Chapter 127

This Hellish Place (4)

Ludwig was rigid and frustratingly inflexible, but he was also a man who understood honor.

As a believer in Ares, as Ares’s shield, and as the teacher of the holy knights.

Everyone acknowledged Ludwig’s honor, and he himself took great pride in it.

Naturally, he could not help but become angry when that honor was tarnished—especially through underhanded means.

But perhaps the previous incident had been the last one that could still be contained.

No matter how fiercely he resisted, he would eventually be forced into the Forest of Four Seasons.

Now that he had been driven to the edge of a cliff, his actions seemed like nothing more than a desperate final struggle.

Even so, he stepped forward to preserve his honor until the very end.

And not merely his own honor, but the lives of others as well.

’They all escaped safely.’

Ludwig looked around.

Reis and the other members of the investigation team had already scattered in every direction.

Before long, they would become the "seeds" of a revolution.

All of this had been made possible by the sword—the one he had received as a gift immediately before entering the Forest of Four Seasons.

Even Ludwig himself regarded the power of the sword that gleamed like an emerald galaxy with awe.

He had fought countless battles as the Sword of Ares, yet he had never encountered a weapon this terrifying.

’If mishandled, this could easily become a demonic sword.’

Unlike the Holy Sword Revolution, it amplified its wielder’s abilities.

However, even the wielder struggled to control it, and a single mistake could result in the user cutting himself down.

It was fortunate that Ludwig had restrained himself while fighting.

Otherwise, he might have placed himself in grave danger.

’What manner of being could have created this sword?’

Its power was astonishingly great.

The problem was that it was excessively powerful.

It was so difficult to control that he could not focus solely on the battle. The slightest misstep caused his aura to run rampant.

Breathing heavily, Ludwig stared ahead.

The watchdogs were still glaring at him.

They all wore helmets, so he could not see their faces, but he could sense it clearly.

They were afraid.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Come. Your enemy stands before you."

Ludwig spoke in his usual blunt voice.

If the Hero was the Sword of Ares, then Ludwig was the Shield of Ares.

For the watchdogs to break through him was practically unthinkable.

Moreover, Ludwig now held a terrifyingly powerful sword.

With the rest of the investigation team having escaped, the watchdogs had no options left.

They could attack Ludwig and die by his hand, or they could return and be purged by the Pope.

With the Forest of Four Seasons behind him, Ludwig had nowhere to flee either.

But neither did he possess the strength to break through the watchdogs.

He had pushed himself too hard while scattering the seeds of revolution.

He was managing to hold his ground only because of the sword.

Both sides were trapped in a complete deadlock.

There seemed to be no way out.

’What should we do?’

’What do you mean, what should we do? Why aren’t we attacking him already?!’

’Didn’t you see what just happened? The last people who tried were thrown into the Forest of Four Seasons!’

’Damn it. I wish there were a cliff behind him instead.’

The watchdogs whispered among themselves.

Ludwig was not the only thing they feared.

There was also the Forest of Four Seasons behind him.

The moment they entered that place, they would never emerge again.

Beginning with Archbishop Odon, several watchdogs had already been forced inside.

They had witnessed those people vanish without a trace the instant they crossed the entrance.

Naturally, they could not help hesitating.

’They are wavering.’

With the wisdom accumulated throughout his long life, Ludwig immediately sensed the atmosphere among the watchdogs.

They, too, were hesitating because they had been trapped with nowhere to go.

’Not that my own situation is any better.’

Ludwig’s prospects were far from bright.

In fact, they were bleak.

Even if he broke through the watchdogs and survived, his honor would be dragged through the mud.

As long as the Pope maintained an iron grip over Eldorado, manipulating the media would be a trivial matter.

Furthermore, Ludwig had been the Hero’s teacher.

That made him the perfect scapegoat.

They would claim that the Hero had fallen because Ludwig had corrupted her with his beliefs.

The outcome was so obvious that Ludwig could only chuckle bitterly.

Because he understood honor, he wished above all else to prevent his own from being disgraced.

’It was wise to deal with that pig first.’

With Archbishop Odon gone, there was no one left to issue orders.

Every senior member had either been killed by Ludwig or forcibly thrown into the Forest of Four Seasons.

No one knew whose orders to follow.

Confusion was the natural result.

"It seems you understand your predicament. If you return like this, you will be purged. If you attack me, you will die."

"I have a proposal."

At Ludwig’s words, the watchdogs looked at one another.

Their gazes silently asked whether they should hear him out.

But since they had no better solution, they decided to listen.

"Even if you return now, the Pope will have you killed. The same will be true even if you kill me."

"What? What are you talking about...?"

"No one desires to destroy my honor more than the Pope. Do you know why he arranged for me to disappear?"

Ludwig was stubborn.

But he was not stupid.

His personality resembled that of a certain Gallery manager, tempered by many years of experience.

"It is to prevent me from becoming a martyr."

"Even if you bring him my head, the Pope will make every one of you disappear. He will fabricate some pretext and place the blame upon you. I will be declared missing, and you will be executed. Everyone who remembers what happened here will vanish."

It was not an absurd claim.

In fact, it was a highly plausible assumption.

The Pope had built his reputation by purging those he branded "subversives."

To preserve that reputation, he would not care if dozens—or even hundreds—of innocent people became casualties.

The watchdogs were part of that scheme.

No matter what happened, their fate remained the same.

They were destined to die.

"H-How are we supposed to believe that...?"

"Because he must have done the same thing to the Immortal King."

"..."

"If he could drive an entire kingdom to ruin, destroying a single person would be easy. Countless people will die in the process."

The moment Ludwig mentioned the Immortal King, the watchdogs who had been about to object fell silent.

Eldorado had gone so far as to commit a massacre merely to ruin the king of a small nation.

There was no guarantee that the same cruelty would not be directed at them.

The reasoning fit too perfectly for the watchdogs not to waver.

The instant Ludwig sensed cracks forming in their faith, he made his proposal.

"Therefore, flee."

"Choose whether to escape beyond the Holy Kingdom’s borders or wait until I recover."

"...Will you kill us once you recover?"

A watchdog with a deep voice spoke.

Tension filled his words.

Ludwig stared silently at him before giving an unexpected answer.

"No."

"Then what will you do?"

"I will enter the Forest of Four Seasons."

"What?"

The unexpected answer left every member of the watchdog unit visibly bewildered.

That was only natural.

They had assumed that Ludwig had been struggling so desperately because he did not want to enter the Forest of Four Seasons.

But that was not the case.

In truth, Ludwig had resolved to enter the forest long ago.

He explained his reasoning so they could understand.

"If I sacrifice my honor, I may preserve the honor of others. They can claim that I instilled corrupt beliefs in the Hero and turned her into a traitor."

"..."

The Pope had erected human shields to protect his own honor.

Ludwig, however, had chosen to become a shield himself.

It was an action befitting the Shield of Ares.

Perhaps Ludwig’s words and actions had stirred something within them.

One by one, the watchdogs hesitantly began lowering their weapons.

Their instinctive desire to survive.

The sincerity contained in Ludwig’s words.

Everything fit together perfectly, breaking their will to fight.

"A wise decision."

"...When will you enter?"

"In one hour."

The moment Ludwig answered, he sat cross-legged.

It was a posture for practicing his mana cultivation technique.

The watchdogs could not help but find it absurd.

The man who had threatened their lives moments earlier was now cultivating mana right in front of them?

His actions defied common sense, and murmurs naturally spread among them.

’Should we attack?’

’Are you insane? What if it’s a trap?’

’If he fully recovers, he might turn on us.’

’Ludwig would never do that. Trust him.’

In the end, the watchdogs trusted Ludwig.

They knew how upright he was.

Even without their earlier conversation, his character was anything but corrupt.

On the contrary, he was every bit as noble as the Hero.

While Ludwig practiced his cultivation technique, the watchdogs gradually withdrew.

Eventually, most of them retreated, leaving only a few behind to confirm that he entered the forest.

An hour passed, and Ludwig finished cultivating his mana.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead.

Only two watchdogs remained in sight.

’It seems most of them have left.’

Even after sensing his surroundings, he detected no one else.

Ludwig slowly rose to his feet.

The watchdogs flinched when he stood, seemingly frightened before he had even done anything.

Ludwig stared at them before speaking in his characteristically blunt voice.

"You two."

"Y-Yes?"

Ludwig’s tone was gentler than before, causing the watchdog to answer respectfully without even realizing it.

"Are you the newest recruits?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I asked whether you are the newest recruits."

The unexpected question made the watchdogs glance at each other.

After hesitating, they answered in considerably timid voices.

"Y-Yes, sir! That’s correct! I only recently completed my apprenticeship!"

"I joined one year before this fellow!"

They answered with rigid military discipline.

Ludwig chuckled.

At the same time, he felt sorry for them.

Even such fresh-faced recruits had been dragged into this filthy business.

’What will become of the Holy Kingdom’s future?’

He had fulfilled his duty as the Shield of Ares, yet he had failed to protect the kingdom from within.

For the Holy Kingdom to regain its true form, its rotten parts would have to be carved away.

That role could not be fulfilled by a shield.

Only a "sword" could accomplish it.

Ludwig turned and looked toward the entrance to the Forest of Four Seasons.

The entrance rippled like an aurora, revealing all manner of environments beyond it.

Ludwig feared little, but he was still human.

He, too, felt fear of the unknown.

’What kind of place... lies beyond this?’

Fear of the unknown.

And curiosity.

After a brief hesitation, Ludwig slowly extended his hand.

His hand passed through the aurora.

He felt nothing.

Having taken the first step, it was time to enter with his entire body.

He slowly closed his eyes and murmured.

’Ares, please protect me.’

Step. Step.

Moving both legs, Ludwig entered the Forest of Four Seasons.

A strange sensation enveloped his body.

He slowly opened his eyes.

"..."

The first thing he saw was an expansive grassland.

The entire plain was covered in green.

It looked nothing like a forest.

After staring blankly at the grassland, he turned around.

He should have been able to see the place where he had stood moments earlier.

Instead, as if it had all been a lie, there was nothing behind him but verdant grassland.

’Is this where the man called Wild Grylls lives?’

Ludwig immediately attempted to access the Gallery.

He was still unfamiliar with it, but accessing it itself was not difficult.

[The Gallery cannot be accessed in this region.]

Although it was easy enough to attempt, accessing it had become impossible.

Ludwig stared at the message before silently closing it.

The Gallery was inaccessible.

That could mean only one thing.

’This is undoubtedly the Forest of Four Seasons.’

The Gallery could not be used within the Forest of Four Seasons.

That fact had not changed.

Then how was Grylls able to use it?

The question suddenly occurred to him.

’I can ask him when I meet him.’

Ludwig slowly began walking.

The grassland might be vast, but he would surely encounter Grylls eventually.

He did not know when that would happen, but moving was far better than remaining still.

Of course—

Munch. Munch. Munch.

"..."

Searching for Grylls and the welcome he received were two entirely separate matters.

Ludwig tilted his head upward and stared at a certain animal.

Its body was predominantly yellow and covered in brown patterns.

Its long legs towered over Ludwig, and powerful muscles stood out beneath them.

But one feature drew his attention more than anything else.

It went beyond unusual and entered the realm of grotesque.

’Its neck...’

Its neck was absurdly long.

It was so long that the animal could effortlessly eat leaves from the tops of towering trees.

Its head, neck, and torso seemed almost entirely disconnected, giving it a bizarre appearance.

Even Ludwig, who possessed a wealth of worldly experience, had never seen such an animal before.

’...What kind of ridiculous animal is that?’

Had Grylls seen it, he would have called it a "giraffe."

Ludwig watched the giraffe eat for a long while before shaking his head.

’This truly is hell.’

There was no other explanation for the existence of such a creature.

With that thought, Ludwig walked past the giraffe.

Munch, munch. Munch, munch.

The giraffe paid him no attention and continued happily eating leaves.