Intermission: The Contract

Months before the Paladin expedition towards the South Region, Paladin Lord Harb had received reports of a powerful being discovered in some ancient ruins.

The ruins were initially a mine for rare metals. Even though they did not know where these metals originated, they used them to make magic weapons and armor.

However, the recent discovery by the researchers at the mine changed everything.

They said these metals were shards of the broken equipment of a powerful being that resides inside the ruins.

Now they had discovered this being; they had called the highest authority in the Kingdom that is available.

That means Paladin Lord Harb investigated the incident.

He did not expect that the "being" they talked about was from the source of "Light (Holy Powers) itself.

Paradise.

Where the angels and higher beings of light dwell. The powers that the Paladins call to their aid come from Paradise.

And this "being" seems to have been cast out and exiled.

His equipment was in worse condition, and his wings were forcefully removed from him.

It was barely alive when Harb talked to it. However, nobody was there to witness the event since the Paladin Lord told the others to stay outside.

What happened inside was a mystery to everyone else.

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(Harb POV)

Harb: "Who are you?"

Harb approached the being that was at least three times his size and had a powerful aura surrounding him.

???: "..."

The "being" sat there motionless, and his "light" was slowly fading.

Unlike angels, whose holy light burned like a small sun, this person's "light" was like a candle about to go out.

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Harb: "Is there anything we can do to help you? Or are you a messenger from Paradise about to warn us of an upcoming disaster?

At that question, the "angel" moved, and it spoke very softly. You could almost mistake it for a gasp of breath.

???: "Hah... disaster. The disaster has already happened, humans. I tried to prevent it, but I was not successful. My brethren had exiled me for trying to prevent something non-existent."

Its face was downcast.

??? "The fools in Paradise think they can obliterate any problem they have with holy flames. This mentality will be their undoing."

Harb: "What? Is this true? I can't believe that our lords in Paradise would make such a mistake. They are all-knowing, and they are the ones who write fate."

???: "Hahaha. Poor humans. Do you really believe that angels can write fate? They only use overwhelming force to create their ideal world or to make a particular situation happen. However, they only claim this, and in reality, they cannot change fate."

The "angel" slammed his fist to the ground.

??? "Nor can they avoid the raging storm of death that is about to come."

After that sentence, the "angel" coughs, and his light becomes dimmer.

??? "I want you, warrior of light, to take what's left of my powers and gather all of your brothers to defend this world."

Harb: "What do you mean? How is it possible to wield the power of an angel? Our scrolls tell us that ascension is a thing that is attained by heroes only who have been blessed by the light."

??? "I will make this possible. We will form a contract. In exchange for receiving my power, you must follow my final wish."

Harb: "That's what we have been doing all this time. How can this be a worthy exchange for you?"

??? "Think about it. Protecting this world does not mean only protecting the human race. You must find the right way to fulfill my wish, or else this power would consume you."

Harb: "I understand. Then this "storm of death" that you are talking about... It's the Undead, isn't it?"

???: "It's-"

(Cough)!

The coughing was more intense than before. The aura surrounding the "angel" was disappearing.

??? "There is no time! Take my power! You will know your enemy once you see the power they wield. Now, go!"

Harb grabbed hold of his hand, and as soon as they touched, the remainder of the angel's power transferred to him.

Harb: "Argh!"

The Paladin Lord experienced extreme pain and struggled to contain the power inside of him.

He could barely stabilize his energies, and if he messed up, his body would explode.

He would struggle for hours before the energies calmed down.

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After a few hours of silence, the Paladins waiting outside the ruins went inside to investigate.

The Paladin Lord instructed them to stay outside, but it has been too long since he went inside.

Paladin: "What happened here?"

All they could see were rare metals scattered everywhere and the Paladin Lord lying down unconscious in the middle of it.

Paladin: "Paladin Lord Harb!"

They had taken him away and let him rest.

A few days after the incident, Harb woke up.

Paladin Lord Harb: "What is this? What happened? Ugh."

He had a headache, and his body felt very heavy. It's like his spirit weighed him down a lot more than wearing his heavy armor.

However, he meditated and focused on regaining his memories of what happened.

After a few more days, it came to him.

He had made a contract with a fallen angel, and now he had a special skill called .

Even though it is temporary, he would be granted powers that are on par with those of the angels.

The only bad thing is that he never remembered the terms of the contract or what he had to give to receive this power.

He only concluded that it was a gift of the Holy Light bestowed upon him to destroy the evil Undead.

He could vaguely remember that the fallen angel's wish was to protect something.

As a Paladin Lord, he must protect humankind from the undead and other monsters. So this can only mean that the mission was to finish mopping up the undead to secure the people's safety forever.

The fallen angel never mentioned who the enemy was in their conversation.

It's only common sense that it was the undead. The natural enemy of the living.

This conclusion would be a mistake that would cost him many soldiers' lives and, ultimately, the lives of humankind.