Chapter 333

IN that expedition, the four main cast finally met – Keith, Eleanor, Clyde – the knight, and Owen – the magician. Before the four met, the movie showed a brief introduction on Clyde and Owen. Then, it was followed by a scene of Eleanor talking to the king, her father.

The latter was asking him if she really had to participate in the subjugation. Eleanor said ‘yes’ full of determination. Adding that this was her job as the church’s saintess. The king could say nothing in response.

He could only send his daughter away with a sad expression on his face. Probably because he knew that the chance of her returning was very slim. But still, he couldn’t stop her. Because this subjugation was now the only hope of the world to get rid of those damned demons.

After that, it was a scene where the four main cast gathered together with other people participating in the subjugation. Keith was very surprised to see Eleanor there as one of the priests sent by the church. They would be the ones involved in healing the injured.

By the number of priests they sent, it was obvious that the church was very serious about this subjugation. Even the fact that several kingdoms banded for this subjugation. Each of them recruiting people to join this subjugation, even civilians were allowed to sign up. Of course, where they gathered should also be according to the country they lived in.

The plan was to attack all the major demon dens. They were the areas that were occupied by demons. These dens usually have a high-ranking demon among them. And that was what the members of the subjugation should look out for.

But the problem was, in the off chance that they managed to defeat all the demons in those dens, another batch could just take over it. That’s the reason why the countries couldn’t just arbitrarily take over those areas. If they did, those demons would just flock to another area. At least with this, they know which areas they should avoid.

That was cowardly, yes, but what could they do? They were just humans. Could they really fight back against those demons?

But humans were tenacious creatures by nature. They would always find a way to survive and fight back. Since the invasion of demons, humans didn’t just stand idly by. They trained, perfected their craft, and became stronger and stronger. In fact, if they just waited another century or so, they could probably drive out the demons from their lands with ease.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t afford to wait. By that time came, they lands would be completely ravaged by demons and this world would fully belong to those monsters. And they would either end up as dead or as demons’ slaves. Frankly speaking, the latter was already worse than being dead.

But everyone knew that this subjugation wouldn’t be enough to completely get rid of the demons plaguing their lands. They might lessen their number but that wouldn’t really solve anything in the long run. Unless they get rid of the root of the problem.

Before the subjugation officially started, the participants had to pass a trial first. To see if the people who applied to be part of the subjugation had the skill to back it up.

The trial was simple. They just had to attack the nearest demon den and showed what they could do. Those who didn’t die would officially be part of the subjugation team. And those who did particularly well could lead their own squad.

Keith didn’t care much about that. He just wanted to kill as many demons as he wanted. In turn, this resulted to him having the best performance amongst the mercenaries and civilian recruits. Owen and Clyde also showed a very strong performance.

Of course, there were some problems that happened. Which was mainly caused by people who participated not because they wanted to help the people of this land but simply because of the money they would receive as compensation.

These people acted like some minor inconveniences who later turned into cannon fodders. It’s like some kind of spice that was used to highlight the greatness of the three main cast members.

Unbeknownst to the people participating in the trial, there’s another reason for this aside from the ones that were given. Those who were a cut above the rest would join the saintess in a different quest altogether.

In short, this trial was like some sort of audition. At the end, the winners were Keith, Owen, and Clyde. And because of that, they were escorted to a private meeting with the saintess the very next day.

=====

“Why do you think the saintess called us here?” the knight wearing an armor and showing off his muscular body asked.

The magician, Owen, shrugged while Keith straight up did not answer.

The three of them were currently in a private chamber inside the church of the town they were in. This venue could provide a lot of privacy. So, whatever this was for, it’s definitely serious.

Clyde didn’t have time to ask the two again because the door opened and a woman walked in. His eyes widened when he saw the other. He quickly made a knight’s bow and said respectfully;

“Your Highness.”

Keith was surprised seeing the woman, no, Eleanor walking inside the room. But he was even more surprised when the knight called her ‘your highness’. He knew she was an aristocrat. He juts didn’t expect her to be a noble.

Eleanor smiled gently. “Please, Sir Clyde, there’s no need for such politeness. In this place, I’m not a princess. Just a humble servant of god.”

Keith furrowed his brows. He didn’t like to waste time with all these niceties. “Are you the one who called us here?”

Eleanor glanced at the young man. She couldn’t help but smile at the other’s bluntness. “Yes, it was me. I called you here because you three were selected.”

“Selected?” – Clyde.

“Yes, you are selected to accompany me on a quest that could potentially annihilate all the demons in our lands.”

“And that is?” Owen asked with a bit of interest on his ‘couldn’t be bothered’ face.

“To awaken the god who created this continent,” Eleanor. “We’re going to wake up Lord Aether.”