In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

Chapter 53 Battle Aftermath

While Orpheus and the priests knew how to exit the chamber, entering it was a different matter. Knowing the traps that guarded the entrance, Miaomiao slapped Leonardo awake.

Leonardo woke with a start, panicked and frantic, until Alfred raised his fist. The threat of another strike silenced him immediately.

Despite the commotion, the dragon remained unconscious. Its deep slumber persisted undisturbed.

Baron Kensington piloted a griffon to shuttle back and forth between the group and Leonardo's hideout multiple times before they finally set off.

By then, the evening sky was painted in the fiery hues of sunset. It was time to return to camp.

The Mandragora Expedition had long been forgotten, overshadowed by the events of the day. The sheer magnitude of what had occurred left everyone reeling.

When they arrived, the camp was already set up. By morning, they would reach Crowley's castle.

"First Archery Squad, form up! Fire!"

The battle had begun.

With no way to save the fanatics, the only option was to grant them eternal rest.

The last remaining leader within the castle, Nicholas, was overwhelmed. The dragon he intended to offer as a sacrifice hadn't arrived, and the Goddess had yet to fully awaken.

In this state, without any military training or even basic literacy, Nicholas was utterly incapable of mounting a proper defense.

The soldiers from Baron Crassus's domain, on the other hand, fought brilliantly. Unlike the disorganized foot soldiers from other regions, these troops moved in perfect harmony, dominating the battlefield with precision.

Shield bearers formed the front line, fending off enemy attacks while archers behind them unleashed volleys of arrows. When enemies approached, spearmen coordinated flawlessly to repel their advance.

Their seamless cooperation was like a single, massive organism moving with purpose.

Michael, commanding the soldiers, targeted the priests exclusively.

"Shout louder, everyone! The Goddess will surely—"

The priest leading the charge didn't finish his sentence. Michael's arrow pierced his throat, ending his life.

Every time a notable figure emerged, another arrow silenced them. Before long, no priests dared to raise their voices.

With the priests no longer controlling them, the fanatics grew weaker. Most importantly, time was their greatest ally. The frenzy of the fanatics would wane after six hours.

Michael continued to pick off priests, buying as much time as possible. When the first signs of the fanatics aging prematurely began to show, he ordered the soldiers to advance.

The soldiers, exhausted but resolute, cut down the faltering fanatics with grim efficiency, harvesting their lives like wheat in a field.

Count Charles and his knights didn't remain idle. Charging on horseback, they tore through the battlefield with relentless determination.

After slaying the last priest in sight, Michael surveyed the battlefield. The fanatics lay scattered on the ground, lifeless. Their expressions, however, seemed almost peaceful, as if finally finding rest.

Michael clasped his hands together and offered a prayer for the departed, tracing a sign of the cross over his chest.

He prayed that these poor souls would find peace and that their deaths would not go unavenged.

Nicholas, watching his forces crumble one by one, realized it was over. Clutching the blood quill tightly, he fled to Leonardo's room inside the castle.

He needed to use the teleportation circle immediately.

With frantic hands, he placed the magic stone into the center of the circle. But nothing happened.

Panic set in, and as he turned around, he found himself face-to-face with a young knight with a sturdy frame and a calm yet piercing gaze.

"Where do you think you're going? Don't you think it's time to face justice?" Michael said.

[Activation conditions met. Absorbing mana. Mana absorption complete. Usage conditions not fulfilled. Shutting down functionality.]

After subduing Nicholas, Michael reached out and touched the blood quill. A warm sensation coursed through him as distant, ethereal screams echoed in his mind.

Moments later, Michael withdrew his hand. The quill crumbled into dust, scattering into the air. Destroying it was the right thing to do.

Dragging the unconscious Nicholas to the ballroom, Michael confronted the horrors Orpheus had hinted at. Nicholas, after losing several teeth during interrogation, had reluctantly revealed the location of the women he had taken.

The ballroom was drenched in blood.

The lifeless bodies of women, from girls no older than ten to middle-aged mothers, lay strewn across the floor. Some were old corpses, others freshly dead, but all were mutilated beyond recognition.

Michael stood frozen, unable to speak. After witnessing the horrors on the battlefield, this atrocity left him utterly shattered.

How could anyone commit such acts?

As Michael sank into silent despair, Miaomiao approached cautiously.

[Michael, I've solved the riddle. It's humans. Humans did this,] the spirit beast said softly.

Michael reached out and gently stroked Miaomiao's head. The small creature rubbed its head against his hand, offering comfort.

"Yes… humans," Michael whispered. "Humans did this. And humans will clean up this mess. Thank you, Miaomiao. You've helped me see things clearly."

For the first time since coming into this world, Michael felt a sense of purpose.

To achieve his goal of changing the world, Michael first needed to deal with the immediate situation. That meant informing others about Orpheus, the captured priest of the Church of Radiance.

"This is not something we can resolve on our own. We should wash our hands of it and inform Count Charles and the Court Marquis immediately," Baron Crassus urged.

"I agree. Keeping them imprisoned with some misguided sense of justice won't gain us anything. It's better to report this to the court and claim the rewards," Baron Kensington added.

Both barons insisted that withdrawing from the matter was the wisest course of action. Alfred and Hope remained silent, while Lord Lancaster declared he would follow the consensus. Michael also knew he had no other options.

As long as the Church of Radiance was involved, there was no way forward on his own.

As for the dragon, it was decided that Miaomiao, the sphinx, would handle it. Being a fellow first-grade magical beast, she argued that there was no one more suitable than herself. Her reasoning left everyone speechless—or perhaps it was fear of her strength that silenced any objections.