CHAPTER 143…………………………………………
Whip and Whip
The rain continued for a while.
Amidst the downpour, Solaris was undergoing reorganization.
There were buildings that had collapsed and crumbled during the battle, so temporary shelters had to be set up in the plaza.
The paladins of the Solar Knights were busy securing these shelters, and the faithful willingly helped them.
“What are we going to do about that?”
Leonis pointed to the completely destroyed Solaris walls as if tossing a pile of rubble at me.
“…You said we were going to make it magnificent, right?”
“No, this is way overboard.”
“Now you’re just going to wash your hands of it?”
“Not exactly—I’m asking if there’s a way to rebuild the walls.”
Leonis elbowed my side playfully.
“You think a solution will just drop from the sky?”
“Isn’t it possible with magic?”
“It’s possible… but…”
He clicked his tongue and continued.
“It’s better not to construct buildings purely with magic.”
“Why?”
“You have to stabilize them for a long time. If the mana becomes unstable, they could collapse immediately. That’s why even when creating artifacts, we engrave runes to forcibly stabilize mana.”
“So then why not engrave runes on the buildings too?”
I sighed deeply at Ronan’s foolish suggestion.
“Don’t say stupid things. Your premise is wrong.”
“Premise?”
“To engrave a rune, the object must be strong enough to withstand the mana. You’re saying we should construct it with magic? Trying to impose another rune on an object already saturated with mana? That just guarantees collapse.”
“…I see.”
Ronan nodded in understanding.
Leonis clicked his tongue, a hint of regret on his face.
“What a waste. If I could have solved this in one fell swoop, my position would have been even stronger…”
“Isn’t your ambition a bit too much, Your Highness?”
I teased him, but Leonis just smiled calmly.
“This much I can allow.”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the unspoken ‘if you want to become emperor’ hung in the air.
Such confidence was evident in his tone and expression.
Good.
Everything’s good…
“Annoying.”
Elnor ghosted my thoughts perfectly.
“…Are you really saying that to the prince?”
“I’m just being honest. Truthful, Your Highness.”
“….”
Leonis pouted slightly at Elnor’s words, as if irritated.
Watching him, everyone gathered chuckled, easing the tension.
“Enough idle talk…”
The most serious among them, Lionel, commander of the Solar Knights, started the discussion.
“So, what are we going to do?”
Those present, including the three of us, were all leaders of paladins from the Solius Order.
The three commanders of each order—six people in total.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Sir Valen is the eldest, after all.”
“What could an old man like me know? You should ask the prince, shouldn’t you?”
“This is the Order’s matter. It’s too… much for an outsider like me to intervene.”
“Enough of the polite talk, give us your opinion then.”
Valen clicked his tongue.
“Alright. Then… it’s just an opinion, so take it as reference.”
Leonis spoke as if he had been waiting.
“First of all, execution is out of the question.”
“Why?”
“May I ask your reasons?”
Valen and Lionel immediately questioned him.
Understandably, they had been keeping an eye on the paladins who had long followed the Pope.
It wasn’t just a matter of doctrine; it was a betrayal of the paladins’ vows.
For those who followed the Pope, the actions of these paladins were absolutely unforgivable.
“But that’s just the paladins’ perspective, commanders.”
“What do you mean?”
“….”
Unlike Valen, Lionel seemed to understand and remained silent.
“To ordinary believers, the boundary is unclear,” Leonis explained further for clarity.
“The Solar Knights also followed the Pope’s orders, didn’t they?”
“But they…”
Valen tried to speak, but Lionel shook his head, and he stopped.
“We know that the Solar Knights could not refuse the Pope’s orders based on mere suspicion without solid proof. Even in that situation, they did their best to protect the faithful. We understand that… but will the believers?”
“That is…”
“….”
“They won’t understand. From their perspective, those who obeyed the Pope knowing his ambition in advance and those of the Solar Knights are no different. Therefore, execution is absolutely out of the question.”
Leonis hammered the point home.
“Above all, if that happens, Elnor’s punishment won’t be easily overlooked either.”
“…!”
Elnor, whose name had been mentioned, raised her head.
“I-I don’t care! Whatever punishment…!”
“Understood.”
“Understood.”
Elnor spoke urgently, but Valen and Lionel decisively interrupted her.
“Punishment sufficient to satisfy the believers is enough.”
“Satisfy them…”
Valen’s eyes glinted.
“So as long as they’re convinced, nothing else matters?”
A laugh escaped him—it reminded me of when he had executed the Shadow Knights’ commander before.
The massive reorganization began by clearing the debris from the collapsed walls.
And that meant…
“.”
Rumble—
That was my part.
I used magic to move the ground, pushing the debris outside the city boundaries.
The magic itself wasn’t difficult, but due to the scale, it took a long time.
“Damn it…”
I should have just partially collapsed it…
I wasn’t the only one regretting it.
“Can’t you work faster!”
“Ah, I-I understand! I understand!”
The paladins who had betrayed, including Barteon, former vice-commander of the Holy Light Knights.
“How can we finish the restoration at this rate!”
“Ugh…!”
They were restoring the Papal building while enduring Valen’s whip.
The damage was greater than normal city buildings, so more hands were needed.
Valen put all the traitorous paladins to work restoring the Papal building.
“Too slow!”
“Eeek!”
Valen’s voice boomed.
A thick leather whip was in his hand, but still raised in the air.
Even just his voice made the paladins tense.
“This place has been tainted by your sins! As you restore it, you will also straighten your twisted hearts!”
Crack—!
The sound of the whip through the air made the slow-moving paladins instantly speed up.
Even then, Valen seemed unsatisfied.
“Faster—!”
His voice rolled like thunder, urging them on.
“If you delay, the believers will suffer longer! Considering the wrongs you committed, this is nothing!”
Snap—!
“Ugh?!”
This time, the whip landed on a paladin’s back.
The paladin cried out and collapsed to the ground.
“Get up! Didn’t the chapel collapse because of your negligence!”
“Th-that’s not… our fault…”
“Quiet!”
Crack—!
The paladins dared not speak.
All they could do was keep their mouths shut and focus on the restoration work.
“…Better than that guy.”
No matter how you looked at him, he was more like a demon than a paladin.
Solaris recovered most of its former appearance within days.
Thanks to the devotion of the Solar Knights and the efforts of the believers, the city’s buildings were fully repaired.
Thanks to the grueling labor of Valen and the traitorous paladins, the Papal building was almost restored.
The remaining tasks were raising the chapel ceiling and painting new murals on the walls.
“The biggest problem will be rebuilding the city walls.”
“….”
Valen gave me a look.
I had no words—after all, I was the one who caused their collapse.
“Maybe it’s for the best. How about expanding the city boundaries a bit? I don’t think Your Highness would oppose… is that alright?”
Lionel subtly suggested expanding the city.
The recent incident had gathered the believers, so securing new residences would expand the city—and, by extension, the Order’s influence.
Having publicly promised support, this seemed like a favor to grant.
Of course, Leonis knew this well.
“Of course. But there’s one thing we must do first.”
“What else?”
“A new Papal election.”
Naturally, paladins cannot become Pope.
“We just need to summon one of the Order’s archbishops, right?”
“Easier said than done…”
“Bringing them here… won’t be easy.”
Valen and Lionel frowned.
The Solius Order’s clergy are divided into priests, bishops, and archbishops.
Archbishops own chapels in individual cities and oversee worship.
“Lucarion exiled any influential archbishops who might oppose him.”
“The archbishops remaining in the south are effectively just bishops. And they may have joined Lucarion as well.”
“Still, we can’t leave the Papal seat vacant.”
Leonis’ words made Valen and Lionel silently nod.
“Moreover, since the seat is vacant due to this unfortunate event, it’s best to appoint a legitimate candidate as quickly as possible.”
“We’ll contact the archbishops outside.”
“I’ll inform the paladins—they’ll go fetch the archbishops themselves.”
Things seemed to be going smoothly, but…
“This might be difficult, Commander.”
A paladin of the Dawn Knights approached Valen.
The same paladin who had unhesitatingly swung his axe beside a shouting believer.
“What’s difficult, Tolle?”
“Before coming here, I stayed in the central region to carry out Solius’ orders. I’ve heard rumors that the Imperial Army is on the move. Moving the archbishops in such a situation is too dangerous.”
Leonis furrowed his brows at Tolle’s words.
“The Imperial Army is moving? Is that true?”
“It was a rumor, but considering the circumstances, it’s likely true. There’s actual movement toward the north…”
“North?”
“Not here?”
Ronan and I interjected at the mention of the north.
“Ah, yes.”
Tolle blinked and nodded.
“They were definitely heading north.”
Our attention turned to Leonis.
He wiped his face with a serious expression.
Meanwhile, a ripple appeared in his shadow.
“Your Highness!”
The face of Bardo Croven, leader of the crows, appeared.
“The Imperial Army has moved! But their destination…”
Bardo ignored our presence entirely, urgently reporting the news.
“Here… Icecrown!”
