In the heart of a vast, verdant wilderness, a cavalry troop moved with swift precision, the rhythmic pounding of hooves shattering the natural silence. The horses' powerful hooves struck the earth, kicking up dust and leaving shallow indentations in the sprawling green grass.
"Lord," a cavalryman reported in a clear, strong voice to the officer riding beside him, "Carne Village is estimated to be about two kilometers ahead."
The officer was a middle-aged man who appeared remarkably sturdy and dignified, likely in his early thirties. Though his body was concealed by layers of robust armor, the contours of powerful muscles hidden beneath the metal could still be distinctly felt, indicating his extraordinary physical strength.
His hair was cut short and neat, a deep black that matched the color of his sharp, resolute eyes. There was a certain unwavering determination in his gaze, as if he would press forward fearlessly even in the face of death, a quality that naturally commanded respect from those around him.
The man's name was Gazef Stronoff, a living legend, the strongest warrior in the entire Re-Estize Kingdom. Unbeknownst to him, he was also a prime target for elimination by the scheming Slane Theocracy.
A heavy burden weighed upon Gazef's shoulders at this moment.
Having received alarming news of an attack on a frontier village, His Majesty the King had personally ordered him to lead the elite Royal Knights, who were under the direct command of the royal family from the capital, to immediately investigate and eliminate the so-called "Baharuth Empire Attack Squad."
However, deep down, Gazef sensed that the situation was not as simple as the report he had received. There was an incongruity that made him uneasy.
Normally, incidents like border attacks would be investigated and handled by the frontier fortress city of E-Rantel, which had its own forces to guard its territory. Why were he and the Royal Knights, who were the kingdom's core strength, being dispatched for what seemed like a minor issue?
Even if he assumed that the attacking Empire soldiers were elite and E-Rantel's forces were no match for them, and that he and the Knights were indeed needed to quell the threat, they should have been allowed to fight at their best.
Yet, the bitter reality he currently faced was that the kingdom's nobles, with various fabricated reasons, were preventing him from equipping himself with the five royal treasures that would greatly aid him in battle. They insisted that "they are merely border bandits, and the Knight Captain can surely defeat them easily without the help of those valuable artifacts."
Worse still, the members of the Warrior Corps themselves limited the maximum number of troops he could mobilize to only fifty men, with the absurd excuse that "His Majesty the King's safety needs to be protected in the capital."
Although Gazef tried to reassure his subordinates by saying that these restrictions were necessary to maintain the operation's secrecy, deep in his heart, he knew perfectly well that this was a trap being laid for him.
The kingdom's nobles were divided into two main competing factions: the royalists, who were loyal to the King, and the aristocrats, who sought to seize more power. The conflict between them occurred both openly and secretly, poisoning the kingdom's politics.
As a staunch member of the royalist faction and the King's most trusted and capable general, it was impossible for him to avoid this cunning trap.
If he refused to carry out this mission, or if his mission failed and he died in battle, then not only would he suffer immeasurable loss, but also His Majesty the King's dignity and position would be severely threatened.
At that time, the strength of the royalist faction would weaken significantly, and the power-hungry aristocrats would be able to seize this golden opportunity to rise and take more control over the affairs of the state.
This was an outcome that Gazef absolutely could not accept, having sworn an oath of loyalty to serve the King until his last breath.
The only option left for him now was to annihilate the unknown rebel forces with overwhelming power and return to the capital safely and triumphantly, thus completely shattering the aristocrats' conspiracy and proving his unwavering loyalty to the King.
"We haven't seen even a wisp of smoke yet, so the villagers should still be safe, right?" Gazef murmured softly, trying to find a glimmer of hope amidst the unease gripping his heart.
As if the universe were offering a grim foreshadowing, in several villages the troop of warriors had passed through earlier, they had encountered horrific scenes. Not only had the villagers been brutally attacked, but all the houses had also been burned to the ground by the enemy, leaving behind trails of thick black smoke billowing high into the sky, clearly visible from a great distance.
However, at this moment, Gazef saw no black smoke rising towards Carne Village. This made him pray silently, hoping earnestly that the unfortunate villagers had not suffered the same terrible fate.
Clang!
With a decisive movement, Gazef sharply tugged the reins in his hands, spurring his valiant steed to move forward even faster, as if trying to outrun the ominous destiny that might await them ahead.
Meanwhile, in the ill-fated Carne Village...
The surviving villagers carefully used the long gray cloths given by Kael to wrap the corpses of their deceased relatives. Each winding of the cloth felt like binding together bitter memories and profound sorrow.
These gray cloths were no ordinary fabric. Kael had provided them with a specific purpose: to preserve the bodies of the deceased so that their spirits would not possess the corpses and rise again as terrifying undead.
Yes, Kael did not revive all the deceased villagers at once. Such an action, while demonstrating his power, would make his grace seem too cheap and less impactful.
Instead, he made a request to the surviving villagers: within five days, they were to build a simple shrine to honor him in the center of the village, and then hold a sacrificial ceremony as their first act of reverence.
At the time of the ceremony, he would consider reviving their deceased relatives, based on their piety and the sincerity of their faith in him.
The construction of the shrine had been temporarily put on hold. The villagers of Carne, like Kael, had learned crucial information that Kael had previously obtained from the disguised Church soldier.
The soldiers who had attacked the village were merely the vanguard, a small force sent to provoke. The main strength of the Theocracy was still lagging behind and would likely arrive at the village soon to complete their mission.
When they learned that all their advance scouts had been killed by an unknown power, those fanatical Church members would certainly not let the surviving villagers off the hook. They would definitely return with greater force to punish the murderers and destroy the village that dared to resist them.
Therefore, after receiving clear instructions from Kael, the village chief and the other elders accepted the order to gather all the corpses of the deceased and then work closely with the loyal resurrection angels to prepare to fight against the enemy who might attack again.
The young children and the frightened women had hidden in the large warehouse in the center of the village, the place considered the safest. After dealing with the villagers who had been turned into undead by the initial attack, most of them would rush over to join the others. The few remaining strong young men in the village were equipped with the armor and weapons of the fallen Theocracy soldiers, disguising themselves to deceive any incoming enemies, and stood guard alongside the mighty Resurrection Angels.
Meanwhile, Kael and Enri were alone inside the simple wooden house next to the large warehouse. The atmosphere inside the house felt calm yet filled with anticipation.
Seeing the blonde girl looking a little nervous in front of him, Kael smiled faintly, trying to soothe her agitated heart. "Don't be nervous, this ceremony shouldn't hurt," he said in a gentle and reassuring tone.
"Yes!" Enri replied with an energetic nod, although a hint of hesitation still lingered in her eyes.
Kael had explained earlier that to become his true follower, simply uttering words was not enough. She had to go through a special ceremony, a ritual of confirmation that would mark her allegiance.
Her deceased parents had been revived by Kael's extraordinary power. Such immense help had dispelled all of Enri's doubts about the mysterious man, and her heart was now filled with deep gratitude.
Therefore, she had no objection whatsoever to the upcoming ritual. Her only worry was whether she could perfectly fulfill the requirements of the gods and become a qualified believer in Kael's eyes.
"Then, let's begin," Kael said in a steady tone, seeing the readiness in Enri's eyes. He no longer hesitated. Slowly, he activated the power of [God of Destiny] residing within his body, gently placing his palm on Enri's bowed head.
A warm, holy light quickly enveloped both of their bodies, creating a peaceful and wondrous atmosphere within the room. Enri only felt a gentle and warm power continuously washing over her entire being, making her feel so comfortable and safe that tears of emotion almost welled up in her eyes.
Kael observed the girl's reaction closely, ensuring there were no strange or painful side effects. After confirming that everything was proceeding smoothly, he delved his thoughts deeper into the divine nature flowing through him, searching for the hidden potential within Enri.
Although there was no visible game system panel, based on the information provided by the sacred artifact [God of Destiny], Kael quickly determined the most suitable and potentially developable game profession for Enri in the future.
"Too many choices," Kael couldn't help but complain inwardly, slightly surprised by the sheer number of possible development paths for the girl.
Enri's current job was merely a LV1 villager, a basic occupation in the game system, but this job turned out to be extremely special and had many unique development branches.
If one did not want to continue development in the direction of production and farming, they could use special job transfer items to change this villager profession into other basic professions such as apprentice warrior, apprentice priest, apprentice mage, and so on, rather than sticking to the seemingly combat-unsuitable villager path.
Kael had already carefully considered Enri's situation and her future potential. Therefore, [Divinity of the God of Destiny] naturally possessed the ability to transform her fundamental villager profession into something more useful in the current situation.
In the later part of the original storyline, Enri unexpectedly acquired a command-type profession and successfully led the entire goblin army with remarkable intelligence and courage. This indicated that the girl might have a natural talent in the field of leadership and strategy.
However, since Enri was his first follower in this new world, Kael did not intend to let her follow the "old path" that had been destined for her. He felt it would be more beneficial for him to train Enri into a talented priest suitable for missionary work in the future. Perhaps, with his proper guidance, Enri could even acquire the legendary "saint" profession in the future.
Saint + village girl, what an interesting and highly potential combination. Just thinking about it was exciting enough, Kael thought with a small smile on his lips.
After his thoughts were settled and he decided on the best path for Enri, Kael activated the power of divine nature flowing through his palm and gently copied the holy mark symbolizing the "apprentice priest" profession into Enri's soul and body.
"Alright," Kael said after the transformation process was complete, lifting his hand from Enri's head and asking with a concerned tone, "How do you feel now, Enri?"
Hearing Kael's gentle call, Enri slowly opened her eyes. She frowned slightly, appearing to be trying to comprehend something new and unfamiliar within herself.
"My Lord," Enri murmured softly, "I feel like there are many other things suddenly appearing in my mind, like new knowledge, but... I don't quite understand it all."
The core of magic! Kael thought with a hint of joy.
Seeing Enri's situation was not exactly the same as he had imagined before, Kael used magic to detect the newly awakened magical power within the girl.
In his magical vision, soft blue light spots emerged around Enri's body, radiating a subtle aura of magical power, something she had absolutely not possessed before.
In other words, the transformation and job granting ritual was not wrong. Enri had successfully acquired the basic talent of a magic caster, a promising first step.
After confirming this, Kael felt relieved.
After all, this was a completely different world from the game YGGDRASIL. Even the players who traveled here had undergone changes to suit the reality of this world, not to mention Enri was a native who had become a player dependent on him. A slight deviation from the game era was natural and not difficult to accept, Kael thought wisely.
"Don't worry, Enri," Kael said, gently patting the girl's shoulder, trying to reassure her, "go back and slowly digest all the new knowledge in your head. After diligent practice, you will definitely master it." He ended his words with a warm smile.
"Yes! I will definitely practice harder and will not disappoint you, God!" the girl replied with a determined gaze and a serious nod.
Suddenly, a strange expression flashed across Enri's face. Kael, who was very attentive to the girl's subtle changes, noticed this and asked in a soft tone, "What's wrong, Enri? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing... it's nothing," Enri replied, shaking her head nervously, trying to hide her confusion. However, when she saw the faint and gentle smile on Kael's face, she couldn't help but say in a slightly embarrassed tone, "I just feel like you've suddenly become very gentle, not as serious as before."
"Oh, you're talking about this," Kael said suddenly, appearing enlightened. He didn't show the slightest hint of anger or offense, which relieved Enri.
In the next second, she heard Kael continue in a relaxed tone.
"After all, I am a god. I have to maintain the dignity of a god in public, otherwise I will be laughed at by others, won't I?" Kael chuckled softly.
"But, little Enri," he continued in a lower and more confidential tone, "you are the first person I trust in this world. I don't need to pretend in front of you. It's okay to relax and be myself when I'm with you."
Little Enri... little Enri! the blonde girl thought, her heart pounding rapidly. She had never been addressed with such affection by a male of the opposite sex before, and suddenly both her cheeks felt a little hot and flushed red.