Waltzemer straightened his back.

The Empire was no longer in his hands. While he could still serve as a counterbalance, regaining his footing was now purely dependent on Waltzemer’s own abilities, having lost his horns.

“So, you have been given the mission to defend the eastern part of the Empire. I trust you will do well.”

Isaac chuckled at Waltzemer’s tone, as if he still owned the Empire. This ambitious power-hungry man didn’t seem like someone who would simply vanish after being used as a pawn.

“Of course, I have to stop the Olkan Code. But that’s merely an obstacle I need to overcome.”

“An obstacle? Is there a more important goal than that?”

Isaac gazed at the rising dawn in the east.

“I must reclaim the Holy Land.”

Waltzemer wore a somewhat sour expression at Isaac’s answer. It was as if he was saying, “So you’re just another paladin of the Codex of Light after all.”

To him, who had lost everything due to his faith, the Holy Land and the Dawn Army might seem like bitter enemies.

Despite the setbacks and twisted motives, Isaac’s goal had never changed.

His goal was still the reclamation of the Holy Land.

However, if the Codex of Light tried to recklessly seize the Holy Land, Isaac planned to thwart them.

“Take care. If you face any hardships because you’re a Barvari, there is a faith that welcomes everyone without discrimination, even if you’re a Barvari. Perhaps you should hear about it.”

“Is there such a thing within the Empire?”

“It’s the latest trend. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to someone.”

“I’m not sure if I can have faith again, but alright.”

***

“The Emperor has escaped?”

Pope Horma Kmuel, upon receiving news of Waltzemer’s escape by lunchtime the next day, asked in disbelief.

It was hard to believe that Waltzemer, who had been securely imprisoned beneath Lichtheim, had escaped, and even more so that he was only informed of it by lunchtime.

“Wasn’t the Golden Lion Paladin Order guarding him? Who’s responsible for this?”

“According to Dera Heman’s report, the Archangel Ashen of Elil appeared, got injured, and then vanished. However, it’s unclear if Ashen acted independently again or if it was truly Elil’s intervention.”

Turning Elil into an enemy amid this would be dreadful. Frankly, the Pope preferred to believe it was yet another of Ashen’s independent actions, as usual.

“The angels will handle it as they see fit. If the Emperor escaped from the heart of Lichtheim, isn’t that also part of the grand scheme?”

The Pope replied with a hint of sarcasm.

“He’s not the Emperor but the apostate Waltzemer, Your Holiness.”

Cardinal Rohen Otter patiently emphasized.

Rohen had demonstrated, with the appearance of the Lighthouse Keeper, that the true power of the Church lay not with the Pope but with the Watcher’s Council, yet he still showed respect to the Pope. The Pope was aware he was merely a scapegoat but could do nothing about it.

His reaction to Waltzemer’s escape was also subdued.

“Very well, I understand.”

“…Is that all, Your Holiness?”

“Isn’t he just an excommunicated Barvari anyway? I don’t understand why he was allowed to escape. Handle it as you see fit. Wasn’t that your plan all along?”

With a hint of sarcasm in the Pope’s voice, Rohen quietly nodded and stepped back. In fact, a search party had already been dispatched, and notices declaring the Emperor’s excommunication had been sent to nobles across the land. The Pope merely listened to post-factum reports after all arrangements were completed.

‘Maybe it was the Watcher’s Council that let Waltzemer escape in the first place. With Dera Heman guarding him, could he have escaped so easily?’

The Pope considered this possibility but had no way of knowing the truth. Every procedure was conducted through the Watcher’s Council.

As Rohen exited the conference room, he mentioned in passing before closing the door.

“Oh, by the way, the cardinal election took place this morning. Fortunately, Bishop Amila Ende was chosen. Congratulations.”

Amila Ende was another priest recommended by Cardinal Rohen from the Watcher’s Council. Initially, when the Lighthouse Keeper appeared and incinerated his competitor, it was expected that no one else would be chosen.

Now, two cardinals were from the Watcher’s Council. Although the Pope himself had been appointed with the Council’s support, the situation had now become irretrievable.

Cardinal Juan was trembling in his room after having opposed the Pope and opened the gates. Yet the Pope didn’t feel inclined to punish him.

More than half the priests in Lichtheim had harbored dissatisfaction against him from the start. Punishing them all was impossible, and with the angels’ will confirmed, there was no reason for the priests to rebel. The Pope’s authority was now higher than ever.

However, the Pope also wanted to cower in his room.

Horma gestured dismissively to send Rohen away. Rohen left without bowing.

‘The escaped Emperor.’

The Pope gazed past the terrace with cloudy eyes. Somewhere beyond the plains, the emperor who had lost both power and his horns would be on the run. He couldn’t know where Waltzemer would flee. The Brant territory, which had lost its duke? The Elil kingdom, where suspicions of receiving Elil’s help arose? Or perhaps he might flee to the Black Empire entirely. Many power-hungry individuals had become undead with revenge and anger in their hearts.

But regardless of the path he chose, the Pope felt that if Waltzemer ever returned to Lichtheim, he would be a far more dangerous and terrifying entity than before.

‘Whatever you choose, Waltzemer, survive at all costs.’

Horma thought this unconsciously, then was startled by his own feelings.

He was rooting for the Emperor.

The man who had been abandoned by God and fallen into the abyss, he was hoping for his return and revival. The Pope felt his heart race upon realizing his own emotions.

It was like the mischievous thoughts of a child imagining a bad prank.

If he finally saw Lichtheim burn and Cardinal Rohen’s head crushed underfoot, he felt he could smile even amid the inferno.

***

Excommunication of Emperor Waltzemer.

This news spread rapidly through the words of the Church’s messengers and the mouths of priests in cathedrals, churches, and monasteries across the land. The shock among the populace, whether commoners, nobles, or pagans, was substantial. Emperor Waltzemer was not unpopular, and he bore the stigmata of a sacred body, a sign of being chosen by God. Excommunication for such a man?

Yet, the countless people who had been stuck around Lichtheim due to the imperial army’s blockade became witnesses. They all testified in unison. For the first time in 300 years, the Lighthouse Keeper had manifested, and amidst blinding, scorching agony, the Emperor was excommunicated. The Emperor had lost his horns and was dragged away by his subordinates like a slave.

The consistent testimonies left people in shock.

And they muttered the old adage:

“The most painful apostasy comes from the most devout believer.”

The most stunned were the nobility.

They were well aware that the Emperor leading troops to ‘defend’ Lichtheim was actually an ‘attack’. Delia Lyon was the head of the Noble Assembly, a body comprised of the central nobles. The same was true for Dietrich Brant.

Internally, they coveted the Church’s power and wealth, quietly supporting and backing the Emperor. Yet, they hadn’t expected such a crushing defeat and now worried about the repercussions. Those with quick reflexes hastily donated considerable wealth to nearby churches, gauging the situation, while nobles without such resources scrambled to send their children to monasteries or churches to secure future backing.

With these developments, even commoners who dismissed it as mere power struggles among the elite began sensing change.

The Empire was entering an entirely new era.

Now the Empire would be governed by the Church. The Pope was effectively the Emperor, and priests indisputably ruled as the foremost class, governing the faithful. All acts of governance would be carried out through the Church, with the nobility merely acting as its limbs.

To survive in this new age, people donated vast lands and wealth to the Church. This frenzy finally swept beyond the central regions to the north.

With the Empire’s leader, the Emperor, having fallen, and the second in command, Duke Brant, dead, people watched the Brant family, expecting some response due to its enduring strength.

Yet, the Brant family offered no notable reaction to Duke Dietrich’s death. Duchess Freya neither declared vengeance nor submitted to the Church. She maintained silence, merely reiterating their longstanding devotion to the Codex of Light and their intention to remain so.

The Church likewise had no desire to unnecessarily wage war against the impregnable Rougeberg.

However, peace came at a price. Under the pretext of ‘Dawn Army Donations,’ the Brant family was coerced into surrendering a substantial portion of their land and wealth. Nevertheless, a small number of individuals dissatisfied with this unjust exploitation began rallying around the Brant family.

Despite the Brant family bowing to the Church’s authority on the surface, the Codex of Light had effectively bridled the beast known as the Empire. Now, no one could oppose the Church. The Church was also confident that the Brant family lacked the power to mount any significant resistance and refocused its efforts on the Dawn Army.

The key issue was the Holy Land. Under the leadership of Ciero, the Dawn Army aggressively recruited, and the Church poured enormous resources into it. Zealots who believed angels were their patron saints began to spread their madness across the Empire.

Within this frenzy, the Empire directed all its weapons eastward.

And from the east came the ominous sound of hooves aimed at the Empire.

***

“Phew.”

As Nel descended upon the outskirts of the Issacrea monastery, a cloud of dust rose. Having entered late autumn, fallen leaves fluttered across the northern Issacrea territory, part of the Empire.

Isaac, looking exhausted, assessed the state of his domain upon his return.

“Sir Grail Knight! You’re back?!”

“What’s going on here…?”

Jacquette, who had been anxiously awaiting Isaac’s return, approached with a face that seemed on the verge of tears. It seemed her accumulated stress was significant, more than any joy at seeing him.

At first glance, Issacrea appeared bustling, but upon closer inspection, it was a mess.

“Not only are there refugees from Seor, but people are flocking from farther away to escape the raids by the Olkan Code. And there are those fleeing the Church’s tyranny. I thought we only had to defend the east, but people are pouring in from every direction.”

In Isaac’s absence, Issacrea’s population seemed to have tripled. It was a number that couldn’t help but cause problems. It was clear how much the head of security had struggled.

“You’ve worked hard. But don’t worry, I won’t be going anywhere for the time being.”

Jacquette’s expression brightened slightly at Isaac’s words. His presence or absence made all the difference to the territory’s atmosphere.

Since the Emperor’s excommunication, Isaac had been busy recovering assets left by Waltzemer. Not just simple treasures, but connections, information, and secret agreements. It was work that needed to be done discreetly and was neither simple nor easy. However, thanks to the information provided by Waltzemer, he managed to recover a considerable amount.

Among those assets were also talents. Isaac persuaded those fearing retribution from the Church to stay in Issacrea. As a result, many former Imperial knights had taken refuge there, concealing their identities.

In truth, indiscriminately gathering people could cause issues. But Isaac was in a position where he had to face the Olkan Code. He needed people, no matter what.

Fortunately, Manseungja seemed to have kept her promise, as there were no invasions of Issacrea, allowing Isaac to fortify the territory into a city akin to a fortress. The rugged terrain and prior preparation for rebellion made it less challenging.

‘If Khan himself comes, this will be like a sandcastle…’

Having failed to fulfill his promise to Manseungja, a confrontation was inevitable.

Isaac couldn’t defeat the entire Olkan Code but was confident he could drag them into the mire. Though help from the Codex of Light Church might eventually arrive, it seemed a distant possibility.

“Oh, by the way, Sir Grail Knight. A messenger from the Church came by.”

“A messenger? What for?”

Jacquette’s next words did not disappoint Isaac’s expectations.

“They demanded supplies and soldiers for the Dawn Army expedition. They also ordered you to join the Dawn Army personally.”