Spreading Chaos

The Viscount and his wife watched the entire scene from their seats. He didn't think the blessing he requested would be used on these two children. His face displayed a hint of envy for the two.

"Take her into the orphanage." The Archbishop ordered.

One of the priests came forward and took the girl into his arms.

"Tell the director to care for her and feed her something." He instructed the priest, and he made his way to the orphanage, which wasn't far from the church.

The orphanage was affiliated with the church and runs on the funds given by it, so they would gladly listen to any orders that were directly given by the Archbishop, who is the current head of the 'Cathedral of the Holy Light.'

The boy child was still on the stone platform with no sign of opening his eyes.

"What's wrong with him?" One of the priests asked, worried.

The Archbishop went and checked his pulse before checking for any other injuries. He didn't have any. That should be the case, as he was cured by God's blessing.

The other priests looked a little exhausted, too. A single blessing could cause them to become this tired. A blessing is nothing short of a miracle, as it can even bring someone on the brink of death back to life. So mostly they won't depend on it until it is an emergency.

The Archbishop and the Head Priest were the only ones who looked a little fine on the outside.

"Everyone, take some rest for today." The Archbishop ordered.

"But what about the boy?" A few voiced their concerns.

He was still unconscious. Except for the little sign of life he was showing now and then, there wasn't anything concrete about his physical state.

The group blessing that was performed just now was meant to heal all the external and internal wounds. Other matters, such as mental tiredness, curses, and a few other unknowns, were not considered in that blessing.

As the people of the church, they could perform other blessings too, but a blessing isn't so cheap that it could be performed concurrently. It is rather mentally taxing, more than the use of Mana and Aura itself.

Where the use of Mana and Aura was of one's own nature. But the use of a blessing is like a borrowed power that cannot be contained in the body of a human. So it also leaves a physical strain on its user.

Moreover, the church of Andor is the lowest of all the ones in the entire Icemere kingdom, with little to no experienced priests. So, even if it contains some people from the high classes of society, at the end they didn't have the chance nor experience to improve their skills in this field.

They may be looked down upon by the priests and high priests of other churches, but still, they are the messengers of God, who value equality more than anything. So others don't want to anger the almighty by supporting their useless beliefs about status.

That's the only reason people respect them, irrespective of their origins. But that isn't the case for the people on the inside.

"Leave that matter to me and the Head priest. We will take care of him. Be sure to get well by tomorrow morning." He assured them as the night became even darker.

A few glances of distrust were still thrown at him, but they all agreed with a brief hesitation in the end.

They all went through the entrance of the church in a group, and now they were nowhere in sight.

The Archbishop went to tend to the boy. He needed to find the cause of the boy being unconscious before it was too late.

A few moments passed.

"Slam!" The church's doors opened, and an unknown person in white clothing rushed inside.

He had a grim expression on his face.

"What happened?" The Head priest asked, noticing him.

"I-I need to deliver this matter to Sir Augustin... this instant!" He said it in heavy gasps, looking into the eyes of the head priest.

Hearing his name being called out, the Archbishop's attention withdrew from the boy on the stone platform and turned to the priest that just came inside.

"Pl-Please… I need to…!" He didn't even look at the people that were inside.

Noticing his hurried voice, the Archbishop came forward and stood before the priest.

"Calm down a little first... and tell me what exactly has happened." He held him by his two shoulders, getting closer to him. This was an expression to soothe the other person's worries.

The priest looked straight into the eyes of the Archbishop, which were serene. He took a few deep breaths before calming himself down. His tense expression didn't disappear completely, but he became calm enough to convey his jumbled thoughts.

"Sir Augustin. The matter is grave." His words were now steady.

"The border villages of Riverdale are under attack. It has already become a bloodbath." Now the expressions of the Archbishop and High Priest became a little stiff.

The Viscount and his wife, who were listening from the side, also had a change in their expressions.

He was the Viscount of Riverdale. It was under his control. Something unknown to him was happening there without him getting the wind of the matter, which bothered him a little.

"Gather your thoughts and tell me what happened in detail."

The priest exhaled a lump of air and started his story from the beginning.

"As you already know, I went to the city of Riverdale for some work regarding my sister's health." The Head priest nodded from the back as it was informed to him beforehand.

"After a three-day stay and my sister's health having recovered enough, I thought of returning this evening."

The rain was still heavy, with no sign of stopping any time soon.

"While I was in the middle of my journey, the weather started to take a turn, with dark clouds forming in the sky and wind turning into gusts." They knew of the situation well, as rain suddenly started to pour after that.

"The rain started after a while, so I took shelter under the forest trees. I thought it would stop, but it became heavy with even the sounds of thunder and lightning. As I was already starting to become wet and had already come a little farther from the city, I thought of taking shelter in an inn in the nearby village." His expression became grim again.

"What happened after that?" The High priest asked in anticipation. He was listening to his story intently.

"I then saw it... a thick crimson river flooding through the entire village. E-Everyone was dead!" His pupils enlarged while he thought of the scene he witnessed.

The Archbishop and the High priest waited for him to continue.

"Corpses of women and children, men and old were left drenched in the pouring rain. The ash smell of a burnt-out fire lingered in the air as the destroyed houses were left with nothing but rubble."

"Did you see them? The one who did that?"

"The entire village was empty, with no sign of life. I searched everywhere but found no one. But I heard the sound of a group of people, and I went in that direction."

"Are those the people who did that? What did you see?" The Head Priest urged him from behind.

"I had to walk for a little while before I reached another village. There they were."

"Who?" Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to spill out those last words.

"Many people in dark cloaks were holding spears as their weapon."

"Spears? Did you see that correctly?" The confusion on their faces was clear.

"Yeah, even in all that darkness, I would never mistake that terrifying scene." His brows shook.

"They were cutting down everything in their path without mercy. I didn't know humans could be that cruel. The villagers couldn't even put up resistance to their merciless attacks."

His expression resembled the fear he felt. That's how the world worked: kill or be killed. The strong make the rules, and the weak follow them.

"How many were there?" The Archbishop asked. It was important to know their total number before they could draw any conclusions about the severity of the situation.

"I didn't get to see that. With the fear of being found out, I immediately ran here without any further thought. I don't want to say it, but... I was afraid—afraid of death if I stayed there." That was his honest thought. He didn't feel ashamed to say this because he didn't have any chance to help the people even if he tried at that time. It was a fact he knew clearly.

Everyone present looked at each other. An astonishing thought was that no one knew of this matter beforehand. What was the military or the information network of the king doing? They didn't notify the people of this attack or send people to guard against it. Everyone, including the people present here, was completely in the dark.

More importantly, the priest said they were holding spears. The thing was, no one in the entire five kingdoms used a spear as a weapon. One tries to be either a mage or a swordsman, nothing more. That was the kind of mentality that was passed down through the generations on the entire continent.

So, the appearance of people who wielded spears and were capable enough to annihilate entire villages in a single night was something to worry about.

The information that was delivered just now could be fake, but why would a priest lie? And that, too, something this absurd. Even if one thinks it's fake, the pure fear he was showing while just explaining couldn't be dissuaded as just anything.

"What should we do, sir?" The Head priest asked with worry.

The Archbishop stayed silent for a few moments before gritting his teeth. The baby on the stone platform was still unconscious, but the matter before him was of more grave concern. With the weather as bad as this, he didn't know what to do.

He could try contacting the Earl of Andor, Edward Norfolk. His castle is located on the outskirts of Snowspell City. It was the closest to this place, but still, it was far enough to not be able to deliver this matter on time.

The weather was not supportive, so the horses wouldn't run as fast as they usually do. The Viscount of Riverdale was right in front of him, so he couldn't reach his territory to gather the troops either.

Moreover, he didn't know the happenings in his territory because he came here. So expecting his help was also out of the question. At least if they can mobilise the Dancing Blade, the Viscount's daughter, that would be enough.

The people available at the church were mostly priests, people who didn't fight. And most of them went back because they were tired.

Even if they reach the location in time, what could they do? They would just become meat lumps for slaughter. But still, they need to help the people who need it. It was the worst kind of situation to be in.

The Archbishop racked his brains to come up with an immediate solution as everyone present, including the Viscount, watched him in silence.

He then opened his eyes and looked directly into the eyes of the priest, who was still on the ground.

"I don't think I can ask you this now. But will you deliver this matter to the king?" He spoke.

"Only you can do this. You have to." His eyes were determined.

"I know of your condition, but I am sorry for putting this burden on you."

Anyone could see that the priest was in a worse state. He ran the distance of a half-city in a single night. His clothes were muddy. One of his shoes was missing, and the same foot was bleeding from scratches and torn-down skin.

His body was trembling from the lack of strength. Even with this condition, the Archbishop had no choice but to send him as the only messenger because he is the one who can explain the situation the way he saw it.

"Haah…" The priest couldn't turn down his request, as he too knew this was the only viable option left.

"Go to the outpost of Snowspell."

He doesn't need to travel to the king's palace, which is located in the province of Zephyrcrest. If he can reach the outpost of the Snowspell city, there will be guards carrying a magical device. It can help form a communication channel between the king's palace and the guard outpost.

The device was made by the magic tower.

"From there, contact the king, Earl Edward, and the Dancing Blade. Tell them what you have witnessed and request their immediate help, mainly the Dancing Blade, who is closest to that place."

With this, the king could cross-check the information. The Earl could send in his troops, and the Dancing Blade could immediately go for their rescue. It was the most pliable option currently available to them. But how can the priest reach the outpost in time?

"Sir, Viscount, I have a favour to ask." The Archbishop turned and faced him with a serious expression.

It was not a favour, but something that must be done.

"I will need the horse carriage that you used to get here." With that, the priest could reach the outpost in time.

"And Head Priest, get two horses for both of us." He didn't wait for the Viscount's reply but immediately turned to the Head Priest. He nodded as he went outside.

"And sir, Viscount, can I leave the matter of that baby boy to you?" He wants the Viscount, who was doing nothing but staring at him, to at least do something useful.

"You can take him to the orphanage." As the Archbishop instructed, even he went outside with the priest.

The Viscount just looked at the back of the Archbishop until he was no more.

Sounds of horses and the moving carriage were heard right after. It indicated that everyone had left. All moved for the lives of many. But here he was, the Viscount of Riverdale, doing nothing but staring blankly at the church's entrance.

He was hopeless in a situation that required his effort. But it wasn't his current worry. As his gaze fell on the baby boy on the stone platform, a small thought came to his mind.

It was not right, but he thought he didn't have any choice.

He took the boy in his hands.

"Let's go."

"Wh-Where?" The wife didn't understand.

"Let's go to our home in Riverdale."

The pouring rain masked even the slightest sounds as two people carrying a baby boy slowly but surely made their way to their destination.