pulled out a dagger from his belt in warning.

“Three… two… one—”

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! The sorcerer’s in the central prayer room!”

Carlos knocked him out without hesitation.

Thump.

Cesare caught the collapsing body.

“Some of you come with me to the prayer room. The rest stay here. He might have lied.”

I hesitated, unsure whether to follow, but Carlos shot me a look that said, “Why aren’t you by my side yet?”

‘Right. It’s safest near Carlos.’

So I followed him, Cesare, and a few other knights.

My right hand was beginning to tingle, but my legs and left arm were fine, so I could move without much issue.

We kept advancing through the winding tunnels, knocking out every unbeliever we came across.

Eventually, we came upon a massive door that likely led to the prayer room.

Carlos raised a fist, signaling us to stop, and we all held our breath.

“If the sorcerer’s really inside, this is where the real fight begins,” Carlos whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

‘Why is he whispering to me?’

I was confused when he gave me a serious look and said,

“I won’t stop you if you want to fight. But if things get dangerous, come straight to me.”

‘So he’s worried about my safety… even now.’

It felt strange, being cared for in such a tense moment.

“Move in.”

Before I could figure out how I felt, Carlos gave the signal.

Cesare kicked the door open with a loud bang.

A strange purple mist oozed out.

“Poison fog. Hold your breath.”

Carlos warned, and we all clamped our mouths shut.

I quickly covered my mouth with my right hand.

“Imperial knights, huh? Puppets of the Saintess!”
A booming voice rang from inside.

As the fog cleared, a grotesque old man appeared.

His skin was purple like the fog, his eyes milky white, his hands bony—he looked like a zombie.

“Whoa. He even looks like a villain.”

“That’s because he is one,” someone replied.

Hanging from his belt were what looked like a child’s finger bones.

“Disgusting. Even if he didn’t do anything, wearing a child’s bones is enough to condemn him.”

“You’re not blessed by the Saintess yet! She hasn’t branded Jeruka! That means you can’t stop me, Matata of Latham!”

The sorcerer bit his finger and began drawing a magic circle with the blood.

It was dangerous.

To counter the unbelievers’ sorcery, a Saintess’s blessing was needed—and that blessing had to be amplified through a ritual called branding.

But the Saintess hadn’t branded Carlos yet.

“Now!”
Carlos shouted, and the knights charged at the old man.

Slimy monsters leapt out of the magic circle, blocking our way.

But the 3rd Division’s prowess was unmatched. They sliced through the slimes without hesitation.

“Hahaha! Do you think you can keep this up forever?”
Twice as many slimes burst out.

“Captain!”

“I’m fine!”
I shouted back as I slashed a slime in half with my left hand.

Elia’s memories included knowledge of fighting slimes, and they weren’t especially strong.

“Don’t worry about me—just figure out how to reach the sorcerer!”

I shouted again, slicing two more slimes clean in half.

Carlos looked oddly relieved and turned back to the sorcerer.

“Without the Saintess’s blessing upon the Imperial bloodline, I am invincible!”

Carlos curled one side of his lips into a sneer.

“We’ll see if you’re still invincible against my sword.”

He charged.

With each step Carlos took, slimes split and exploded in spectacular bursts.

The sorcerer’s face turned ashen.

“A swordsman this powerful…? Impossible!”
That was his final cry.

Carlos’s sword pierced straight through the sorcerer’s neck.