The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1502 432: The True Victor (Part 2)

Of course, he wasn't driven by goodwill or piety, but in the end, the outcome wasn't much different.

"Folks, don't worry, the Holy Lady hasn't abandoned you. She's just left temporarily to save more people!" Thomas stood on a wooden box and shouted to the crowd gathered at the camp entrance.

"Saint Sis above... is there anyone more worthy of saving than us?" An elderly woman pushed her way to the front, speaking with a trembling voice.

Thomas nodded at her and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Of course, there are quite a few people in the castle before you, and they're human too."

The night gradually deepened.

Resting on a cushion, pretending to sleep, Taufu yawned and glanced at the castle outside the carriage, a touch of surprise flickering in the golden vertical pupils.

"Did they really surrender?"

Luo Yan turned a page of his book and said in a conversational tone.

"What else? Should we have a fight with their neighbors?"

Taufu shrugged their wings.

"I'm just a bit surprised. I thought you would summon a giant fireball and blast that wall open with a boom!"

"Why would I do that?"

Taufu yawned.

"After all, it's easy for you, isn't it?"

Luo Yan smiled noncommittally.

Whether it's easy or not depends on whether the designer of this castle considered magical attacks.

If it's an ordinary granite-built castle, a few meteor falls on the load-bearing structures would be enough.

But if it was designed with the possibility of mage attacks in mind, incorporating a lot of obsidian and other materials with anti-magic attributes into the walls... then forget about him, even a demigod would have to exert some effort.

But that's not the point.

The point is that neither Extraordinary Power nor Divine Strength can solve all problems, only some of them.

...

The night passed without a word.

The next morning, as the sun climbed over the treetops and bathed the castle battlements in light, the Salvation Army returned to the camp outside the castle with great momentum.

People cheered their arrival, praising them for not abandoning them after all.

The people in the castle did the same.

Though they didn't cheer, merely standing there silently, their eyes were filled not with fear and apprehension, but with expectation for the opening of the gates.

Carian came to the front, unarmed, merely watching the walls calmly, waiting for the soldiers defending the city to fulfill yesterday's agreement.

Rayden took a deep breath, squinted towards the direction of the sun, and issued the final command.

"Open the gates!"

Upon hearing this, every soldier's heart relaxed.

Including Carian standing below the city, alongside Brennan and the Salvation Army generals, prepared and waiting.

"...Didn't expect them to actually keep their word." A chiliarch muttered softly.

The chiliarch who had been clamoring for a final battle in the military tent smirked and said stubbornly.

"Good for them... saves us quite a bit of effort."

Brennan glanced at the soldiers behind him and lowered his voice.

"Remember what I said last night. When we enter the castle, show some restraint. Don't let your eyes wander, don't let your hands reach out. Don't hurt anyone and don't act like clueless bandits who've never seen the world... In recognition of the Holy Lady, we are the Salvation Army, got it?"

"Yes!" The crowd's expressions straightened immediately and responded promptly.

There was really no need for the leader to remind them of this.

After experiencing so much, they had long since adapted to their new identity.

It's far more interesting than being bandits.

With divine support, they enjoyed food and drink at every meal and basked in people's admiration.

Unlike before, when they had to scrape food from crumbling walls, and were viewed like devils by the people, as if they were worse than those noble lords... Even though the things they took were not even a tenth of what those nobles seized from the people.

With a heavy, long creaking sound, the drawbridge that had been there for months slowly descended, crashing onto the moat that separated two worlds.

The siege came to an end.

Under Rayden's command, the soldiers in the castle laid down their weapons and came out.

Accompanied by Brennan and several soldiers, Carian advanced to the gatehouse of the castle.

Rayden drew the longsword from his waist, contemplating it for a moment, then without any regret, sheathed it and offered it horizontally to the so-called "Holy Lady."

"This sword symbolizes the control of the land within a hundred kilometers on both banks of the Rushing River, as well as the castle behind me... Dewalu I entrusted it to the ancestors of Thelon Gard, and now I transfer this honor and responsibility to you on behalf of Thelon Gard."

Carian nodded slightly, taking the too-heavy longsword with both hands.

"Thank you for your acknowledgment."

"I don't acknowledge you; I merely fulfill my promise."

Rayden slightly curled the corner of his mouth.

He was, after all, a Platinum Level knight. Even without a title, he had his dignity.

The soldiers behind him might not realize this woman's identity, but he could tell at a glance. She was just a prettier country girl. Any nun from the castle could understand the Holy Word Book better than her, better at praying and blessing.