Albedo's words were not mere exaggeration. The current state of the Roble Holy Kingdom could truly be described as one of utter chaos—like drowning in deep, turbulent waters with no way to surface.
As the Overseer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo was aware of everything that transpired within it. Nothing—whether it involved Ren Kuroda or Momonga—could possibly escape her notice.
And now, within the Holy Kingdom, the internal situation had grown even more dire than that of the Kingdom in its final days.
The reason was simple:
All demi-humans within the Holy Kingdom had risen in full-scale rebellion.
The Roble Holy Kingdom had always been riddled with internal conflict. When Queen Calca Bessarez ascended the throne, her rule stirred dissatisfaction among many of the nobles.
Calca possessed a saint-like compassion for her people, dreaming of building a utopia where no one would ever have to shed tears. However, the tension between the kingdom's human citizens and the demi-humans along its borders had long been irreconcilable.
Demi-humans were treated as inferior beings—often enslaved—and yet, they possessed remarkable combat strength, as well as bodies and wills tempered by harsh environments.
In the past, they had been unable to resist the Holy Kingdom. Not only did they lack capable leadership, but they often struggled just to survive from one day to the next. Rebellion had been an impossible luxury.
But then, one day, their fate changed.
A merciful and great being—Ren Kuroda—descended upon them like a god, transforming their destiny.
Now, that very god had issued a divine command: to launch an assault on the Holy Kingdom.
As devout believers, the demi-humans obeyed without the slightest hesitation.
They already made up the majority of the kingdom's population. And now that they were well-fed and equipped, they had become natural-born warriors in their prime.
With the addition of magical equipment supplied by the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the demi-human army's combat power had reached overwhelming levels.
At first, the royal family and the nobles of the Holy Kingdom did not take the rebellion seriously.
After all, demi-humans living along the borders launching raids due to hunger was a common occurrence.
But when the demi-human forces broke through multiple towns in succession and advanced toward the capital with unstoppable momentum, panic finally gripped the kingdom's leadership.
They began to realize that this uprising was fundamentally different from anything before—and that the demi-humans' strength far exceeded all prior expectations.
The only reason the Holy Kingdom had not yet fallen was because the demi-humans lacked proper commanders, relying solely on their instinctual combat abilities.
Otherwise, the kingdom would have already collapsed.
Remedios Custodio—the strongest paladin of the Holy Kingdom—wielded the holy sword Safarlisia.
She was also a close friend of Queen Calca and held a position equivalent to the Kingdom's strongest warrior captain, Gazef Stronoff.
At this very moment, Remedios was stationed in a town not far from the capital, leading a defensive battle. If this town were to fall, the royal capital would lie within arm's reach.
Remedios herself was immensely powerful, but not particularly adept at strategy. Fortunately, as the commander of the Paladin Order, she was supported by a group of highly capable subordinates.
"This is strange… Normally, demi-humans would have retreated by now after facing resistance like this. Even if they were fighting for food, they've already looted several towns—they should have more than enough. So why are they still relentlessly pressing toward the capital?"
The vice-captain of the Paladin Order frowned as she watched the demi-human forces. Even after being repelled time and again, they continued to throw themselves at the city walls in wave after wave of ferocious assaults.
However, what Remedios wanted to hear right now was not speculation.
She wanted a solution—not an analysis of why the demi-humans had revolted.
The entire Holy Kingdom was in crisis. Yet those at the center of power not only failed to produce effective countermeasures—they had begun blaming one another instead.
And the one who bore the brunt of that blame was none other than the newly crowned Holy Queen, Calca.
Remedios shared an exceptionally close relationship with Calca. In fact, it was so close that many citizens speculated the reason the breathtakingly beautiful queen had yet to take a consort was because of her "special" relationship with Remedios.
Of course, both were stunning women—but among nobles, such matters were notoriously… complicated. After all, everyone knew that the aristocracy had its own peculiar ways of indulging themselves.
Because of her deep bond with Calca, Remedios had volunteered to lead the campaign against the demi-humans.
Yet only after facing them in battle did she come to understand the truth.
It wasn't that the Holy Kingdom's army was weak—
It was that the demi-humans had become overwhelmingly powerful.
Their equipment was excellent. Their morale was sky-high. And each of them fought with a fearless, almost suicidal ferocity.
It was hard to believe that these were the same starving, ragged demi-humans who once lingered on the borders.
At the beginning, the Holy Kingdom's forces had managed to gain some advantage by leveraging the defensive strength of their fortifications.
But as the battle dragged on, the tide gradually turned against them.
The sheer intensity of the demi-humans' resolve was on a completely different level.
For the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom, this was merely a job—they were paid to fight. Not everyone possessed the conviction to die for their nation.
But for the demi-humans, this was a holy war.
They fought for their faith. Years of oppression, hatred, and resentment had erupted all at once, fueling a collective will that far surpassed that of their enemies.
Their style of combat was brutal—so much so that even in death, they sought to drag a Holy Kingdom soldier down with them.
Such savage determination was enough to overwhelm even elite troops.
"Lady Remedios, if this continues, the Holy Kingdom will fall sooner or later."
Another female paladin spoke up suddenly, her voice firm.
"Our only option now is to return and request Queen Calca's approval—to send envoys to other nations and seek reinforcements."
For any nation, internal strife was already a source of great shame.
To be unable to resolve it and instead seek aid from foreign powers—that was even more humiliating.
But the Holy Kingdom had long passed the point of worrying about appearances.
Moreover, the demi-humans had once lived in starvation along the borders. Now they were well-fed, numerous, and equipped with fine gear.
If there was no one backing them from the shadows, it would be impossible to explain.
Someone was using the demi-humans as a tool to overthrow the Holy Kingdom—
And they were dangerously close to succeeding.
"There's no need to consult Queen Calca," Remedios said, her tone resolute.
"She's already overwhelmed dealing with those nobles. And if the factions opposing her learn that we intend to seek aid from other nations, they'll undoubtedly interfere."
She turned to her subordinates, issuing swift orders.
"A portion of you will remain here and continue commanding the troops in defense against the demi-humans."
"As for the rest—come with me. We'll depart immediately to request aid from other nations."
"Until we return…"
"You must hold the line. No matter what."