Westminster Bank

Chapter 213: Chapter 141: For the Glory of the Immortal Church

The so-called "exciting lives" you read about in books are driven by a combination of countless coincidences and just as many that are anything but.

Take their current situation, for instance. After the incidents involving the Immortal Church and Ferdinand, Baron and Carmen had a highly coincidental run-in with her pursuing fiancé, followed by a highly *un*-coincidental encounter with this Undead Knight—a creature that was only supposed to appear at twilight.

As Baron spurred his horse onward, he glanced up through the dense web of branches at the sun hanging high overhead. ’It’s high noon,’ he thought. ’This is completely the wrong time for an undead creature to show up!’

"It’s likely because the deaths of all those Undead Cultists from the Immortal Church generated a massive amount of necrotic energy. This energy must have counteracted the bright noon sun... creating the perfect conditions for an undead creature to manifest."

Carmen’s rose-gold eyes glinted. She didn’t have Baron’s [Hunter’s Eye], yet she could still see the Undead Knight.

"According to the Alchemy Ancient Texts, the undead are manifestations of the spirit within a human soul, appearing only at the convergence of light and darkness," Baron said, his knowledge a product of a reading habit from his past life, which he’d developed thanks to the sheer variety of screenplay genres he’d encountered. During his time in Prole, apart from training with the Shepherdess, he had buried himself in the library, learning everything he could about this new world.

"The souls that become undead were usually powerful in life—at least Bronze-rank... He’s..."

Aboard Red Hare, Baron’s gaze tightened as he raced onward. His pupils reflected a distinct image: the carved lion emblem on the Undead Knight’s breastplate.

"A Lion-eyed Knight..."

"Prole has no such Knights," Carmen said grimly from behind Baron. "He must have died unexpectedly on the Inner Side, but his spirit was so powerful that it ascended to the Spirit Realm of the Soul School Alchemists—which is to say, Prole."

’Isn’t this the ’spirit ascension’ Lankao talked about? If so, does that mean every Law Enforcer who dies on the Inner Side comes to Prole?’

"No. Those who become undead must harbor an intense desire in their hearts... either resentment or obsession. And that alone is not enough."

Even without seeing his face, the Witch seemed to guess the thoughts running through Baron’s silent mind, and she elaborated:

"The most critical factor is that the undead must be beings tainted by a Law."

’Tainted by a Law?’ Baron recalled the Undead Knight he had killed outside Yan Nan Town, the one who had dropped some loot. That one had apparently been infected with Mad Blood.

In Prole, Mad Blood was the object of worship for the Mad Blood Faction, the most fanatical sect within the Blood Church that followed Blood God Aisley.

Ultimately, however, it didn’t actually belong to the Blood Law, but was a derivative of the First Law: [Madness].

Legend says that Mad Blood first appeared a thousand years ago, during the first War of Faith. Back then, Emperor Prole ordered the Golden Lion Knight Order to destroy the Rose Church, which was the most prominent church on the Continent at the time.

The Church’s Saintess, the White Deer Girl—who was said to be a Magical Beast in human form—was also killed.

But no one expected that the White Deer Girl, despite being the Saintess of the Rose Church, secretly worshipped Madness. She had already been infected by the Mad Lord, who was sealed away on the Fear Plateau.

At that time, numerous Law Enforcers seeking power devoured the White Deer Girl’s corpse, thereby becoming infected with the earliest known strain of Mad Blood. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Carmen, oblivious to the thoughts racing through Baron’s mind, watched the Lion-eyed Knight in relentless pursuit behind them and said:

"Shaking him is simple. It’s high noon, so all we have to do is reach an area with direct sunlight. The undead can’t enter such places, as the balance between light and dark is broken."

Baron nodded. "I understand the logic, but we’re in the deepest part of the forest. Where are we going to find any sunlight?"

One of his hands rested on the grip of his gun. "Or, I could just chop down all the surrounding trees and let the sun in that way."

Carmen shook her head. "Too much commotion. It would attract Wizard Fei."

She mulled it over for a moment. "Westward," she said. "As long as we stick to one path, we’re bound to get out of this forest eventually."

"I will use my remaining Spiritual Power to activate a Magic Card and speed up the horse. After this, your wounds will have to heal on their own.

"Let’s go north. The sun is much harsher there, and besides, Fei despises the north when he uses Astrology."

’All the way north, leaving the season of you behind, huh?’

After the lame joke played out in his mind, Baron said to Carmen, "Hold on tight."

"If your hand wasn’t on the grip of your gun, maybe I’d deign to give you a hug," the Witch teased softly.

’It’s because I really can’t trust this situation...’ Baron, the legendary Escape King, mocked himself in his head.

Baron felt a twinge of pain in his shoulders as the Witch withdrew her Spiritual Power, and he caught the sudden scent of irises wafting from behind him.

He made a quick mental assessment. ’The Witch has quite the figure.’

He then cracked the whip. Red Hare let out a sharp neigh and bolted forward with astonishing grace.

...

After a tense chase, Baron managed to break out of the forest just as the Undead Knight’s Big Saber came within an inch of Red Hare’s rear.

He yanked Red Hare’s reins, turning his mount to the side just in time to see the Undead Knight’s figure vanish back into the woods.

He felt the sunlight on his face and squinted slightly. ’It feels good to be alive.’

Then he felt a gentle tug from the Witch behind him.

Carmen’s nostrils twitched. She surveyed their surroundings and then whispered, "Someone seems to have used a Magic Card... There are faint traces of Magic Power here... I can’t identify the type of Magic yet, but it might be a Mental-type blessing...

"It’s a kind of boon that core believers can pray for by making sacrifices to a God. It allows them to temporarily influence someone’s will when used with a divine artifact."

"Is that the sour smell?" Baron asked. Being a Dragon Knight, he had also picked up on a strange scent that seemed to be coming from behind him.

He pulled the reins to turn his horse around and froze.

’Huh? Why are there so many people here?’