novelraw Chapter 116 : There Is No Surrender (2)
Chapter 116 : There Is No Surrender (2)
Chapter 116: There Is No Surrender (2)
On the morning of Monday, the 28th, the entire nation was in an uproar following Dellowell’s public statement the previous day.
For the citizens who had grown complacent, thinking, “Surely, nothing more will happen after this,” Karbenna’s second statement came as nothing short of utter shock.
“Hurry up and prepare a breaking news report!”
“What should we use for the headline?”
“‘Negotiations Collapse! Dellowell’s Holy War or Karbenna’s Resistance?’ — let’s draft that as the temporary headline and revise it after the announcement!”
“Yes, sir!”
Every news agency, without exception, was in chaos, scrambling to prepare the special edition that would dominate today’s evening papers.
As the Projection Orbs began to light up one after another, people swallowed nervously and silently watched the unfolding events.
Some held onto a faint hope, others had already resigned themselves to despair.
And some were swept up in confusion and rage.
Among them, the most violently reactive — as expected — was the Ribenian Orthodox Faith.
Crack, crack.
Archbishop Dominico watched his opponents’ rebuttal unfold through the massive Projection Orb hanging over the cathedral square.
Karbenna’s Chairwoman, Michel Bernhardt, glanced briefly at her prepared script before continuing her speech alone.
We, the members of Karbenna, express our deepest regret regarding the Orthodox Faith’s claims, which are based solely on circumstantial evidence and vague speculation.
At the same time, we must question the true intentions of both the Orthodox Faith and Dellowell.
Meaningless sacrifice, heartfelt repentance, spiritual reformation, and a holy war… it seems they have already branded us as evil.
Evil must be judged — a perfectly reasonable statement. Every trace of it must indeed be eradicated.
But then… what truly is evil?
According to the Orthodox Faith, the greatest evil is the horde of beasts driving humanity — including the Empire — toward extinction.
Hmm… how strange.
As far as I recall, Karbenna and every organization cooperating with us were founded to exterminate those very beasts.
And the ones who established such organizations were none other than the direct descendants of the Imperial Household you so faithfully revere.
So, which side is really speaking falsehoods?
Is it that the entire Imperial Household — including Duel—Mallet, Karbenna, and the Special Task Force — has become corrupt?
Or is it that the Ribenian Orthodox Faith and its subordinate Inquisition are wrongfully condemning the innocent?
Which side holds the truth?
…Perhaps neither side does.
Or perhaps both do.
But one thing is certain — this conflict will become nothing more than a futile war of attrition.
At a time when our strength is insufficient even to tear apart the ever-spreading hordes of beasts, must we really waste it on such internal strife? How lamentable.
Some might ask, then why not simply choose not to fight at all?
We could make what they call a “wise and prudent choice.”
We could bow our heads, take a step back, and prioritize our common enemy.
Nevertheless—
We have chosen to make the foolish decision.
To uphold the will of the 19th Emperor, Ludwig, who made harmony the core value of our nation.
To protect the honor of the Empire’s one and only Imperial Academy.
And above all, for the people who have trusted and supported us despite our shortcomings.
We, the members of Karbenna, declare as follows:
Our stance remains firm and unchanged.
We do not consider Mallet to be an evil organization.
We have neither committed blasphemy nor stolen any sacred relics.
Therefore, in response to Dellowell—Mallet’s air raid, we will retaliate decisively and thoroughly.
At no point, under any circumstance, will we surrender.
Finishing her statement, Michel stepped down from the podium and, with her wand, let the flag she had prepared float and fall to the ground.
Thud!
The brass flagpole, bearing Karbenna’s golden-engraved sword emblem, fluttered as it struck the earth.
Moments later, the glow from the Orb faded completely.
Most of the onlookers were left speechless in shock, while only a few let out quiet exclamations of admiration.
And then—
The leader of the Orthodox Faith, who had been forced to watch the entire rebuttal unfold, shouted furiously, veins bulging in his neck.
“Those vile spawn of Mastema!”
KWAANG!
After unleashing all his seething rage without restraint, Archbishop Dominico ground his teeth.
His eyes were so bloodshot with fury that the veins seemed ready to burst.
His vision blurred for a moment, and he rubbed his eyes, exhaling heavily.
To think they would dare invoke the name of the great Emperor himself just to prove their innocence.
“…So, you really do take us lightly.”
Had there ever been a moment as humiliating as this?
Even the last vestiges of mercy that remained within him were now completely stripped away — Michel Bernhardt, Eugene Carter.
They had been given more than enough chances. They had squandered them all.
No matter what stands behind them, he would no longer show restraint.
Whatever it may be, he would crush it mercilessly.
For their power was more than sufficient to do so.
That day’s evening papers heralded the opening act of war with sensational headlines.
In his private chamber, sipping a glass of strong liquor, Michel Bernhardt silently skimmed through the newspapers spread across his desk.
Not only the front pages — even the editorials inside were dominated by commentary on the incident.
“……”
The surprising part, however, was the tone of those editorials.
Even though the Ribenian Orthodox Faith — virtually the Empire’s state religion — had openly branded them as evil, the press coverage remained relatively restrained.
Roughly thirty percent of the pieces maintained a neutral stance, and among those, some even included criticisms directed at the Orthodox Faith itself.
Those who had stubbornly maintained their innocence had all lost their lives.
Dellowell had declared, “They have become demons.”
And now, once again, the scales began to tip.
This time, Mallet and Karbenna stood together on one side.
A faction of Duel, guardian of the arcane arts, and the Empire’s sole Imperial Academy.
If even they were revealed to be demons— then what would be left for the people to believe in?
At the Imperial Summit, Eugene Carter had once asked that very question.
And now, once again, Michel Bernhardt was the one asking it.
However, the Orthodox Church drew its sword instead of giving an answer.
Perhaps it meant, “Not even worth answering,” but to me, it felt more like an evasion.
They had always chosen in the name of a “Holy War,” without ever paying the price.
And now, if they said they would take no responsibility at all—
Then who should we hold accountable?
After reading to the end of the editorial, Mikhail let out a sigh.
“...Did I go too far?”
No, the statement was rather ordinary.
Considering Dellowell’s usual extremism, it was even mild.
Perhaps the problem lay in how they condemned others of blasphemy and theft without presenting solid proof.
But in truth, heresy and ideology crimes never had such things as evidence.
“Punish first, investigate later.”
No one would be unaware that this was the Inquisition’s fundamental principle.
Which meant—
“They’ve been swayed… is that it?”
Despite Dellowell’s approach not being wrong, the backlash from the media and citizens was fierce.
That only proved how skillful Karbenna’s response had been.
But even so, there was no need to panic.
All these worries and concerns would only hold weight if the Orthodox Church and Dellowell were defeated.
So, it was fine.
Even if the Karbenna–Mallet alliance and part of the Special Task Force intervened—
They still wouldn’t be able to overturn the outcome of victory.
After finishing the last of his drink, Mikhail opened the third drawer of his desk and took out a silk pouch.
Inside lay a small turquoise jewel, gleaming with an ominous light.
“I hope I won’t have to use this again.”
After Monday’s afternoon classes, all official schedules in Karbenna were temporarily suspended.
Surprisingly, the parents’ protests were not as intense as expected.
They likely knew complaints alone would not change the situation.
After all, there had been a precedent—their previous scheming had been nullified by Duel’s support.
Instead, movements to escape Karbenna became far more frantic.
By tomorrow afternoon, nearly everyone except participants would have evacuated.
‘Well, that’s what I wanted anyway.’
It would be best to maintain the standoff in Mallet as long as possible, but one couldn’t ignore potential variables.
If things went wrong, they might have to continue the occupation within Karbenna itself.
The furious Archbishop and Inquisition Director would see nothing before their eyes, but even they would try to minimize civilian casualties.
Karbenna, after all, was an academy located quite close to the capital, Arpe.
The media was already making a huge fuss, and if it came to it, the Special Task Force would step in for control. But that didn’t mean there was no chance of civilians getting caught up.
The opposition would probably aim to force a surrender by devastating Mallet.
‘The public sentiment is that severe, after all.’
He had expected some level of support—but this was an even greater triumph.
It proved just how outrageous Dellowell’s tyranny had become.
It was also a message from the Imperial citizens.
Distrust toward their current leaders, and fear of the Beasts.
The combination of these emotions had finally led the media to abandon their previous stance.
“It’s something to be thankful for, but still…”
Even so, he couldn’t let his guard down.
Without an extreme justification, the citizens were still just individuals.
And individuals were powerless when alone.
They would change sides according to the logic of the victor.
For now, they were crying out against injustice because the battle hadn’t been decided yet—but if they lost, those same people would condemn them as villains, as though it had always been so.
That was why they must not lose.
Because history was always written by the victors.
I stayed in the library late into the night, absorbed in research.
My main topic was guardian deities and the Holy Descent.
“……”
I had already read over fifty related volumes, but as expected, there was no progress.
― What is it that thou seekest so fervently?
‘A way to become the target of a Holy Descent without faith.’
At that, Clina gave a small, incredulous laugh before replying.
― Thou might as well hope for a flood in a field atop the mountains.
‘True enough.’
There had been rare cases among those chosen by guardian deities—
Those who hadn’t realized their faith until much later.
Or those who believed all their lives in A, only to discover it was actually B.
But to be chosen by a guardian deity without any faith at all… such a thing had never happened in recorded history.
I pushed the books aside and leaned back in my chair, half-lying down.
As I kept sighing repeatedly, Clina spoke again.
― Thou saidst Rubia Magnus was to be the subject of the Holy Descent, didst thou not?
‘Yeah.’
― Then shouldn’t thy first task be to determine what that woman believes in?
‘I already know.’
The problem was that what she believed in wasn’t a god—it was Eugene Carter.
Her faith originally stemmed from her passion for learning.
In addition to her talent for holy magic, she had a deep mastery of theories and academic disciplines.
These elements together allowed her to commune with multiple guardian deities.
But in this iteration, Rubia Magnus had no opportunity to make contact with any guardian deity.
Originally, Rubia awakened her inner faith through solitary struggle—but at that crucial turning point, she happened to reunite with the very person she admired most, Eugene Carter.
‘I didn’t expect things to progress this quickly either.’
I had been somewhat complacent.
Thinking I could just improvise as usual, relying on the knowledge I’d accumulated as an old veteran.
‘I thought I’d find some sort of method along the way.’
It had been a long time since I’d felt such helplessness.
I kept my eyes closed for over ten minutes, sighing again and again.
Then, from within, Clina suddenly asked—
― If Rubia Magnus believes in thee, then couldst thou not simply become her guardian deity?
‘...What?’