Chapter 97 - The Missing Princess 2 (1/2)

They researched holy magic and tried to find the source of evil by studying history.

You could say that they had inherited the will of Eteria Rodinus, but the problem was that they were unaware that Eteria Rodinus was still active in the world.

They were just a watered down version of Eteria Rodinus.

They weren’t qualified enough to join the group of wisemen, and they had secularized themselves by affiliating themselves with the royal family of the Izuna Kingdom.

However, all the members of the Spiritual Society somehow were high-ranking priests.

Their strength and advantage were in their holy magic that could fight off monsters and face the Witch Cult.

‘Their equipments’ levels are also quite good.’

As he led the subjugation forces on his warhorse, Woohyuk was doing an interim check.

The Spiritual Society’s members were all equipped with plate armors and maces.

They looked very resistant against physical attacks, especially against monsters.

Meanwhile, he had called Choi Kayoon back before the departure, and she was equipped with leather armor and a whip. While her equipment seemed a bit shabby, she was being protected by the Spiritual Society.

‘Should I have lent her some armor of mine?’

While the Berserker’s Plate Armor Set was too much for her to handle as it would continuously drain her vitality, the Basilisk Scale Armor Set would fit her perfectly.

However, he was worried of its ability to inflict poison damage with a certain probability.

‘It would be problematic if she hits an ally with her whip while wearing that set.’

That was the downside of the Basilisk Scale Armor Set.

She would have to pay extreme attention to her surrounding allies.

If he were wearing the scale armor set during his battle against Tinia, she would definitely have died.

That was why Woohyuk preferred to wear regular plate armor at most times.

But he could always switch his armor set by using one of his belt slots.

In either case, the demonic energy he wields could reinforce his body and protect him, so defensive armor was pretty much useless to him.

“About the Witch Cult, do they have different factions since there are 7 witches in total?”

“You could say it that way.”

Pride, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth, Wrath.

Lilith’s witches represented the seven deadly sins chosen by the Creator, and the executives below the head of the cult led seven different factions and sects.

However, that was but just a small problem. Each faction believed and revered the same being, Lilith, as the others.

The differences between them was which sin they felt more connected to.

ChoI Kayoon trembled as she recalled the events that had transpired at Count Oswald’s mansion.

The woman had slaughtered the members of the Pitbull clan, a clan with quite the high ranking.

The executives of the Witch Cult were most likely as powerful as Amy was.

“If the world descends into chaos, the Witch Cult will gain a lot of influence.”

“What will you do if the Witch Cult takes the princess as a hostage? They look very proficient with evil methods and immoral actions.”

“We just need to rescue her before that happens.”

Woohyuk was quite knowledgeable of the wasteland’s structure.

He had investigated and scouted the area many times in the past to fight against hostile forces.

So he more or less knew where Princess Lizbeth was likely to be imprisoned.

‘The underground laboratory.’

He had heard that it was a torture chamber before Lucas changed its use.

It was located in the 3rd underground floor.

Woohyuk had to infiltrate it on his own if he didn’t want to get discovered.

‘I’ll put Ronald in charge of leading the forces.’

The cavalry’s movements were key to blocking off the Witch Cult’s escape, and he had already told Ronald the details of his plan.

Choi Kayoon would be fine without him as she was being protected by the Spiritual Society. And if, for certain reasons, she were in danger, he could simply summon her using the Call to Arms skill.

There didn’t seem to be any problems.

“Umm… Lord Chun Woohyuk.”

During Woohyuk’s interim check, Ronald carefully spoke to him.

“What’s the matter?”

“I would like to ask for your forgiveness for my rude behavior earlier.”

Ronald was worried that Woohyuk would hold a grudge against him.

Woohyuk had been ordered by King Henry himself to command the Witch Cult subjugation forces.

While it was a temporary position, Woohyuk was still higher ranked than himself and was also the king of the Rhine Kingdom.

He would be in trouble in the short term and the long term if Woohyuk held a grudge against him.

“The past doesn’t matter. But you’ll have to prove your worth during this expedition.”

“I understand. Princess Lizbeth’s life is on the line…”

“And I will not allow any objections, whatever the situation may be.”

“I would not dare to object. I wholeheartedly trust your skills, Lord Chun Woohyuk.”

As he observed Woohyuk as the head of the Spiritual Society, he knew that the man was no ordinary human.

He had been victorious after battling the Demon King Volak, and used the chaotic internal affairs of the nation to his advantage to single-handedly obtain it and become its king.

Ronald had many questions about Woohyuk’s skills, but one thing was certain.

‘There has never been a hero like him ever since the War of Gods and Demons.’

If Woohyuk failed his current mission, nobody else would ever succeed either, including himself.

Therefore, he obviously had to show his absolute obedience to Woohyuk.

It was better to ignore his meaningless pride for a short while.

As Ronald stared at the commander, a dark mist began to form in the distance.

“Wha, what’s that?”

“Is it the Witch Cult?”

The soldiers began to get nervous and a commotion rose.

The enemies numbered 20 thousand.

It was not a small army. The enemies had most probably noticed the movements within the city in advance and had prepared their own forces.

“Prepare for battle!”

Woohyuk pulled on his reins and shouted.

He had noticed the mist’s true identity through the demonic energy within him.

‘It’s an army of mixed monster species.’

Just like the monsters back in the Corcas mountains, the monsters were being led by an elite monster.

They were most likely the monsters who were migrating that Choi Kayoon had noticed.

As there was no time, Woohyuk quickly pulled out Grandia.

“Ronald, I’ll leave you in charge of the command.”

“Wha… Where do you plan on going right now?”

“I’ll be back with the enemy’s commander’s head.”

It would be problematic to lose time by fighting against the monsters.

Therefore, it was better to just kill the elite monster without touching the others.